I carefully took a step forward.

There was no point in leaving—I wouldn’t be able to go beyond Mount Hua anyway.

Even if I did step outside, there was nothing I could do.

So instead of wallowing in my own misery, I decided to move.

“You’ve come.”

The place I headed to was obvious.

And the one waiting for me there greeted me with a firm expression.

“I was somewhat worried about you, but thankfully, it seems you weren’t wandering alone.”

Shin Noya glanced at me before shifting his gaze to the person standing beside me—Cheonma.

“Have you finished your thoughts?”

“......”

Finished my thoughts.

I took a deep breath.

If he was asking whether I had reached a conclusion, the answer was a definite no.

I was still tangled in endless confusion, suffocated by my own thoughts and overwhelmed by spiraling doubts.

“Noya.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember what you once told me?”

No matter how much I ran in circles,

I knew what needed to be done remained the same.

I had spent all this time just coming to terms with that.

I was fated to become a disaster?

The destiny I had been freed from due to my twisted soul—

was now supposedly reclaiming me, pulling me back into its grip?

It was absurd.

But no matter how frustrating it was, the situation wouldn’t change.

The only thing that changed was how much it made me feel like absolute shit.

And yet—

‘...No matter how much this makes me feel like shit...’

It didn’t change what needed to be done.

If I was a disaster, then so what?

I clenched my fists and bit my tongue.

Then, I spoke to Noya.

“No matter my circumstances... you once told me that if I refuse to accept something as true, then it is not true.”

That was something Noya had once said to me.

Back then, too—when Yeon Ilcheon had called me a disaster, and I had nearly crumbled—

Noya had steadied me with those very words.

“...Yes.”

Noya gave a calm nod, as if he, too, remembered.

“Does the meaning of those words remain unchanged even now?”

The words that once pulled me back to my feet—

Did they still hold true?

I asked, and Noya’s gaze met mine.

I couldn’t read his expression.

But then—

“Yangcheon.”

“Yes, Noya.”

“You are asking me this question, but let me ask you something in return.”

“Yes.”

“Do you truly believe my opinion is what matters here?”

“......”

“At this moment, does it matter what I think?”

I closed my mouth.

“I don’t believe you came to me seeking an answer. Nor do I believe you came to have your thoughts confirmed.”

His steady, scarlet-hued gaze fixed on me.

His sharp eyes were fierce—yet there was something in them that steadied me, something strangely grounding.

“What do you think?”

Beyond what others said—

Beyond anyone else’s judgment—

What did I think?

I clenched my fists tighter.

Crack.

A sharp pop echoed from my knuckles.

I hadn’t broken anything—just applied enough pressure to feel the pain.

Letting that sting settle into my bones, I finally spoke.

“...I might be a disaster.”

“......”

“From the way things look, from the things people have said... it really does seem like I am.”

I curled my lips into a smirk.

Forcing up the corners of my mouth even though they didn’t want to move.

“...But what if I just don’t do it?”

If there was a mask, I would’ve put it on.

If there was anything I could use to cover up my expression, I would’ve grabbed it.

But I had nothing.

So I just spoke.

“If I refuse to become a disaster, then I won’t be one.”

Even if what Noya said was true—

Even if, based on every sign, I was meant to be a disaster—

‘Fuck that. I won’t do it.’

If I refused, that was the end of it.

I wouldn’t do it.

Didn’t Noya himself say that if I refused to believe something was true, then it wasn’t?

Then I would make it so.

‘No matter what it takes.’

Just like I always had.

‘I will make it happen.’

Nothing was impossible.

This would be no different.

I would never let myself be the one to kill those I held dear.

“...Hmm.”

Noya rested his chin on his hand.

Then—

“For the first time in a while,”

A small smirk tugged at his lips.

“You’ve given an answer I actually like.”

“......”

“If that is your decision, then go forward with it.”

With that, Noya rose to his feet.

“As I said before, there is a way.”

“...Why are you so certain of that?”

“You already know, don’t you? That what your mother arranged is... strange.”

“......”

Was this really something that could be called an arrangement?

I honestly couldn’t understand.

If my mother was the one who had tampered with my soul,

then why had she gone out of her way to restore it?

‘What does she want from me?’

She had vanished without a trace—

and now, after all this time, what was she hoping for?

Did she truly want me to become a disaster?

If she had come to Zhongyuan as an agent of fate,

then that possibility certainly existed.

But—

‘If that were the case, she wouldn’t have altered my soul in the first place.’

There was definitely an intention behind her actions.

And just as Noya had said,

it could have been an arrangement.

Or it could have been something else entirely.

I couldn’t afford to blindly trust her.

No matter how much I longed for her—

‘There’s too much I don’t know.’

No matter what my feelings told me, I had to acknowledge that I didn’t know the full picture.

Which meant I had to prepare for everything.

Even if I was fated to be a disaster,

if I wanted to escape that fate, I had to assess the situation and create a plan.

‘Of course, when it comes to planning...’

Ultimately, nothing would really change.

