The Radiant Light - [English Version]

In a dark space without a hint of light, Zebraem dreamily heard a voice.

Voice: Zebraem! Zebraem!...Zebra....eeem.

When the voice stopped, Zebraem saw a familiar gaze.

Voice: Zebraem. Why weren't you there? Zebraem. Why?

His throat felt choked; he wanted to say something but couldn't. An emotion surged within him, burning like a hellfire that wanted to consume everything in the world. He pulled himself awake from the dream.

Zebraem: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! (a loud scream echoed throughout the island)

As the scream faded, Zebraem bowed his head, as if he was reminiscing about painful memories. In the recovery room, he wasn't alone; there was another person.

Diego: That rage. I witnessed it for the first time.

Zebraem turned his head to see Diego sitting in a chair, focused on him.

Zebraem: How long have you been here?

Diego: Quite a while. I heard you were seriously injured, so I came to visit.

Zebraem: Thanks to your blessing, I ended up like this.

Diego: I'm sorry, Zeb. I truly had no idea this could happen.

Zebraem: What? You didn't know?

Diego: Before I called you to Renacer, I told Kon to go in first. When he came out, he wasn't injured this badly. He was basically fine, although it wasn't exactly minor; but he wasn't dying, that's for sure.

Zebraem: What happened in there?

Diego: You were there, Zeb. You know better than anyone else.

Zebraem: The one in there... was it me?

Diego: It was definitely you! I just don't know how this could happen. The one inside Renacer knows everything about you; he has everything you have, amplified in some sense.

Zebraem fell back onto the bed, clutching his head to shield his eyes.

Diego: Change the bed; it's completely burnt!

Zebraem suddenly realized that the bed he was lying on was covered in burn marks.

Zebraem: What happened?

Diego: While you were writhing on the bed, your body radiated an extremely high heat, enough to set the bed on fire. Some herbs in the room have turned to ashes. That rage is something you need to control, Zeb.

Zebraem: I know.

Diego: Then rest. I have some scriptures stored in the treasure room; you can go there to get them if you need. They might help you... feel more at peace?

Diego left the room, leaving Zebraem alone on the charred bed.

The next day, Zebraem went to the treasure room to find the scriptures Diego mentioned. As he entered, he saw walls inlaid with jewels and gold covering the entire surface. Countless golden mountains and shelves filled with strange objects. Zebraem searched around for a while but couldn't find the scriptures anywhere.

Zebraem: What's that? Walls?

Zebraem approached, picking up a transparent box in his hand.

Zebraem: Its light has completely dimmed. So these aurora walls have divided this world.

Suddenly, he noticed a sign behind the Walls, a strange mark. Zebraem reached out to touch the mark, and then a hidden door opened within the golden wall. A mysterious room appeared before him, with weapon racks, but there weren't any weapons here at all.

Zebraem: "Diego once said he wanted to collect the weapons dropped by Aykon's enemies. What were they called? Divine Weapons, right? Considering there's an entity beyond our understanding standing on par with Aykon, it seems so. So this must be the place to store them." (thinking)

Zebraem scanned the room and noticed a precious red chest in the corner. He opened the chest and saw yellow books inside, radiating a strange light.

Zebraem: "Are these the Buddhist scriptures Diego mentioned? They look so strange. I once had a period of time following Christianity but have also heard of Eastern Buddhism. Do their Buddhist scriptures look like this?" (thinking)

Zebraem took the books that resembled scriptures, leaving the secret room and the treasure room. He returned to his room, sitting on the couch to read them. While reading, he felt bored at first, but gradually he became absorbed in the thoughts within. He kept reading the same book over and over. Zebraem didn't realize that his body was gradually changing; it was... turning white? Bright skin began to cover his dark body, the mask he wore gradually disappeared, revealing a beautiful, pure white face with rosy lips. His eyes shifted from red to gold, with the pupils gradually becoming rounder, looking more human, or perhaps like an angel? Because white wings were slowly growing from his back. Zebraem was mesmerized by the book, flipping through each page without blinking even once. Suddenly, a voice called out, bringing him back to reality.

Diego: Hey, Zebraem!!!

Zebraem heard the call, and his body instantly returned to its previous state, wrapped in black with the mask covering his face. He seemed unaware of what had just happened to his body. Diego opened the door and confronted him.

Diego: What did you take from the treasure room?

Zebraem: Scriptures?

Diego: They're not scriptures! They're Buddhist Sutra Mantras, a type created based on Buddhist scriptures but possessing a divine power. They can purify all demons and evil in this world. I hid them there because I didn't want to deal with complications in the future. But you just had to take them. I'm shocked, Zebraem!

Zebraem: I'm sorry, but so are you. You didn't show me where the scriptures were, so I had to figure it out myself; finding this isn't just my fault, right? Archangel?

Diego: Where did you learn that kind of arguing? I couldn't foresee you going in there, so I didn't say anything. Moreover, it's a secret I didn't want to share. Now that you know, don't dare tell anyone else about that room.

Zebraem: Got it.

Diego: You look like you haven't read that stuff, huh? If you had, you definitely wouldn't be in one piece like this. I won't give it to you, and I'm taking those scriptures back now.

Zebraem: Alright! I'll return them. Thanks.

Diego: If I had known earlier, I would have let you get them yourself. That Predict power given to you can't foresee things like this. (Diego grumbled and sighed)

After retrieving the books, Diego left. Zebraem continued to drown in his thoughts.

Zebraem: "What did I just read? Buddhist Sutra Mantras? Diego said that could exterminate demons and evil in this world, so why didn't anything happen to me? It's better not to let him know; after all, nothing happened. If I get the chance, I'll go take another look; after all, there are still 6 books I haven't finished reading. Who knows, there might be something more. My body feels stronger now, it seems. I need to go train, hone my strength. I still want to understand what truly happened inside Renacer. If I go in and that thing repeats itself again, I'll be gravely injured again. So I need to be stronger; at least I should be able to withstand a blow!" (thinking)