Xain's jaw tightened as he stood in front of the celestial screen.[1] City after city flashed before him—streets empty, skies bruised with turbulent light, oceans restless as if breathing with fear. Humanity wasn't living anymore; it was surviving.
He leaned closer, pushing past towering constellation figures shaped like crowns, blades, storms, and beasts. He walked through archangels whose halos hummed like power stations. Every star-being in the hall watched him—some curious, some irritated, some calculating. Xain felt their judgment like cold needles against his skin.
Then a hand touched his shoulder.
He froze.
Slowly, cautiously, he turned.
Michael.
The Arch's executioner. The calm storm. The one being who spoke like chaos was normal office work.
"Relax," Michael said casually, as if they were coworkers on lunch break. "The Star of the North requests your presence. Privately."
He didn't ask if Xain agreed. He simply guided him.
They entered a chamber made of nothing—no walls, no floor, only endless white space and a gentle hum of starlight. Xain blinked, disoriented.
Then a voice spoke.
Warm. Ancient. Powerful enough to bend reality without trying.
"It's finally nice to meet you, Xian."
Xain frowned. "It's Xain."
A laugh echoed softly. "Names bend. Stories rewrite. Outcomes pivot. Do not stress over labels. I am Hiburus—North Star of Arch, guardian of celestial balance, and surprisingly, the only one friendly enough to have a conversation without trying to crush you."
Xain exhaled slowly, pulse racing. "You've been watching me?"
"I watch everything," Hiburus replied. "But you? You became interesting. And I'm a busy star—so that says a lot."
Before Xain could respond, Hiburus tone shifted—no longer playful, now strategic.
"I want a contract. When your star awakens, join Arch. You gain protection. No being under us will harm you. Not a demon. Not a deity. Not a god. You become untouchable in our jurisdiction."
Xain's mind spun. Why me? Why now? What did they know about me that i don't? He was about to ask this question but then before he could say a word—
—the universe cracked.
The hall trembled. Reality vibrated. Existence flinched.
Hiburus' voice sharpened instantly.
" Go back to the hall. Now."
Xain sprinted.
The moment he reentered, the world didn't feel real anymore.
A presence stood in the center of Arch.
Not walking. Not existing. Just…being.
A star that didn't shine— it devoured light.
재난의 소(Word of Disaster) . A Star feared across universes.
Every being in Arch froze. Even the cosmos held its breath.
The sound of his presence wasn't noise. It was pressure. Like the universe itself screaming quietly.
Xain's knees buckled. His heart felt like it was being pulled apart. His ears rang. His vision blurred. Breathing hurt.
He wasn't hearing a voice. He was experiencing an existence.
His mind spiraled.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Then—
Warmth.
Soft.
Gentle.
Ring—the First Archangel—wrapped her wings around his head, covering his ears. Her voice was firm.
"Close your eyes. Now."
He obeyed instantly.
The crushing cosmic pressure dimmed slightly, enough for him to breathe. She lifted him and launched out of Arch at light-speed, sky tearing open like fabric.
Minutes later, they were above Earth's atmosphere, floating in a calm silence.
Ring exhaled. "That was a real star. Not a symbolic projection. Not filtered. Not weakened. That thing shouldn't have entered Arch neither our universe. And the fact you survived without your soul collapsing is…alarming."
"But—Hiburus didn't affect me," Xain argued, breath shaky.
She nodded. "Because you never faced Hiburus directly. You spoke to a controlled symbol. Every star, constellation, lord and high beings creates symbolic forms so mortals can interact with them without dying. What you just witnessed was a raw star existence. Unfiltered cosmic identity. A normal human wouldn't have lasted one second."
She paused.
"Yet you did."
For the first time since she met him…she looked unsettled.
"Either you're incredibly lucky… or the star inside you has already begun awakening."
She let him go softly, her eyes lingering longer than necessary before she vanished.
Xain landed back home that night and collapsed into sleep.
—
The next morning, his three friends stormed into his house the moment he called.
