Leo looked up toward the sky and laughed.
"Why is Lee so scared of heights?" he said casually.
"It's not like he's going to fall."
The children turned toward Leo. One of them spoke up innocently,
"If that's the case, then Lee's opponents could easily run away from him… or gain an advantage."
Leo nodded in agreement.
Zuraiz and Rameen's attention was still on the children when—without warning—their eyes widened in shock. They instantly turned toward each other.
Zuraiz reacted fast.
He pulled the barrier down from the sky, bringing Lee with it.
As Lee descended, he struggled to hold back his scream. He was still terrified—but noticeably less than before. When the barrier finally vanished and his feet touched the ground, he immediately collapsed onto the floor, lying flat on his back.
His breathing was heavy as he tried to calm himself.
"I'm sorry," he said between breaths.
"I won't do something like that again, Big Bro… Big Sis."
The children burst into laughter.
"Don't be disrespectful to your elders, Lee," one of them teased.
Lee replied lazily,
"Yeah, yeah. It's fine when they make fun of me though, right?"
Leo stepped in.
"Lee, just admit it already. This time, it was your fault."
Lee clicked his tongue.
"I know. But I wasn't wrong—
I just wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."
Leo extended his hand toward him.
"Exactly. Come on, it's fine. Take my hand."
Lee grabbed it and stood up, dusting off his clothes. As he did, his eyes landed on Zuraiz and Rameen.
They looked… shaken.
Leo followed Lee's gaze, and his expression stiffened slightly. Lowering his voice, he asked,
"What's wrong with them?"
Lee whispered back,
"No idea."
Leo raised his voice.
"Big Sis, Big Bro—are you okay?"
The moment they heard him, Zuraiz and Rameen snapped back to their senses, though the unease still lingered on their faces.
Rameen spoke first, forcing a smile.
"Yes, everything's fine. We just remembered something important. We'll be leaving now."
As Zuraiz turned to go, he added calmly,
"Lee, you were less afraid this time. That's good.
Keep overcoming your fear—
but from now on, do it on your own."
Leo and Lee didn't pay much attention to his words.
They had never seen those expressions on Zuraiz and Rameen before.
Still, without realizing it, Lee replied softly,
"…Yeah. Okay."
Zuraiz and Rameen entered a soundproof room inside the mansion.
Usually, the room was used for music—songs, humming, or quiet singing—so that no sound would disturb the others outside.
But this time, there was no music.
Zuraiz spoke calmly, yet with authority.
"Pick up."
It sounded less like a request…
and more like a command.
The moment the words left his mouth, a boy's voice echoed throughout the room.
"It's been a long time since we last spoke, Zuraiz… Rameen."
Zuraiz's expression stiffened.
"Mizaaz?"
Rameen immediately followed, her voice sharp with urgency.
"Mizaaz… how many are connected right now?"
Mizaaz replied without hesitation.
"Everyone."
It looked as if they were all on a group voice call—
yet there were no devices, no screens, no wires.
In this world, such communication meant only one thing:
Power was being used.
By "everyone," he meant familiar voices—people they had once stood beside.
Another voice joined in.
"Zuraiz. Rameen. This is Limaan."
There was a brief pause before he continued.
"Before Mizaaz explains why we're all here… I want to say something."
His tone was calm, but heavy.
"I understand the change in both of you now.
In fact… I've already accepted the Covenant of Peace."
Zuraiz and Rameen turned toward each other instantly, shock clear on their faces.
Rameen spoke first.
"Even though it's man-made?"
Zuraiz followed, his voice restrained.
"Limaan… we can explain what we experienced.
But before that—
we need to hear it from you."
Limaan exhaled slowly.
"What we all did was both right… and wrong," he said.
"But maybe—just maybe—we can still make this world better."
His voice hardened slightly.
"Following our original plan…
might still be the best option."
Zuraiz frowned, confusion creeping in.
"Limaan… if you've accepted the Covenant, then doesn't that mean you want people to follow only this one path?"
He continued carefully,
"Without knowing it's man-made.
Without knowing the other Covenants are the same."
He paused, choosing his words.
"Even the Covenant of Peace has good principles people will follow…
and the bad ones—only a few will act upon them—"
Before he could finish, Mizaaz cut in sharply.
"Huh?"
His voice dropped, cold and unforgiving.
"Only a few, you say?"
"Zuraiz… does it not matter to you that those 'few' actions will ruin countless lives?"
Before Zuraiz could respond, Rameen stepped in.
"Enough."
Her voice was calm—but carried weight.
"Everyone, be silent."
She sighed, then continued.
"No matter the time.
No matter how intelligent we become.
No matter how deeply we understand society—"
She closed her eyes briefly.
"We have never found a perfect solution."
Her voice softened.
"Instead of forcing the world to move the way we want…
maybe we should let it move on its own."
She opened her eyes.
"We cannot save everyone."
Limaan spoke again, desperation creeping into his tone.
"But we still need to complete our original plan."
The room fell silent.
Then Mizaaz spoke—
his voice colder than before, utterly serious.
"Zuraiz. Rameen."
"What you say next…"
A pause.
"…will decide my next move."