Silence settled over the courtyard.
Not the awkward silence of strangers.
Nor the oppressive silence before battle.
It was the silence shared by warriors who understood one another.
For seven years...
Words had become unnecessary.
The Seven looked at me.
I looked back.
Without realizing it...
The small white cub who had first entered the Shadow Realm had disappeared.
Standing here now...
Was someone entirely different.
The leader of the Seven slowly stepped forward.
"You have completed everything we could teach."
He paused.
"No..."
A faint smile appeared.
"You surpassed our expectations."
The remaining six nodded in agreement.
There wasn't the slightest hint of exaggeration.
It was simply the truth.
"Your comprehension..."
"...is unlike anything we have witnessed."
Another elder continued.
"You learn techniques."
A third continued where he stopped.
"You understand principles."
A fourth calmly added.
"And then..."
"...you make them your own."
The first leader nodded approvingly.
"That..."
"...is something that cannot be taught."
I remained silent.
Their praise felt genuine.
Yet...
I couldn't help but remember the White Dragon's words.
Every technique...
Was born from the perspective of its creator.
If someone wished to truly surpass it...
They could not spend their lives becoming another person.
They had to become themselves.
Without realizing it...
That had become my path.
Prime Instinct.
Seraphim.
Shadow Arts.
Azure Flames.
Even my Beast Blood...
None of them remained exactly as they had been taught.
Every battle...
Every defeat...
Every realization...
Changed them little by little.
Until...
They became mine.
The leader seemed to notice the change in my expression.
He smiled knowingly.
"You've understood."
I nodded.
"I think..."
"I finally know what my path should be."
"Good."
His answer came immediately.
"If you had chosen to imitate us forever..."
"...your future would have ended here."
Those words surprised me.
The leader slowly looked toward Nyxaroth.
"The Patriarch once told us something."
"'A disciple who becomes another version of his master...'"
"...'has already failed.'"
Nyxaroth neither confirmed nor denied it.
His expression remained as calm as ever.
Yet...
No one questioned the authenticity of those words.
The leader continued.
"Our techniques..."
"Our experiences..."
"Our knowledge..."
"They exist only to shorten your journey."
"They were never meant..."
"...to become your destination."
A strange warmth spread through my chest.
For seven years...
Everything suddenly became clearer.
Every lesson.
Every impossible challenge.
Every defeat that made no sense at the time.
They had never been trying to make me another Shadow Warrior.
They had been helping me discover my own road.
The leader suddenly extended his right hand.
Resting upon his palm...
Was a small black crystal.
Unlike ordinary Shadow Crystals...
This one contained countless tiny streams of darkness flowing endlessly inside it.
It looked...
Alive.
I frowned slightly.
"What is it?"
"The Shadow Origin Crystal."
The leader carefully placed it in my hand.
"It cannot increase your cultivation."
"It cannot instantly make you stronger."
"It cannot teach you techniques."
He smiled.
"But..."
"It contains seven years of our understanding."
My eyes widened slightly.
The crystal felt warm.
The moment it touched my palm...
I sensed seven completely different streams of Shadow Laws sleeping within it.
Not memories.
Not techniques.
Understanding.
Pure understanding.
"If one day..."
The leader continued.
"...you encounter a wall you cannot overcome..."
"Look into it."
"Perhaps..."
"You'll find another answer."
I carefully stored the crystal inside my System Space.
"I'll treasure it."
"You'd better."
One of the elders laughed.
"It took us seven years to make."
Even Nyxaroth glanced briefly at the crystal before calmly looking away.
He had clearly permitted the gift.
Otherwise...
The Seven would never have dared.
Father folded his arms while watching everything unfold.
"Hmph."
He grinned proudly.
"You've become quite popular."
I laughed.
"I wonder why."
"Perhaps..."
Father replied with a teasing smile.
"...because you nearly drove them insane."
The Seven actually nodded.
One of them sighed dramatically.
"Teaching you..."
"...was exhausting."
Another elder chuckled.
"You never accepted an answer simply because we gave it."
"You questioned everything."
The third continued.
"Sometimes..."
"...you discovered answers we hadn't considered."
The leader smiled helplessly.
"You truly are an anomaly."
Those words caused Nyxaroth's eyes to shift toward me.
Only briefly.
Yet...
That single glance carried countless meanings.
An anomaly.
Someone who should never have existed.
Someone acknowledged by the Realm itself.
Someone capable of awakening Seraphim.
Someone...
Even the White Dragon had chosen to speak with.
Nyxaroth finally broke the silence.
"Enough."
Immediately—
The Seven straightened.
Their relaxed expressions disappeared.
The atmosphere instantly became solemn.
"The Breach..."
"...is opening."
BOOOOOOM!!
As though responding to his words...
The heavens above the Shadow Realm suddenly trembled.
Far beyond the endless darkness...
Space itself began cracking.
Thin silver fractures spread across the sky.
Each crack released an overwhelming pressure unlike anything I had ever felt.
It wasn't Shadow Energy.
Nor Spiritual Energy.
It felt...
Foreign.
Ancient.
Chaotic.
The leader slowly lifted his head.
His eyes reflected the fractured heavens.
"Neraphyx..."
He whispered quietly.
"...has begun calling."
For the first time in seven years...
The Shadow Realm no longer felt like the end of my journey.
It had become...
The beginning.