Zaraf stood motionless, as if the world itself had frozen around him. The air inside the dim corridor suddenly felt heavier, pressing against his chest until breathing became difficult. Bell's words echoed again and again inside his mind, refusing to disappear.
"She died."
Such simple words.
Yet they carried a cruelty greater than any blade.
For a few seconds, he could only stare at Bell, unable to fully understand what he had just heard. Abeth… dead? No. That wasn't right. She smiled awkwardly when embarrassed. She got annoyed when he treated dangerous things casually. She looked at the world with the curiosity of someone seeing sunlight for the first time. Someone like that couldn't already belong to death.
But Bell's eyes held no lie.
"Before coming to the Imagery World, she was just like you," Bell said quietly, almost as if she regretted every word leaving her mouth. "The difference is… you awakened without losing your life."
Silence swallowed the room.
Then her next words descended like a final verdict.
"She died. Her soul came here through awakening."
Zaraf felt his heartbeat falter.
A strange ache spread through his chest. Heavy. Uncomfortable. The kind of feeling that made him want to reject reality itself.
"…So she remembers her past life?"
"Yes," Bell answered softly. "Every reincarnation remembers the life they had before entering this world."
The ground became unbearably quiet.
Zaraf lowered his head slightly, shadows covering his eyes.
"So there are more like her?"
"…Yes."
His jaw tightened.
"What are they going to do to her?"
Bell hesitated.
That hesitation alone told him enough.
"Not he," she corrected quietly. "They."
"…They?"
"It is the order of the Captain of Creators. Every reincarnation must be brought to him."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Zaraf's breathing grew heavier, slower, colder.
"What are they going to do to her?"
Bell looked away this time.
"He will send her back to the human world and—"
"Then what?!"
His voice exploded through the ground with enough force to shake the far trees.
Bell flinched.
"When she enters the human world again… her body will perish. And her soul will pass to the afterlife."
Everything became silent again.
Terribly silent.
"…So she's going to die again."
The words came out hollow.
As if he himself could not accept them.
"The second chance she got… will just be erased."
Bell closed her eyes briefly before speaking.
"It disturbs the balance of worlds when dead souls remain here. To restore balance… they must be returned."
Zaraf's eyes darkened slowly.
Coldly.
"…I can't agree with that."
Bell looked at him sharply.
There was something dangerous inside his voice now. Not rage. Rage was loud. This was quieter than that.
This was resolve.
"Where did he take her?"
"…I won't tell you," Bell whispered. "He will kill you. Just like—"
"It doesn't matter."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"I promised her something."
He took a slow step forward.
"I promised her a place where she could live freely. Without giving up what she doesn't want."
Bell's expression trembled faintly.
For a brief moment, she saw it clearly.
This boy truly intended to oppose the entire order of Creators for the sake of one girl.
"I will see it through," Zaraf said quietly. "Even if I have to stand against them."
Bell stared at him in disbelief.
"Even against the Captain?"
"…Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
A long silence followed.
Then Bell let out a defeated sigh.
"He took her to the Headquarters of the Creators."
A portal slowly unfolded beside her, blue light spilling into the ground like moonlight breaking through water.
"A world created by the Creator Captain… Shin."
The portal stabilized.
"…Here is the way."
Zaraf looked at her for a moment.
"…Sorry."
Then he stepped through.
—
The Headquarters of the Creators was enormous.
An endless world of white structures stretched beneath an artificial sky, beautiful in the same way abandoned temples were beautiful. Everything looked perfect. Ordered. Untouched.
And because of that…
It felt lifeless.
Zaraf moved silently through the massive pathways, suppressing his presence as much as possible. He didn't rush forward recklessly. He searched carefully, eyes scanning every corridor and rooftop.
Guards stood near gates. Observers watched from towers suspended in the sky.
Far above, a man sat lazily on the edge of a rooftop, one leg hanging over the side as he stared downward with bored eyes.
"…Ahh," he muttered. "Who's this now?"
