The chamber fell quiet again after Kael's explanation.
The glowing projection of Fragment rotated slowly above them while cracks between the dimensions pulsed faintly like damaged veins.
Sunny sat silently now.
No jokes.
No sarcastic remarks.
Just thinking.
Arthur.
Levi.
The First King.
Everything somehow connected around them like invisible threads tightening together.
The silver-haired boy broke the silence first.
"…Okay."
He pointed toward Kael.
"One more thing."
Kael glanced at him calmly.
"If Lucifer exists…"
The boy frowned.
"…then what about the gods?"
The chamber lights flickered faintly.
Layla immediately noticed the subtle change in Kael's expression.
Not fear.
But caution.
"…The gods," Kael repeated quietly.
The ancient projections above them shifted again.
This time showing colossal beings made of light standing against monstrous figures wrapped in darkness and flame.
Entire worlds burned behind them.
The silver-haired boy's face paled slightly.
"…That's not comforting."
Kael slowly walked toward the projection.
"The war between gods and demons predates humanity itself."
The chamber temperature lowered slightly again.
"Long before Echo and Fragment separated…"
The projection showed one unified world once more.
"…there existed beings capable of manipulating reality directly."
Layla narrowed her eyes.
"The gods."
"And the demon sovereigns," Kael added.
The projection split violently into opposing forces.
Golden armies against blackened flames.
Reality collapsing around them.
"They fought over humanity."
Sunny frowned slightly.
"…Why?"
Kael's golden eyes dimmed faintly.
"Because humanity possesses something neither side can create."
Silence.
Then—
"Potential."
The projection zoomed inward.
Showing humans gradually evolving across countless eras.
"Gods are born complete."
Kael pointed toward the beings of light.
"They cannot evolve beyond what they already are."
Then toward the demons.
"Demons adapt endlessly…"
His expression darkened slightly.
"…but eventually lose themselves to corruption."
The projection finally focused on humanity.
"But humans…"
The chamber hummed softly.
"…can become both."
Layla slowly understood.
"That's why they care about the merge."
Kael nodded once.
"A merged humanity would surpass both gods and demons eventually."
The silver-haired boy blinked.
"…Wait."
He pointed upward.
"You're saying humans could become stronger than THEM?"
Kael answered calmly.
"That possibility terrifies both sides."
Silence followed.
Then Layla frowned slightly.
"If that's true…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"…why haven't the gods acted yet?"
The chamber became quiet again.
Even Kael hesitated slightly this time.
That alone unsettled everyone.
Then he answered quietly.
"…Because they're waiting."
Sunny frowned.
"For what?"
Kael looked toward the cracks between Echo and Fragment.
"…The final vessel."
The room fell silent.
Kael continued slowly.
"The gods do not interfere directly unless the merge becomes unavoidable."
The projections shifted again.
Massive golden gates floating above ruined worlds.
"They are patient."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"They would rather let Fragment collapse repeatedly than risk humanity evolving beyond them."
Layla crossed her arms tightly.
"So they're just watching billions die?"
Kael's expression remained emotionless.
"To gods…"
The projection dimmed faintly.
"…a million years is a short delay."
The silver-haired boy looked disturbed.
"That's insane."
"Yes," Kael agreed quietly.
Then his eyes shifted toward Sunny.
"But recently…"
The chamber lights flickered harder.
"…something changed."
THUMP.
The second heartbeat echoed faintly again.
Kael's expression hardened.
"The gods should have moved already."
Layla frowned.
"What's stopping them?"
Kael slowly looked toward the ceiling of the chamber.
Toward something impossibly far away.
Then—
"…Fear."
Silence.
Sunny narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Fear of what?"
Kael's golden eyes reflected the swirling grey mist around Sunny.
"…The First King waking up again."
The chamber remained silent after Kael revealed the gods feared the First King.
Grey mist drifted quietly around Sunny's hands while the ancient projections continued rotating slowly above them.
Layla folded her arms.
"…That can't be the only reason."
Kael glanced toward her.
"The gods are capable of erasing entire civilizations."
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
"If they truly feared the First King, they would've acted already."
Silence.
Then Kael nodded slowly.
"…You're right."
The chamber darkened slightly.
"They fear something else too."
