Rain stood still, his eyes locked onto the mysterious man before him. The black butterfly hovering over the man's shoulder was an exact replica of his own, yet its presence felt different—like a distorted shadow of what he knew.
It was impossible.
But it was real.
"I see you've noticed it," the man spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight.
Rain didn't respond. Instead, his gaze darkened as he looked toward the black butterfly hovering around him, silently demanding an explanation.
But it remained silent.
"Who are you?" Rain finally asked, his tone sharp with coldness.
The man didn't smile this time. Instead, he lifted his hand slightly, as if asking for patience.
"You've been searching for answers, haven't you?"
Rain clenched his fist but didn't move. He knew this man wasn't someone he could kill easily, and he wasn't in a position to act recklessly.
"Answers don't come for free," the man continued. "But since you've come this far, I suppose you deserve a few of them."
At that moment, the black butterfly began to circle him rapidly, reacting to something unseen.
Then, a whisper echoed in Rain's mind once again.
"You're getting closer…"
"What do you mean?" Rain asked, unsure if he was speaking to the man or the butterfly within him.
"I mean that the path you're walking didn't begin with you."
"It started long ago…"
A strange coldness crept through Rain's body, as if something was seeping into him, uprooting the certainty he had carried all his life.
"Don't be foolish, Rain," the man continued. "Did you really think a power like this could simply be born with you?"
"You are the result… not the cause."
The words carried a heavy weight, but what made them terrifying was that they felt undeniably true.
"Enough riddles," Rain said, raising his hand as black energy surged around him, his butterfly moving in sync with his rage.
But the man didn't move.
He simply watched, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Then, he spoke in a low but devastating voice:
"You are nothing more than the shadow of something greater, Rain Earthon."
"You are merely… an incomplete legacy."
In that moment, something shattered inside him.
He had always known there was a secret behind his power, but hearing it from someone else made it feel like an undeniable truth.
"A legacy?" he muttered, his eyes flickering with a dark glow.
The man nodded.
"Not just any legacy. But the legacy of someone… who was the greatest demon this continent had ever seen."
Rain felt as if the air had vanished for a moment.
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
"Your father, Rain… was no ordinary man."
"He was the one the entire world united to destroy."
The words pierced through him like a blade.
"Before he died, he used a forbidden power—one that should never have existed in this world."
"He bound a fragment of his soul to the spirit insect that would be born with you."
"And that… is what made you who you are."
Rain couldn't respond immediately.
Everything was unraveling in his mind, losing meaning.
But a part of him—a part submerged in darkness—felt as if he had always known this truth.
"So that's why…" he murmured, his eyes glowing a deep crimson. "That's why I was different from the beginning."
The man didn't reply, merely watching.
Rain took a deep breath and lifted his gaze to meet his.
"And you? Who are you in this story?"
The man smiled, but this time, his smile was dark, filled with hidden meanings.
"Me?"
Then, he took a step forward, and the black butterfly above him began to glow.
"I am the one who was meant to take your place."
Then, in an instant, reality shattered around them.
And the battle that would reveal the truth was about to begin.
To be continued…
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