“I don’t hear or feel it anymore.”

  “The fact that you could sense it at all proves how remarkable you are, Master.”

  Julian and the Avatar of Searadyn stood on opposite sides of the wide podium, their gazes fixed on the Dodona Coal. Julian strained to hear the faint hum he had perceived before, but the coal was now completely silent.

  The Avatar of Searadyn reached out, gently picking up the coal. She held it close to her forehead, and the cold blue flames surrounding her flickered and rippled, momentarily shifting to a calm orange hue. The reaction was brief—no more than a second—before she returned the coal to the podium.

  “Even I can barely feel it,” she said, her tone laced with admiration as she glanced at Julian. “It is alive, but its existence is smaller than the dust on your shoulders, Master. And yet you sensed it, even without investing points in Perception. Your natural awareness is… extraordinary.”

  “You… know that?” Julian tilted his head, his curiosity piqued.

  “Of course, Master. We are connected—our souls are bonded. Though your body lives in darkness, I can feel how magical this world of yours is.” The Avatar of Searadyn closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as if savoring the air. “It is a strange and wondrous place, filled with structures that tower over even Artemia’s greatest mountains.”

  “Hm…” Julian hummed softly.

  “I will forever be grateful that Artemis deemed me worthy of meeting you, Master,” the Avatar continued, her form beginning to fade into a wisp of blue flame. As she floated closer to Julian, her voice echoed softly in the darkness, “You are the greatest blacksmith I have ever known. I eagerly await what you will create next.”

  “...Thank you,” Julian replied, his voice steady as his eyes followed the wisp until it disappeared.

  For a moment longer, his attention returned to the Dodona Coal, straining once more to catch its elusive hum. But it remained silent.

  With a sigh, Julian decided to leave the Shadow Forge—Ellie might have finished her work by now. But as he went through the door that wasn’t really a door, a realization struck him: time didn’t flow inside the forge.

  “Oh,” he whispered to himself as he heard Ellie still working.

  And so, with nothing to do, Julian simply waited. Sometimes, doing nothing was a pleasant reprieve. He sat in the stillness, letting his mind rest.

  But while Julian and many others on Earth enjoyed moments of peace, the Daemon Control Center and the Phantom Brigade, led by Cindy Solis, were fighting for survival.

  For days, they had battled their way back through the portal and into the Daemon Planes. The World Government had been made fully aware of the escalating crisis, and their initial response—to bomb the interior of the portals—had been swiftly dismissed.

  Most of the Congress members were scientists and experienced soldiers. They understood that bombing would solve nothing and might even worsen the situation.

  Instead, funds were even allocated to bolster the DCC, granting them the resources necessary to push deeper into the portals and uncover the truth about the Daemon Planes.

  At long last, Dr. Ling and Cindy’s team had reached the top of the tower.

  While Cindy and her squad held their ground, ensuring no daemon came close, Dr. Ling was busy circling the object that seemed to be the heart of the Daemon Planes.

  If Julian were here, he would immediately recognize it—despite his blindness.

  A black box floated at the center of the tower’s apex. It was eerily similar to the black box Artemis had carried when she created Artemia. There were subtle differences, but the resemblance was unmistakable.

  “Look, Doc—I don’t wanna rush you or anything, but hurry up!” Cindy barked, glancing over her shoulder at Dr. Ling before resuming her vigil. Hundreds of monkey-like daemons, each as large as two men, were scaling the tower, swarming both the inner and outer walls.

  “Our drones that are keeping the fuckers out are running out of juice! We don’t wanna be here when that happens!”

  “Shh!” Dr. Ling’s voice was calm, almost dismissive, as she continued studying the black box. She meticulously collected data through her glasses, poking, prodding, even tasting the box—nothing.

  She muttered to herself, running countless simulations, utterly unfazed by the chaos around her.

  “Doc! Let’s just grab it and go!” Cindy’s patience snapped as she abandoned her post and rushed toward the black box. She reached out to grab it, but Dr. Ling’s hand shot out, seizing her wrist.

