Thalin Has Returned

Jinsu sat at the head of the table.

The room was not particularly large, and neither was the kingdom itself—not as one might imagine upon hearing the word kingdom.

Inside the barrier, there were no vast cities or thousands of buildings.

There were only a small number of scattered houses, several facilities built to serve the inhabitants, the palace where Jinsu resided, and a wide area designated as the training camp that had appeared in recent days.

Yet despite the small size of the place...

Everything was organized.

And the barrier surrounding it concealed the entire kingdom from the outside world.

Jinsu sat at the head of the council table, one leg crossed over the other.

His long gray hair flowed down behind his shoulders, with several strands falling along the sides of his face.

His crimson eyes were calm.

Calm in a frightening way.

Jinsu did not need to raise his voice for everyone to feel his presence.

Simply sitting there was enough.

Several members of his kingdom sat on either side of the table.

They were not human.

Although their bodies and faces were remarkably similar to those of humans, certain details revealed their true nature.

Small horns behind some of their heads.

Ears slightly different from human ears.

Eyes with an unnatural gleam.

And above all...

The strange sensation surrounding them.

Their presence was not human.

They were high-level Yami.

On Jinsu's right sat a heavily built man named Darius.

He had broad shoulders, short black hair, and a small horn extending from the left side of his head.

One of his eyes was covered by a piece of black cloth, while an old scar stretched from his forehead down the side of his face.

He was responsible for the ground forces and the training camp.

Beside him sat Elena.

A Yami with long silver hair and remarkably clear blue eyes.

Her features were beautiful and composed, but a pair of small white horns could be seen behind her hair.

She was responsible for agriculture and the kingdom's food supplies.

On the other side sat Marcus, a tall and slender man with dark brown hair tied behind his head and thin glasses resting over his eyes.

He was responsible for resources, trade, and everything related to the kingdom's needs.

Beside him sat Sera, a woman with short black hair and bright golden eyes.

She was responsible for recruiting and training the soldiers.

At the end of the table sat Lina, the youngest among them, holding a collection of reports in her hands.

She was responsible for gathering information and delivering reports to the council.

Jinsu looked at all of them.

Then he spoke in a calm voice.

"Well..."

The room fell completely still.

Jinsu slightly raised his chin.

"Shall we begin?"

Lina swallowed nervously.

Then she quickly stood.

"Yes, sir."

She opened the report in front of her.

"During your absence, there were no major problems within the kingdom."

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She paused for a moment before continuing.

"The leaders maintained order, and training at the camp continued as usual."

Darius looked at Jinsu.

"We didn't allow anyone to slack off."

Then he gave a small smile.

"Even in your absence."

Jinsu nodded.

"Good."

Lina continued.

"Agricultural production has also increased. Elena supervised the expansion of the cultivated land, and our food supplies are now larger than before."

Elena spoke calmly.

"If things continue like this, we won't have to worry about food for a long time."

She paused.

"Even if the population increases."

Jinsu looked at her.

"Excellent."

Elena lowered her head respectfully.

Lina continued reading the report.

"As for our military strength..."

She raised her eyes toward Jinsu.

"More than one thousand low-level Yami have joined the kingdom."

She turned the page.

"Four hundred from the mid-level."

Then she stopped.

"And two hundred from the high-level."

Silence filled the room for several seconds.

Jinsu smiled.

"So... sixteen hundred new recruits."

Darius spoke.

"And the numbers continue to rise."

He added:

"The training camp has become more crowded than before."

Jinsu smiled faintly.

"That's good."

He picked up his glass and brought it to his lips.

He took a sip.

Then said:

"Very good."

But a moment later...

Lina's expression changed slightly.

There was another page.

A page she clearly did not want to read.

Jinsu noticed.

"What is it?"

Lina raised her head.

"Regarding... the Slaughterers."

Jinsu stopped moving the glass.

His expression did not change.

"What about them?"

Lina answered.

"They haven't made many moves since you left."

Then she continued:

"But something happened immediately after your departure."

Her voice became more cautious.

"Ivo..."

Everyone stopped speaking.

"He was furious."

Jinsu raised an eyebrow.

Lina continued.

"He wanted to find you."

She paused.

"And he wanted to kill you."

Jinsu did not move.

He simply looked at the glass in his hand.

Then he said:

"Ivo, then..."

Silence.

"It doesn't matter."

Jinsu raised his crimson eyes.

They were frighteningly calm.

"If Ivo ever stands before me..."

He paused.

Then smiled.

"I'll kill him."

No one commented.

There was not the slightest hesitation in his voice.

It was as if he were not speaking about one of the most powerful members of the Slaughterers.

As if he were speaking about something insignificant.

Lina closed the report.

Since all the matters had been covered, Jinsu began to stand.

The system within his council was simple.

The person responsible for a report spoke.

Everyone else listened.

There was no need for a long discussion when the decision was already clear.

Jinsu turned toward the door.

He took one step.

Then stopped.

He froze in place.

His eyes lifted slightly.

As if he had suddenly remembered something.

