Ryoma stepped forward, his voice unsteady.
"Master…?"
Astra did not answer. She turned slowly.
When Ryoma's gaze met those ruby eyes, his breath caught. Instinct overrode thought. He dropped to one knee, back straight, one fist pressed flat against his chest, head bowed, shoulders squared in absolute submission.
"By blood remembered and shadow obeyed. May my breath be worthy to stand before you."
Silence answered him.
Behind her, Kriya dragged himself upright, coughing harshly. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, his first instinct pulling him toward Kaen's collapsed form despite the pain tearing through his body. In an instant, Astra turned and seized him by the collar, fingers digging in with bruising force.
"Don't move," she said coldly.
Kriya stiffened. He didn't resist.
Ryoma looked up sharply. "Master… let's go."
Astra's lips curved faintly. "Yes," she said. "Let's go. We have a great many unfinished stories to complete."
She released Kriya and turned away, water rippling behind her. The moment her back was turned, Ryoma surged forward and grabbed Kriya. Kriya's eyes, refusing to open, but he felt Ryoma's hand fist into his collar and yank him close, fury flashing across his usually composed face.
"What have you done?" he hissed. "Was this your plan? Was this what you wanted all along?!"
Kriya grabbed his wrist, tightening his grip. "No," he said urgently. "This isn't what I wanted. We have to stop her."
Ryoma scoffed, eyes dark. "Stop her? After everything you've done?"
Kriya shoved him back. "Stop her," he snarled, voice tight with urgency. "Don't pretend you don't know how to stop her."
Ryoma's gaze flicked past him to Astra, already moving away from the water's edge. His jaw clenched. He released Kriya and rushed forward, planting himself directly in her path.
"Master—wait."
Astra stopped. Slowly, she looked down at him.
"Move," she said.
Ryoma didn't.
He drew in a breath, steadying himself. "Please. Listen to me."
For a moment, something dangerous flickered in her eyes. Then she laughed softly. She began to circle him, bare feet silent against the damp earth, voice low and almost amused.
"So," she murmured, "this disciple of mine… doesn't wish for his master to fulfill her fate."
Ryoma remained where he was, spine straight despite the crushing pressure thickening the air around them. His expression did not waver.
"This disciple," he said quietly, voice steady yet heavy with resolve, "only wishes for his master to be safe."
Astra halted directly in front of him.
At the same moment, Kriya staggered forward and placed himself beside her. "Astra listen to me first."
"I got no time to waste," she replied coldly, without looking at him.
Ryoma stepped in immediately. "Master—don't listen to him. Listen to me."
Something in his tone made her pause.
Astra narrowed her eyes, then said flatly, "Go on."
Ryoma drew a slow breath. "Master… right now, only your memories have returned. Not your powers. This will last only until sunrise. After that, the seal suppressing your memories will close again."
Silence fell.
Astra's lips curved faintly. "Then remove it."
Ryoma froze.
Her gaze sharpened. "If you cannot break the seal suppressing my power, then break the one suppressing my memories. Remove it."
"I can't," Ryoma said at once.
Her patience snapped.
"Why…?" she demanded. "WHY? WHY WONT YOU REMOVE IT ALREADY?!"
Ryoma opened his mouth, but she cut him off.
"If you can't. Then I'll remove it myself." Her voice dropped, dangerous. "I'll tear the seal out of my own heart."
Ryoma's face drained of color.
"Once that happens, nothing will stop me. I'll regain my powers along with— ."
Before Ryoma could react, Kriya spoke, his voice sharp despite his exhaustion.
"You can't."
Both of them turned to him.
"You can't," Kriya repeated, stepping forward. "Because the seal… isn't inside you."
Ryoma's eyes widened, disbelief breaking through his composure.
"…What do you mean?"
Kriya exhaled slowly, as if the truth itself weighed on his ribs. "I mean the one bearing the seal isn't you." His gaze lifted to meet hers. "It's me. I'm the current vessel."
The words hit Ryoma like a blade to the skull.
For a heartbeat, all sound vanished. Then a sharp ringing filled his ears. He staggered half a step back, eyes wide, voice rising. "WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SPITTING?" he snapped. "YOU ARE TELLING ME THAT THE SUPREME BLACK LOTUS POWERS ARE SEALED INSIDE YOU?"
"You heard me right," Kriya said quietly. "I don't know how it happened. I was only meant to take the curse in exchange for sealing the Supreme's power within her. But somehow… it ended up inside me." He clenched his fists. "THAT WAS THE THING I TRIED TO TELL YOU THAT DAY! BUT AN ICE BREG LIKE YOU DIDNT TRY LISTENING."
The words slipped out sharp and bitter.
Ryoma stood frozen, unable to respond.
Suddenly, Astra began to laugh. At first it was soft. Then louder. It spilled out of her, sharp and broken, echoing through the clearing. She laughed until tears streaked down her cheeks, until her shoulders shook, until the sound bordered on madness.
"So… this is how fate mocks me," she said, voice trembling with amusement and anguish alike. "When I was made a weapon… you chose to become the sheath." Her gaze dropped back to Kriya, smile shattered but sincere in its cruelty.
"Astra, that means you can't—" Kriya began urgently.
She cut him off.
"And who said I can't?"
Both Kriya and Ryoma frowned, unease rippling through them.
Astra stepped closer. She reached out and pressed her palm flat against Kriya's chest, right over his heart. The contact was light almost gentle.
"You think that just because the seal rests here," she murmured, tapping once, "I can't access the power?"
She laughed softly, a sound far too calm.
"How naive."
"As long as I can still command my puppet," she continued, her ruby eyes lifting to meet his, "it doesn't matter whether the seal is inside me… or inside you." Her smile sharpened. "It would only be a problem if the seal belonged to someone else."
A chill ran down both Kriya's and Ryoma's spines.
Kriya inhaled once, steadying himself, forcing his shaking nerves into place. He lifted his head, meeting her gaze. "You won't," he said quietly. "You won't command me."
Astra's eyes curved with cruel amusement. "Why wouldn't I?" she asked. "Aren't you the one who willingly chose to become my puppet that day?" Her voice dropped, each word deliberate. "Did you forget? I never lifted the spell on you."
She tilted her head. "Or perhaps you did forget. After all, so many disasters followed that day. You lost so much… maybe even yourself."
Kriya staggered back a step.
A memory crashed into him without warning voices, heat, screaming silence. He clutched his head, breath hitching as the past flooded in, sharp and merciless.
Astra's gaze hardened. "I command you—"
"Master."
Ryoma stepped forward, placing himself squarely between them. His hands trembled, but his voice did not. "Please… don't do this." His eyes burned as he met hers. "We've already lost too much because of this unknowingly. I don't want us to lose even more knowingly."
Astra glared at him. The pressure in the air suffocated.
"You dare stop me?" she hissed.
Ryoma swallowed, then straightened his spine. "I do," he said. "And I won't step aside. Even if I have to fight you… if that's the only way to stop another disaster."
Astra studied him for a long moment. Then her lips curved not in rage, but in something colder. She turned her gaze past Ryoma, locking onto Kriya.
"Very well," she said calmly. "I command you to fight him."
Her voice dropped, absolute.
"Until one of you is left standing."