  “You won’t be able to move it,” Dr. Ling said flatly. “I’m wearing a suit capable of lifting a ton with ease, and this thing didn’t budge—not even a fraction of an inch. It’s as if it’s anchored here, floating ceaselessly… inevitably.”

  “What’s inevitable is us getting rushed by hundreds of daemons!” Cindy snarled, her combat suit rippling like scales, light seeping through the seams as she yanked her wrist free. “These daemons aren’t strong—D-Class at best—but with their numbers, we won’t have time to keep you safe. So whatever it is you’re planning, you better—What the hell are you doing!?”

  Cindy’s voice faltered as she saw Dr. Ling raise the gun she’d been given—pointing it directly at the black box.

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  “I’m doing the one thing I haven’t tried yet,” Dr. Ling said with a faint smile.

  “You’re fucking cra—”

  Before Cindy could finish, Dr. Ling pulled the trigger.

  The gun let out a quiet whistle, the sound barely audible over the chaos outside. Cindy and her team instinctively turned toward the box, their eyes wide as they watched. The beam didn’t pierce the box outright—it vibrated against its surface, as though struggling to break through.

  Then, slowly, the beam began to sink into the box.

  No one spoke. No one moved.

  The black box started to crumble. Its surface disintegrated like sand, fragments breaking apart and cascading downward.

  At the same moment, the daemons scaling the walls began to fall. One by one, the monstrous creatures plummeted into the abyss below.

  Cindy’s team stood frozen, their breaths caught in their throats. Whatever had just happened, it had turned the tide of their desperate mission.

  “Boss, you have to see this!”

  At her subordinate’s urgent call, Cindy rushed to the edge to look outside. True enough, the daemons were now sprawled lifeless on the ground. Confirmation came swiftly from her team inside the tower—those climbing the stairs had dropped dead as well.

  “Did… you know that was going to happen?” Cindy muttered, her voice sharp as she turned to Dr. Ling.

  The doctor simply adjusted her glasses and shook her head.

  Cindy’s eye twitched. “You didn’t know, and you did it anyway!?” she screamed. “What if that thing exploded? Aren’t you supposed to be a scientist? Are you crazy!?”

  “A scientist wouldn’t reach my position without being a little crazy, Ms. Solis,” Dr. Ling replied, her tone calm as she smiled faintly. “But now we—”

  Her words were cut off by a sudden burst of light beneath their feet.

  The glow expanded into a circle of light, intricate markings etched within its radiance. Dr. Ling immediately crouched, trying to record the phenomenon with her glasses. But before she could capture much, the light vanished.

  And so had the tower.

  The team found themselves outside, surrounded by the ground forces who stared at them in shared confusion.

  “We’re… back!?”

  “Weren’t we just inside the daemon plane? Did we get warped out!?”

  “Wait—the portal! Where’s the portal!?”

  At those words, Dr. Ling spun around, her gaze searching for the portal. But it was gone. The spot it had occupied now sat empty.

  “It’s… gone,” she muttered, her voice tinged with realization. “Destroying the black box… closes the portal.”

  “And killed the daemons,” Cindy added quietly, standing beside her. Her voice carried a heavy weight. “It would seem, Doc… that we might’ve just discovered how to stop the daemons from attacking the planet entirely.”

  Dr. Ling adjusted her glasses, her gaze flicking to Cindy. She didn’t acknowledge the soldiers crowding them, bombarding them with questions.

  “It would seem so, Ms. Solis… it would seem so.”

  As the two women exchanged glances, Cindy overheard two of her men talking nearby.

  “That light that warped us out… didn’t it look kind of like the magic circles in Otherworld?” one of them asked.

  “...What’s an Otherworld?”

  “You don’t know Otherworld? What, do you live under a rock?”

  Cindy ignored them at first, but her eyes widened as the conversation sank in.

  “Doc,” Cindy said, her tone softer than usual as she leaned toward Dr. Ling, “you’ve got a lot of connections, right?”

  “...Why?” Dr. Ling’s eyes narrowed, suspicious of Cindy’s shift in demeanor.

  “Do you think you could pull some strings to bring a civilian onto my team?” Cindy asked, her voice earnest.

