Chapter 59: When the Silence Cracks
The blinding white that swallowed everything finally faded.
Riku's senses returned slowly, like the world was being rebuilt in fragments—sound, smell, feeling. Cold stone under his back. A bitter metallic taste in his mouth. A distant echo of sobbing.
He blinked. Above him was no sky, no dome, just a canvas of soft golden petals drifting through the air like snow.
"Riku!" Airi's voice cracked with relief. Her face hovered into view, tear-streaked and frantic.
He sat up, coughing. "W-What happened...?"
Haru knelt beside him, face pale but smiling. "You were gone. Just—gone. That pulse... it knocked everyone out. But we... we came back. Together."
The chamber had changed.
No longer dark and oppressive, it now resembled a vast golden atrium, filled with warm, serene light. The petals that fell from above left tiny ripples in the air, distorting reality like gentle waves on glass. And at the center, a tree.
It was ancient, massive, glowing faintly with every shade of the Nine Blooms. Its bark was etched with symbols that pulsed softly. But more striking was what lay at its roots.
Veyla.
Unmoving.
Kohana ran toward her, dropping to her knees. "No... No, please. Veyla! Wake up!"
Toma joined her, lips tight. "She's breathing. Barely. But that last burst... it took everything from her."
"She shielded us," Sera murmured. "She used herself as a conduit to contain the Remnant's final surge."
Rei clenched his fists. "Then she's a hero. But we can still save her. Right?"
Riku stumbled to his feet, aided by Haru. The tree pulsed.
A voice filled their minds.
Not spoken—remembered.
"You have seen pieces. You have held fragments. But now you must decide. The Bloom stirs fully, and its heart cannot be caged."
Kaoru looked around. "Is it... talking to us? The Bloom itself?"
Airi whispered, "Or maybe what's left of the Originals... their will..."
The roots of the tree shifted, revealing nine seats—stone thrones, each carved with a symbol representing a Seed. One pulsed brightly. The Flame. Another shimmered with wind. Three others faintly glowed.
Four remained dark.
Toma spoke softly. "So we have five..."
"No," Sera said. "We have five pieces. But not unity."
The petals began to swirl, forming images in the air—echoes of the past.
A younger version of Veyla, standing before a shattered Bloom. Ancient battles. A cloaked figure turning away from the light. The Ninth Seed breaking away from the rest.
And then—a face.
A man, eyes like obsidian, hair like falling ash. Familiar.
Riku gasped. "That's... that's my brother."
Airi turned. "No, Riku. That can't be."
But it was.
The vision showed him—older, more powerful, standing beside the Remnant.
"The Bloom must be reborn. Even if it means breaking it first."
The silence cracked.
Riku's heart pounded.
Flashback. Years ago.
He was just a child. His brother placing the pendant around his neck.
"Someday," he said, "you'll have to make a choice I couldn't. And you'll hate me for it. But you'll be stronger. You'll be ready."
Back to the present.
Riku fell to his knees. "Why...? Why did you join them? What happened to you?!"
No answer. Just fading petals.
Airi stepped beside him. "Whatever his reasons... you're not alone. We face this together."
Kaoru approached one of the dark thrones. "We need the remaining Seeds. And maybe... maybe we need to find him too."
Toma nodded. "Before the Remnant does."
They all looked to the tree. It pulsed once more.
"The Bloom awakens. The Ninth stirs. The final arc begins."
And from the shadows at the far end of the atrium, a ripple.
Someone watching.
Waiting.
Then vanishing.
End of Chapter 59.