A deafening crack split the air. The world around Kaito shattered like fragile glass, dissolving into an abyss of swirling darkness.
His past self—the hardened warrior with his own face—stood motionless, watching as the fabric of reality fractured around them. The Heart of the Realms pulsed one final time before vanishing into the void, its overwhelming presence fading like a dying ember.
And then, Kaito fell.
Wind roared in his ears as he plummeted through the endless void. Shadows twisted and writhed around him, forming distorted images that flickered in and out of existence. Memories—his own, yet not his own—rushed past him like shooting stars, too fast to grasp, too fleeting to understand.
The battlefield from his visions.
The blade of light in his hand, dripping with blackened blood.
"You must awaken, or all will be lost."
The voice was ancient, layered, as if spoken by a thousand souls at once. It echoed through his mind, wrapping around his consciousness like unseen chains.
Then, a sudden pull—like an invisible force yanking him back toward existence.
Kaito's eyes snapped open. He was no longer falling. He was somewhere else entirely.
The world that surrounded him was unlike anything he had ever seen.
A vast, empty hall of obsidian stone, its walls stretching endlessly into the horizon. Faint blue lights flickered in the darkness, illuminating thousands of floating chains that snaked through the air like living things. Each chain pulsed with an eerie glow, connected to shadowy fragments of memories, suspended in the void.
Kaito took a cautious step forward, his footsteps echoing unnaturally. The floor beneath him was not solid—it rippled, shifting like the surface of a dark ocean.
At the center of the hall, wrapped in an intricate web of chains, stood a lone figure.
The Kaito from before—the warrior who had sealed his own fate.
His past self's eyes were closed, his body motionless. The chains that bound him seemed alive, tightening around him with every breath. Sealing him away.
Kaito's heart pounded.
"This... this isn't just a vision. This is real."
Something inside him ached. A feeling he couldn't quite explain. It was more than just fear or confusion—it was recognition.
The chains binding his past self weren't just physical. They were chains of memory, of power, of something far greater than Kaito could comprehend.
And then—the chains moved.
A deep, unnatural creaking sound filled the air as they tightened, causing the warrior's body to twitch. A flicker of golden light pulsed from his chest—a light identical to the Heart of the Realms.
Kaito stepped forward, instinctively reaching out.
And the moment his fingers brushed against the first chain—pain.
An excruciating, mind-shattering agony surged through him as a flood of memories crashed into his consciousness.
The war. The rift. The thing that crawled from beyond.
He saw glimpses of his past self standing at the edge of reality, blade in hand, facing something so vast, so incomprehensible, that it defied existence itself.
The whispers from the void grew louder.
"You cannot escape your fate."
"You chose to forget. But the truth will not remain buried."
"The Abyss is waking."
Kaito's breath hitched as the pain intensified, his vision blurring. He felt himself being pulled deeper, his own mind unraveling under the weight of the forgotten past.
And then—a hand grabbed his wrist.
The pain stopped instantly.
Kaito gasped, his vision clearing just in time to see his past self's eyes had opened.
Golden irises burned like molten stars, staring directly into his soul.
And for the first time, his past self spoke.
"You should not have come here."
Kaito stumbled back, his breath uneven.
"Who—what are you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
His past self tilted his head slightly, observing him. "The better question is... what are you?"
Kaito clenched his fists. "I'm—"
The moment he tried to answer, a searing pain shot through his mind. The chains reacted, pulsing violently, sending waves of energy crashing through the hall.
His past self narrowed his eyes. "You don't remember, do you?"
Kaito shook his head. "No. But I saw something. I saw the war. I saw myself—you—fighting against something beyond comprehension. And then... everything vanished."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then, his past self sighed.
"That is because you made a choice. You sealed it all away." He lifted a hand, gesturing to the chains. "And I am the price you paid."
Kaito's heart pounded.
"You mean... these chains... they're mine?"
"These are the fragments of your power and your past," his past self said. "Locked away by your own hands. Every chain is a memory, a truth you refused to accept. And every link... is a part of you that you left behind."
Kaito swallowed hard. "Then why am I here now?"
His past self's gaze darkened.
"Because the seal is breaking."
As if to emphasize his words, the chains shuddered, several of them cracking as an unseen force threatened to shatter the barriers of memory.
"You don't have much time," his past self continued. "If you do not reclaim your past soon, it will consume you. The Abyss does not forgive. It does not forget. And it is waking."
Kaito exhaled shakily.
He had spent his entire journey searching for strength—for answers to the power he desperately sought. But now, standing before his own forgotten self, he realized the truth was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
Because the power he had once wielded...Was never meant to return.
A deep rumble shook the hall as more chains snapped, golden light pouring from the fractures. Kaito instinctively stepped back, but his past self simply watched.
"You have a choice," his past self said. "Take back what was lost... or walk away before it's too late."
Kaito hesitated, staring at the golden light spilling from the chains.
If he touched them again, there was no telling what memories—what truths—would come rushing back.
But if he left...The Abyss would wake.
The air shivered. The whispers from the void grew louder.
And deep within Kaito's soul, something shifted.
He clenched his fists.
"I... I don't know if I'm ready."
His past self's expression didn't change.
"Then let me ask you this..."
He took a single step forward, his golden eyes locking onto Kaito's.
"Are you ready to let the world burn?"
Kaito's breath caught in his throat.
The chains shattered.
And then—everything exploded.