We arrived at a quiet military airport, far from the collapsed spiritual barrier, where we were greeted by James, looking better than he had in a long time.

The worn-out, exhausted look he had when we left James City had faded significantly.

He briefly looked surprised when he saw me standing awkwardly on two feet, wearing the plump White Maw, with a scowl on my face. But James quickly turned his attention to Yerin.

"First of all, I need to say thank you. I received word just a moment ago—my secretary was admitted to a hospital in Korea with serious injuries. I’m sure it was thanks to your help that they made it. Truly, thank you."

Yerin waved her hands dismissively in response to his thanks.

"No, no, really. If anything, I barely survived because of your secretary’s driving skills."

James, suggesting we sit down and talk, guided us inside the airport.

He led us through the facility at a leisurely pace, explaining the airport's layout. It was a simple and barren place, as expected of a military airport, but there were a few convenience facilities, as if they had made some preparations for our arrival.

James brought us into a makeshift lounge in one of the airport hangars, where temporary walls had been set up. He directed us to the plush chairs inside.

On the table were all kinds of snacks—most of which were my favorites.

Munch, munch.

I quickly sat down, grabbed a large tub of pudding, and began eating slowly.

James, after sitting down and grabbing a snack from the table, started the conversation.

"I recommended that place as a tourist spot, but I feel ashamed now. I never expected the spiritual barrier to collapse like that. When it comes to Object-related issues, you can never be certain."

Yerin, nibbling on a small jelly, shook her head.

"How could you have predicted something like this, James?"

"Still, I can’t help but ask—do you have any idea what happened? What was going on?"

"I’m not sure myself. When I woke up, the barrier was already in flames. The Reaper might know, but I couldn’t ask."

Yerin glanced at the back of my head as I continued to devour my pudding.

"When I woke up, the sky was already red, and the Reaper had vanished. The spiritual barrier was burning, and James’s secretary showed up, telling us to escape immediately, so we rushed out of the hotel."

"Then we crashed into something, flew off the motorcycle, and by some miracle, the Reaper found us in time. Both the secretary and I survived because of that. That’s all I know."

Just like Yerin said, it had been an incredibly close call.

What if I’d delayed, trying to recover more energy? Things could’ve gone horribly wrong.

"I see. In the end, we’ll just have to wait for the investigation results. Right now, the Object Association suspects it’s connected to the recent surge in 'Object drugs.'"

James, noticing Yerin’s awkward posture, spoke again.

"Your complexion looks fine, but you seem uncomfortable. Are you injured?"

"Yeah, I think I broke a rib when I flew off the bike, but I feel a bit better now. I think the Blue Reaper did something. I’ll probably need a proper checkup when I get back to Korea."

"So, you’re planning to return to Korea, then."

Yerin nodded in response to James’s calm question.

"I think I should. My body’s not in great shape, and I get the feeling the Reaper also wants to go back."

Surprised by Yerin’s unexpected response, I looked up from my pudding and stared at her.

I thought she’d suggest going somewhere else for fun, knowing her personality. Maybe her condition was worse than I realized?

But from what I could tell, she didn’t seem bad enough to require us to move through the Mini Reaper Garden and head back to the Sehee Lab.

James glanced at my face briefly after hearing Yerin’s words.

‘?’

Then, turning back to Yerin, he spoke.

"In that case, take my private jet when you return."

"Wow, really?"

Yerin's face lit up with excitement as she grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"Looks like we’ll get to ride the private jet again!"

Yerin beamed with joy at the thought of us flying together again.

I had been considering teleporting back by myself quietly, but it seemed that plan was off the table now…

Knock knock.

A soft knock echoed from the wooden door above us.

"It looks like the plane is ready."

James stood up and said, "See you next time, in Korea. We’re planning to build James Tower there, so I’m sure we’ll meet again soon."

Yerin stood up and lifted me off my chair, pudding in hand.

"Let’s go home."

Her gentle voice rang softly in my ears.

And so ended our difficult journey in America, full of powerful Objects.

In the ever-bright and cozy atmosphere of the Mini Reaper Garden, night never truly falls, but if it did, this moment would be the closest thing to night.

The Mini Reapers had begun returning to the garden after helping people near the collapsed spiritual barrier.

Gathered in the center of the garden, the Golden Reapers shared their tales of bravery, boasting about the humans they had met.

