Darkness welcomed Vicky.
Not cold.
Not empty.
Patient.
He stood inside the doorway—or whatever existed beyond it. There was no ground, yet he stood. No sky, yet space stretched endlessly.
Luka appeared behind him without a sound.
He immediately went down on one knee.
Not forced.
Not commanded.
Chosen.
"I am yours," Luka said calmly.
"Not by contract. Not by fear."
"By decision."
Vicky didn't turn.
"…You won't regret that?" he asked.
Luka lowered his head further.
"I already made peace with regret," he replied.
That was enough.
The Second Chain Reacts
The pressure returned.
Not from outside.
From within.
Vicky's chest tightened—not painfully, but heavily, as if something ancient had shifted its position.
Inside the unseen realm—
The chains stirred.
Especially the second chain.
Symbols burned faintly along its surface, older than gods, sharper than law.
Vicky frowned.
"…Annoying," he muttered.
For the first time—
He used his power.
Not deliberately.
Not violently.
He simply existed differently for a moment.
A Change Without Destruction
No explosion.
No scream.
No light.
Just—
Silence.
Inside the void, one small section of writing on the second chain faded.
Not broken.
Not cracked.
Erased.
As if it had never been carved there in the first place.
The chain remained.
But it was no longer the same.
Somewhere far away—
Something flinched.
Luka Feels It
Luka's breath caught.
Not in fear.
In recognition.
"…So it begins," he whispered.
Vicky glanced at him.
"You felt that?"
Luka nodded once.
"Yes."
"And so did others."
"They just don't know why yet."
Vicky said nothing.
He looked at his hand.
Normal.
Human.
Yet the silence around him had deepened.
The Vision Returns
His vision blurred.
Darkness folded inward.
Fire bloomed.
Golden-black flames.
Calm. Controlled. Endless.
Lucifer stood there, leaning slightly, wings folded, hands relaxed.
Smiling.
"Easy," Lucifer said warmly.
"You're moving faster than last time."
Vicky didn't speak.
Lucifer stepped closer.
Lowered his voice.
"My brother," he said softly,
"they are waiting."
Vicky's eyes narrowed.
"…Who is they?"
Lucifer's smile widened—just a little.
"That," he replied,
"is the right question."
The flames dimmed.
Back to Now
Vicky's eyes opened.
The darkness beyond the doorway remained still.
Luka was still kneeling.
Unmoving.
Unshaken.
Vicky turned slightly.
"You don't need to kneel all the time," he said.
Luka smiled faintly.
"I know," he replied.
"I choose to."
Vicky looked forward again.
At the path ahead.
Unknown.
Unexplained.
Unafraid.
Somewhere beyond this place—
Something counted.
Something waited.
And one chain…
Was no longer whole.