In The Central of Stars, chaos had shaken everything. The gods and goddesses were now fighting each other, fury flooding the sacred space—filled with blood, screams, and hatred. Upon the throne, the prince's body lay stiff. He had died. Yet the golden crown of Gheo still rested firmly on his head—neither melted nor broken. The crown was believed to grant its wearer the power to rule the entire universe, and because of that… they killed to claim it.
The divine ones fought blindly, even beyond The Central. Nearby planets began to split; the laws of the cosmos trembled.
Body parts were scattered across the stone floor. Blood painted the once-peaceful sacred walls. No one truly knew what sparked this fury. Perhaps… greed had conquered the divine.
"that crown is mine!"
"You old fool! You're no longer worthy."
The endless conflict raged until one god managed to seize the crown. But within moments, he was struck down—killed instantly. The crown was thrown aside. All of them—filled with vengeance and ill intent—leapt toward the throne at the same time, just as the crown fell onto the prince's corpse and the pile of divine organs.
That was when a surge of golden energy erupted from the crown.
Its tremor was so powerful, it hurled every god and goddess backward.
The energy formed a massive golden vortex, pulling in flesh, blood, and even the crown itself into its swirling core.
All fell silent. They could only stare… in fear.
Not a single one dared step closer to the inexplicable spiral.
He stood still—head bowed with a vacant gaze. His face was expressionless, showing no emotion. His body had transformed—into a golden human, with a softly glowing diamond at the center of his forehead.
The gods and goddesses stared at him in silence. They hadn't expected this.
Suddenly, the figure collapsed—his body falling heavily to the ground, unconscious.
He lay still, as if asleep in the cradle of the stars.
Without hesitation, the divine ones moved closer—surrounding the golden human with awe and astonishment that couldn't be contained. One by one, they sat cross-legged around him, as if witnessing a miracle being born before their eyes.
Their faces were filled with disbelief.
They didn't recognize him… but they knew this was no ordinary being.
"H-Hey, bring the prince's robe! Cover him."
Swiftly, one god took the robe from the late prince's throne and draped it gently over the lower half of the golden man's body with great reverence. A solemn silence followed. Only eyes filled with curiosity dared to speak.
"So… who is he?"
"I don't know…"
"I know him. His body, along with others, was pulled in with Prince Ghevi. The crown's gold came from G-430—those were his last words before he merged as i remembered."
Those words pierced the heavens. The gods bowed their heads in silence.
"Oh, poor child… the gold you bore was too heavy, it consumed you entirely.
Oh brave prince, who shall not be born again.
Yet now, the return of the golden one…"
She paused for a moment.
"Welcome back… Gheo."
Gheo lay quietly on a soft bed, unmoving, as if still trapped between dreams and waking.
Though his body resembled a golden statue glowing under the soft light of the medical chamber, his skin—when touched—felt warm and soft, like that of any living being.
It was as if the gold itself had been given life.
"How is he?"
"He's starting to recover, but still unconscious…" answered a gentle nurse.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from outside. Growing louder, until the curtain was violently drawn aside.
"IVONIX! THAT BOY ESCAPED AGA—…"
The voice and footsteps halted instantly as a tall figure with silver hair entered the room.
His eyes locked onto the golden figure lying still.
"Who's that?" someone asked without hesitation, looking at the nurse with confusion and slight concern.
"Raphiel, don't barge in like that! He still needs rest!" Ivonix snapped, hurrying to push Raphiel away.
"Really?" Raphiel narrowed his eyes.
"Because he looks awake to me. Just look at his eyes. It's like… he wants to speak to you."
Ivonix slowly turned. His gaze met the green eyes—soft yet deep, like a mirror still untouched by memories.
Gheo stared directly at Ivonix. Silent. Full of questions.
"Ah… Gheo. So you're awake?" Ivonix muttered, half in disbelief.
Gheo didn't respond. He didn't yet know how to speak, but it seemed he could understand them. Slowly, he turned his head, gazing at the flower-like figure standing not far from his bed.
