Rei hit the ground hard. His body scraped stone, lungs burning as he gasped for air. The void was gone. In its place—a forest drowned in mist.
Branches twisted overhead, dripping cold dew. His wounds throbbed. Every breath hurt.
Footsteps.
Rei pushed himself up, staggering to his feet. A figure emerged from the fog. The same girl. Silver hair, black robes, calm eyes that cut into him like knives.
"You again…" Rei spat blood, steadying his stance. "What are you?"
She tilted her head. "Alive."
His hands shook, Enso sparking. "Don't play with me. My village—Hurukoya—it's gone. Everyone… gone. But you…" His voice cracked. "You were there, weren't you?"
Her gaze flickered, just for a moment. "Yes."
The word crushed him more than silence ever could. Rei stumbled forward, fists trembling. "Then why you? Why are you still here?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she tossed something at his feet. A black stone, faintly glowing, cracked through the middle.
Rei's heart stopped. "…This is…"
"Hurukoya's legacy," she said. "Or what's left of it."
The weight of it pulled him to his knees. His chest felt like it would split open. "How do you have this?"
"Because I survived."
Rei's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Tell me how!"
Her face darkened. "You're not ready for that."
"Don't—!" Rei's voice cracked into a snarl, Enso flaring around him. The ground trembled. He couldn't hold it. It burned his veins, begging to rip him apart.
The girl's eyes hardened. In a blur she moved, hand clamping down on his wrist. His Enso sputtered and died out like a candle in storm.
Rei's jaw dropped. "You—how did you—"
"You're reckless," she said flatly. "And if you keep fighting like that, you'll disappear just like the rest."
She turned, walking back into the mist. "Follow me. Or die here."
Rei stood frozen, the black stone heavy in his hands. His breath shook, chest pounding with questions that clawed for answers.
And with no other choice, he followed.