Silence gripped the Hall of Stars.
No one moved.
No one dared to speak.
The memory of the enormous crimson eye still lingered in every mind.
Kael looked toward Aetherion.
"You called him Nox."
Aetherion nodded slowly.
"Long before Veyrath."
"Long before the Devourer armies."
"There was only one."
The room fell silent again.
Arion stepped forward.
"You mean... the Devourers all came from him?"
"Yes."
Aetherion's voice was heavy.
"Nox was the beginning."
The galactic map shifted.
Ancient records hidden within the Hall of Stars awakened.
A projection filled the chamber.
It showed a universe unlike the one they knew.
Countless stars.
Thriving civilizations.
No war.
No darkness.
"It was beautiful," Orion whispered.
Then...
The projection trembled.
A single crack appeared in the fabric of space.
From that crack, darkness flowed like living smoke.
A lone figure stepped out.
Tall.
Wrapped in black armor that seemed woven from the night itself.
His face remained hidden beneath a hood.
Only two crimson eyes glowed beneath the shadows.
"Nox," Aetherion said quietly.
"He wasn't born."
"He arrived."
The vision continued.
World after world vanished beneath his footsteps.
Not through battles.
Not through armies.
Simply because he existed.
"He consumed the light between the stars."
"He turned hope into despair."
Kael stared at the vision.
"So... no one created the Devourers."
Aetherion shook his head.
"Nox did."
"The first Devourers were born from fragments of his own power."
The projection faded.
The Hall became quiet once more.
Seraphine crossed her arms.
"If he's awake..."
"Why hasn't he attacked?"
No one answered.
Until Arion spoke.
"Because he doesn't see us as a threat."
Those words struck harder than any weapon.
Before anyone could respond—
The Harbinger's systems activated.
WARNING.
Unknown transmission detected.
The voice echoed through the palace.
A holographic image formed in the center of the room.
Darkness.
Then...
Two crimson eyes opened.
Nox.
He said nothing.
He simply looked at Kael.
For several long seconds, neither moved.
Then, at last...
Nox spoke.
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
"So..."
"The Final Heir has awakened."
Kael stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
Nox tilted his head slightly.
"I wanted to see the one who carries the Last Core."
A faint smile appeared beneath the darkness.
"You are... smaller than I expected."
The Guardians tightened their grip on their weapons.
Yet none could move.
The pressure from Nox's presence was overwhelming.
He ignored everyone except Kael.
"When you are ready..."
"We will meet."
The image began to fade.
"But understand this."
"I am not your enemy."
The transmission ended.
The room remained frozen.
Kael frowned.
"If he isn't our enemy..."
"Then who is?"
No one noticed.
Far beyond the edge of the known universe...
A brilliant silver light ignited.
A power older than the Cores...
Older than the Devourers...
Had finally answered Nox's awakening.