ZERO: Before the Beginning

I closed my eyes. And suddenly, a scene came rushing back.

Rain pouring in a narrow alley. Soaked strands of hair. And that figure, walking away after shaking off my hand.

"I'm fine... Just go."

Juhee's final words.

I... I didn't stop her.

Since that day, my heart had never been truly okay.

But I never said anything. I didn't know how to begin, or where the truth even started.

Yes. I always ran. From truth. From emotions. From myself.

"...Zero."

Lucarin's voice stirred me. I opened my eyes slowly.

The Temple of the Senses— five gates had crumbled. One final gate remained.

It was transparent. A void without light or shadow. And yet— something inside... was watching me.

[SYSTEM]

Entry Condition: Sixth Gate Confirmed

Emotion Usage Rate: 92.7%

Emotion Integration: Incomplete

Warning: Residual Emotion Risk—Ego Collapse Possible

Sixth Sense Activated: INTUITION

"Lucarin. Leptir," I said. My voice trembled slightly.

"This place... I have to go in alone."

"Can you handle it alone?" Leptir asked with concern.

I nodded.

"Because it's my emotion."

With that, I stepped through the gate. No light. No shadow. Only one thing awaited— an emotion boiling from the depths of my soul.

Thud. The ground beneath my feet vanished.

I lost my balance, falling into the void.

But it didn't feel like falling.

It wasn't my body— it was my self unraveling.

Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin— peeled away, one by one.

Only emotion remained.

[SYSTEM – Sixth Sense Domain Activated]

Zone: Labyrinth of Dissolution

Structure: Emotional Phase Projection

Phase One: Manifestation of Fear

Mist surged from all directions. Shaped mist.

And within it—eyes stared at me.

No, not eyes. Judgmental gazes. The very ones I feared most.

"Why did you run?" — Juhee's voice. "Why didn't you speak the truth?" — My mother's voice. "You always ran from your emotions." — A voice inside me.

I shouted back.

"No... I was just scared."

And then it formed—

A black cloak. A burnt, twisted face. In place of a heart, a mass of screaming emotion.

The Shadow of Fear.

"You couldn't handle the truth, and so you disguised it with false emotions."

It spoke in my voice. Born from me. Fed by me.

Then—an emotion weapon formed in my hand.

A small, transparent cube. Inside— layers of the emotions I had always avoided.

I held it. And for the first time, I faced fear directly.

"Yeah. I ran. I was afraid. Weak. Powerless. But now—"

I reached forward. The cube shattered. Light burst out.

"Even that fear is me."

The shadow trembled. And something awakened deep inside me.

[Neurological Response Spiking – Intuition Resonance Detected]

[Emotion Weapon Evolution: Empathic Synchronization Unlocked]

[Abilities Gained: Emotion Absorption / Overflow Suppression / Fear Freeze Activated]

The shadow collapsed— Phase One complete.

But it had only just begun.

Part 2 – Facing Rage, Breaking Self

A crack formed in the darkness. Where the shadow of fear shattered, heat leaked through the rift.

Blood. Blood soaked with emotion. It was—Rage.

[SYSTEM – Sixth Sense Trial: Phase 2 Initiated]

Phase: Manifestation of Rage

Mental Resistance Test: Active

Ego Collapse Risk: Moderate

From the blood, someone emerged.

Blood-soaked feet. A twisted face. A version of me I never wanted to see.

It was me.

But his eyes burned with hatred. Toward myself. Toward the world. Toward everything I could never release.

"Why did you endure it?"

His voice was fractured, razor-sharp.

"Why didn't you get angry? Why did you always run?! Why, why, WHY?!"

His fingertips glowed red. The space cracked.

Red lightning split the mental sky. Old memories poured out.

My childhood. Locked inside a locker. Whispering, "I'm fine," on my knees.

I had been angry. I wanted to cry. I wanted to fight.

But I held it all in.

"And what changed?!"

He screamed. Tears streamed down his face.

"Nothing changed! Juhee died because of you. Mom hated me. Dad left me.

And I'm still alone!"

Crimson emotion hardened into a blade.

He swung The Blade of Hatred.

Slash—! My right arm was torn apart.

Not in the real world, but in the world of the mind, the pain felt even more real.

[SYSTEM – Emotional Sync Conflict Detected]

Ego Separation Intensifying

Boundary Between Self and Emotion Collapsing

I fell to my knees. My body held, but my soul shattered.

"Accept it."

He approached.

"Even that rage—is you."

I couldn't speak. But my hand moved.

I pressed my left hand against the wound.

"Yeah... you're me too."

My emotion weapon reacted.

A crimson crystal formed.

[Emotion Weapon Expansion: Rage Freeze / Hatred Conversion Mode Activated]

[New Abilities: Hatred Purge / Rage Amplification / Self-Fusion Initiated]

The crystal shattered. Light wrapped around my body.

And he smiled.

"Finally... you're angry."

He vanished. Like red smoke, into my heart.

"Zero!"

A voice called.

I opened my eyes. It was Leptir.

"Wake up! Right now—!"

Behind him, another emotion was approaching.

Dark. Empty. Void.

"...Silence?"

Lucarin appeared.

"You've accepted five senses, and six emotions."

"But now— you must let them all go."

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Only then can you become... your true self."