I could tell that Jonathan was bearing a huge burden. In fact, he looked different from the way he was before the Stage of Advent and the way he was in the past. His appearance made me recall the time after his heyday, when he looked like a lion and when he got used to dominating. The faint smile on his lips reminded me of the years we couldn’t be together. His eyes were looking at me as if he was chasing memories, so I must have brought up nostalgic memories to him. He was only kind to me and was cold when he gave orders to his people. In that aspect, he was similar to me. The lonely beast in the past was now reigning as a monarch of fear.

I connected with him telepathically.

- We are finally meeting at the end of all of this, Jonathan. Thanks for staying alive.

- It has been a long time.

Jonathan looked over my shoulder and greeted Yeon-Hee with his eyes. They seemed to recognize each other at first sight even though their appearances had drastically changed. The Stage of Advent was a space where they could share many stories to empathize with each other. Jonathan turned toward me again. He was quiet, but...