The air was still.
Not quiet — still, like the world itself was holding its breath.
Jiwoon, still trapped in the childlike form that defied his past, stood in the aftermath of the ruined sanctuary. His small frame trembled, not from fear, but from the weight of memories that didn't belong to this body… yet echoed through every heartbeat.
Beside him, Vera and Kaelya were silent. Even Kravein, usually ready with some smug comment, kept his mouth shut.
They had seen it.
When the attack came from the rogue faction — the Splinter Saints — no one expected the child to move.
But Jiwoon had moved.
Too fast. Too precise. Too powerful.
For a brief moment, time fractured — and the child disappeared, replaced by the true form of the Sin Avatar.
His adult form.
His eyes glowing like twin stars of judgement.
And then it was over.
A crater remained. Ash scattered like snow. The saints had been erased.
Jiwoon, however, stood alone in the center — a child again — panting, confused, and utterly unaware of what he had done.
[System Log: Memory Gap Detected]
"Sin Avatar Manifestation (Temporary): Completed"
"Energy Surge Depletion: 83%"
"Cognitive Trace: Wiped"
Kaelya finally spoke.
"He doesn't remember it… does he?"
Vera shook her head. "No. He was trying to protect us. But the price—"
Jiwoon turned to them, his voice soft.
"Did… I black out?"
Kravein, with an unreadable expression, gave a dry laugh.
"You vaporized half a mountain. Yeah, you could say that."
Jiwoon blinked. "Oh."
That night, they camped under the remnants of an ancient tree.
The mood was heavy — not from grief, but from realization.
Even as a child, Jiwoon was dangerous.
Even to himself.
Vera sat beside him and quietly took his hand.
"You're still you. Even like this."
Kaelya leaned back, staring at the fractured moon.
"And that scares me more than anything."
Far away… a figure watched from a broken tower. Cloaked in rags and light.
"The boy who burns fate… he awakens too soon."