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Looks like something fun is about to happen."
Zaraf suddenly stopped moving.
A single guard stood outside a closed room.
His instincts sharpened immediately.
She's inside.
The next moment, he vanished.
The guard barely had time to widen his eyes before Zaraf appeared behind him.
One strike.
Clean.
Silent.
The body collapsed.
Zaraf opened the door slowly.
Inside the room, Abeth stood near a massive window overlooking the white city below. Her gaze looked distant, unfocused, as though she were trying to memorize a world she might soon lose.
"There you are," Zaraf said softly. "Are you okay?"
She turned sharply.
The moment she saw him, disbelief filled her eyes.
"Why are you here—"
Then she sensed it.
Her expression changed instantly.
"…You're a Creator?"
A faint bitterness entered her voice.
"I thought you were different."
Zaraf remained quiet for a moment before answering.
"I am a Creator."
He stepped closer.
"But I won't let you go back to death."
Her eyes trembled slightly.
"It's not fair for you to feel death twice."
The room became silent.
Outside the window, white clouds drifted across the artificial sky.
"I promised you a place to live freely," Zaraf continued quietly. "Not a place where you must die for balance."
"…But—"
"Forget them. Forget balance."
His gaze remained steady.
"Come with me. You can live in my world."
Abeth lowered her eyes.
"…How can I live if the world becomes unstable because of me?"
"Did you come here by your own will?"
She froze.
Then her voice came out weakly.
"…I don't know."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"I just… didn't want my life to end in a hospital room."
A faint tremble entered her voice.
"I wanted to feel life."
Something inside Zaraf tightened painfully at those words.
A girl who spent her life staring at white ceilings and medicine bottles had finally touched freedom… and now they wanted to take it away.
He slowly extended his hand toward her.
"Then I'll give you one."
His voice was quiet.
"Come with me."
Abeth stared at his hand for several seconds before slowly reaching toward it—
"If you try to leave…"
A cold voice echoed from outside the room.
"…you will both face consequences."
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Rough stepped into view.
Expressionless.
Silent.
Yet his presence alone felt crushing.
Abeth's hand trembled.
Instinctively, she stepped back slightly.
Zaraf looked at her.
"Tell me something."
"…What?"
"Do you trust me?"
She looked confused.
"W-What? But he—"
"Just look at me."
His voice remained steady.
Unshaken.
"I am the Seventh Creator of Protection."
A brief silence followed.
"So tell me… do you trust me?"
Abeth stared into his eyes.
Then, slowly…
Her breathing calmed.
"…Yes."
She stepped behind him.
"I trust you, Zaraf."
Rough walked forward.
No killing intent leaked from him.
No anger.
That made him far more terrifying.
Zaraf didn't step back.
Not because he believed he could win.
But because someone behind him mattered more than fear itself.
"Don't get hurt…" Abeth whispered.
Zaraf smiled faintly.
"Wait here."
His eyes sharpened.
"I'll be back."
And then—
Protection clashed against Destruction.
The battlefield exploded instantly.
Zaraf lunged forward like a released arrow, destroying the floor beneath his feet. But Rough vanished before the attack could land.
Too fast.
Zaraf's instincts screamed—
A crushing blow struck his back.
The impact blasted him through the hallway walls, debris erupting into the air.
Before he could recover, lightning flashed.
Rough appeared directly in front of him.
Not teleportation.
Speed.
Pure overwhelming speed.
Bell's urgent voice echoed inside Zaraf's mind.
"If you want to see his movements, enter Creator State!"
"How?!"
Blue light erupted nearby as Bell emerged from her dimension. Their fingers touched for the briefest second—
A spell instantly formed.
Power exploded outward.
Blue energy wrapped around Zaraf's body like flowing flames. His senses sharpened violently. The world slowed. He could hear electricity crackling through the air. Hear distant footsteps across the city.
His hair shimmered.
His clothes rippled with energy.
Creator State.
Rough narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So that's your answer."
