Far beyond the borders of Novaris…
Beyond the endless warzones and ruined megacities…
Beyond even the territories humanity still fought desperately to control…
Something moved within the darkness.
Not human.
Not machine.
Not Hollow.
Something older.
The northern skies above Vesper Union territory remained drowned beneath permanent black storms while endless industrial fortresses stretched across frozen wastelands below. Massive war factories operated day and night producing weapons, armored carriers, and artificial combat units for the Union's endless campaigns.
At the center of it all stood the Vesper Citadel.
The largest military stronghold remaining on Earth.
A city built entirely for war.
Cold.
Merciless.
Silent.
Deep within the fortress, hidden far beneath countless security layers, a private chamber remained untouched by the chaos of the outside world.
Dark metallic walls.
No guards.
No technology active except one massive holographic map displaying the global battlefield.
And standing before it—
was the leader of the Vesper Union himself.
Supreme Chancellor Kael Draven.
The man responsible for decades of warfare across half the planet.
Tall. Cold-faced. Silver-haired despite not being old.
A man feared by both allies and enemies equally.
Billions already cursed his name across Earth.
Yet Kael himself looked strangely calm tonight while studying the tactical map before him.
Dominion resistance still persisted.
Northern sectors remained contested.
The war continued endlessly.
Exactly as expected.
Then suddenly—
the lights inside the chamber flickered.
Kael slowly looked up afterward.
The temperature dropped immediately.
Darkness spread unnaturally across the edges of the room like living smoke while strange distortions rippled through the air itself.
Not technological distortion.
Reality itself bending.
Kael's expression didn't change.
Almost like he had expected this.
Then the darkness spoke.
"You continue your war."
The voice echoed unnaturally throughout the chamber.
Not loud.
But wrong somehow.
Like countless voices overlapping together imperfectly.
Kael quietly stared toward the spreading darkness afterward while shadows gathered together near the center of the room.
A figure slowly formed within it.
Humanoid.
But incomplete.
Its shape constantly shifted beneath the darkness surrounding it while dozens of faint glowing eyes appeared and vanished across its body endlessly.
Kael finally spoke afterward.
"So you truly exist."
The entity tilted its head unnaturally.
"We always existed."
Silence followed briefly afterward.
Then Kael calmly asked,
"What exactly are you?"
The darkness pulsed softly.
"We are beyond your understanding."
"We are what remains between worlds."
Even Kael Draven—
a man who feared almost nothing—
felt slight unease hearing that voice.
But he remained composed.
"Then why contact me?"
The figure slowly moved closer afterward.
Because something has appeared once more.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The boy."
The entity's countless shifting eyes brightened faintly afterward.
"The one carrying the sun's memory."
Kael quietly folded his arms afterward.
Reports from Novaris had already reached Vesper intelligence earlier today.
A teenager.
An impossible weapon.
Localized solar phenomena.
At first it sounded ridiculous.
But Kael knew better than to ignore impossible events anymore.
Not in this world.
The darkness continued afterward.
"He must die."
Those words echoed heavily throughout the chamber.
Kael remained silent.
Then calmly asked,
"And why would I help you?"
The darkness slowly expanded afterward.
The shadows surrounding the room became deeper.
"He threatens everything."
"Even your war."
Kael's expression sharpened slightly afterward.
Interesting.
The entity continued.
"You seek victory."
"We seek his destruction."
The countless glowing eyes fixed directly upon Kael afterward.
"Our goals may align."
Silence filled the chamber again afterward.
Then Kael slowly turned back toward the holographic war map.
"What exactly are you offering?"
The darkness responded immediately.
"Power."
The room shook faintly afterward.
Then the shadows began changing.
Shapes emerged within them.
Soldiers.
But not human soldiers.
Distorted warriors formed entirely from black crystalline flesh and shifting darkness. Some carried broken weapons fused into their bodies while others possessed Hollow-like mutations far beyond normal biological corruption.
And all of them radiated overwhelming killing intent.
Kael quietly observed them afterward.
"A supernatural army…"
The entity's voice echoed softly again.
"An army born beyond death."
"An army that does not fear pain."
"An army that will erase your enemies completely."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
Dangerous.
Not merely because of their power.
Because he could already feel it—
this thing was not offering partnership.
It was infiltration.
Corruption.
Yet despite that—
Kael did not reject the offer immediately.
Because he was still human.
And humans always reached toward power eventually.
Especially during war.
Then finally—
Kael quietly asked,
"What happens after he dies?"
The entity became silent briefly afterward.
Too silent.
Then slowly—
"Your world will no longer matter."
That answer made even Kael uncomfortable.
But before he could respond—
the darkness suddenly froze.
Its countless eyes shifted upward sharply.
Toward something far away.
Then for the first time since appearing—
the entity's voice changed slightly.
Almost irritated.
"He senses us already."
The shadows violently collapsed afterward.
And moments later—
the chamber returned to normal completely.
Leaving Kael alone once more.
Only silence remained.
And yet—
the cold feeling lingering inside the room told him one thing clearly.
That encounter had been real.
Meanwhile—
thousands of kilometers away inside Novaris…
Kaien suddenly opened his eyes.
The military guest quarters remained dark and silent around him while rain continued striking the command tower windows outside.
His breathing had become uneven.
Again.
That feeling.
Cold.
Wrong.
Kaien slowly sat upright afterward while one hand instinctively tightened around the bedsheets beneath him.
Fragments surged violently through his mind once more.
Darkness.
Countless eyes.
Something watching him.
The same presence from the distorted spaces between lives.
It was closer now.
Much closer.
Kaien quietly stood afterward before walking toward the window overlooking Novaris City.
The storm outside had weakened slightly since earlier. But despite that—
something about the night felt wrong.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.
Then suddenly—
the door behind him opened softly.
Nyra stepped inside first afterward followed by Lyss moments later.
Both looked worried immediately.
Nyra crossed her arms afterward while staring toward him carefully.
"You felt it too, didn't you?"
Kaien remained silent briefly.
Then nodded once.
Lyss slowly walked closer afterward.
"…what is it?"
Kaien looked out toward the dark horizon beyond Novaris.
Far beyond human sight.
Far beyond the battlefield.
Then quietly—
"There's something that's been bothering me."
The twins listened silently afterward.
Kaien's expression darkened slightly.
"If that darkness makes contact with the Vesper Union…"
His voice lowered further.
"…then this war changes completely."
Nyra frowned immediately afterward.
"What do you mean?"
Kaien slowly looked toward them afterward.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
genuine fear appeared clearly in his eyes.
"As much as we know about the Vesper leader…"
"…we know he's dangerous."
"He's ruthless."
"He'll do anything to win."
Thunder echoed faintly outside afterward while Kaien continued quietly.
"But if that darkness reaches him…"
His hand unconsciously tightened slightly.
"…then humanity won't just be fighting another nation anymore."
Silence filled the room heavily.
Kaien finally whispered the thought haunting him since waking up.
"We're going to face an all-out attack from a supernatural army."
The room went completely silent afterward.
Because deep down—
Nyra and Lyss immediately knew he wasn't exaggerating.
And somewhere far beyond Novaris…
the darkness had already begun moving.