As the portal began to open, Zeo felt something stir deep within his chest—a strange, unsettling pull that he could not ignore. The sight before him was far too familiar. It resembled the very portal he had once stepped through when he first entered this world… and that realization alone was enough to make his grip on reality waver.
Yet he did not move.
He simply stood there, watching. Waiting.
Moments passed in silence before a figure emerged. A young woman stepped out, her long black hair flowing behind her, her ears slender and pointed—clearly not human. When his gaze met hers, she returned it without hesitation. She was undeniably beautiful, but there was something chilling in her eyes… a quiet, distant coldness that made Zeo instinctively wary.
For a brief second, she raised her hand as if to greet him.
But then—she froze.
Because Zeo had already pointed his sword at her.
His expression was unreadable—cold, distant… yet somewhere within it lingered a faint trace of sadness, like something inside him was quietly breaking apart.
She studied him for a moment, then stepped forward without fear.
That single step made Zeo's eyes widen in shock. His grip tightened as he asked, his voice sharp yet uncertain, "Who are you?"
His mind raced. Was she part of this world? Someone sent to stop him? A hidden antagonist he had failed to foresee?
But instead of answering, she gently placed her hand over his—the hand holding the sword.
"You don't need to point that at me," she said calmly, her voice steady, unwavering, as her eyes locked onto his.
There was something wrong.
Zeo realized it instantly.
He couldn't feel her properly… couldn't grasp her presence the way he should. It was as if she existed beyond the layer he currently stood in. Only then did it click—he was still within the World Creator state.
And yet… she could touch him.
Before he could react, she stepped closer and placed her hand against his chest.
"You can let it go slowly," she murmured, her tone soft but firm. "It's alright."
Her words struck deeper than he expected.
Only then did Zeo truly notice what he was feeling. The weight. The suffocating, crushing weight—as if he was holding something vast, something far beyond what any human should bear.
Because he was.
He was in the Creator state.
A place where he could shape everything.
The world.
Life.
Existence itself.
A godlike domain where even the slightest mistake could shatter the fragile balance of reality. One wrong thought… one unstable emotion… and countless lives could vanish in an instant.
The realization hit him all at once.
His breathing faltered.
His heart began to pound violently, each beat echoing like thunder in his chest as panic surged through him.
And then—
Everything came crashing in.
Voices.
Countless voices.
Humans, creatures, wind, rivers… the very existence of the world he had created flooded into his mind all at once. His vision blurred as if it were being torn apart, his eyes stinging, blood creeping along the edges of his sight. His ears rang under the unbearable noise of existence itself.
His mind was being crushed.
Breaking.
Then—
A voice cut through it all.
At first distant. Then closer. Louder. Clearer.
Zeo's trembling gaze snapped forward.
A tiny figure hovered before him.
A fairy—no bigger than his hand.
Her voice, though small, echoed powerfully within his mind, drowning out the chaos.
"Take a deep breath!"
It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.
Zeo's eyes locked onto her, and for some reason… he obeyed.
He inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
Again.
And again.
The overwhelming noise began to fade. The crushing weight loosened its grip. His breathing steadied, his thoughts calmed, and little by little… the Creator state receded.
Silence returned.
Stability.
Reality.
From a distance, Cilard watched everything unfold, his body frozen as realization dawned upon him.
That was no human.
That was something far beyond.
His legs gave out beneath him as he fell to his knees.
"Forgive me… God of Creation," he said, his voice trembling with reverence and fear.
Zeo blinked, startled, his gaze snapping toward him in confusion.
Before he could respond, the fairy's voice cut in sharply.
"Are you insane or something?"
Her tiny face twisted with irritation as she glared at Cilard.
Then she turned toward Zeo, her expression no less intense.
"And you—who do you think you are pointing weapons at me the moment I arrive?"
Zeo frowned slightly, still trying to process everything. "Who are you?"
She looked at him strangely.
For a moment, silence filled the shattered cave.
Cilard remained kneeling, head lowered, unmoving.
Then the fairy floated back slightly, crossing her arms before speaking.
"I am Razya," she said bluntly. "I guide lost children like you."
There was no warmth in her tone. No hesitation. Just cold certainty.
Zeo's eyes widened slightly.
Fairies… existed?
He had never seen her in the story.
His thoughts faltered again. Was she truly from this world? Or something else entirely?
Razya sighed, shaking her head as if she could already hear the chaos in his mind.
"We'll talk somewhere else," she said, glancing briefly at Cilard, who still hadn't dared to look up. "You've already made enough of a mess here."
Zeo's gaze flickered back to him, something unreadable passing through his eyes—but before he could act, Razya stopped him again.
"You already broke the flow of the story by defeating the protagonist."
That made him freeze.
His eyes snapped back to her. "You… know the story?"
"Of course I do," she replied flatly. "I read it after i became your contractor."
"…Contractor?"
"For now," she interrupted, clearly uninterested in explaining everything yet, "we're leaving. You've caused enough damage as it is."
And just like that—
They vanished.
The cave was left in silence, filled only with the unconscious bodies scattered across the ground. Not a single one dead… whether by intention or coincidence, none could tell.
After a long moment, Cilard slowly rose to his feet.
His eyes lifted toward the sky.
Dark clouds had gathered.
"It's going to rain…" he murmured.
His mind replayed everything he had just witnessed—the overwhelming presence, the impossible power… and his own actions.
A bitter breath escaped him.
"I really… brought chaos upon the world."
Silence followed.
Elsewhere—
On a distant cliff, Zeo stood facing the small floating figure before him, the wind brushing past them in quiet whispers.
"…What were you talking about?" he finally asked. "And where are we?"
Deep down, he already knew the answer.
But a part of him still hoped—
That he was wrong.
Razya looked at him, her expression serious for the first time.
"You are in the world you created," she said. "A world separate from the one you once lived in."
The words landed heavily.
Zeo felt it again—that weight in his chest.
The truth he had been avoiding.
The reality he didn't want to accept.
To create life…
To become the reason for countless existences…
It was never something a human heart was meant to carry.