Fade took a deep breath.
His soul was still trembling.
What had just happened was etched into the darkest corners of his mind.
But now something was changing.
Something familiar vibration within...
Something he felt before.
His consciousness became hazy.
Vibrations were coursing through his veins.
His body... was slowly pixelating.
Fade closed his eyes.
"Again?.. "
The voice of the system whispered in his mind:
[Dimensional Transition Initiated…]
[Location: Colosseum Main Area – Guide Area]
When he opened his eyes, he was back in that massive stone arena.
But this time... he was alone.
There were no crowds.
Shouting, panic, screams... there was no sound.
Just a single echo coming from above.
Applause.
Slow, deep, and heavy applause echoed from the sky.
Fade lifted his head.
In the air—about 5 meters above the ground, that familiar figure was hovering.
Its wings had not yet opened.
There was no arrogance in his eyes.
Now for him — he was speaking with respect.
Diablo.
"It was stunning," he said quietly.
"We weren't expecting someone like you." Not this much. "
Fade frowned.
"Just... how long did this take?"
Diablo paused for a moment. Then he raised his hand and split the dark air in two.
A time map, invisible in the system, appeared like a reflection of light above the coliseum.
[World Time: +5 Years]
Fade's eyes opened.
"This... this is impossible." I didn't stay that long! At most a few months—maybe... six months!
Diablo slowly shook his head.
"I think it's time to tell you the truth."
He slowly descended to the ground. He was now at eye level.
"Time is not fixed in the dimensions you enter, Fade." In every passage, in every echo of death... the flow changes. In some places, seconds pass like hours, in others, years are just a moment. "Some places seconds pass like hours, in some places years are just a moment."
He took a step closer.
"Your soul... has detached from the flow of time in the world." And now you will return. "
Fade took a step back. He was bewildered. It was a mess.
"Well... if I go back... will it be the same? Will everything be in its place?"
Diablo neither smiled nor frowned this time. He only said a single sentence:
"The only way to learn this... is to go back."
He raised his hand in the air.
The soles of Fade's feet began to glow slowly.
A passageway took shape.
[Dimensional Transfer Active – Location: Main World]
[Your Stats Will Be Preserved – Your Soul Seal Is Active]
Fade turned his eyes to the darkness.
The sword he carried on his back trembled slightly.
The Shadow Chain had tightly wrapped around his wrist.
"Five years... what could have changed?"
He took a step.
And he got lost in the alley.