The investigator sat silently in his chair.
Rain struck the castle windows without mercy.
The room was lit only by a few old lamps, casting long shadows across the stone walls.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then—
Cough!
A rough cough echoed through the room.
The investigator's thoughts broke instantly.
He stood up and turned toward the bed.
At that exact moment, lightning flashed outside.
For a brief second, the entire room was illuminated.
The face on the bed became visible.
It was Eyrx.
The investigator walked closer.
Eyrx slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry at first.
The ceiling above him was unfamiliar.
Old stone walls surrounded him.
The room looked more like a chamber inside a castle than a modern building.
Eyrx frowned.
"You..."
The investigator stood in front of him.
Eyrx slowly pushed himself upright.
His head ached.
Fragments of memory rushed back.
---
He remembered sitting inside the police vehicle.
His wrists were locked in handcuffs.
Rain had tapped against the windows.
He had looked at the officers and sighed.
"I didn't steal the bike intentionally."
The officers ignored him.
"If the owner accepts, I'll pay him double the money."
Before anyone could answer—
The driver suddenly frowned.
"Do you smell that?"
The officer beside him looked around.
"Smell what?"
"Burning."
Everyone became alert.
Then—
Everything happened too fast.
A shadow appeared outside.
The door was ripped open.
A powerful hand grabbed Eyrx and dragged him out.
Before he could react, another body was thrown into the vehicle.
A second later—
BOOM!
The police car exploded into flames.
Heat rushed across his face.
Glass scattered everywhere.
The last thing he remembered was someone carrying him away through the darkness.
---
Back in the present.
Eyrx stared at the investigator.
"So it was you."
The investigator nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
The investigator remained silent for a moment.
Then he reached into his coat.
"I know your mind isn't in the best condition right now."
He placed an envelope in Eyrx's hands.
"But before I explain anything..."
His expression became serious.
"You should read this."
Eyrx looked down.
The handwriting on the envelope felt familiar.
His heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
"Grace..."
The investigator nodded.
"She left it for you."
For several seconds, Eyrx simply stared at the envelope.
Then he slowly opened it.
Inside was a folded letter.
His fingers trembled slightly as he unfolded the paper.
And began reading.
---
Eyrx,
I know what I'm about to say will be difficult to understand.
Especially because your grandmother never told you the truth.
You and I were never ordinary children.
And we never truly belonged to this world.
I am from the Kryzehon Clan.
It was my mother's clan.
As for you, I don't know exactly which clan you belong to, but I know your blood is connected to one of the powerful clans.
Our guardians—your grandmother and my father—brought us here when we were young.
A great war happened in our world.
I don't know every detail.
You will have to discover those answers yourself.
The most important thing I want you to know is this:
I returned to my world.
If one day you hear that I died...
Don't believe it.
I always felt something like this would happen.
Because of my power, death is not as simple for me as it is for others.
The power I awakened is still beyond my control.
That power saved me.
Which means that if people tell you I was killed...
There is a chance I'm still alive.
Eyrx...
Come to our world.
Not because of me.
But because of the truth.
Because we deserve answers.
Because our families deserve justice.
Because there is still a monster alive.
The same monster who destroyed countless clans.
The same monster who turned people into slaves.
The same monster who shattered our world.
There is something else you need to know.
One day your grandmother will die.
And when that day comes, you will finally stand alone.
About Hazel...
She knows far more than she tells you.
And one day she may leave you behind as well.
When that happens, don't waste your life grieving.
Move forward.
Find the truth.
Take revenge for everyone we lost.
Our world was once united.
Now it lies broken into pieces.
Separated into clans.
Separated into dimensions.
Separated by fear.
One day...
Someone must put those pieces back together.
Maybe that person is you.
—Grace
---
The room became silent.
Only the sound of rain remained.
Eyrx stared at the final line.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His hands tightened around the letter.
His eyes stopped on one sentence.
"One day your grandmother will die."
