A Few Microseconds Later

  Still in the VIP Area

  Before the Slowed World

  Before the widened eyes of Mr. Fork, in the face of the extreme pain coursing through his entire body-unable to move or flee-his body remained trapped within a still-slowed temporal flow.

  He watched, right before his eyes, as the flames drew closer and closer to his face and body, after having consumed and disintegrated his arm with overwhelming intensity and heat, as if it were nothing at all.

  At the same time, Fork caught a glimpse of Mr. Astaroth, who moments earlier had been smiling in a pleasurable and sadistic manner at the flames devouring everything around them.

  That sadistic smile seemed to fade, replaced by an expression so empty that it appeared to transmit to the entire, slowly burning environment an overwhelming sense of hollowness.

  [Astaroth - Whispering, Profoundly Empty & Echoing] So, if your gift truly proves itself to me... I promise you that after this night, you, Mr. Fork... -

  Thus allowing Fork to see before his eyes Astaroth, moments later, releasing a presence so terrifying-worse than any pain Fork had ever felt in his entire life.

  [Astaroth - Whispering, Profoundly Empty & Echoing] ...will hold in your hands nothing less than the honored permission granted by me personally, to become one of the new members of my private team, but... -

  Then, as his body simply dissipated like smoke from that place, he departed, leaving Fork alone before the flames that advanced toward him, burning the floor and then disintegrating him.

  [Astaroth - whispering, profoundly empty & echoing] Of course, if you survive my "simple test" upon your person, that... [Deep & slow sigh] -

  [(Fork - Thought, Deeply Horrified) No... I don't want to die, please...]

  [Astaroth - Whispering, Profoundly Empty & Echoing] ...you dared to stain the name of the Inanis faction, which is commanded by our lords, the Begeneri twins. [Deep, disgusted & vengeful breath] -

  And then, before Fork's widened eyes, after the end of that whisper from Astaroth-which seemed to echo throughout the entire place-the time remained slowed as the flames consumed everything within that environment.

  [The Echo Of Calm Footsteps & A Deep Sigh]

  The manager then briefly glimpsed a figure walking calmly through the expanding flames, the world still in slow motion-no longer Astaroth, but another mysterious individual.

  [A Soft & Playful Humming In Multiple Tones And Voices, Simultaneously Lyrical]

  This figure observed the surreal event around them, their body formed of what seemed to be dense, white smoke, with no visibly apparent sex.

  [(Fork - Thought, Incredulous & Extremely Panicked) Wait... this deeply gentle presence isn't Astaroth's...]

  It was only that enigmatic figure-a faceless humanoid-walking through the flames, stopping a few meters in front of Fork and directing its focus toward him on the ground.

  [The Echo Of A Sweet, Amused Laugh In Multiple Tones, Voices & Ages Simultaneously]

  It did not help Fork in any way, seeming instead to wait for something to happen, while at the same time the flames wrapped around and burned his skin along with his entire body.

  [Echoing Of A Sweet Humming In Multiple Tones & Voices, Simultaneously Empty]

  It was as if the flames were an incandescent ocean, consuming layer after layer of his skin until reaching his bones.

  [(fork - thought, incredulous & extremely Panicked) No... No... Please...]

  [Humanoid - Echoing Whisper, Serene & Pleasant] All of you, Oculi, will meet different fates because of the Begeneri twins. -

  [(Fork - Thought, Incredulous & Extremely Panicked) I do not want this ending for myself, please, I beg you!]

  Then, the complete disintegration of his body was witnessed, as if he had never existed at all, vanishing before the flames as they continued to spread.

  [Humanoid - Echoing Whisper, Serene & Pleasant] All of you, from the youngest to the oldest, will journey beyond the abyss of perpetual emptiness. -

  Simultaneously, the white-smoke humanoid figure calmly extended its arm in the direction where Fork had been.

  [(Fork - Thought, Incredulous & Extremely Panicked) Punish me for all eternity, but do not do what you are about to do to me!]

  The surreal scene unfolds with a disconcerting clarity, as if time not only slowed down, but came to a complete halt, plunging into a negative temporal flow.

  The environment, once static, now becomes the stage for disturbing ripples, as though the laws of physics themselves were rebelling against their own nature.

  Cracks begin to form across various parts of this place, their fissures exuding white flames from an internal source.

  Twisted arms emerge from these openings, distorted hands reaching outward, palms contorted upward as if awaiting an offering.

  Suddenly, a single eye erupts violently, grotesquely tearing through the skin of a hand. This singular eye, bizarre in appearance, bears two irises that move frantically in every direction.

  One iris is completely white, starkly contrasting with the other, which is entirely black. The sclera of the eye-where white should exist-is instead an intense red, creating an even deeper aura of strangeness.

