SAI SHINU
I sliced again, this time across the goat's other leg. I wanted to see if the effect could manifest on two different spots at once—and it worked. Both wounds unraveled into roses, blooming from the vanishing flesh.
The goat went wild, thrashing in agony. My chest tightened. I couldn't let it suffer any longer. With one final swing, I cut through its neck.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "May your sacrifice be worth it."
The white floor vanished. The black sky dissolved. Reality returned.
My companion's voice carried a note of awe. "It's… an interesting ability."
I nodded, wiping sweat from my brow. "No. It's more than that. Its potential is infinite."
Without another word, I returned home. Packed my things. At the reception, I left the house key and a pouch of money. Then, without looking back, I set out toward Sora Village.
YOSUKE SHIN
There I stood. For a moment, it felt as if the three of them—Jiro, Taro, and Yuri—were frozen, forced to look at me, to confirm I was real.
Slowly, I began walking toward them.
"That's… Yosuke," Jiro breathed.
At once, Taro and Yuri sprinted forward.
I bit my tongue, trying to hold my emotions steady. But when they reached me, I opened my arms, and they collided into me with a force that knocked us all down.
Their warmth hit me like lightning. Their voices like echoes from a life I thought I'd lost.
"Is it really you, Yosuke?" Yuri's voice trembled.
At first, my vision blurred, but when I focused on her, I noticed—her eyes were still pure violet, but her hair was shorter now. Cut to her shoulders. Different, but still beautiful.
Taro looked the same as ever—his dark red eyes sharp, his hair wild and dangerous. A warrior through and through.
Pinned under both of them, I struggled to breathe. "Yes… it's me."
They pulled back, finally letting me breathe. I sat up, drew in a long breath, then stood to face them.
"Are you okay? And who are all these people?" Taro asked, eyeing the crowd behind me.
"It's a long story," I said, voice heavy with memory. "But in short… inside that portal was an entire village. I freed them."
The words pulled me back, unbidden, to the moment I collapsed after fighting my brother. When I awoke days later, a portal had opened before me—and beyond it, this hidden world.
"You said you wanted to rebuild your village, Taro. Well… here's your foundation." I gestured to the survivors behind me.
"Where exactly are we now?" I asked.
"Almost at Yoshi Village," Jiro replied.
My heart skipped. When I'd entered the portal, I was far from any village. But the exit had opened right here, at Yoshi's doorstep.
So that's it… I thought, staring at the massive stone behind me. The portals have different entrances and exits. That rock—it's the same one I stepped through.
Yuri's voice broke my thoughts. "Now what do we do with all these people?"
I exhaled. "We'll figure it out. But tell me—why are you three headed to Yoshi?"
Taro's expression hardened. "We had time left before our next rendezvous, so we decided to take a trip. But I had another reason. I want to negotiate with Yoshi's head. See if there's a chance to rebuild my home."