Silence was the first thing Rain noticed when he fully regained consciousness. A black forest stretched before him, its trees twisted like ancient, decayed bones, and a thick mist enveloped everything, concealing what lay beyond.
He lifted his head, his eyes glinting coldly as he scanned his surroundings. This was not the world he had left behind, but it was also not the place he had seen through the gate.
"Is this… a realm between worlds?"
He whispered softly, but he immediately felt an unusual reaction from the Black Butterfly.
It was restless.
And for the first time, he felt as though it was trying to warn him about something.
Rain was not alone.
The moment he took a step forward, a faint echo resonated through the forest, as if it was slowly coming to life. And then—
A whisper.
It did not come from one direction but from everywhere around him.
He halted his steps, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment.
"Well… whoever is watching me, why don't you come out instead of hiding?"
He did not expect a direct response, but—
"You are more perceptive than I expected, Rain Irthon."
A cold voice, devoid of emotion, echoed between the trees.
Then they appeared.
Five figures, cloaked in black, their faces hidden, devoid of any identifiable features.
But they were not human.
There was no scent, no heartbeat, not even a trace of life within them.
And yet, they existed.
Rain remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the group. He did not need to ask who they were; he immediately recognized that they were no ordinary beings.
But the more important question was:
"What do they want from me?"
"You are the one who has crossed the limits."
"You are the one who has touched the truth."
"But you have yet to understand what that truly means."
The five figures spoke in unison, as if they were a single entity sharing one consciousness.
Rain showed no reaction, but he felt an unnatural tension radiating from the Black Butterfly.
Why was it afraid?
Before he could think further, one of the strangers raised a hand, pointing at him with a long, claw-like finger.
"You have chosen a path with no return."
"And now, you will pay the price."
Then, in a single moment—
The world collapsed around him.
It was not a physical fall but rather a detachment from reality itself.
Rain found himself floating in an endless darkness, his body no longer tangible, his thoughts no longer following a clear logic.
"What is this place?"
But there was no one to answer.
Then, within the void, he began to hear whispers—familiar voices, but they were not his own—
They were voices from his past.
"Rain, you have failed everyone."
"You are nothing more than a shadow of your father."
"You cannot escape what you are."
The voices turned into screams, then into a sinister howling, as if something was trying to force him into breaking apart.
But he was not weak enough to shatter so easily.
And in the moment the void attempted to consume him entirely—
He opened his eyes, and the space exploded with black light.
The black light was not just a glow.
It was a complete transformation of his existence.
Rain felt a power unlike anything before, as if something within him had finally broken free from its old restraints.
Then, amidst the black storm, the Black Butterfly appeared before him, but—
It was different.
No longer just a shadow, it now glowed with mysterious golden engravings, its wings stretching vast enough to cover the sky itself.
Rain did not need an explanation.
He had surpassed his previous limits.
When he returned to reality, he was still in the forest, but the strangers were gone.
He did not know what had happened to them, but he knew one thing—
He was no longer the same as before.