"Wait."

He slowly turned around.

He looked at Lina.

"What about Thalin?"

...

No one answered.

The expressions of everyone in the room changed.

Darius, who had spoken without hesitation throughout the meeting, remained silent.

Elena lowered her eyes.

Even Marcus closed the file in front of him without saying a word.

As for Lina...

She froze.

Jinsu looked directly at her.

"What?"

She did not answer.

Jinsu took a step forward.

"Speak."

Lina swallowed nervously.

"Sir..."

He moved closer.

Then spoke in a gentler voice.

"Come on."

There was no smile on his face.

But his voice was not angry.

"It's okay."

He leaned slightly toward her.

"Did Thalin wake up?"

Lina slowly raised her eyes.

Then she answered:

"Yes, sir."

She paused.

"Thalin... woke up."

...

Jinsu did not move.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

As if the words needed time to reach the deepest part of him.

Then...

He lowered his head.

Any trace of a smile disappeared from his face.

"So..."

The word came out quietly.

"He woke up."

He raised his head.

And suddenly...

His mana exploded.

BOOOOOOM!!

The room shook.

The table trembled.

Papers flew from in front of Lina.

Everyone's breath caught.

It was not merely pressure.

It was an enormous mass of power that erupted from Jinsu's body in an instant.

The walls trembled.

The ground shook beneath their feet.

And his pressure spread through the palace...

Then across the small residential area...

Then beyond the barrier.

Outside...

Inside the training camp...

Everything stopped.

The Yami stopped training.

Bodies froze in place.

Several objects fell from the hands of the trainees.

Everyone raised their heads at the same time.

"...What is this?"

They felt the pressure.

Not like an attack.

But like something enormous had awakened within the kingdom.

Even the high-level Yami felt it clearly.

Darius's eyes widened.

"This mana..."

He could not finish.

Throughout the small kingdom, people emerged from their homes.

Everyone felt it.

Even those who had never seen Jinsu before...

knew where it came from.

Their king.

But the worst part...

The pressure was not merely anger.

It carried something else.

Authority.

A presence so overwhelming that even the strongest Yami within the kingdom felt, for a moment, as though they were standing before a being far above them.

Inside the council chamber, Jinsu raised his head.

His long gray hair moved wildly in the disturbance of his mana.

His crimson eyes glowed more intensely.

Then...

He laughed.

A short laugh at first.

Then it grew louder.

"Hahahaha..."

His laughter could be heard even outside the chamber.

He raised one hand slightly toward his face.

"So you woke up..."

Then he lowered it.

The laughter disappeared.

A frightening calm replaced it.

"Thalin."

He spoke the name as though it carried centuries of memories.

Silence followed.

The strongest person in history.

The man who had stood against things no one else could face.

The man whose name had become synonymous with the protection of humanity.

The man whose existence was not merely a military force...

but a presence that itself represented a balance in the world.

Then Jinsu smiled.

"He has returned."

Jinsu suddenly withdrew his mana.

Everything disappeared.

The room returned to silence.

Yet no one could speak.

Jinsu looked at everyone.

"Good work."

Then he turned around.

He left the chamber.

Fario quickly followed.

"S-Sir?"

But Jinsu did not answer.

He continued walking.

He climbed the stairs.

Passed through the long hallway.

Until he reached his room.

He opened the door.

Entered.

Then closed it behind him.

He remained standing there.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three.

Then he sat on the floor beside the door.

He raised his head toward the ceiling.

He remained silent.

Then whispered:

"So... you returned."

...

Elsewhere.

Far away from Jinsu's kingdom...

A man sat at the highest place within the organization's headquarters.

There was no sound.

No movement.

Only silence.

Thalin sat there.

The man known as the strongest person in history.

His hair moved slightly with the air.

And his eyes...

were hidden behind a cover.

The Eye of Dominance.

And the Eye of Regeneration.

The two eyes that no one else possessed.

The two eyes that made Thalin different from everyone who had come before him.

Someone stood behind him.

"Are you alright, Thalin?"

The voice was calm.

It belonged to Tsukiro.

Thalin did not answer immediately.

He slowly raised his hand.

Then lowered the cover from his eyes.

He opened them.

His gaze was steady.

Calm.

Yet it carried a weight that made the silence around him feel even heavier.

"Yes, Tsukiro."

Then he stood.

He straightened his body.

And looked forward.

He said nothing else.

But simply standing there...

was enough.

He had returned.

The man everyone thought would remain gone.

The man whose return alone could change the balance of power.

The man who knew Jinsu more than he should.

...

Elsewhere in the world...

Jinsu stood before the window of his room.

The moon was visible beyond the barrier.

Its light reflected against his long gray hair.

Jinsu looked into the darkness.

There was no smile on his face this time.

Only two crimson eyes staring into the distance.

Then he spoke quietly.

"You have returned..."

He paused.

Then added:

"But..."

His eyes narrowed.

"Which side did you choose, my master?"

Silence followed.

As if the world itself...

was waiting for the answer.