The moment everyone regained movement, chaos erupted at the harbor.
“THEY’RE OVER THERE!”
“CATCH THEM!”
The ragged man pointed furiously toward the ship while his workers rushed forward with weapons in hand.
Meanwhile—Mathew and the strange green-haired young man stood on the massive vessel while catching their breaths.
The young man held onto the railing tightly, his face slightly pale from exhaustion.
“…Damn,” he muttered with a weak laugh, “using that much temporal lock still hurts like hell.”
Mathew’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Temporal lock.
So that was what he used.
An ability capable of freezing everything around him.
Even Mathew could tell how absurdly powerful such an ability was.
And dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The strange young man eventually straightened his posture and looked toward Mathew with a grin.
“Well… looks like we escaped.”
Mathew stared at him for a few seconds before finally speaking
The green-haired young man blinked twice before placing a hand dramatically on his chest
Mathew simply stared at him without replying.
The young man scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.
“Man, you really don’t talk much do you?”
Before Mathew could answer—A loud explosion suddenly erupted near the docks.
The ragged man and his workers had begun attacking the guards protecting the ship in an attempt to stop it from departing.
“THOSE TWO ARE THIEVES!”
“DON’T LET THAT SHIP LEAVE!”
Several armed guards immediately stepped in to stop the commotion while civilians fled in panic.
The captain of the ship shouted loudly from above.
“RAISE THE ANCHOR!”
“WE’RE LEAVING NOW!”
Massive waves shook beneath the vessel as the enormous ship slowly began moving away from the harbor.
The ragged man looked ready to explode from rage.
“You damn scammers!”
The young man waved cheerfully from the ship.
“Thanks for the fake gold lesson!”
“THAT DOESN’T EVEN MAKE SENSE!”
The ship finally departed from the harbor entirely.
As the port slowly disappeared into the distance, silence settled between Mathew and Nice.
The sea breeze blew gently across the deck.
For the first time since the massacre—Things were calm.
Mathew leaned against the wooden railing quietly.
His eyes stared blankly toward the endless ocean ahead.
The young man noticed the look in his eyes.
The emptiness.
The exhaustion.
The pain.
“…You lost someone important, didn’t you?”
Mathew’s expression remained unchanged.
But his fingers tightened slightly.
The young man sighed softly.
“You don’t have to answer.”
The cheerful expression on his face faded a little.
“…I know that look.”
Mathew finally glanced toward himgreen eyes no longer carried their earlier playful light.
Instead—
There was understanding.
A deep one.
The young man looked toward the sea while speaking quietly.
“The Northern Quadrant is different from WQSC.”
“There are stronger people there.”
“Dangerous people too.”
He paused briefly.
“But there are also opportunities.”
Mathew listened silently.
The young man then smiled faintly.
“So whatever it is you’re running from…”
His eyes sharpened slightly.
“…you’ll need strength.”
At the mention of strength—
Mathew’s thoughts immediately drifted toward Anika.
Toward Kane.
Toward the Pope.
Toward Miss Irene’s corpse lying in his arms.
And finally—
Toward the feeling he experienced when his Light Core evolved.
That overwhelming power.
That terrifying voice.
Mathew slowly lowered his gaze toward his hand.
Golden and purple particles flickered faintly around his fingers before disappearing.
Nice noticed it.
And for the first time since meeting Mathew—
His playful expression vanished completely.
“…What exactly are you?”
Mathew remained silent for several seconds.
Even he did not know the answer to that question anymore.
Human?
Divine being?
Monster?
He honestly did not know.
Eventually—
Mathew simply answered quietly.
“…I’m someone trying not to lose anyone ever again.”
The young man stared at him for a moment before smiling softly.
“…Yeah.”
“That sounds like a pretty good reason to get stronger.”
The two stood silently as the ship sailed deeper into the endless sea.
Far away from the ruins of the orphanage.
Far away from the life Mathew once knew.
And unknowingly—Toward a future that would eventually shake every Quadrant in existence.