A pulse of raw, ancient energy surged through Kaito's veins, sending violent shudders through his body. His breath hitched as an unseen force crushed him to his knees, pressing down with the weight of an entire world.
The air itself vibrated, humming with an intensity that sent chills through his bones.
Above him, the Heart of the Realms pulsed, a slow, deliberate thrum that seemed to sync with his very heartbeat. Every pulse sent ripples of power across the vast obsidian platform, making the glowing symbols engraved into the stone flicker and twist like living things.
The masked figure, who had been silent for so long, stepped forward. His silver-lined robes flowed unnaturally, almost as if they were moving outside the boundaries of time itself. His mask—smooth, featureless, and carved from black stone—remained fixed on Kaito. But despite the lack of expression, his presence alone was suffocating.
And behind the masked figure, the warriors who had fought Kaito only moments before now stood perfectly still. Their weapons were lowered, their obsidian armor reflecting the eerie glow of the platform. They did not speak. They did not move. They simply... waited.
Kaito gritted his teeth, forcing himself to rise despite the crushing pressure. His body screamed in protest, his muscles trembling from the sheer force pressing against him.
"You have been chosen."
The words echoed unnaturally, as though they came from every direction at once.
Kaito's fingers instinctively clenched around the Shard of Eternity, feeling its warmth against his palm. He had fought through monsters, illusions, and impossible trials, but nothing had prepared him for this moment. The feeling in his chest—the way his soul resonated with the Heart—it was unnatural.
"What do you mean, 'chosen'?" he asked, his voice rough.
The masked figure took another step forward. The air around him seemed to bend, as if space itself struggled to contain his presence.
"You are not what you think you are."
The statement sent a ripple of unease through Kaito.
A sudden whisper filled the air, soft but deep, like the murmurs of an unseen crowd. The glowing symbols around the platform began to shift, changing shape before his eyes. And then—the visions began.
Darkness. Endless, suffocating darkness.
Then—a flash. A battlefield stretched endlessly beneath a sky swallowed by storms, where warriors clashed with weapons forged from pure energy. The air was thick with the scent of blood and burning magic, and the screams of the fallen echoed like a symphony of despair.
At the center of the chaos stood a solitary figure.
Kaito saw himself, but not as he was now.
This Kaito was older, battle-worn, clad in armor cracked and drenched in the blood of both allies and enemies alike. His eyes glowed with an ethereal light—not human, not entirely mortal. His hands gripped a weapon far greater than the Shard of Eternity—a blade that pulsed with a power so immense it seemed to distort reality itself.
And behind him—a titanic rift in existence.
Something crawled out of it. Something ancient.
A force that should have never been allowed into this world.
Kaito's breath caught as the vision accelerated, flashing through his mind in rapid succession.
A war waged across dimensions. A battle against an enemy that defied understanding. A desperate last stand. A sacrifice. A betrayal.
And finally—darkness once more.
Kaito's consciousness snapped back to the present, his body trembling from the sheer weight of what he had seen. He gasped for air, clutching his head as the visions burned themselves into his mind.
He remembered nothing, yet the pain of that battlefield felt real.
"What... what was that?" he whispered.
The masked figure watched him in silence for a long moment before answering.
"That was your past."
Kaito froze. "My... past?"
"You were not always Kaito Ren."
Something inside him twisted at those words.
The masked figure continued, his voice calm, yet absolute.
"Before this life, before this world, you were something else entirely. A warrior of the Abyssal Order. A protector of the Veil Between Realities. And the one who sealed away the Heart's power... before you vanished from existence."
Kaito's pulse pounded in his ears. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" The masked figure tilted his head. "Then why does the Heart recognize you?"
The Heart of the Realms pulsed again, and for the first time, Kaito felt it.
A connection. A link that had always been there, buried deep within him, hidden beneath layers of forgotten memories.
He clenched his fists, his breath uneven. "If this is true, then why don't I remember?"
The masked figure was silent for a long time. Then, he raised a hand and removed his mask.
Kaito's entire world stopped.
Because beneath that mask... Was his own face.
Kaito staggered back, his mind spiraling. His own reflection stared back at him, but it wasn't exactly him.
This version was hardened, his expression carved from stone, his features sharper, colder. His eyes—once filled with curiosity and determination—were now ancient, carrying a burden of centuries.
Kaito's breath came in short gasps. "Who... are you?"
His past self regarded him with a calm expression.
"I am what you left behind," he said. "And you... are what remains."
Kaito's stomach churned.
"This doesn't make sense. If I was truly someone else, if I had all this power, then why—why don't I remember anything?"
His past self's gaze darkened.
"Because you made a choice."
The air around them trembled, the symbols glowing brighter.
"You sealed away your own past. Your own power. You chose to forget. But now, the seal is breaking. And once it does... there will be no going back."
The warriors surrounding them shifted, their heads turning toward Kaito as though waiting for his answer.
He clenched his fists.
"What happens if I refuse?"
His past self studied him for a long moment before speaking.
"Then the world will fall."
The words carried a finality that sent ice down Kaito's spine.
The war he had seen in his visions—the thing that had crawled from the rift—it wasn't over.
And the only one who had ever stopped it before... was him.
Kaito exhaled slowly.
He had come here seeking power. But he had found something much greater. Something terrifying.
The Heart of the Realms pulsed one last time. And then—everything shattered.