The city slept.
But not peacefully.
Not restlessly.
It simply continued.
Kael lay on the narrow bed, eyes closed.
Even in silence, the city did not stop.
Footsteps faded and returned.
Metal struck somewhere in the distance.
Voices lowered, but never disappeared.
A system that did not pause.
Slowly, exhaustion pulled him under.
---
Darkness.
Not the darkness of night.
Something emptier.
There was no ground.
No sky.
No walls.
Yet Kael stood.
In front of him—
A whiteboard.
A desk.
Loose sheets of paper filled with equations.
His lab.
But something was wrong.
There was no light.
No shadow.
No depth.
Only presence.
Only form.
Kael didn't move.
Then—
A voice.
"Kael… no… my dear Mr. Loser Kazuki."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn't turn.
"Why?" he asked.
A soft laugh followed.
"I was just thinking," the voice said, calm and steady, "you seem to be enjoying your life."
Silence tightened.
Then—
"Join me."
The papers shifted slightly.
The whiteboard flickered.
"I can give you everything," the voice continued. "Mia. Yui. Anyone."
A pause.
"Peace. Power. Stability."
Another pause.
"Anything."
Kael's expression hardened.
"Never."
The space seemed to tighten.
"Why?" the voice asked.
"You killed my brother," Kael said. "You killed me."
A quiet laugh.
"Oh."
Something shifted.
At the edge of his vision—
A figure appeared.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
His brother.
Standing there.
Alive.
"Join me," the voice whispered, "and I will give him back."
Kael stepped back.
"No… no…"
The figure disappeared.
Like it had never been there.
Silence returned.
Then—
"Think about it," the voice said calmly. "This deal is always active. Whenever you want… just say so."
Kael clenched his fists.
"Never."
A faint hum.
"Let's see."
---
Kael opened his eyes.
He sat up immediately.
His breathing was steady.
But his body was tense.
For a moment, his aura rose—
Sharp.
Instinctive.
He forced it down.
Across the room, Reiro opened his eyes.
"You sensed something."
Kael looked forward.
"Just a dream."
Reiro watched him for a moment.
Then nodded.
And closed his eyes again.
But Kael didn't lie back down.
He remained seated.
The voice lingered.
Not tempting.
Not convincing.
Just present.
Kael turned toward the window.
The city below still moved.
Unchanged.
"Never," he said quietly.
---
[Earth — Years Later]
Rain fell steadily.
Liliam stood outside an old warehouse at the edge of the city.
The place had been abandoned for years.
The government had already taken everything from Kazuki's official laboratory.
His research.
His name.
His work.
All erased.
Or reassigned.
But Kazuki never trusted a single place.
And he never trusted power.
She remembered his words clearly.
"If something matters, don't leave it where others can take it."
At the time, she thought he meant data.
Now—
She pushed the door open.
It creaked.
Dust filled the air.
The building was empty.
Broken beams.
Faded markings.
Nothing important.
At least, not at first glance.
Liliam walked slowly.
Her eyes moved across the walls.
Then she stopped.
One section—
Too clean.
She stepped closer.
Tapped it.
Hollow.
Her breath caught.
Her fingers traced along the surface.
There.
A thin metallic edge.
Hidden beneath paint.
She pressed it.
A quiet click.
The wall shifted.
A narrow opening appeared.
Cold air slipped out.
Liliam stepped inside.
The room was small.
Ordered.
Silent.
Exactly like him.
A desk.
Offline storage drives.
Stacks of notebooks.
A whiteboard.
No message.
No explanation.
Just work.
Her hands trembled as she approached.
On the board—
"Parallel Universes — Stability Threshold Hypothesis"
She froze.
"You weren't guessing…" she whispered.
"You were already doing it."
She picked up a notebook.
Page after page.
Calculations.
Energy limits.
Dimensional overlap.
The final entry—
Dated the day before the showcase.
She read it slowly.
"If stability exists, crossing is possible. Consequences unknown."
No goodbye.
No warning.
Just curiosity.
Tears fell quietly.
"You idiot…"
Her voice broke.
He never told her.
Not because he didn't trust her.
Because he wanted her safe.
If she didn't know—
She couldn't be forced to reveal anything.
Liliam wiped her eyes.
Sat down in his chair.
And opened the next notebook.
---
[Soul World]
Kael stood by the window.
The city lights flickered below.
Unchanging.
Unaware.
His expression was calm.
But his thoughts were not.
Someone was watching.
Not closely.
Not constantly.
But deliberately.
He closed his eyes.
And did not sleep again.