Morning arrived with a bright shine, filling the world with energy and promise.
For most people, it was the start of another ordinary day.
For Rey—
It was anything but.
He woke up feeling strangely heavy, his mind still fogged by what had happened the previous night. Pushing himself out of bed, he walked into the bathroom and splashed water on his face, hoping to wash away the lingering unease.
That was when he noticed it.
His gaze froze on his left hand.
One finger was dark.
Not bruised.
Not dirty.
Dark, as if a ring were wrapped tightly around it.
His breath caught.
"…So it wasn't a dream."
The memories from last night rushed back.
The white space.
The beating.
The ring was raging like a living thing.
What he had brushed off as exhaustion or illusion now stood before him as undeniable reality.
The ring had merged with him.
It wasn't worn.
It was embedded.
Like a tattoo carved directly into his existence.
Rey tried scrubbing it with water.
Nothing changed.
He rubbed harder.
Still nothing.
His expression darkened as a dangerous thought crossed his mind.
If washing didn't work—
He raised a blade.
Before it could touch his skin, a sharp pain exploded inside his head.
"Argh—!"
He staggered back, clutching his skull.
Aiden's warning was clear.
No escape.
Rey let out a long breath and returned to his room, sitting down on the edge of his bed. His face looked calm, almost blank.
But the trio inside him knew better.
The storm inside his heart was anything but quiet.
"Aiden…" Rey finally spoke.
His voice was low.
"Telling me honestly… am I really going to sink into this destiny? Becoming the heir of some terrifying family or whatever this thing belongs to?"
Silence followed.
Aiden didn't answer immediately.
His emotions were tangled, heavy, complicated.
He had known this day would come.
But knowing and saying it were two very different things.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Rey… I know you wanted a normal life. But ever since we met, you already knew that door was closed. The path behind you is gone, erased by time itself."
Rey clenched his fists.
"If you want the truth," Aiden continued, "then you must accept the reality you're standing in. Follow our guidance. Otherwise, this world that's about to change will crush you."
Rey remained silent.
Then he laughed softly.
Not happily.
Not bitterly.
Just… resolved.
"When I helped you rescue Zero from that factory, I already felt it. My life was never going to stay normal. Whether I wanted it or not, I was going to be dragged into something messy."
He looked up.
"So go ahead. Tell me everything. If I'm going to sink, I'll sink knowing how to survive."
Aiden watched him carefully.
"…From this point onward, my host, I'll prepare you even to survive the abyss."
Rey's eyebrow twitched.
"But will I actually survive the abyss?"
"Oh for the love of—!" Aiden snapped. "It's a metaphor, kid! Now shut up and listen unless you want to die clueless."
"No, no, I'm listening," Rey quickly said, clasping his hands. "Please enlighten me, oh all-knowing Aiden. Tell me about my mysterious family surname."
Aiden paused.
Then exhaled slowly.
"…Fine."
"Millions of years ago, during my previous master's era—"
"Wait," Rey interrupted. "No heroic flashbacks. Just the important part."
Aiden's aura flared dangerously.
"…You're lucky I'm restrained."
He continued anyway.
"Back then, my master was a Tier 9 being striving for the Tenth Tier. During one of his explorations, he discovered a hidden data site in the deepest layer of the Abyss."
"What was recorded there was a family."
"Their name was Shadow Throne."
Rey stiffened.
"A family that never has more than two members alive at the same time. No bloodline births. No inheritance through birth. Every member is taken in… chosen."
"The requirements?" Aiden shook his head. "Unknown."
"Their descriptions were terrifying. Emotionless. Ruthless. Self-centered. Beings who wielded an Origin-grade Law of Darkness."
"Each of them."
"Unique."
"Unmatched."
"With power enough to dominate cosmic rivers and realms I can't even name due to restrictions."
Rey swallowed.
"But there was a flaw," Aiden continued. "None of them ever surpassed the Eighth Tier. Either they died early… or were consumed by their own laws."
"That gave my master confidence."
"…Until he met one."
Rey's breath slowed.
"In the Abyss, my master encountered a man who fit every description. His presence felt nonexistent, his face beautiful beyond reason, yet devoid of emotion."
"A peak Tier 8."
"They fought."
"My master won."
"But at a cost."
"The data site was erased. My master was gravely injured. And the man's foundation was shattered, forcing him to flee."
Aiden's voice grew darker.
"No one ever found him again."
"We thought he vanished."
"…But fate is cruel."
"I never imagined he would hide in a low-level cosmos."
A chill ran down Rey's spine.
"The beings who wounded my master…" Aiden said quietly. "…have now become my new host's lineage."
Rey finally understood.
The ring.
The beating.
The destiny.
It wasn't random.
"…So that's it," Rey murmured. "I didn't inherit a treasure."
"I inherited a curse."
Aiden didn't deny it.