His golden eyes shifted toward Sunny.
Then—
toward the distant direction of the Black Continent.
"…Arthur Ravenheart."
Sunny frowned immediately.
"…Arthur too?"
Kael nodded once.
"Yes."
The silver-haired boy blinked repeatedly.
"Okay seriously WHAT is Arthur?!"
Kael remained quiet briefly before answering.
"…An anomaly."
The projections shifted again.
Showing countless timelines branching endlessly across the walls.
Most ended in destruction.
Some in silence.
Almost all were incomplete.
Then—
one single line appeared.
Arthur standing beside Sunny beneath a fractured sky.
Every projection around that image became unstable immediately.
Kael's expression darkened faintly.
"The gods cannot predict Arthur correctly."
Layla slowly understood.
"…Because he wasn't supposed to exist."
"Yes."
Kael nodded.
"And Sunny was never supposed to inherit the First King."
The chamber hummed deeply.
"For the first time in countless cycles…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…two impossible variables now exist simultaneously."
Sunny looked annoyed already.
"Can everybody stop calling me a variable?"
"No," Layla answered immediately.
The silver-haired boy snorted weakly.
Kael ignored them.
"The gods fear what both of you could become together."
The projections above them suddenly shifted violently.
Golden armies.
Demonic legions.
Entire dimensions collapsing into war.
"But they still allow you to develop."
Layla frowned slightly.
"…Why?"
Kael's expression became colder.
"Because interference would trigger balance."
The chamber lights flickered faintly.
"If the gods move directly against the vessels…"
The projections showed demonic armies awakening instantly.
"…the demons will respond immediately."
Then—
another group appeared within the projections.
Beings cloaked in silver-black robes standing outside reality itself.
Watching silently.
Even Kael's voice lowered slightly when speaking of them.
"…And the Watchers may finally involve themselves again."
The chamber became deathly quiet.
Layla's eyes widened faintly.
"The Watchers…"
Even Sunny looked more serious now.
Because everyone knew that name.
Ancient observers who never interfered directly.
Not even during previous Collapses.
Kael nodded slowly.
"For many ages, the gods, demons, and Watchers have maintained an unstable equilibrium."
The projection trembled slightly.
"But if war begins again…"
Entire worlds ignited across the walls.
"…it will become the bloodiest conflict since the first separation."
The silver-haired boy swallowed slightly.
"…Then why are the gods so desperate to avoid war?"
Kael hesitated.
For the first time in a while—
he looked genuinely uneasy.
Then he answered quietly.
"…Because of the God of Creation."
The chamber temperature shifted strangely.
Not colder.
Heavier.
The projections changed again.
A massive figure sitting upon a throne surrounded by forming galaxies and collapsing worlds simultaneously.
"Among the gods, he is considered the most dangerous existence."
Layla frowned.
"The creator god?"
Kael nodded once.
"He believes balance creates harmony."
The projection showed civilizations flourishing.
Then immediately collapsing into tragedy.
"When too much good accumulates…"
His golden eyes dimmed faintly.
"…something terrible must occur to restore equilibrium."
Sunny's expression hardened slightly.
"That's insane."
"Yes."
Kael's gaze darkened.
"But creation itself obeys that principle."
The projection shifted again.
Now showing endless wars consuming realities.
"And there is another reason the gods fear conflict."
The chamber fell silent.
Kael's voice lowered.
"…The God of Creation enjoys war."
The silver-haired boy blinked.
"…What?"
Kael continued calmly.
"The chaos. The destruction. The evolution born from suffering."
The projections intensified.
Entire dimensions burning while humanity adapted and evolved endlessly within conflict.
"The longer war continues…"
His expression hardened.
"…the more unstable he becomes."
Layla slowly understood now.
"He gets addicted to it."
Kael nodded once.
"And if he fully loses himself…"
The projection shattered violently.
"…creation itself may collapse permanently."
Silence consumed the chamber.
Then Layla frowned again.
"…What does that have to do with Arthur?"
Kael looked toward her quietly.
Then—
"…Arthur was originally nothing more than one of his discarded experiments."
The room froze.
Sunny's eyes narrowed immediately.
"What?"
Kael's golden eyes reflected the fractured projections around them.
"Long ago, the God of Creation attempted to artificially produce a human capable of surviving a complete merge."
