Sloth gazed at me through half-lidded eyes.
A small amused smile rested on his face.
It was the kind of smile that made it impossible to tell whether he was interested...
Or merely entertained.
Before I could speak—
a voice echoed from behind me.
"This seems to be someone's Mind Realm."
I turned around.
Astarax stood there in her human form.
Long black hair flowed behind her back while her golden eyes remained fixed on Sloth.
Every muscle in her body was tense.
For once—
the Chaos Dragon looked genuinely cautious.
Sloth's smile widened slightly.
"Ah..."
"The Dragon of Chaos."
"How long has it been since we last met?"
Astarax's eyes narrowed.
"What do you want, Sloth?"
Her voice carried no friendliness.
No respect.
Only hostility.
Meanwhile—
soft footsteps echoed nearby.
I blinked.
A pink-haired girl slowly walked toward us.
A pillow hugged tightly against her chest.
Alyssa Croft.
Her sleepy eyes barely remained open.
Without even acknowledging me—
she walked directly toward Sloth.
Then collapsed onto his lap.
Fast asleep.
My eyes widened.
"...Alyssa?"
Sloth gently patted her hair.
The gesture looked strangely fatherly.
Then he answered.
"Astarax is correct."
"We are currently inside Alyssa Croft's Mind Realm."
I stared at the endless cherry blossom forest around us.
"This..."
"This is Alyssa's Mind Realm?"
"Indeed."
The Demon King sounded oddly proud.
Astarax interrupted immediately.
"You still haven't answered my question."
"What do you want from Rio?"
Sloth chuckled.
A lazy sound.
Yet somehow the entire realm seemed to laugh alongside him.
"What do I want?"
"Well..."
"Let's just say the child has caught my attention."
His gaze slowly shifted toward me.
"Rio."
"I have been watching you for quite some time."
"Your actions."
"Your choices."
"Your growth."
The smile on his face deepened.
"Quite entertaining."
Then—
the sky changed.
My eyes widened.
Thousands of eyes suddenly opened above us.
Gigantic eyes.
Ancient eyes.
Eyes filled with curiosity.
The heavens themselves became covered in them.
Lower Gods.
Constellations.
They watched.
Every single one of them watched me.
Astarax immediately stepped forward.
Killing intent erupted from her body.
The cherry blossoms around us were blown away by the pressure.
My body suddenly froze.
Whispers.
Countless whispers.
They entered my mind.
Promises.
Questions.
Madness.
Curiosity.
Ugh—
I fell to one knee.
My head throbbed.
The voices only grew louder.
"Interesting."
"The Crown."
"Observe him."
"Claim him."
"Guide him."
My vision blurred.
Then—
Sloth raised his head.
The amusement disappeared.
For the first time—
his expression became cold.
Terrifyingly cold.
The entire realm froze.
The cherry blossoms stopped moving.
The wind vanished.
Even time itself seemed to halt.
His sleepy eyes gazed upward.
Toward the countless gods.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"How bold."
His voice echoed across the realm.
"To attempt entering my chosen heir's mind."
The moment those words fell—
the sky screamed.
Blood erupted from the eyes above.
One after another.
Thousands of eyes burst apart simultaneously.
Crimson rain poured from the heavens.
The divine beings behind those eyes shrieked in agony.
The screams shook the realm itself.
Some begged.
Some cursed.
Some simply vanished.
Yet Sloth only laughed.
A soft laugh.
A lazy laugh.
A laugh that somehow felt more horrifying than any roar.
As if their suffering was nothing more than pleasant music.
As if the cries of gods themselves were merely entertainment.
And for the first time since arriving—
I understood why this being was called a Demon King.
Because beneath the sleepy smile...
Beneath the lazy demeanor...
Was something so monstrously powerful that even gods feared to offend it.
Soon enough Sloth stopped laughing.
The blood raining from the heavens gradually vanished.
The countless divine screams faded into silence.
As though none of it had ever happened.
Then—
he glanced at me.
A gentle smile rested on his face.
"Oops~"
"Sorry if I got carried away."
Astarax's eyelid twitched.
