The city formerly known as Washington D.C. had undergone a metamorphosis that defied the maps of the old world. Now bearing the dual name of Backlund, it was the beating heart of South America's new geopolitical reality—a sprawling metropolis where the humid heat of the tropics met the soot-stained elegance of Loen.
Kim Hajin walked through the streets of the "Empress Borough" section of the city, feeling the strange friction of two worlds. To his left, high-tech magi-tech skyscrapers pulsed with neon; to his right, gas-lit brick manors stood silent and imposing.
"Hajin, look! The cotton candy is glowing!"
Evandel tugged at his sleeve, her eyes wide with wonder.
She was wearing the sundress he had bought her in Seoul, a splash of innocence against the backdrop of a world preparing for war.
They spent the day in the "Rain Reign Entertainment Park," a place where illusions and reality blurred.
They rode a carousel powered by low-tier wind fairy and sat in a darkened theater to watch a silent film—a flickering masterpiece about a man that was transported into a ruined magical realm known as the Dream Realm, where he must fight terrifying monsters and other powerful beings just to survive.
'That's an interesting plot. I wonder if the main character survives the next part... What was his name? Sunny?' Hajin made a mental note to watch the sequel.
As the credits rolled, a blue window flickered in Hajin's vision.
[A new 'Story' is germinating!]
[Story 'The Briefest Respite of the Weary Voyager' is wagging its tail!]
Hajin leaned back, a bittersweet pang in his chest.
Home.
The word felt like a phantom limb.
Vibrate.
His smartwatch buzzed.
It was a message from Boss.
[Boss]: Hajinnmm The movin g... wee movE //. Portal is. 3 PM. Clancy. D0n't be late. How do I delete the...
Hajin sighed, a small smile playing on his lips.
Even after everything, Boss still treated a smartwatch like a puzzle box designed by an Outer God.
"Hajin?" Evandel's voice was small. She had stopped eating her glowing cotton candy. "Do you have to leave?"
Hajin turned to her, his heart heavy.
He nodded slowly.
"Can't I go with you?" she asked, reaching out to grab his hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "I'm strong now. I can help."
Hajin knelt, looking her in the eyes.
"Evandel, you have a much more important role. Earth... it's fragile right now. The Astral Barrier is thin. I need you to watch over it. You're the Shield of the Dominion while I'm away."
It was so irresponsible of Hajin. He has always been such a person.
His heart ached.
Evandel's lip quivered.
A single tear escaped, but she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand, her expression hardening into something resembling the "Beast Queen" he had seen in North Hamgyeong.
"Promise," she whispered. "Promise you'll come back."
"I promise," Hajin said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll always find my way back to you."
He looked at the black hawk perched on a nearby lamp post.
"Spartan. Take her back to the Dominion in London."
Evandel hugged him one last time, a crushing embrace that smelled of strawberries and magic. As Spartan let out a sharp cry and the world blurred into a teleportation streak, Hajin stood alone in the center of Backlund, his eyes wet.
London had become the second pillar of Europe, and Clancy Islet was the reason why.
The floating island was a 4.2 square kilometer playground of gold and secrets, hovering 700 meters above the Thames.
Hajin stepped onto the pier, his appearance subtly altered by Aether.
The sentient mass had woven itself into a razor-sharp black suit that seemed to absorb the surrounding light, amplifying his natural presence.
He followed the familiar cobblestone paths toward the Clancy Hall Auction House, feeling a surge of nostalgia.
This was where his journey had truly accelerated in the original story.
He stepped inside and adjusted the mask of Black Lotus.
The room went silent for a heartbeat.
Guests in silk robes from the Northern Superstate, Beyonders in leather coats, and Star Stream Incarnations in futuristic armor all turned to look.
The "Black Lotus" was a name that commanded either reverence or terror.
And he was officialy back on the stage.
Hajin sat at a secluded table.
The auction was a whirlwind of mythic items and sequence potions.
