A blast of pure destruction shook the entire world.
A quarter of the planet was shattered into pieces, plunging everything into chaos.
High above, seated on the broken surface of the moon, Kyle gazed down at the devastation with a calm, almost satisfied expression. The beauty of destruction spread beneath him, yet not a trace of empathy stirred in his heart for the billions who had perished as a result of his actions.
From the side, a voice broke the silence.
"Do you think you've done well… causing such a mess in this world? For the sake of killing one person, you sacrificed billions. I don't even have the words to describe it."
A cloaked figure stepped forward, her face partially hidden until the light caught her mask. The masked girl was standing beside Kyle once more.
For the first time, Kyle's voice softened as he spoke her name.
"Ero… do you remember the past in our world, didnt you?"
He didn't look at her, his gaze stayed fixed on the ruined earth below.
"In that city, no one cared whether I lived or died. My own mother threw me out. Since childhood, I've faced nothing but hardship. People called me bad luck… talentless… soulless… inhuman. Just… destruction."
His fingers curled into a fist.
"So whether it's right or wrong, I've always turned to destruction for my answer."
Kyle's eyes darkened, his tone hardening again.
"From the beginning, I felt a terrifying aura from him, so I killed him with a special sealing spell. But somehow… he managed to come back again. I knew then that to protect you. I'd do anything, even if it meant sacrificing billions of lives for the sake of one."
Finally, he turned toward her, the fierce glint in his eyes giving way to something fragile.
"And that one person… is you."
He looked back at the devastation, his gaze heavy with sorrow.
For the first time, the masked girl removed her mask.
Her royal blue eyes glimmered under the pale moonlight, and her hair pure white like untouched clouds, framed a face so perfect it seemed unreal.
She stared at Kyle for a moment… then smacked him on the head.
"Who are you trying to fool with this dramatic speech, huh? Mother?" she said, her voice sharp but teasing. "You're a mighty dragon, born from your own power. If people weren't terrified of you, then who else could they possibly fear?"
She folded her arms, glaring.
"Geez… Don't think you can run away from the Elder again this time."
Kyle rubbed the sore spot on his head, wincing as a flicker of pain made his eyes water.
He looked at Ero with an exaggeratedly annoyed face.
"Sister, can't you see I was in the middle of a perfectly good dramatic speech? If anyone else had heard it, they'd be moved to tears by my voice. But no… you ruined it again."
He crossed his arms and huffed.
"Can't you at least say 'thanks'? I literally broke the rules of this world just to save you. Hmph."
Ero clenched her fists, glaring at her brother.
"Hey… you caused all this mess. Fix it yourself, or else I'll be dragged into it too."
Kyle gave her a mock-offended look, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Tch. Have some respect for your brother, will you? First you repay me with harsh words, and now you're threatening me with the Elder… again and again. Fine. I'll take full responsibility here."
He lifted his hand and made a slow reversing motion of his unknown power.
The air trembled and stopped.
Time itself began to spin backward, accelerating until the entire world was swallowed by the blur of reversal.
The devastation he had caused unraveled in an instant. shattered buildings rose whole again, the moon drifted back to its rightful place in the heavens, and billions of lost lives were restored as though nothing had happened.
Everything returned to normal…
Except for one detail.
The mysterious man did not come back.
Ero's voice carried a puzzled edge.
"Kyle… where did that man go? If time was reversed, shouldn't he have come back to life too?"
Kyle glanced at his sister and let out a sharp laugh.
"Haha… why would I bring that bastard back? Who knows, he might try to kill you again. So I erased him from time itself. No timeline, no paradox, nothing in existence will ever make him return."
Ero stared at her brother with clear disappointment, then slowly raised her finger toward the table.
Leaning back casually in the table was the mysterious figure, reading his torn book as if nothing had happened, quietly enjoying their conversation.
Kyle froze, disbelief flashing across his face.
"How…? Are you a god? Or some kind of primordial being?"
The mysterious figure closed the battered book with a soft thump.
"As usual, this story isn't getting much attention," he said lazily. "And this chapter feels a bit… boring. But there's still one little thing left to finish."
He met Kyle's gaze, his tone almost playful.
"I'm neither a god nor a primordial. But how about we play a game?"
The mysterious figure drew a single card from the deck.
It was the Sun.
Kyle and Ero glanced at it and then both burst into laughter.
Kyle smirked, his tone dripping with mockery.
"What is that supposed to be? Some kind of fortune-telling gimmick? Like a tarot card or something?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "The Sun? Seriously? Look around, dude it's night time. The moon's right above us, not the sun. LMAO."
The mysterious figure chuckled at their response.
Suddenly, the darkness vanished. A blinding light swelled in the sky, forcing them to squint. The moon had disappeared and replaced by a blazing sun now hanging where the night should be.
Without a word, the mysterious figure raised his finger… then slowly pointed it down.
Almost instantly, the air grew hotter oppressively . The heat swelled with every heartbeat. Far above, the sun began to move… falling toward the Earth.