Between the densely packed trees, thick undergrowth sprouted like claws. Vines hung between the trunks and created a dark, ominous atmosphere.

Awakeners commonly called this place a rift.

Among the countless strange and unpredictable terrains that existed within rifts, the Forest Field was considered the most ordinary and common.

The demonic beasts wandering this forest were, at best, one-star Anthorns.

Of course, the Anthorn carried the grim title of “the demonic beast that has killed the most Awakeners.” Inexperienced rookies, who couldn’t even wield their Stigma properly, would charge in recklessly, not knowing any better.

For anyone who had reached even three stars, it was a trivial creature that could be hunted with ease.

In a rift where such weak demonic beasts with no unique traits roamed, the fates of the two Kwon Oh-Jins had diverged. Like two straight lines drawn in opposite directions, their paths had split apart mercilessly.

Kwon Oh-Jin deeply sighed as he walked the familiar forest path. “Haaa...”

Memories of that day spread through his mind like an ink drop in water.

It all started here.

The Anthorn attack, Lee Shin-Hyuk pushing him aside and fleeing, then suddenly having a seizure and dying mid-flight, followed by the Black Heaven’s awakening, and lastly, Kwon Oh-Jin’s encounter with Vega...

This was where everything began.

A mere scammer who had lived day to day, leeching off others, had become a Regressor destined to change the world’s fate.

Even if all of it had been born from a forked tongue, his life had been completely turned upside down in this place.

And this must’ve been the same for you.

He imagined what the other Kwon Oh-Jin, who had walked a different path, had gone through here.

Abandoned by Lee Shin-Hyuk, the Anthorns would’ve attacked him.

He barely survived, but ended up crippled. Unable to even feed himself, he was forced to rely on Song Ha-Eun’s care.

He probably screamed in despair, crushed by the helplessness, and even begged the man who had abandoned him to the demonic beasts to protect the one person he cherished.

In the end, he still lost everything.

Kwon Oh-Jin recalled, one by one, the Heavenly Demon’s memories that he had seen through Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories. Even the briefest recollection of those grotesque, nauseating memories made his stomach churn. Memories that, perhaps, he himself would have lived through had fate not changed.

He kept walking, replaying them in his mind.

“Oh-Jin, are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t see a single trace of that Heavenly Demon bastard.”

“He’ll be here soon.”

Cutting off his drifting thoughts, Kwon Oh-Jin walked alongside Song Ha-Eun through the forest to where he had once fled from a pack of Anthorns.

Time had long erased any traces of that day, but he still remembered the way to that exact location. Pushing through the claw-like thickets, they emerged into a small clearing.

At its center stood a man, blankly staring at the sky.

The man slowly turned his head. “You’re here.”

He had the same face and voice, but felt strangely unfamiliar for some reason.

The man looked at Kwon Oh-Jin and smiled faintly. “I’ve been waiting.”

The two Kwon Oh-Jins, who had lived through different fates, now stood face-to-face in the same place.

“You found your way here without getting lost, huh?” the Heavenly Demon asked.

“How could I not?”

The Heavenly Demon chuckled and nodded. “Haha. True enough. This is where your story and mine began, after all.”

Kwon Oh-Jin remained silent.

“I figured, if we were going to end it, this was the only place that made sense.”

End it, huh.

“What about Cassia and Isabella?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“How disappointing. The first thing you ask when we finally meet is that?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Haha, don’t glare at me like that. They’re both fine.”

The Heavenly Demon snapped his fingers, and black clouds poured out from him. From within, Kwon Oh-Jin could see Cassia and Isabella, unconscious and bound by the clouds. If there was any silver lining, neither of them seemed injured despite being tied up.

Kwon Oh-Jin exhaled in quiet relief. “Phew.”

He had expected that the Heavenly Demon wouldn’t kill them right away, but actually seeing them alive still made him feel relieved.

“These two are new, precious people you gained, right?” With a smirk, the Heavenly Demon glanced back at Cassia and Isabella. “Oh, right. There was that one too... Riarc, was it?”

A low rumble echoed. From within the black clouds, a silver-maned wolf slowly appeared.

“Riarc...”

Seeing the once fierce and proud Riarc hanging limp and powerless made Kwon Oh-Jin’s neck burn with rage.

“So that’s three, right? Or were there more?”

Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t respond.

“Haha, sorry. Truth is, I don’t really remember what happened between us.” With an awkward grin, the Heavenly Demon scratched his head. “Just in case, I decided to bring everyone.”

“Everyone...?”

“I’ll show you. Wait a moment.” The Heavenly Demon snapped his fingers again, and a thunderous roar filled the air.

Rumble!

