On the other side of this world…
where the warmth of reassurance does not reach…
nor are the laughs of those returning to their homes heard…
There was a different place.
A place…
ruled by cruelty.
A vast hall.
Its four walls bore no decoration…
but only a single symbol.
The head of a massive bear…
colored in deep crimson…
drawn with precision, yet in a way that made it feel like it was not merely a symbol…
But…
a warning.
The air inside the hall was heavy…
as if every breath taken within it…
was counted.
At its center—
Two men stood.
Silent.
But the silence between them was not calm…
it was filled with unspoken thoughts.
And suddenly—
The door burst open.
With a violent sound.
"Sir—!! Sir Naris!!!"
The guard rushed in, panting, his voice torn between fear and urgency, his steps unsteady… as if what he carried was not ordinary news.
One of the men turned slowly.
His movement was not rushed.
Nor surprised.
But—
measured.
A tall man, wearing glasses that hid his eyes behind a faint reflection, his features calm… yet that calmness was not comforting.
It was…
cold.
He spoke in a low, steady voice:
"What is it… guard?"
The guard swallowed, then said:
"They have returned… the third generation disciples, sir."
The man paused for a moment.
Then—
He smiled.
A faint smile.
"Oh…?"
He took a step forward.
"That's good…"
Then added, in a tone carrying a hint of amusement:
"I assume… they did not return empty-handed, correct?"
The guard hesitated.
Sweat formed.
Then he said in a lower voice:
"Sir…"
"It's… not as we expected."
Silence.
Two seconds.
Three.
Then—
"Show me."
Naris said it simply.
But—
It was not a request.
It was…
an order.
Moments later—
The sect's courtyard.
The atmosphere there was not normal.
A large gathering of disciples…
but no one spoke.
They only—
Watched.
At the center.
Something…
Or rather—
Someone.
Naris arrived.
Stopped.
Looked.
"What is happening here?"
He said it in a cold tone… but it began to carry a slight edge.
The guard said in a low voice:
"As I said… you have to see it yourself."
Naris stepped forward.
The disciples surrounding the place turned immediately, as if they sensed his presence without seeing him.
"Greetings to Lord Naris!"
one of them shouted.
Immediately—
All responded:
"Greetings to Lord Naris!!"
But—
He did not answer.
Did not even look at them.
He simply—
Moved forward.
Cut through the crowd.
One step.
Then another.
Until—
He arrived.
And stopped.
There…
On the ground…
They were.
Broken bodies.
Faltering breaths.
Half-closed eyes.
Blood.
A lot of it.
But what shocked him was not that…
But—
"These…"
He paused.
For the first time—
That coldness left his voice.
"…third generation disciples?"
He knelt slowly.
Looked at them closely.
Then said, in a low voice… more dangerous than shouting:
"What… happened to you?"
One of them opened his eyes with difficulty.
Looked at him.
"S… Sir Naris…"
He coughed.
Blood.
"We… were… suppressed…"
Silence.
Then—
Naris raised his head slightly.
"By whom?"
Only one tone.
But—
Everyone who heard it felt something pressing on their chest.
"Who… dared?"
The injured one said:
"The Celestial Phoenix Sect…"
The air froze.
"And the others…?"
"They were… killed…"
Silence.
Heavy.
But—
It did not explode.
It…
Cooled.
Even more.
Naris said:
"How…?"
"How were you crushed… like this… by disciples?"
The injured one trembled.
"We… were ambushed… we were at rest…"
He breathed with difficulty.
Then said:
"But… there was… someone…"
He stopped.
His eyes trembled.
"He didn't fight us…"
"But…"
"He was the reason."
Silence.
"His name?"
"I… I don't know…"
"His level?"
Hesitation.
Then he said:
"Dormant… Seed…"
Stillness.
Then—
"…what?"
Naris said it.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"Haaah!!! Dormant… Seed…?"
The injured one trembled:
"Yes… but… his aura…"
He stopped.
His body shook.
"It wasn't… normal…"
"It was…"
He swallowed blood.
"Terrifying."
Silence.
But this time—
It was not calm.
It was—
Something building.
Inside Naris.
He stood.
Slowly.
Looked at them.
Without expression.
Raised his hand.
