---
The light enveloped them like a tidal wave—warm, endless, almost too bright to endure. Kael felt every atom stretch and fold, like he was being unraveled and rewritten at once. Rin, meanwhile, screamed something about her socks vanishing mid-teleport. Then—
Silence.
Stillness.
They landed on smooth, shimmering ground that glowed with an inner luminescence. The sky above them was not blue, but a canvas of swirling violet, shot through with golden arcs and silver stars that moved like they were alive.
Kael straightened slowly, scanning the horizon.
"Welcome," he whispered, awestruck, "to the Tethered Realm."
Rin staggered to her feet, squinting at the sky. "Okay, I am definitely not high… right? This is real?"
"As real as dream-physics and dimension-hopping get."
Around them, floating platforms drifted lazily across the air, tethered to nothing, defying gravity. Some carried massive glowing books, others had trees with leaves that chimed instead of rustled. It was like someone had taken pieces of every reality and patched them together in a whimsical mosaic.
And hovering far above them was the Loom.
A colossal weaving of light and energy, stretching across the sky like a divine tapestry.
Kael's breath caught.
It was more beautiful than the legends described.
"You think Ayame's in there?" Rin asked, shading her eyes.
"I think… she's everywhere here," Kael said quietly. "But we need to find her *anchor*—her consciousness, the one part of her that's still… aware."
Rin looked around. "Any idea where to start?"
"Not yet. But the Loom responds to emotion, memory, and resonance. If we trigger something—"
A soft *chime* cut him off.
One of the floating platforms slowly descended toward them. It was flat, metallic, with a glowing center, and as it hovered in front of them, a voice echoed from within:
**"Identify your thread."**
Kael stepped forward. "Kael Arashi. Scholar of Echo Theory. Tethered by bond to Ayame Haru."
The platform pulsed.
**"Thread accepted."**
Then it turned to Rin.
**"Identify your thread."**
She blinked. "Uh… Rin Morikawa. Chaos goblin. Bringer of snacks. Dream-link to the same hot girl?"
Silence.
Kael winced.
Then—*ping!*
**"Thread anomalous. But acceptable."**
The platform shimmered and opened, revealing a glowing path.
Rin punched the air. "Ha! Still got it!"
Kael chuckled, shaking his head. "Let's go."
---
### **The Platform Ride**
As the platform glided through the air, Kael and Rin took in the view: pockets of memories floated like bubbles, replaying flickers of Ayame's past—her laugh in the school hallway, her training in the void chamber, her tearful goodbye.
Kael reached toward one.
It rippled under his touch but didn't let him enter.
"She's fragmented," he said. "Each memory is a lock. We'll need the right key."
Rin frowned. "Like… specific emotional triggers?"
Kael nodded. "Something meaningful enough to awaken her."
Rin leaned back and crossed her arms. "So we just have to make her *feel* something deep in here?" She poked Kael's chest.
"Exactly. But it has to be real. Not forced."
As they rode on, the path forked.
To the left: a dark tunnel with streaks of red lightning.
To the right: a glowing meadow that shimmered like stardust.
"Which way?" Rin asked.
Kael hesitated.
"The dark one might be a corruption zone. Could be dangerous."
"Cool. So obviously we go that way."
"…We should go right."
"Chicken."
"Survivor."
Rin sighed dramatically. "Fine. Right it is."
---
### **The Meadow of Echoes**
As they stepped into the meadow, their senses were immediately overwhelmed. The air shimmered with sound—whispers of forgotten dreams, faint songs, and echoes of words never spoken aloud.
Kael knelt by a flower. "These are dream-blooms," he murmured. "Each one blooms from a single strong memory."
He plucked one gently.
The air shifted—and Ayame's voice filled the air.
**"Don't forget me."**
Kael's throat tightened.
"That was our last night together…" he whispered.
More flowers bloomed around them. Memories. Fears. Hopes.
Rin walked carefully, her hand brushing the petals.
Suddenly, she gasped.
"Kael—look!"
At the center of the meadow, a crystal tower rose from the ground, pulsing with familiar energy.
Ayame's tether.
It beat like a heart.
"We found it," Kael breathed. "She's inside."
---
### **The Tower**
They reached the base of the tower, only to find the entrance sealed by a web of silver light.
An inscription glowed:
**"Only truth may pass."**
Rin tilted her head. "So… what, we spill a secret?"
Kael nodded. "A truth that defines us. Something we've never said aloud."
He stepped forward.
Took a breath.
And spoke.
"I still hear her lullaby every night. Not in dreams—while I'm awake. I think part of me never left that moment."
The light pulsed—and receded slightly.
Rin stepped forward, eyes uncertain.
"…I used to fake being weird so people would leave me alone. But… now I think I *am* weird. And I'm okay with that."
The light shattered.
The door opened.
Inside, a spiral staircase of light waited.
Kael turned to Rin.
"This is it."
She nodded. "Let's go bring her home."
---
As they ascended, the light thickened, coalescing into figures—shadows of Ayame, moments of her past. Her smile. Her pain. Her fight.
At the top, a chamber bloomed open—
And there she was.
Floating in a stasis of glass and gold.
Eyes closed. Still.
Kael approached, trembling. "Ayame…"
The chamber pulsed once.
Twice.
Her eyes fluttered open.
"…Kael?"
He gasped.
But before he could touch her—
The room *ripped open* in a flash of red.
From the shadows, a twisted version of Kael stepped through, followed by a corrupted Ayame—eyes glowing, face cold.
Their Echoes.
---