"I don't understand… this is all going over my head."
"Let's start from the beginning. According to you, my father was from the bloodline of the first Awakener, which means I'm also the last in that bloodline. So I'm a descendant of Nova O'Leo. And Nova O'Leo was your son. That means you're my ancestor?"
"Yes, you've understood correctly," said Kalthok.
"One more thing—your father isn't dead. He's kept himself hidden, away from the eyes of the world, in a safe place."
"Truly, after coming here… my entire world has changed. Until now, I was wandering in darkness in my previous life, and I didn't know any of this. I had accepted that my father was dead."
"He's alive. And very soon, he'll contact me —just like he did in previous life."
"So now… I have to go back?"
"Yes."
"Now you must become powerful. You have to become one of the strongest Awakeners in your country. Only then will you be able to find your father more easily."
"And then your father will tell you how to free me. Once I am free, I will show the Originals their place. Then, on Earth, we will build a world where the strong protect the weak — a world with no dictators or tyrants ruling over others.
And this war between humans and monsters… it will finally come to an end."
"You've really thought this far ahead."
"Yes… what can I do? The situation itself demands it. If we don't act now, the coming war will destroy both Abyss and Earth."
"In my previous life, I was imprisoned. I wanted to do so much… but I failed. Your father contacted me and told me about you, but I couldn't find you. Then one day, I felt your soul wandering in the Abyss. I realized you were Harper's son, and I rebirthed you into the past."
"Alright… so what now?"
"As I said, become strong. To do that, follow the status window. It will guide you and help you become the strongest."
"Okay… but first, I have a few questions."
"Ask them now, because we may not get to meet again for a while."
"First, you said you've been here for 300 years, but only 30 years have passed on Earth. Why is time no longer different between here and Earth?"
"That started when the portal opened. Even I don't fully understand the reason."
"Alright, second question: how do you know so much about what's happening on Earth while being stuck here?"
Kalthok bursts out laughing.
"Haha! My eyes are everywhere. I may be imprisoned… but I know everything that's happening."
Ohh ..
"Third question: Why can't you leave this place?"
"Hmm… see that altar? If I go beyond it, explosives planted all across Earth will detonate."
"Oh…
"So now, I'll take my leave."
Hearing that, Kalthok's expression visibly changes. The aura around him dims slightly — like even the air grew heavier with silence.
"What happened? You look a little down."
Zack asks, noticing the sudden shift.
Kalthok exhales slowly.
"What can I say… after centuries of silence, finally speaking to someone… it felt alive. It was like I wasn't just a prisoner trapped in time anymore. But now you're leaving. And I'll be alone again. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be alone for three hundred years?"
Zack's eyes soften.
"I can understand. I missed my parents every day… even now, I still do. In my past life, I spent 50 years in silence, too. No family. No friends. Just survival."
Kalthok looks at him with something rare in his monstrous eyes — human sadness.
"Strange, isn't it?" he says, voice low.
"A monster and a man… bound by blood
Zack nods slowly.
They stand in silence for a moment — two beings from different worlds, united by a shared loneliness.
"I'll come back," Zack promises.
"And I'll be stronger next time. Strong enough to set things right… for both of us."
A faint smile appears on Kalthok's face — the first in what may have been centuries.
"Before I go, there's something I need to ask. According to my status window, I have a rare talent — I can copy the talents or skills of any monster or awakener I kill."
He pauses, his brow furrowing.
"But… I've killed more than a hundred monsters by now, and yet I've only managed to copy three skills."
Kalthok listens with quiet curiosity as Zack continues,
"One is Telekinesis. The second is Wolf Bite, a venom-infused close-range attack. And the third… I can snap my fingers, mark any object, and trigger it to explode at will."
He raises his hand slightly, almost instinctively as if to demonstrate, but stops himself.
"It doesn't make sense. Why only these three out of so many?"
Kalthok, in a serious tone, says,
"That's for your own good. In the future, you'll only be able to copy a total of five skills or talents. Your status window will reveal them as you progress."
He leans back slightly, his powerful presence still looming.
"Slowly, you're inheriting my powers. Out of those five, you've already acquired three that once belonged to me. In the future, if a monster or human possesses another part of my power, you'll be able to copy it too."
Zack's eyes widen with realization.
"Oh… so that's the reason."
Zack asks a couple more questions out of curiosity, and after getting his answers, he finally turns to leave.
He returns to the academy headquarters, returns the issued car, and comes back to Earth.
To be continue...