Morning came with the scent of rain on stone.
Jiwoon sat at the dining table, legs swinging off the chair far too big for him.
In front of him: a bowl of porridge. Lukewarm. Untouched.
Kaelya slid into the seat next to him.
"Still not hungry?"
Jiwoon shook his head.
"It's not the food… It's my hands."
Kaelya blinked.
"What about them?"
Jiwoon raised them — small, trembling fingers.
"They've killed people, haven't they?"
Meanwhile — Training Hall
Kravein cut through the air, blade slicing invisible arcs.
Vera leaned against the pillar, arms folded, watching him.
"You don't like this, do you?"
"What part? The fact that our demon god turned into a moody six-year-old?"
"Or that I keep stepping on his toys?"
"Both," Vera said flatly.
That Afternoon
A warning blared through the system.
[System Alert]
Unknown anomaly detected.
Rift Signature: Type S – "Dream Blight"
Location: Sector 9 – Hollow Orchard
Vera, Kaelya, and Kravein exchanged a glance.
"We should go," Vera said.
"And the kid?" Kaelya asked.
Jiwoon looked up from the corner.
"I'm not staying behind."
At the Hollow Orchard
The sky was darker here.
Reality shimmered. Trees swayed to a wind that didn't exist.
In the center — a figure in white robes, faceless.
It whispered to itself… and the land decayed beneath its feet.
Kaelya stepped forward, unsheathing her blade.
"Dream Blight confirmed. Level S."
Kravein grinned. "About time."
But then—
The creature turned toward Jiwoon. And smiled.
"Ah… the boy who burned heaven."
Jiwoon froze.
His hands shook again.
"Who… are you?"
"A shadow of what you buried."
"Want me to remind you?"
Suddenly —
Jiwoon's eyes turned pitch black.
The ground cracked.
A voice echoed within him:
"You will not touch them."
From his shadow, a single wing of Void Flame erupted.
The Dream Blight shrieked — but too late.
A burst of demonic pressure tore across the orchard, shattering illusions, breaking time.
And then—
Silence.
Jiwoon collapsed.
Vera caught him mid-fall.
"He doesn't remember it again…"
[System Update]
Emergency Override Activated
Partial Sin Avatar Deployed (2%)
User Memory Status: Rewinding
Divine Trace Residue: Present