Silence swallowed the clearing.
No one spoke.
No one breathed.
All eyes were fixed on Nahru.
He stood there motionless, his face pale, his eyes hollow—like a corpse that was still standing. Pain lingered in them, deep and suffocating.
Damian stared at him, tears quietly streaming down his face.
Then Nahru spoke.
"Yes. I am a murderer."
His voice was empty.
"I didn't kill one person… or ten… or hundreds."
Everyone stiffened.
"I killed one million people."
A chill crawled through every spine.
Juliet tightened her grip on the red-skinned creature as it struggled weakly in her arms. Even it had gone silent.
Nahru closed his eyes.
"Let me tell you everything… from the beginning."
---
Flashback — The Past
"There are countless powers in this universe—far more than you can imagine," Nahru began.
"Each dimension has guardians. Nations formed around specific powers. Those who mastered them became protectors."
His voice steadied.
"I belong to the White Line Dimensional Chamber. We are known as White Line users."
"Our nation is over ten thousand years old. Many powerful guardians were born there."
He paused.
"But everything changed… when I was born."
"I was born as the strongest White Line user of my entire generation. My power surpassed everyone—so much that even our king and the seven highest guardians feared me."
"They raised me like royalty."
"They respected me."
"They were proud of me."
His eyes darkened.
"But they were also afraid."
"As I grew older, I realized something."
"That place was a cage."
"They weren't free. No one was. Every breath, every decision—it all needed permission. Long lives spent obeying orders."
"I stopped talking to people. I trained endlessly… because they wanted me to."
"One day, while scrolling through dimensions, I saw Earth."
Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I saw humans."
Nahru's voice softened.
"They learn. They struggle. They make friends. They live freely. They smile."
"I started watching them every day."
"And then… I wanted to live like them."
His gaze sharpened.
"But I knew they would never allow it."
"Our king forbade leaving the dimension."
"So…"
Nahru's eyes turned pitch black.
"I killed them."
The air froze.
"I sealed the king. I defeated the seven strongest guardians."
"I ended my generation."
Ryan spoke quietly.
"And none of them could stop you…"
Nahru nodded.
"I was the strongest. Their techniques were meaningless to me."
"I blocked them all… and came to Earth."
---
Flashback — Arrival on Earth
"When I arrived here, people were terrified of my true form," Nahru continued.
"Then I saw a boy."
His hands trembled.
"I broke a universal rule. I sacrificed fifty percent of my power… and exchanged bodies with him."
"The boy vanished from existence. Forgotten by the world—like he never existed."
"I didn't care."
"I believed I could reclaim my lost power later."
His voice cracked.
"I was blinded by my selfishness."
"I checked his pocket."
"There was a name written inside."
"Nahru."
"So I took it."
Tears streamed down his face.
---
Ryan clenched his left wrist unconsciously.
*All of this… just to live like us?*
His eyes went empty.
Isobel stood frozen, unable to process what she had heard.
Juliet trembled.
Nahru sobbed openly now.
"But now I understand… life is the same everywhere."
"It's not about worlds."
"It's about hearts."
---
Suddenly—
The red-skinned creature moved.
It lunged.
Ryan, Juliet, and Isobel reacted instantly, blocking its attack—
But it wasn't aiming for them.
It went straight for Nahru.
A wet sound tore through the air.
Blood splashed across Nahru's face.
His eyes widened.
Slowly, he looked up.
Damian was standing in front of him.
A tentacle pierced through his stomach.
Time stopped.
Nahru screamed—
"DAMIAAAAAAN!"