The dragon slowly circled around Yggdrasil once before lowering itself beside the enormous divine tree.
And somehow...
Despite how unreal the entire scene should have been—
The silver moon.
The glowing World Tree.
The endless world existing inside a phone screen.
And now even a dragon peacefully resting beneath the night sky...
None of it felt strange anymore.
If anything...
It almost felt natural.
Kyle himself didn't know when exactly his sense of reality had started becoming this distorted.
But at this moment, rather than confusion or fear...
What he felt the most was simply amazement.
For a long while, Kyle simply remained there quietly staring at the moonlit world displayed before him.
The silver light reflecting from the screen softly illuminated the otherwise dark room.
And strangely enough...
The exhaustion he had been feeling earlier slowly returned.
"...Yeah... I seriously need sleep..."
Kyle let out a tired laugh before placing the old phone carefully onto the table beside the couch.
For a brief moment, his gaze shifted toward the purple dragon resting peacefully near Yggdrasil.
"...Goodnight, I guess."
Just as he was about to close his eyes, his gaze suddenly stopped at the small picture frame resting near the lamp beside the couch.
Kyle remained silent for a moment.
Then slowly stood up.
His hand reached toward the picture frame as if intending to turn it face down.
But... for some reason—
He hesitated.
For a brief moment, the silver moonlight from the phone reflected softly across the picture.
A girl with almost ethereal beauty smiled gently toward the camera.
Kyle quietly stared at the picture for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh.
In the end, he slowly pulled his hand back.
He didn't turn it down.
Instead, he lightly pressed his lips against the picture out of habit before finally laying back onto the couch once again.
For some reason, Kyle suddenly remembered a certain night from years ago.
"...You really like staying awake this late, huh?"
A soft laughing voice echoed faintly in his mind.
Back then, Amelia had been sitting beside the window while silver moonlight quietly illuminated her face.
And for a brief moment...
Kyle felt as if nothing had really changed at all.
And not long after—
Exhaustion slowly pulled him into sleep beneath the soft silver glow still shining from the world of Asteria.
...
Far away from Varen City—
Inside a quiet room illuminated only by the pale glow of moonlight...
A girl silently sat near the window.
Long silver-white curtains moved gently with the cold night breeze while the moonlight softly illuminated her figure.
Her beauty almost felt unreal beneath the silent night sky.
Not dazzling in an overwhelming way.
But calm.
Elegant.
Almost ethereal.
And resting quietly within her hands...
Was a phone screen still displaying an old conversation she had read countless times already.
Amelia remained silent for a long while before slowly lowering her gaze.
"...Did you at least eat properly..."
A soft whisper escaped her lips unconsciously.
Despite being the one who ended things...
Her thoughts still drifted toward him far more often than they should have.
Was he sleeping properly?
Was he still angry?
Or worse...
Was he pretending to be fine again?
A faint sadness quietly appeared within Amelia's eyes.
And just as silence filled the room once more—
Knock. Knock.
Amelia's expression instantly changed.
The softness within her eyes disappeared almost immediately.
"...Lady Amelia."
A voice came from outside the door.
"The elders have requested your presence."
For a brief moment, Amelia remained completely silent.
Then slowly...
She stood up.
And somewhere deep within her heart—
A single thought quietly surfaced.
...I hope you're doing okay, Kyle.
....
[Monday, Morning — 10:26 AM]
/Ring/
The sound of an alarm slowly pulled Kyle out of sleep.
Still half asleep, Kyle lazily opened his eyes while remnants of a pleasant dream from the past still lingered in his mind.
But the moment his gaze dropped toward the clock—
Kyle suddenly sat upright with a loud thud.
"...THE HELL?!"
"It's already this late?!"
Kyle suddenly widened his eyes.
For the first time in a while, he had completely forgotten about today's meeting.
And he knew very well that if he arrived late...
That person would absolutely kill him if he showed up late today.
"I wouldn't have spent six damn hours trying to beat that stupid boss if I knew I was going to wake up this late... ah man..."
Kyle hurriedly jumped off the couch before rushing toward the bathroom.
Soon, a completely contradictory scene compared to his elegant surroundings appeared.
The luxurious room remained neat and sophisticated.
Meanwhile Kyle himself was brushing his teeth with one hand while hurriedly trying to put on clothes with the other.
....
Soon outside the Astharist Building—
A scene straight out of a movie unfolded before the entrance.
A long line of luxurious black cars stood parked neatly one after another while several men dressed in black suits stood silently beside them.
Their expressions remained calm and emotionless as they waited in perfect order.
At the very center stood an Aetheris Phantom.
Its smooth silver-black body reflected the morning sunlight, carrying an elegant presence that immediately made it stand apart from the others.
And then...
Walking toward this almost absurdly luxurious scene...
Was Kyle.
His slightly messy hair clearly showed he had rushed out without properly preparing himself.
Compared to the disciplined bodyguards...
He looked completely out of place.
"...Damn it, I should've at least fixed my hair."
When Kyle finally reached the car in the center and entered inside, he let out a small sigh of relief.
But before the vehicle could even start moving—
One of the black-suited guards suddenly approached the window while holding a phone in his hand.
"Young Master... Madam wishes to speak with you."
Kyle froze.
The moment he heard who was on the other side...
Cold sweat immediately formed on his forehead.
He silently accepted the phone before slowly bringing it toward his ear.
"...Hello?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING BRATTTT?! YOU ARE FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATE!!!"
An angry tigress-like voice exploded from the other side.
Kyle nearly jumped in his seat.
"I-I AM SORRRYYY GRANDMAAAAA!!"