Shin spoke as she placed the slightly dazed Bangboo on the table.
"In addition, there's something few people know—every initial Bangboo carries a message left behind by Sunbringer."
"And mine… is about the Hive Lord Hollow."
"I've often reviewed this short piece of footage. But for all sorts of reasons, I could never make sense of it. The more I watched, the more questions I had."
She gave a faint, knowing smile. "Now, I finally understand."
Shin connected a data cable to the Bangboo and quickly pulled up the related footage—an old recording of Sunbringer during the elimination of the Hive Lord Hollow.
Noise crackled through the audio. The Hollow was clearly unstable at the time, and through the distorted image, Zane could make out Sunbringer's faint silhouette.
There were other Bangboos in the scene as well, but the video was too blurry to make out their details—except for one Zane recognized instantly.
Panta.
That color scheme was unmistakable.
Zane had long suspected Panta was no ordinary Bangboo. Now the footage confirmed it—Panta was one of Marcel Group's initial models.
"The elimination of the Hive Lord Hollow was a monumental event for humanity," Shin continued. "It was the first time humans had truly defeated a Hollow. Sunbringer's achievement was remarkable."
"The Hive Lord Hollow was—and still is—an incredibly unusual one. It erupted in the sky, never touching a single human, yet it posed a massive threat to our survival."
"It devoured nothing, yet it stole the sun from humanity, shrouding the skies in darkness. That's where Sunbringer's title comes from—she took back the sky and daylight."
As she spoke, the footage progressed toward its latter half, showing the Hive Lord Hollow rapidly shrinking.
"Look, Zane."
Shin zoomed in frame by frame, pausing repeatedly until the Hollow vanished completely, leaving only Sunbringer and the Bangboos still flying in the air.
"I've watched this clip countless times. From start to finish, there were eight Bangboos with Sunbringer. But after the Hollow disappears… only seven remain in sight."
"The eighth didn't vanish—it's here."
She pointed to the screen, where only half of Sunbringer's figure was visible, holding a Bangboo in her arms. The shot caught most of its body, but not all.
The Bangboo hung limp in her embrace, its limbs dangling, its expression dim and lifeless.
Zane's pupils contracted, his expression hardening.
Because the Bangboo in Sunbringer's arms was Panta.
"I always thought it was because it was closest to Sunbringer and got caught in the Hollow's final collapse, ending up the way it is now."
"And this—"
Shin pointed again, to the edge of the frame, where the Bangboo in Sunbringer's arms looked… odd.
It wasn't just odd—it was warped. That part of the image shimmered with a subtle distortion, enough to make one's eyes ache.
"I used to think it was just damage from the age of the recording, so I ignored it. But now… I have a bolder theory."
Her eyes shone. That distortion—it was almost identical to what she'd seen from Zane's black spheres when they surrounded an Ether crystal.
Zane already knew where she was going with this.
His gaze locked on the screen, a flicker of shock in his eyes. No wonder Panta never needed recharging, no wonder such a small body could power weapons of that magnitude—its core energy was already immense.
And the reason it wasn't corroded? Simple.
With an Ether concentration that high, Panta not corroding the Ethereals around it was restraint enough.
On the screen, that warped patch of air twisted in a way that was unmistakable.
The Hive Lord… Hollow.
The missing Hive Lord Hollow.
"Eight Bangboos. Eight initial machines. All painstakingly crafted by Sunbringer. But the Bangboos were only ever support—Sunbringer was the main force. Otherwise, the Hollows would've been erased entirely."
Zane stayed silent, recalling his first meeting with Panta. Why had he chosen to keep it with him from the very start?
Perhaps… there had always been a deeper reason.
"I'm not finished, Zane. I haven't told you the most important part."
Her words pulled him from his thoughts. She leaned closer, almost touching him.
"Do you know the original relationship between humans and the Hollows? At first, Hollow outbreaks were no different from any other natural disaster."
"Ancient records say they appeared all over the world—whether in remote deserts or deep oceans… humanity suffered little harm."
"Until humans began using the Hollows—using Ether energy—and even trying to control them…"
Zane took a step back, but Shin didn't stop.
"I never realized it before, but everything changed in that era. Suddenly, the Hollows seemed to target humans, breaking out in every population center."
Shin perched on the edge of the desk, wings unfurled.
Zane stood quietly beside her, listening.
"It was as if, at first, the Hollows saw the whole world as their enemy. But later, humans became the priority target."
"And why…? I think I finally understand."
"I can't be sure I'm right, but it's the most reasonable conclusion I can reach."
She met Zane's gaze.
"Because compared to every other living thing, humans are the greatest threat. Humans have the ability to turn the tide against this disaster."
"You understand me."
"The Hollow disasters don't erupt at random."
Their eyes locked, narrowing in unison.
"And by comparing the two Hollows most dangerous to humanity—the Hive Lord and Zero Hollow—I'm even more certain. They're more persistent, more unique than any others."
She turned the computer screen toward him.
"The data I just cross-checked confirms it—two Hollows that look the most different are actually the most closely related."
She paused, then spoke with conviction.
"Humanity resisted for too long. The Old Capital even managed to seize control of the Hive Lord Hollow—a Hollow under sustained manipulation…"
"So He couldn't sit still anymore."
"And then… the Zero Hollow erupted."
"The Old Capital fell."
It was a daring theory.
But Zane found it convincing.
Because he realized something—he had never absorbed Hollows or Ether.
He'd taken them back.
You can only take something that already has an owner. Which meant he was not the only being capable of controlling them.
"Zane, those questions I asked you earlier… He clearly has the power to wipe out humanity entirely. The fact that New Eridu still exists—it's practically a miracle."
Shin went on, her tone firm.
"And it's certainly not because He showed mercy."
"The Hive Lord Hollow was controlled for long periods but lacked sufficient threat—and it was high in the sky. The Zero Hollow was devastating, but its eruption site wasn't ideal. If it had gone off in the Old Capital's center, most humans would've been wiped out."
"And any Hollow on the ground—Zero Hollow included—once it erupts, there's no changing its course. It just keeps expanding according to its own growth pattern."
"As if… it's beyond control."
"Zane, tell me—the biggest factor affecting your control over a Hollow is what?"
Zane understood immediately.
"Distance."
That was why he couldn't channel Ether to a Hollow once it left his vicinity, and why the farther it went, the greater the restriction.
If not for that, he'd never have needed to order the two Hollows in the outer ring to return.
"To stop such an existence from controlling the Hollows, to impose such limits… far beyond humanity's reach—Zane, how far do you think that is?"
She smiled faintly. She knew he'd already reached the same conclusion.
No obstacles on the ground.
Only one possibility…
Their eyes drifted together toward the window.
Where…
The full moon hung high.
Cold. Luminous. Unnatural.