Nobody knew what to say.
Not after that.
Not after the giant entity in the sky had basically announced to the world that Mika was somehow tied to Kuro's stability.
Not after Lucien nearly exploded from the amount of gossip material he had just been handed.
The silence lasted exactly three seconds.
Then—
Lucien pointed dramatically.
"I KNEW IT."
Mika groaned.
Kuro immediately covered his face.
[He's been waiting months to say that.]
"I HAVE."
Lucien pointed harder.
"I HAVE BEEN SAYING THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON."
"There is not."
Mika answered instantly.
"There absolutely is."
"There isn't."
"There IS."
"There isn't."
"There—"
The Guildmaster smacked Lucien over the head.
"Ow."
"Later."
The old man rubbed his temples.
"We are discussing the end of the world."
"...Fair."
Above them—
the eye remained watching.
Silent now.
Almost thoughtful.
Kuro slowly lowered his hands from his face.
His cheeks were still red.
Unfortunately.
The sky entity's words kept replaying.
"His heart stabilizes near you."
"The fragment quiets when you touch him."
Kuro wished everyone would stop saying things like that.
Unfortunately—
they kept doing it.
The chained creature suddenly lowered itself onto one knee again.
"My king."
Kuro immediately pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"...Can you stop calling me that?"
The creature looked genuinely confused.
"...Why?"
Lucien nodded.
"Actually that's a good question."
"Lucien."
"What?"
The chained creature tilted its head.
"You are my king."
Kuro sighed.
This conversation again.
Before he could answer—
the sky entity suddenly spoke.
"No."
Everyone froze.
The chained creature slowly looked upward.
The eye stared back.
For the first time—
actual tension appeared between them.
"You continue repeating the same mistake."
The sky entity said.
The creature's silver eyes narrowed.
"My loyalty is not a mistake."
The sky darkened.
"No."
The voice answered quietly.
"Your loyalty is why this happened."
Silence.
The chained creature froze.
For the first time since meeting it—
Kuro saw uncertainty on its face.
And that terrified him.
Because this thing had fought sky monsters.
Reality monsters.
Unknown cosmic horrors.
And yet those words shook it.
The Guildmaster noticed too.
"What does that mean?"
The sky entity was silent.
For several long moments.
Then—
"It means."
A pause.
"It should have ended."
Kuro's chest tightened.
"It?"
The eye slowly focused on him.
"You."
The room froze.
Mika immediately stepped forward.
"No."
Dark mana flared around him.
The sky entity didn't react.
"Kuro should have ceased to exist long ago."
Silence.
Lucien stared.
The Guildmaster stared.
Even Elvastia went quiet.
Kuro felt cold.
Very cold.
"...What."
The eye blinked slowly.
"The gods feared what you would become."
The fragment pulsed.
"They shattered you."
Pulse.
"They divided everything."
Pulse.
"Power."
Pulse.
"Memory."
Pulse.
"Soul."
Pulse.
"And heart."
The pulse stopped.
Then—
for the first time—
Kuro remembered something new.
A voice.
Not the reincarnation man's.
Not Elvastia's.
Someone crying.
Someone holding him.
Someone begging.
"Please don't disappear."
Kuro staggered.
Mika caught him immediately.
"Kuro."
The memory vanished.
Gone.
But the feeling remained.
Loss.
Terrible loss.
Kuro grabbed Mika's sleeve tightly.
Trying to steady himself.
The sky entity watched.
Quietly.
Then—
for the first time—
it sounded sad.
"...Someone interfered."
The Guildmaster looked up sharply.
"Interfered?"
"Yes."
The eye narrowed.
"When the division was completed."
Silence.
"They stole something."
Nobody liked where this was going.
Nobody.
Then the eye focused directly on Kuro.
"They stole your heart."
Everything stopped.
Even the wind outside.
Even Lucien.
The sky entity continued.
"And hid it."
Kuro's breathing became uneven.
"...Where?"
The eye slowly blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
The answer came.
"I don't know."
Everyone froze.
"...What?"
Lucien asked.
"I cannot find it."
The Guildmaster looked horrified.
The chained creature looked horrified.
Even Elvastia sounded disturbed.
[...Oh that's bad.]
For the first time—
Kuro agreed.
Because if a being powerful enough to tear open the sky couldn't find it—
Then whatever had taken it...
Had been powerful enough to hide it from gods.
And suddenly—
deep inside Kuro's chest—
the fragment pulsed once more.
Not painfully.
Almost...
Like it had heard the word heart.
And recognized it.