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In the world of the Color Universe, where it’s hard to gauge the passage of time without the sun.

Quite some time had passed since the New Black Reaper had arrived in such a world.

“Morning!”

The New Black Reaper, who had been sleeping with their soft cheeks pressed against the floor, woke up and jumped up.

Of course, in a place without a sun, the concept of morning didn’t really exist.

Upon stepping out of the accommodations prepared by the Black Reapers, the vast Base welcomed the newcomer as always.

A ceiling that reached heights beyond sight.
Small, twinkling traces of Black Reapers beneath it.
And a jumbled mess of Mini Reaper-sized dens tangled in every direction.

At a glance, everything seemed just as it had been before they went to sleep.

But today, something felt different.

A lonely and desolate atmosphere.
“There’s no one around….”

The New Black Reaper looked around with confused eyes.

Just before going to sleep, countless Black Reapers had been smiling and exchanging night greetings, but now no one was visible.

The sight of the Black Reapers gathering, marveling at them as a curious younger sibling, had vanished without a trace.

Tup tup.
They walked over to the Giant Hearth, but there was no one there either.

Just yesterday, it had been filled with Black Reapers lined up to receive firewood, but now it was empty.

The Giant Hearth stood in place, yet the flames within seemed even smaller than yesterday.

Filled with questions, the New Black Reaper headed to the training ground. Their every step echoed with unease.

“Younger brother!”

Upon arriving at the training ground, a Black Reaper with a deep scar over one eye greeted them.

But aside from the Scarred Reaper, there was no one else in the training area.

The spacious place was empty, and the vibrant atmosphere of yesterday was nowhere to be found.

“?”

As the New Black Reaper tilted their head in confusion, the Scarred Reaper grinned and replied,
“Everyone went to bed!”
“We need to save firewood!”

And slowly guiding the newcomer out of the training ground, they added,
“Until mom comes.”
“We have to protect her.”

The Scarred Reaper exuded the same vibe as yesterday, yet something about them looked slightly different.

The Scarred Reaper started to lead the New Reaper away from the Base, moving further and further away.

Behind them, the desolate Base gradually shrank in size.

Only the faint glow leaking from the Giant Hearth shone dimly.
As the sight of the Base transformed into a rounded horizon, the two Black Reapers kept walking.

The surrounding scenery grew more desolate, and even the light of the Color Universe seemed to dim.

Only after they had walked that far did the Scarred Reaper finally stop.

“This seems about right.”
The Scarred Reaper muttered with a small intent and plopped down on a small stone.

Suddenly, the Scarred Reaper began to spill out various stories.

“The External Being Butterfly is trying to run away with mom’s ‘Eye.'”
Starting from that tale, they continued sending ideas, as if imparting necessary information.

There’s a pathway deep within the Base leading to the Color Universe.
The External Being Butterfly’s goal is to escape there with mom’s halo.
How to rip apart time and space using fingernails.
A little sweet-tasting soil-covered place, unknown to other Black Reapers.

The Scarred Reaper really conveyed all sorts of stories.
Both important and unimportant ones.

“Oh, right.”
While sharing these tales, suddenly recalling, the Scarred Reaper sent an intention.
“Mom, tell me a story about mom.”

The New Black Reaper felt a strange sensation but began to recount stories about mom as requested.

Mom’s appearance.
That mom is now gray.
Stories of her often playing tricks.
Even what snacks she likes.

The New Black Reaper’s tale was filled with longing and affection for mom.

In the midst of sharing for quite some time.
“Is this how it works?”
The Scarred Reaper took on the form of a Mini Reaper and sent an intention.

Not a single decent place could be found, all in shambles.
“I can’t hide wounds in this state.”
The Scarred Reaper chuckled awkwardly.

The New Black Reaper gasped in surprise at the Scarred Reaper’s appearance.
The wound looked too severe, as if only mom could heal it.
And they certainly wouldn’t be able to fight.

As if reading the New Black Reaper’s thoughts, the Scarred Reaper said,
“It’s okay. I’ve taken on a reconnaissance mission, so I don’t need to fight.”

In the Scarred Reaper’s intent, there was a mix of resignation and a peculiar relief.
“Now go back.”
The Scarred Reaper urged the New Reaper.
“You’re still too inexperienced to fight; you need more training. Train hard until you’re at our level, and I’ll look forward to the day we fight together.”

At the Scarred Reaper’s urging, the New Black Reaper slowly began to walk back toward the Base.

Even while walking, they kept turning back.
If they didn’t look back like that, it felt like they would vanish.

The Scarred Reaper waved their one remaining arm and smiled.
And the moment the Scarred Reaper’s figure disappeared beyond the horizon, it seemed a tiny bit of their intent rode the wind.

“Thank you for telling me about mom.”

*

In the Golden Horn Isolation Zone, filled with Golden Reapers.

I sat in the center of the Isolation Zone, releasing my ghosting, placing a Golden Reaper from my grasp on the ground.

As a result, the Golden Reapers around me looked up at me with eager eyes, anticipating something.

So many had gathered that the warm golden light seeping from the Golden Reaper’s little eyes felt blinding.

I slowly reached out and picked up the closest Golden Reaper.
Starting from their forehead and gently rubbing all the way to the back of their head with my fingers.
Like washing a baby’s head, leaving nothing out.