A strange feeling appeared in his chest.
Slowly, he lowered the paper.
His voice was barely a whisper.
"My grandmother..."
The investigator didn't look away.
Eyrx's eyes met his.
For the first time since waking up, fear appeared in them.
The investigator remained silent.
That silence alone gave Eyrx his answer.
The letter slipped slightly from his hand.
"No..."
The word escaped his lips.
The investigator looked toward the rain-covered window.
"There's more."
Eyrx slowly turned toward him.
The investigator's expression hardened.
"You need to prepare yourself."
Lightning flashed outside.
And the next words threatened to destroy what remained of Eyrx's world.
"Hazel believes you're dead."
Eyrx stared at the letter in his trembling hands.
The words blurred as tears filled his eyes.
His breathing became uneven.
"Grandma..."
His voice cracked.
"Is she really dead?"
Nick looked at him quietly.
For once, there was no sarcasm in his expression.
"It's hard to believe."
He leaned back in his chair.
"But believe it. She's gone."
The room fell silent.
Eyrx lowered his head.
A tear fell onto the paper.
Then another.
Soon, he couldn't stop them.
Nick watched him cry for a moment before sighing.
"Why are you crying?"
Eyrx didn't answer.
Nick rubbed his forehead.
"I mean, come on. You're not a five-year-old child."
His tone became firmer.
"Be brave. Control your emotions."
Eyrx slowly looked up.
His eyes were red.
"Who are you?"
Nick raised an eyebrow.
"That's your first question?"
"No."
Eyrx wiped his eyes.
"Who are you? Why did you bring me here? Is everything in this letter even real? What relationship do you have with all of this?"
Nick let out a long sigh.
"Too many questions at once."
He pulled a chair closer and sat down.
The rain continued tapping against the castle windows.
"First of all, stop crying."
Eyrx frowned.
Nick ignored him and continued.
"My name is Nick."
He crossed his arms.
"And I want to train you."
Eyrx remained silent.
Nick pointed toward the letter.
"After we're strong enough, we'll leave this world and return to ours."
"Our world?"
"Yes."
Nick's eyes darkened.
"The world that was destroyed."
He leaned forward.
"Do you really think the power you used during that fight was normal?"
Eyrx remembered the night.
The bullets.
The blood.
The strange power.
The memories were still incomplete.
Nick continued.
"With your current strength, you can't even survive there."
His voice became blunt.
"You've spent the last three or four days unconscious and attached to drips."
Eyrx looked away.
"Every time you hear bad news, you pass out."
Nick shook his head.
"You need training."
Then he pointed at the pendant around Eyrx's neck.
"And the reason I need you is because of that."
Eyrx looked down.
"The pendant?"
Nick nodded.
"In every clan, one person possesses a key."
"A key?"
"The person who can open dimensional portals."
Nick's eyes narrowed.
"In your clan, that's you."
Eyrx stared at the pendant.
For years he had worn it without knowing its purpose.
Nick continued.
"We call it a Key."
"In my clan, I don't even know who inherited ours."
Eyrx remained silent.
Nick's expression hardened.
"As for my connection to this story..."
He looked toward the rain-covered window.
"The monster destroyed my clan."
His voice carried no emotion.
Almost as if he had repeated those words a thousand times.
"One of his right-hand men attacked this castle."
The room suddenly felt colder.
"He killed my family in front of me."
Eyrx looked up.
Nick continued staring out the window.
"I was the only survivor."
His fists slowly tightened.
"When I became an adult, they found me."
Eyrx frowned.
"They controlled me."
"Made me work for them."
"But I escaped."
Nick's eyes flashed red for a brief second.
"And I've been hiding ever since."
Silence filled the room.
Finally, Eyrx spoke.
"How do I know you're not lying?"
Nick laughed.
"You're stubborn."
Eyrx didn't look away.
"Maybe my grandmother is still alive."
"Maybe Hazel already found me."
"Maybe this entire story is fake."
