The light of the Nexus Realm dimmed into twilight hues, a shifting canvas of gold and violet. Sung Jinwoo walked across an endless plain made of fractured crystal, each step echoing like a heartbeat through the void. The air was alive with whispers, soft and melodic, as though the realm itself was breathing.
The boy followed behind him, still glowing faintly with that strange blue aura that seemed to stabilize their surroundings. Beru and Igris walked close, silent, their instincts sharp. The Nexus was beautiful, but its beauty carried an unease — every reflection in the air moved a fraction slower than reality, as though watching them.
"Master," Igris said finally, his voice calm but alert. "The Nexus adjusts itself according to our thoughts. The terrain changes with your will."
Jinwoo nodded, eyes fixed ahead. "Then it's alive. It's learning from me."
He extended a hand and felt the air tremble. The fragments of crystal beneath his feet rippled, forming lines that connected in symbols. The Nexus responded like an obedient creature, recognizing his mana signature. Yet, within that obedience, he sensed resistance — a presence testing him, as though measuring whether he was worthy to walk its core.
System Notification: Nexus Synchronization increasing... 29%. Compatibility stable.
The message faded as suddenly as it appeared. Jinwoo could feel his connection deepening, the shadows around him thickening in response to the realm's energy. The Nexus Realm was neither good nor evil it was the balance point between both.
The boy stopped walking and looked to the horizon. "Master… something's moving there."
Jinwoo followed his gaze. Across the glassy plains, faint lights floated like embers. Then, as the wind shifted, they took form — humanoid figures made entirely of light, hundreds of them, standing silently in rows. Each figure held a different weapon, and their eyes glowed faintly blue.
Igris lowered his sword. "Spectral guardians."
Beru hissed softly. "They do not belong to shadow or light. They are… something else."
Jinwoo studied them quietly. These entities weren't hostile — not yet. They were echoes, remnants of ancient hunters who once reached this realm and never left. The Nexus preserved their souls, binding them to eternity as keepers of its balance.
One of the figures stepped forward, taller than the rest, its armor cracked but radiant. When it spoke, its voice carried the weight of ages.
"Inheritor of Shadow… you walk a dangerous path. The Nexus accepts no false kings. If you seek its heart, you must bear its memory."
Jinwoo stood his ground. "Then show me."
The guardian raised its sword, and the world shifted again. The crystal plain shattered into light, and suddenly Jinwoo stood in a vast city — one that looked eerily familiar. Towers stretched into the clouds, but the air was filled with screams. Shadows and beasts clashed in the streets. He realized he was standing in a reflection of the past — the moment the Monarch Wars had begun.
He turned to see himself — the Sung Jinwoo of years ago, fighting desperately against the Monarch of Destruction. The reflection moved with perfect precision, every strike and counter identical to how he remembered it. The air burned with chaos and blood.
Then the guardian's voice echoed through the illusion. "This is your past. The Nexus remembers every step you have taken. Will you reject it, or accept it?"
Jinwoo watched as his past self struck down his enemies, every blow heavier with anger and pain. He remembered that time clearly — the loneliness, the guilt of power.
"I will not reject it," he said softly. "Because without this, I would not be who I am."
The reflection paused, turned, and for a moment, the two Jinwoos met eyes. The illusion smiled faintly, then dissolved into fragments of light that surged into Jinwoo's chest. The energy flooded his veins, and the System's voice returned.
Nexus Energy Assimilation: 47%. Emotional Core Balanced.
The guardian appeared again, lowering its sword. "You have accepted your past. The first gate is open. Proceed to the heart, and learn what even Monarchs fear."
The illusion faded. They were back in the crystal plain, though the horizon had changed. Ahead stood a colossal archway made of shadow and flame, its surface rippling like water. The air around it pulsed with unimaginable power.
The boy stepped closer, voice trembling. "Master… that place… it feels like the center of everything."
Jinwoo looked at it for a long moment. He could feel something pulling him toward it — something vast and ancient. It was as if the Nexus was trying to draw his very soul inside.
Before moving, he glanced upward. The stars above the Nexus flickered briefly, then aligned into a strange formation — one that radiated a familiar presence. Agnorath's energy.
Far away, beyond the veil of dimensions, Agnorath stirred. His essence pulsed stronger now, each breath feeding on the chaos spreading through the human world. He felt Jinwoo's presence through the fabric of realms, and he smiled.
"So you've finally reached the Nexus, Jinwoo," he murmured, his voice echoing across voids. "Good. Because now the game begins."
He extended his hand, and in his own dark domain, waves of black energy spread outward.
System Notification: Agnorath Rank Progression – XX Rank (Fully Stabilized).
The two forces were now connected through the Nexus — one of shadow, one of chaos — both rising, both aware of each other's strength.
Back in the Nexus Realm, Jinwoo placed his hand on the archway. The shadows around him trembled, drawn to the immense power on the other side.
"Let's see what the heart of this place really holds."
He stepped forward, and the archway swallowed him in a burst of silver and black light. The boy followed, and the guardians bowed as the gate sealed behind them.
The journey deeper into the Nexus Realm had begun. The first trial was over, and the real test was waiting at its core where the truth of Agnorath's creation, and the secret of the System itself, awaited him.