Inside the Chaos Sphere, Emmet’s first thought was that he was dead, that this was the afterlife. Darkness pressed in, yet he could feel the surrounding power—a raw, terrifying energy that made his blood run cold. The air was heavy, like breathing crushed stone, and a faint, high-pitched thrum of chaotic power vibrated deep in his bones. He wasn't just surrounded by it; he was submerged. It was the first time this powerful, chaotic force had filled him with dread.

  Is this the domain of the afterlife's god? If so, it’s truly terrifying, he thought.

  Slowly, out of the profound darkness, a figure emerged: a masked man. The mask was black, covering only the upper half of his face and exposing only his mouth. As the figure approached, Emmet stared. Is that a death god?

  The mysterious, masked figure spoke, his voice a slow, almost melodic drawl. "My, my, my. Look at the condition you're in. Yet again, you've escaped another death. This would be the second time... no, ah, the third. The second time I didn't help you directly, but this time, I came to save you myself."

  "Save me?" Emmet asked, his voice rough. "You mean... I'm still alive?"

  The man chuckled. "Of course, you are, silly. Well, I'm here to chat, aside from saving you from the three inquisitors outside this Chaos Sphere."

  So I'm inside his Chaos Sphere. Who is this person? This guy is way too chatty. If he meant me harm, he could have easily just killed me.

  "I'm sure you have questions, Emmet," the man said.

  He knows my name? Emmet thought, alarmed.

  "You are safe here, so relax. I'll deal with the inquisitors. You have nothing to worry about. First, I think an introduction is in order. My name is Mr. Black. It's not my real name, but I'm sure you'll understand my desire to remain a mystery."

  "Mr. Black, why did you save me? You said it was three times already," Emmet pressed.

  Mr. Black began, "Well, the first time was when you were just a baby. [He paused, catching himself before saying a name]. I mean, Mr. Smiling Masked Man—I’m sure you know of him. When he saved you from the cult, he tried to fix your divine core but couldn’t do it since he lacked the necessary knowledge or the scientific methods to do it, so he asked the brilliant me for help."

  "Somehow, you piqued my interest. I thought, why not? This baby is dying anyway; he'd be the perfect guinea pig for one of my experiments: the divine parasite. That was the beta name, anyway."

  Mr. Black leaned forward slightly. "I attached it to your broken divine core and… well, did some highly specialized things. The idea was for this parasite to force human evolution and adoption for when the Holy Veil—mmm, when the barrier is broken."

  Emmet felt the pressure of the sphere twitch, a silent threat from outside. "The Inquisitors are still there, aren't they?" he asked, forcing Mr. Black to pause.

  "Indeed. As I was saying, you were a perfect test subject. I tried implanting it in others like you, but none of them survived the process. I discarded the experiment since the materials used were quite limited—chaos god essence, remnants of that Lumiel bastard's light essence, and whatnot, among other things."

  (Emmet thought, I am a broken thing, a re-stitched horror, a failed experiment. He experimented on me like a rat. All the progress I thought I made—was it just his script?)

  "The second time," Mr. Black continued, "was simple. I merely gave a hint to those defective vessels, the one with the bone skills and her friend."

  So that's why Jasper and Lenka saved me? He didn't show up in front of them, did he?

  "Don't worry," Mr. Black dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. "I just gave a mysterious hint, and they followed it. Those defective vessels..."

  "We are the 'Unwoven,'" Emmet interjected.

  "Oh, 'The Unwoven.' That's got a good ring to it," Mr. Black said. "The Unwoven are failed vessels created by the Occult. They don't capture much of my interest, so don't worry about them. They are safe from me."

  "So you saved me again because I'm your precious experiment? Your lab rat?" Emmet asked, his voice laced with bitterness.