Lightning wrapped around his own body next.
Violent.
Destructive.
"Lightning Spear."
Thunder roared across the heavens.
A gigantic spear formed in the sky above them, overflowing with enough power to erase entire sections of the city.
Abeth's face paled.
The spear descended.
And instead of retreating—
Zaraf flew toward it.
The explosion swallowed everything.
White light consumed the battlefield.
Shockwaves shattered nearby structures as smoke flooded the sky.
Then—
A figure burst through the mist.
Close.
Far too close.
Zaraf's fist slammed directly into Rough's face.
The impact distorted the air itself.
Rough crashed into a distant building, rubble collapsing around him.
But before Zaraf could press forward—
Another fairy appeared beside Rough.
Red light exploded outward.
Rough entered his own Creator State.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
The clash resumed.
Faster.
Sharper.
More brutal.
Their movements became nearly invisible as shockwaves tore through the headquarters. Buildings cracked apart. Lightning carved through the sky. The ground split beneath every collision.
Bell's voice trembled.
(Your body isn't ready! If you continue like this, you'll break!)
But Zaraf ignored her.
Pain no longer mattered.
Only one thing did.
Protecting the girl behind him.
Abeth watched the battle helplessly, fear filling her eyes as the world around them crumbled apart.
Then—
"Looks like it's getting serious."
She turned sharply.
A man stood beside her.
Calm.
Composed.
As though the destruction around them meant nothing.
Shin.
"The Creator Captain…"
"Yes."
His gaze remained fixed on the battlefield.
"Whoever wins… decides your future."
Abeth's hands slowly clenched.
"No."
For the first time, Shin looked at her directly.
"I decide my future."
Something changed in her eyes.
The fear remained.
But something stronger appeared beneath it.
Resolve.
"This time," she whispered, "I won't stay in a room and watch."
Power suddenly surged from her body.
"I will take my step."
Shin's expression shifted slightly.
"Oh?"
A faint smile appeared.
"With what?"
Abeth raised her head.
"You only have one Creator."
Power spiraled around her fingers.
"I have five."
"…Then I will fight with him."
Her ability activated.
Copy.
The atmosphere trembled.
For the first time since arriving, Shin's calm expression changed completely.
"…Interesting."
And then he vanished.
On the battlefield, both Zaraf and Rough had reached their limits.
Breathing heavily.
Bodies covered in wounds.
Rough blocked Zaraf's incoming punch—
Suddenly—
A figure appeared between them.
Effortlessly.
Shin caught both fists with one hand each.
The shockwave alone shattered the remaining nearby buildings.
Zaraf's eyes widened.
Rough immediately stepped back silently.
Neither of them had even sensed Shin approaching.
And the most terrifying part—
He had not entered Creator State.
Shin smiled faintly.
"That's enough."
His gaze shifted toward Zaraf.
"Now I know what kind of people you are."
Zaraf breathed heavily, staring at him cautiously.
"…And?"
Shin's smile deepened slightly.
"You are good enough to join us."
Silence.
"…Are you happy?"
The Creator State dissolved from Zaraf's body.
Blue light scattered into the wind.
Bell stepped forward immediately, placing herself beside him protectively.
Shin looked at her with mild surprise.
"Bell… princess. Long time."
Her eyes turned cold.
"…Don't let him near Zaraf again."
The air grew tense instantly.
"If he does," Bell said quietly, "he faces me."
For a moment, silence swallowed the ruined battlefield.
Then Shin chuckled softly.
"Anyway."
He looked back at Zaraf.
"What's your name?"
"…Zaraf."
"Nice name."
Wind moved gently through the destroyed headquarters, carrying dust and fragments of shattered stone across the white city.
Shin smiled calmly.
"I am Shin. The Captain of Creators."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
And for the first time since arriving here—
Zaraf felt the weight of something far larger than himself beginning to move.
"Welcome…"
Shin's voice echoed across the battlefield like the opening of an ancient door.
"…to the Third Era of Creators."