Images formed slowly above them.
Failed children.
Broken vessels.
Discarded experiments.
"One prototype survived unexpectedly."
The projection focused on a young boy abandoned within collapsing ruins.
"He was abandoned."
Kael's expression remained unreadable.
"And through a chain of coincidences…"
The images shifted again.
Levi meeting Alexi during the Collapse.
Fighting together.
Surviving together.
"…that experiment indirectly caused Levi and Alexi to meet."
Layla's heart pounded once.
"No way…"
Kael nodded slowly.
"The God of Creation never noticed Arthur's existence initially."
The projection darkened.
"Not until the Collapse swallowed him briefly."
Then—
Arthur appeared again within the projections.
A single impossible existence destabilizing countless futures.
"Arthur's presence remained hidden from gods, demons, and even the System…"
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"…until the System finally recognized what he truly was."
The silver-haired boy rubbed both sides of his head aggressively.
"My brain hurts."
But Layla spoke again quietly.
"…The System."
Kael looked toward her.
"Who created it?"
Silence followed.
Then Kael slowly shook his head.
"…Nobody knows."
The chamber lights dimmed softly.
"It is believed the God of Creation designed the original framework…"
He paused briefly.
"…but even that remains unproven."
The projections shifted once more.
Showing ancient gods passing fragments of their power into younger beings.
"Godhood itself is inherited."
Kael watched the projection carefully.
"Before an old god fades…"
A younger divine being absorbed the ancient power slowly.
"…they pass their authority onto successors."
Sunny frowned slightly.
"So gods can die."
"Yes."
Kael nodded.
"And new ones are raised to replace them."
The silver-haired boy stared blankly.
"…This world is unbelievably messed up."
The chamber remained unnaturally still after Kael's explanation.
The glowing projections had dimmed again, leaving only soft silver light drifting across the ancient walls.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Mostly because everyone was trying to process what they had just heard.
Arthur being a discarded experiment of the God of Creation.
The gods fearing both him and Sunny.
War capable of destroying creation itself.
Even Sunny looked unusually quiet now.
The silver-haired boy finally groaned loudly.
"…I miss when my biggest problem was not dying to monsters."
Layla ignored him completely.
Her eyes remained fixed on Kael.
Sharp.
Focused.
Because one part still bothered her deeply.
"…Why do you think gods can die?"
Kael looked toward her silently.
Layla stepped closer.
"You speak about gods passing their power down like it's normal."
The symbols beneath her sleeve flickered faintly.
"But beings like that shouldn't die naturally."
Kael didn't answer immediately.
That alone made Layla more suspicious.
"…What's the real reason behind the succession?"
The chamber temperature lowered slightly.
"And how do you even know about it?"
Silence.
Kael's expression changed subtly.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Something heavier.
Older.
Then—
he finally spoke.
But this time—
the language was different.
The moment the words left his mouth—
the chamber itself trembled.
Ancient syllables echoed unnaturally through the air.
Not human.
Not demonic.
Something far older.
"Vael thir en solum… Elarion va thess…"
The system notifications around the chamber instantly glitched violently.
[ WARNING ]
[ TRANSLATION ERROR ]
[ UNKNOWN DIVINE LANGUAGE DETECTED ]
The silver-haired boy immediately stood up.
"…Why does that sound illegal?!"
Kael continued speaking calmly.
The strange language flowing endlessly from him like ancient music.
Reality itself distorted slightly around certain words.
Then—
the system suddenly forced a translation.
But it came out broken.
[ THE GODS DO NOT "DIE" ]
[ THEY ARE… CONSUMED? ]
[ ERROR ]
[ THEIR THRONES REQUIRE FUEL ]
Layla's eyes narrowed immediately.
"…Fuel?"
Kael kept speaking.
More divine syllables echoed through the chamber.
The system glitched harder now.
[ SUCCESSION EXISTS TO PREVENT…]
Static ripped through the notification.
[ …MENTAL COLLAPSE ]
[ DIVINE EXISTENCES DETERIORATE OVER TIME ]
[ ERROR ERROR ERROR ]
Sunny frowned deeply now.
"…Mental collapse?"
The projections around the chamber flickered violently.