  "I can't let you die this time either," Mr. Black said, his voice gaining a sudden earnestness. "You've grown so much and evolve further than I ever thought possible. None of the others survived, which is why I gave up on this experiment. But you, you are different. Your core is broken, your body is peculiar, your brain works in ways similar to mine. The parasite evolved on its own because it became like you. It was a fascinating development that was supposed to be a failure. You created something new out of it. What do you call that demonic energy you refined into crystals?"

  "I call it Rend," Emmet said. "You were observing me my whole life?"

  "Yes," Mr. Black confirmed without hesitation.

  Mr. Black's face turned serious. "Look, enough with that. The real purpose I came here is to invite you."

  "Invite me?" Emmet asked.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Mr. Black opened his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Join us in the Chaos Domain. With your brilliant mind, your unique traits, we can do many wonderful things together. We have everything you need, more than you could ever think of. We can protect you. But of course, I won't force you."

  Emmet considered the offer, then answered with an apologetic tone. "Mr. Black, I'm sure you are sincere with your invitation and if not for what I plan to do, I would join you right now. But... I have my own plans. I lost someone dear to me. I plan to save her one day."

  Mr. Black did not pry further. "I understand. Losing someone dear... and to save her, you mean Eanne, right?"

  Emmet was no longer shocked that Mr. Black knew everything. He looked down at the necklace around his neck, the one with the crescent moon on it. So this necklace is how you observe me? He took off the necklace and offered it to Mr. Black. "Here. You can take this back."

  "Oh, please, keep it," Mr. Black said. "How can I protect you if you give it back to me."

  "Up until now, I thought I was special," Emmet said, his gaze steady. "I thought I was strong. I thought I was some sort of miracle, that I was just lucky to have survived this long. But now I understand clearly. I was merely different, and I don't hate what I am."

  Emmet took a breath. "So, Mr. Black, allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart. For saving me, again and again, for watching over me. But this time, please, allow me to walk my own path. Allow me to survive on my own, to discover things on my own. If I die trying... then so be it. Please."

  Mr. Black sighed. "Oh, kids. They grow up so fast and now want to roam the world on their own. Well, you are like a nephew to me, and I will respect your decision. I'm sure you know how dangerous the world can be... Oh, well. I promise I won't interfere anymore. Do what you want to do. But know this: whenever you want to join us, you are welcome anytime. So, please keep the necklace. It was a gift, not from me, but from Mr. Smiling Masked Man."

  "I'm sure you have things to do, so I won't hold you for long. Here." A black, circling portal appeared beside Mr. Black. "This will lead you to your Unwoven friends. Don't worry about the inquisitors from now on; I'll ensure your friends' safety from them too."

  Emmet stood silent for a moment. For the first time, he now understood what he truly was, all thanks to the masked man in front of him, who had given him a greater understanding of his own being. He knelt and bowed to Mr. Black.

  "Please accept my sincerest gratitude for what you have given me and for allowing me to walk my own path. I will never forget this."

  Mr. Black seemed uncomfortable with the gesture. "Yes, yes, sure, sure, just get up already! Just Go. I can't keep this Chaos Sphere up for long, so go!" He tapped Emmet's shoulder and gently pushed him toward the portal.

  Emmet still wanted to say something, but the portal was closer now. He look at Mr. Black one last time.

  Mr. Black smiled. "I will still be watching over you, so make me proud."

  When Emmet was gone, a man wearing a masked with a smiling face materialized beside Mr. Black. "Oh, Mr. Black, how kind of you! Bwahahahahha!"

  Mr. Black, whose name was apparently Nephra, replied, "Oh, stop it, Eryn. What's important is he is safe now. We'll respect his decision, Eryn."

  Eryn replied, "Right back at you, Nephra. That kid has grown big now. I'm sure he will make a difference in the world someday."

  "I shall manage the... containment breach. You know the protocols, Eryn. Disperse. And try not to giggle so loudly," Nephra said. Then, the Chaos Sphere disappeared.

