The old man witnessed something that should have never been allowed to exist within the order of reality, because before his collapsing will stood a god an existence born beyond death, unbound by the cycle of life, carrying a level of power that rendered immortals and mortals alike as nothing more than insignificant ants yet that very god was being held by the neck like a powerless creature by a single unknown man, and in that moment every belief the old man had ever built across his existence shattered completely as his will trembled violently before finally collapsing onto its knees, unable to withstand the terror of what it had just seen.
Dev's body continued to float lifelessly upon the stretcher, unmoving and silent, while in front of him the angel shone with a blinding radiance, his divine presence overwhelming the surroundings, yet despite that brilliance a hand gripped tightly around his neck, restraining him completely as though that divine light meant nothing, and the angel struggled, his body resisting with all its might yet unable to move even slightly, his authority suppressed so completely that even turning his head became impossible.
"You dare to lay your hands on me… release me immediately, or you will wish for death to come sooner."
The angel's voice carried rage and authority, yet beneath it there was the first trace of unease.
A soft chuckle escaped from the man in the dark green suit, his expression calm, almost amused, as if he were listening to something insignificant.
"Feathery angel, before you start making threats, stop that annoying light and show your real form, because talking to a glowing lamp is rather irritating."
For a brief moment, silence lingered, and then the angel closed his eyes as the overwhelming light began to retract slowly into his body, fading layer by layer until it disappeared completely, revealing a muscular figure marked with golden veins flowing like divine currents across his skin, his upper body bare, a loose white trouser covering his lower half, while behind him extended a pair of pristine white wings, and when his golden eyes opened once more, his full form stood revealed before everyone.
Ruby's mind could no longer process what she was witnessing, because everything she believed until now had been overturned within moments, her supposed grandfather revealed as something else entirely, an angel descending into the Holo World, and now that same angel being restrained effortlessly, while above all of this stood a man in a dark green three-piece suit, his posture relaxed, his black hair falling neatly, his polished shoes untouched by the chaos around him, yet what unsettled her the most were his eyes his right eye glowing blue while his left eye remained white, two completely different existences within a single gaze.
Her body failed to endure the pressure of it all.
A mouthful of blood escaped her lips as she dropped to her knees, her vision shaking as her strength gave out, and as she began to fall, Kai and Chiru rushed forward and caught her, holding her upright while their own eyes remained fixed on the scene ahead, while in the distance the clones of the old man stood frozen, their attention no longer on anything else.
The angel attempted to move again, his wings trembling as he tried to spread them, yet they refused to respond, as though bound by an invisible force, his limbs equally unresponsive, his entire existence restrained.
"Do not struggle, it is meaningless."
The voice did not come from outside, but directly into his ears.
"Mark this day carefully, because today is the day you die."
The words were spoken with mocking ease, as though declaring something trivial.
The man moved his arm casually and flung the angel across the Infinite Library, his body crashing into the ground with force, and as the angel tried to speak, his mouth opened, yet no sound came out, his voice completely suppressed, disbelief filling his expression as the reality of his situation settled in.
The man did not even look at him again.
Instead, he turned and walked toward Dev's body with calm, measured steps, as if everything had already been decided.
"Lad, it is time to wake up."
He placed his hand on Dev's chest, and a green circular mechanism formed beneath his palm, resembling a clock composed of intricate mechanical components that moved with precise motion, and as he pressed down, the mechanism activated, sending a pulse through Dev's body.
Dev suddenly inhaled deeply.
Life returned.
His eyes opened.
The first thing he saw was that gaze one blue eye, one white eye staring directly into him.
"Welcome back to the real world," the man said calmly, before continuing without pause, "although I should clarify that this return is temporary, and you will only remain alive for five hours before death claims you again."
Dev struggled to process his thoughts as confusion clouded his mind, his gaze shifting around him as he saw the fallen angel, the broken pillar, Ruby being held by Kai and Chiru, the distant clones, and finally the kneeling, shattered will of the old man, before his eyes returned to the man standing before him.
"Who are you… and why did you save me?"
The man tilted his head slightly, a faint smile forming.
"You ask directly, which is good, but should gratitude not come before questions?"
Dev's expression did not change.
"You said I will die in five hours, so saving me changes nothing."
The man's smile widened slightly.
"That is where you misunderstand the situation."
He took a step closer.
"The old man used your soul as a sacrifice to summon that angel, intending to return to existence through it, but his plan failed, and once the angel completed its descent, your soul would have been erased regardless, meaning your death was already certain."
Dev remained silent, listening.
"So even if I kill that angel," the man continued, his tone turning almost playful, "your soul would still disappear, because it has already been used."
Dev stared at him for a moment, then spoke.
"This was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it?"
The man chuckled softly.
"Sharp."
He straightened slightly, his presence shifting as he spoke again.
"Yes, everything that has happened here was part of my design, because in order to reshape this world and establish a true ruler that all will fear, I required an angel… and one more ingredient, although that can wait."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
A faint smile formed on his face.
"I am Zephryn Ravenclaw, the founder of the Ravenclaw clan , your ancestor from generations beyond counting, and the first pillar among the Seven Pillars of Death."
Dev's body reacted instantly.
He stood up and knelt without hesitation, one hand placed over his chest, his head lowered in respect.
"I greet the founder of the Ravenclaw family."
Zephryn waved his hand dismissively.
"There is no need for such formality, because you are my descendant, and saving you was only natural."
