Youri didn't move.
His eyes were locked on Altopereh's core—the faint glow within it pulsing like a heartbeat buried beneath layers of silence. The wind brushed past him, tugging at his cloak, carrying dust across the broken terrain… but none of it reached him.
Because he felt it.
That presence.
Faint.
Distant.
But alive.
"…You're telling me," Youri said slowly, his voice low and unsteady, "Altopereh… is back?"
Lea stood beside him, her gaze also fixed on the Orbiton.
"Yes," she replied. "But not in the way you remember."
Youri took a step forward.
Then another.
Each step felt heavier than the last, as if something inside him was resisting—or warning him.
"I watched it leave," he said. "I watched it tear itself out of that core."
"And it did," Lea answered calmly. "What you saw was its true form breaking free."
"Then what is that?" Youri pointed toward the glowing core.
Lea's expression hardened slightly.
"What it used to be," she said. "A vessel's Creature of destruction"
Youri clenched his jaw.
"…Or something new."
That made him pause.
"What do you mean 'new'?"
Lea didn't answer right away. Instead, she began walking toward Altopereh.
"Come," she said. "If you want answers… you're going to have to face it."
Youri hesitated for only a moment.
Then he followed.
The ground beneath them was still fractured from the earlier clash—cracked stone, shattered pillars, and deep scars carved into the terrain. Gaisen remained behind them, slowly recovering, its massive form rising and falling with heavy breaths.
But Youri's focus was ahead.
On the Orbiton.
As they approached, Altopereh loomed larger—its towering frame partially buried in sand and debris, yet unmistakably intact. The faint hum of its systems had returned, subtle but present, like a sleeping giant beginning to stir.
Youri stopped at its base.
He looked up.
"…Feels different," he muttered.
Lea stepped beside him. "Of course it does."
"That knight…" Youri said. "What did he actually do?"
Lea crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing slightly. "He didn't just restore it."
She glanced at the core.
"He resealed it."
Youri frowned. "Resealed… a god unit?"
Lea gave a faint nod. "Knights of Sacros don't 'fix' things. They impose order."
She turned toward him. "Whatever plan it head, it failed."
Youri let that sink in.
"…Great," he muttered. "So I'm about to jump back into chaos. Again."
Lea didn't sugarcoat it.
"Yes."
Youri exhaled slowly.
Then he stepped forward.
The cockpit hatch—once sealed and lifeless—now stood slightly ajar, as if it had been waiting for him.
He stopped just before it.
"…Feels like déjà vu," he said quietly.
He placed his hand on the edge of the hatch.
For a brief moment—
He hesitated.
Memories surged through him. The battles. The destruction. The feeling of losing control. The voice of Altopereh echoing in his mind.
The monster.
The power.
The cost.
Then—
Leonora.
Her face.
Her voice.
Her tears.
Youri's expression hardened.
"…I'm not dying here," he said under his breath.
And he stepped inside.
The cockpit was… different.
Not visibly—not at first glance. The controls were where they should be. The interface panels flickered faintly as he entered, responding to his presence.
But the atmosphere—
It felt quieter.
Still.
As if something that once filled this space was now… absent.
Or waiting.
Youri lowered himself into the pilot's seat.
The moment he did—
The systems came alive.
Soft light pulsed across the panels. The main interface ignited, projecting faint streams of data across the cockpit. A low hum resonated through the frame of the Orbiton, growing steadier with each passing second.
"Power levels stabilizing…"
The AI's voice echoed.
But even that—
Sounded different.
Less mechanical.
More… grounded.
Youri frowned slightly.
"…That's new."
Outside, Lea watched silently.
Her gaze remained fixed on the core.
Then—
It flared.
A sudden pulse of energy surged through Altopereh, rippling outward like a shockwave. The sand around its frame lifted slightly, swirling as the machine fully awakened.
Lea took a small step back.
"…Here we go," she murmured.
Inside—
Youri felt it immediately.
The connection.
But it wasn't violent.
It wasn't overwhelming.
It was…
Smooth.
Controlled.
Like stepping into water that didn't resist him.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…What the hell…"
The familiar sensation of syncing began—but without the crushing pressure, without the invasive force that once tore through his mind.
Instead—
It flowed.
Like something inviting him in.
Then—
Darkness.
Youri opened his eyes.
He stood once more within the abyss.
But it wasn't the same.
The endless ocean that once stretched around him was calmer now. The violent currents were gone. The oppressive weight had lessened.
The water was still dark—but clearer.
And the sky above—
Was no longer empty.
A faint light shimmered across it.
"…Altopereh?" Youri called out.
Silence.
No roar.
No laughter.
No overwhelming presence crashing down on him.
Youri's brow furrowed.
"…Don't tell me you're gone now."
A ripple spread across the water.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Youri turned.
From the depths below—
Something moved.
Not rising like before.
Not erupting with force.
But ascending… steadily.
A shape.
Large.
Familiar.
The water parted as it emerged.
And for the first time—
It did not feel like a monster.
Youri narrowed his eyes.
"…I never thought I'd see you this way," he muttered.
The presence before him wasn't gone.
It had changed.
And whatever stood before him now—
Was no longer the same Altopereh he once knew.
Outside—
Lea watched the Orbiton in silence.
The glow of the core stabilized, shifting from chaotic pulses into a steady, controlled light.
She exhaled slowly.
"…A Knight of Sacros intervening…" she whispered.
Her gaze lifted toward the crimson sky where the distortion had vanished.
"…What are you planning?"
Behind her, Gaisen let out a low rumble, its massive form slowly rising once more.
The domain had changed.
The balance had shifted.
And deep within the Orbiton—
Youri was about to face something new.
Something unknown.
Something that might either save him—
Or finally break him.