Reeve stayed within Tsukiyra's world longer than he expected. The air was calm, the land alive, and the people—saved souls—worked quietly, building homes and tending fields. After watching them for a while, Reeve finally spoke.
"Tsukiyra… why did you save them?"
She didn't answer immediately. Her gaze rested on the village below.
"Because," she said at last, "no one saved me when my world was burning. Power without purpose turns into destruction. I chose purpose."
Reeve nodded slowly. He understood that pain more than he wanted to admit.
That night, Reeve knelt on the grass and began sketching lines into the soil—roads, houses, storage areas, training grounds. A village layout, balanced and efficient. He showed it to the people the next morning, explaining where homes would be built, where crops would grow, and where defenses would stand.
"Everyone works," Reeve said calmly. "No one is useless here. If you live here, you help build it."
They bowed in unison. They didn't hesitate.
But Tsukiyra soon stepped beside him, her expression serious.
"Master… this won't be enough. We need more hands. And more importantly—we need to find your friends."
Reeve looked toward the distant horizon beyond the world-wall.
"…You're right. Let's go."
They stepped back into Frostveil.
---
Not far from where they emerged, a dead village appeared—collapsed huts, broken tools, and silence thick with decay. Reeve frowned.
"You saved them from here?" he asked.
Tsukiyra shook her head. "No. This place was already lost."
Before Reeve could reply, the ground trembled.
An orc burst from behind a ruined house, roaring as it charged straight at Reeve.
But before it could land a blow—
Reeve caught its wrist mid-air.
The orc froze.
Reeve looked straight into its eyes.
"Do you want to live in a good village? With food. Shelter."
The orc hesitated… then nodded. "Yes."
"But nothing is free," Reeve added, smiling faintly.
"What must I do?" the orc asked.
"You work," Reeve replied. "You build."
"Yes!" the orc said instantly.
Tsukiyra raised her hand, and a white wall opened, forming a portal to her world. The orc stared in disbelief.
"…Is this real?" it asked.
"Yes," Reeve said. "Go."
The orc stepped through—and vanished.
---
A cold whisper echoed in Reeve's mind.
[System]: Someone is coming. Dangerous.]
From the mist emerged a massive beast, twisted with hatred. It roared, searching for the orcs it meant to slaughter. Finding none, its gaze locked onto Reeve and Tsukiyra.
It lunged.
Tsukiyra moved first.
She stepped forward and threw one punch.
The monster's body shattered mid-air, collapsing into dust before it even hit the ground.
Silence returned.
Reeve exhaled, then turned back and stepped into his world.
Inside, dozens of orcs now stood waiting.
Reeve looked over them and spoke clearly.
"You will build homes. Fields. Walls. This place will become a real village. If you work, you live well."
The orcs roared in approval.
And far beyond Frostveil, something ancient felt that a new force had begun to take root.