The night tore itself open.
Ren Nakamura felt the cold ground beneath him vanish as a whirl of stars and darkness pulled him through a rift. He had no say, no choice only the weight of a betrayal that had ended his life in the other world. The laughter of a false friend, the burn of a knife in his back… then nothing.
But now, something was calling him.
When he opened his eyes, he stood in a realm of shifting skies, where cracks of silver bled across the horizon. A whisper slid into his ears like smoke.
"Ren Nakamura… bearer of broken trust. You are chosen."
Six figures emerged from the mist, their eyes glowing with fractured starlight. Symbols shimmered faintly on their skin radiant marks that pulsed like living constellations. Ren had heard of such things only in legends: Celestials, bonds of power carved by oaths between souls.
Each figure extended a hand. Each smiled. But Ren knew better.
He whispered into the silence, "Which of you will betray me first?"
The smiles faltered. The air thickened.
Above him, the sky shattered like glass, revealing a kingdom below stitched together from lies and memories. Forests twisted, rivers shimmered, castles leaned as if built on broken promises. This was no ordinary world. This was a place where trust itself was power.
The voice returned, curling close to his ear:
"In Ebonveil, every bond becomes a Celestial. Every Celestial can save you… or destroy you. Betrayal is the path. Trust is the trap."
Ren clenched his fists. He had fallen once to betrayal. He would not again.
And yet, as he looked down at his arm, he saw it: a faint black star burned into his skin, jagged and cold. The mark of his death. The Black Celestial.
It pulsed once. Then again. And Ren knew this curse would either destroy him, or become his only weapon.