Night fell, but the stars refused to shine.
Above the academy, the sky held its breath—as if something ancient beneath it had stirred again.
Jiwoon sat alone beneath the same sakura tree where Vera once confronted him.
The wind was still. The petals didn't fall. Even nature hesitated to interrupt him now.
In his hand, the Sinbound Fragment pulsed faintly—its glow no longer chaotic, but deliberate. Contained.
But deeper within… something coiled.
A memory.
A roar.
A dragon without a name.
"Are you still afraid of me?" a voice echoed—not from around him, but from within.
Jiwoon didn't answer.
He simply looked to the stars—and for a moment, saw one blink.
Not fade. Not fall. Just… blink.
Like it had been swallowed.
Inside the Sinbound Core (Mental Realm)
A barren world of broken sky and black sand.
There, Jiwoon walked toward a silhouette waiting in the distance.
It was himself.
Or rather… the version of him that had awakened the full Ebonwyrm Exordium.
Black wings. Crimson eyes. Ten blazing scars down his back.
A still god. A silent dragon.
"You want to contain me," the dragon-form said without turning.
"But silence does not mean control."
Jiwoon stopped behind it. "I'm not trying to silence you."
"Then why do you never listen?"
The dragon turned—no anger in its face. Only sorrow.
"You keep carrying. You never let go."
"Because if I do…" Jiwoon's voice cracked slightly.
"Everyone dies."
Outside – Present World
Vera stood nearby, watching Jiwoon from the shadows.
She didn't interrupt—but her hand trembled slightly as she reached out and touched a tree.
Her silver eye flared—briefly showing her what Jiwoon was seeing.
She gasped.
Tears welled up.
"You're still alone there… even now…"
Final Moment – Internal Realm
The dragon-form Jiwoon looked up, sky collapsing behind him.
"Sooner or later… they will force you to choose."
"Between who you are…
And who you have to become."