In the world of the color universe, where it was difficult to gauge the passage of time due to the absence of the sun, a considerable amount of time had passed since the new Black Reaper had arrived.

"Morning!"

The new Black Reaper, who had been sleeping with its soft cheeks pressed against the ground, woke up and jumped to its feet.

Of course, in this place without the sun, the concept of morning didn’t really exist.

As it walked out of the lodging provided by the Black Reapers, the vast stronghold, as always, welcomed the newcomer.

A ceiling so high it couldn’t be seen, the small shining traces of Black Reapers below, and tunnels of Mini Reaper size tangled all around.

At a glance, everything seemed just like before.

But today, something was different.

A lonely and desolate atmosphere.

"No one is here..."

The new Black Reaper looked around with a confused expression.

Just before going to sleep, many Black Reapers had smiled and exchanged goodnight greetings, but now, no one was to be seen.

The Black Reapers who had gathered to see the newcomer, excited to see the "new sibling," had disappeared without a trace.

Ttubang ttubang.

The newcomer walked toward the massive furnace, but even there, no one was present.

Just yesterday, the place had been full of Black Reapers lined up to receive wood from the furnace, but now it was empty.

The giant furnace remained in place, but the flames inside seemed even smaller than before.

With questions swirling in its mind, the new Black Reaper headed toward the training ground, its hesitant steps filled with unease.

"Siblings!"

When the new Black Reaper arrived at the training ground, a Black Reaper with a deep scar over one eye welcomed it.

But, apart from the scarred Reaper, no one else was there.

The vast space was empty, and the lively energy of yesterday was nowhere to be found.

"?"

The new Black Reaper tilted its head in confusion, and the scarred Reaper grinned as it answered.

"Everyone went to sleep!"

"We have to save the wood!"

Then, slowly leading the newcomer out of the training ground, the scarred Reaper added,

"Until Mom comes."

"We need to wait for her."

The scarred Reaper seemed to give off the same vibe as yesterday, but something about it seemed a little different.

The scarred Reaper led the newcomer away from the stronghold, walking farther and farther.

Behind them, the vast, desolate stronghold grew smaller.

Only the faint light from the giant furnace continued to glow in the distance.

As the stronghold became as distant as the curved horizon, the two Black Reapers kept walking.

The surrounding landscape became more and more barren, and even the light of the color universe seemed to grow faint.

It wasn’t until they had ventured far enough that the scarred Reaper finally stopped.

"This should be far enough."

The scarred Reaper muttered a small will, then picked up a small stone and sat down on it.

Suddenly, the scarred Reaper began to pour out a stream of stories.

"The foreign butterfly is trying to escape with Mom's 'eye.'"

Beginning with that statement, the scarred Reaper continued to speak, as if it were crucial information that had to be shared.

There was talk of a passageway deep in the stronghold leading to the color universe.

The foreign butterfly’s goal was to escape with Mom’s halo.

The method of tearing through time and space using claws.

And a sweet, earthy place where no other Black Reapers knew about.

The scarred Reaper told many such stories.

Some important, some trivial.

"Ah, right."

In the middle of speaking, the scarred Reaper suddenly sent out a will, as if remembering something.

"Tell me more about Mom."

The new Black Reaper felt a strange sensation but, at the scarred Reaper’s request, began to tell stories about Mom.

How Mom looked, how she had now turned gray, her playful pranks, and even the snacks she liked.

The stories were filled with longing and affection for Mom.

As they spoke, the new Black Reaper began to feel a sense of warmth, even though the stories were filled with both sadness and love.

Then, in the middle of the conversation,

"Is this how it is?"

The scarred Reaper, in the form of a Mini Reaper, sent out a will.

In a place that had no semblance of normality, all torn and worn out.

"With this form, I can't hide my wounds."

The scarred Reaper chuckled awkwardly.

The new Black Reaper, startled, looked at the scarred Reaper.

The wound was so severe that it looked like only Mom could heal it.

And it seemed impossible to fight as well.

As if it had read the new Black Reaper's thoughts, the scarred Reaper spoke.

"It's fine. I’ve been assigned to a reconnaissance mission, so I don’t need to fight."

The scarred Reaper’s will carried a sense of resignation, mixed with an odd sense of relief.

"Now, go back."

The scarred Reaper urged the newcomer.

"You’re still inexperienced, so you need more training. Keep training hard and become strong like us, and one day, we’ll fight together."

With that urging, the new Black Reaper slowly began walking back toward the stronghold.

As it walked, it kept looking back.

It felt as though, if it didn’t look, the scarred Reaper might vanish.

The scarred Reaper waved its remaining arm and smiled.

And as the scarred Reaper’s form vanished beyond the horizon, the wind seemed to carry a small trace of its will.

"Thank you for telling me about Mom."

Golden Horn Isolation Zone, near Seoul, where the Golden Reapers were scattered.

I sat down in the center of the isolation zone, releasing my ghost form, and placed a Golden Reaper gently on the ground.

The Golden Reapers gathered around me, looking up with expectant eyes.

There were so many of them that the warm golden light leaking from their tiny eyes felt overwhelmingly bright.

I slowly reached out and picked up the closest Golden Reaper.

