A sickly haze of golden glow settled in the sky of Agatha, waiting for the sun to burn it away as mid-dawn arrived.

Chilled air flew across the street and flowed through tree branches that danced peacefully under the moon’s glow, even after losing their leaves in the late afternoon.

Burnt leaves lifted and drifted toward the Blackscale Citadel, following the direction of the moving wind.

The large window on the third floor of the Citadel had frozen. When the leaves slammed against it once, they fell softly onto the outside sill. Inside, sharp breath splashed against the other side of the glass, keeping it warm despite the frost on the exterior.

Hei Yung stood there scratching his chin with his left fingers while staring at the bruised shade of the violet and slate sky.

’It’s time I inform him,’ he said to himself. He pulled a mini-smart device from his trouser pocket, a puck not meant for Agatha’s data transmission.

When he pressed the red button at the center of the smooth obsidian device, it felt cold even in his warm palm.

A faint sound echoed from the device, followed by a single line of green text that scrolled across the two-inch screen: CONNECTION SECURED.

Hei Yung moved the device to his left ear and smiled.

"He has crossed the threshold," he said in a voice stripped of its authoritative tone. "The solar signature was detected in a death fight he was forced to embark on."

A static hiss echoed for two seconds before a shocked voice came through the small speaker. "We saw the sky change in the same way it did on the night of the 11th Alchemania’s Special Training Program. The very day the academy got its purpose and lost its credibility. He is now a B-rank, isn’t he? Luo."

Hei Yung’s hands shook for a second, then tightened around the device. "You said he couldn’t manifest to that rank until he was twenty-five. If he hadn’t stopped himself, he would have leveled the entire Eastgate, let alone half of Agatha, with that energy."

"You worry too much about the walls of Agatha," the voice echoed with a chilled calm. "We have been tracking the boy’s biological rhythm since the day his father was taken off the scene. Since he survived the place that took your lover from you, he is no longer the weak boy who knew nothing of what he possessed. We should take measures before he becomes unstoppable."

Hei Yung shifted his gaze to the dark floor behind him. He muted the call when he saw a shadow stretching toward the door.

He remained calm, holding the device in a closed palm until the shadow finally drew back. He walked slowly to the door, peeked his head out, and closed it after seeing Hayes descending the staircase at his left.

’Hayes? Was he here the whole time?’ he thought as he walked back to the window. ’Never mind. He knows who Leon really is now and cannot do anything about it.’

He took a deep breath, then placed the device back to his ear while slowly closing and opening his eyes. "The Seol-Mujins are terrified now."

"Really? Did the two old folks come or was it a different squad this time?"

A faint smile tore across Hei Yung’s face as he replayed Hayes’s expression when Leon dashed forward and hooked Tiger by the neck. "They came to seize countries but ended up getting their faces slapped by a twenty-two-year-old Storm."

"Doesn’t that mark Leon as a threat to them?"

Hei Yung’s expression shifted as the image of Lord Luo Fang seeing Leon’s solar energy flashed in his head. "Yes, it marks him as a threat, but the more they dig, the more they will find the true Destroyer power Leon wields."

A cold laughter echoed from the other end and then stopped. "By the time they find the truth, his manifestation will be complete. Keep him isolated for the time being. The synchronization between him and the suit should reach at least a ninety percent rate. When that happens, he will be able to take on his father’s legacy."

"And if he doesn’t?" Hei Yung asked while slowly brushing his palms on the window. "He is grieving for his teammates that were killed at Tartarus."

"Grief is the best thing to fuel the fire we need in him. Prepare him for another mission in Tartarus to strengthen that grief. The world needs to see its new god, even if he has to turn Tartarus upside down."

A sharp, electronic pop echoed as the connection severed. Hei Yung smiled at his reflection in the window. He burned the device using a flicker of his lightning.

He stood motionless as the smoke from the burnt device drifted around him, then shifted his gaze to the lightning moving slowly along his arms and smiled.

When he walked out of the room, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead while he placed his left palm in his pocket.

The moment he descended to the ground floor, Hei Luo and Lu Wang were standing there with shocked faces.

Hayes stood in front of them, showing a video on his device. Hayes’s eyes lit with a newfound warmth when he saw Hei Yung approaching.

Behind him, the hums of birds filled the sky as the first light of morning appeared and gave the sky its warmth.

---

Crows flying above the ceiling of Agatha Special Forces Memorial Hospital flapped their wings slowly. They descended toward a second-floor room that had its window open.

One dirty crow shifted its big eyes to the human bandaged from head to toe and began sending out a happy cry. It hopped into the room, scanned the area, and finally stopped on the bed.

The crow tilted its head as it looked at the only part of the face left untouched by bandages. It struck with its beak.

"Ouch!" Tiger jolted awake with a scream as blood slowly drifted out of his right eye.

He tried shoving the crow off, but the more he resisted, the more electrified pain lanced through him. The crow did not leave. It only flew away after plucking out both of Tiger’s eyes and swallowing them.