"It is ti," the Leader declared solemnly.
Turning his gaze toward Al, he smiled faintly and raised his arm.
Al frowned in confusion—then suddenly, a crushing pressure filled the chamber.
"Arghhh... What is this?!" Al groaned, pain surging through his body.
And then—
WOSHH!!
The world shifted. Reality dissolved.
The entire area transford into an endless expanse of pure white void.
Al staggered, gasping for air. When his vision cleared, he realized only he and the four Agents remained—alone within this infinite nothingness.
"Where... am I...?" he muttered in confusion, his voice barely a whisper swallowed by the void.
It was as if he was standing beyond the threshold that divided life and death—beyond existence itself.
He tried to steady himself, but a sudden realization made his eyes widen in shock.
"W-Wait... My clothes?! Why am I naked?!" he yelped, frantically covering himself.
The four Divine Agents turned toward him simultaneously.
The Agent’s Leader chuckled at the boy’s frantic reaction and extended his hand with serene authority.
"There’s no need for such modesty, child," he said, his tone grand yet calm. "In this realm, worldly morals hold no significance. None among us cares for such trivialities."
A radiant light—white interwoven with threads of gold—flowed from his palm, cascading toward Al and enveloping his body.
"You care nothing for decency, but I— Eh...?" Al murmured, his eyes widening in bafflent.
The light wrapped tighter and tighter around him until it solidified into a flowing robe of golden-white fabric that covered his torso to just above the knees, leaving his head, neck, arms, and lower legs exposed.
As the glow faded, Al gently touched down onto the faintly misted, cloudlike floor beneath his feet.
Tap.
He glanced down at his new attire, twisting his body slightly to inspect it from every angle—front, back, top, and bottom.
"This actually looks pretty good," he admitted, then frowned. "But seriously... what happened to my clothes? Did you guys strip and drag into this weird place?"
The Agent’s Leader simply shook his head.
"No one stripped you, boy. What we brought here is rely your soul fragnt. Clothing is a material extension of your physical vessel, so naturally, it cannot manifest here," he replied.
"Oh... I see." Al nodded slowly. "So this is my soul fragnt? Then what about my real body? Does that an I’m lying there in a coma right now? That’s bad! My friends there—"
The Divine Agent of Death stepped forward, his expression clearly irritated.
"You speak too much, cursed human," he rumbled, his voice carrying divine nace. "We did not summon you here to entertain your curiosity. You are here to receive the Divine ssage."
Dark energy oozed from his form, an ominous contrast to the purity of the white void.
Al frowned, annoyance flashing in his eyes.
"You..." he hissed.
He then glanced at his hand—his dinsional storage ring was, of course, gone.
"Ohoo... no wonder you’re acting all high and mighty. ’Cause you know I’m not carrying your kryptonite this ti, huh?" he muttered mockingly.
The Agent of Death’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"Insolent human! You dare speak so irreverently before a Divine Agent?!" he growled, his aura surging.
He was about to advance—but the leader rely laughed softly, a sound that rippled through the silence like a calm breeze.
That single chuckle was enough to make the Agent of Death halt and glance back.
"Hehehe... There’s no need for quarrels," the Leader said, voice tranquil and commanding. "We’re still waiting for the others. Let the boy indulge his curiosity for now. Consider it compensation for being dragged into matters beyond his realm."
The Agent of Death exhaled through his nose and stepped back.
"As you command, Leader."
Al grinned mischievously. "Haha, that’s right! Scold him! He’s way too arrogant for his own good!"
The Agent of Death glared at him but said nothing, choosing silence over further humiliation.
anwhile, the Agent’s Leader smiled warmly at Al.
"For a cursed human, you’re quite interesting," he remarked.
"Eh? Interesting?" Al blinked, genuinely confused.
The Leader nodded, his expression faintly wistful even through the golden light cloaking his face.
"It’s been so long... far too long... since I’ve seen a human so brazen—one who dares speak so freely before a Divine Agent."
Al tilted his head, half-grinning. "Really? I thought I was the only one stupid enough to do that. Guess I’ve got company. Still... what’s there to fear? Especially from a Divine Agent who tries to kill people unfairly," he added, throwing a side glance at the Agent of Death.
The Agent of Death cleared his throat with a cold hmph, but said nothing.
The Agent’s Leader, on the other hand, looked upward, as if searching for sothing beyond the unseen sky. After a mont, he lowered his gaze back to Al.
"I cannot speak for the others," he said slowly. "But before stood two humans who were once equally defiant. You, boy, remind of both—one barbaric, wild, and untad; the other sarcastic, sharp-tongued, and cold as frost."
Al blinked. "Okay, I’ll admit I’m sarcastic sotis. People tell that a lot. But barbaric? Co on, that’s pushing it," he grumbled defensively.
The Agent’s Leader shook his head lightly.
"No one but a barbarian would dare confront the Agent of Death so casually... let alone consider fighting him," he replied. "It always amazes why He continues to choose mortals with personalities like yours."
"He?" Al frowned. "Wait, who’s He? And why would He choose soone like ?"
The Agent’s Leader smiled knowingly.
"You will understand in due ti," he said, voice gentle but final.
Al sighed, rubbing his temple. "Ugh... even Divine Agents love talking in riddles."
He exhaled deeply, his eyes narrowing with renewed seriousness.
"Anyway... you said sothing about needing to hear a Divine ssage. That’s why you brought here, right? But I have no clue what that even ans. And what is this place, exactly? Don’t tell you’re about to recruit as a Divine Agent too?"
