As soon as they entered the temple, Vega flew toward Kwon Oh-Jin in her true form and tightly embraced him.

“My child!” She touched him all over like an airport security officer as tears welled in her eyes. “H-How are you feeling? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“I’m fine.” Kwon Oh-Jin shrugged and lightly sparked a flash of lightning.

Blue sparks floated freely in the air, shifting shapes as if alive. At the sight of his natural control over mana, Vega deeply sighed in relief.

“What about you, Vega? Have all your restrictions been lifted?”

“Not yet, but I should be able to manifest in about a week.”

“That’s good to hear.” Kwon Oh-Jin smiled faintly as he looked around. “Where’s Riarc?”

“I’m right here, kid.” Riarc came strolling out from the stairs leading to the temple’s underground chamber.

Perhaps he had been training. His silver fur looked drenched as if he had just come out of water.

“So, you fought a Black Star Celestial?” Riarc asked.

“Yeah, I did.”

Riarc shook his head in disbelief. “Ha. To think you’d actually defeat a Celestial...”

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled softly. “I still have to fight and beat the Heavenly Demon. A Celestial is nothing in comparison.”

“I guess you’re not wrong.” Riarc’s gaze fell on Kwon Oh-Jin’s left chest. “So, did you devour the Black Star Celestial with your Black Heaven?”

“That’s...” Kwon Oh-Jin hesitated for a moment, then silently nodded.

Since they already knew that he possessed the Black Heaven, he no longer needed to lie.

“Grrr.” Riarc narrowed his eyes at Kwon Oh-Jin. Not with hostility, but with a look of inner conflict.

I can’t blame him.

Vega had accepted him because they were lovers, but Riarc was different. After Kwon Oh-Jin’s true nature had been revealed, things between him and Riarc had grown awkward.

“Alright,” Riarc said with a complicated expression and turned away. “I’m not finished training, so I’ll excuse myself.”

“Riarc...” Kwon Oh-Jin instinctively reached out to stop him, but lowered his arm with a bitter smile as Riarc headed back down the stairs.

No matter the reason, the awkwardness between them was ultimately his own fault. He had no right to complain if Riarc chose to keep his distance. Vega also sighed as she watched them.

“Kid.”

“Hm?”

“... L-Let’s spar together sometime in the future.” Riarc cleared his throat awkwardly while avoiding Kwon Oh-Jin’s gaze. “Ahem.”

A smile naturally formed on Kwon Oh-Jin’s lips. The awkward air between them instantly melted away like snow.

“Hehe, look at you, acting all shy,” Kwon Oh-Jin teased.

“W-Who said I’m being shy?!” Riarc bared his fangs with a growl.

Kwon Oh-Jin burst out laughing and patted him lightly on the back. “Alright then, let’s have a go sometime. This time, I’ll win even if we’re in the Sanctum.”

“Hmph. What a bold claim coming from the kid who couldn’t even last five seconds before collapsing.”

“Hey, that was years ago. You still bringing that up?”

“It’s a fact though, is it not?” Riarc smirked smugly.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyebrows shot up. It felt like a close friend was telling him, “Man, you really suck at games.”

Though usually unbothered by provocation, Kwon Oh-Jin’s competitive spirit flared like fire. “Want to go at it right now?”

“Hmph, forget it.”

“What, you scared?”

“What did you say?”

The two glared fiercely at each other.

Just then, Vega stepped in. “Enough, both of you. Honestly, why do men always act like children no matter how old they get?”

She sighed and clicked her tongue.

Ashamed, Kwon Oh-Jin and Riarc avoided each other’s eyes and coughed awkwardly.

Ugh.

Kwon Oh-Jin swallowed down the strange aftertaste of getting all riled up. Maybe it was because he never had any male friends growing up. It felt unfamiliar.

“I-I’m heading back, kid!”

Even so, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Watching Riarc retreat down the stairs, Kwon Oh-Jin smiled faintly.

“Haa. Friendships between men really are simple,” Vega said.

“Well, that’s about the only good thing there is to it.” Kwon Oh-Jin shrugged and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his coat. “Vega, do you recognize the person in this drawing?”

“Hm?” Cocking her head, Vega accepted the paper with a sketch of the white-haired man.

Her golden eyes suddenly widened and began trembling as she looked at Kwon Oh-Jin.

“W-Where did you see this man?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I asked you where you saw him!” Her voice cracked like a whip, sharp with fear and urgency.

The dread and unease radiating from her froze him in place as well. Whoever this man was, he had rattled Vega to her core.

“I saw him in Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories.”

“So... you didn’t see him in person.” Vega let out a shaky sigh, clutching her chest in relief.

“Who is he?”

“Hmm...” After a pause, Vega seriously said, “His name is Mobius, the Celestial of Ophiuchus. He is the first Celestial who broke the Law’s restrictions and descended on Earth.”

