The air grew heavier with each passing second, as if the world itself was closing in on Raine. Even though that mysterious man had vanished, the sense of danger hadn't left him. It was only growing stronger.
He slowly raised his hand, feeling that his body was no longer the same as it had been just minutes ago. It wasn't exhaustion… but something else. A weight—an invisible force pressing on him from within.
The Black Butterfly hovering around him suddenly halted, as if sensing the same thing.
"This isn't just his influence…" Raine muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the lingering shadows in the space where the man had disappeared.
But before he could think further—
The space in front of him tore apart.
It wasn't an ordinary rift… It was as if a fragment of reality itself had split open, as if the world could no longer conceal what was coming.
And through it… a new figure emerged.
He was tall, with silver hair that swayed with the wind, and golden eyes that gleamed as if they could see beyond mere existence.
His footsteps were silent, yet they left strange ripples across the ground, as if the world itself was trying to avoid his touch.
This man wasn't entirely unfamiliar to Raine… He had heard of his existence before.
But he hadn't expected to see him now.
"So… you managed to survive," the man said in a calm voice, yet his words carried an undeniable weight.
Raine didn't answer immediately. But deep inside, something stirred—an unfamiliar feeling, as if something he had never noticed before had just been revealed to him.
The Black Butterfly had completely stopped moving.
"And you?" Raine finally asked, his tone almost testing.
The man smiled faintly, as if the question didn't truly matter to him. Then, in a low voice, he spoke:
"Reynard Callistra."
The moment the man spoke his name, everything changed.
Raine didn't know all the details, but he had heard this name before.
Reynard Callistra… one of those who should never be faced directly.
"You're not here by coincidence," Raine finally said, ignoring the strange sensation within him.
"Of course not," Reynard replied, stepping forward. The moment he did, the air around him trembled, as if his very existence was incompatible with this world.
"But more importantly…" he continued, tilting his head slightly, "Are you ready to know why?"
Raine didn't wait.
In an instant, the Black Butterfly surged forward, transforming into tendrils of abyssal darkness, roaring like an unrelenting storm.
But Reynard didn't move.
He simply lifted a finger.
And with a single effortless motion—the darkness vanished.
As if it had never existed at all.
Raine's eyes narrowed, though he didn't reveal his shock. This wasn't just manipulation of energy… It was something entirely different.
"Do you see now?" Reynard said, his tone unchanged. "There are forces in this world that cannot be fought with rage alone."
But Raine was not just another soul screaming at the world.
He was someone rewriting it with his own hands.
To be continued…
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