Meanwhile—
inside the abyss itself—
Rio Valen silently floated within the endless darkness.
The synchronization was complete.
The Rio from Earth.
And the Rio from Aetheria.
The two lives had finally become one.
No more conflict.
No more confusion.
Only Rio remained.
And with that—
all the memories returned.
The Valen Family.
The cold mansion halls.
His elder sister.
His mother.
His father.
Then—
another memory surfaced.
A blonde-haired man standing beneath falling snow.
A sword calmly resting within his hands as he taught Rio how to swing properly.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"…His brother?"
The memory felt wrong.
Because Lyra's information regarding the Valen Family had never once mentioned an eldest son.
As though he had never existed at all.
Yet these memories remained clear.
Too clear.
I continued looking deeper into Rio Valen's past.
And slowly—
understanding appeared within my mind.
The eldest son of the Valen Family had disappeared completely after Rio turned eight years old.
No records remained.
No paintings.
No mention.
The family itself acted as though he had never been born.
Silence filled the abyss afterward.
Then—
the darker memories surfaced.
The abuse.
The isolation.
The hatred.
Rio Valen had been born talentless within a family filled with monsters.
No affinity.
No talent.
Nothing.
The servants mocked him.
The maids treated him worse than commoners.
Even his own blood looked at him with disappointment.
And slowly—
something inside him broke.
Rio stopped seeking affection.
Stopped hoping.
Stopped caring.
Until eventually—
the world itself became disgusting in his eyes.
Cruel.
Ugly.
Meaningless.
But I already knew this part.
I already knew Rio Valen had cut apart his own eyes.
Not because of insanity.
But because he truly found darkness itself more beautiful than the world around him.
The abyss accepted him far more warmly than humanity ever had.
Years passed afterward.
Rio Valen abandoned the family entirely and wandered endlessly throughout the outskirts of the Astryx Empire.
No destination.
No purpose.
Only hatred remained inside him.
Hatred toward the world.
Hatred toward humanity.
Hatred toward himself.
Then—
he met him.
The abyss suddenly trembled violently.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
And slowly—
two cold crimson eyes opened within the darkness itself.
The moment they appeared—
everything froze.
Even the abyss itself seemed to kneel before that existence.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
Absolute.
My breathing slowly stopped as I stared into those eyes.
And instinctively—
I understood.
This was the man who reached out toward the broken child abandoned by the world.
The man who offered Rio Valen purpose once again.
The man who gave him the power to burn the world itself.
The Sovereign.
...
I went deeper into the memories.
There were still questions I needed answers to.
Questions even Rio Valen himself feared remembering.
How did Rio become the First Retainer?
As I descended further into the memories—
I finally understood.
The abyss around me shifted once more.
And soon—
a dark world appeared before my eyes.
An endless throne hall stretched through the darkness itself.
Cold.
Silent.
Ancient.
And standing within that darkness—
were eight figures.
The Retainers.
Some stared at me with grins.
Some looked completely emotionless.
Others radiated cold disdain and hatred toward me.
Each one felt monstrous.
Like calamities wearing human forms.
Meanwhile—
I was kneeling before the throne itself.
My breathing slowed.
Because I remembered this scene.
This…
…was the day Rio Valen was given the title of the First Retainer.
Soon—
the Sovereign slowly rose from the throne.
The entire abyss trembled the moment he moved.
One step.
Another.
Until finally—
he stood directly before me.
Then—
my eyes widened.
Because within his hands—
were three crystals.
The moment I saw them—
my entire body trembled instinctively.
"…Impossible."
Each crystal radiated overwhelming demonic energy.
No—
it felt older than demons themselves.
Ancient.
Corrupted.
Absolute.
Then—
the Sovereign spoke.
His cold voice echoed throughout the endless abyss.
"The First Retainer shall now be contracted…"
The pressure within the throne hall intensified violently.
"…to the Three Demon Kings."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The first crystal ignited.
Purple flames erupted throughout the darkness itself.
Wrath.
Pure uncontrollable rage radiated from the crystal.
Then—
the Sovereign announced its name.
"The Demon King of Wrath."
The second crystal soon glowed crimson red.
An overwhelming pressure of arrogance and domination spread throughout the throne hall.
"The Demon King of Pride."
Then finally—
the third crystal illuminated the darkness with golden light.
Greed.
