After the emotionally draining conversation, Isabel left the room. Her footsteps echoed through the silent corridor. Her face looked calm, but her thoughts were in turmoil. As she headed toward the exit, she crossed paths with Levan, who was about to enter.
Levan stopped her, his posture casual but his gaze sharp. "Isabel, we need to talk after this," he said flatly, with an unspoken weight behind his words. Isabel didn't answer. She only nodded once and continued walking, leaving Levan standing by the door.
Levan opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes immediately caught Kaivan's slumped figure, head lowered, his face worn as if burdened by something beyond human limits. Levan crossed his arms and stood firm. "So it's true, Kaivan?" he asked seriously. "You're not interested in love? You've lost the desire to fall in love? I didn't know the Tome Omnicent could have effects like that."
Kaivan slowly raised his head, meeting Levan's gaze with dull eyes. He let out a quiet sigh. "No. Even before I held the Tome Omnicent, I'd already been betrayed too many times. Since then, I've never looked at women with romantic feelings again."
Levan rubbed his chin, digesting the answer. "I see. So it's deeper than I thought. All right, then. Maybe this isn't directly related to the Tome Omnicent after all." He patted Kaivan's shoulder. "Forget it for now. We need to head to the helispot. Today's going to be long. There's someone who wants to meet you. Bring your Tome Omnicent."
Kaivan gave a small nod and stood up. He picked up the Tome Omnicent from the table and placed it into the small bag he always carried. Together with Levan, he walked out toward the helispot.
Far away, in another part of the world, screams echoed through a dark room. Vella, a woman with eyes full of anguish, rolled across the floor, her body wracked by unbearable pain. "STOP! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! I'M SCARED!" she screamed hoarsely through her sobs.
On the other side of the room, a young boy sat calmly in a chair, sipping tea from a small cup. Johan—six years old, yet with an unnaturally sharp gaze—turned to a woman named Rapi, who stood trembling near the door. "So, Kaivan has been kidnapped?" he asked flatly.
Rapi nodded weakly, barely able to speak. "According to the police, a man in a black suit took him away in a wooden box."
Johan smiled faintly and set his cup down on the table. "Even if I can't feel him from here, sooner or later he will appear," he said, then stood up.
He walked calmly toward the exit, but before leaving, he glanced back at Vella, who was still lying on the floor. "From now on, I make the decisions. You only cause trouble and obsess over worldly matters," he said coldly, then left without looking back.
Vella, finally calming as the pain faded, stared at the floor. A glass eye rolled there. Panicking, she grabbed it and put it back into place. "Because of that damn brat… I've become like this," she muttered with hatred.
Snow fell softly from the lifeless gray sky. The flakes covered the frozen helipad, forming a white layer over footprints that were already fading. A black military helicopter carrying Kaivan and Levan landed smoothly, tearing through the silence of the remote mountains. The rotors slowed, leaving behind a cold metallic hum that shook the air.
Kaivan lowered his head as the wind whipped violently around him, biting into his skin despite the thick jacket wrapped around his thin body. He clutched the worn bag on his shoulder—the bag that held the most dangerous object in the world: the Tome Omnicent. Each step across the ice felt like the final echo of his existence as part of the Lab where he had grown up. After today, there would be no more Radit's careless laughter, no more Zinnia's sharp gaze, no more Felicia's gentle voice calling his name.
Levan walked ahead, firm and unshaken, his eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilance. They passed through barbed-wire fences and security checkpoints. Fully armed soldiers stood rigid like statues, weapons ready to be raised at any moment. Their gazes were cold, measuring, judging.
Kaivan lowered his eyes. He knew that in this place, there was no one left he could call a friend.
The steel door of the bunker slowly opened, its creak sounding like the howl of an ancient machine from the past. They stepped into a cold metal corridor, lit by pale lights reflecting off damp walls. Each footstep echoed endlessly, as if even time itself was holding its breath.
The underground elevator waited at the end of the corridor. Levan pressed the button. Ding. The doors slid open, and they stepped inside.
Kaivan stood in the corner of the elevator, his body trembling—not from the cold, but from an invisible pressure pressing down on him. Levan leaned casually against the wall, one hand in his pocket, his left leg crossed over the other. Yet behind that relaxed posture, his eyes held a sharp, restrained tension.
"Actually," Levan said slowly, his voice echoing in the narrow space, "our true purpose for coming here is to introduce you to the user of the Tome Omnicraft."
Kaivan turned sharply, his eyes widening. "Omnicraft?" he whispered. There was old fear in his tone—fear of other Tome bearers, of wars, of the madness that always followed them. The Tomes were not mere tools. They were curses.
"Don't worry," Levan replied quietly, his voice low but keen. "This time… it's a little different."
Kaivan lowered his gaze to the metal floor, where his reflection shimmered faintly. His hands trembled as he tightened his grip on the strap of his bag. The world around him felt distant. For a moment, Isabel and Felicia crossed his mind—watching him from afar, as if they already knew he would not return.
Levan offered a small smile, avoiding a direct answer. Cold air mixed with the scent of metal as the doors opened again. He stepped out first—upright, confident, like a guide leading the way toward an unavoidable fate. Kaivan followed, his eyes sweeping across the vast space waiting beyond.
The room was far larger than Kaivan had imagined—a massive hall hidden deep underground. Metallic walls gleamed beneath white neon lights, reflecting like cold mirrors. At the center stood a young boy—around thirteen years old, with short blond hair and a friendly face. He raised his hand in a casual wave, as though greeting an old friend.
Kaivan stopped at the edge of the elevator, confused. Who was this boy? Why did he look so relaxed? His gaze was filled with unspoken questions.
Levan stepped forward, his tone formal. "Kaivan, this is Fabrizio. He has been the user of the Tome Omnicraft for the past two years."
Fabrizio gave a small nod, still smiling. Yet behind that warmth lay a sharp, intelligent glint—as if he could read Kaivan's thoughts with a single look.
Kaivan glanced at Levan. "So… what does he want from me?" he asked quietly, his voice calm but edged with caution.
The bunker air felt heavy, layered with the scent of old metal. Steel walls echoed every step. Dim lights above cast long shadows across the gray floor—clean, yet unsettling. Kaivan clutched the leather bag containing the Tome Omnicent—the only thing he still trusted.
Levan looked at Fabrizio briefly, then moved to stand beside Kaivan, keeping a careful distance. His movements were slow and deliberate, like a maestro preparing to conduct a tragic symphony.