Of course, there wasn’t any soap foam, but that motion seemed to satisfy the Golden Reaper.

“Hehehe.”

At that moment, the Golden Reaper wriggled in my hand, as if feeling ticklish.
“Are you ticklish? This one’s a bit special.”

Most Golden Reapers would surrender themselves to my touch, relaxing as if receiving a soft massage.
They would close their eyes in a comfortable slump.

Thump thump.
Suddenly, I felt a small vibration above my head.

When I shifted my gaze upward, I saw the Golden Reapers I had just massaged climbing up onto my head.

Those kids were clenching their tiny fists and tapping my head playfully.

At first, I thought it was an attack directed at me, but upon closer inspection, they seemed to be trying to give me a massage.

Were they feeling happy from the massage and wanting to share it with me?
But with Mini Reaper-sized hands, I doubt they could give a proper massage.

They were weak, light, and their fingers or fists were too tiny.
After touching each Golden Reaper one by one, I felt a bit disappointed.

“There’s nothing.”
The truth was, I hadn’t been groping them to give a massage.

Although only a few days had passed, I held onto the hope that maybe a small horn had grown.
So I carefully checked each one’s scalp….

But unfortunately, there were no signs of horns on the Golden Reapers’ scalps.

Aw man.
Returning to the Mini Reaper Garden with a hint of disappointment, I spotted a Golden Reaper flying around, leaving a trail of glowing light.

“???”
Surprised by the unfamiliar variant of Golden Reaper, I couldn’t help but gasp.

The Golden Reapers were playfully chased around, helpless against the powerful glow of the glowing Golden Reaper.
“Strong!”
“Uh-oh!”

For some reason, it looked a bit similar to the previous “War Festival” I had with the hybrids.
So I watched the festival to see if the new Golden Reaper would be useful for automatic hunting.

While observing, I suddenly noticed something strange about the body of the Golden Reaper.
A translucent blade protruding near the heart.

“What’s this?”
It was a blade sized just right for a Mini Reaper.

It was too small to stab a human, and too small for a human to wield and stab with.

“By the way, that blade shape…. Feels like I’ve seen it somewhere?”
I racked my brain, searching through thoughts that I easily forget when I’m not interested.

*

The New Black Reaper kept repeating training in the empty training ground.

Recalling the techniques the Scarred Reaper had taught them, they gradually but surely built their skill.

Feeling a bit lonely, as all the other Black Reapers were asleep, they quietly worked hard to achieve their one-man performance.

Every now and then, looking up to the sky through the holes in the training ground ceiling, they wondered when the Scarred Reaper, who was always there since arriving at the Base, would come back.

Since the absence of the Scarred Reaper made them feel a bit lonely, the New Black Reaper tried to shake off that feeling.

Time passed, and one day, as usual, while practicing in the training ground, the New Black Reaper took a short break.

“When will the reconnaissance mission end?”
The New Black Reaper paused training and looked up at the sky.

Should I go visit after finishing today’s training?
Since they didn’t have mom or the Scarred Reaper with them, such thoughts suddenly crossed their mind.

And just as they thought, “Now, I should start training again,” the world shook.

A massive beam of light pierced the sky.
A gigantic column of firewood seemed to reach the Color Universe, rising from beyond the horizon.

At that moment, the entire Base shook as if there was an earthquake, and simultaneously, all the Black Reapers woke up from their slumber.

Sounds of rumbling came from deep within the ground, and in an instant, hundreds and thousands of Black Reapers poured out of the dens.

The will of the Black Reapers resonated in the air.
“Charge!”
“The enemy is approaching!”

Like a massive black wave, the Black Reapers surged forward in unison toward one direction.
It was an overwhelming sight.

The moment the New Black Reaper witnessed it, they felt entranced and chased after the black wave.

Though their skills were still lacking to keep up with the rapid pace of the Black Reapers, they ran desperately with their little legs.

Sounds of battle echoed from afar.
Flashes of light sparkled, and the ground shook.
The New Black Reaper gazed at the scene from a distance.

Time’s blade, tearing through space, cut the sky and ground, and the black figures hurriedly dashed between them.
It was like a battle raging within a colossal storm.

Finally managing to catch up over a distant stretch where the Base was barely visible, they found the battle had already concluded.

Only traces of the fight remained on the desolate field.
The ground lay overturned, with deep holes here and there.

“Where is this?”
The New Black Reaper looked around.

The Black Reapers who had finished the battle were working hard to carry the melted Black Reapers, yet none of them could be seen—the Scarred Reaper was nowhere to be found.

The New Black Reaper jumped around searching for the Scarred Reaper.
“Senior, where are you?”

The small wish of the New Black Reaper meandered across the black field, but no answer came.

Growing increasingly anxious, the New Black Reaper searched all corners of the battlefield.
They peered into every pit and looked behind each rock.

But there was no sign of the Scarred Reaper anywhere.

“No….”
Finally, the New Black Reaper spotted a familiar rock.

The moment they saw it, their heart sank.
“No!!!”

In the desolate plains, a chaotic battlefield was now just ruins.
On that rock lay the charred remnants of the Black Reaper, reduced to dust.

Beside it, a single orb lay there, just like the many that had been embedded in the Base like lighting.
That orb was, just like the Scarred Reaper, full of wounds.

Yet even so, it contained a dim but warm glow of firewood.