"Hah! You? A Divine Agent?" the Agent of Death scoffed. "Don’t delude yourself. You can’t even be accepted by your own world."
Al turned sharply toward him, his brow twitching. "Wow... that was unnecessarily harsh. You sound just like my sister, Sarah."
The Agent of Death averted his gaze with a low grunt, refusing to respond.
The Leader interjected, his tone contemplative.
"Our essences differ. Humans do not live to beco Divine Agents," he began. "As for your questions... this place is a void realm—a neutral space we use to convene. You will co to understand the rest soon enough."
Al frowned but nodded reluctantly.
"Fine. But how long will I be stuck here? What’s happening outside? My friends are still fighting—I can’t just vanish on them."
The Leader shook his head once more.
"Ti flows differently here," he explained. "Just as in Azzaleth, but the distortion here is far greater. Nothing will happen to your friends while you are here. Just focus on what we will be doing here."
Al released a relieved sigh. "Good. At least that’s one less thing to worry about."
"Then... why ? Why was I the one chosen to be involved in this? Can I at least know the reason? Surely there are humans far purer, far more deserving, to establish any form of connection with sothing divine," he asked once more, his tone carrying both curiosity and frustration.
The leader of the divine agents nodded slowly, his gaze steady yet unreadable.
"You are rather perceptive—for soone whose soul has already been tainted by corruption," he said calmly, his voice reverberating with quiet power.
"You’re right. By all logic, the chosen one should have been soone far more pure. But I do not know the reason myself. All of this... is by His command, and I rely follow whatever He decrees."
Al gawked at him, visibly unsatisfied. He wanted to argue—no, he needed to argue—but the divine agent continued before he could even open his mouth.
"However..." the being’s tone softened as he stepped a little closer. "If I were to make an assumption—Blue Star, the planet you inhabit, has long fallen into disarray. It has drifted far from how it was ant to function. The greed of humans and djinn alike has been eroding the natural harmony of existence."
He lifted his hand slightly, and a faint shimr of light rippled across the empty white expanse around them.
"Fates are twisting, destinies shifting. New entities—beings that should never have existed—keep erging, distorting the balance further. You, of all people, must already sense this. Especially after encountering the Agent of Death... and that girl whose very essence you’re trying so desperately to save."
Al’s eyes lowered, a faint nod acknowledging the truth in those words.
"I get it," he said at last. "But that still doesn’t explain why I’m the one being called into all this."
The Leader inclined his head again, his expression composed, almost serene.
"Because," he said evenly, "the Circle of Life itself... has begun to change."
"Circle?" Al echoed, confused.
"Humans might describe it better as the hierarchy of existence," the agent explained with a tone that resembled an ancient teacher recalling an old truth.
"Long ago, humans and djinn occupied the highest tiers of that hierarchy. Yet each layer of existence had its role—each function interlinked with the other, forming an equilibrium that sustained everything. None could destroy another without collapsing the whole. It was harmony through balance."
Al tilted his head slightly. "And then?"
"But then ca the rise of new entities—beings who waged war against one another, each striving to beco the sole ruler over all creation. That endless ambition fractured the equilibrium. And you..." The agent’s gaze fell upon him with unsettling intensity. "...you may be the key. The only unique being capable of touching—and blending—with every form of entity."
"I’m the key?" Al blinked. "That sounds like one hell of a burden. I’m really not sure that suits at all," he muttered, half-grumbling.
The divine leader chuckled softly and shook his head.
"For now, that remains nothing more than my conjecture. You will understand in ti. Even though I am the one who spreads the divine ssage, the ssage ant for you... can only be understood and interpreted by you."
Al exhaled, his brow furrowing. "And when does that start?"
The leader smiled faintly, lifting his gaze toward the endless white heavens above.
"Now," he said simply.
A sudden, electrifying tremor coursed through Al’s chest, making his heartbeat thunder within him. His instinct followed the leader’s gaze upward.
From the expanse above, the endless whiteness began to shimr—golden light blooming, interwoven with countless radiant colors, painting the void like an aurora far too vivid, too divine, for mortal eyes.
"What... what is that?" Al whispered, his voice trembling with awe.
"They have arrived," the Leader of the Divine Agents said, his tone calm, almost ceremonial.
And then the air itself roared to life.
A mighty wind surged through the boundless space; the entire realm quaked, reverberating with a sound that could shatter the sanity of any mortal who dared to listen. Pressure beyond comprehension crushed down upon Al alone.
"AAARGHHHH!!" he scread, collapsing onto the floor. His body trembled violently as he gasped, "Th–this pressure... it’s... so damn strong!"
The divine leader rely watched in silence, his expression neither cruel nor kind.
Such is the fate of the mortal, he thought.
From above, they descended—no, they poured down—by the millions... no, by the billions. Divine agents of every form and radiance filled the skies, their descent slow and majestic, like celestial stars taking human shape.
One after another, they landed, forming perfect ranks until the horizon itself was lined with divine presences, each emanating light and power.
Al was already feeling a little better when they arrived. He tried to stand, and before his eyes stretched an endless sea of radiant beings—shimring in hues of gold, azure, and violet, their lights intertwining like waves of living starlight.
Before his senses could truly recover, the air itself seed to pulse—then the world trembled as a vast, thunderous chorus shook his very core.
As one unified voice, their cry resounded through the realm—vast, echoing, magnificent.
"Peace upon you, O Leader."
The Leader of the Divine Agents smiled, raising his hand slightly in solemn welco.
The ti had co.
The divine ssage was about to be delivered.
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