A package arrived.
It came from a foreign land. Perhaps because of the long journey, the box that held its contents was crushed and torn in several places.
Aiden placed it on the coffee table. He gently ran his hand across it.
‘You’re a fool, Han-gyeol.’
With a faint smile, Aiden thought.
‘To have ended up like this…’
He tore away the crushed edge of the box. He slipped his fingers into the small opening and pried it open. Wrapped in foreign-language newspaper was—of all things—a rock.
A stone you could pick up from the side of the road.
It wasn’t particularly beautiful in shape, nor was it a special color. There was nothing about it that made it worth treasuring.
But Aiden now understood.
Life was made up of things like this.
‘A part of you has become a stone, huh.’
As he turned the small rock over in his hand, Aiden mused.
Within that tiny stone, a faint trace of life lingered.
When a life chooses reincarnation, it splits into countless fragments. The shattered pieces of a soul are mixed and recombined with others to become all things.
The sense that the world itself is alive is no illusion. There is no place in this world untouched by life.
With eyes closed, Aiden felt the soul that dwelled within the stone in his palm.
‘To think it takes this many souls just to make a simple stone.’
An ordinary human—or even most Constellation contractors—wouldn’t sense such a thing. But Aiden could now estimate the density of soul fragments within even a stone.
‘…Still a long way to go.’
Sighing, he leaned back against the sofa.
<…I’ve returned.>
A voice spoke beside him.
It was the ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ in her human form, looking down at him.
“You startled me.”
Aiden smiled gently.
“You should’ve made your presence known, now that you’ve taken on human form.”
<I didn’t want to disturb you. You seemed focused.>
The ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ glanced at the stone in Aiden’s hand.
<You’ve found another piece.>
“That’s why I sent out familiars all over the place.”
Aiden shrugged and set the stone on the corner of the coffee table.
Then he stood and approached her.
“Did you enjoy your outing?”
<I don’t find enjoyment in human affairs. Much like you, as you continue to change.>
“Then why go to a fan signing event?”
Aiden asked as he brushed back her hair.
<…You caught me.>
The ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ gave a sigh-like smile and clasped his hand.
“When you’re not nearby, I get sensitive. I worry—did something happen to you? Were you hurt? Or…”
His gaze drifted to her sleeve.
“Even though you’ve taken human form, I worry that you’re being stared at because of the scars that remain from the burns. And so, I end up finding out where you’ve gone.”
<You’re sounding more and more like a Constellation.>
“I suppose I’m becoming one.”
<I simply wanted to observe the ones you’ve been watching so closely. That’s all.>
“I’ll go prepare dinner,” she added, turning away.
The ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ walked to the kitchen and tied on an apron.
She had become quite used to mimicking human life.
Unlike Constellations, humans rely on tools. And in a way, for humans, tools are akin to powers. Just as Constellations wield their powers, humans wield their tools.
Undeniably, humans were the beings most closely aligned with the realm of Constellations on this planet. That was why Constellations no longer hesitated to make contracts with them.
The ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ disliked this tendency.
Creating something vaguely similar to oneself—yet ultimately insignificant—and loving it.
That’s what she used to believe, and yet…
“Shall I help? I’m the one eating anyway.”
Aiden appeared beside her and opened his mouth expectantly. The ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ gave a bitter smile.
‘…I once swore to kill a thousand humans a day.’
Now, she hovered around one.
Living in a human’s home, cooking human meals, staying beside a human until they fell asleep.
“Lately I haven’t felt hunger.”
Aiden said while slicing vegetables.
“I don’t really feel tired even without sleep anymore.”
Is this because I’m becoming a Constellation?
Aiden asked, and the ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ nodded.
<Such needs are unique to created beings. They are part of the evolutionary process the ‘Savior Who Is One and All’ intended for their development. Since Constellations are already complete, they are ignorant of such needs.>
“I’ve heard it so many times it doesn’t surprise me, but it still feels strange. My body lately…”
Three conditions were required to become a Constellation.
First, one had to possess enough influence to leave their name in civilization.
This wasn’t hard to fulfill. So long as civilization existed, there would always be someone who left their name behind. Aiden had already fulfilled this condition—his name had been etched into the world.
The next was the problem.
Second, a Constellation of at least mid-tier had to verify the candidate’s worth.
