Dancing on the golden ashes

"Hello, big sis," he said…

Hello… Those words. I had not heard them for such a long time—perhaps an eternity already. Yet there he was, standing before me. He looked like a demon, darker and colder than the Seong-hoon I remembered, yet the gentle, familiar idiocy still lingered in his voice, somewhere beneath the shadows.

"Seong-hoon? That's you… right?" I asked uncertainly. Am I still trapped in a dream? Or is he really here? Was this truly the person who always called me big sister, who never missed a chance to annoy me?

"You could say that…" A sorrowful whisper escaped his lips.

What is that sad expression on his face? Why is he looking at my chest?I glanced down, noticing something I hadn't seen before—or rather, something that was no longer there. At the center of my chest, exactly where a heart should have been, was a gaping hole, slowly bleeding out a dark, viscous black liquid.

Ah… I see. My heart.Strangely, I felt nothing. I wasn't happy, nor was I sad. It was as if this emptiness had always been a part of me.

"Your heart…" Seong-hoon spoke softly, with an edge of pain in his voice, "it's now with the rest of us… Why did you do it?" He stared at me with serious eyes, waiting for an answer, one I wasn't sure I could properly give. So instead, I simply spoke the truth.

"For all of you," I replied, my voice steady and indifferent. "I don't care if I have to die—that's my decision. It's my life. As long as you're all happy, I can at least imagine myself feeling happy."Without a heart, I couldn't genuinely feel anything. Perhaps this is for the best. I can finally rest from the overwhelming chaos of emotions.

"You—" Seong-hoon began, extending his hand toward me, before quickly withdrawing it again, uncertain.

CRACK!

Another star shattered violently, splinters of cosmic energy scattering through the air. A dark-purple figure burst forth, blazing through the sky faster than lightning itself. She defied gravity and physics alike, spinning gracefully around me before finally landing lightly at Seong-hoon's side.

"We meet again, Gaon. I've missed you," she said warmly.

It was Malrang.

She still looked cute, but her fur was messy and wild, tinged with an unsettling darkness—a sharp contrast to the innocent, playful fox I once knew. Demonic wings now unfurled gracefully from her back, and dark purple horns protruded sharply from her head. Her tails had reverted to a single one, now adorned with glittering purple crystals, transforming her into a living weapon, a battle machine forged by fate itself.

Her face radiated what I imagined might be happiness or love, yet even her vibrant eyes froze instantly when they fell upon the hollow, bleeding gap in my chest.

"Yeah… I've missed you…" The words slipped from my lips automatically, but did I truly mean them? They sounded cold, distant—like an echo reaching from the other side of the universe. It felt strange speaking without feeling.

Malrang moved slowly toward me, padding softly on all fours. Her crystal-studded tail swayed gently in the air. What is she doing?

"Do you still remember our bond?" she asked, her pupils shining with unusual softness.

"Yes…" My voice remained steady, hollow. "But it's gone."

"No," she smiled gently, her eyes twinkling with something I couldn't grasp. Why did she say that? I noticed Seong-hoon was not surprised at all; for some reason, it appeared as if the two of them could communicate silently, sharing secrets I couldn't hear.

CRACK! CRACK! BOOM!

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from another star, larger than the others, splintering violently into countless glittering fragments. A powerful, muscular figure emerged from within, standing amidst the falling stardust.

Who is this? Is this someone I know?

He was clad in celestial armor, seemingly forged from the bones of fallen stars themselves. An aura of divine defiance radiated from him, exuding raw, unwavering power. His face remained hidden beneath layers of jagged metallic plating, etched intricately with glowing turquoise veins that pulsed gently, like living constellations. Sharp shards of armor flared outward from his shoulders and gauntlets, their edges almost organic in appearance—like a fusion of dragon scales and meteorites.

When he stepped forward, the ground cracked beneath his feet.

His helmet was crowned by elegantly curved horns, a glowing central crest obscuring his features completely, lending him the presence of a god of war long forgotten by history. Wisps of vibrant crimson hair spilled from behind the helm, sharply contrasting the cold, cosmic tones of his armor. Beneath the metallic surface of his breastplate, dark muscles flickered subtly with starlight, as though his body now housed the void of space itself.

In his right hand, he gripped a massive weapon—a cosmic hammer shimmering with heavenly might—and in his left, a cosmic shield forged from the same stellar alloy, its surface rippling gently with nebula-like energy, channeling power directly from the heavens.

"Hello, Gaon," he spoke with a voice resonating deeply, filled with determination and strength. "It's been a while. I've come back to shield you and the others from danger. I will never fail again in my life…"

That voice… it's familiar.

"Eun-woo?" His transformation was so drastic, so shockingly complete, that I hadn't recognized him at all.

"Why? Do I look that much different?" He glanced around, inspecting himself carefully. "Wow! My muscles turned black… and what are these veins? I look like I've fallen into radioactive waste."

Well, at least he's still himself, even if he's changed so dramatically.

Eun-woo's gaze shifted around the scene, suddenly noticing Seong-hoon standing quietly to the side, and Malrang close beside him.

"Ah!" he shouted abruptly, eyes widening beneath his helmet. "What happened to the two of you?!"

He was clearly startled by their appearance, but probably not as much as everyone else had been upon seeing him.

"It doesn't matter what happened to us," Seong-hoon answered with a casual shrug, approaching Eun-woo and patting his armored shoulder. "The bigger question is, why are you a completely different being now? You look nothing like you did before!"

A warm smile formed on Seong-hoon's face, subtle but unmistakable. At least it appeared that these two had made up during my absence.

CRACK!

Suddenly, yet another star split open, a brilliant burst of cosmic energy spilling forth, and this time a tall woman stepped gracefully from within.