  Back to the inquisitors' perspective—Adam noticed the Chaos Sphere disappearing, then suddenly, the air grew thick and heavy. A sound, not a voice, but a deep sub-aural thrum resonated through their bones, a noise so immense it felt like the very foundation of reality was being strained. It didn't speak words, but it communicated a crushing, absolute presence.

  Altare staggered, instinctively bringing a hand up to shield himself, his mind reeling from the sheer, overwhelming power. "What in the High Heavens was that?"

  Adam, though shaken, was the first to regain his composure, his eyes narrowed in dawning terror. He didn't hear a command, but he understood the message: the being they were hunting was under the protection of something vastly and unequivocally superior to anything they, or perhaps even Elarith's High Council, could challenge. This was not a negotiation; it was a lethal, cosmic warning.

  "That's enough, Altare," Adam whispered, his voice stripped of its usual authority, now laced with profound urgency. "We are leaving. Now. We need to report this... this patron... to the higher echelons immediately."

  The three inquisitors turned and retreated with a speed born of utter dread, the crushing silence they left behind feeling even heavier than the sound that had driven them away.

  Emmet appeared somewhere near Jasper’s hideout. "Whoa, I teleported here," he muttered, recognizing the familiar location immediately.

  Looking up, he saw Jasper riding on Cliff while the large flying creature soared overhead. Jasper was completely geared up, and Cliff even seemed to be wearing some kind of protective armor.

  Emmet waved his hand and shouted up, "I'm here!"

  Jasper's voice drifted down, laced with frustration. "Cliff, bank right! Look, that idiot is still shouting, 'I'm here!' Does he think he's special?"

  Cliff, a little distracted, grumbled, "Stop getting distracted! We're in a hurry; we've got to save that guy. And now that I think about it, the way you ride me, I feel like I'm just a tool being used. Besides, you're way heavier than that other guy."

  "Look below, Cliff! It's him! It's indeed Emmet!" Jasper yelled. "Go closer!"

  Emmet continued shouting, "Jasper! Cliff! It's me!"

  Upon closer inspection, Cliff confirmed, "It really is him! What do you know, that guy is still alive." Cliff immediately flew toward Emmet.

  As they got close, Jasper jumped down and rushed to Emmet, a look of worry clouding his face. "Emmet, you're okay! You're actually safe. Cliff said you were in trouble, so we rushed out to save you, but you're okay."

  "I'm fine," Emmet said, feeling a wave of warmth from their concern.

  Cliff landed nearby. "But the Inquisitors... Don't tell me you defeated them?"

  "Of course not," Emmet laughed lightly. "You're right about their strength; they are too strong. I got lucky. Someone saved me." Emmet remembered Mr. Black and quickly decided to keep the mysterious man's identity secret. "He seemed to be an enemy to the Inquisitors, and they fought, so I escaped. I saw the Inquisitors defeated by him so I think we shouldn't worry about them, somehow." (Emmet was clearly lying, stretching the truth of Mr. Black's intervention.)

  "That's good," Jasper said, relieved. "Let's go to the hideout now."

  As they walked, Emmet noticed a strange displacement of the sunlight near Jasper's feet, a flicker in the shadow that didn't match the motion of the trees. "Woah," he said, halting. "Your shadow... it moved."

  Jasper grinned. "Relax, that's just Lenka. She was worried about you too, so she came with us for your rescue. She's just shy, so she's hiding in my shadow."

  "Oh," Emmet said, looking at the shadow. "Oh hello Lenka, thank you for worrying about me."

  The shadow nodded its head as if replying to Emmet.

  They all made their way back to the hideout. Cliff groaned, "I could use a whole day of sleep. We'll talk later, gosh, I'm tired after being used like some kind of air jet."

  Jasper was genuinely glad to see Cliff already getting accustomed to being back at the hideout after years away. Seeing Emmet safe finally let Jasper relax. He spoke quietly to Lenka's shadow. "Let's give them some time to rest too."