  Then, the chaotic movements cease, the eyes fixing themselves upon the many deformed arms that now display their own ocular sockets.

  The direction where Fork should be becomes the focus of their attention. The arms surge forward with disturbing speed, gripping his neck and various parts of his body in a sinister hold.

  They drag him inexorably toward the narrow fissures from which the white flames gush forth, heralding an unknown fate.

  Fork desperately tries to beg that only his physical body be disintegrated, allowing him to vanish from that place forever.

  However, the hands restraining him show no mercy, only relentless brutality, clamping firmly onto his arms and legs.

  With sharpened fingers, they pierce not his physical body-already entirely consumed by the flames-but something far deeper.

  They pierce his very existence and essence, which appear immune to the flames engulfing the area, thanks to Astaroth's abilities. The multiple arms coil around him with a clear intent: to inflict even greater suffering.

  As Fork becomes a screaming witness to his own demise, his body now translucent and dull, it is torn apart piece by piece.

  He experiences pain that far surpasses any known physical agony. His essence and existence are ripped and fragmented as though they were paper.

  Fork's physical body is finally erased from the place, his bones reduced to ash by the flames. What remains is the bizarre sight of Fork, now completely shattered, with several fragments of his existence faintly glowing.

  They are still being pulled while Fork remains alive, dragged toward the open fissures, which scream and sing his name in a sweet, gentle, lyrical melody.

  It becomes evident that, many times, his already fragmented essence is too large to fit into the fissures, causing additional pain.

  For the openings are far too narrow to allow complete entry, forcing his essence to be taken part by part until nothing remains outside those small apertures.

  The fissures pull relentlessly, with brutal force, into their luminous interiors, blinking in negative hues with each fragment of Fork's essence and existence that is dragged inside.

  The result of this horrific fate is something worse than the most brutal and prolonged physical death imaginable.

  The humanoid calmly lowers the arm that had been extended toward Fork, and with a single snap of its fingers, all the fissures in the environment close immediately.

  As the many bizarre, twisted arms retreat rapidly back into the fissures, a chorus of distorted voices cries out in unison, uttering the word "Void."

  The colors of the world around the humanoid then shift back to normal, while time-previously frozen-appears to gradually resume its flow, albeit still sluggish.

  For a few nanoseconds, the humanoid reverts to the appearance of a young boy. A playful smile spreads across his lips, revealing a hollow happiness, devoid of any genuine emotion or feeling.

  However, this expression does not last long. In an instant, the entire environment flickers in faded shades of gray, as if the air itself were about to fracture in every direction, creating a sensation of reality breaking apart.

  This disturbance triggers an unexpected reaction in the humanoid, who immediately clutches his head with both hands, as though suffering intensely for reasons unknown.

  Simultaneously, his body-formed of dense white smoke-appears to be forcibly dissipated from the place, breaking apart into floating particles that take on negative tonalities.

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  As the world around them continues to slow down gradually, shifting from a nanoscopic scale to a microscopic one, and finally returning to the normal flow of seconds.

  Voices of different tones and timbres are heard simultaneously, revealing differences in age within a single, unison scream.

  It echoes with extreme pain and, at the same time, conveys pleasure in a single word: "Disharmony."

  As the explosion simultaneously expands at great speed, it consumes and ultimately destroys all those places with its surreal force and intensity.

  Burning everything in its path, it hurls entire fragments of the structure aside as if they were nothing, further amplifying the destruction of that place as it collapses in flames.

  Two Hours Later

  Japan, City of Tokyo

  Ginza District - Downtown

  Amid one of the many cars traveling along Ginza's main avenue, the focus shifts to a specific vehicle, revealing two people inside it, heading toward what was their objective at that moment: the majestic restaurant Kogana no Douragon.

  Everyone in Tokyo - including the police - knows that this is the primary restaurant where Yakuza leaders go to drink and amuse themselves.

  The entire building in which the restaurant is located functions as a vast system for money laundering and the production of both light and heavy drugs.

  The restaurant itself occupies only three floors, while the ten upper floors are fully controlled by the Yakuza.

  Inside the ordinary silver car, one of the occupants is a young girl with long black hair, the side of her head resting against the closed window.

  She watches, boredom evident in her gaze and facial expression, the cars along the avenue being overtaken by hers. Those vehicles follow the avenue's usual speed, around 70 km/h.

  Near one of the few traffic lights before reaching the end of the main avenue and turning into the smaller streets leading toward the restaurant, the sixteen-year-old girl receives a message on her smartphone. As she reads its contents, she freezes slightly, momentarily without reaction.

  [(Young Girl - Incredulous Thought) ...This has to be a joke. That damned bastard returned to the reality of humans after all this time. I... I will kill that bastard with my own hands for what he did to my father!]

