Darkness.
Endless, familiar, silent darkness.
Yukio opened his eyes and sighed.
"…Back in the void again. What now?"
But this time, something changed.
The void rippled, like ink dissolving in water.
The blackness peeled away
until Yukio found himself standing on a surface that felt like still water, shimmering under a vast star filled sky.
He looked around, blinking at the sudden beauty.
"Well… this is new. And way less depressing."
A soft voice spoke behind him.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Yukio froze.
He knew that voice.
He slowly turned,
And nearly forgot how to breathe.
A girl stood there, walking toward him across the water with steps that left soft ripples.
She looked about his age, maybe slightly younger, with a youthful, almost ethereal face.
Her hair was a shimmering mix of white and silver, cascading down her back like moonlight.
Her eyes were a gentle, luminous jade green, and her dress flowed around her like woven starlight.
Yukio stared.
"Wait… are you?"
Before he could finish, she suddenly ran forward,
and crashed into him.
"GWah!!"
Yukio toppled backward, landing on the soft water like surface that didn't wet him. The girl hugged him tightly, with excitement, just overflowing with pure emotion.
"I can finally see you!"
She said, voice trembling with excitement.
"And hear you properly! And talk without using your head as a mailbox!"
Yukio blinked up at her, stunned.
"T-Took you long enough,"
She huffed, wiping a tear of joy from her cheek.
"Do you know how annoying it is waiting for someone to reach the 'awakening stage'? Hm? Because it's VERY annoying."
She pushed herself up so she was sitting beside him now, still excited but giving him space.
Then she placed a hand on her chest and smiled proudly.
"My name is Vaelora, The Whisper of Fate."
A small spark of jade light danced behind her, forming symbols resembling threads and wheels.
She pointed dramatically at Yukio.
"But you? You can just call me your… lifelong partner in destiny!"
Yukio's face went red.
"L-Lifelong WHAT? That sounds way too dramatic! And can you, uh, not jump on me next time?!"
Vaelora giggled, tilting her head.
"Oh, relax, You'll get used to me. We're bound together, after all."
Yukio stared at her.
"…This is going to be complicated, isn't it?"
Her grin widened mischievously.
"Oh, incredibly."
The stars above them pulsed softly,
as if acknowledging the beginning of something new.
Vaelora clasped her hands behind her back, smiling brightly.
"Alright, Yuki. Let's clear up a few things,"
She said.
"I'm a part of both the Wheel of Providence and the Threads of Fate. You could say I help govern outcomes, control the threads, and guide your abilities so you don't accidentally turn yourself into cosmic dust."
She stepped closer and gently placed both hands on Yukio's cheeks, just firm and lecture like.
"This is a two-person operation. I need you, and you need me. And trust me… you really need me."
Yukio raised an eyebrow but placed his hands over hers to move them aside.
"Yeah, yeah. I remember. And Vaelora… can I just call you 'Vae'?"
Vaelora's eyes lit up like twin emerald stars.
"You can call me anything you like, Yuki! As long as I can give you a nickname too."
Yukio snorted.
"Sure. Vae it is. So… what now?"
Vaelora's sweet smile instantly twisted into a smug, teasing smirk.
"What now? I teach you. Because you,"
She poked his forehead
"can't control your abilities for beans."
"H-Hey!"
Yukio protested.
"I'm trying!"
"Not hard enough,"
Vaelora said flatly.
"You have all those stats, but the control of a potato."
Her hands glowed a shimmering blend of blue and green.
"So we're fixing that now."
She tapped a finger to his forehead.
FWOOOM.
A tidal wave of information, spells, formations, contracts, combinations, flooded into Yukio's mind like a high speed download.
"Ugh!"
Yukio grabbed his head, wincing.
"Warn me next time!"
Vaelora crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"You'll live. Probably. And yes, that ache you feel is the price from using the Wheel and Threads today. It's a big one."
"Yeah… I can tell,"
Yukio muttered.
"Feels like my skull is in a blender."
Vaelora gently touched his cheek, more like a comforting tap than affection.
"I'll take it easy this time. Especially since you're back to level one again."
Yukio froze.
"…You WHAT?"
"All the experience you earned went into unlocking this stage,"
Vaelora said proudly. "
This is the third time, isn't it? You're used to it by now."
Yukio let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Yeah. Third time. Still hurts."
Vaelora puffed her cheeks in mock offense.
"I have to! Unless you don't want to grow stronger? Hm?"
"…Fair point,"
Yukio admitted.
Vaelora wagged a finger at him.
"Also, your luck is maxed out. MAXED. OUT. And yet you're still playing everything simple. Use it properly!"
"Fine, fine,"
Yukio said, standing.
"I'll figure out how to use it better."
Suddenly, the starry world began to ripple and dim.
The dream was collapsing.