I had only learned something I didn’t know before.

The actions I needed to take remained the same.

‘Whether Yarang’s actions align with my mother’s intentions or not...’

There was only one thing I needed to do right now.

“Noya.”

“Yes.”

“...I’m going to find the Divine Tree of Yahwol.”

I had to find the Divine Tree.

And in finding the Divine Tree, I would have to face my mother.

Even if, in the end, she wasn’t my mother, but merely my master.

‘Even if I am meant to become a disaster...’

I had to go back.

No matter what, I had things that needed to be done.

“...Are you really planning to leave again so soon?”

Noya’s eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn’t expected this.

Was I seriously planning to leave without even taking a moment to process everything I had just heard?

His gaze held clear doubt, but—

“I won’t be leaving immediately.”

I had no intention of rushing off right away.

Because...

“I have to wait for the night.”

Now that I had gained something, it was time to put it to use.

******

The moon hung in the sky.

Not one, but two.

It was the same sight that had greeted me when I first arrived in Yahwol.

And just like then, the radiant aurora stretched beautifully across the heavens.

Taking in the sight, I descended lightly.

I landed effortlessly atop the surrounding fortress walls. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

There were guards stationed along the perimeter—

But none of them noticed me.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I launched myself forward again.

The wind howled as my surroundings shifted in an instant.

Despite the sheer speed of my movements, my landing was as gentle as a feather drifting down.

There was almost no recoil.

No—

It wasn’t that there was no recoil.

It was that my body had become strong enough to completely suppress it.

‘Ha.’

I marveled at my own body.

So this is possible, too?

Blending into the darkness, I began loosening up my body.

I had to be careful.

The moment the moon rose, my entire being had started to stir, beyond my control.

Flick.

My tail swayed.

The newly-formed ears atop my head twitched, brushing against my senses.

I had to get used to it.

With each step forward, I focused on adjusting to this body once more.

The moment night fell, my form had changed again.

The Moonlit Night Body.

Not just a simple transformation—

I had become something between a beast and a human.

My grip strength, my energy—

Even my five senses had been amplified to an extreme.

At first, I could barely control myself.

My power surged beyond my expectations, to the point that I had nearly destroyed my surroundings.

But after repeated attempts, I had managed to somewhat adjust.

A rapid shift in realm.

It was similar to that.

‘No... It’s even more than that.’

It wasn’t just a change in realm.

My entire body had grown stronger—an entirely different state.

The more I moved, the more I felt something welling up inside me.

Just moments ago, I had been reeling from the revelation that I was destined to be a disaster—

And yet now, as soon as night had fallen, my body was burning with resolve.

‘Is this another effect of this transformation?’

These were all abilities I should have had from the beginning.

Now that my soul had returned to its original state after consuming the Divine Fruit,

this transformation must have been the result.

‘Then why do I revert to a dragon during the day?’

Why was it that I only took on this form at night?

‘No... Reverting isn’t the right way to put it.’

If I had always been Moonlit Night, as my mother claimed,

then I wasn’t reverting to a dragon during the day—

I was merely returning to my original form at night.

Either way...

“This is...”

“They’re over there...”

My expanded senses picked up countless details from all around me.

I could smell things I hadn’t been able to before.

I could hear sounds from a greater distance, with pinpoint precision.

Taking in the flood of information, I moved forward.

I checked my mask.

My clothes.

My Qi Concealment Technique.

I had to make sure everything was in order.

Especially now that my body had changed—

I had worried that my Qi Concealment Technique might not work properly.

‘But instead... it’s even easier to use.’

This body—the Moonlit Night Body—allowed me to use Qi Concealment far more effectively.

Maybe it was because my muscles were more flexible.

Or maybe it was because my body had simply become stronger.

Either way—

I could now execute far more precise and intricate transformations.

Which meant that as long as it was night,

I could engage in combat even while maintaining my concealment.

‘Not that I’d even need to rely on it anymore.’

At this level...

‘I don’t think I’d lose to the Three Masters.’

I had never actually fought them before,

but judging by my current condition, I felt confident I could take them on.

Which meant—

‘Even generals wouldn’t be out of reach.’

If I was at a level comparable to the Three Masters,

then fighting against generals—who were slightly below them—was entirely within my capabilities.

‘Good.’

I would likely need to fight soon anyway.

And if I could use the night to my advantage,

I could easily tip the odds in my favor.

Thinking that, I reached for the door before me.

There were no guards.

I had been here before,

so I already knew they didn’t bother stationing any security around this area.

I wasn’t sure why—

But it certainly made things easier for me.

Creeeeak...

The door slowly opened as I pushed it.

I was just about to step inside—

“If you don’t mind, may I go in first?”

“......”

I froze.

My hand gripped the door handle, but I didn’t move.

A voice.

From right behind me.

If someone had simply approached me from behind,

it wouldn’t have been an issue.

But—

“I have something urgent to # Nоvеlight # take care of.”

The voice speaking to me with a quiet, knowing smile—

Was unmistakably—

My mother’s.