After a few seconds of savoring that amusing memory, Rian's thoughts gradually shifted toward something more serious—Rias Gremory's request.
A condition tied to his acceptance into the Occult Research Club.
That condition was directly connected to the Sacred Gear possessed by Gasper Vladi.
A rare and dangerous power—Forbidden Balor View. That Sacred Gear held the ability to freeze time within the user's field of vision.
However, its power was far from stable, mostly because Gasper himself was still too afraid to use it to its full extent.
Though Forbidden Balor View could stop time for anything within its gaze, the ability had proven completely ineffective against Rian's Infinity.
An endless division, rejecting any concept or substance deemed dangerous by Rian and his Six Eyes.
In other words, Rian was completely immune to the time-stopping effect—an anomaly even Sacred Gear experts, including Rias herself, couldn't comprehend.
"If you think about it," Rian murmured softly as he walked along the street, "Balor View's ability is kinda similar to Limitless… both can force their target into a neutral state."
A moment later, a thought crossed his mind. Rian narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered under his breath, "Sacred Gear, huh…"
As he walked, he slowed his pace, letting his thoughts drift back to the explanation Rias had given him a few hours earlier—about what a Sacred Gear actually was.
Back then, Rias had worn a puzzled expression. To her, it was strange—someone like Rian, whose power rivaled that of a high-class devil, or perhaps even greater, yet he didn't know what a Sacred Gear was.
That was definitely not normal.
But, as usual, Rian managed to deflect her suspicions without revealing the truth—that he wasn't from this world.
He simply explained, in his usual casual tone, that he was the type of person who cared more about what he could do, rather than how things were classified or theories behind them.
With a bit of persuasion, he had gotten Rias to explain everything.
According to her, a Sacred Gear was a spiritual artifact implanted into a human's body at birth by God.
Each Sacred Gear was unique and could evolve, sometimes even growing strong enough to rival devils, angels, or dragons themselves.
The reason Gasper possessed the Balor View was because he was half-vampire.
"So basically, a gacha prize from the heavens, huh? Though I suppose I'm playing the modded version…" Rian thought to himself with an amused grin. "The power system in this world is surprisingly diverse…"
Eventually, his steps came to a halt in front of a narrow, dimly lit alleyway. Without hesitation, Rian stepped in.
The flickering streetlights along the alley swayed softly in the cold night breeze.
Then, just as one of the lights blinked—flickered once—and went dark for a heartbeat, a small figure appeared at the far end of the alley… as if she had materialized out of thin air.
The girl stood still, motionless, a faint smile curling on her lips.
A black gothic lolita dress wrapped her slender frame, complete with a small purple ribbon adorning her jet-black hair. Her skin was pale—almost luminous in the dark.
Her pupils split vertically, reptilian in shape.
Something about her presence felt familiar to Rian—an echo of recognition flickering within his memory, as if he had seen those eyes before… somewhere, sometime, long ago.
However, what set this girl apart from anyone he had ever met—was her eyes.
Dark. Cold. Empty.
Rian immediately stopped in his tracks. Calmly, he activated Infinity and slipped his sunglasses into the Void Ring.
It wasn't out of fear—but because his Six Eyes had detected something profoundly abnormal.
"The body's thermal signature... is strange, and the energy level is enormous," Rian murmured inwardly, analyzing rapidly. "No… this feels... Infinity? Far beyond any being with fourth-level authority…"
'Could it be third-level?' Rian's eyes narrowed, then quickly dismissed the thought. 'No—this might actually be... second-level!?'
"This is…" Rian swallowed an imaginary bead of sweat. "Bad news…"
And not without reason—because with such overwhelming power, the girl could have erased him before he even had time to react.
Even so, Rian showed no signs of panic. The small girl before him exhibited no hostility at all—only pure, innocent curiosity.
While Rian was processing every possible scenario, the girl merely stood there—silent, staring straight at him—with that faint, unreadable smile still on her face.
Rian stepped forward slowly, and when he finally stood right before her, he tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing sharply.
