Two hours later...

The party had finally ended, and everyone returned to their respective homes.

But Leon didn't go back right away. Instead, he wandered down to the beach and sat on the soft, white sand.

Leaning back on his hands, he looked up at the endless sea of stars glittering across the night sky.

Each one represented a solar system—millions, no, maybe even trillions of them.

Without realizing it, a question rose in his mind: Were the gods truly the ones who ruled over this vast universe?

If so, why were they so focused on this world... and not the others?

"Could it be that every world has its own gods?"

As the thought crossed his mind, Leon paused for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh.

He didn't know if his guess was right, but he believed the answer would reveal itself eventually.

With a small shake of his head, he pressed two fingers to his temple and called out,

"Miranda, are you there?"

He had been trying to reach her for nearly two weeks, but she never answered. Each failure only added to his growing anxiety.

Then, suddenly—

"I'm here, Master," a voice echoed in his mind, making him jolt in surprise.

"Miranda? Where have you been? Why couldn't I reach you?" he asked quickly.

"I'm sorry, Master," Miranda replied wearily. "After helping you activate the Eyes of Chaos, I fell into a deep sleep to recover my life force. I only woke up two hours ago. I was about to contact you, but I saw you were enjoying yourself... so I didn't want to disturb you."

Leon let out a quiet sigh of relief. He rubbed his chest and spoke gently, "It's okay. I'm not mad at you. How are you feeling? Did you suffer any serious injuries?"

"No, Master. I'm fine. There are no serious injuries at all. I've fully recovered now," Miranda replied in a soothing voice. "Oh, right—Master, where are we? All I can see is an endless sea."

She had wanted to ask that question earlier but held back after seeing Leon seemingly enjoying himself with unfamiliar people.

"I don't know either, Miranda," Leon replied with a soft sigh. He stared out at the vast ocean ahead and said, "Actually, it wasn't just you who was unconscious—I was too. For two whole months, I..."

He then began explaining everything to Miranda in detail.

As she listened, Miranda's eyes widened in shock.

"You were blind when you woke up?" She asked, disbelief clear in her voice.

"Yeah," Leon admitted with a bitter smile. "But it's not surprising, considering I forced my body to awaken the Eyes of Chaos."

Miranda fell silent but didn't argue. From the beginning, she had warned him—the power of the Eyes of Chaos came with severe side effects.

Of course, blindness was one of the possible side effects. Still, in Miranda's opinion, it was less likely to occur than the others.

In any case, Leon's body was incredibly strong. Even if it wasn't the right time to use that power, it shouldn't have caused something as severe as blindness.

But Miranda had been wrong—and the fact that the blindness still happened sent a chill down her spine.

It was worth noting that her former master, Amon Crimson, had also possessed the Eyes of Chaos. Naturally, Miranda was well-versed in the power of those eyes.

"Could it be that my master's Eyes of Chaos are different from his?"

The thought felt plausible. After all, her current master was the Fated One—the legendary figure spoken of in prophecy.

"Miranda? Why are you so quiet? Is something wrong?"

Leon's worried voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, Master. I was just thinking about something," she answered softly.

Although puzzled, Leon didn't press her further and simply nodded.

"Tomorrow, I'm leaving this place. Can I ask you for a favor, Miranda?" he said. Sourced directly from MV6LEMP6YR.

"Of course, Master. Don't worry—I'll always be by your side."

Her words brought a small, involuntary smile to Leon's lips.

After that, the two spent some time talking.

To an outsider, the sight would've seemed odd.

Leon looked as if he was having an animated conversation with himself—a strange scene that would surely leave anyone confused.

Just then, soft footsteps approached from behind, followed by the gentle voice of a young girl.

"Leon, what are you doing? Why are you talking to yourself?"

Startled, Leon quickly severed his connection with Miranda and turned around.

Jasmine stood there, holding two glasses of wine, watching him with a puzzled expression.

"Ahem!" Leon pretended to cough, trying to dispel the awkwardness. Then he replied casually, "I wasn't talking to anyone—just daydreaming and mumbling about my plans after I leave this place."

Jasmine fell silent. She opened her mouth as if to speak but then closed it again.

With a faint smile, she stepped closer and handed him the glass in her right hand.

Then, sitting down beside him, she said, "Don't overthink it. It'll only weigh you down and give you a headache. Drink this wine—you'll feel better."

Leon smiled at her words. "You're right."

He took a sip, and warmth spread through his body almost instantly.

They didn't speak further. Instead, they simply enjoyed the silence, accompanied by the distant sound of waves.

Finally, Leon turned to her and asked, "So, do you need something from me?"

Jasmine pouted, her expression showing clear dissatisfaction. "So I can't come see you unless I have a reason?"

"Pfft!" Leon chuckled and shook his head lightly. "That's not what I meant. You misunderstood. Of course you can come over whenever you want."

Her sulky expression faded, replaced by a smile as sweet as a morning blossom.

"Alright, I was just teasing," she giggled, reaching into her pocket to pull out a white shell.

She handed it to him and said, "Actually, I came to chat... and to give you this."

Leon looked surprised, his eyes fixed on the shell with curiosity.

"What is this?" he asked, accepting it and examining its surface closely.

"I'm not exactly sure," Jasmine replied. "It's from my father. He asked me to give it to you."

Leon raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any further. Instead, he opened the shell.

"This…" His eyes widened as he gazed at the object inside—a striking deep red crystal.

It wasn't very large, about the size of a thumb. Though he had never seen it before, Leon felt an odd sense of familiarity, as if it were somehow meant for him.

While he was still lost in confusion, a trembling voice echoed in his mind—Miranda's voice.

"Master… that crystal—it's one of the Crystals of the Three Emotions. The Crystal of Anger!"