Endless desire.
An obsession that seemed capable of devouring the entire world itself.
"The Demon King of Greed."
Silence filled the abyss afterward.
Meanwhile—
my mind had gone completely blank.
Because this was impossible.
Even contracting with a single Demon King should have destroyed a human instantly.
Yet the Sovereign…
…was trying to force three of them into one person.
w-what the hell was this guy trying to create?
As the three crystals slowly floated before him—
the entire throne hall fell silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A monstrous pressure engulfed the abyss.
Purple flames of Wrath distorted the darkness.
Crimson mana of Pride spread across the throne hall like a conquering king.
Golden light of Greed swallowed the shadows themselves.
Even the Retainers had stopped smiling.
Because everyone present understood one thing.
What the Sovereign was attempting—
should not have been possible.
Meanwhile—
Rio slowly stood from the ground.
The black cloth covering his ruined eyes fluttered quietly within the pressure.
Blood slowly dripped down his chin.
Yet his expression remained calm.
Empty.
Then—
SHIIIIING—
Rio pulled out his sword.
A crimson blade emerged from the darkness.
Beautiful.
Silent.
Deadly.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the sword—
the Sovereign spoke.
"Endure."
CRACK!!!
The three crystals shattered simultaneously.
And instantly—
the power of the Demon Kings rushed into Rio's body.
The abyss exploded.
Purple flames engulfed him.
Crimson demonic mana tore apart the ground beneath his feet.
Golden corruption spread across his skin endlessly.
Blood burst from Rio's mouth.
His body trembled violently.
His mana core cracked.
Yet—
he did not scream.
He simply stood there.
Blind.
Silent.
Holding the sword tighter while the power of the three Demon Kings continued forcing itself deeper into his existence.
The pressure pouring from him became heavier.
Darker.
More unstable.
The Retainers slowly began stepping backward one after another.
Not because of the Demon Kings.
But because of Rio himself.
Because despite the demonic power destroying his body—
Rio Valen remained standing perfectly still.
As though he had already endured far worse than this.
And at that moment—
everyone inside the abyss realized it.
The Sovereign…
…was not creating a vessel.
He was creating a calamity.
Soon—
the memories collapsed.
CRRRRRRRRRACK!!!
The throne hall shattered apart like broken glass while the abyss swallowed everything once more.
The Sovereign vanished.
The Retainers disappeared.
Even Rio Valen himself faded into darkness.
Then—
silence.
I slowly blinked.
And realized—
I was back inside the abyss once again.
The endless darkness stretched around me quietly.
"…What?"
My breathing slowed.
What happened after that?
The memories had simply… ended.
No—
they were cut off.
As though something was preventing me from seeing further.
Questions flooded through my mind endlessly.
Did Rio eventually enter the laboratory afterward?
Did he become Subject 082 after the Demon King experiment?
And what about the Three Demon Kings themselves?
Wrath.
Pride.
Greed.
Did the experiment fail?
Or…
did something even worse happen?
My head slowly lowered.
Because something made no sense.
I had synchronized completely with Rio Valen.
The memories from Earth.
The memories from Aetheria.
Everything should have become mine.
So then—
why couldn't I remember this part?
Why did the memories suddenly stop?
Why did it feel like something was blocking me?
Then—
a horrifying realization slowly appeared within my mind.
These memories…
…weren't missing.
They were sealed.
As I floated endlessly through the darkness—
questions continued filling my mind.
Who sealed these memories?
Was it the Sovereign?
But if I truly was the First Retainer…
…then why did he allow me to escape?
Why would someone like him simply let a weapon like Rio Valen disappear?
None of it made sense.
The abyss around me remained silent.
Cold.
Endless.
Yet slowly—
understanding began appearing within my mind.
No.
Maybe the answers had always been obvious.
The Astryx Empire.
Everything connected back to it.
The Valen Family.
His elder brother.
The Sovereign.
The sealed memories.
Even the Three Demon Kings.
Every single answer pointed toward Astryx.
My breathing slowly steadied afterward.
Because now—
I finally understood where I needed to go next.
Astryx Empire.
The empire where Rio Valen was born.
The empire that created him.
And perhaps—
the empire that destroyed him.
Slowly—
I raised my head within the endless abyss.
And for the very first time since regaining the memories—
I finally had a goal.
I had to head to Astryx.