The night was starless.
The sky was still, as if holding its breath.
Kim walked alone.
No looking back.
No hesitation.
His steps were steady… but inside him, a storm raged.
The Eye of Revelation was half-open.
The world was no longer as it had been.
Everything was filled with threads.
Threads of fate.
Threads of blood.
And one single thread…
Thick and black…
Extending from his chest toward the distant horizon.
Toward a place he now recognized.
He whispered:
"So… you were watching."
The System appeared quietly:
Royal Lineage Source Identified
Location: The Throne of the Fallen — The Seventh Lower Dimension
Entity Status: Active
Genetic Compatibility: 50%
Recommendation: High Existential Threat
Kim was not surprised.
He did not grow angry.
He smiled a faint, hollow smile.
"I knew… that you weren't dead."
A Flash from the Past
His eye flickered.
A brief vision.
A black throne.
Towering pillars of dark stone.
A king sitting in silence.
Motionless.
But his eyes were open.
Looking… directly at Kim.
A voice reached out across the distance between dimensions:
"You are late."
The vision ended.
The air grew cold.
A Declaration Without an Audience
Kim stood at the edge of another abyss.
But this was not the one that had nearly swallowed him.
This was a portal.
A giant rift in space.
Breathing slowly.
He remembered his mother's words:
"He will be the Heir of Chaos."
He placed his hand on his chest.
The seal pulsed.
It wasn't weak.
But it wasn't as dominant as it had been.
He whispered:
"I am no longer running."
The abyss whispered from within him:
"This path will return nothing to you."
He replied coldly:
"Not every path is taken for the sake of returning."
Silence.
Then he added:
"Some paths are taken… for the sake of confrontation."
His voice was low, but clear:
"I thought I was a victim."
"Then I thought I was a curse."
"But the truth is…"
He raised his eye toward the dark rift.
"I am a choice."
"Chosen by an angel."
"Accepted by a demon."
"And I will choose… what I become."
The System shuddered:
Path Updated
Sub-path Unlocked: Lineage Confrontation
Direct Clash Probability: 87%
Kim smiled.
"Good."
Before the Crossing
For just one moment…
He paused.
The image of Nir appeared.
The image of Biath.
A long silence.
Then he closed his left eye.
"I will not return as I am."
He opened it again.
The eye was now deeper.
Colder.
More dangerous.
The Crossing
He reached out his hand.
The rift responded.
The darkness did not swallow him…
Instead, it bowed to him.
A distant voice echoed across the dimensions:
"Welcome… my heir."
Kim entered without hesitation.
And before the rift closed…
A final whisper escaped him:
"I am not looking for a father."
"I am looking for the truth."
The rift shut.
The world returned to its stillness.
But in the Seventh Lower Dimension…
The Demon King stood from his throne for the first time in centuries.
And he smiled.