Darkness.

Not the absence of light—but something deeper. Something alive.

Rey drifted within it, his consciousness suspended between existence and oblivion. There was no sense of time, no awareness of his body, only a distant echo of memory—pain, battle, destruction... and a choice made in desperation.

Then—

A pulse.

Warmth spread through the void, slow and deliberate, like a heartbeat echoing across an endless abyss.

Rey’s thoughts stirred.

’...I’m alive?’

Another pulse followed, stronger this time.

The darkness receded.

’The last thng I remember was the battle. I used up the last of my Ether back then. What happened back then? Ahh... I killed Amara too. I didn’t want to, honestly, but was there a choice? No, there’s no use second-guessing or justifying myself. I did what I did and I have to stand by it. I already told myself from the start... that I would do whatever it takes. Still... no, there’s no room for doubts! Also, what is this scent around me? What is that sound? Am I dead? No, I can’t be dead... I have to live... NO, I MUST LIVE!’

His eyes snapped open.

Rey inhaled sharply, his lungs filling with air that felt unnaturally pure, almost heavy with power. He sat upright instinctively, his body reacting before his mind could fully process his surroundings.

There was no pain.

That alone was wrong.

The last thing he remembered was his body being shattered—bones broken, organs failing, consciousness fragmenting under a Devil’s assault. He should have been dead.

Yet here he was.

Whole.

Perfect.

Rey slowly exhaled, his gaze sharpening as he took in his environment.

He was seated upon a vast obsidian platform, its surface smooth as glass yet etched with faint, shifting patterns that seemed to move when not directly observed. The air itself shimmered with dense Chaos Energy, far more concentrated than anything he had encountered before.

And stretching endlessly around him—

A palace.

Not built, but grown.

Towering pillars of black crystal spiraled upward into a ceiling that resembled a starless void. Walls pulsed faintly, as though alive, veins of dark energy flowing through them like blood. Massive archways opened into corridors that twisted in impossible geometries, defying spatial logic.

It was beautiful.

In a way that felt fundamentally wrong.

Rey rose to his feet.

His Divine-grade armor was gone.

Instead, he wore a simple dark garment—form-fitting, seamless, almost organic. He flexed his fingers, then clenched his fist.

Power surged through him.

Not external.

Internal.

His body felt... refined. Stabilized. As though something had reinforced his very existence.

"Awake."

The voice reverberated across the palace.

Deep. Layered. Inhuman.

Rey turned and saw it—the source of the deep echoes.

The Prince of Darkness.

Its massive form stood at the far end of the platform, towering even within the vastness of the palace. Seven heads regarded him in silence, each pair of eyes glowing with a different shade of corrupted light.

But something had changed.

Its presence—while still overwhelming—was... controlled.

Focused.

And then—

The impossible happened.

The Prince lowered itself.

All seven heads bowed simultaneously.

"Welcome back, Master Rey."

At first Rey was confused, but then he controlled himself.

His eyes narrowed.

"...Explain."

The Prince remained bowed for a moment longer before rising, its movements surprisingly measured for something of its scale.

"As you command."

It stepped forward—each movement sending subtle ripples through the surrounding Chaos Energy.

"You initiated a Forbidden Sequence—Hollow Technique, Sequence #0: Anti-Life Genesis—targeting my corpse."

"I remember," Rey said flatly.

"You succeeded," the Prince continued. "At cost."

Rey said nothing.

"You died," it added calmly.

Silence.

Rey’s expression didn’t change—but his mind sharpened.

"...Define ’died.’"

"Your body ceased function. Your consciousness fragmented beyond sustainable cohesion. Under normal parameters, recovery would be impossible."

"But?"

The Prince’s eyes flickered.

"I intervened."

Rey’s gaze hardened slightly.

"How?"

The massive creature raised one clawed limb, gesturing subtly toward him.

"Upon successful resurrection, the binding between us was established through Hollow Technique. However, the process exceeded your capacity. You lacked the necessary stability to survive the backlash."

A pause.

"So I compensated."

Rey felt something shift inside him.

Subtle.

Deep.

"I reconstructed your physical form using residual Chaos Energy," the Prince continued. "Reinforced your soul structure to prevent collapse. Integrated your existence with my own to ensure long-term stability."

Rey’s eyes narrowed further.

"Integrated."

"Yes."

The word echoed.

"I now exist within you."

A faint tension entered the air.

Rey didn’t move.

"Clarify."

The Prince’s seven heads tilted slightly.

"I have fused with your soul. Not as an external entity—but as a component of your existence."

Rey’s gaze turned cold.

"Meaning?"

"This could be a good thing, as now there is no difference between us," the Prince replied simply. "Even advanced Soul Art techniques will perceive me as indistinguishable from your own soul structure. There is no separation to identify."

