Rio lay on his bed, staring silently at the ceiling.
"Haah..."
A long sigh escaped his lips.
Today had been exhausting.
First he had to explain who exactly Lumine, Rumine, and Sumine were to his mother and sister.
Luckily Jasmine had helped him through most of it.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The image of the three girls running around the mansion still lingered in his mind.
Then the smile slowly faded.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
To Helena.
To Lucinda.
The two women who should have been the coldest people in the room.
Yet now...
They smiled more than anyone.
They laughed.
They spoke gently.
They tried their best to make up for the years they had lost.
But Rio could still see it.
The guilt hidden beneath every smile.
The trembling in their hands.
The hesitation in their voices.
It was almost as if they were waiting.
Waiting for him to explode.
Waiting for him to scream.
Waiting for him to hate them.
Yet he never did.
His eyes slowly closed.
Then they opened again.
A faint warmth lingered inside his soul.
"..."
The truth was—
he had been angry.
Very angry.
Especially at Lucivar.
What was the title of the strongest worth...
If he couldn't even protect his own son?
His own family?
What was the point of standing at the top of the world...
If everything beneath you still fell apart?
His fingers slowly tightened.
Then relaxed.
Because despite everything...
The warmth remained.
Astarax had told him what little she remembered regarding Zariel.
A SSS-Rank Demon.
A servant of the Demon King of Envy.
The one responsible for everything.
The one who had cursed the Valen Family.
The one who had twisted their emotions.
A small smile appeared on Rio's face.
"...That should be enough."
The anger that had once consumed him no longer remained.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough for him to move forward.
Because in the end—
it wasn't Rio Barnes who had made that choice.
It was Rio Valen.
And Rio Valen had already forgiven them.
That alone was enough.
His gaze slowly shifted toward his chest.
Toward the core resting within him.
The Arcane Core.
Unlike a normal Mana Core—
this was something entirely different.
Something that shouldn't have existed.
Now he could manipulate his elements freely.
Shape them.
Control them.
Perhaps even create entirely new possibilities.
Yet despite possessing it...
He still understood almost nothing about how it truly worked.
There was still so much left to learn.
So much left to understand.
Rio slowly sat up.
His eyes drifted toward the night sky outside the window.
Countless stars filled the darkness.
Beautiful.
Silent.
Distant.
And with them came the questions.
Questions that refused to leave him alone.
What exactly was the Crown of Eternity?
Who was the Sovereign?
What was the truth behind Oblivion?
Who was the entity known as ███-ÆON?
And...
Who was his elder brother?
He had already asked Helena.
Asked Lucivar.
Asked Lucinda.
The answer had always been the same.
"You never had an elder brother."
Rio wasn't surprised.
At this point he had expected it.
He had most likely erased himself.
Rio stared at the stars.
A determined smile slowly formed on his face.
"I'll find the truth."
No matter how long it took.
No matter who stood in his way.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
The smile remained.
"Just wait for me, Elder Brother."
"When I find you..."
"I'll be the one who kills you."
And beneath the silent night sky—
Rio made that promise.
...
Meanwhile—
inside the headquarters of the Abyss Guild.
Silence filled the room.
At the center sat Quill Thorne.
The Guild Master of Abyss.
Stacks of documents rested neatly upon his desk as he calmly reviewed them one by one.
The room itself was spotless.
Organized.
Perfect.
As though its owner despised disorder.
Behind him—
a shadow stirred.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
Zero.
The SS-Rank Assassin.
One of Abyss Guild's strongest members.
Without warning—
he dropped to one knee.
Quill's eyes slowly shifted toward him.
"Hm?"
The assassin's body suddenly began to tremble.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Bones twisted unnaturally.
Flesh shifted.
Darkness peeled away.
And soon—
another face appeared.
A familiar one.
The face of a man who should have died.
Xeno.
The Retainer of Death.
Blood dripped from his lips as he forced himself upright.
His crimson eyes burned with murderous intent.
"Damn that woman..."
His voice trembled with rage.
"Elena Astra..."
"I'll kill her."
"I swear I'll kill that bitch."
The killing intent flooding from him was enough to make most Rankers collapse instantly.
Yet Quill merely closed the book in his hands.
Calmly.
Almost absentmindedly.
Then he stood.
Walking toward the massive window overlooking the city.
"It seems things didn't go according to plan."
Xeno clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
"No."
His fists clenched.
The memory replayed endlessly inside his mind.
Rio's blade.
The black slash.
His death.
His eyes darkened.
"How?"
"The Sovereign's plan should've succeeded."
"The Retainer of Chaos should've awakened."
His expression twisted.
"So why didn't he?"
As he remained lost in thought—
something felt wrong.
His eyes widened.
"...What?"
A hand suddenly burst through his chest.
CRUNCH.
Blood splattered across the floor.
Xeno froze.
His mouth opened.
No sound came out.
Then—
the hand slowly pulled backward.
A glowing mana core rested within its grasp.
His SS-Rank Mana Core.
Xeno collapsed to his knees.
Blood poured from his mouth.
His eyes trembled violently.
Q-Quill...?
He stared upward.
Disbelief filled his face.
"We had a contract."
"You bastard..."
"How dare—"
Quill simply stared at the mana core.
Admiring it.
Like a collector examining a rare artifact.
Then he smiled.
A gentle smile.
The same smile he always wore.
"With the Sovereign missing..."
"A connection to Oblivion no longer benefits me."
His eyes slowly met Xeno's.
"And unfortunately..."
"You no longer benefit me either."
Xeno's pupils shrank.
Fear finally appeared.
For the first time.
"W-Wait..."
"Quill..."
"W-What are you—"
His words stopped.
Because Quill's face began to change.
Skin split apart.
Bones shifted.
Rows upon rows of monstrous teeth emerged.
A grotesque maw large enough to swallow a human whole.
An eldritch thing pretending to be a man.
Xeno's body froze.
The Retainer of Death—
a being who had spent centuries killing others—
felt terror.
True terror.
"Please—"
CRUNCH.
The scream never finished.
CRUNCH.
CRUNCH.
CRUNCH.
The room became silent once more.
Minutes later—
Quill sat back at his desk.
As though nothing had happened.
A handkerchief wiped away the blood lingering at the corner of his mouth.
His appearance had already returned to normal.
Perfect.
Refined.
Elegant.
A knock echoed from outside.
Knock.
Knock.
The smile immediately disappeared.
The door opened.
A young woman stepped inside.
Selena Thorne.
"Dad?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Are you alright?"
Quill smiled warmly.
The smile of a caring father.
"Of course."
"It's nothing important."
"You should be asleep."
"Oh."
Selena nodded.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Quill slowly turned toward the window.
The city lights reflected within his eyes.
A faint smile appeared once more.
"Rio Valen..."
Noctis.
Retainer of Chaos.
Every time Quill believed he understood the boy—
Rio did something impossible.
Something fascinating.
Something entertaining.
The smile slowly widened.
Far wider than any normal smile should.
"What exactly are you?"
His fingers tapped lightly against the glass.
Curiosity.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
All mixed together.
A predator had found something worth watching.
And Quill Thorne wanted to see how the story ended.
"What will you show me next..."
"...Rio?"