"What is it… that you seek?"
There was no answer.
Only an endless expanse of white, stretching so far it felt as if it had never known a beginning.
At the center of that void, a table appeared.
White. Perfect. Untouched.
Someone sat before it.
No face. No identity.
Only a pen… moving across the surface.
"The history of the 12 Dis… was once written incorrectly."
The pen stopped.
A crack spread across the empty space.
And then—
everything shattered.
— One Month Earlier —
The city never slept.
Towering structures pierced the lower atmosphere, their artificial lights swallowing the stars that once filled the sky.
Vinh stood on the rooftop, holding an old observation device in his hands.
"You're still using that thing?" Levi's voice came from behind, half amused.
Vinh didn't turn around.
"At least it shows me something… that hasn't been altered."
Levi leaned against the railing, watching the streams of vehicles below move like flowing data.
"In this age, who even cares about what's real or fake anymore?"
Vinh stayed silent for a moment.
"Have you ever wondered… if there's something else out there?"
Levi glanced at the device in Vinh's hand.
"This again? Angels and demons?"
Vinh let out a faint chuckle.
"At least they're more interesting than all of this."
Levi didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out an image.
"Captured a month ago. An unidentified object… beyond orbit."
For the first time, Vinh turned.
His eyes locked onto it.
And for the first time—
it was no longer just imagination.
Vinh didn't say another word.
But something in his gaze had changed.
The launch bay was silent.
A massive transport vessel stood at the center, its surface reflecting the cold white lights of the facility. Engineers moved around it in precise patterns, like parts of a machine.
"Final check complete. Departure in three minutes."
Vinh and Levi walked up the boarding ramp without speaking.
This wasn't their first mission.
But this time… it felt different.
Inside the ship, everything was too clean.
Too quiet.
Vinh took his seat and secured the harness.
"Coordinates locked," Levi said, fingers moving across the control panel. "One light-year out. Exploration mission only."
"Only," Vinh repeated, almost absentmindedly.
The engines hummed to life.
Low at first.
Then rising.
"Departure in three… two… one—"
The world dropped.
Then exploded into motion.
Stars stretched into lines of light.
The ship pierced through the void.
For a brief moment—
everything was perfect.
Then the alarms went off.
"Warning! Unknown collision detected!"
The entire ship shook violently.
Vinh was thrown forward, barely catching himself.
"What the hell was that?!"
Levi's eyes locked onto the radar.
"It's… not debris."
The screen flickered.
Distorted signals flooded the system.
"Two unidentified objects… engaging in combat."
A cold silence filled the cockpit.
Outside—
something moved.
Not like a ship.
Not like anything they had ever seen.
A flash of light.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
Impact.
The ship lurched.
Systems failed one by one.
Lights died.
Gravity flickered.
"…Hull integrity dropping," Levi muttered. "Engine's damaged. We're not—"
He stopped.
Something was inside.
Vinh felt it before he saw it.
A presence.
Cold.
Wrong.
He turned.
Three shapes stood in the corridor.
Distorted.
Unstable.
As if they didn't belong in this reality.
Vinh reached for his weapon.
His hand trembled.
Not from fear—
but because it wouldn't move the way he wanted.
One of them stepped forward.
No sound.
No warning.
Darkness surged.
Vinh's vision shattered into fragments.
Voices echoed—
overlapping, broken, whispering from every direction.
And then—
nothing.