Kim stood in the midst of a radiant plaza,
the sky above him glowing with floating crystals that emitted soft, melodic music,
while the Eltharion surrounded him with astonished faces and hearts filled with awe.
His body dripped with remnants of darkness,
yet his eyes carried no malice this time… only a weight that only those who have died much could understand.
One of the girls whispered, her voice trembling:
— "He's strange… his aura is swallowing the light!"
Kim closed his eyes for a moment, then breathed deeply and said with absolute coldness:
— "Calm yourselves… I'm not here to fight you."
Still, everyone around him took a step back,
except her… the silver-haired girl with moonlit eyes,
the one who had healed him a little while ago.
She stepped forward slowly and asked:
— "So… who are you? And why have you come to the land of Aether?"
He lifted his head toward her, his voice deep, as if carrying a hundred hells behind him:
— "I… am lost. I'm just trying to find my way back home."
The girls exchanged glances, then one of them sneered sharply:
— "Stop lying, Abyss Servant. This land is not a home for humans. Here is your place… the land of darkness that spat you out!"
Kim opened his eyes, a dark red flash crossing them.
He stepped forward until his shadow touched their feet,
and they felt a coldness as if they had touched Death itself.
He spoke in a low voice that shook hearts:
— "Whether you believe it or not… I am human. From a world called Earth.
But my fate… was to be buried in shadows."
A strange silence fell.
The air stopped moving, and the light around them dimmed as if afraid to disturb him.
The same girl, the beautiful one who hadn't trembled before, whispered as she stepped closer:
— "I believe you."
Kim looked at her, astonished:
— "And why?"
She smiled lightly, radiantly:
— "Because the darkness in your eyes… doesn't look like evil, but like an ancient pain."
He froze in place.
For a brief moment, it seemed he had forgotten everything—wars, hell, and the abyss.
He felt something stir in his chest, something he hadn't felt since Mary.
But before he could speak, a group of Eltharion guards appeared,
their armor pure light, their swords like threads of crystal.
One of them spoke firmly:
— "Stranger, by order of Queen Elanor, you must come with us for questioning. No one steps on Aether without her permission!"
Kim looked at them with deep coldness,
then said with dark confidence:
— "I obey no one."
The ground shook for a moment from the echo of his voice.
Even the light seemed afraid to touch him.
But the princess—whose identity had not yet been revealed—raised her hand and told the guards:
— "Step back. I will convince him myself."
Inside him, a familiar voice laughed wickedly.
Amon… the ancient curse that never fell silent.
— "Heh, looks like you've found someone who matters to you, Tiger. A girl of light? That's new."
Kim muttered angrily:
— "Be silent before I tear out your phantom tongue."
But the princess heard him and asked in surprise:
— "Who are you speaking to?"
He slowly turned to her, speaking with cold realism:
— "His name is Amon. The curse of hell I absorbed… when I was dying."
A heavy silence fell over the place.
The Eltharion's eyes widened, and color drained from their faces.
One of the guards spoke with a trembling voice:
— "Amon? The curse that the heavens fought? How… how do you survive while carrying it?!"
Kim smiled faintly, lethally:
— "I don't live it… it lives in me."
The princess looked at him, her eyes full of curiosity and a strange compassion.
She spoke softly:
— "So… if you're neither from the Abyss nor from the Light… where do you belong, Kim?"
He gazed at her for a long moment… then whispered:
— "I belong nowhere.
But perhaps… perhaps I can learn from this light… what made the darkness inside me come alive."