"Sold! To the gentleman in the mask!" the auctioneer cried as Hajin won a [Original Creator's Breath], outbidding a high-ranking noblewoman sitting next to him.
[The Constellation 'Queen of the Darkest Spring' is looking at you.]
Hajin stiffened.
He knew that modifier.
Persephone.
One of the few Constellations Kim Dokja had told him about.
"You have a sharp eye, Black Lotus," a voice whispered in his mind—elegant, cold, and ancient.
"I've heard much about you, Queen," Hajin replied through mental transmission, his tone neutral. "A companion of mine spoke of your grace often."
The Queen let out a melodious laugh that vibrated in his teeth.
"A companion? If he told you about me, he is either very brave or very dead. I look forward to seeing how your 'Story' ends."
Hajin clinked his glass of champagne toward the empty air where her gaze felt heaviest, then stood up, breathing out a sigh of relief.
Dealing with Constellations was every bit as hectic as Dokja had claimed.
Using his [Thousand-Mile Eyes], Hajin scanned the ballroom.
He found them in a private booth at the far end of the hall.
A man over two meters tall, with features like carved granite and an aura of pure violence, sat with a massive plate of meat.
Cheok Jungyeong.
Beside him sat Khalifa, the African-American man in sunglasses, his fingers twitching as he maintained a localized Phase Shift to keep the conversation private.
Also at the table were Droon and a young woman with a gentle, serene aura holding his hand.
Yi Yuri. Hajin remembered the day Chameleon Troupe had liberated her from the Hero Association's "lifespan extension" labs.
But it was the three strangers at the end of the table that made Hajin's [Master Sharpshooter] instincts scream.
He activated [Observation and Reading].
===
Target: Ouroboros
Identity: King of Angels (Pathway: Wheel of Fortune).
Role: The Angel of Fate.
Status: Observing the 'Cycles of Convergence.'
Note: His presence causes the probability of the room to loop.
===
Target: Anna Croft
Identity: Prophet / Sequence 7: Fool Pathway
Role: Leader of Zarathustra/ Member of Apocrypha
Sponsor: One Who Changes His Existence/ Loki/ Wenny King
Status: Analyzing future world-lines.
Left Eye: [The Great Demon's Eye] – Currently glowing a dull red.
===
Target: Audrey Hall
Identity: Sequence 3: Visionary Pathway/ Mrs. Justice
Role: The Dazzling Gem of Backlund / Tarot Club Member.
Companion: A golden retriever named Susie (Sequence 4: Manipulator).
Status: ???
Note: Emits an aura of peace that counters psychological corruption.
===
"Hajin, you're late," Boss said, her eyes flickering with a mix of relief and her usual sternness. She gestured to the newcomers. "The Chameleon Troupe is officially cooperating with the Tarot Club and the Apocrypha for this scenario."
Audrey Hall smiled, her emerald eyes looking through Hajin's mask with a terrifyingly kind perception.
"It is a pleasure to meet the man who sniped a Sea King Serpent. Susie thinks your spirit is... complicated."
"Woof," the golden retriever added, nodding solemnly.
Anna Croft didn't smile.
Her Great Demon's Eye spun slowly.
"The probability of our success has increased by 12.4% since you entered the room, Kim Hajin. Let's not waste it."
Ouroboros remained silent, his silver hair cascading like mercury over his shoulders.
He simply looked at Hajin as if he were seeing a thread of fate that shouldn't exist.
"Khalifa," Boss commanded.
Khalifa stood up, his sunglasses reflecting the swirling colors of a localized spatial collapse.
He raised his hands, and the air behind the table tore open, revealing a portal that pulsed with the blood-red light of the sunken epoch.
"Step through," Khalifa grunted. "This space won't hold the weight of these many 'Statuses' for long."
[All participants for the 'Journey to the West Remake', please move to your assigned starting coordinates.]
As they disappeared into the rift, a system-wide broadcast shook the continent.
['The Shadow of the Sunken Epoch' Scenario is manifesting itself through Europe!]