The image of the God of Creation briefly appeared again—
except this time—
his face was obscured by endless black cracks.
Kael's voice deepened slightly as he continued.
"Thess va noriel… va ecless…"
The system forcibly translated again.
Poorly.
[ CREATION ITSELF CORRUPTS ITS OWN GODS ]
[ LONG EXPOSURE TO AUTHORITY CAUSES…]
The chamber lights exploded briefly.
[ UNKNOWN CONDITION ]
[ POSSIBLE INSANITY ]
The silver-haired boy slowly backed away.
"…Okay. Nope. I officially hate divine languages."
Layla ignored him.
Her attention sharpened further.
Because Kael's expression had changed completely while speaking.
Older.
Heavier.
Almost regal.
Then the system glitched harder than before.
The notifications distorted violently.
Letters rearranging themselves endlessly.
[ USER WARNING ]
[ INFORMATION RESTRICTED ]
[ DIVINE HISTORY SHOULD NOT BE…]
The message corrupted instantly.
Then—
for the first time—
the system mistranslated entirely.
Kael spoke another sentence calmly.
But the system translated it as:
[ THE SKY IS BLEEDING BECAUSE THE CHILDREN REFUSED THE THRONE ]
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Even Kael stopped speaking briefly.
The silver-haired boy blinked slowly.
"…That definitely was NOT the correct translation."
Kael looked mildly surprised himself.
"…Interesting."
Layla's eyes narrowed sharply.
"The system is interfering."
Kael nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The chamber lights flickered again.
[ RESTRICTION ENFORCEMENT ACTIVE ]
[ CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE CANNOT BE FULLY TRANSLATED ]
Sunny frowned slightly.
"…Why?"
Kael's golden eyes shifted toward the floating notifications.
Then—
"…Because even the System fears certain truths."
The chamber remained unstable after the system interference.
Notifications still flickered randomly across the air.
[ TRANSLATION RECOVERY IN PROGRESS ]
[ WARNING: DIVINE INTERFERENCE DETECTED ]
The silver-haired boy stared upward blankly.
"…I miss when notifications only warned us about monsters."
Nobody answered him.
Because Layla had gone completely still.
Her pale blue eyes remained locked onto Kael.
Watching him carefully.
Too carefully.
The mistranslations.
The divine language.
The way the System itself reacted to him.
None of that was normal.
Not even close.
Kael stood quietly near the ancient projections while silver light flickered across his face.
Too calm.
Far too calm.
Layla slowly stepped forward.
"…Who are you really?"
Kael looked toward her silently.
Layla didn't stop this time.
"No vague answers."
The markings beneath her sleeve glowed faintly.
"You know about the gods."
Another step.
"You know about demons."
The chamber lights dimmed slightly.
"And you know about the Watchers."
Sunny narrowed his eyes slightly too.
Because she was right.
Kael didn't speak about them like myths.
Or legends.
He spoke like someone who had seen them personally.
Layla's voice sharpened further.
"You even know divine language."
The system notifications flickered uneasily again.
[ WARNING ]
[ RESTRICTED TOPIC DETECTED ]
Layla ignored them.
"How?"
Silence filled the chamber.
Kael remained still for several seconds.
Then—
he finally spoke quietly.
"…Because I served them."
The chamber froze.
The silver-haired boy blinked twice.
"…Excuse me?"
Sunny's expression darkened immediately.
"Served who exactly?"
Kael's golden eyes dimmed faintly.
"…All three."
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because that answer sounded impossible.
Layla's heartbeat slowed slightly.
"…The gods. Demons. And Watchers?"
Kael nodded once.
The projections around the chamber shifted again.
This time showing Kael standing in different eras.
Beside gods.
Walking among demonic sovereigns.
Standing silently near Watchers observing collapsing worlds.
The silver-haired boy looked horrified.
"That's NOT normal."
"No," Kael agreed quietly.
"It isn't."
Layla's eyes narrowed sharply.
"What are you?"
Kael looked toward the ancient projections silently.
Then—
"…A witness."
The chamber hummed softly around him.
"When the first dimensional split occurred…"
The projection showed the original unified world shattering apart.
"…I was there."
Layla's expression tightened slightly.
"When the gods rose…"
Golden beings emerged across the projection.
"…I watched."
