Determined to uncover the truth, Yukino returned to the archives at midnight.
But this time, the door didn't melt away—it opened on its own.
Inside waited someone unexpected.
> "I knew you'd come," said a tall man cloaked in black.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
He smiled faintly. "A remnant. A record. One who remembers the first Tarou."
The name froze her.
He handed her a cracked crystal sphere.
Inside, faint silhouettes flickered—memories of war, light, and blood.
> "The world has ended 17,692 times," the man whispered.
"And every time, it was he who tried to save it."
Before she could ask more, the man vanished into particles of light.
Only the crystal remained, warm in her palm.