Kranos

In a place engulfed in utter darkness, Karsu found himself floating in a void unlike anything he had ever known. It felt like drifting through a tranquil, bottomless sea, as if he were trapped in a strange dream where his body was weightless, gliding effortlessly, carried by unseen winds through this infinite abyss.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. At first, there was nothing but absolute darkness—a crushing void that swallowed everything around him. He tried to focus, but there was only an impenetrable blackness stretching endlessly in every direction. No light, no glimmer, nothing visible—just the boundless emptiness.

The silence was terrifying, a complete absence of sound. Even his own breath felt muted, as if the air itself had vanished. A strange coldness crept through his body, seeping into his very bones. It wasn't the cold of weather but the frigid touch of the void itself, a force that devoured warmth, turning his body into a frozen husk.

He tried to move, but every motion felt as if it dissolved into the emptiness. There was no ground beneath him, only the sensation of drifting in an endless abyss. No matter how hard he searched for a path, he found nothing but the void, as if the entire universe had vanished, leaving him alone in this terrifying space.

Slowly, Karsu began to feel as if this emptiness was stealing something from him—his sense of time, his sense of place, even his very thoughts seemed to fade into the suffocating darkness. There was nothing to guide him, no direction, only the void, the silence, and the cold. The longer he remained, the more the terror of this abyss consumed him, as if he were staring directly into the face of nothingness itself.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Karsu realized the truth—this place was his consciousness.

Karsu: "I see nothing, I feel nothing… but I still have my thoughts. This must be a self-sealing state caused by Qaranos or something similar."

He continued, "Maybe when my neck was severed, Qaranos used his life force again to save me and placed a self-protective barrier… perhaps even Qaranos' aura itself!"

Pausing to think, he muttered, "If my assumption is correct, then this means I am inside an illusionary barrier designed to shield my mind from obliteration and insanity due to the overwhelming pressure of Qaranos' true power. That would explain why he created this barrier to protect me until my recovery was complete. But an unknown amount of time has passed, and I have yet to awaken. There are only two possibilities: either my healing is still ongoing, or Qaranos has lost the ability to pull me out due to exhausting his true power."

Determined, Karsu decided to break the illusionary formation surrounding him, based on his belief that he was inside his own consciousness. He began punching the void, but as expected, there was no effect. Shifting his approach, he attempted a mental attack: "Explosion, shatter, break, fragment, eject, bed, Qaz, potato, air, water, matrix." These were his attempts to create something, believing that he was within his own mind.

Anyone else in Karsu's place would have despaired, lost confidence, and begun doubting their hypothesis. But Karsu, with the ambition of a king and the will of an emperor, would not give up so easily, even as the passing time weakened him further. There was no sleep, no food, no sensation—nothing at all.

"Haahhhhhh!" He screamed and screamed, but— "Hah, useless… I can't hear my own voice except inside my mind."

Taking a deep breath, he suddenly paused. "Wait… what? I sighed? Did I just exhale?" His eyes narrowed as realization struck. "That means I can breathe involuntarily?" He tried again, but this time, nothing happened.

At that moment, Karsu understood the truth: "My enemy… is my own mind."

Then, he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I didn't anticipate this! Hahaha!" He smirked wickedly and commanded, "Split."

Suddenly, the space around him shattered like glass, exploding into a blinding white. For the first time in months—or even years—Karsu could finally feel again. He could hear, breathe, and see.

He had lost all of life's basic senses, and now, he had regained them. His joy was immeasurable, as vast as the oceans, as towering as the mountains. At this moment, he was the happiest man on earth.

"Qaz of Fire, Qaz of Water, Qaz of Healing, Qaz, Qaz, Qaz!" Karsu unleashed every type of Qaz he possessed, reveling in the sensation of his power.

"Flame Palm!"

Then, he realized—he was naked. Wishing for clothing, he was instantly dressed. Wishing for a sword, it appeared in his hand. Now, Karsu could do anything he pleased because he was fully conscious within his own mind, no longer trapped by a formation.

After a few moments, he looked ahead with determination and spoke one word: "Qaranos."

And then, he saw him.

For the first time, Karsu laid eyes on Qaranos' true form—something he had only ever perceived as a distortion in his spiritual sea.

Qaranos stood before him, the most radiant Qaz of all, glowing with a golden brilliance, his eyes shining pure white, four majestic wings extending from his back. Then, his form shifted.

He transformed into a humanoid figure, his eyes turning pitch black, clad in a black suit with a white shirt, his long black hair tied back.

Yes—Qaranos had taken the form of the one thing he cherished the most: Karsu.

Qaranos, now in Karsu's likeness, gazed at his own hands, expression blank. "Are these hands always this size?" he mused, wiggling his fingers curiously. "I don't think I ever realized humans have so many tiny things to move!"

Touching his own face, he added, "And this nose… is it really necessary? It just seems like a place for collecting dust."

Turning to Karsu, he smiled in a strange, almost mischievous way. "I must admit, being human is far more complicated than I expected!"

Karsu, maintaining his usual seriousness, replied flatly, "Really? Well… yes, humans are the most complex beings in existence."

Then, locking eyes with Qaranos, he stated, "Anyway, let's get to the main topic." His tone grew sharper, his expression more resolute. "How do I get out of here?"

Qaranos continued to smile vacantly, causing Karsu to tense up. "W-wait… you do know how to get us out, right?"

Qaranos' grin remained unchanged. Karsu started sweating. "Come on… don't joke around. Answer me!"

Qaranos finally spoke. "Of course."

Karsu sighed in relief—until Qaranos added, "No."

"...Huh?" Karsu's expression froze.

"I was just messing with you!" Qaranos suddenly laughed, breaking the tense silence with an oddly eerie chuckle, as if trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Yes, yes, of course, I know how to get out… I just wanted to adjust the mood."

Karsu stared at him, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. That joke was… strange. A Qaz, laughing? The idea seemed surreal.

But regaining his composure, Karsu shot Qaranos a cold glare. "I didn't expect you to have a sense of humor, Qaranos. Given that you've existed for thousands of years, I assumed emotions like amusement had long since faded away.

And yet…" He paused, as if processing a deeper thought, before narrowing his eyes. "It's strange to see a Qaz laugh… let alone speak. This has never happened in human history—except to me. And the strangest thing of all…" His gaze turned sharper. "...is seeing my own body laugh without my consent."

For a moment, a heavy silence filled the air.

Qaranos glanced sideways at Karsu before speaking again, his voice quieter, tinged with an almost imperceptible sorrow.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood… I've never seen you laugh in this life, Karsu. I only wanted to bring back a part of your old laughter… or whatever is left of it."

Karsu didn't respond immediately. His lips tightened, suppressing an unspoken thought, before he shook his head. "I have dozens of questions—no, hundreds. Talking to a Qaz that has lived for millennia is an opportunity that won't come again. But right now…" His expression darkened.

"My body is decaying outside, and I have no idea how much time has passed here."

Qaranos' expression shifted, his playful demeanor vanishing. His voice turned calm yet grave.

"Precisely… You've been here for three years and 135 days."