The instant the particle cannon hit him full force, Trinity didn’t even have time to hesitate. He poured out the last of his strength, tearing open a portal and hurling himself into Cosmic City’s future.

His body crashed onto the bed of a cargo truck in the middle of a rainstorm, then bounced off, body tumbling across the asphalt—limbs flailing, rag doll discarded in traffic. By some miracle, he was still breathing.

Are we really running from them…?

Trinity was battered so badly a normal human would be ICU-bound. But that wasn’t an option for him. Stumbling into the city in this condition would trip every alarm—a burning factory siren screaming down the block. Surrounding the metropolis was a wall of dense forest—not because of a conservation campaign, but because it was the one condition that had saved this world from annihilation once before.

The forest was worshipped, every tree venerated, the whole expanse treated as the nation’s talisman. Few dared disturb it; anyone wandering too close was branded a lunatic or a drunk lost outside a subway station.

Even so, he had no choice. He staggered into the undergrowth, hiding from prying eyes.

The outer trees looked normal enough. But the deeper he went, the stranger it grew—mutant beasts, primitive monsters that no textbook had ever recorded. Give it five thousand years and maybe they’d evolve into Earth’s new dominant species.

That’s when he saw them—tiny translucent beings, no larger than fingertips, drifting in the air with a pale, jellyfish glow. One became ten. Ten became hundreds, swirling all around him.

“Get lost, you useless bugs!” Trinity snarled, swatting at them. But some latched onto his wounds, numbing the searing pain. His eyelids grew heavy. His body collapsed into darkness before he even realized.

When he opened his eyes, he had no idea how long he’d been out. He rose slowly—every wound gone, not a scar left.

Mist blanketed the forest. Survival horror, live edition. His body moved forward on instinct alone. Ahead, a fissure split the rock face, radiating a pulse that called to him, the very rhythm of destiny itself.

He didn’t hesitate. He stepped closer.

Because deep down, Trinity knew—inside that cavern was the one thing he had searched for his entire life.

Fate is on my side after all…

Meanwhile, on another world—Eden.

Skyler, Zoe, Roxy, Emilia, and Len combed the floating island inch by inch, making sure no Reaper had slipped through the cracks.

They’d won against the greatest enemy they’d ever faced, and yet… scars, rubble, and ashes across Eden remained too fresh to be called ‘memories.’

Emilia led the group,scanning the ruins with calm precision, posture ready for anything. Skyler trailed close behind, gaze heavy with grief at the devastation. He forced himself back into optimism.

“At least… it’s quiet now.”

No one answered.

He turned to Zoe, desperate to break the silence. “…Worried about Nine?”

She nodded. Whatever warmth she carried had faded, smothered by worry.

“…He’ll be fine.” Skyler’s attempt at comfort was clumsy at best.

Len, as usual, said nothing.

Roxy brought up the rear, silent as a predator on the prowl, instincts drinking in every movement around them.

They reached the island’s great waterfall. Mist caught sunlight, breaking into a rainbow across the spray.

“This should be the last place a Reaper could hide,” Emilia murmured, exhaling as if the words themselves lifted a weight.

The team looked exhausted, eyelids heavy with gravity. Emilia spoke again—her voice cracking.

“I can hardly believe… that Lord Trinity would do something like this.” The ‘Lord’ came out barely above a whisper, heavy with disappointment.

“But at least now… it’s over. From here, I can finally build a family with you…” She turned to Skyler with a radiant smile.

Wait, when did I agree to that?!

Skyler forced a thin smile back, unsure if she was joking.

“The damage from this battle… it’s far too much to call it a victory.” Roxy’s tone sliced through, facts unsoftened.

“Don’t be so grim. At least everyone’s safe—including your mother. We’ve prepared for this for years, so it won’t repeat what happened twelve years ago.” Emilia’s reassurance trailed into a stare at Len, wordless since they’d started walking.

“I say we help the ones suffering most first. Use our skills, our resources, to rebuild faster.” The redhead stuck to her iron tone.

“Don’t worry about that,” Emilia cut in, gently but firmly.

But even in this quiet, Roxy’s gut twisted. Something was wrong. And she’d noticed Skyler had been off since they left the castle.

She pivoted suddenly. “You can feel Trinity’s power lingering, can’t you?”

Skyler jolted so hard one foot slipped into the water. He nodded, reluctant.

“What do you mean?” Zoe’s brows knotted.

“He and Trinity are connected somehow,” Roxy said, arms folded, her manner steady. “Maybe from the professor’s fragments, maybe something else. What matters is—he still feels it.”

“You sure know a lot, don’t you?” Zoe shot back, harsher than she meant, even she couldn’t explain why irritation bubbled up.

Roxy ignored her, raising her voice. “We need to return to Gaia. If Trinity’s alive, that’s where he’ll strike.”

But in the back of her mind, another worry festered—Ellie. Where was she? The only one who might hold that answer… was Gaia.

After a short rest, they set off toward the cavern village. They walked alert, every step doubled as a search.

Then—BOOM! A blast rattled the earth. Dust choked the air.

Roxy, Emilia, and Len snapped into battle stances.

As the haze cleared, a pink-haired girl burst through, flashing a peace sign before darting straight past the three and straight for Skyler in the rear.

“Just stretching a bit—don’t be such worrywarts.” Zoe shrugged.

Emilia chuckled in her throat. “This girl’s got endless energy. If you ever want to spar, come to me.”

“You’ll spar with me, auntie~?” Zoe piped up with faux innocence, voice pitched to make the auntie sting.

Emilia’s smile froze. The aura around her shifted—from fighter, to hunter, to executioner.

“Say that again,” she growled, low and slow, “and I’ll drown you in that waterfall and bury you under every stone on this island.”

The brat arched a brow. “Auntie's mad? Oops! Didn’t mean it… just calling it like I see it~” She hummed a tune.

“You little—! You’re dead today!” Emilia roared, the very picture of a veteran idol fan being called ‘granny’ at a K-pop concert.

Roxy and Len averted their gazes, speed-walking ahead, refusing involvement.

Skyler felt a jab at his side. “Move, unless you want collateral damage.” He sprinted forward as shrieks, stomps, and explosions erupted behind them.

Seriously… is this training, or straight-up war?

Not much farther, they reached the cave mouth. Too quiet. Too still.

Len halted, turned to Skyler, and spoke without looking at him. “I’ll scout the perimeter.”

“You sure you don’t want to go in together?” Skyler asked, already knowing the answer.

“I don’t like people,” Len recited, then slipped into the tree shadows—ghost exit, no special effects required.

The Kid wasn’t as cold as when darkness consumed them, but small talk clearly wasn’t their thing. Or maybe… they just hated Skyler. Hard to tell.

“…Do they always act like this?” Skyler muttered.

“If by ‘always’ you mean retreating into loneliness instead of people—yes.” Roxy sighed, leading them into the craggy shadows.

The two vanished into stone and shadow, leaving Len outside, the cave mouth swallowing what little glow remained.

Inside the cavern…

The place was too quiet. A chill wind threaded through narrow stone cracks, each gust pricking their skin with invisible needles. Each step echoed back at them, as if a phantom double followed in their wake.

Ancient carvings etched into the walls glimmered faintly—patterns that weren’t meaningless scribbles but symbols in a language no human alive could read. Overhead, the ceiling bristled with stalactites, droplets fell in patient rhythm, each refracting shimmer into threads of glass—strands of heaven woven through the dark.

Then—half buried in stone—stood a weatherworn sign.
Curved letters, painstakingly carved, shone clear even after centuries of wear:

New Lamuna Valley.