A cool, refreshing breeze drifted through the room, brushing softly against the boy’s pale, luminous skin like the gentle touch of dawn after a nightmare.

The white curtains swayed lightly beside the open window, allowing streaks of golden sunlight to spill into the quiet room. Dust particles danced lazily in the air, and for a fleeting moment, everything seemed strangely peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Lying on the bed, Sian felt the crisp air against his face. His lashes fluttered faintly before those amber eyes slowly opened.

The moment consciousness returned, pain followed.

Sharp.

Heavy.

As though every bone in his body had been shattered and pieced back together by force.

"Ah... my body hurts like hell."

His voice came out hoarse and exhausted.

Supporting himself with one hand, Sian slowly sat up, muscles trembling slightly from the effort. A dull ache spread through his entire body as he glanced around the unfamiliar room in confusion.

When had they escaped that desert?

Fragments of memories flashed through his mind—the burning sand, the suffocating pressure, the monstrous creature roaring beneath the crimson sky.

...Well, it seemed he had overused his powers again.

For some reason, most of his abilities were still sealed away, like a terrifying beast bound in countless chains, each seal slowly breaking apart whenever he pushed himself beyond his limits.

And now...

Sian could feel it clearly.

The chains were loosening faster.

His power would return soon.

Yet instead of relief, a heavy sense of dread settled deep inside his chest.

Because that could only mean one thing.

Something was happening in this world.

Something dangerous.

Something capable of forcing his sealed powers to awaken.

And whatever it was—

It would be far worse than anything humanity had faced before.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, startling the silence inside the room.

Two people rushed in almost immediately.

"Captain! You’re awake—oh my God, you scared me to death!"

Kira practically launched herself at Sian without hesitation. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Ah—"

A painful groan escaped his lips as the impact nearly crushed his already injured body.

"Kira... you’re going to kill me at this rate."

"O-Oh! Sorry, sorry!" She instantly jumped away, waving her hands frantically. "I just got excited! You’ve been unconscious for five days!"

"...Five days?"

Sian froze for a moment, genuine surprise flashing across his face.

That long?

This time, he hadn’t used nearly as much power as before. Having He Jinyeon there had eased a great deal of the burden and helped him suppress most of the destructive force behind that attack.

Still...

It was a good thing they had managed to kill that monster.

If they had failed, this world would never have been able to deal with it so quickly on its own.

Entire cities might have disappeared.

Countless people would have died.

"So... where are we now?"

The question was directed at He Jinyeon, who had remained silent ever since entering the room.

Standing near the door, the man avoided Sian’s gaze entirely, his expression unusually tense.

Guilt.

It was written all over his face.

If Sian still failed to notice something was wrong, he would have to be blind.

He slowly raised a brow.

"What happened?"

Kira awkwardly scratched her cheek, suddenly unable to meet his eyes anymore.

"Well... um..."

Her voice grew smaller.

"We might’ve done something without your permission."

An hour later, both Kira and He Jinyeon sat quietly in front of Sian’s bed with their heads lowered like children waiting for punishment.

The atmosphere inside the room was strangely heavy.

Sian stared at them for several long seconds before finally letting out a quiet sigh, caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement.

"You two really are..."

He never finished the sentence.

Yet somehow, that only made them feel even guiltier.

Their heads lowered further.

Neither dared to look at him.

Seeing them like this, Sian simply couldn’t bring himself to scold them.

After all...

They had done it for his sake.

Because just like him, they were still prisoners of the past.

Still unable to trust people again.

Back in their original world, once they had gathered together, their team—and the base they built—had become the strongest force on Earth.

A symbol of survival.

A fortress no enemy dared approach.

But at the same time, it had also become the hardest organization to join.

Because they no longer trusted humanity.

Not after the betrayals.

Not after watching people they protected stab them in the back over and over again until nothing remained of their faith in mankind.

From that point onward, they became more than comrades.

More than friends.

More than family.

They would gladly die for one another without hesitation—

Yet they could also stand by and watch the rest of humanity perish if it meant protecting the people they cared about.

"Alright, alright," Sian finally said, rubbing his aching forehead. "I haven’t even said anything yet. Wou both look like I’m about to execute you? Anyone seeing this would think I’m some kind of bully."

Kira’s eyes immediately lit up.

"See?! I told you the Captain isn’t unreasonable!"

She jumped up excitedly and pointed proudly at He Jinyeon.

"He’d never blame us!"

He Jinyeon stared at her silently.

For a brief moment, he seriously considered exposing the same woman who had been biting her nails in panic earlier while repeatedly insisting that the Captain was definitely going to skin them alive.

In the end, he chose peace.

Turning toward Sian once more, his expression became serious again.

"That man, Lan Qishing, tried to stop us from leaving," he explained calmly. "But I intimidated them a little and took you away with Kira before they could react."

He paused briefly.

"My spies also sent word. The military has intensified its search for us. They’re determined to find us at any cost."

Sian didn’t seem particularly bothered by the news.

The moment he used his powers publicly to save that child, he had already expected consequences like this.

Still—

something suddenly crossed his mind.

The child.

Sian’s expression shifted slightly.

"What about the kid?"

This time, Kira answered immediately.

"Don’t worry, Boss! Brother He Jinyeon’s men brought him with us. We stole him away without any trouble."

"...Stole?"

Sian’s eye twitched faintly.

Was that supposed to sound reassuring?

Forget it.

"He’s fine," she continued quickly. "He’s staying in the room across from yours. He refused to leave your bedside for a long time, but eventually he fell asleep from exhaustion."

For a brief second, Sian fell silent.

A strange emotion flickered through his amber eyes before disappearing just as quickly.

Suddenly—

Bang!

The door swung open once again.

Carmel hurried inside while holding a laptop tightly in his arms, his breathing uneven and rushed.

"Boss, this is bad. Something happened—"

The moment his eyes landed on Sian, he froze.

"The Young Boss is awake?!"

...Young Boss?

Sian slowly turned toward He Jinyeon with a dangerously calm expression.

He Jinyeon immediately coughed several times into his fist before glaring sharply at Carmel.

"What’s so urgent that you barged in without knocking?"

For a split second, Sian experienced an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

A terrible feeling crept into his chest.

And then—

His worst nightmare became reality.

Carmel’s trembling voice echoed throughout the room.

"Several monsters... different types and species... have suddenly appeared across the world."

His face had turned deathly pale.

"They’re attacking multiple cities simultaneously..."

The laptop screen shook violently in his hands, showing countless emergency broadcasts, collapsing buildings, screaming civilians, and skies filled with smoke and fire.

Fear.

Panic.

Despair.

It was spreading across the entire world.

Carmel slowly lifted his horrified eyes toward Sian.

"S-Sir..."

"The apocalypse has begun."