The golden tunnel closed behind him with the softness of silk.
For a moment, Lio von Argent stood in complete darkness. Then, slowly, the ambient light of the archive filtered back in—dim and warm like an old hearth. The silence was not empty. It had weight. It settled on his shoulders like a cloak not yet earned.
So this is the core.
His boots touched down lightly on polished stone—no sound echoed. The runes carved into the floor responded to each step with faint pulses, not defensive, not hostile. Observing.
Waiting.
Then the voice came—not aloud, but within.
[Soul Type Detected: Compatible — PRIDE.][System Alert: Another Sin Signature has entered Host domain. Student Slots Remaining: 6][Warning: Primary Slot Occupied – WRATH – Active Aura Present Nearby.][Interaction Risk: Elevated.]
Lio raised a brow.
So it is a system. Unspoken interface. Direct sensory link. No vocal projection. No glyph casting. Clean.
A smirk threatened to twitch at the edge of his mouth.
He had suspected. But now?
Now he knew.
He took another step forward—and the heat hit him.
Not from the air. From presence.
Like stepping too close to a living forge.
And there he was.
A young man stood ahead, broad-shouldered, wild-eyed, posture like a coiled spring. Steam rolled gently off his back even though the air was cold. He had no armor—just a coat, too large for him, draped over his shoulders like a cloak of memory.
His fists were clenched. His stance guarded. His eyes—
They locked onto Lio the moment he appeared.
And they burned.
[Student 001: BRIX — WRATH][Loyalty Lock: Active. Protective Instinct – Triggered.]
Lio stopped.
Not out of fear.
Out of interest.
The flame-born disciple. Still volatile. Still wild. Still bleeding power like a hound off leash.
"Don't take another step," Brix growled.
His voice was low. Not a threat—a warning.
Lio didn't flinch.
He looked past Brix.
And finally—he saw him.
At the center of the archive, nestled atop a throne of forbidden scrolls, slept the man.
The Master.
Kairon.
His chest rose and fell in deep, dream-heavy rhythm. His arm lay folded beneath his head, mouth slightly open, one finger twitching every few minutes like it was sorting thoughts in his sleep.
That's him? Lio thought. That's the cause of all this?
Kairon looked completely ordinary.
And yet—nothing in this space moved without his permission.
Even the air deferred.
Lio's thoughts ran faster now, layered beneath his composed exterior:
He sleeps while this place obeys him. The System reacts to his slumber like a command. Brix guards him like a bonded weapon. I can feel his influence crawling through the floor tiles.
This isn't a miracle. It's a system-anchored field hierarchy. Passive domain ownership. Possibly artifact-enhanced—or no...
It's deeper than that. It's will.
He took one step forward.
Brix's fists ignited.
"I said don't."
"I heard you," Lio said calmly.
[System Prompt: Conflict Detected — Sin vs. Sin.][Dual Aura Clash — Contained.]
The air shimmered. The archive trembled—slightly.
Kairon snorted in his sleep and rolled over.
Brix immediately lowered his hands, glancing back with wide eyes.
"No, no—he's sleeping. Don't make him—"
The System flared:
[Host Stirring: 3% Wake Threshold.]
Lio raised both hands peacefully.
"I don't intend to fight," he said. "Not today."
The tension lingered.
Then slowly—Brix stood aside.
Not out of trust.
But to protect the silence.
Lio walked forward and stood beside Kairon's sleeping form.
He studied the face.
No crown. No aura. No visible power.
Just calm.
And yet the world bent itself around that calm.
Lio whispered, more to himself than anyone else:
"He's not impressive."
"He's inevitable."