THIS IS TRUTH

The forest was silent.

A cold wind rustled the leaves above the giant tree where Null stood, staring at the strange boy who had fallen from the sky.

Moments ago, the object had looked like a star.

But when it entered the invisible space around Null, its rocky surface had simply… disappeared.

Now a boy stood there.

Alive.

Human.

And completely calm.

Null stared at him, still trying to understand what had just happened.

“…Who are you?”

The boy slowly stood up, brushing dust from his clothes. He looked around at the forest, confusion clearly visible on his face.

Then he looked at Null.

“My name is Leo,” he said casually. “But the real question is… who are you?”

Null frowned slightly.

“…Null.”

Leo tilted his head.

“Null? That’s a strange name.”

Null ignored the comment and crossed his arms.

“Why were you coming toward me?” he asked sharply. “And why did you fall from the sky?”

Leo blinked.

“…I don’t know.”

Null narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m not,” Leo replied immediately.

He looked around again, studying the unfamiliar forest, the strange air, and the night sky above them.

“Actually,” Leo said slowly, “I don’t even know where I am.”

Null stared at him for a moment.

“You’re saying you don’t know how you got here?”

“Exactly.”

Leo looked back at Null with curiosity.

“So maybe you can answer that question.”

“…Where am I?”

Null sighed.

It sounded ridiculous.

But the boy didn’t look like he was lying.

So Null explained.

He explained the kingdom.

The world filled with magic.

The slums where he lived.

The strange event when Leo arrived.

Leo listened quietly.

When Null finished, Leo scratched the back of his head.

“…So let me get this straight.”

“You live in a magic world.”

“Yes.”

“And you have some weird power that makes magic disappear around you.”

“…Yes.”

Leo looked impressed.

“That’s pretty cool.”

Null stared at him.

“You’re not surprised?”

Leo shrugged.

“I just fell from the sky. My definition of ‘normal’ is already broken.”

Null couldn’t argue with that.

Then Leo asked something unexpected.

“If your power is so strange… why were those knights trying to kill you?”

Null looked away.

For a moment, he didn’t answer.

Then he spoke quietly.

And told Leo everything.

About his birth.

About the disappearance of magic.

About the royal court calling him a devil.

About his exile.

And about the knights who had come tonight.

When he finished, the forest felt heavier.

“…So that’s why I left,” Null said quietly. “It’s not safe for anyone to be around me.”

Leo was silent for a moment.

Then he laughed.

Null frowned.

“What’s funny?”

Leo crossed his arms.

“You’re wrong.”

“…About what?”

“About being dangerous.”

Null’s eyes narrowed.

“You saw what happened earlier.”

“Yeah,” Leo said casually. “Your power erased their armor and weapons.”

“That’s exactly my point.”

Leo shook his head.

“No.”

He looked directly at Null.

“If anything, that means I’m the safest person in the world to stand next to you.”

Null blinked.

“…What?”

Leo smiled slightly.

“Think about it.”

“Anyone who tries to attack you loses their magic.”

“Weapons disappear.”

“Spells vanish.”

He pointed toward Null.

“You’re not a devil.”

He paused.

“You’re just too powerful for the world to control.”

The words hit Null harder than any sword.

For eighteen years, he had only heard one thing.

Devil.

Monster.

Danger.

But this was the first time someone had said something different.

Too powerful.

For a moment, Null stood there silently.

Then something inside him changed.

Maybe… running away wasn’t the answer.

Maybe he had been wrong.

The king… was still his father.

Perhaps he could explain.

Perhaps the king would understand.

Null took a deep breath.

“…I’m going back.”

Leo raised an eyebrow.

“To the kingdom?”

“Yes.”

Leo grinned.

“Then I’m coming too.”

Null didn’t even argue.

The journey didn’t take long.

As they approached the slums where Null had grown up, something felt wrong.

Too quiet.

Too empty.

Null slowed his steps.

“…Why is it so silent?”

The houses came into view.

And Null’s heart stopped.

Everything was destroyed.

Homes were burned.

Walls collapsed.

The ground was stained dark.

Bodies lay everywhere.

Men.

Women.

Children.

No one was alive.

“…No.”

Null’s breathing became uneven.

He began running.

Faster.

Desperately searching.

“Mom!”

No answer.

“Mom!”

Then he saw her.

His mother’s body lay near their small house.

Cold.

Still.

Gone.

Null dropped to his knees.

For a moment, there was no sound.

No scream.

No rage.

Just silence.

Tears slowly fell from his eyes.

But something else was happening.

The air began to distort.

The invisible boundary around Null began to grow.

Two meters.

Five meters.

Ten meters.

Then more.

Magic across the entire kingdom began to flicker.

Spells collapsed.

Enchanted objects lost their power.

Mages suddenly felt something impossible.

Magic itself… was disappearing.

Null stood up slowly.

His face was blank.

His eyes empty.

“Axiom.”

The invisible field continued expanding.

Soon it covered the entire kingdom.

Null began walking.

Toward the castle.

No one stopped him.

Knights stood frozen as he passed.

Their enchanted armor flickered and vanished.

Their weapons dissolved into dust.

None of them dared move.

Null walked through the castle gates.

Through the royal halls.

Until he reached the throne room.

The king stood there, terrified.

“Null—”

Null didn’t speak.

He walked forward.

Then—

His fist slammed into the king’s face.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

And again.

The king collapsed to the floor.

But Null didn’t stop.

His fists kept striking.

Again.

And again.

Blood splattered across the marble floor.

Years of pain.

Years of rejection.

Years of loneliness.

Everything exploded in that moment.

Then a voice spoke behind him.

“…Null.”

Leo.

“He’s already dead.”

Null froze.

Slowly, he looked down.

The king’s body wasn’t moving.

Silence filled the throne room.

The massive Axiom field slowly began shrinking.

Until it returned to its normal size.

Two meters.

Null suddenly felt dizzy.

His vision blurred.

And everything went dark.

When Null opened his eyes again, the forest greeted him.

The same tree.

The same quiet wind.

Leo was sitting nearby, watching him.

“You’re awake.”

Null sat up slowly.

“…Why didn’t you run?”

Leo raised an eyebrow.

“Run?”

“Yes.”

Null looked down.

“My power… it’s dangerous.”

Leo shook his head.

“I already told you.”

He pointed at Null.

“The safest place in the world…”

“…is standing next to you.”

Null stared at him.

Then, for the first time since everything happened—

He smiled.

A small smile.

But a real one.

Yet far away

A mysterious smile spread across on someone face.

“Interesting…”

His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.

“Very interesting.”