A warm portal cracked open in the air like light tearing through silk.
From it, Leo stepped out—his figure illuminated briefly by the fading sun behind him. The air shifted around the camp as people turned. The goblins, humans, and demi-humans all paused their work.
Then cheers echoed across the makeshift village.
"Leo's back!"
Children waved. Adults smiled in relief. Even the goblins grinned in their own awkward way.
Among them, Lia broke into a run. "Big brother!!" she cried out, beaming.
But as she neared, her smile faltered.
Leo stood there, slightly hunched. One hand pressed firmly to the side of his head. His brows were drawn tight in pain, though he wore a crooked smile.
Lia slowed. "Big brother… are you alright?"
Leo forced a chuckle, though his voice trembled. "Yeah… just a little headache, Lia. Don't worry—"
His legs gave out.
"Leo!!"
He collapsed, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Panic spread instantly. Lyra, Lili, and several others rushed over as Lia dropped to her knees beside him, shaking his shoulders.
"Big brother—! Big brother, please!!"
The scene shifted.
The sun had dipped beneath the horizon. A pale purple glow lit the quiet camp. Inside one of the small log-leaf houses, Leo lay on a bed of woven leaves and soft moss.
Lia sat beside him, holding his hand tightly. She hadn't moved for hours.
Lili stood nearby with her arms folded, watching Leo's slow, steady breathing.
"It's okay, Lia," she finally said gently. "Your brother just needs rest. That's all."
She let out a tired sigh and glanced at Leo, then added with a grumble, "He hasn't been sleeping, has he? This fool... I should've known he was pushing himself too far."
She scratched her head. "I should've noticed earlier. That's my mistake."
"No." Lyra's voice joined quietly. She was standing on the other side of Leo, her hand resting lightly on his blanket. "It's not your fault, Lili. It's mine. I've been with him since the beginning… and I didn't see it either. I just… let him carry everything alone."
They both turned toward each other.
And then—unexpectedly—they chuckled.
A tired, sincere laugh.
Lili smirked. "Maybe it's everyone's mistake then."
Lyra nodded. "Yeah."
Lia looked up at them with wide eyes. She sniffled, then softly smiled.
Lili knelt beside her. "But Lia… can you do something for us?"
"What is it?" she asked.
"Go tell the others that Leo's okay. He's not hurt—he just needs sleep. Everyone's been worried."
Lia hesitated. "But…"
Lyra stepped in, brushing a hand gently through Lia's hair. "We're staying here with him. He'll be fine, okay? But you also need to take care of yourself, Lia. You haven't eaten. You haven't washed up. And you know what will happen if you fall sick, right?"
Lia's eyes dropped. She clutched Leo's hand a little tighter before finally nodding.
"…Okay."
She stood up slowly and leaned over Leo, whispering, "Bye, big brother. I'll come back soon."
She kissed his forehead and left the hut, the lantern light flickering behind her as the door closed softly.
Lili exhaled. "That girl loves him too much."
Lyra smiled faintly. "He gave us all someone to believe in. So… yeah. We all do."
The soft flickering light from the oil lamp cast gentle shadows across the walls of the hut.
Leo lay silently, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, finally at rest. Lyra sat beside him, gently brushing his bangs aside with a delicate touch.
But then, her eyes narrowed.
His hair.
It had grown… subtly but unnaturally fast. Not only that—its color had shifted, now threaded with hints lightish red ,where once it was a soft, natural silver.
"…Lili," Lyra whispered, her voice unusually serious.
Lili, who had just leaned against the wall with a yawn, blinked. "Huh? What?"
Lyra's eyes didn't leave Leo's hair. "What's happening to him? I've been with him long enough to notice… his hair's changing. It's growing faster. The color's not natural either. What's going on?"
Lili's eyes widened slightly, then… she smiled.
"Hah. You noticed," she said with a half-grin as she walked over and sat cross-legged beside Leo's bed. "That's good. You're more observant than you look, forest girl."
Lyra frowned. "Lili—this isn't a joke."
"I know, I know," Lili waved her hands in mock surrender, then scratched the back of her head. "Alright, sit down. This is gonna take a bit."
Lyra hesitated, then sat across from her.
"So," Lili began, voice steadying, "Most people—adventurers, commoners, even nobles—only know about the Adventurer Guild's ranks: S, A, B, C, and so on. They think once you reach S-Rank, you're at the top."
She paused. "But that's just the surface."
Lyra leaned in. "…There's more?"
Lili nodded. "A lot more. You see, for those who chase true power—real power—there's an entirely different system. A hidden path. Dangerous, forbidden… but very real."
"Why is it hidden?" Lyra asked quietly.
"Because people who go too far down it either go insane… or become gods." Lili's expression darkened. "That's why those ranks are considered illegal. You pursue them, and either you ascend… or you destroy everything."
Lyra gulped. "Then… what are those ranks?"
Lili raised a finger. "There are three Great Tiers. At the top is the Zero—the theoretical god rank. Below that are two large tiers."
She tapped her fingers slowly on the ground.
"First: the Survivor Tier. It has seven layers. Almost no one alive has reached the top of it proably."
"Below that is the Beginner Tier. Also with seven layers."
She smirked. "And guess where your A-Rank knights and adventurers fit in?"
Lyra's jaw dropped. "Don't tell me…"
Lili nodded. "Bottom of the bottom. Last layer of Beginner which is most weakest. That's how far they really are from true power."
Lyra looked horrified. "Then… heroes?"
"Fifth layer of Beginner Tier," Lili said. "Witches like me? Sixth. Dragons, archmages, cursed sword saints… they're in the deeper parts of that world."
Lyra's heart raced. "Wait is there any connection of Leo with these tiers…?"
Lili's voice softened. "Well because he defeated a hero recently, and has been wielding a dangerous class of magic—demon manipulation—on a large scale without rest, something incredible happened."
Lyra stared at Leo's changing hair again.
"His mana core evolved," Lili said, her voice dropping into reverent awe. "He crossed the threshold into the fourth layer of the Beginner Tier."
"…What does that mean?" Lyra asked.
Lili's tone turned serious. "It means he's no longer on the path of regular adventurers or even heroes. He's walking toward a level of power where his body itself will begin to change. And his hair changing? That's just a side effect."
"But why now?" Lyra frowned.
"I'm guessing…" Lili closed her eyes thoughtfully. "His constant domain manipulation. The pressure of using high-tier demon magic. Fighting that hero. And worst of all…" She opened her eyes. "He hasn't rested. At all. That's not strength, Lyra. That's obsession."
Lyra reached out and gently took Leo's hand in hers, her fingers wrapping around his like a silent vow.
"I don't care how powerful he becomes," she whispered. "He's already done enough. He doesn't need to climb anymore…"
Lili didn't say anything at first.
But inwardly, she smiled.
Splendid, Leo Vallis, she thought. You continue to interest me. Again and again.