The injured one, in terror:
"S… Sir… please—"
Shhhhh!!
In an instant—
Silver blades shot from the air itself.
Shining.
Cold.
They pierced their chests.
Precisely.
Without error.
Without hesitation.
They fell.
Dead.
The disciples trembled.
Some stepped back.
But—
No one dared speak.
Naris said, in a clear, sharp voice:
"Weakness… is not a mistake."
He paused.
Then—
"But it is… a poor excuse for death."
He looked at them.
"And whoever fails…"
"Dies."
Then he raised his head slightly and said in a louder voice:
"And anyone… who lays a hand on the Red Bear Sect…"
He paused.
His eyes behind the glasses could not be seen…
But—
Everyone felt them.
"Will be erased."
Silence spread for moments… then a voice came from behind…
"What a tragedy…"
The voice came.
Calm.
Unhurried.
As if it did not belong to this atmosphere.
"Don't you have… even a shred of mercy, Naris?"
Some turned.
Slowly.
And there—
A man.
Standing.
Without fear.
His orange hair fell over his shoulders, and a faint smile rested on his face… but it was not warm.
It was…
Mysterious.
Naris passed by that person…
Without looking.
Without stopping…
Naris said coldly:
"Mind your own business… Lumian."
Lumian laughed lightly.
He raised his head, looking at the sky:
"Strange…"
"You say whoever touches the sect is killed…"
Then he slowly pointed at the two corpses:
"But… these died… by your hands."
He paused.
Then smiled:
"Isn't that… an interesting contradiction?"
Naris did not stop.
He said as he walked:
"The sect… does not need the weak."
Lumian paused for a moment.
Then—
Burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha…!"
But his laughter was not normal.
It was—
Sharp.
He said while looking at Naris:
"You really are… boring in an entertaining way."
Then—
His expression changed.
Slowly.
His smile widened.
But his eyes…
Turned cold.
"But that's not what interests me…"
He paused.
Then said calmly:
"That person."
Silence.
Then—
"At the Dormant Seed level…??"
His smile deepened.
"And yet… leaves such an impact?"
He lowered his head slightly.
Laughed softly.
"This… is not normal."
He raised his eyes.
A strange gleam appeared in them.
"And that means…"
He paused.
Then—
"Interesting."
He turned slowly.
"The Celestial Phoenix Sect…"
He inhaled deeply.
"It seems… you've hidden something intriguing."
At the edges of the courtyard…
Where the chaos began to settle gradually, and breathing returned to a slow rhythm after the tension that had choked the place moments ago…
One of the disciples stood still.
His eyes were fixed on one point…
On the ground where the blood had not yet dried.
But—
He wasn't truly looking at it.
Rather…
Thinking.
"…"
He clenched his fist slightly, then released it slowly.
As if his body was trying to process what had happened…
While his mind refused to accept it simply.
"Sir Naris… did not hesitate for even a second…"
He swallowed.
"For him… it wasn't a discussion… nor even a mistake that could be overlooked…"
He paused.
Then—
"It was a judgment… executed instantly."
He raised his eyes slightly.
Looked at the place where Naris had stood moments ago.
"Is this… true power?"
"To decide… without wavering?"
"To act… without doubt?"
Silence.
But this time…
It was heavy.
Not with fear…
But with the idea itself.
"…"
He lowered his gaze again.
Then said to himself:
"If this is the level of the one who leads the sect…"
He paused.
"Then what awaits us…?"
Stillness.
Everything gradually returned to normal.
Voices began to rise again.
The disciples dispersed slowly.
But—
That disciple…
Did not move immediately.
He remained in place for an extra moment.
As if…
Trying to fix something within himself.
Then—
He finally turned.
And walked.
Slowly.
But in his steps this time…
There was not only fear…
But—
The beginning of awareness.
And in the high sky…
Above the Red Bear Sect's courtyard…
A cloud passed slowly.
It covered the light for a brief moment.
Then—
Continued on its path.
As if something…
Had begun to move…
Quietly.
And in a distant place…
Within the Celestial Phoenix Sect…
One person…
Was walking calmly…
Toward the library.
And here—
The war had not begun yet.
But—
Something…
Had been placed on the board.
And for the first time…
The move was not for survival…
But—
For someone worth watching.