Before I could even react—
Sloth disappeared.
No.
Not disappeared.
One moment he stood beneath the cherry blossom tree.
The next—
he was directly in front of me.
No movement.
No teleportation.
Reality simply accepted that he was now standing there.
Astarax's eyes narrowed instantly.
Sloth ignored her.
His sleepy eyes stared directly into mine.
For a brief moment—
the smile vanished.
"Hm..."
"So it really is true."
My body stiffened.
His gaze felt as though it was looking beyond my soul.
Beyond my body.
Beyond my existence itself.
Then he spoke.
"You."
"The one carrying the scent of the Outer Void."
My pupils shrank.
Outer Void.
This was the second time I had heard that name.
The first time had been from Astarax.
And now—
a Demon King was saying the exact same thing.
"...Outer Void?"
Sloth hummed thoughtfully.
Then casually walked back toward the cherry blossom tree.
Pink petals drifted around him.
"The Outer Void."
"A term given to entities who do not belong to this dimension."
He lazily stretched.
Then pointed toward me.
"You do not belong to this universe, Rio."
Silence.
I blinked.
"...What?"
Sloth placed a hand on his chin.
"But at the same time..."
"You do."
My head immediately began hurting.
That explanation somehow made things even more confusing.
"I don't belong here..."
"But I do?"
"Correct."
He nodded seriously.
"As contradictory as it sounds."
Astarax remained silent.
For once—
even she wasn't interrupting.
Sloth's eyes slowly narrowed.
"If my assumptions are correct..."
"You should be the Third Descender of the Outer Void."
The world seemed to freeze.
Third?
My heartbeat accelerated.
"There was another?"
Sloth smiled.
"Of course."
"The Second Descender was your elder brother."
Then—
he spoke a name.
A name I had never heard before.
Or perhaps—
I did.
The moment it left his mouth—
reality distorted.
Ae-████
The sound shattered.
The world glitched.
The name itself became incomprehensible.
Like static.
Like something being forcibly erased.
My ears rang violently.
Pain exploded inside my skull.
"Agh—!"
I grabbed my head.
The name.
I couldn't remember it.
Even though I had heard it only a second ago.
It was already disappearing.
No.
Something was actively removing it.
I looked up.
"Could you repeat that?"
Sloth blinked.
Then casually repeated the name.
Ae-████
The exact same thing happened.
The sound distorted.
Reality twisted.
The name vanished before it could reach my mind.
This time—
even Sloth frowned.
"Hm."
Astarax's expression darkened.
"...That's not normal."
"No."
Sloth nodded.
"It isn't."
For the first time since meeting him—
the Demon King of Sloth looked genuinely interested.
As though he had discovered something unexpected.
Alyssa remained asleep on his lap.
Completely oblivious.
Meanwhile—
Sloth's golden eyes slowly gazed upward.
Beyond the sky.
Beyond reality itself.
Then he smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"It seems..."
"There is some kind of force blocking the knowledge of his existence."
The cherry blossoms stopped moving.
Even the wind froze.
Then Sloth spoke quietly.
"A force powerful enough to censor a name from a Demon King's mouth."
"Is this the power of the Second Descender?"
Sloth's sleepy eyes narrowed slightly.
"How interesting."
I slowly pushed myself back to my feet.
My head was still spinning from what I had just learned.
The Outer Void.
The Descenders.
My brother.
Countless questions flooded my mind.
I clenched my fists.
"You said there were three Descenders."
"Indeed."
"Then who was the first?"
For the first time—
Sloth simply smiled.
"A conversation for the next time we meet."
My eyebrow twitched.
Before I could complain—
he suddenly appeared beside me.
No.
Not beside me.
Behind me.
Astarax immediately turned.
"Sloth—"
But he ignored her.
His gaze fell upon my back.
The three stigmatas.
Crimson.
Azure.
Gold.
The marks of Wrath.
Pride.
Greed.
A strange look appeared in his eyes.
Almost fascination.
"So it truly was not a mistake."
"You who carry the stigmatas of the others..."
"How very interesting."
Then—
he raised a hand.
A bad feeling erupted inside my chest.
