Tavros spoke calmly, but his words carried weight.
"Kael cannot come to Earth," he said to Jeong.
"This world would reject his existence."
Before Jeong could respond, Cat stepped in.
"But Master," she said, looking at Tavros,
"Kael has come to Earth once before—in his full body."
Tavros nodded slowly.
"Yes," he replied.
"He did come. But to set foot on Earth… he had to pay a very heavy price."
Jeong tilted his head, trying to lighten the mood.
"Wait—Kael came to Earth?" he said jokingly.
"When did that happen? How did I miss it?"
Both Cat and Tavros turned to stare at him.
Silence.
Then, almost together, they said—
"You are a god, right?"
Jeong froze.
"…Why are you both looking at me like that?"
Tavros's expression turned serious.
"Jeong," he said firmly,
"from now on, you need to stay alert."
Jeong frowned.
"Why?"
Tavros answered without hesitation.
"Kael Vyra has placed an invisible mark on you."
Jeong's eyes widened.
"Master Tavros," he asked quickly,
"can't you remove it?"
Tavros didn't reply immediately.
Inside his mind, a thought surfaced—
If I remove the mark, he'll become dependent on me…
just like Nithalo.
"Master?" Jeong asked again.
"What are you thinking about?"
Tavros looked back at him.
"Nothing important," he said.
"I cannot remove the mark."
"Because," he added,
"the one who placed it is more powerful than me."
Jeong clenched his fists.
"Then what about this mark?" he asked.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Tavros answered plainly.
"You must become stronger."
Then Tavros continued, his voice lower.
"Jeong… I've learned something through my connections."
"There is an entity known as the Spear Puppet."
Jeong listened carefully.
"He has a connection to you," Tavros said.
"He belongs to your family."
"And for some reason," Tavros continued,
"he wants to kill you.
The reason… I still don't know."
Jeong staggered back, shocked.
"My family…?"
"Why would someone from my own family want me dead?"
"And—wait—I have a family?"
Tavros nodded.
"Yes."
"And your family is one of the most powerful families in the God World."
Before Jeong could process that, Cat suddenly ran toward them.
"Master!" she shouted.
"That random guy—he's waking up!"
The three of them moved quickly toward him.
Jeong looked at the man lying there and asked,
"Tavros… do you know who he is?"
"And how is he this strong?"
Tavros replied calmly.
"He's just an ordinary human."
"But Kael has turned him into a vessel," Tavros explained.
"Because of that, he has lost all his memories."
Tavros then turned to Jeong and asked quietly—
"So tell me, Jeong."
"Do you want to keep him alive…
or do you want to kill him?"
Jeong went silent.
For a moment, he said nothing—just stared.
The two of them locked eyes.
The random man sneered.
"What are you staring at like that?" he snapped.
"And who's this old man?" He cracked his neck.
"I could kill both of you at the same time."
Jeong finally spoke, calm but firm.
"I won't kill him," he said.
"But I want to keep him with us."
Tavros turned sharply.
"Keeping him close is dangerous," he warned.
"He is Kael's vessel. If Kael's power overloads inside him, he'll lose control."
Tavros's gaze hardened.
"And if that happens… stopping him will be extremely difficult—even for you."
Jeong clenched his jaw.
"Then how do we stop that?" he asked.
"Is there really nothing you can do, Master?"
Tavros exhaled slowly.
"I can place a seal on him," he said.
"One that controls only Kael's power within him—
not the man himself."
Jeong didn't hesitate.
"Then do it," he said.
"Please, Master Tavros."
Tavros studied him closely.
"Why are you so determined to save this human?" he asked.
"Do you know him?"
Jeong shook his head.
"No… I don't," he admitted.
"But when I look at him… something feels familiar."
The man scoffed loudly.
"Are you two done ignoring me?" he snapped.
"I can hear everything, you know."
Tavros raised a hand.
"Don't be so impatient," he said calmly.
"You should also hear the side effects of the seal."
He continued, his voice cold and precise.
"The seal will suppress Kael's influence—but it will cause pain."
"Your body will resist it."
"You'll experience moments of weakness, memory echoes… and rage."
He paused.
"So tell me," Tavros asked Jeong,
"do you still want to keep him with you?"
Behind them, the man growled.
His irritation turned into raw anger—
being ignored again.
Ara stood behind him, visibly annoyed, her ears twitching.
Jeong finally spoke.
His voice was quiet.
"I'm still ready."
Tavros closed his eyes.
"…Very well," he said.
"In the end, I suppose I have no choice."
They turned toward the man.
Jeong stepped forward.
"Will you join us?" he asked.
The man laughed bitterly.
"Absolutely not," he said.
"You want to use me—just like the others."
He looked Jeong up and down.
The man thought Jeong was weak.
Jeong met his gaze without flinching.
"Yes," Jeong said quietly.
"You can kill me."
The man froze.
"But if you kill me," Jeong continued,
"without ever learning who you truly are—
then Kael wins."
Silence.
The man said nothing.
Seconds passed.
Then—
"…Fine," he muttered.
"Don't get so emotional."
"I'll go with you—on one condition."
Jeong's eyes sharpened.
"What condition?"
"You'll help me find out who I am," the man said.
"The truth. No lies."
Tavros stepped forward, moving to release the restraining net.
Ara immediately panicked.
"Master!" she shouted.
"Don't release this drunk brute! He's not trustworthy!"
The man snarled.
"What did you call me, you stupid cat?"
He lunged forward, grabbing Ara and pulling her into a backlock.
Ara screamed.
"Master! Save me from this addict!"
Jeong and Tavros both burst out laughing.
Jeong wiped a tear from his eye.
"By the way," he asked casually,
"what's your name?"
The man stopped.
His grip loosened.
Slowly, he released Ara.
"…My name?" he murmured.
He stood completely still.
"I don't know," he said.
"When I woke up… there was only one voice."
His fists trembled.
"It kept saying—
Find Ryn.
Kill Ryn."
The air shifted.
Tavros stepped forward, his presence overwhelming.
He raised his staff.
Ancient symbols ignited beneath the man's feet.
A ritual circle formed.
Golden and black energy wrapped around his body as Tavros began chanting.
The seal burned itself into the man's soul—
locking Kael's power in chains.
The man screamed.
Then—silence.
Tavros lowered his staff.
"You need a name," he said.
He looked at the man and spoke clearly.
"From this moment on—
your name is Riven."
The world seemed to pause.
The man—Riven—staggered.
His chest tightened.
Tears welled up in his eyes without warning.
"…Riven," he whispered.
For the first time since waking up—
the emptiness inside him cracked.