  The message reveals that the person she hates the most - none other than Astaroth himself - had been seen just minutes earlier in Europe, leaving massive destruction behind before departing.

  At the same time, the person beside the girl - the driver of the car - is revealed to be the young Sork, seventeen years old.

  At that moment, he is her superior in the mission that will be carried out within the next few minutes at the Kogana no Douragon restaurant.

  As Sork drove calmly through the streets after leaving the avenue, he caught a glimpse of the controlled fury on the girl's face, her gaze fixed on her smartphone screen.

  Noticing how tightly she was gripping the phone, Sork instinctively extended his left hand and held hers, showing genuine concern and a desire to help her restrain her anger.

  Feeling Sork's touch, the girl intertwined her fingers with his and gently squeezed his hand, experiencing a unique sensation that soothed her. She turned off the smartphone screen, took a deep breath, and looked at Sork.

  Even while focused on driving, he wore a serene smile - one she recognized as her safe harbor. Her gaze softened, and the anger on her face gradually gave way to calm.

  In response, she squeezed Sork's hand a little tighter, silently thanking him for the care and support without needing to say a single word.

  [Sork - Attentive & Calm Voice] I caught a glimpse of what you received. I know how much you hate that idiot, but... it's not the time yet - and you know that. -

  Upon hearing those words, the girl looked away from the avenue and turned her attention to the street they were passing through.

  [Young Girl - Slightly Impatient & Angry Voice] I know that, Sork, but... [She takes a deep, irritated breath] -

  [Sork - Understanding & Attentive Voice] ...Hey, remember what I told you last night before we went to sleep at that hotel, you "airhead." [A gentle, comforting & nostalgic laugh] -

  She breathed in nostalgically, gazing through the closed car window at the luminous signs and the people walking carefree along the sidewalk.

  [Sork - Understanding & Attentive Voice] With each passing day, you grow stronger. It's just that right now, the situation is extremely complicated. -

  People walked along the sidewalk, passing by the establishments and enjoying the restless late night in downtown Tokyo.

  [Sork - Understanding & Attentive Voice] And to make things worse, any intensive conflict against the high command of the Inanis faction is explicitly forbidden. -

  Hearing this, the girl realized that Sork had touched upon a painful memory tied to his complicated past.

  [Sork - Assertive & Slightly Fearful Voice] Not so long ago, a major clash against "them" resulted in a devastating event in a large city in Russia. -

  After speaking, Sork returned his gaze to the road ahead, but the burning hatred in his eyes and expression was unmistakable.

  He was no longer speaking only to the girl beside him, but also to himself, reliving the history of the Oculi and his own family.

  [(Sork - Painful Thought) Where so many lives were lost, including innocents and many members of the Oculi factions... and the one I loved the most...]

  The young Sork, while calmly driving the car, found himself remembering the past-his thoughts focused on his own parents, who had died in that bloody event in Russia a few years earlier.

  They had perished while trying to protect numerous humans during the brutal clash between the two Oculi factions across much of the city.

  To make the situation even worse, his parents had been more focused on defensive Oculi abilities rather than offensive ones on that battlefield.

  This placed them in the rear lines, where they worked to protect and evacuate innocent humans from what that city had become-a battlefield.

  The vanguard of the Reginae faction fought against several members of the Inanis faction, who were attempting to abduct humans in order to carry out what would become the first large-scale test and mass harvest of humanity.

  This marked the beginning of the end of that great harvest: the first mass clinical trials of what would later be known as the "Eva Theory," a name it still carries today, even after so many years since its discovery.

  After the end of the bloody battle that ravaged the city, snow fell relentlessly throughout the entire day and much of the night.

  Silence followed-perpetual and traumatizing-for those who had survived on both sides of the two Oculi factions.

  And for the few "saved" humans who, even while injured, managed to hide and preserve their lives against the freezing weather, the coming hours would still mercilessly claim them, even after the brutal battle that had engulfed the entire city.

  The result was a great city reduced to ruins, completely covered by snow and the few remaining flames that composed that horrifying scene of frozen chaos.

  There was a great deal of black Oculi blood spread across the many destroyed buildings, and also a great deal of red human blood-victims of the "crossfire"-scattered among the debris alongside their bodies, searching beside their families for a safe place.

  On the day following the chaos, the city was nothing less than erased from the map by Russia itself. The media reported that a radioactive terrorist attack had occurred, suppressing the case in both Russian and global press within a few days.

  The events that took place in the city, as well as the presence of the Oculi, remained a secret to the vast majority of human society.

  This information was kept under maximum secrecy among all world powers for the greater good-nothing less than the long-term security and integrity of human society.

  Faced with the confirmation of Oculi involvement in an act that devastated an entire city as if it were nothing, countries that hated one another militarily and economically.