History was full of renowned figures, but not all became Constellations. The birth of a new Constellation could only occur through acknowledgment by existing ones.
In Greek mythology, gods placed their creations in the stars and incorporated them into the Constellation realm.
In a similar vein, the ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ had verified Aiden’s worth.
Once the first two conditions were fulfilled, Aiden’s body began to transform beyond human limits.
It was a natural progression.
A being acknowledged by a god was essentially a mythical hero. During the era of the Gates, such transformations occurred frequently, if only temporarily.
While he might not yet have the full power of a Constellation, Aiden could now wield strength comparable to the top-tier Hunters from the Gate era.
The ‘Savior Who Is One and All’ had set things up so this strength could fulfill the third condition.
<…It seems you’ve recovered over half already.>
The ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ said as she stirred the bubbling pot.
<Your friend’s soul…>
“Probably.”
Aiden replied with a calm face.
“There’s not much left.”
<Are you happy?>
To her question, Aiden shook his head.
“Of course not.”
He knew.
The weight of what he was planning.
But that didn’t matter. What did matter was the heart of the dead.
The dead do not speak. But the living can forever imagine what they might have felt.
“Han-gyeol probably resents me. But…”
But—Aiden didn’t finish.
The final condition for becoming a Constellation was to restore a life.
To use power beyond mortal limits to defy death—that was the last requirement.
Resurrecting the dead defies the natural order, yet people call it a miracle.
Perhaps the ‘Savior Who Is One and All’ had a soft spot for rebels.
Thinking that, the ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ shook her head.
‘That’s not what matters.’
She looked at Aiden’s profile.
Aiden was no saint. Even if he became a Constellation, he would never be a kind god to his creations. If anything, the best-case scenario would be that he didn’t become a wicked one.
‘Whether you rise as a god or fall into ruin…’
It didn’t matter. Both outcomes were equally empty.
The ‘Mother Ever Ablaze’ knew the man beside her would never be saved.
And so she watched.
‘Because maybe, just maybe…’
This was the only warmth permitted to him.
After the fan signing ended, I returned to the dorm and opened the gift package from Sugarbomb.
It was clear the contents were thoughtfully put together. There were expensive-looking supplements…
‘…They knew I liked strawberries, huh.’
The box was packed with strawberry-flavored snacks.
But what stood out most was a thick file folder.
When I opened it, a sealed envelope dropped to the floor.
[To Ryu Eunyul]
[I’m sorry to be sending a letter like this.]
[Because what’s written below isn’t from me as a fan.]
[Please don’t misunderstand. I am your fan. If I weren’t, why would I film fan cams?]
[But there’s something more important.]
[How much do you know about Codess?]
[I’ve been investigating Codess for a long time. Oh, please don’t think I’m a sasaeng! I’m not like that. I just…]
[I think the circumstances around Codess’s disbandment were really suspicious.]
The contents were unexpected.
Sugarbomb explained that she ran a YouTube channel covering behind-the-scenes entertainment news and had been tracking information about Codess’s breakup.
[Codess competed in the CYB World Tournament and did pretty well, so why did they suddenly disband?]
[It was reported they broke up to pursue individual musical paths…]
[But I see it differently.]
The file contained material Sugarbomb had collected.
Articles about each member’s post-disbandment activities were clipped and organized, and there were even some seemingly covert photos.
[I find Aiden’s actions especially suspicious.]
[There’s talk that he’s planning to start his own agency. But to me, it feels more like he’s just aimlessly drifting through the industry, playing around rather than building a real faction.]
[The reason I’m sharing this with you is because your encounter with Lee Hamin at the CYB domestic qualifier struck me as really strange.]
[Have you realized that too?]
‘…She’s sharp.’
I didn’t expect an ordinary person, someone without any divine authority, to think like this.
[So, if you know anything, I hope you’ll tell me. That’s why I’m sharing what I’ve gathered.]
[Please think about this name.]
A name?
I tilted my head.
‘…Jung Han-gyeol?’
That was the name written in Sugarbomb’s letter.
‘Who is that?’
It didn’t ring any bells. Since it was in a letter about Codess, it must be someone related to them… but I had no idea. As someone who had followed Rowen since the Codess era, it felt odd not to recognize the name.
Sugarbomb seemed to anticipate my confusion and wrote:
[If you don’t know who Jung Han-gyeol is—]
[Please contact the number below.]
Little Pink Starfish 
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