The story of that day ended...
Atom stood there, emotionless. He was not a hero. He don't fight for glory, or for the people, or for justice. He fought, he moved on.
That story, no matter how tragic or grand it was. It didn't touched him.
So he took his sister with him, he moved toward the castle. Not out of compassion, not out of duty, but because her health demanded it. That was all that mattered. He truly did not care about this world.
But before he could leave, the elder spoke again, his voice low and grave.
"You need to be careful… of that person as well."
Atom's gaze flickered, sharp. The warning was clear. This was someone dangerous—someone capable of jeopardizing his goals. Fatal, even.
The elder explained: when Azrial had left them behind and gone after him, they had encountered another man. This man had done something to the king… then vanished into the forest. Whatever had happened there, it might be connected to this person.
History had left its mark. Azrial's family had been abandoned by Nori. Forsaken by the God's favorite. Their bloodline lost favor, their name forgotten, their place in the world erased. They were no longer mattered.
"Brow… thwer." Ana called out to Atom.
He looked at her, serious and unwavering. He held her hand tightly as they approached the wall of fire.
"Ana… after I get the soul of the God, I'll fix you," Atom reassured her. And then, without hesitation, he stepped through the flames. Neither of them burned. Atom's mantra protected them:
"Lord Almighty: Maat…"
A sacred chant, granting regeneration from any injury, even fire. The flames licked at their skin, but they passed unharmed.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sil stirred, saved by some unseen force. Hands, warm and protective, had covered him.
"What… is this?" he murmured.
As his senses returned, he realized the mountain around him was utterly destroyed. The only thing keeping him alive had been the hand of an unknown presence.
A voice echoed in his mind.
"Did you get burned?" it asked, concerned.
Sil looked down. His leg had indeed caught some burns, but the presence had saved him just in time. The explosion had been massive enough to kill anyone instantly.
"Who… are you?" Sil asked, while his voice trembling.
"I am Nori," came the calm reply. The soul of Nori had protected him. Sil bowed in gratitude, then looked around, worry shadowing his face.
"Atom… he must be in danger. I need to check on him," he thought, preparing to move.
But Nori's voice stopped him.
"Do not worry. Atom is all right… he's still there."
Sil hesitated, then asked quietly, "Mr. Nori… I've heard the tales… can you help him?"
It was obvious. But Nori's tone carried a heavy weight. He had died, yet now his soul was bound, slave to the man everyone called King. And the consequences were brutal. Any who disobeyed or tried to break the King's rules… perished. Human or spirit, there was no mercy. Even Nori, once great, now suffered under the King's power.
And once again, Nori sacrificed himself.
A child had fallen into the fire, and without hesitation, he reached out, taking the child into his hands. The flames engulfed him, yet he endured. His soul perished, But this was not the first time he had done so. Sil watched, his guilt rose in his chest, thinking it must be his fault.
But Nori's calm voice echoed in his mind, reassuring him: it was not.
He had known this moment would come. From the instant he had given Atom, "the Server of the God" permission to act, he had felt a presence. The God had arrived. For the first time in years, Nori disobeyed the King's power. He allowed the God to free him. He accepted what all mortals must face sooner or later: death.
And in that acceptance, he found liberation.
Nori lifted Sil in his hands, holding him above the devastated landscape, and gently let him descend to the ocean below.
Sil watched, helpless, as Nori's form began to dissipate into the air. The last image he saw: hands stretched toward him, a silent gesture of gratitude.
"I knew you would come… I have waited all these years… waiting for this liberation. Through you… it is... beautiful. I thank you."
And with those final words, he vanished.
Sil turned to the elder. The elder's eyes widened, astonished.
"How… how did you survive leaving the island?" he asked. "We were on the verge of dying. How did you live?"
Sil hesitated. He had no answer.
Then the grandson stepped forward, recounting everything that had transpired, The sacrifices, the battles, and the manipulations of the King.
Even then, Sil could not explain how he had survived.
The elder's eyes narrowed, his voice calm but heavy with realization.
"Then… it's true."
"What is true?" asked the grandson.
The elder took a deep breath. "The King made Warios kill Azrial because he feared him. He feared that Azrial is equal in strength, equal in might and he would be the only one capable of challenging him. But why only Azrial?"
Sil listened intently.
"The King does not possess the full power of the Lord of the Lords," the elder continued. "When he captured us, we could still speak, still feel, still think. He cannot control everything, not all the time. When that man his 'second part' entered and confronted Warios, control faltered. When he left, Azrial remained, injured but alive. That proves it: the King's power has limits."
And thus, The elder's gaze turned distant, "The Lord of the Lords… his power was unique, crafted by God himself. That power can only dominate those who belong to this world. King Azrial's family… abandoned by Nori, the Tongue of God, never truly belonged to this world. That is why the King feared him. That is why he had to orchestrate his death. And because they were not strong enough to challenge him directly, they used someone considered equal or nearly equal in power. A pawn, a tool… Our King Warios became that tool to eliminate the only threat capable of destroying them."
Sil's mind raced, the pieces falling into place. The world they lived in, the wars, the sacrifices. It was all part of a balance he had never fully understood. And now, for the first time, the truth lay bare.
The grandson spoke, his voice tense, eyes wide with fear.
"If that's the case… then Atom is in danger. They could control him, use him… or kill him. Or… something worse."
The elder shook his head gently, his expression calm but heavy with knowledge.
"I am not worried for him," he said. "Atom has never truly belonged to this world. His path… is different."
A hush fell over them.
"The story of Atom," the elder continued, "is tragic. He was never meant to be born. Not like us. Not for this world."