  Dr. Ling blinked, her face twisting in confusion. “A civilian? Why would you want—”

  Cindy raised her hands defensively. “I think he’s going to be vital to my team—and he might even help us learn more about these portals.”

  “There’s someone like that? Is he a scientist?”

  “No…” Cindy said, a grin slowly creeping onto her face.

  “…He’s a blacksmith.”

  ***

  “Cheers!”

  A few hours later, while the DCC quietly celebrated their first major victory against the Daemons in nearly a thousand years, Julian and his party were also toasting to his rescue from the Order of Artemia.

  Julian, of course, wasn’t drinking, so Ellie took his shots for him, exhaling dramatically after each one. Her exaggerated breath after downing another shot brought a smile to his face.

  “Let’s toast again—for Julian winning the Newcomer award!” Cyrus declared, refilling the glasses.

  Everyone turned to look at him, eyebrows raised.

  “W…what?” Cyrus stammered. “I’m already sure he’s winning it.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Ellie said, letting out a loud breath as she rested her head momentarily on Julian’s arm. “But… you might actually be right. I read on the forums that at one point, the number of his viewers passed the No. 1 Otherworld streamer.”

  “Hm, he did,” Talia chimed in, sounding tipsy even though she wasn’t drinking—still underage, after all. “It even made the trending spot on this site I follow.”

  “But I had MEGAN check…” Julian sipped his water before joining the conversation. “I didn’t even surpass the top 5 Otherworld streamers in terms of viewers.”

  “That’s because you’re looking at the wrong thing, my dudes.” Dyrroth chuckled, waving a bottle as he stood from his seat. “You should’ve asked her to check the overall Newcomer page. And by the way… I’ve been meaning to ask… is MEGAN single?”

  “Hm?” Julian tilted his head, clearly confused.

  “What the—stop being a pervert!” Talia shoved Dyrroth back into his seat. “You’re even targeting AIs now!? Ack, anyway, forget that guy.”

  She waved him off before focusing on Julian again. “You’re going to win the Newcomer award, Newbie. No doubt about it.”

  “Hm…” Julian lowered his head thoughtfully. “...But don’t I need to be really famous for that?”

  “You…” Talia stared at him in disbelief before glancing at Ellie. “Just how out of touch is your boyfriend, Ellie?”

  “Well…” Ellie chuckled softly, shrugging.

  “He has a goddamn billboard outside!” Talia pointed toward the restaurant’s window, where Julian’s face was prominently displayed for all to see. “Do you know how shocked I was when I saw that? I didn’t even know he did modeling!”

  “He… doesn’t,” Ellie admitted, scratching her cheek. “It just… happened by accident. The owner started using Julian’s face as their model, and MEGAN negotiated the licensing fee so they could keep doing it.”

  “What the…” Talia’s eyes widened. “...Must be nice to be so handsome.”

  “I’m not that handsome,” Julian said, waving a hand dismissively.

  “Stop it, or I’ll punch that perfect face of yours,” Talia muttered, pointing at him. “Don’t you see all the girls staring at you even though you’re sitting here with Ellie?”

  “No.”

  The room went silent for a moment, and Talia winced as she realized what she’d just said to a blind man. “R…right…”

  “Anyway,” Talia cleared her throat, “I think some of them are approaching you right now.”

  “Uhm…” A group of girls arrived at their table, giggling nervously. “...Aren’t you Julian Winters? Can… can we take a photo with you?”

  “Can’t you see he’s with—”

  “It’s fine,” Ellie interrupted before Talia could start rambling. She stood and looked at Julian. “Do you want to take a photo with them?”

  “Uh…” Julian thought for a moment, then stood as well. “...Sure.”

  The girls squealed in excitement, letting their drones hover to capture the pictures. After they left, their laughter and giddy chatter echoed in the distance.

  Unfortunately, the group’s excitement attracted more attention, and soon, a line of fans began approaching their table for photos. By the tenth time, Ellie gave up trying to stop Talia, who had started blocking and shouting at them outright.

  And soon, days passed.

  And then, the day of the Streamer Awards arrived.

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