Then demons.
Then Watchers.
Then endless wars.
"I remained."
Sunny folded his arms slowly.
"You're talking like you've existed forever but aren't you like 200 years or something, I think I heard you say that right before I feel unconscious ."
Kael's gaze shifted toward him calmly.
"...Id rather not talk about that"
The chamber darkened slightly.
"But I lived long enough to see civilizations become myths."
Silence.
Then Layla spoke again quietly.
"…Why are you still here?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
Instead, his golden eyes shifted toward Sunny.
Then toward the distant direction of the Black Continent.
"…Because this cycle feels different."
The projections flickered violently.
Arthur appeared briefly again.
Then Sunny.
Then the dimensions themselves beginning to overlap faster than before.
Kael's expression hardened slightly.
"For the first time in many ages…"
His voice lowered.
"…the future has become impossible for even gods to predict."
The chamber fell silent again.
Then Layla narrowed her eyes.
"That still doesn't explain why YOU know divine language."
Kael slowly looked toward her.
Then—
for the first time—
his calm expression cracked slightly.
Almost like regret.
"…Because I was once meant to become one of them."
The chamber went silent again.
Even the floating system notifications seemed to pause.
Layla stared at Kael.
"…What?"
Kael remained calm.
But Layla's confusion was immediate.
"You said you were a vessel."
Her pale blue eyes narrowed sharply.
"One of the five chosen during a previous cycle."
Kael nodded once.
"Yes."
Layla frowned deeper.
"Then how were you supposed to become a god?"
The silver-haired boy blinked repeatedly.
"…Actually yeah, that's a VERY good question."
Sunny folded his arms silently.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because Kael's story had too many contradictions now.
Kael looked toward the ancient projections quietly.
Then finally spoke.
"…Not all vessels exist for the merge."
The chamber hummed faintly.
The projections shifted again.
Five glowing figures appeared.
But unlike before—
one stood apart from the others entirely.
Silver-black light surrounded it unnaturally.
Layla immediately noticed.
"…There are different types."
Kael nodded slowly.
"Most vessels are created to stabilize dimensional synchronization."
The projection showed the worlds Echo and Fragment moving together.
"But occasionally…"
The isolated figure brightened.
"…one is selected for ascension."
The silver-haired boy frowned.
"Ascension?"
Kael's golden eyes dimmed faintly.
"To inherit divine authority."
Silence.
Sunny narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So gods ARE made."
"Yes."
Kael nodded.
"They are not born naturally."
The projection shifted again.
Showing younger divine beings absorbing fragments of power from older gods.
"When divine authorities begin destabilizing…"
The chamber temperature lowered slightly.
"…new candidates are chosen."
Layla slowly pieced it together.
"…You were one of those candidates."
Kael remained silent briefly.
Then nodded once.
"Yes."
The silver-haired boy looked horrified.
"Hold on."
He pointed aggressively.
"You almost became a GOD?!"
Kael's expression remained unreadable.
"…That was the intention."
Layla folded her arms tighter.
"Then what happened?"
The chamber lights dimmed softly.
"The cycle collapsed before succession could complete."
The projections shattered violently again.
War.
Lucifer's interference.
Dimensional failure.
"My merge cycle failed."
Kael looked toward the broken projections.
"The gods abandoned the process."
Silence followed.
Then Layla frowned again.
"…And instead of dying, you became… this?"
Kael gave a faint nod.
"A remnant trapped outside proper time."
The silver-haired boy slowly sat back down.
"…This world genuinely hates being simple."
Sunny looked toward Kael carefully now.
"…Which god were you supposed to replace?"
For the first time—
Kael hesitated.
The chamber itself seemed quieter afterward.
Then—
"…Creation."
Silence.
Layla's eyes widened faintly.
The silver-haired boy nearly choked.
Sunny's expression hardened instantly.
Kael looked toward the projection of the fractured dimensions.
"I was once considered the next candidate for the Throne of Creation."
The chamber lights flickered violently.
Almost nervously.
[ WARNING ]
[ DIVINE AUTHORITY REFERENCE DETECTED ]
[ RESTRICTED INFORMATION ]
Layla stared at him.
"…Then the current God of Creation…"
Kael's expression darkened faintly.
"…Should not still exist."