Wake up.

“Ugh…” Mine groaned, opening his heavy eyes. He blinked a few times until he came back to his senses.

His surroundings were odd. Darkness swallowed the space around him, yet he could still see the ground and the horizon. He stood in something liquid – that was at least certain – but the water was murky and deep. The horizon stretched endlessly, unnaturally flat as if the world had been stripped of depth. Beneath his bare feet, the ground was something else entirely—moist but never truly wet, soft yet refusing to yield, like stepping on half-solid jelly.

No smells in the air, no sounds, nor light. Only sensations on the skin, like the humidity, the water beneath his feet, and the cold wind that blew his cloak and hair.

Lowering his head, Mine caught a glimpse of his reflection. What he saw was as otherworldly as the landscape. A semi-transparent cloak draped over his bare body whose skin– now a deep shade of violet – was covered in glowing scriptures. He was the light source in that pitch-black place.

His body wasn't exactly human, nor his facial features, but he knew the reflected being was him, and it then turned into his usual appearance – at least the outlines. Mine let out a soft gasp, and his breath shimmered, breaking into glowing specks that drifted through the dense air. As they touched the strange surface below, they vanished without a trace.

“Oh no…” Mine muttered, his breath hitching.

Mine rose to his feet, his toes curling against the strange, watery surface. He stepped forward, but his legs faltered, sending him to his knees. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up again.

“I need to get out of here,” Mine urged.

The ethereal cloak billowed behind him as he broke into a run, sprinting toward the unknown. He ran, and ran, and ran until his body felt incredibly light and his speed curiously increased even more. The surface beneath him rippled with each step as if he were barely touching it at all.

A glimmer of white on the horizon caught Mine’s eye—a marble throne, adorned with gold, standing alone in the endless void. As he drew closer, its intricate details became more evident. The carvings and embellishments were so elaborate, so impossibly precise, that no words could fully capture their design.

Mine slowed his steps, stopping just two paces from the throne. His hair floated weightlessly, drifting as if submerged—just like it had on the train.

Someone was beside it.

"You came," a gentle voice murmured from the throne.

Mine exhaled, his sharp senses dulling for the first time. He let out a weary sigh. "Did I have a choice?" he asked, his voice laced with sorrow.

The figure shifted, dissolving into a glowing orb that bounced atop the throne like a playful rabbit. It flitted through the air, drifting from one spot to another before finally settling on the grand seat—fitting into place as if it had always belonged there. Its form was hard to define at first, shifting and flickering like a mirage. But soon, it settled—gradually taking shape into a mirrored version of Mine, yet more ethereal.

“I love when you come to visit me!” The being said and hopped off the throne. It excitedly held both of Mine’s hands as it jumped with joy.

Mine sighed, blowing out every bitterness, “Ah… I’m tired of dying this way…” he muttered, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

But the creature showed no sign of distress—quite the opposite. It radiated joy, a beaming smile stretching across its face as if nothing could shake its delight. Then, without warning, a faint pattern began to form on Mine’s wrist, its delicate lines etched into his skin. The creature’s expression wavered.

“That’s not fair!” The creature protested.

Mine looked at its glowing eyes, confused. “What’s not fair?”

The creature raised one of Mine’s hands, showing the pattern formed. “You’ll come back early, that’s a pity! So that guy really helped us,” it chuckled mockingly. “At least his eyes were charming… hm… his name… what was his name again…? Ah! Addai!!”

A sharp, jolting sensation crawled across Mine’s skin, sending a cold weight plunging into his gut, as deep and dark as the floor beneath him. His eyes narrowed, razor-sharp.

"Come again?" he asked, his voice steady, though a storm raged just beneath the surface.

Addai! He’s such an interesting guy indeed!" The creature beamed while jumping on its spot like a child. "Aw he has an adorable face~ his touch is also nice! It would be nicer if he weren't freaking out! Hahahaha!!"

Of all the things Mine wished to keep from Addai, this creature was at the top of the list.

His ill-tempered self? That was manageable.

His rude, sharp-tongued side? He could deal with that.

His stubbornness? He never even tried to hide it.

But his Chronos?

Never. That part of him was meant to stay buried, far from Addai’s eyes.

“Stay away from him,” Mine hissed, and the water below them started getting agitated.

“Huh? I am you, dummy!” The creature laughed out loud. “There’s no way I can stay away from him even if I wanted to hahaha!”

Mine’s heart pounded, his thoughts scattering like shattered glass. His skin prickled, and an unbearable itch spreading like countless needles grazed his flesh. Yet, everything around him felt disturbingly clear—too clear. The creature, the endless darkness, the feverish sharpness of every detail burned into his mind. The sound of crashing waves filled the air, yet the floor beneath him remained unchanged—soft, jelly-like, refusing to ripple or sink, aside from the shallow puddles dotting its surface.

Mine stood perfectly still. And that might have been the worst sign of all.

"It's rare that you're worried about a human..." the creature smiled, avoiding some of Mine's nonverbal spells. "You know... it would be cool if he was as trashy as the previous one! Yeah! This way I would be free once again!! Hahahaha!! 'Just don't kill him', right? You sinner!!"