Rey processed that instantly.

Undetectable.

Completely hidden.

"...And control?" he asked.

"I remain bound to your will," the Prince said. "I can manifest externally when summoned. I can act independently within the limits of your command. But my existence is now anchored to yours."

Rey was silent for several seconds.

Then—

"Show me."

The Prince inclined its heads.

"As you wish."

Its form began to dissolve. It wasn’t fading. Instead—

’Its form is Collapsing...’

The massive body compressed inward, folding into itself as though reality itself was bending to accommodate the transformation. Darkness condensed, shrinking rapidly until It vanished.

Rey felt it immediately.

A presence.

Not foreign.

Not invasive.

But there.

Deep within him.

Like a second heartbeat.

Like something ancient coiled beneath his consciousness, waiting.

"Summon me," the Prince’s voice echoed—not from outside, but within his mind.

Rey raised his hand slightly.

"Manifest."

The air split.

Darkness erupted outward—and the Prince reappeared before him instantly, fully formed, its presence shaking the palace itself.

Rey lowered his hand.

The Prince vanished again.

Silence returned.

"...Efficient," Rey muttered.

"Optimal," the voice replied within him.

Rey exhaled slowly.

Then his gaze lifted, scanning the vast palace once more.

"This place."

"My domain," the Prince answered. "A construct formed within the deepest layers of the Labyrinth. It exists partially in physical space, partially within dimensional folds."

Rey nodded slightly.

"Secure?"

"Completely. No external entity can access this location without my consent." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Good.

Rey stepped forward, his movements steady now.

"Time."

"Approximately three days have passed since your collapse."

Rey’s eyes flickered briefly.

"Valdris?"

"Eradicated."

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Rey continued walking.

"And the Labyrinth?"

"Devastated. The Sanctuary is destroyed. All Nephilim within the area are deceased."

Rey didn’t react.

Not outwardly.

"Good."

The word came without emotion.

The Prince said nothing.

Rey reached the edge of the platform.

Ahead—

A light.

Faint at first.

But unmistakable.

A tear in space itself, glowing with soft, ethereal radiance that contrasted sharply against the oppressive darkness of the palace.

"The Land of Aether," Rey said.

"Yes."

The Prince materialized beside him once more, its presence looming yet restrained.

"That passage leads beyond the Labyrinth’s domain. To the territories governed by Aether-aligned forces."

Rey stared at the light.

Freedom.

Opportunity.

Danger.

"...Can you maintain concealment there?" he asked.

"Yes. My existence within your soul will remain undetectable regardless of environment."

Rey nodded.

Then—

"You’re coming with me."

The Prince bowed again.

"As you command."

Its form dissolved once more, merging seamlessly into Rey’s soul.

Rey stood alone.

For a moment.

Then he stepped forward.... Toward the light!

********

Far above, where the Sanctuary once stood.

Silence reigned.

The ruins stretched endlessly—collapsed structures, shattered earth, and the remains of an entire civilization reduced to lifeless stillness.

Bodies lay scattered across the devastation.

Thousands.

Unmoving.

Among them—

Amara Desgarron.

Her form lay where she had fallen, untouched since the moment her life had ended. Her expression remained frozen in that final instant—shock, betrayal, and something deeper... something unresolved.

The air around her was still.

Dead.

Then—

A ripple.

Subtle.

Almost imperceptible.

Something shifted.

A distortion formed above her body, faint at first—like heat shimmering in the air. Then it deepened, twisting space itself into a small, pulsing fracture.

From within it... Something emerged.

It wasn’t light.

Not darkness either.

This was something else entirely

It had no form.

No defined shape.

Yet it existed.

It was a soul-like construct, and it descended slowly, hovering above Amara’s corpse.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

It sank into her.

"Ngh!" Her body convulsed.

A sudden, violent twitch broke the stillness.

Her fingers curled.

Her chest rose—

Then—

She gasped.

Air rushed into her lungs as her eyes snapped open, wide with shock.

"...!"

She coughed, her body trembling as sensation returned all at once—pain, cold, weight... existence.

Her heart pounded violently in her chest.

Alive.

She was Alive!

Amara lay there, unmoving for several seconds, her mind struggling to process what had just happened.

Then slowly—

She sat up.

Her gaze moved across the ruins.

The destruction.

The bodies.

The silence.

Memory returned.

The betrayal.

The pain.

Her breath hitched.

"...No..."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

Her hands trembled as she looked down at herself—at the place where he had struck her. There was no wound.

No blood.

Nothing.

But she remembered everything.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Her lips parted slightly as she struggled to form words.

Only one came out.

Soft.

Broken.

"...Rey..."

[End of Volume 1: Nameless Slave]