"Do not be afraid," Lady Phoenix said gently.
Jin remained on his knees, silver threads flickering chaotically in his eyes. The meadow around him felt almost unreal — soft green grass swaying in a warm breeze, sunflowers dancing lazily under a bright blue sky. Birds sang in the distance, their voices light and carefree. The air carried a sweet, floral scent mixed with something deeper, warmer — like sunlight itself given form.
So she is...!
He had never been this close to her.
Up close, Lady Phoenix was overwhelming. Her presence wasn't just mana — it was something more. Ancient. Living. A radiant warmth that seemed to seep into his very core, stirring his own flame in response. His energy reacted instinctively, flickering brighter, as if recognizing a kindred fire.
Lady Phoenix studied him quietly, her warm orange-and-black hair shifting gently in the breeze. A soft smile touched her lips.
"You must have so many questions," she said. "Where you are. Why you are here… or why Titan chased you so relentlessly."
Jin rose slowly to his feet, legs still shaky, matching her gaze as best he could. The grass felt impossibly soft beneath his boots. The sun on his skin was soothing, healing the last traces of his wounds.
Lady Phoenix continued, voice calm and sincere.
"First and foremost, I would like to apologize for any harm Titan caused you. It wasn't supposed to go this way."
Jin finally spoke, voice hoarse but steady.
"Why did you bring me here? Where am I?"
Lady Phoenix took a few graceful steps closer, stopping just before him. Her eyes — deep pools of living flame — looked down at him with quiet curiosity.
"Before I answer that… I am curious about you."
She studied him for a long moment, the wind brushing between them.
"Who are you?"
Silence fell. Only the distant song of birds and the gentle rustle of sunflowers remained.
Jin swallowed.
"My name is Jin," he said. "One of the hunters of Crimson Reach. Rank… Slayer."
Lady Phoenix's expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes. She leaned slightly closer, studying his silver-threaded gaze.
"Slayer!... In the past, I received reports about a certain hunter in my city," she said softly. "One who subjugated dungeons alone. One who wore a mask… with silver eyes glowing bright. One who slew the Crimson Behemoth and conquered multiple high-rank boss dungeons on his own."
She leaned even closer, her presence warm and overwhelming.
"Was that you?"
Jin didn't answer immediately. His fists clenched at his sides. The memories of those brutal, lonely fights flashed through his mind — blood, pain, the mask hiding his fear. He remained silent, jaw tight.
Lady Phoenix leaned back, giving him space.
"It's fine," she said gently. "All that information doesn't matter now. My city… is gone."
She stepped away, turning slightly to look out over the peaceful meadow.
"During the sky warriors' descent, you appeared out of nowhere. You knew things about Titan and his technique that surprised even us. It helped in the chaos. A young hunter with such knowledge… it made me curious. You looked like someone who had seen it all before."
She paused, then added quietly.
"I won't try to force you to reveal who you really are. But at this moment… your knowledge, your survival, tells me you could be reliable for what is to come."
The breeze continued to blow softly through the sunflowers, carrying their sweet scent across the meadow.
Jin stood silent, heart still racing, silver eyes fixed on the woman who had once been little more than a legend in Crimson Reach.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to steady the storm in his mind.
The guild must have shared reports about me. I made sure they wouldn't… but they went behind my back anyway. But now... I think I know what she wants.
He opened his eyes and looked around the peaceful meadow once more. The sunflowers swayed gently in the warm breeze, their golden faces turning toward the bright blue sky.
I need to find a way out of here. Wherever this is.
Lady Phoenix studied him quietly, her warm presence radiating like a gentle flame.
"You must have lost something important," she said softly.
She opened her palm.
Golden-orange light coalesced above it, swirling and condensing until it took solid form. A familiar staff materialized — sleek, dark metal etched with faint, shifting runes that seemed to breathe. The head of the staff held a crystalline core that pulsed with restrained power, hidden beneath layers of unassuming design. It looked exactly as Jin remembered it: unremarkable at first glance, yet carrying an ancient, dangerous weight.
Is that...?!
Jin stared at it in disbelief. He had thought it lost forever in the chaos of the battle.
Lady Phoenix continued, her voice calm and curious.
"This weapon is strange. It seems to have been crafted with care over the course of a decade. A weapon that hides its true nature in the form of a simple staff."
She looked at him directly.
"Did you make this?"
Jin remained quiet for a long moment.
She can't know what it really is… or what it can do. Well, for now it's only a simple staff.
"I discovered it," he said carefully. "I only obtained the materials. It was crafted by a swordsmith. It took quite a long time to fully create."
Lady Phoenix smiled gently and extended the staff toward him.
She placed it in his hands. The familiar weight felt grounding, reassuring.
"You must have many secrets," she said. "But now is not the time for knowing them."
She looked at the sky, the breeze playing with her flowing orange-and-black hair.
"There will soon be a war," she continued, voice steady but heavy. "A war that will either lead to this world's end… or its salvation. It may even have already begun. The descent of the sky army sparked the beginning. Now we need everything it takes to stand against the darkness before it consumes what is left of what we know."
Jin listened, his grip tightening on the staff until his knuckles turned white.
Lady Phoenix stepped closer, taking his hands gently in hers. Her touch was warm, almost maternal.
"We need your help. With the possibilities your knowledge offers… anything is needed. We need your resolve to take back this world."
Jin met her eyes.
I knew it.
"Are you planning on taking on the calamities of the other regions?"
Lady Phoenix admitted without hesitation.
"We will."
Jin sighed, looking down at her hands, then back up at her face.
"Even if I could join you… What power do I have to even stand a chance? The dragons hold power far greater than mortals like me. All I can do is—"
Lady Phoenix cut him off gently, her voice firm yet kind.
"But... you're not a mortal."