Mine lunged, his fingers locking around the creature’s throat. A foreign, feral rage surged through him, tightening his grip. But the creature only laughed maniacally, its sounds mingling with the crashing waves. Its body remained relaxed, almost amused, as the veil draped over its back slipped free, drifting weightlessly into the dense air.

"He'll treat you like a whore!!" the creature laughed but showed no resistance. "And here you are, trying to kill me!!! You tried it before. But what happened? You died again!!”

"SHUT UP!!!" Mine yelled.

Overwhelmed by the euphoria surging through his veins, Mine hurled the creature against the throne. The impact cracked its pristine form, shattering it. Yet, even in ruin, the throne retained an eerie beauty.

Glowing specks of energy coiled around the wreckage, encircling both the throne and the creature, who rose lazily from the debris. It wore the same unsettling smile as before. Then, as the luminous mist raged around it, a wild, echoing laughter erupted from its throat.

“C’mon! Don’t be like that!!” The creature yelled, its laughter buzzing in Mine’s ears. “You want to play? I’m up to it!! But don’t cry when I–”

A blinding beam of light preceded a loud crashing sound.

Both figures were thrown in opposite directions, crashing into the once-flat, watery surface. This time, the floor shifted– no longer smooth. It churned and swelled like a storm-tossed sea. Among the tidal waves beneath him, Mine pushed himself up, staggering slightly before steadying his steps. He didn’t drown in that sea– much the contrary. He floated above the waters, each step leaving a trail of glowing light in his wake as if the very ocean bent to his will.

When Mine raised his face, the last remnants of his humanity had vanished. It was hidden by an adorned white mask with golden details, showing only the glowing eyes that didn't match the skin, that looked like a dark cocoon. His body wasn't clear to witness, nor did it have a specific shape. The only thing that made him visible was the mask and the thin, golden cloak that covered his 'body'.

Popping beside Mine, the creature joyfully clapped its hands. “Hahahaha!! Release your anger!! Release it with me!!”

Mine said something in a foreign language, and the being was slammed on the ground. Sinking in the murky and vicious waters, that creature laughed, letting bubbles of air rise as its body sank. Before Mine could follow, the beast suddenly burst upward, striking him with brutal speed. The impact sent him skimming across the water’s surface like a skipping stone. Then, he came to a sudden halt, face-down—yet, somehow, he did not sink.

Slow, steady steps approached Mine. With each inch closer, bursts of electricity surged through his veins, but he didn’t move—well, he couldn’t. The creature stepped onto his back, forcing him to stay face-down.

"You know..." the creature whispered, bending closer to Mine’s ear, "...we shouldn’t trust humans, remember? That pipsqueak. Yeah, the one you’re squirming about right now." It chuckled as Mine let out a low growl. "What if that Addai is the same?"

Mine didn’t respond—his silence thick, almost as if he were choking.

“Okay, I’ll cut some slack for him. He’s confusing, I get it. But there’s one thing I can’t understand…” it said, forcing its feet on Mine’s back as if trying to crush him.

But Mine, once again, didn’t answer.

The creature let out a mocking chuckle and planted its feet beside Mine, who didn’t flinch.

“I don’t understand why you waver for him,” it hissed. “After all his rudeness and stubbornness, your essence shifts when he’s near, and you become utterly useless.”

It sneered. “But he’s even dumber! He knelt before us after we fell from the train, clutching the instability’s core—the very one we absorbed. I was ready to burst, to repair our body, and then he put those filthy hands on your chest! And just like that, I was forced to let your body die because his energy was suffocating!”

Chills took over Mine’s body. If he fell from the train and Addai was next to him…

The creature turned Mine’s body, its maddened expression not hiding its anger. "But for what? For you? Ha! Nonsense!”

The mask covering Mine’s face morphed. Once white and gold, it shifted to white and blue. The sharp, piercing eyes softened, turning mellow and teary. The adornments transformed, now covering only his eyes. The once-brilliant glow dimmed, fading into nothing, and beneath the left eye, a single teardrop was etched.

A drop of metallic liquid fell from the mask’s eyes, staining the floor with gold. Below them, the once-stormy waters slowly stilled, settling into an eerie calm.

The creature’s madness also changed, as if the flames steadied and lowered. It let out a low sigh and sat beside Mine.

“Why are you sad? He’s fucking alive. That thing is difficult to kill, you know that?” The creature grumbled. Defeated at the glowing tears rolling down the mask, it started wiping them. “C’mon, stop crying. You need to recover to go back to the living world, remember?”

The being helped Mine to his feet, draping its own cloak over him. His mask remained unchanged, so the being altered it instead—shifting its features until the teardrop beneath his eye transformed into a star.

“I’m tired…” Mine mumbled, feeling his body exhausted.

“I know,” the creature sighed and started walking with Mine.

The floor had returned to its calm state as if nothing had happened, and the throne was restored to its former integrity. The only exception was a few golden scratches at its base, but otherwise, it remained unchanged.

The creature helped Mine to sit on the throne and took that odd mask from his face, placing it on his lap. It sat in front of him and waited until Mine closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

Muttering almost silently, the creature sang some verses but only the end could be clearly heard. “Shall the universe feel the true light of doom? Ethereal beings and convinced sinners… Beautiful liars of death… Chronos, the enchanting beauties of chaos…”