The sky above Tokyo looked deceptively calm.
It had been three weeks since the collapse of the Spire in Frestco. The Gate between worlds had sealed shut with a scream of thunder and light, leaving Earth eerily untouched. At least on the surface.
But those who had crossed that threshold would never be the same.
Sera stood beneath a blooming cherry tree in a secluded grove on the outskirts of the city. Pink petals drifted lazily through the morning air, catching in her silver hair like soft echoes of another life.
Before her lay a small stone—simple, unadorned. It bore no name, only a glyph carved in careful silence: the Rymer family sigil, half-burnt and incomplete.
She knelt.
"You hated flowers," she whispered. "Said they were fragile things. Too soft for a world this cruel. But you protected them anyway, didn't you?"
Her fingers traced the symbol. A single tear slid down her cheek.
"You were never the villain. You were just lost. And now... I wish we had more time."
The wind stirred the branches above, scattering petals like farewell confetti.
From behind, Akira watched quietly. He didn't say anything. Just waited.
Eventually, Sera stood. Her voice was steady.
"Let's go. Kurumi's waiting."
The hospital room was small, filled with sunlight and the soft hum of mana suppression wards. Kurumi sat upright in bed, a thick blanket over her legs, a faint glow lingering beneath her skin like stardust trapped under flesh.
Her eyes opened slowly as Sera and Akira entered. They weren't her usual vibrant brown—they shimmered faintly silver-blue.
"Hey," Akira said gently, kneeling beside her bed. "You're awake."
Kurumi blinked, as if returning from somewhere far away. "I saw you in the dream. You were bleeding. Calling my name."
Akira took her hand, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. "I did. You came back. I won't let you go again."
She looked down at their intertwined hands. Her voice was soft. "I don't know if I came back right."
Sera approached from the side, eyes shadowed with guilt and worry. "Your glyphs are unstable. They're cycling through Queen-class frequencies. No one's ever absorbed a divine seal before."
Kurumi gave a dry laugh. "That explains why I dream in starlight and scream in glyph code."
Akira frowned. "Do you remember what she said? The Queen?"
Kurumi nodded slowly. "Pieces. She's asleep inside me. Mostly. But sometimes... I see through her eyes. Memories. Feelings. A war, so vast it swallowed entire constellations."
Sera inhaled sharply. "Then it wasn't over."
"No," Kurumi said. "It never ended. The Celestial Court fractured, but the ones behind the rebellion... they're still out there. Watching. Waiting."
Akira stood, jaw tight. "Then we have to be ready."
Sera turned to the window, light catching the pendant around her neck. It shimmered softly—a small crystal fragment, once part of the Queen's prison. It pulsed faintly now, like a heartbeat.
She held it up.
"This shouldn't be reacting. The crystal should be inert."
Kurumi flinched suddenly, eyes glowing. "The Queen... she spoke again just now."
Sera turned sharply. "What did she say?"
Kurumi swallowed, her voice barely a whisper.
"The war... has only just begun."
Final shot: The sky above Tokyo shifts ever so slightly. In the blue canvas, barely visible, a constellation rearranges itself—a symbol lost to time, burning faintly over the horizon.
And in the heart of a quiet hospital room, three souls prepare to face the stars.
To Be Continued...