The morning sun rose over Valthorin, but its warmth could not erase the scars left behind.
Smoke still drifted from the shattered buildings. Streets that had once been crowded with merchants selling glowing mana crystals were now lined with broken wagons, collapsed houses, and silent memorials. Adventurers who had survived spent the day digging through the rubble, hoping to find loved ones—or at least something to bury.
For the first time since Kyūsei had arrived in this world, he truly understood the weight of death.
Monsters killed.
Wars killed.
But power...
Power killed far more than either.
He stood atop a ruined watchtower, overlooking the city.
His hand unconsciously slipped into his pocket, where the colorless crystal rested.
Ever since the Lonely King's disappearance, the crystal had remained completely silent. It neither emitted mana nor responded to any attempt to examine it.
Yet Kyūsei couldn't shake the feeling that it was watching him.
Behind him, footsteps echoed across the broken stone.
"You've been standing here since sunrise."
Kazuto walked over with one arm wrapped in fresh bandages. His usual carefree smile was still there, but it was weaker than before.
The battle had left its mark.
Not just on his body.
On his spirit.
"You should be resting," Kyūsei said.
Kazuto leaned against the broken wall.
"The healer already told me that six times."
"And?"
"I ignored him six times."
Kyūsei sighed.
"You really are hopeless."
"I prefer 'stubborn.'"
A faint smile appeared on Kyūsei's face.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
They simply watched the city rebuild itself, one stone at a time.
"The Lonely King..."
Kyūsei finally broke the silence.
"Do you think he was evil?"
Kazuto didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he picked up a small piece of broken stone and tossed it from the tower.
"I've been thinking about that too."
The stone struck the ground far below.
"I don't think he was born evil."
Kyūsei looked at him.
"I think..."
Kazuto continued quietly.
"...he made one bad choice."
"And then another."
"And another."
"Until one day..."
"...he couldn't remember who he was trying to save."
Kyūsei lowered his eyes.
Those words lingered in his heart.
One bad decision rarely destroyed a person.
It was the hundreds that followed.
A loud horn echoed throughout the city.
Both of them looked down.
The Adventurer's Guild had begun gathering every surviving adventurer in the central plaza.
"Looks like they're making an announcement," Kazuto said.
They climbed down the ruined tower and made their way through the streets.
The once magnificent guild building had partially collapsed, but the massive stone platform in front of it remained intact.
Hundreds of adventurers stood in silence.
Many bore bandages.
Some had lost limbs.
Others stared blankly into space.
At the center stood Guild Master Aldren.
The old man's armor was cracked, and a long scar stretched across his cheek, one that hadn't been there before.
His eyes swept across the crowd.
"...We have lost 2,413 adventurers."
Silence.
"No speech can ease that pain."
"No medal can replace those who will never return."
He lowered his head.
"So today..."
"We honor them."
Every guild banner was lowered.
For one full minute...
Not a single voice could be heard.
Even the wind seemed to mourn.
Kyūsei closed his eyes.
He had known some of those people for only a few days.
Others he had never spoken to.
Yet they had all fought.
Not for glory.
Not for riches.
But to protect strangers.
Perhaps...
That was what made someone a true adventurer.
After the ceremony ended, Aldren spoke once more.
"The Kingdom has declared Valthorin a restricted city."
"All surviving adventurers will receive compensation."
"The reconstruction will begin immediately."
He paused.
"However..."
His expression became serious.
"Three days from now..."
"The Royal Investigation Bureau will arrive."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"They will investigate everything that happened."
"The appearance of the Abyss..."
"The dimensional breach..."
"...and the unknown boy seen standing beneath the Black Crown."
Kyūsei's heart skipped a beat.
He instinctively looked at Kazuto.
Kazuto's expression darkened.
"They're talking about you."
Lena stepped beside them.
"They'll ask questions."
"A lot of them."
"And if they discover the crystal?"
Kyūsei quietly touched his pocket.
Lena's voice dropped.
"Don't show it to anyone."
"Not even the Royal Mages."
Kyūsei frowned.
"You don't trust them?"
"I trust knowledge."
"But power..."
She looked toward the distant royal road leading to the capital.
"Power attracts greed."
That evening...
The group gathered inside a temporary wooden shelter built by the guild.
The atmosphere was strangely peaceful.
For the first time in days, there were no monsters.
No collapsing heavens.
No battles.
Just the sound of rain falling gently outside.
Rufus stretched his arms.
"I almost forgot what normal feels like."
"Don't say that," Mira replied while reading a book.
"Why?"
"Every time someone says that..."
"...something terrible happens."
Rufus blinked.
"...Fair point."
Even Lena couldn't suppress a small smile.
Kazuto laughed.
"See? We're getting better already."
Kyūsei watched them quietly.
A week ago...
These people had been strangers.
Now...
They were the closest thing he had to a family.
A strange warmth filled his chest.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
He didn't feel alone.
Late that night...
Everyone else had fallen asleep.
Kyūsei quietly stepped outside.
The city was silent.
The stars had finally returned.
He looked toward the sky.
"...I hope you found peace."
He wasn't sure whether he was speaking to the Lonely King...
Or someone else.
Suddenly—
The colorless crystal inside his pocket grew warm.
Kyūsei quickly pulled it out.
A faint silver line appeared across its surface.
Then another.
The crystal slowly unfolded like a flower made of glass.
At its center floated a single symbol.
A circle.
Broken by one vertical line.
Kyūsei had never seen the mark before.
Yet somehow...
He understood one thing.
It wasn't activating.
It was responding.
Someone...
Somewhere...
Had just awakened another fragment.
Far away, beyond mountains and kingdoms, inside a forgotten temple buried beneath the desert sands...
An old man slowly opened a stone box sealed for thousands of years.
Inside rested a crystal identical to Kyūsei's.
It glowed with the same pale light.
The old man's hands trembled.
"...The Heirs have begun to awaken."
His voice echoed through the empty temple.
"The age of the Fragments has returned."
He slowly looked toward the eastern horizon.
"For the first time in ten thousand years..."
"...hope still lives."