His gaze shifted downward toward the broken will beneath him.
"But this… is something else."
His expression turned cold.
The will was dragged toward him, and Zephryn placed his foot upon it, pressing down slowly.
"Using my descendant as a sacrifice and impersonating lineage for your own gain…"
His voice carried controlled anger.
"…you should consider yourself fortunate that your actions were useful to me."
He leaned slightly, his tone turning sharp and commanding.
"Hand over the inheritance, or you will not live to see another day."
The broken will trembled violently, its fear overwhelming its remaining resistance.
"I… I will give it…"
From a distance, one of the clones shouted in desperation.
"No, if you give it, everything we did will be meaningless "
Before the sentence could finish, Zephryn snapped his fingers.
All three clones exploded instantly.
He did not even glance at them.
His attention remained on the will.
Moments later, the will brought two books and presented them with trembling hands.
Zephryn took them and passed them to Dev.
"Mid-level inheritance," he said indifferently, "not worthy of our bloodline, keep it for your subordinates."
Dev nodded, then called the others forward.
Kai, Chiru, Sethr, Vaal, Karn, Rehx, and Ruby entered the broken pillar and approached him, and Dev handed the books to Kai.
"Keep these."
Then he turned back toward Zephryn, his expression serious.
"Grandfather, I will ask directly."
He took a step forward.
"What is that place I fought through, why is an angel needed, and what exactly is happening here?"
His gaze locked onto Zephryn.
"Because I feel you already know the answers."
The old man's voice did not tremble, yet something beneath it carried a weight that made even silence feel heavy.
"Do you know why the Ravenclaw family was erased from the Fragment World?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Dev as if trying to carve the answer directly into his soul, "It was not weakness… it was fear, a fear so deep that the entire world chose annihilation over coexistence."
Dev said nothing, but his gaze tightened.
"You know of the Bloodline Awakening System," the old man continued slowly, "a person is thrown into the Holo World, forced into desperation, forced to tear open their subconscious, and when that forbidden threshold is crossed, a Pillar of the Dead chooses them and grants them power."
Dev nodded faintly. "A coincidence… or fate."
"Neither," Zephryn replied, his lips curling slightly, "it is selection, every Eternal Bloodline is nothing more than a successor chain, when a successor appears, or when a bloodline resonates, the Pillar pulls them in and bestows ability, a law none of them can escape, and most abilities remain bound to their bloodline."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle.
"We… were no different."
Dev's expression remained calm, but something in his eyes shifted.
"But after the death of the fifth clan head of Ravenclaw family ," Zephryn continued, his voice lowering, "the world turned on us… not because we were weak, but because they finally understood what our bloodline truly was."
A brief silence.
Then
"The ability to control time."
Dev's breath hitched before he could stop it, his face freezing as shock and instinctive fear collided within him, because time was not merely power it was absolute dominance, a force capable of rewriting existence, of bringing terror to gods and mortals alike.
"That is why they erased us," Zephryn said quietly, "that is why they still hunt for any trace of our successors, that is why your mother hid you under another name… Edward Shade."
Dev clenched his jaw.
Zephryn continued, his tone growing colder.
"The Eternal Bloodlines possess forbidden fragments, but they are bound by conditions, only Rank 9 Blood Warriors or above can wield them without dying, but our power…" he paused, a faint pride surfacing, "…our power is different."
"Our Blood Soul Skill does not beg for permission."
Dev's eyes sharpened.
"Others must rely on fragments to manifest their abilities into reality, but we only require a passage a compatible fragment and once connected, our Blood Soul becomes absolute, unrestricted, unstoppable… the difference between them and us is the difference between earth and sky."
His voice hardened.
"And that… is why they feared us."
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
"So they came," Zephryn said, almost as if remembering a distant storm, "every Eternal Bloodline, every warrior worth a name, they marched to our gates, and they slaughtered everything children, women, elders… they left nothing behind."
A slow, dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"But we were Ravenclaws."
His fingers curled slightly.
"We did not fall quietly… we dragged three Eternal Bloodline families into the abyss with us."
A low laugh escaped him, filled with both pride and regret.
"If I had waited fifty more years before discarding my power for the future of the clan… I would have wiped them all out."
His hand tightened, veins rising.
"I left behind a will… I destroyed what I could… but those bastards shattered our families Pillar, piece by piece, until nothing remained."
Silence.
"I waited," he said.
"Years turned into centuries… centuries into a thousand years… and still, no True successor came."
His eyes slowly locked onto Dev.
"Until you stepped into the Holo World."
A faint pulse of killing intent flickered.
"I felt it… our bloodline… within you."
Dev's heartbeat grew heavier.
"And from that moment," Zephryn said, his voice now absolute, "everything began."
A pause.
Then he stepped closer.
"The plan… to pass the power of time… to you."
Dev stood still, unmoving, yet the air around him felt as if it had begun to distort.
Zephryn looked directly into his eyes.
"Dev," he said, each word carrying the weight of command and legacy, "I will give you this power… but in return, there is one thing you must do."
Silence deepened.
"Burn every Eternal Bloodline to the ground…"
"…and show this world what the Ravenclaw family truly is."
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then
Dev exhaled slowly, a faint smile forming, not loud, not arrogant, but cold… absolute.
"Then watch closely, Grandfather…"
His eyes darkened.
"I will turn their bloodlines into ash…"
"…and when the world begins to tremble in fear…"
"…that is when they will remember what it means to stand against a Ravenclaw."