Silence.
There was no sky.
No earth.
Only endless white stretching beyond sight.
Yozaro slowly opened his eyes.
“…Where am I?”
His sword…
Gone.
Fenrir…
Gone.
Even his mana felt strangely quiet.
The only thing before him was a single black throne.
A young man sat upon it with one leg crossed over the other.
Seven ancient books floated behind him.
Each bore a familiar title.
Pride.
Greed.
Wrath.
Envy.
Lust.
Gluttony.
Sloth.
The man smiled.
“You’ve grown.”
Yozaro frowned.
“…Do I know you?”
“No.”
“But I’ve known you for a very long time.”
His voice wasn’t threatening.
It sounded…
Lonely.
Yozaro stepped forward.
“Were you the one inside the cave?”
The man nodded.
“…Yes.”
“Were you the voice in my dreams?”
“Yes.”
“Did you reincarnate me?”
The man became silent.
After several moments…
“…Partly.”
Yozaro’s eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
The man stood.
“I didn’t choose you.”
“You chose this path.”
Yozaro looked confused.
“I died.”
“You found the cave.”
“You touched the Seven Seals.”
“You accepted the knowledge.”
“When your world collapsed around you…”
“The Books answered your desire.”
Yozaro clenched his fists.
“So I wasn’t kidnapped by fate?”
“You opened the door yourself.”
“Were you the First King?”
The man laughed softly.
“No.”
“I was…”
“…the last.”
Silence.
“My name has been forgotten.”
“My kingdom has turned to dust.”
“My companions became myths.”
“My enemies became gods.”
He looked toward the endless horizon.
“And yet…”
“I’m still here.”
The Book of Greed slowly floated toward Yozaro.
“You’ve misunderstood them.”
“They aren’t evil.”
“They never were.”
Yozaro looked at the cover.
“Then why are they called sins?”
The man smiled sadly.
“Because history is written by survivors.”
He waved his hand.
Images appeared around them.
A starving child reaching for food.
A knight desperate to save his people.
A scholar seeking forbidden knowledge.
A queen refusing to kneel before invaders.
“Greed…”
“…is the desire to obtain.”
“Without desire…”
“No civilization would exist.”
The images vanished.
The man’s expression became serious.
“The Cult believes collecting all Seven Books will resurrect me.”
Yozaro frowned.
“…Will it?”
“No.”
“They don’t understand what they’re searching for.”
“They’ll awaken something far worse.”
The white space trembled.
For the first time…
Fear appeared in the man’s eyes.
“If the Seventh Seal breaks…”
“The world ends.”
The man suddenly looked directly into Yozaro’s eyes.
“Tell me.”
“If one day…”
“You must choose between saving someone you love…”
“…or saving the world…”
“What will you choose?”
Yozaro remained silent.
After a long pause…
“I don’t know.”
The man smiled.
“I would’ve been disappointed if you’d answered immediately.”
The black ring Yozaro had found in the dungeon appeared between them.
The man touched it.
It transformed into a simple silver ring engraved with a single rune.
“This isn’t power.”
“It’s a key.”
“A key to doors that only you can open.”
Yozaro accepted it.
“What doors?”
“You’ll know…”
“When the time comes.”
The white world slowly began collapsing.
Cracks spread across the empty space.
The man returned to his throne.
“Our meeting ends here.”
Yozaro hesitated.
“Will we meet again?”
“…Perhaps.”
“If fate remains kind.”
Just before everything disappeared…
Yozaro shouted,
“Who are you really?”
The man smiled.
For the first time…
He answered.
“My true name…”
“…is Azrael.”
Then…
Everything shattered.
Yozaro opened his eyes inside the hidden chamber.
Only a single second had passed.
Kael grabbed his shoulders.
“Yozaro!”
“You just froze!”
“Are you alright?”
“…Yeah.”
He looked at the silver ring now resting on his finger.
It had followed him back.
So it hadn’t been a dream.
Luna noticed the ring.
“…Where did that come from?”
Yozaro stared at it quietly.
“…I don’t know.”
He wasn’t ready to tell them.
Not yet.
Far Away
Varis knelt before the Seven Thrones.
One of the hooded figures suddenly stood.
“The Key…”
“…has chosen its owner.”
The empty Seventh Throne emitted a faint golden glow.
For the first time in ten thousand years…
Someone smiled beneath the hood.
“The game…”
“…has truly begun.”