"Little girl… who are you?" Rian asked in a calm, flat tone. "One thing's for sure—you're not human. Your energy aura… it's similar to that of a certain left hand I know."
The girl gave no reply. She simply gazed at him, then slowly extended her right hand toward him—a movement that seemed gentle, yet carried a strange pressure that made the air itself tense.
Infinity reacted instantly, forming an infinite series between them—an unbreachable distance of absolute separation.
But then… a crack appeared.
Like a glitch on an old tape, the space around the girl's hand trembled and distorted faintly.
Infinity seemed to waver for a brief moment—until Rian increased its output, stabilizing the interference once more.
"…Damn." Rian narrowed his eyes, his voice low and composed. "You broke through several layers of Infinity, huh? You're no ordinary being. So, would this handsome man be allowed to know your name?"
"You may call me… Ophis," the girl said softly. Her voice carried almost no emotion—flat, utterly flat—like an echo resonating within a vacuum.
Rian smiled warmly and extended his right hand. "Rian Andromeda. But just call me Rian. Being called 'Andromeda' makes me feel like a galaxy."
There was no response.
Ophis's hand, still extended toward him, remained suspended in the air—its fingers halted by the layer of Infinity, unable to pass through.
She simply stared at Rian, saying nothing, giving no sign—only those cold, dark eyes that revealed nothing.
Rian let out a short sigh. His eyes narrowed slightly, though the faint smile on his lips remained.
"Normally… when someone offers a handshake, you're supposed to take it," he said lightly, his tone teasing but still composed. "Are you always this indifferent, Ophis-chan?"
Without waiting for permission, Rian gently took the small hand that hovered in the air, clasping it slowly.
Infinity adjusted itself, shifting the boundary so that only he could touch—modifying the space between them.
"It's supposed to go like this," Rian said warmly. "Nice to meet you, Ophis-chan."
Yet the girl remained silent. Her eyes drifted to their joined hands, but her expression did not change—flat, empty… or perhaps simply confused.
Rian leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them without losing the gentle smile on his face. His Six Eyes shimmered faintly, a soft blue glow flickering behind his sharp gaze.
He looked straight into Ophis's calm, unblinking black eyes.
"Looks like you're not much of a talker," Rian murmured lightly. "Well… that's fine. Though chatting with someone as cold as ice can be a bit of a challenge."
"If you don't mind me asking, Ophis-chan… you're clearly not human. So, what are you doing here? Standing alone in the dark? Or maybe… searching for something?"
Ophis didn't answer right away. Her gaze remained vacant, but when she finally spoke, her voice was faint and cold—like the chill of the night itself.
"Something… called me to this place. I'm looking for… 'peace.' But you're too noisy."
Rian tilted his head slightly, as if trying to process her words.
"'Something'… and 'peace,' huh?" he repeated softly. He closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling a slow breath.
"So you're out here… just catching the breeze," Rian murmured lightly, then looked at Ophis again—this time without his usual smile, only a rare calmness in his eyes.
Then he spoke quietly. "I am… apologizes for being too noisy."
Without another word, Rian slowly released her hand.
His hand moved gently toward the little girl's head—a slow, unhurried motion that carried a quiet warmth.
At that moment, Infinity expanded.
Rian precisely adjusted the space around Ophis: suppressing all sound vibrations, blocking external energy, stabilizing the temperature, and erasing humidity—
creating a perfectly silent, peaceful pocket of reality just for her.
All that remained was absolute silence—
a perfectly isolated space, free from noise, free from the chaos of the world.
The atmosphere grew utterly still… except for one voice.
"So… how is it?" Rian asked softly, his voice the only sound permitted to pass through Infinity.
A faint smile curved his lips, his tone teasing but not overbearing. "The apology from this handsome guy… accepted, right?"
Then, calmly, with eyes as still and sharp as a frozen lake, he added,
"And if you're wondering why you can still hear my voice... it's because I'm the one controlling the concept of this space. It's called… Infinity."