Vaelora blinked, then rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him in a quick, friendly squeeze, more like an excited teammate than anything else.
"Looks like time's up,"
She said softly.
"You're waking up."
The world grew brighter.
Vaelora smiled warmly, backing away as her form glowed.
"I'll see you soon, Yuki. Don't do anything stupid until then!"
Light swallowed everything.
—
Back at the inn, the room was quiet.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains in soft silver stripes, brushing over the wooden floor and the three figures resting on the bed. The only sounds were Michibiki's soft breathing and Kaede's faint, sleepy murmurs, steady, peaceful.
Both girls were asleep… and both had somehow ended up with their heads resting on Yukio's chest.
Yukio stirred.
His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim room. For a moment, he simply stared at the ceiling, confused.
…Why does my chest feel heavy?
He tilted his head slightly,
and froze.
Michibiki was curled up on his right side, her hand balled into a loose fist near his shirt.
Kaede was on his left, her brow relaxed in a way Yukio rarely saw when she was awake, no scowl, no sarcasm, just calm.
They looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Yukio's face heated immediately.
O-Okay… I'm used to Michibiki doing weird things like this… but Kaede? Seriously?!
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to relax instead of panicking.
Even through the embarrassment, he knew exactly why they were both here.
He'd collapsed after the battle. He'd scared them.
And for all their bravado and sharp tongues, both girls cared more than they ever admitted.
Yukio breathed out, quiet, understanding.
"…Worried idiots,"
He whispered, smiling faintly.
Careful not to wake them, he shifted his arms,
and gently wrapped them around the two girls.
Both reacted instantly.
Michibiki let out a tiny, content sigh, snuggling closer like a satisfied cat.
Kaede, still half asleep, instinctively tucked her head slightly closer to his shoulder, her expression soft.
Yukio felt his heart squeeze, warm, overwhelmed, but in a good way.
…I'll deal with this in the morning, he thought, letting his eyes drift shut again.
For now, with the moonlight resting over them and the quiet comfort shared between the three,
sleep came easily.
Morning sunlight slipped gently through the curtains, warming the room in soft gold. Outside, birds chirped, cheerful and lively, completely unaware of the chaos waiting to unfold inside.
Yukio's eyes fluttered open.
For a moment, he simply lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling as his sleepy brain tried to reboot.
Then he glanced down.
Two girls were sleeping peacefully on his chest.
Michibiki on his right, her hair a messy cloud as she quietly breathed.
Kaede on his left, face relaxed in a way he almost never saw when she was awake.
Yukio blinked.
This is so weird…
Still, he couldn't help smiling a little as he looked at Kaede.
"You look… really peaceful like this,"
He whispered.
As if the universe wanted to punish him,
Kaede's eyes snapped open.
She blinked once.
Twice.
Then her face went completely crimson.
She shot upward,
and immediately fell off the bed with a loud thud.
"Ow!"
Michibiki jolted at the noise, groaned sleepily, and promptly burrowed even closer into Yukio's chest.
"Five more minutes…"
She mumbled.
Yukio sweat dropped.
Kaede scrambled to her feet so fast she nearly tripped again.
"Oh, you're awake!"
She blurted out, voice high and stiff.
"That's… uh… good! Just so you know, I was totally not cuddling with you. I was just keeping you warm. Obviously."
Yukio raised an eyebrow.
"Sure… if you say so. How long was I out?"
Michibiki finally sat up, rubbing one eye like a sleepy cat.
"About five days,"
She yawned.
"You slept like a rock. Do you know how hard it is to give a knocked out guy a bath?"
Kaede, still red, smirked a little.
"Yeah, everyone thought we were dragging a dead body around."
Yukio sat up so fast he nearly made himself dizzy.
"Five DAYS?! My contract! What happened to my Contract?!"
Michibiki stretched lazily and waved a hand.
"Don't worry. Candessa has it ready. It's just waiting on your signature."
Yukio let out a deep sigh of relief.
Then he turned to Kaede, smirking lightly.
"And you, what's your excuse? You kinda just… slept next to me without realizing. I'm starting to think you might like me a little."
Kaede's entire soul turned red.
"W-WHO? ME? L-LIKE YOU?!"
She clenched her fist.
"Never! Idiot! I… I was just making sure you weren't cold! That's it! It's not like I was jealous of seeing Michibiki next to you or anything… n-not at all!"
Before Yukio could react, she punched him in the stomach.
WHAM.
Yukio fell backward onto the bed, all the air escaping his lungs.
"WHY??"
He wheezed.
"Was that really necessary?!"
Michibiki giggled behind him.
"Nope. But you walked straight into that one."
She winked.
"She's just shy."
Kaede threw a pillow at Michibiki.
"I AM NOT!"
Michibiki caught it effortlessly.
"You totally are"
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
Yukio groaned, clutching his stomach.
…Yep. Morning chaos is back to normal.