Normally they'd laugh. Normally they'd tease. Today, they listened.
He explained everything. Arch. Hiburus. Ring. The Word of Disaster.
Then he described what the star looked like and what it felt like being near it—like standing on the edge of the universe while reality peeled away layer by layer, like existence itself was questioning whether he deserved to continue.
His friends couldn't breathe properly halfway through the description. One grabbed his chest. Another held the wall. The room felt colder.
Even without seeing it…
They felt it.
And that terrified them.
Because if a description did this to them…
What would the real thing do.
Then suddenly.
The house trembled.
Not like an earthquake. Not like reality shaking. More like existence itself flinched.
The world roared.
Skies split open like a page being torn in half. Clouds didn't drift—they shattered. The ocean didn't wave—it divided like something massive had dragged claws through it. Trees bent. Streets cracked. Birds scattered like broken starlight.
Xain and his friends froze, staring out the window as something burned across the sky.
A symbol.
No language. No shape they recognized. Yet every cell in their bodies understood it meant judgment.
For a second, humanity forgot how to breathe.
Then—
Silence.
Like nothing happened.
The world returned to normal… but now it felt wrong, like a system rebooted after nearly crashing.
A knock echoed at the door.
Three knocks. Calm. Certain. Authority wrapped in politeness.
Xain opened it.
She stood there.
Ring. But not as the Arch's ranked first archangel.
She wore a human shell.
Half light. Half mortal. All breathtaking.
Beauty that didn't try. Presence that didn't ask permission.
Even toned down, she radiated something no human could imitate— dignity with power.
His friends behind him didn't speak. They didn't blink. Their hearts sprinted like they were trying to escape their chests.
Ring smiled lightly. "Hiburus requests your decision regarding the contract. I've been assigned to negotiate. May I come in?"
He stepped aside instinctively. She walked in like royalty visiting a living room.
Once seated, she didn't waste time.
"The North Star still wants your answer. Accept Arch protection when your star awakens, and no being under Arch's authority will lay a finger on you. Decline, and… you're in the open market. And trust me—there are beings who'd pay realities just to break you."
Direct. Efficient. No sugarcoating.
Xain swallowed. "Why now? And… after what happened at Arch… aren't you all okay?"
Ring nodded, expression tightening. "During the incident, we broke the Resonance Law. So did the invading star. Someone… higher… issued judgment."
He hesitated. "Was that you? The sky splitting? The symbol?"
Ring actually laughed softly. "Me? No. I'm powerful, but not that level. What you witnessed was the strongest authority in existence—second only to the Writer. A being no one challenges. Not stars. Not universes. Not reality itself. That was judgment delivered to beings who think they're untouchable."
His friends swallowed in sync.
She leaned forward slightly.
"And one more thing. This is critical."
Her tone sharpened. This wasn't conversation anymore. This was briefing.
"Stay away from Devic."
Xain frowned. "What the hell is Devic?"
"Another faction[2]," Ring replied. "Those who reject Arch's order. They operate on chaos, temptation, manipulation. Demonic entities. Unbound gods. The West Star—the Woman of Words—is one of them. She speaks and realities bend. They will approach you. They always approach anomalies."
She locked eyes with him.
"Do not make deals with them."
No negotiation. No debate. That was a command.
Her expression softened again. "We won't be able to contact you normally for a while. The judgment ruling restricted star interaction. Only Archangels are allowed limited engagement. Hiburus wanted me to ensure you're not left in the dark."
She stood.
Power wrapped itself back around her like a silent cloak.
"I'll return. Stay alive until then."
The door opened. Wind whispered through. She vanished.
Xain's house felt empty again.
Silence.
Then his three friends finally exhaled like they'd been drowning the entire time.
They collapsed back onto the chairs, hands on their chests.
One finally whispered:
"…bro, I think my heart filed a resignation letter."
[1] This are huge celestial screen that allows Gods, Constellation, lords and other beings in ARCH to watch humans all around the world.
[2] Friction are divided clans in the world that separate being and each fraction has different roles and purpose.