The magnificent white blade gleamed beneath the endless sapphire sky.
Zekai slowly turned it in his hand.
Ancient patterns shimmered faintly along the pristine white steel, as though the sword itself were breathing.
He couldn't explain why... but holding it felt strangely familiar.
Not like discovering a weapon—like remembering one.
"...So this is Null Drakular."
Sebastian walked toward him.
"...Twenty-three years."
Zekai looked at him.
Sebastian let out a quiet breath.
"I've entered Null Reality for twenty-three years. I've watched countless people stand before those relics."
"...Not a single one of them was ever acknowledged by the core." His gaze slowly drifted toward the enormous sapphire eye.
"...Until today."
Without warning—the sword in Zekai's hand began breaking apart into countless black ashes. Within seconds... it completely disappeared.
Sebastian never looked at the vanishing blade. His eyes remained fixed on Zekai.
After watching him quietly for a moment, he finally spoke.
"...Where's the sword?"
Zekai blinked. Only then did he realize his right hand was empty. "...Huh?"
His eyes immediately searched the endless grass around him.
The white blade was nowhere to be seen.
"...Don't tell me... I just unlocked it..."
"...Where did it go?" He instinctively searched the surrounding field. Nothing.
The sword had completely vanished. His heartbeat quickened.
Zzzzsup!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ARCANA ARSENAL
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Primary Weapon
Null Drakular
Originless Rare Sword
State: Sealed Resonance: 12%
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Secondary Weapon
None
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Relics
Black Stone Cube
Classification: Unknown
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Equipment
None
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Weapon Mastery
Swordsmanship: Novice
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Storage
Empty
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---
Weapons floated silently before him, suspended like sacred relics encased within invisible glass. Each occupied its own place, accompanied by a brief description. Most of the slots remained empty. Only one glowed.
> The Arcana Arsenal is not an inventory. It is a repository of Authority. Every weapon, relic, or artifact acknowledged by the Arcana is recorded within it. Their power grows alongside their bearer, and their true forms awaken only when the Authority permits.
His thoughts immediately returned to the crimson window.
The Arcana Arsenal... His gaze settled on the glowing image of Null Drakular. A strange realization surfaced.
"...Stored?" His fingers twitched instinctively.
'If it's synchronized with my soul... then it shouldn't matter where it is.'
He slowly raised his empty hand. "...Null Drakular."
Silence.
For a heartbeat... nothing happened.
Then—Zzzzshhh!
Countless black ashes spiraled out from empty space, gathering around his hand.
Golden light intertwined with crimson threads as the particles rapidly condensed.
CLANG.
The magnificent white blade materialized once more, resting perfectly in his grasp. It felt... exactly the same. As though it had never left.
Zekai stared quietly at the sword. A faint smile finally appeared.
"...So that's how it works."
"It isn't stored somewhere else... It returns to me." His fingers tightened around the hilt.
"...Because it's already part of my soul."
Sebastian watched the entire process without saying a word.
Several long seconds passed before he quietly exhaled.
"...Soul Armament."
Zekai looked toward him.
Sebastian's expression remained unusually serious.
"I've seen relics that answer their owners."
'I've seen weapons bound by Grave Energy. But..." His eyes lingered on Null Drakular.
"...I've never seen a weapon dissolve into Authority itself."
A brief silence followed.
"It doesn't seem like you're carrying the sword anymore." His gaze met Zekai's.
"...The sword is carrying you."
Zekai lowered his eyes toward Null Drakular once again. For a long moment... he simply admired it.
The flawless white blade reflected the endless green plains of Null Reality.
Ancient golden engravings shimmered faintly beneath its surface, while the crimson line running through its center pulsed softly... like the heartbeat of something that had only just awakened.
With a single thought—the sword dissolved once more into countless drifting black ashes.
Within seconds... nothing remained. Not because it had disappeared—but because it had returned... to where it belonged.
Zekai's eyes shifted toward the Relics section. The moment he read it—his expression changed.
Black Stone Cube.
It was still there. He had completely forgotten about it over the past few hours.
"...Tch." He scratched his forehead in frustration.
"No matter where I go... ...this damn thing always ends up following me."
His thoughts became unsettled.
Then an idea suddenly crossed his mind.
'If the Black Stone Cube exists inside the Arcana Arsenal... Can I erase it?'
"Status."
"Destroy the Black Stone Cube."
No response. He tried again.
"Delete."
"Remove."
