That night… the city did not sleep.
Streetlights flickered as if struck by a feral current.
Dogs barked at nothing.
Clouds rushed across the sky as if pushed by a wind that did not exist.
Humans had no idea what was happening.
But the world… did.
The world knew something had descended onto its surface.
The Ancient Ancestor and Hana entered the small city with slow, steady steps.
Hana looked at the faint outlines of buildings caught in the first touch of dawn.
People swept their yards.
Vendors arranged their goods.
Children were walked to school.
Everything normal.
As if the sky hadn't cracked open the night before.
As if the world hadn't almost been torn apart.
Hana tightened her grip on the Ancient Ancestor's hand.
"Big bro… they all… don't know anything, huh?"
The Ancient Ancestor watched the people.
"It's better that way."
"And if they knew?"
"Panic. Chaos. The world would fall before the war even starts."
Hana fell silent.
She watched a mother zip up her child's jacket.
Saw a father pushing a fruit cart.
Saw life moving forward, unaware of the danger creeping in.
"Hana," the Ancient Ancestor said, patting her head gently,
"Smile. You need to learn how to blend in with human life."
Hana pouted. "But… everyone looks tired."
"That's how life is."
"Then what's the point of this light inside me if it just makes me hunted?"
He didn't answer.
That answer would come later when Hana was ready.
They crossed an intersection.
Suddenly
Bzzzt
Every streetlight pole shut off at the same time.
Why?
Because the Ancient Ancestor walked by.
Hana looked back. "Big bro… that's you, isn't it?"
"The world is still learning how to hold my existence."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing. Just… breathed."
Hana groaned. "Big bro is like a virus."
"The coolest virus," he replied flatly.
Hana rolled her eyes.
Every time something broke because of her brother's aura, he always brushed it off.
But this time… he stopped walking.
Something was coming.
Not a creature of darkness.
Not a dimensional rift.
Not a cosmic voice.
What arrived… was far more dangerous.
A woman.
She stood on the sidewalk in neat office attire.
Thin glasses.
Hair tied back.
She looked like an ordinary worker heading to her morning shift.
But the aura around her… was different.
Not darkness.
Not light.
Not magic.
More like… the will of the world wrapped in human skin.
She looked at the Ancient Ancestor.
Their eyes met.
And every bird on the power lines panicked and flew away at once.
Hana grabbed his arm. "Big bro… who is she?"
The woman gave a small, elegant smile.
Polite.
Refined.
But beneath that smile… the world trembled.
"Long time no see," she said softly.
The Ancient Ancestor did not return the smile.
"Don't pretend to be polite, Third Guardian."
The woman sighed faintly.
"I prefer you call me by name, you know."
"I don't care."
She stepped forward once.
The ground didn't crack.
The air didn't warp.
But the pressure… felt like someone lowering a mountain across their shoulders.
Hana nearly stumbled.
The Ancient Ancestor flicked a finger, dispersing the aura effortlessly.
The woman glanced at Hana.
"Oh… so this is her."
Her gaze was soft, but far too sharp.
"The Heir of Light."
Hana immediately hid behind the Ancient Ancestor.
"Big bro… why is she staring at me like that?"
He shifted slightly to cover her.
"Keep your eyes off her."
The woman smiled politely again.
"Relax. I'm not here to take her."
"Good. Because I won't let you."
"But I need to speak with you, Ancient Ancestor," she said firmly.
"Now."
He looked around.
People saw nothing.
Understood nothing.
Had no idea that two beings who should never meet were standing on a small-town sidewalk.
"It's not safe here," he said.
"I agree."
The woman straightened her posture.
And the world changed.
No flare.
No portal.
No spell.
Just… a blink.
In one second, the crowded sidewalk became a vast plain of white stone stretching endlessly.
A room with no sky.
No ground.
No horizon.
A neutral dimension
the meeting place of the guardians of ages.
Hana gasped. "Big bro! I got pulled too?!"
"I didn't let go of you, did I?" he reassured her.
The woman watched them calmly from a short distance.
"It's time we talk about the Primordial Light," she said.
The Ancient Ancestor scoffed.
"You didn't come to talk."
She pressed her lips together.
"Of course not."
She removed her glasses.
The lenses shattered into drifting shards of light.
"I came… to deliver a warning."
Her voice echoed like the resonance of a thousand ancient temples.
"The power hunting you hunting that child is no longer the remnants of the Empress's followers."
Her eyes turned pale blue, glowing faintly as she glanced at Hana.
"What is awakening behind the fracture in the sky…"
Silence.
"…is the First."
The Ancient Ancestor shut his eyes briefly.
"…Damn."
"Yes," the woman replied.
"He is waking."
Hana looked between them anxiously.
"The First… who is that?"
The woman smiled softly at her.
"Dear… he isn't a 'who'."
She gazed into the endless empty expanse.
"He is what caused this world to exist."
Hana swallowed hard.
"Big bro… I'm scared…"
The Ancient Ancestor took her hand.
"It's alright. I'm here. And as long as I stand, no one will touch you."
The woman studied them for a long moment.
"You two," she said quietly,
"don't have much time."
The Ancient Ancestor clicked his tongue.
"Time is always our enemy."
She shook her head.
"Not this time."
Her voice grew heavy, ancient far older than her form.
"This time, the enemy… is the beginning of everything."
And the white dimension trembled softly.
A sign that a larger truth…
was preparing to reveal itself.