Astarax's eyes widened.
"RIO—!"
His hand pierced directly into my back.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Pain.
Unimaginable pain.
It felt as though someone had reached into my soul itself.
Three lights exploded from my body.
Crimson.
Azure.
Gold.
The entire Mind Realm trembled.
The cherry blossom tree shook violently.
The skies cracked.
The ground split apart.
The three stigmatas erupted with power.
For a moment—
I saw visions.
Endless flames.
A throne forged from gold.
A battlefield covered in corpses.
Three monstrous presences staring at me.
Then—
everything vanished.
The lights disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
I collapsed to one knee.
Breathing heavily.
Sweat covered my entire body.
Sloth calmly removed his hand.
A satisfied smile rested on his face.
Then—
BOOOOOM!
A beam of chaotic energy tore through reality.
Astarax had attacked.
The attack obliterated everything in its path.
Yet Sloth had already vanished.
He reappeared beneath the cherry blossom tree.
Still carrying Alyssa.
Still smiling.
As though nothing had happened.
Astarax immediately appeared beside me.
Golden eyes burning with rage.
"Rio!"
I slowly pushed myself upright.
My entire body felt strange.
Different.
"What..."
I breathed heavily.
"...the hell did you do to me?"
Sloth chuckled.
"Let's just say I activated your stigmatas."
My eyes widened.
"What?"
"Not fully."
"That would kill you."
His smile widened.
"But enough to ensure you won't lose control when the time comes."
"W-what the fuck?"
He completely ignored my remark.
Instead—
his expression became serious.
For the first time since I met him.
"Rio Valen."
"I have a mission for you."
Astarax narrowed her eyes.
"A mission?"
"Indeed."
"It seems some humans have forgotten common sense."
His gaze slowly drifted toward the horizon.
"Go to the Kingdom of Eldros."
My expression changed.
Eldros.
If Astryx was known as the Kingdom of Swords—
then Eldros was the Kingdom of Magic.
The greatest magicians on the continent came from there.
Second only to the Elves themselves.
Sloth folded his hands behind his back.
"It appears the current Queen of Eldros has lost her sanity."
The atmosphere instantly became colder.
"She seeks to summon Envy."
My heartbeat stopped.
"...What?"
"More specifically."
"She seeks to create a pathway."
"A bridge."
"A gate."
His golden eyes slowly met mine.
"A gateway to Hell itself."
A gateway to Hell?
That wasn't insanity.
That was suicide.
No.
Worse.
That could destroy the entire continent.
Sloth continued.
"I do not know her reasons."
"But Envy is undoubtedly involved."
He slowly smiled.
"Tell me, Rio Valen."
His voice echoed throughout the realm.
"Would you like to see Aetherion burn?"
I gritted my teeth.
Then suddenly another thought crossed my mind.
I looked directly at him.
"But wouldn't this benefit you?"
"Hell opening itself to the mortal world."
"So why stop it?"
Sloth stared at me for several seconds.
Then—
laughed.
A soft laugh.
The kind that somehow felt older than civilization itself.
He gently played with Alyssa's sleeping hair.
"Let's just say..."
"Our interests differ."
His eyes slowly closed.
"I have no desire to watch your world end."
Astarax looked unconvinced.
I wasn't entirely convinced either.
Then Sloth yawned.
A genuine yawn.
As though this entire conversation had exhausted him.
"After this..."
"I'll probably sleep for another five years."
My eyes widened.
"Five years?"
"Mhm."
His body was already beginning to fade.
The Mind Realm itself started collapsing.
The cherry blossom tree shattered into particles of light.
The skies fractured.
Reality began breaking apart.
Before disappearing completely—
Sloth looked toward me one final time.
A smile rested on his face.
"I hope when we meet again, Rio-.."
For a brief moment—
his expression became unreadable.
Then—
everything disappeared.
CRACK.
The realm shattered.
I blinked.
The restaurant returned.
The sounds of people talking.
Plates clinking.
The smell of food.
I was back.
As though none of it had happened.
Across from me—
Alyssa slowly lifted her head.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Then blinked at me.
"...What?"