The faint rustle of leaves mixed with the soft chime of porcelain as Xyrus lifted the cup to his lips. It wasn't just tea—it was silence in liquid form. Warm, golden, sweet like honey without ever trying to be.
Maeryn sat across from him, legs tucked politely beneath her, her posture firm yet… hesitant. Her gaze kept flickering up toward him and then away, cheeks tinged with a faint rose glow.
He noticed, but said nothing.
"I didn't know tea could taste like this," he said gently, setting the cup down. "Balanced. Like someone made it while humming."
Maeryn looked down, hiding her smile.
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Soul-State Calming Detected…]
[Passive Buff Activated: "Momentary Peace" – Mental resistance +3% for 5 minutes.]
Xyrus leaned back, watching the sky through the wooden slats above. A gentle wind blew across the courtyard, carrying with it the scent of distant plum blossoms. He closed his eyes for a moment.
"So," he said, cracking one eye open again, "is this the Murim?"
"It is," Maeryn answered, but then paused. "Wait… what do you mean by 'which one'?"
He smiled softly, almost wistfully. "So it really is the Original Murim… not a copy, not a simulation, not one of the Echo Lines."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Worldline Confirmed: "Prime Worldline - Original Murim"]
[Caution: Abyssal Interference Detected in Timeline Layer #4.]
That moment of peace shattered. He lowered his head slightly and muttered just loud enough for Maeryn to hear, "Consumed by the Abyss… so it finally happened."
Maeryn tilted her head. "You said something?"
But Xyrus didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked directly at her. Those strange eyes—one crimson, one like dying starlight—seemed to look through her skin and bone and into her intentions.
"You want to hear my story, don't you?"
Maeryn blinked. "Wh-what makes you think—?"
> [Passive Skill: Devil's Charm (MAX)]
[Effect Triggered: Emotional Unveiling]
[Target's Interest Level Increased.]
[Chance of Voluntary Confession: 76%]
"Your eyes tell me so," he said, almost kindly. "But my story isn't light. It carries the weight of hundreds of floors… and a deathbed request."
Then, for the first time since arriving in this world, he spoke from his soul.
"My true name is ◼️◼️◼️… but now, I go by Hyeonmu Wù. That name was given meaning by someone I lost."
Maeryn's expression shifted, uncertainty washing over her features. "You said… you were a skill?"
"Yes," he said, voice calm but hollow. "I was originally a Manas-type Skill—informational essence, without form or voice, bound to a singular master."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Manas Classification: Independent-Type | Tier: Unique]
[Origin Floor: Aeternum - 100th]
[Codename: Black Tower Echo]
"She was the first human to climb the 100th Floor of Aeternum, the Tower of Infinity. A realm no god dared to touch."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Warning: Memory Sync Request – Level Classified]
[Override Denied.]
Maeryn frowned slightly. "You called her… your master?"
He nodded. "Yes. As a Manas, we require vessels—hosts with physical forms—to act. I was bound to her will, but she never treated me like a tool. Not once."
His eyes turned darker, haunted.
"There was a breach… Something leaked from the 500th Floor into the 100th. Abyssal Residue—it twisted the paths, corrupted space. And in that chaos, we met the Gatekeeper of Hell."
"Cerberus?" Maeryn asked, almost whispering.
"Yes."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Memory Shard Activated: Battle Log - Final Boss Floor 100]
[Result: Success / Side Effect: Curse of Blooming Death Petals]
[Condition: Incurable]
"She was cursed," Xyrus continued. "A field of petals blooming endlessly within her veins, devouring her from the inside. Her final request…" He exhaled slowly. "She wanted one last dance… and for me to devour her core."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Core Assimilation Successful – Unique Trait Inherited: "Remnant Soul Binding"]
[Status: Active]
[Shared Consciousness: Online – Host Presence: Faint but Stable]
Maeryn stared at him like he was unreal. "You… still talk to her?"
He smiled, placing a hand lightly over his heart. "Always."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Soul Link Ping – Response: 'You're being dramatic again, Xyrus.']
[Emotional Feedback: Embarrassed affection.]
A sharp breath escaped Maeryn's lips. "You… your master… she was a woman, so how—?"
"Oh, right." He gestured at himself. "This body is one I made by rewriting my Host Signature using the Traveller Pathway. A blend of her ideal form… and a little of my own flair."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Pathway: Traveller - Rank: ???]
[Trait: Dreamwalking Formulation Enabled]
[Gender Matrix: Flexible]
Maeryn's heart finally began to slow. The information was overwhelming, but his presence… oddly comforting. Like an ancient book, heavy and dusty, but warm in your hands.
She took a slow breath and nodded. "Alright. Then it's only fair I tell you mine."
"I'd like that," he said.
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[New Chain Quest Initiated: "Fragmented Stories"]
[Objective: Learn Maeryn's Past]
[Reward: +3 Synchronization Rate | +1 Affinity]
"I am the 1st Daughter of the Maeryn Clan," she began, eyes distant. "And the disciple of the 9th Elder."
She said it like someone remembering a name she hadn't spoken aloud in a long time.
"I've never reached the 100th Floor or fought gods or walked with a Manas… I'm just a martial artist. Born in tradition. Raised in structure. Trained in silence."
She smiled faintly.
"I thought I had peace… until you fell from the sky."
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Maeryn's Affinity +1]
[Triggering Hidden Flag: "Threads of Change"]
[Timeline Convergence Probability: 8.2% → 9.9%]
Xyrus looked at her for a long time.
He didn't smile this time.
"Even quiet lives are worth remembering," he said.
And in that pause—between the tea and the past, between silence and fate—the world continued to turn.
Chapter 2 End.