He was the first Celestial to defy the Law, shattering and twisting divine order itself.

“Can you explain more in detail?”

Vega nodded. “Very well. It happened not long after the first rift opened.”

The world was already drowning in chaos. Monsters had poured out of the Demonic District and covered half the Earth in despair.

“For reasons that no one knows, Mobius broke the Law’s restrictions and unleashed his Sacred Ground on Earth.”

“If he used a Sacred Ground back then...”

Even now, the Law’s restrictions had only loosened slightly. Back then, most Celestials couldn’t descend to Earth unless they were as exceptional as Vega. If Mobius had used a Sacred Ground then...

“How did he not vanish on the spot?”

“That, even I do not know.” Vega shook her head. “But back then, unlike now, all the Celestials viewed breaking the Law as the worst sin possible.”

It made sense. The Law’s restrictions were set by the creator itself. For Celestials, violating it was committing a sin. In terms of Christianity, the Law was like the Ten Commandments.

However, without hesitation, Mobius had trampled on the divine rule that forbade Celestials from using their true power outside the Sanctum.

“Is that why he was exiled from the Sanctum?”

“Yes, that’s what I heard.”

Mobius, once part of the thirteen Zodiacs, was cast out. Thus, the Zodiacs became twelve.

“I’ve never met him myself. According to rumors, his power rivals that of the North Star Celestials. He is cunning, ruthless, and utterly cruel.”

“Is that so...”

Mobius carried quite the reputation if someone like Vega, who spent ages in seclusion, had heard of him.

A Celestial on par with the North Star Celestials, huh.

He could tell just from Vega’s expression that Enceladus was nothing in comparison to Mobius.

Great. As if the Heavenly Demon wasn’t enough, I’ve got another monster to worry about.

Kwon Oh-Jin rubbed his temples. “Thanks for telling me, Vega.”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to pursue Mobius?”

“No, not right now. I’d only get crushed.”

If the Black Star Society’s executors mirrored that of the Black Star Celestials, then Mobius would stand at the top. Kwon Oh-Jin had only just defeated Enceladus on the lowest rung. Charging straight for the top of the hierarchy would be suicide.

This isn’t some RPG where you can just meet them later if you want to.

At least for now, chasing Mobius wasn’t an option.

“Good idea,” Vega said.

“Then, I’ll head back now.”

“S-So soon?” Vega asked sadly.

Kwon Oh-Jin bitterly smiled and told her about Isabella.

“Ahh. I suppose she has every right to feel upset.” Vega reached out and gently pinched his cheek. “Honestly, you really are a bad child.”

“Hmm.”

“Hehe. Go and make it up to her tomorrow, alright?”

“Okay. I’ll see you once your restrictions are lifted.”

“C-Can’t you come before then?”

Perhaps she didn’t want to wait a full week.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and nodded. “I’ll drop by before then if I have time.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but he needed to meet her regularly anyway to strengthen the Stigma of Lyra through a star’s union.

“Be safe, my child.” With a warm smile, Vega waved him off.

Kwon Oh-Jin stepped out of the temple and couldn’t return until the day her restrictions lifted.

***

“Let’s see... Her plane was supposed to land at 8:20 P.M., right?” Driving toward Incheon International Airport, Kwon Oh-Jin double-checked the arrival time that Roberto had given him.

Isabella still had plenty of matters left to handle in Italy. Her return flight had been scheduled for late in the evening.

She really didn’t need to push herself to return.

Since she insisted, he couldn’t do anything about it.

With a short sigh, Kwon Oh-Jin arrived at the airport and waited at the designated arrival gate.

“Strange... No one else is here at the airport.”

Since Isabella was flying in on the Colgrande Family’s private jet, no crowds were near the exit where she would appear.

He sat down with the gift of expensive wine he had bought and waited for her to come out.

Just like that, it was 8:30 P.M.

“She should’ve landed by now and is probably going through immigration.”

Then, 9:00 P.M. arrived.

“It’s taking longer than I thought. She’s on a private jet, so she shouldn’t even have to wait for her baggage.”

By 9:30 P.M., Kwon Oh-Jin began wondering.

“Was the flight delayed?”

No, come to think of it, why would a private jet be delayed?

Kwon Oh-Jin frowned and blankly stared at the empty exit when his phone rang.

Bzzzzz!

Roberto was calling him.

“Hello?”

—M-Mr. Oh-Jin! Has the young lady arrived yet?!

“No, I’ve been waiting here for an hour. She hasn’t come out. What’s going on?” 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Roberto trembled in a panic.

—A-Ah, this... this is impossible...

Suppressing the ominous chill crawling down his spine, Kwon Oh-Jin asked, “What happened?”

Roberto finally stammered the words out.

—The plane the young lady was on... I-It’s gone missing.”

“What?”