"Hello, Gheo. I'm glad to see you awake," the figure greeted with a warm smile. "I'm Raphiel."
Silence. Then slowly, Gheo opened his mouth.
"R–Raphiel…?"
"Yes, that's me." Raphiel chuckled softly.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a giant baby, huh?"
"Heh!" Ivonix silently pinched Raphiel's arm.
"Ow! Hey, I was just being honest!"
Gheo looked around, observing the ceiling, the nurse, and the three unfamiliar figures—Ivonix, Raphiel, and Ruisa.
A soft confusion painted his face, as if he were seeing the world for the first time.
Without saying another word, Gheo tried to rise. The three quickly tried to stop him, but he sat upright, then slowly stood up from the bed.
His gaze was pure—no stubbornness, only the sincere curiosity of a soul newly awakened.
"Uh… I hope he's really alright," murmured Raphiel as he stepped back toward the door.
"Well then… I'll head out. Take good care of him, okay?"
Raphiel exited without waiting for a reply.
But as Gheo stared at him with a quiet, unknowing gaze, Raphiel glanced back—briefly—and smiled.
"Huff... ah, Gheo, are you hungry?"
Ivonix's question pulled Gheo's attention back.
The sound of footsteps echoed calmly through a dark hallway. Moonlight peeked through, illuminating the somber atmosphere. Gloomy, heavy, and grim—this was the kind of night felt only in distant villages, unless it involved cities stained by the world's deepest shadows.
They kept walking. Their faces were devoid of smiles, stern expressions frozen on their features. Their minds swirled with thoughts, except for one god walking behind, who thought of nothing but worry.
Suddenly, Raphiel stopped in the middle of the dark corridor, with the god still following behind.
"Jaden, tell me what really happened that day."
His voice was cold and flat, directed at Jaden behind him—unapologetically sharp, even when speaking with another god.
"What do you mean…?"
"He died, didn't he? And Noruva disappeared—they said you sent her somewhere. And now this Gheo appears—this golden human born from his crown? What really happened?"
"Listen to me carefully, okay? At first, everything was fine. But then… a black flame meteor passed near The Central of Stars.
We all inhaled its fumes—it made us turn on one another and… and… some of us became monsters."
His voice trembled with fear and regret, cutting himself off as if afraid to reveal too much.
"Then tell me… why did you all want his crown?"
"It's because… we saw something unique in it. Its gold was unlike any other. I don't even know what kind of gold it was, but we were mesmerized. It felt special—so strong in its power… we were tempted."
Raphiel exhaled deeply. He turned slowly and approached Jaden. Sweat dripped from Jaden's face as Raphiel's cold, serious expression drew near.
"And she was the only one who didn't fight!" Jaden added with hesitation.
"She tried to protect the prince… but when the meteor's fumes reached her, she vanished. I—I swear I didn't kill her."
Raphiel's expression didn't soften.
"lie."
But his voice faltered slightly. Deep down, Raphiel remembered Noruva too—her voice, her light, her quiet sadness.
Suddenly, Raphiel slapped Jaden hard, grabbed his collar tightly.
"You're an Aphotemi, aren't you? An Aphotemi… tempted by power?
You're a coward, remember that. One last thing before you leave my sight—stay away from Gheo."
His voice was firm—too firm.
Jaden nearly cried, trembling in fear.
He nodded slowly, then ran away as fast as he could after raphiel loosened his grip from jaden. Raphiel's stern face remained unchanged, still locked in the seriousness of what Jaden had just revealed. He turned back to his path, thoughts flooding his body like a storm.
"The crown and Gheo… Prince Ghevi…
You will walk with me again, Gheo."
Far above the shattered stars, something stirred. A pair of eyes black as void watched from beyond the veil of galaxies. They had seen the crown, the golden birth, and the broken gods. And now, they waited.
"He has returned…" a voice whispered from the abyss. "But does he remember?"
The stars trembled faintly in response—as if they too feared the answer.