Zack sat silently, overwhelmed with grief.
His friend—his brother—was no longer in this world.
One day later.
Albus's funeral was held.
All the team members were present.
The Headmaster was also there.
Several other Awakeners had come to pay their respects.
The atmosphere was heavy.
The Headmaster stepped forward and spoke:
"Albus died fighting bravely.
He was a talented Awakener,
someone with a bright future ahead of him.
But today, he is no longer with us.
May he rest in peace."
Afterward, Abrox and Alex walked over to Zack and offered their condolences.
The eyes of every team member were filled with tears.
Even if they hadn't known Albus deeply—
they had fought by his side.
That alone was enough to bring their hearts to tears.
The funeral concluded.
One by one, everyone left.
But Zack remained behind, standing by Albus's grave.
He knelt down and whispered with clenched fists:
"Albus, my brother...
I swear on this very spot—
I will not let those Original Monsters live.
Whoever is responsible...
I will hunt them all down.
I will turn the Abyss into a graveyard."
"This is a brother's promise."
After saying those words, Zack walks away from Albus's grave.
---
Scene Shift
We then see the Headmaster in a meeting hall, sitting with Argon, an A-rank Awakener and instructor.
They seem to be waiting for someone.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man appears—so abruptly that even the Headmaster is startled.
The man looks younger than the Headmaster, but the aura around him is on a whole different level.
He speaks:
"Headmaster Relai."
"Yes."
"How are you?"
"The same as always. But you... you've changed a lot. The difference between us now is like night and day."
"Well, I did defeat you once, didn't I?"
He smirks.
"Anyway, we can talk about that later. Tell me about the monster."
Argon steps forward and shows a visual projection.
"Sir, this is the image we created based on what the awakened witnesses described."
The man looks closely.
"Hmm… this creature is different. If you removed some parts of it, it would almost look human. And yes… quite powerful too."
"Exactly. Even with ten awakeners present, no one could stop it. Only one boy tried to stand against it—
and he lost his arm in the process."
"Interesting... I want to meet this boy. Arrange it. Tomorrow."
"As you command, sir."
The man disappears—vanishing just as suddenly as he appeared.
The Headmaster mutters to himself:
"Unbelievable... he defeated me years ago,
and now I can't even come close to his level.
That's why he's the strongest Awakener in all of C11..."
"Inform Zack."
"Yes, sir."
---
The Next Day
Zack arrives at the meeting room.
The Headmaster greets him.
"Zack, how much do you know about Mr. Rafel?"
Zack's eyes widen.
"Mr. Rafel...?
The strongest Awakener in C11? Who doesn't know him!"
"Yes—that Mr. Rafel.
He wants to meet you."
Zack's mind races.
"Why would someone like Mr. Rafel want to meet me...?
In my past life, he remained one of the strongest awakeners for years.
There was no one who could defeat him.
Why me...?"
As Zack is lost in thought—
Mr. Rafel suddenly appears before him.
Startled, Zack nearly jumps.
"Don't be scared, Zack."
"O-Oh! Mr. Rafel...
It's an honor to meet you."
"Likewise."
Then Mr. Rafel looks toward the Headmaster:
"Would you mind giving us the room?"
"Not at all."
The Headmaster leaves.
Mr. Rafel now turns back to Zack.
"So... how are you, Albert O. Leo?"
Those words shake Zack to his core.
His entire world feels like it's turned upside down.
To be continue...