There was no transition.
No flash of light.
No sensation of movement.
One moment—
They stood on the fractured platform suspended in the void.
The next—
Everything was gone.
Leon didn't even blink.
"…So this is the next phase."
His boots rested on solid ground again.
Smooth.
Unbroken.
White.
Endlessly white.
Leon glanced around slowly.
No walls.
No sky.
No horizon.
Just—
Nothing.
"…Minimalist," he muttered.
A few meters away—
Lira appeared.
She staggered slightly as if her body had expected impact that never came.
"…We moved," she whispered.
Leon shook his head.
"…No."
He looked down at the pristine surface beneath his feet.
"…We were placed."
A pause.
"…That's worse."
Lira swallowed.
"…Where are the others?"
Leon didn't answer immediately.
Because he already knew.
"…Separate."
Her expression tightened.
"…Of course we are."
Silence stretched between them.
Then—
The air shifted.
Not violently.
Not subtly.
Precisely.
Like something had just arrived.
A figure stood ahead of them.
No footsteps.
No distortion.
Just—
There.
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You again?"
The shadowed figure from before stood calmly, hands at his sides, gaze steady.
"…Yes."
Lira stiffened instantly.
"…That's him…?"
Leon nodded slightly.
"…The one who called me a variable."
The figure tilted his head.
"…That designation remains accurate."
Leon sighed.
"…Yeah, I figured."
A pause.
"…So what now?"
The figure stepped forward.
The white space did not react.
Did not shift.
As if even the environment recognized—
He was not something it could alter.
"…Now," the figure said quietly,
"…you are evaluated properly."
Leon raised an eyebrow.
"…Properly?"
"…The previous system could not measure you."
Leon smirked slightly.
"…That sounds like a you problem."
The figure ignored the remark.
"…This stage exists for anomalies."
Lira's breath caught.
"…Anomalies…?"
The figure's gaze flicked to her briefly.
"…You are not one."
The words landed like a verdict.
Lira froze.
"…What?"
The figure continued.
"…You remain only due to proximity."
Leon's expression hardened slightly.
"…Meaning?"
"…You are irrelevant to this phase."
Lira's hands clenched.
"…I survived the selection."
"…Barely."
Her breath hitched.
"…That still counts."
Silence.
Then—
The figure raised a hand.
And the white space shifted.
Not around Leon.
Around Lira.
"…Wait—"
She didn't get to finish.
The ground beneath her dissolved.
And she—
Vanished.
Gone.
Leon's gaze sharpened instantly.
"…You just removed her."
"…Correct."
"…Without asking."
"…Correct."
Leon exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…I really don't like you."
The figure studied him.
"…That is irrelevant."
Leon rolled his shoulders slightly.
"…Everything's irrelevant to you, isn't it?"
No response.
Instead—
The figure stepped closer.
"…You are an anomaly."
Leon tilted his head.
"…You've said that."
"…You exist outside expected parameters."
"…Also not new."
"…You resist structure."
Leon smirked.
"…Now we're getting somewhere."
The figure stopped a few paces away.
"…You cannot be ranked."
"…Yeah."
"…You cannot be assigned."
"…Good."
A pause.
"…You cannot be controlled."
Leon's smile widened slightly.
"…Now that one I like."
Silence.
Then—
The figure asked:
"…Why?"
Leon blinked.
"…Why what?"
"…Why do you resist?"
The question lingered.
Not accusatory.
Not curious.
Analytical.
Leon looked at him for a long moment.
Then—
Shrugged.
"…Because I can."
The figure's gaze didn't change.
"…That is insufficient."
Leon chuckled softly.
"…Yeah?"
He stepped forward.
Closing the distance between them.
"…Then here's a better answer."
His eyes locked onto the figure's.
"…Because I don't belong to anything."
The white space trembled.
Not from force.
From recognition.
High above—
Caelus Aurelion watched in silence.
"…There it is."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"…The answer I was waiting for."
Below—
The figure remained still.
"…Then you will be tested."
Leon exhaled.
"…Finally."
The white space shifted.
Not collapsing.
Not breaking.
Transforming.
Lines appeared.
Shapes formed.
Reality itself—
Rebuilding.
A battlefield.
Empty.
Waiting.
The figure stepped back.
"…Demonstrate."
Leon cracked his neck slightly.
"…Gladly."
The ground beneath them solidified.
Weapons formed.
Structures rose.
And the air—
Filled with tension.
Because this time—
There were no rules.
No system.
No limits.
Just—
Power.
And the question—
Of what Leon truly was.