Then, I gently rubbed its forehead and the back of its head, just like washing a baby’s hair, carefully and thoroughly, making sure not to miss a single spot.

Though there was no soap foam, the Golden Reaper seemed content with the gesture.

"Hehehe."

At that moment, the Golden Reaper in my hands wriggled as if it were ticklish.

"Is it ticklish? This one is a bit special."

Most of the Golden Reapers would relax and let themselves be pampered, closing their eyes with a peaceful expression, as though receiving a soft massage.

Thud thud.

Suddenly, I felt a small vibration above my head.

When I looked up toward the crown of my head, I saw the Golden Reapers that I had massaged earlier, now perched on top of my head.

They were clenching tiny fists and tapping on my head.

At first, I thought it might be an attack directed at me, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like they were trying to massage me.

Perhaps they wanted to return the favor for the nice massage, even though their tiny hands and fists were too small and weak to really do much.

After I had carefully touched each of the Golden Reapers, I was a bit disappointed.

"Nothing."

In just a few days, I had hoped there might be at least a small horn sprouting, but unfortunately, there was no sign of any.

Sigh.

Feeling a bit down, I returned to the Mini Reaper Garden, where I spotted a Golden Reaper flying around, leaving behind glowing traces of light.

"???"

It was a Golden Reaper mutation I hadn’t seen before, and I was startled.

The Golden Reapers, overwhelmed by the powerful light emanating from this new variant, were playfully enjoying themselves.

"Strong!"

"Ugh!"

It reminded me a lot of the "War Festival" I had witnessed with the hybrid last time.

I was watching the festival to see if this new Golden Reaper would be useful for automatic hunting.

As I watched, I suddenly noticed something strange on the Golden Reaper’s body.

A translucent blade was protruding near its heart.

"What’s that?"

It was a blade that seemed perfectly sized for a Mini Reaper.

Too small to pierce a human, and too small to be wielded by a human.

"That blade... I’ve seen it somewhere before."

I searched through my memory, trying to remember where I had seen that shape before.

The new Black Reaper kept repeating the training exercises in the empty training ground.

Replaying the techniques that the scarred Reaper had taught, the new Black Reaper slowly but surely built up its skills.

Though it felt a bit lonely with all the other Black Reapers asleep, it quietly worked hard, determined to become worthy of its place.

Every now and then, while resting, the new Black Reaper would look up through a hole in the ceiling and wonder when the scarred Reaper, who had gone on the reconnaissance mission, would return.

Since arriving at the stronghold, the scarred Reaper had stayed with it, but now, the new Black Reaper felt a bit lonely without its presence.

Time passed, and one day, as usual, while practicing in the training ground, the new Black Reaper took a short break.

"When will the reconnaissance mission be over?"

The new Black Reaper paused its training, gazing at the sky as it rested.

Maybe after today’s practice, it could go and meet the scarred Reaper?

Without Mom and without the scarred Reaper, the new Black Reaper suddenly had this thought.

And just as it thought, "I should start training again," the world suddenly shook.

A giant beam of light pierced through the sky.

A massive column of wood, so grand it seemed like it might touch the color universe, rose from beyond the horizon.

In that moment, the entire stronghold shook violently, as though an earthquake had struck.

At the same time, all the Black Reapers in the stronghold simultaneously woke up.

A rumbling sound came from deep underground, and in an instant, hundreds, thousands of Black Reapers poured out of the tunnels.

The wills of the Black Reapers echoed in the air.

"Charge!"

"The enemy is approaching!"

Like a massive black wave, the Black Reapers rushed forward in one direction.

The sight was truly overwhelming.

Seeing it, the new Black Reaper followed the black wave as if in a trance.

Though it was still lacking in skill and couldn’t keep up with the Black Reapers' fast pace, it ran desperately with its tiny legs.

From a distance, the sounds of battle could be heard.

Flashes of light flashed, and the ground trembled.

The new Black Reaper looked toward the distant battlefield.

Time’s blades tore through the sky and earth, and the black forms quickly moved between them.

It was like a battle happening in the midst of a massive storm.

Just when the new Black Reaper caught up with the battlefield, which seemed to be miles away, the fight was already over.

In the desolate field, only the traces of the battle remained.

The ground had been dug up, and deep holes were scattered everywhere.

"Where is it?"

The new Black Reaper looked around.

The Black Reapers who had finished the battle were carrying the melted remnants of their fallen comrades, but there was no sign of the scarred Reaper anywhere.

The new Black Reaper ran around, searching for the scarred Reaper.

"Where are you, senior?"

The new Black Reaper’s small hope drifted through the vast, empty field, but there was no answer.

Growing more and more anxious, the new Black Reaper combed the battlefield.

It looked into every hole and behind every rock.

But there was no sign of the scarred Reaper.

"No..."

Finally, the new Black Reaper spotted a familiar rock.

When it saw it, the new Black Reaper’s heart sank.

"No!!!"

In the desolate, war-torn plains, there was the unmistakable trace of the scarred Reaper—blackened and reduced to dust, with only traces left on the rock.

Next to it, lay a single orb, reminiscent of the ones used to light up the stronghold.

The orb, much like the scarred Reaper, was filled with wounds.

And despite it all, faintly, it still seemed to hold the warmth of the firewood.