There were sad stories of humans who had perished, heroic tales of saving lives, and happy stories of receiving kindness from people.

As they held hands and shared these experiences, sorrow melted away, and joy grew.

Sorrow diminished when shared, and joy multiplied.

What remained were a hundred different stories about a hundred different people.

The Golden Reapers were always cheerful and excited when they talked about humans.

Hop hop.

Laughing brightly, the Golden Reapers exchanged energy and stories.

Then, some of the Golden Reapers noticed something and turned their gaze to the sky.

A black, round sphere had appeared in the air.

Curious, one of the Golden Reapers stared intently at the sphere, wondering.

What is that?

Is it a toy that mom prepared?

The Golden Reapers, who had been looking up, exchanged glances with each other.

A silent determination passed between them in the soft light of the Mini Reaper Garden, and they began constructing something.

Tup tup.

The Golden Reapers scattered in all directions, tearing pieces of marshmallow into square bricks.

They began stacking them under the black sphere.

Hard cookie sticks became the pillars, and thin biscuits formed the steps.

As the Golden Reapers joyfully built together, as if playing with clay, a tall tower quickly rose.

A tower high enough to reach the sphere.

Once the tower was complete, the most curious and daring Golden Reaper slowly climbed up.

The others held their breath and watched from below.

Step by step, the Golden Reaper ascended the marshmallow bricks, drawing closer to the black sphere.

Though the cookie tower wobbled precariously, the Golden Reaper carefully balanced and climbed to the top.

Ta-da!

Standing on the shaky top of the cookie tower, the Golden Reaper raised both hands and smiled brightly, striking a pose.

It was a triumphant gesture, celebrating the achievement of climbing to the top.

The other Golden Reapers, who had been watching in awe, began hopping up and down, cheering their companion’s success.

Smiling, the Golden Reaper on top of the tower took a determined leap.

The target—the black sphere floating in the sky!

As the Golden Reaper fell through the air, preparing for impact, the black sphere, which had seemed hard, surprisingly absorbed the Reaper gently.

Crossing the boundary, the Golden Reaper found themselves in a desolate space.

Inside the black sphere was an endless expanse.

Ruins of destroyed Objects.

A land tainted with black sludge.

And lying on the ground was something enormous—something vast and hollow.

The Golden Reaper, stepping cautiously through the eerie landscape, soon spotted a piece of the enormous thing that had broken off.

As the fragment melted away, it transformed into a shape identical to the Golden Reaper.

From the antennae to the toes, it became an exact replica of the Golden Reaper.

The only difference was that its skin was black, and its energy glowed white instead of golden.

Tilting its head in confusion, the Golden Reaper watched as the black Reaper mirrored the movement.

When the Golden Reaper raised a hand, the black Reaper did the same. When it jumped, the black Reaper followed.

At first confused, the Golden Reaper began to find it amusing and smiled brightly, reaching out a hand.

The black Reaper, like a reflection in a mirror, reached out as well, and they clasped hands. The Golden Reaper grinned widely.

"A new sibling?"

It felt different, but the black Reaper gave off the same sense of being a sibling.

The Golden Reaper felt pure happiness and excitement at the thought of gaining a new sibling.

As if influenced by that joy, the black Reaper’s energy slowly began to glow yellow, and it smiled faintly in return.

In a place unknown to the Gray Reaper, another child had been born.

Late evening, Sehee Research Lab.

The Cute Dog, exhausted, trudged back to its kennel and slumped down in front of it.

Running around with the tireless Golden Reapers every day had left the Cute Dog completely worn out.

In its bowl was the special treat it got once a month.

As it ate, the Cute Dog stared wistfully at the ceiling.

It thought of the good old days, when it ate much better food every day.

The happy times when every human around it moved for its sake.

But those joyful days were long gone, leaving only memories to sadden the Cute Dog.

"All that’s left is you," it muttered, resting its paw on the large golden kennel.

Tap.

But the touch felt strange.

It was light.

A horrible thought crossed the Cute Dog's mind, and it unsheathed its claws, scratching hard at the kennel.

What was revealed was a harsh truth.

As the gold plating peeled away, the kennel’s gray plastic interior was exposed.

"Nooo!"

Overcome with the harsh reality, the Cute Dog shed tears and fainted from the emotional shock.