Nick rubbed his forehead.
"You don't believe me?"
"No."
Nick pointed toward the letter.
"Then at least believe Grace."
Eyrx looked down.
His eyes narrowed.
"What if you wrote it yourself?"
Nick nearly choked.
"You are impossible."
Suddenly—
"Darven!"
Nick shouted loudly.
The door opened.
Darven entered carrying a tray with three cups of tea.
He placed it on a nearby table.
"Oh."
He smiled.
"So you're finally awake."
Eyrx's eyes widened.
"Darven?"
Darven waved casually.
"Nice to see you too."
Eyrx frowned.
"Weren't you arrested?"
"I escaped."
Darven pointed at Nick.
"And he helped me."
Eyrx looked at Nick.
"But how does that prove any of this is real?"
Nick grabbed his tea.
"The letter."
He took a sip.
"Grace gave it to Darven."
Eyrx immediately looked toward him.
Darven nodded.
"It's true."
Eyrx frowned.
"Why didn't she give it directly to me?"
Darven sighed.
"Because if you had known earlier, you would've followed her."
Eyrx remained silent.
Darven continued.
"And with your strength at the time?"
He laughed.
"You would've survived one day at most."
Nick nodded.
"Probably less."
Darven pointed at Eyrx.
"You had no control over your power."
"You would've died before even understanding where you were."
The room became quiet again.
Then Darven's expression softened.
"I also want to go."
Eyrx looked surprised.
Darven smiled faintly.
"When I was mentally broken..."
His eyes lowered.
"Everyone abandoned me."
"No one cared."
"But Grace did."
The room fell silent.
"She helped me recover."
"She helped me build my company."
"Everything I have today is because of her."
His voice became firm.
"If I ignore her final request..."
"I won't be able to respect myself anymore."
Eyrx looked away.
Darven chuckled.
"Besides..."
He grinned.
"She trusted me more than you."
Eyrx instantly looked back.
"No."
"She trusted me more."
Darven laughed.
"Keep dreaming."
Nick raised a hand.
"Enough."
Both became silent.
Nick pushed a cup toward Eyrx.
"Drink your tea."
The rain outside became heavier.
Thunder echoed through the mountains.
For a while, none of them spoke.
They simply listened to the storm.
Finally, Nick looked at Eyrx.
"Are you ready to train with us?"
Eyrx stared into his tea.
His reflection looked unfamiliar.
A person who had lost everything.
Then he remembered Grace.
The letter.
The promise.
The possibility that she was still alive.
Slowly, he raised his head.
"If training helps me see Grace again..."
His voice became firm.
"Then yes."
Darven smirked.
"And what if she's already married to someone else?"
Eyrx immediately looked at him.
"Then I'll kill you first."
Darven nearly dropped his cup.
"Me?!"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You said the bad thing first."
Nick burst into laughter.
Darven pointed at himself.
"I'm older than both of you."
"You should respect me."
"I'm practically your father's age."
Eyrx took a sip of tea.
"You're not my father."
Nick laughed even harder.
For the first time in days, a faint smile appeared on Eyrx's face.
But it didn't last.
After finishing his tea, he slowly lay back down.
His eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
A few seconds later, tears appeared again.
Darven groaned.
"What happened now?"
Eyrx's voice was barely audible.
"Grandma..."
The smile vanished from the room.
Darven lowered his eyes.
"Oh."
He looked away.
"Sorry."
Eyrx closed his eyes.
"I want to visit her grave tomorrow."
Nick shook his head.
"We're too far from the city."
"The trip would take days."
Eyrx remained silent.
Nick continued.
"When the portal opens in Siphra, we'll pass through that city."
His voice softened slightly.
"Visit her then."
Eyrx didn't answer immediately.
Rain struck the windows.
Thunder echoed through the night.
Finally—
He nodded.
"...Okay."
But deep inside, he knew one thing.
The next time he stood before that grave...
He would no longer be the same person who had left it behind.