That place felt like heaven—
but not the kind of heaven created by humans.
Here, light did not shine.
It flowed.
The sky did not depend on a single color;
it chose its own shade every moment—
sometimes calm blue,
sometimes golden,
sometimes so pale
that it felt as if even the wind asked permission before moving.
When the wind passed through, it did not merely move the leaves—
it touched the deepest corners of the heart.
With every breath,
old exhaustion,
old pain,
and the questions that kept one awake at night—
all slowly fell silent.
The ground was soft,
as if a mother herself was holding everything in her arms.
The fragrance of flowers carried no sweetness,
but the weight of memories—
a weight that did not hurt,
only reminded you
that once, you were whole.
Somewhere far away, water flowed.
Its sound was not loud,
yet it was so deep
that it felt as if time itself had stopped there
just to breathe.
And the strangest thing—
There was silence.
But it was not empty.
That silence was watching.
Understanding.
And anyone who stood in that place
felt as if the world had accepted them
for the first time, without conditions.
This was heaven—
a place where one did not wish to live,
but simply wished to remain.
And at the center of that heaven…
Stood a vast palace.
It did not seem to be built of stone—
it felt as if centuries of memories
had solidified into walls.
Its towers did not touch the sky,
yet the sky never drifted far from them.
All around the palace,
the words of Vicky's poem floated in the air—
not merely as verses,
but as fragments of an ancient promise.
Then—
A voice.
Gentle. Warm.
"At last… the time is finally approaching."
There was joy in that voice.
Anticipation.
And a closeness that needed no name.
"I can hardly wait…"
the voice said softly, smiling.
No form appeared.
No origin was revealed.
And then—
The scene shifted.
Vicky's eyes slowly opened.
He was back in the mysterious city.
His heart felt heavy,
as if something had touched him—
but refused to let go.
Eren was sitting beside him.
"Are you okay?" Eren asked.
Vicky nodded slightly.
Eren stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke—
"There's something I wanted to ask."
Vicky looked at him.
"You never told us your power level,"
Eren said carefully.
"Are you… on the same level as Luka?"
Vicky was about to answer—
When Luka's expression hardened.
He remained silent,
but his thoughts raced.
I've grown extremely powerful,
Luka admitted to himself.
Powerful enough that ordinary mages or warriors cannot be compared to me.
His eyes closed.
But…
not powerful enough—
His thought froze.
"…to be compared to the Creator or the Destroy—"
The sentence never finished.
The world shattered before Luka's eyes.
A vision.
A lone figure stood suspended in the air.
Vicky.
Blood drifted around him—
yet he did not look wounded.
He was calm.
Terrifyingly calm.
His eyes were empty,
as if death itself had chosen its most beautiful form.
No rage.
No mercy.
Only—
the end.
Luka's soul trembled.
His knees weakened.
"Luka?" Kael reached out to steady him.
Luka snapped his eyes open.
Sweat ran down his forehead.
He took a deep breath.
"I…"
his voice trembled.
"…I'm not completely free from the curse yet."
Silence fell.
Vicky looked at Luka.
There was no shock in his eyes.
No fear.
Only a deep, understanding stillness.
Somewhere within the city—
Something smiled.
And far, far away—
Someone's waiting grew stronger.