"Erase."
Nothing.
No matter what command he gave, the relic remained exactly where it was. It refused to disappear.
His expression darkened.
"So... ...It's beyond the authority of the Arcana itself?"
His thoughts spiraled.
'Is this fate... or simply the consequence of my own choices?'
Before he could think any further—a hand landed gently on his shoulder. Sebastian.
"What is it, Zekai? You've been muttering to yourself ever since you got that sword."
Zekai paused for a brief moment before answering.
"...It's nothing."
But inside... his thoughts remained unchanged.
'Whatever that thing is... I have to destroy it.'
'No matter what.'
He slowly breathed out. The tension in his shoulders finally eased.
"Tch... Enough, Mr. Sebastian. I can't deal with any more of this.
"Just let me go."
Sebastian smiled faintly.
"Whether you ask for it or not... That was already the plan."
"After this... You're free."
A small smile finally appeared on Zekai's face. For the first time that day—he felt relieved.
Then—
"But... It won't be that easy."
"There is one condition."
The smile disappeared. "...What?"
Sebastian removed his cracked glasses and casually tossed them aside.
"You must join the BSA. And help us protect this world."
Zekai answered immediately.
"No. This isn't something I can do."
"I'm not the right person for it."
Without another word—he turned toward the exit leading out of Null Reality.
"Find someone else. There are things I have to do."
Sebastian remained where he stood.
"...You know... According to Bureau protocol..."
"...I should arrest you again."
Zekai didn't turn around.
Sebastian let out a quiet breath.
"You've refused the Bureau's offer."
"You're still the only survivor of a Reality Fracture."
"And you're still the primary suspect in an investigation that isn't over."
Another brief silence followed.
"Everything says I shouldn't let you leave." He lowered his eyes for a moment. "...But."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I've judged people for long enough to recognize fear when I see it."
"And today... ...I'm choosing to trust my judgment."
"Go. I'll take responsibility."
"Go. Walk away if that's what you want."
"But before you do..."
"...Answer one question."
Zekai stopped.
Sebastian continued. "...How long are you planning to keep pretending that person never existed?"
Silence.
"You can hide your identity from the outside world if you want."
"But not from us. We know exactly who you are."
Zekai's footsteps stopped.
Sebastian's voice became quieter.
"And we know exactly who you were in Thyra Covenant Nation... Linoria."
Zekai's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
"And we know exactly why you left that place."
He froze. His eyes widened.
A forgotten memory violently surfaced.
His father. His mother.
Standing motionless in a wide sea of crimson blood.
Silence.
Several long seconds passed over the monochrome plains.
Then—
"...Don't." His voice came out incredibly low, vibrating with an unnatural chill.
"...Don't talk about that place."
The heavy words caught in his throat. His hand slowly, rigidly tightened into a trembling fist.
"You and your Bureau... don't know a single thing about what happened there."
Sebastian held his gaze, entirely unperturbed by the sudden display of raw emotion.
"We know enough, Zekai. And we know something else." He took one slow, deliberate step forward across the grass.
"You're afraid."
Sebastian took another slow step.
"Not because you lack the strength to fight."
"Because you can't afford to lose someone important from your life again."
"So you've convinced yourself it's safer to walk alone."
"If no one gets close to you..."
"...then no one can be taken away from you."
He gestured vaguely toward the endless, impossible world surrounding them.
"Nobody here in the Bureau is completely good."
"Nobody out there is completely evil."
"People simply become whatever their circumstances force them to become to survive."
He looked directly into Zekai's wide, rigid eyes.
"This... is your path. But you're walking away from it."
His voice remained perfectly calm, carrying the seasoned weight of a veteran.
"This is your real chance, Zekai."
"A chance to finally reclaim yourself."
He extended his open palm across the gap.
"Choose."
For a brief moment—Aron's distant, echoes of voice vibrated clearly inside Zekai's mind.
'Mr. Zekai...'
A faint, hollow smile finally appeared on Zekai's face.
"...I've already made my choice."
Without looking back a single time—he turned his torso and walked resolutely toward the massive exit leading out of Null Reality.
"...I already know exactly what my path is."
Instinctively, his fingers reached toward his empty waist.
Empty. For a brief moment... he almost smiled.
Null Drakular no longer rested tangibly at his side.
It rested somewhere far deeper, woven into the very fabric of his soul.
Waiting... until he called its name once again.
✦ End of Chapter 48 — Who Am I, really? ✦