Ruler of Beyonders

The council sat in silence, each member masked in long cloaks that reached the ground, shadows falling across the long stone table. Only the soft hum of the central core echoed between them.

"Are you sure to release that girl?" one of them finally spoke. His voice was low, shaken. "You know what she did in the past. Even the memory of it frightens us."

Seroi stood calmly at the centre of the chamber. His hands were clasped behind his back. His eyes, sharp as ever, showed no fear. Then that man again replied...

"I know. But we have no other option."

"You think she'll obey us? After everything?"

"We'll track her. Prepare for any outcome. If she acts beyond her boundaries, we know how to handle it."

A low chuckle echoed from the far end of the chamber.

"That's interesting, old man," a different member said, tapping his finger against the table. "Still pretending we're in control."

"Then vote," That man again said simply.

One by one, the members cast their decision.

And the votes leaned one way. Then the chamber dimmed as the final vote was cast.

Release her.

Not because they trusted her.

But because they feared what would happen if they didn't.

Moments later, the head of the council turned toward Seroi.

"She will be freed. Give her a directive. Track Ren Calder. Watch him. Report everything."

Seroi nodded once. He spoke nothing only his loyalty spoke.

Then he turned away.

The heavy doors of the council hall closed behind him, and as he walked into the quiet corridor, he whispered beneath his breath.

"I'm sorry, Ren. I hope you never find the truth we left behind. Because if you do... nothing will be left standing."

Seroi walked some step then teleported in his comfort place. A lake lied on the mountain of the Tonima. A beautiful place where no body can reached. That place is fully cut-off from the outside world. Seroi discovered it during his one mission. He never told anyone about it. Since then that place became his comfort place. He sat on the one stone located under the cherry blossom tree. Then he spoke to himself...

"Yato and Ren. If you both are present here then I will tell you both what happened that day."...Yato took one wine bottle by using his magic Dimensional Space and opened it. Then started to remembered all incidents with drunken his wine. And in drunken state he remembered...

At that day the sun above Arkenhall flickered faintly.

Artificial light danced across silver towers, casting long shadows over the stone paths where Awakened warriors once marched. Ren stood beneath one of those towers now, staring at the sky that was not the real sky. Just a ceiling painted with light.

Ten years.

Ten years of pain. Of pushing through breathless days and sleepless nights. Of bleeding until he forgot why he started. Of standing again because there was no other choice.

He stood taller now. Broader. His gaze sharper. Not cold. Just clear.

Seroi stood a few steps ahead, his coat trailing behind him.

"You've grown, Ren."

Ren nodded. "I need to see them. It's time."

Seroi said nothing for a while. The silence stretched, caught between memory and duty.

Then he looked over his shoulder. "Request granted. But return within seven days. We are not in quiet times anymore."

Ren smiled faintly. "Understood."

Seroi opened his mouth to say more.

But then the siren rang.

A low, warbling pulse that shook the ground under their feet.

Seroi's face darkened. He pressed a finger to the earpiece in his collar.

"...I'll be there."

He looked at Ren. "Wait for me."

Then he vanished in a blink of black light.

★★★

The council chamber was carved in a forgotten part of the world. Beneath Arkenhall, deeper than Tier Zero, there was a place older than the Collapse. A place not built by human hands.

The room was circular, but the walls were alive. Not stone. Not metal. Something in between. They pulsed faintly, like breath.

Thirteen seats.

Twelve filled.

And one above them all was swallowed in shadow.

Seroi entered, his face blank.

The other council members looked at him. None spoke. Their expressions were tense.

Then the voice spoke.

Not from any throat.

Not from any direction.

It came from the highest seat, the one that never bore a face. A voice that sounded like every language at once. Calm. Commanding. Timeless.

The Mage King.

"I have returned."

A ripple of unease moved through the council. One member whispered, "You were never meant to leave."

The shadow didn't answer.

Instead, the Mage King continued. "Ten years ago, I left this planet without informing you. I broke our pact. But I had to know. Had to see what lies beyond the stars."

A screen bloomed to life in the air above them.

Planets. Systems. Shapes that defied known geometry.

"Out there… I found a civilization. Older than ours. Larger. Sleeping beneath the folds of time. They call themselves The Vestige."

The room turned still.

"They cannot enter our world directly. Not yet. Something binds them outside…"

The image shifted.

A globe. Planet Qiyun.

Around it, a field. A barrier invisible to the naked eye, but shown now in glimmering light. A shield that wrapped the world in silence.

"They call it the Lock. A cosmic seal placed by a forgotten god or a dying will. It protects Qiyun from outer interference. No direct invasion is possible."

Seroi narrowed his eyes.

"So what?"

"They found a way to attacked." the Mage King answered. "Parasites. They slipped through. Small. Unseen. They ride on mana, infecting humans. Hiding. Waiting."

One council member slammed a fist on the table. "You mean… some of our people are already…?"

"Yes," the Mage King said. "They possess minds. Rewrite memories. Steer hearts. And through those infected, The Vestige sends whispers to our world. They are building their gate."

He paused.

"I found remnants of that gate. A skeleton of stone and bone fused to mana itself. They're not just invading. They're replacing us."

A silence heavier than death filled the room.

The Mage King's voice grew quiet.

"I do not know what they want. But I felt it. In their world… Qiyun is not just a planet. It is a prize. A secret buried in flesh and mana. And we are its keepers."

He turned his unseen gaze toward Seroi.

"And that boy, Ren Calder… his core sings in resonance with the Lock. That is why the parasites fear him. That is why they will hunt him."

Seroi clenched his fists.

Then in this recalled...He started to remembering Yato.

The boy who trained with fire in his heart and loyalty in his spine.

Yato, who died during the first wave of parasite hunts.

Who bled to protect an infected city before anyone else believed the threat was real.

A memory surfaced Yato laughing, bandaged head, sitting beside his fellow members, saying, "I'll always cover your blind spot, buddies."

He had kept that promise until his last breath.

Then in Seroi's mind that day's memory again flickered....

That time Seroi swallowed hard.

He stood straighter.

"What do we do now?"

The Mage King answered.

"We let Ren walk his path. He must not know everything yet. The Lock might still react to force. And if it breaks…"

His voice grew sharp.

"This world ends."

The council said nothing. Evryone knew if Mage King said than he had proper information.

Then a smaller screen flickered to life beside Seroi. It showed Ren. Standing outside the gate. Looking up at the false sky.

Waiting.

Seroi whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

"...How much longer can we keep him in the dark?"

The Mage King answered, quietly.

"Until the Lock chooses."

Anyone couldn't understood his words but evryone respected his words. So they were went to prepare for upcoming threats.

Then everyone show respect to each others and leaved the chamber.

Seroi also show respect to everyone and leaved the chamber.

Then he teleported towards the Ren and gave him permission to went.

Then Seroi slowly slowly closed his eyes.

Sleeped near the lake...