Jin fell silent. Huh!... Does she...?!
The wind brushed softly against them. For a moment, time seemed to stretch. Jin kept a calm composure on the surface, but inside his mind was chaos — questions, fears, and a growing sense of something far larger than himself pulling him in.
Lady Phoenix smiled, her warm eyes tracing his silver-threaded gaze.
Suddenly, a deep, familiar voice came from behind them.
"There you are."
Jin turned sharply.
Titan stood a short distance away, arms crossed, a broad smile on his face. His massive frame cast a long shadow across the grass, golden rings on his biceps gleaming in the sunlight.
"We weren't finished yet."
Jin pulled his hands away from Lady Phoenix's grasp and leaped several meters back in one fluid motion. His staff shifted in his grip, runes flickering to life as he assumed a defensive stance, silver threads blazing in his eyes.
"Don't be so tense," a deep voice rumbled from behind him.
Jin spun instantly.
Titan stood there, a casual smile on his face. The golden rings pulsed faintly with restrained power.
Jin leaped away again, heart hammering.
He's fast. I couldn't track that movement.
Titan scratched the back of his head, looking almost sheepish.
"It's alright. Everything that happened was just a test. I wanted to see what you were truly capable of. And somehow… You did. So take it easy. I won't hurt you."
Jin's eyes widened in disbelief and rising anger.
"Test!... What kind of test was that?!" he snapped, voice raw. "I almost died! You almost killed me… for a test?!"
Titan shrugged.
"We know better. We knew you would survive. If you fell to my weaker slashes, then what could any of this truly be for?"
Jin gritted his teeth in frustration, flames flickering dangerously at his fingertips. Then, slowly, he forced himself to calm. The meadow's warm breeze brushed against his skin, carrying the sweet scent of sunflowers and fresh grass. It felt too peaceful for the storm raging inside him.
He lowered his staff slightly.
"What is this place?" he asked. "Where am I?"
Titan smiled, a rare, almost gentle expression crossing his battle-hardened face.
"This is a Domain. A fragment of a lost world manifesting through Lady Phoenix. Here, you don't need to worry about the outside world."
Jin's mind reeled.
A fragment of a lost world?... It's similar to what Varta looks like.
"How long have I been here?" he asked, voice quieter.
Titan paused, exchanging a brief glance with Lady Phoenix.
"Well, time works differently here than outside," he said. "Only a day has passed in the real world, and... one year has passed in this one."
Jin lowered his staff completely. His expression remained calm on the surface — steady silver eyes, controlled breathing — but inside, a quiet storm of disbelief and exhaustion raged. One year. An entire year while he lay unconscious in this pocket of peace.
To think this kind of domain still exists. This explains why I'm so hungry and weak. More than that, the mana itself seems to be halting my age. Not that I could grow any faster, but still.
Lady Phoenix stepped closer, her voice soft.
"When we found you, you were badly hurt. We brought you here to recover."
Jin finally sat down on the soft grass, staring at the bright blue sky above. The sun felt warm on his skin. He took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly, shoulders slumping.
Titan pointed toward a nearby hill.
"Your friend is here too."
There, lying peacefully on a patch of grass under the shade of a tree, was Hanz — snoring softly, looking completely unharmed and surprisingly content.
Jin looked at him and let out a weak chuckle. He placed both hands over his face, rubbing his eyes as if trying to process the sheer absurdity of it all.
I see. Could this be some kind of fate? I know I've been thinking of looking into the other regions, and eventually start something, alongside the red dragon, but it's nowhere to be seen. The South is still marked for Judgment, that I know. Titan and Lady Phoenix... They are strong. Far stronger than I am, in fact, they could actually be useful in the coming battle. Think, think, think. I couldn't do it alone anyway, but with them... Yes. Perhaps I shouldn't rely on a sleeping dragon. Who knows if it has already woken up since falling into this world. For now, I could start here.
Lady Phoenix knelt gracefully beside him.
"I understand what you must be going through," she said gently. "But I promise you, when this is all over—"
"Fine," Jin interrupted.
He lowered his hands, expression serious but resolute.
"I'll help with your plan."
Titan remained silent, studying him. Lady Phoenix looked momentarily speechless, her warm eyes widening slightly.
Jin continued, voice steady and heavy with the weight of experience.
"It's easy to say we'll take on the dragons," Jin said quietly. "It's easy to dream of victory."
He looked toward the endless blue sky.
"But what comes after?"
Lady Phoenix and Titan remained silent.
"Let's say we win. Let's say all three dragons fall. Let's say every city is free."
His grip tightened around his staff.
"Then what?"
The meadow suddenly felt much colder.
"Do you really think they're the end of this?"
Titan's smile faded slightly.
Jin continued.
"The dragons are powerful. Monsters. Tyrants. Calamities."
He shook his head.
"But they're not what scares me."
Silence.
"What waits beyond them is far worse."
Lady Phoenix narrowed her eyes.
"You speak as though you've seen it."
Jin was quiet for a moment.
"Maybe I have."
He looked between them.
"If we're doing this, then we do it properly. No blind hope. No heroic speeches. No pointless sacrifices."
His silver eyes glowed faintly.
"Because if we win this war and unleash something worse..."
He paused.
"Then all those deaths will have meant nothing."
Titan's smile returned, slow and approving.
This brat...
Lady Phoenix studied Jin for a long moment, then nodded with quiet respect.
He has quite the tongue...
"Welcome to the fight, Jin."
Titan smiled.
Lady Phoenix remained silent. Jin looked at the peaceful fields surrounding them.
For the first time since arriving in Chaos, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long while.
Direction.
But direction and survival were two very different things.
Far beyond the Domain, dragons moved. And darkness watched. And this time, Jin wasn't fighting alone.