Jin stepped into the Lunar courtyard, his cloak trailing with the remnants of stardust and fractured aether. Power pulsed beneath his skin. He had returned... stronger, reborn. For a moment, he allowed himself a sliver of peace, the satisfaction of survival and ascension.
But peace, as always, was fleeting.
He paused.
The sky above didn't sing his return. The winds were still. The very air felt... wrong.
And there—already waiting at the gates—stood Aurelion, arms crossed, face shrouded in grim shadow. His eyes flared like collapsing suns. Before Jin could utter a word, Aurelion's voice cracked through the silence like a blade of sorrow and rage.
"You idiot!" he roared, voice breaking at the edge. "I told you not to shatter the balance! You disobeyed my order!"
Jin didn't flinch. His silence wasn't guilt—it was knowing. Knowing what Aurelion truly meant.
"I know..." Jin replied, voice low. "But I recovered the True Outer Space. It was only a few cracks—"
"Few cracks?" Aurelion thundered, stepping forward. "Do you even comprehend what those cracks mean—"
Before he could finish, a delicate hand gripped his ear and yanked.
It was Selira.
She wore a smile that dripped with venomous sweetness.
"How many times must I tell you," she whispered dangerously, "not to scold him like that? You disobeyed your wife's orders again, darling."
Aurelion winced, already pleading. "Please... just give me a moment—"
But she dragged him away, ignoring his cries. "Jin," Aurelion called out, half-defeated, "when this is done... meet me in my chamber!"
Hours Later – Aurelion's Chamber
The once-proud sovereign sat slouched on a crystalline bench, his regal face now covered with marks—red with slaps, bruised by celestial justice. Jin tried not to laugh.
Aurelion's voice was tired. "Jin… There's something I need to ask you. It's been clawing at me since your return. How did you awaken your Requiem? And… what happened to the temple?"
Jin met his gaze. he told everything . Except… the part about the DNA and the Future Vision. He kept his tone steady and spoke of the dimensional rupture above, of the countless rifts, and the impossible truths glimpsed beyond.
Aurelion fell into silence, arms crossed, brows drawn. "I see. Jin, you went to the Akashic Records—but even they don't hold the answers to everything. Some things lie beyond pages… This topic, for example—this isn't a rift."
He leaned forward.
"It's a scar. A residual wound from the collision between foreign cosmologies."
Jin narrowed his eyes. "Explain."
Aurelion nodded grimly. "Think of our cosmos as a single tale... a page in an infinite book. But it's not alone. There are other pages. Other books—written in tongues older than law, bound by logics we'll never fully grasp. When two stories—two universes of irreconcilable truths—touch, they do not merge. They wound each other."
"And the scar," Jin said softly, "is the echo of that impossibility."
"Yes. The Book—existence itself—seals the damage by creating scars to maintain the illusion of balance. They are not signs of destruction. They are the cosmos screaming."
Jin's eyes held curiosity. " Now my next question is … how do I use the Requiem?"
Aurelion laughed dryly. "There are four stages:
1. Infant – the awakening.
2. Adolescent – the shaping of intent.
3. Ascendant – power harnessed, wielded.
4. Grandmaster – absolute dominion, soul-forged harmony.
Most beings never reach beyond the second. But... there are exceptions. My father. You. But there is another way to achieve this."
Jin tilted his head. "What's the way?"
" The DNA of Xir'Vanta, Yggdrasil, or Nihilith can leap stages. They carry within them the remnants of pre-cosmic essence. And your stage is Grandmaster Stage."
Jin feigned ignorance. "Who were they?"
Aurelion smiled coldly. " I don't know but my father said they are the first being of creation."
Then Jin's expression shifted. Shadows curled at the edges of his eyes.
"Now, my final question… What are your true intentions?"
Aurelion froze.
"I beg your pardon?"
"There's no more pretending," Jin said. "No more half-truths. What is your connection to Aurevian? Zhel-vorah? The First Whisper?"
Aurelion's face turned to stone.
" So you know the truth. But You're not ready for this."
"I am."
A long silence followed. Then Aurelion exhaled—slowly.
"You know the old tale… The war between Monarchs and Overlords. Light symbolizes the Overlords. Darkness, the Monarchs. They were enemies, forever at war. But… what if Light and Darkness fell in love?"
Jin's breath caught.
"They had twin children. One destined to be Balance. The other… the First Echo of Existence. Their union broke cosmic law. The Overlords discovered it. They slaughtered her and imprisoned their children."
His voice grew hollow.
"The father—an immortal—was shattered. In grief, he declared war on the Overlords. But they used the children against him. Balance turned on him. Echo hesitated, unwilling to kill his sister, and surrendered. He was imprisoned too. In time, even Balance was betrayed… and slain. Her power sealed away."
Jin stood stunned.
Aurelion's voice grew colder. "And now, Jin… here is the truth. You are Zenex, the First Whisper. And Lillian is also heir and reincarnation of Aurevian, Balance herself."
Jin leaned to him '' Is this everything you know ? But I think there is still a lot of things you have to tell."
Aurelion's voice turned sharp, cruel.
" Ok. Here is the truth, I am the person who told her to betray Zhel-vorah. I let my daughter fall in love. I pulled your mother from another universe. I told zhel-vorah about the awakening of Lillian. I told Gaia to bound you with the Absolute Line and ordered her to summon Lia—and tell her to make false truth and hide my intentions. But it is not everything she said to you is a lie."
Jin's breath hitched.
"You are the real mastermind. But why did you do it."
Aurelion's voice was a whisper now.
"Because I needed you. The Abyss can only be accessed by Darkness and you have both. So I wanted you to inherit Zhel-vorah's throne and find the key. But my plan failed."
"And the war? Lillian's death? Lia and my mom?"
" The war began for not only conqueror everything but also gain The Cup of Reincarnation. But The Cup of Reincarnation was split by my Ancestors. One half given to Aurevian. She hid the key in the True Abyss. Here your second answer, If Lillian fully awakened, she would take revenge on me. So in order to stop her I had done this. As for Lia? She was meant to awaken you. And she is also the reincarnation of Zenex Lover, Zenia. But she failed. And your mother? She is Rhea. The only one capable of birthing you two."
Jin stepped back, fury rising like a tidal wave.
"You manipulated every breath I took. You played with me… Lia… Lillian… even my mother."
Aurelion leaned close, voice like ice. "So... what will you do, Jin? Because this is your final moment."
Then the blade struck.
Jin gasped.
The dagger pierced his chest. Light flickered in his eyes before his form scattered like starlight.
Aurelion stood over the empty space where Jin once was... laughing.
"I warned you... I always win."
Then—
"Stop laughing."
A voice, calm and cold, echoed behind him.
Aurelion turned.
And his smile froze.