The black clouds shot up like a wave. From within, countless unconscious Awakeners appeared, suspended in midair like insects caught in a spider’s web.

Kwon Oh-Jin knew all of them: Allen Oskar, Baek Mu-Kang, Alina Vladimir, Rebecca Bell, and the other Seven Stars. Even Lee Woo-Hyuk, Sakaki Ryo, and several Awakeners that Kwon Oh-Jin had never seen before.

These nearly twenty thousand Awakeners had all been swallowed by the Black Heaven’s clouds during the war.

“Is there anyone you find precious among these people?”

“And if there are?”

“Well, other than your people, the rest aren’t needed...” The Heavenly Demon shrugged casually. “I was just planning to devour them.”

He spat out those words without the faintest trace of emotion.

It wasn’t out of rage or resentment, but simply because the rest of them were unnecessary. Like sweeping trash off the street, he meant to snuff out lives without hesitation.

Kwon Oh-Jin clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. “You...”

He couldn’t, or rather, he didn’t want to believe that this man was the same person as him.

“J-Just how... did you end up like this?”

What kind of pain, what kind of life could drive someone to fall this far?

Through Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories, Kwon Oh-Jin had glimpsed fragments of the Heavenly Demon’s past. However, he hadn’t personally gone through the Heavenly Demon’s experiences. He didn’t know what the man had truly endured to become what stood before him.

The Heavenly Demon smiled faintly and tilted his head back as if trying to recall something long forgotten.

He gazed blankly into the sky for a moment and softly said, “I forgot.”

A heavy, suffocating silence settled down.

Without even the faintest bit of sadness, he said, "I don’t remember how I became like this. When it started, or how I used to live... I don’t remember a single thing.” With a bright, almost innocent smile, the Heavenly Demon added, “But don’t worry. I told you before, didn’t I?”

His eyes turned to Song Ha-Eun.

“Even if I forget everything else... I will never forget one thing.”

Even after the endless black clouds tore apart his memories, he hadn’t forgotten about her.

“I will protect Ha-Eun.”

No matter what it took, even if it cost him everything.

“I... no, you have to protect her in my place now.”

Create a world where she can be safe, smile happily, and live without worry in a world where she doesn’t have to cry.

“That’s the world you have to build from now on.”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s expression twisted into something fierce. “Funny. I feel like that kind of world would be a lot easier to make if you weren’t in it.”

“No, that’s not right.” The Heavenly Demon shook his head and glanced back at Isabella, Cassia, and Riarc. “The ones who need to disappear... are them, not me.”

The blue flame burning in his eyes flared ominously.

“I gave you a chance. I told you that if you sacrificed Vega, you could completely erase the Black Heaven inside me.”

He had spent an eternity preparing for that one goal: to see a world where Song Ha-Eun could live in peace.

Even as his memories disappeared day by day, even through agony no different from death, he endured and clung only to that one wish.

“But you ruined it all.”

All he needed was Song Ha-Eun. Nothing else mattered.

He gritted his teeth and glared at Kwon Oh-Jin. “Because of those insignificant precious people of yours... You threw away the last chance I gave you.”

“Insignificant? Did you really just say that?”

“Yeah, that’s right. They’re all insignificant. Cassia, Isabella, and that mutt or whatever it is.”

How could he possibly call those things precious?

“Do you still not get what really matters? There’s only one person you’re allowed to call precious.”

“That’s just what you think.”

“No. No, it’s not. How many times do I have to tell you before it sinks in? You are me. You have to be me. You, who couldn’t even protect Ha-Eun! You, who would’ve been nothing without my help. You don’t have the right to call anyone else precious! The only person you’re allowed to call that is Ha-Eun. No one else. No one. Got it?”

He had given up everything and still couldn’t protect her, so how could this version possibly dream of protecting anyone else?

“You should think only of Ha-Eun—”

Just then, Song Ha-Eun cut him off sharply and stepped forward. “Oh, shut the hell up already. What are you, my mom or something? Who the hell gave you the right to decide whether I’m the only one he can care about?”

“Ha-Eun...”

“Don’t you dare call my name, you jerk.” She stomped forward, grabbed the Heavenly Demon by the collar, and yanked him close. “Listen up, you little bastard. I’m the one who gave Kwon Oh-Jin permission to date other girls, so keep your damn mouth shut. Got it?”

At Song Ha-Eun’s bombshell declaration, the Heavenly Demon’s expression froze cold.

“Ha-Eun...”

Watching Song Ha-Eun grip the Heavenly Demon by the collar, Kwon Oh-Jin covered his face with both hands.

“Why would you say it like that? You’re making me sound like I’m trash.”