Morning came quietly.
A thin stream of sunlight slipped through the narrow window, cutting across the dim room and settling over Zeo's face like a silent summons. The warmth should have felt gentle… but instead, it pulled him awake with a strange weight lingering in his chest.
His eyes opened slowly.
For a moment, he didn't move—just stared at the ceiling, listening to the faint stillness around him.
Then… something felt off.
Zeo turned his head toward the window.
And froze.
A figure sat there.
A woman.
Her form was calm, almost fragile, perched at the edge of the window as if she had always been there. Her hair drifted in the air—, like liquid gold suspended in water… or ink dissolving into light.
Her face—
He couldn't see .
Zeo slowly pushed himself up.
His body was still heavy from the previous day, but something else now crept beneath his skin—unease.
He took a step forward.
A small sound escaped beneath his foot.
And in that single, fragile moment—
She was gone.
No movement.
No trace.
Just… absence.
Like she had never been there.
Zeo's eyes widened slightly as he scanned the room, his breath tightening. The sunlight still poured through the window, unchanged, indifferent… as if mocking him.
"…What are you searching for?"
The voice came from behind.
Zeo turned sharply.
Razya floated in the air, her small figure glowing faintly, her expression carrying its usual mix of curiosity and mischief.
He stared at her for a second… then looked away.
"…Nothing," he said. "Nothing important."
Inside, his thoughts shifted uneasily.
If I tell her… she'll call me insane.
The idea alone was enough to keep him silent.
Without another word, he stepped past her and left the room.
when he left razya takes a relief breath.
The path to the training ground felt longer than usual.
Each step carried a strange heaviness, as if the world itself had thickened overnight. The air pressed against him subtly… not enough to slow him down, but enough to be noticed.
Something wasn't right.
And he couldn't explain why.
By the time he arrived, Shin was already there.
But he wasn't alone.
A man stood beside him.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Still.
There was no wasted movement in him, no unnecessary expression. His presence alone felt solid—like something that couldn't be shaken once it took root.
As Zeo approached, both of them turned.
Shin spoke first.
"Morning," he said casually. Then, with a slight gesture, he added, "This is Ben. The second Creator."
The words settled into the air.
Zeo felt it.
That subtle shift… that quiet tension.
Ben stepped forward.
Slowly.
His gaze locked onto Zeo—sharp, unwavering, almost suffocating in its intensity.
For a moment… he said nothing.
Zeo felt his chest tighten under that stare.
Who is he…? What does he want?
Then Ben spoke.
"What is a Creator to you?"
The question came without warning.
"And what do you think of your characters?"
Zeo blinked.
The simplicity of the question only made it heavier.
This wasn't casual curiosity.
This was judgment.
And Shin… didn't interrupt.
Zeo hesitated.
Not because the answer was difficult—
But because he realized… he didn't have one.
Ben's voice came again, colder this time.
"I want the truth. Not what you think you should say but what you feel ."
Silence pressed in.
Zeo lowered his gaze slightly, thoughts clashing within him.
What do I feel…?
Not what he should feel.
What he actually did.
For a moment, everything slowed.
Then—
He looked up.
Straight into Ben's eyes.
"They're weak," Zeo said.
The words came out calm. Clear.
Like something he had always known.
"Like thin mirrors… reflecting me."
The air grew heavier.
Shin's eyes sharpened slightly.
Ben didn't react.
So Zeo kept going.
"As for Creators…" he said, his voice steady, "I might be different from others."
A pause.
"But I think… a Creator should be strong. For their world."
Silence fell.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
Zeo's thoughts flickered uneasily.
Did I say something wrong…?
Before doubt could take over—
Ben stepped closer.
Now they stood face to face.
"So strong," Ben said. "Is it for protection… or dominance?"
His tone was direct. Unforgiving.
Zeo didn't hesitate this time.
"For what is best for them," he replied immediately.
His voice didn't waver.
"Stability can come from dominance. Protection can create weakness."
His gaze remained steady.
"If we keep protecting them… they'll never stand on their own."
A faint breath escaped him.
"It's better to prepare them… to face their own problems."
His thoughts moved without restraint now.
That's why I didn't help Ash.
Because one day… I won't be there.
"They need to become strong enough… to protect themselves."
Silence followed again.
But this time—
It felt different.
Shin's expression softened… just slightly.
Ben studied Zeo for a long moment.
Then—
He placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You lack experience," he said calmly.
A brief pause.
"But… you pass. For now. But heed my warning.but this blief often creates regret of lifetime. "
Zeo blinked.
Before he could respond, Ben had already turned.
He walked away without another word, his presence fading into the distance like something that didn't need to linger.
Shin watched him go.
Then glanced at Zeo.
"What do you think of him?" Shin asked.
Zeo looked in the direction Ben had left.
"…Strong," he said after a moment. "And dependable."
Shin gave a faint nod.
"Good."
Then, after a brief pause—
"Shall we begin?"
Zeo clenched his fist.
That strange weight in his chest still hadn't faded.
"…Yes."
Shin raised his hand.
His fingers crossed lightly.
"Mirror World."
The change was immediate.
Yet invisible.
The ground remained the same.
The sky unchanged.
But something… shifted.
The air stilled.
Sound faded.
Even the world itself felt… distant.
Zeo frowned.
He couldn't see the difference.
But he could feel it.
A silence that didn't belong.
Then—
The spark pulsed once.
And the world broke.
Not shattered—no.
It gave way.
The air fractured like invisible glass, thin cracks spreading outward from Shin's fingertips. Space itself seemed to bend, folding slightly as if unable to hold its own shape. A faint, distorted ringing filled the silence… not a sound, but something deeper—like existence itself protesting.
The ground beneath them began to soften.
Not from heat alone—but from pressure.
Tiny grains of dirt darkened, then liquefied at the edges, turning sluggish… unstable. The light around them warped, bending unnaturally toward that single point, as if being dragged in.
Zeo's breath caught.
That small spark—
It wasn't just burning.
It was overwriting.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Even within the Mirror World, the environment struggled to exist around that power. The cracks in space trembled faintly, like something barely holding together.
And Shin—
Stood at the center of it.
Still.
Unmoved.
As if this level of destruction was nothing more than a controlled breath.
Then he spoke.
"Meet…"
The spark dimmed slightly.
"…the absolute Sun."
Zeo didn't respond.
He couldn't.
His body felt cold… despite the overwhelming presence of heat.
His eyes remained fixed on that small, impossible light.
Fear rose within him.
But not because of the power.
Not entirely.
His gaze slowly shifted… toward Shin.
And that's when it settled.
That feeling.
A quiet, creeping realization.
Zeo's expression tightened.
There was fear in his eyes.
And beneath it—
Something heavier.
Sadness.
Because what stood before him…
Wasn't just strength.
It was distance.
Shin held that power effortlessly. Without strain. Without hesitation. Without change.
Like it didn't touch him at all.
Like nothing could.
Zeo's chest tightened.
If power like this… becomes natural…
A thought surfaced—unwelcome, but impossible to ignore.
What do you lose to hold it?
His fingers curled slightly.
Not from awe.
But from something closer to dread.
Not of the Sun—
But of becoming something that could hold it so easily.
Something unmoved.
Something distant.
Something… far away from everyone else.
The light flickered once more.
And the silence deepened.