  After a month of debates regarding Russia's actions, they forged an agreement that would be named by the high-ranking representatives of each continent as the Omega Treaty.

  Under this treaty, if there were any suspicions of Oculi involvement at any significant moment in history from that point onward, all members of the Omega Treaty would.

  Become temporary allies for the greater good of humanity, and to preserve the secrecy of the Oculi living within human society as if they were visually no different from us.

  Returning to the Present

  A Few Seconds Later

  Still Inside That Car

  As the young Sork drove, he glanced at the car's GPS and noticed that the remaining distance had grown shorter.

  He mentioned this to the young girl beside him, who was looking out at the city through the closed window, the side of her head resting gently against the glass.

  He told her that, if she wanted, she could rest a little longer now that the distance was shorter-though traffic would still add a few extra minutes, even with only a few kilometers left to reach their destination that night.

  However, traffic in this small stretch of their route was worse than expected, due to maintenance being carried out on the main road.

  That had resulted in congestion in the main "arteries" of that part of the city. Hearing this, the young girl-still holding Sork's hand, which rested on the car's gear lever-responded to him in a tone that clearly carried a touch of sleepiness, but also a trace of longing as she recalled her own past.

  [Young Girl - Sleepy & Grateful Whisper] ...Sometimes I forget just how much you take care of me, Sork. [A happy, deep breath]

  [(Sork - Incredulous & Stunned Thought) Did she really admit that to me?]

  [Young Girl - Sleepy & Melodic Whisper] I... really wish-so very much-that my older brother, Adrian, had had the chance to meet you... [A sad, deep breath] -

  As she said this, Sork, driving with his left hand on the steering wheel, felt his right hand-resting on the car's gear-being held with a little more strength.

  Meanwhile, the young girl in the passenger seat tried to settle her body more comfortably against the seat, choosing to follow Sork's advice and take a brief nap, given the traffic ahead of them.

  Sork felt his world seem to slow down in response to those words, which truly touched the deepest part of his heart, giving even greater weight to everything that had been said to him in that sleepy whisper.

  All of that, caused by such simple gestures-just by her holding his hand a little tighter over the automatic gear lever.

  [(Sork - Fearful & Apprehensive Thoughts) I can't allow myself to have feelings for her. This won't be good in the long run, and I know it will hurt both of us if something bad ends up happening.]

  Even as all these thoughts ran through his mind, when Sork stopped the car for a few seconds due to traffic, he decided to turn his face to say something to the young girl.

  But then, before his eyes, he saw such a beautiful scene that he clearly failed to control his heart and emotions in that moment inside the car.

  Sork watched, impressed and at the same time enchanted, as the young girl lay asleep, a few strands of her hair falling over her face. It was clear that, exhausted, she had slipped into a deep sleep within just a few seconds.

  After gripping Sork's hand more firmly upon saying those few words to him in her sleepy voice, she now slept beside him in the passenger seat.

  [(Sork - Happy & Attentive Thought) I promised your uncle, after your decision to join us, that I would take care of you while you trained and grew even stronger... and I swore it on my life to him. [A motivated, confident breath]]

  Sork knew that the fa?ade the young girl showed everyone when she was awake-so strong and intense during her training within the Reginae faction-became, when she slept beside him, nothing more than that of a young girl with a face so sweet and innocent.

  [(Sork - Happy & Attentive Whisper) While you trained and became even stronger... I swore it on my life when I stood before your uncle that day. [A motivated, confident breath]]

  Even in the face of the dark world that surrounded them beyond the car's interior-a place that, for her, had become safe enough to lower all her defenses in the presence of the person she trusted most.

  [Sork - Caring & Attentive Whisper] I will not allow them to make you cry again because of pain and despair. -

  Immediately after all of that, Sork did not even realize that he was smiling so happily, feeling a tightness in his chest that somehow grew lighter, just like his body.

  It made him sigh with deep gratitude for being there beside her, living through such a unique and at the same time special moment, all while still holding her hand.

  Still smiling without noticing, and even though the young girl could not hear his words as she slept so deeply, Sork whispered in a happy, affectionate tone.

  [Sork - Happy & Attentive Whisper] I will be by your side in the darkness, and I will be there when a new dawn arrives. I promise you... my little Nabi Yu... [A subtle, loving sigh] -

  With that, Sork smiled and turned his face forward, gently accelerating the car as traffic began to move again.

  Still holding Nabi Yu's hand, he did not notice that, just a few moments after he whispered those words to her.

  Nabi Yu herself, still asleep, shaped her lips into what became a comforting, happy smile.

  Whispering Sork's name and replying imperceptibly to the words he had spoken to her, she murmured nothing less than:

  - You promised me, please... [A Subtle, Loving Sigh] -

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  - (Act 12) - A Past Far Too Painful