The deeper they went, the less the Cathedral felt like a place.
It felt like a presence.
Constantly watching, listening and waiting.
The scent was no longer faint.
It wrapped around them now. Thick, layered, almost tangible. Sweet, but not in a simple way. It shifted constantly, morphing into something just familiar enough to unsettle, just comforting enough to lower defenses.
Yuzuki kept walking.
Step by step.
But his breathing had changed.
Slightly.
"…Don't let it settle," Menchi said beside him, her voice low, firm. "Control your breathing. Keep your mind active."
"I am," Yuzuki replied.
But even as he said it—
The world blurred.
Just for a second.
Then snapped back.
He blinked.
'…That was fast.'
The scent deepened.
And with it—
Something else followed.
A sound.
Faint and distant.
"…Yuzuki…"
His step faltered.
"…No."
He shook his head immediately.
"Don't listen!" Menchi said, sharper now.
"I'm not."
But the problem wasn't the voice.
It was how real it felt.
Not like an echo.
Not like a trick.
Like memory.
The cavern shifted again.
The bioluminescent lights dimmed.
The shadows stretched—
And suddenly—
They weren't alone.
Yuzuki stopped.
"…Menchi."
She didn't respond.
He turned—
She wasn't there.
The path behind him was empty.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Yuzuki's heart dropped.
"…No."
He spun forward again.
The path ahead—
Gone.
Replaced.
The Cathedral dissolved.
Stone gave way to something else.
A memory.
Fragments.
Cracks in reality.
And at the center of it—
A figure.
Still.
Silent.
Familiar.
Yuzuki's breath caught.
"…Old… man…"
Old Fin stood there.
Exactly as he remembered.
Calm.
Weathered.
Eyes that had seen too much.
For a moment—
Yuzuki didn't move.
Didn't think.
Didn't breathe.
Then—
"…You took your time."
The voice was the same.
Low and steady.
Yuzuki's throat tightened.
"…This isn't real."
Old Fin tilted his head slightly.
"Isn't it?"
Yuzuki clenched his fists.
His nails dug into his palms.
"…You're dead."
A pause.
Then—
"…And whose fault was that?"
The words landed harder than any physical blow.
Yuzuki flinched.
"…Stop."
Old Fin took a step forward.
Slow and measured.
"You left things unfinished."
Another step.
"You walked away."
Yuzuki shook his head.
"…No."
"You forgot."
"I didn't—"
"You did."
The voice didn't rise.
Didn't shout.
It didn't need to.
Each word was precise.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"You forgot what they did."
"You forgot what he did."
Yuzuki's breathing broke for a second.
"…Stop."
Old Fin's gaze hardened.
"Yuzuki!"
The name hit like a blade.
Yuzuki's vision blurred.
"…Don't—"
"He crushed me."
The image shifted.
Distorted—
Then stabilized.
And Yuzuki saw it.
Not as memory.
As something worse.
Clear.
Unfiltered.
Old Fin—
On his knees.
Broken.
Blood pooling beneath him.
And above him—
A presence.
The air warped around him.
Power condensed into something suffocating.
And then—
It fell.
A compression.
Space itself folding inward.
Crushing.
Erasing.
Yuzuki staggered back.
"…No—"
"You watched," Old Fin's voice continued.
"You remember it."
"I—"
"You remember doing nothing."
Yuzuki's hands trembled.
"…I couldn't—"
"You didn't try hard enough."
The words were quiet.
But they shattered him.
"I—"
"You got stronger."
Another step.
Closer.
"You learned Nen."
Closer.
"You gained power."
Closer.
"And then what?"
Yuzuki's knees buckled slightly.
"…I—"
Old Fin stood in front of him now.
Looking down.
"…You moved on."
Yuzuki's breath hitched.
"I didn't—"
"You did."
"No—"
"You forgot to avenge me."
Yuzuki's vision blurred completely now.
"…I didn't forget…"
His voice broke.
"I didn't…"
Old Fin's expression didn't change.
"Then why is he still alive?"
Yuzuki's body shook.
"I…"
"Why are you here…"
"…instead of there?"
The question hung.
Yuzuki's legs gave out.
He dropped to his knees.
"I…"
His hands clenched against the ground.
His chest tightened.
"I was going to—"
"When?"
Yuzuki froze.
"…When?"
The word echoed.
Not in the cavern.
In his mind.
Relentless.
"When?"
His breathing broke completely.
"I—"
"When, Yuzuki?"
Tears slipped down before he realized it.
"I don't—"
"You don't know."
Old Fin's voice softened.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
"You're drifting."
"You're forgetting."
"You're becoming someone else."
Yuzuki shook his head violently.
"No—!"
"But not someone who remembers me."
That—
That broke something.
"Stop…"
Yuzuki's voice cracked.
"Please…"
Old Fin didn't move.
"You promised."
Yuzuki's hands trembled harder.
"I—"
"You promised."
"I know—!"
"Then why haven't you done anything?"
Yuzuki's breath hitched violently.
"I'm trying—!"
"Are you?"
The doubt slipped in.
Quiet.
Poisonous.
Yuzuki's grip on reality started to slip.
"I…"
His voice faltered.
His thoughts tangled.
Everything felt—
Heavy.
Too heavy.
The image of Old Fin—
The weight of what he hadn't done—
It all pressed down on him at once.
"…I can't…"
The words escaped before he could stop them.
And the moment they did—
Old Fin's gaze darkened.
"…Then you never deserved to survive."
Yuzuki's heart stopped.
"…No…"
The world cracked.
Fractured.
Reality twisting at the edges.
Yuzuki's head dropped.
His body shaking.
"…Stop…"
His voice was barely a whisper now.
"…please…"
Tears fell freely.
Uncontrolled.
"I get it…"
His shoulders trembled.
"I get it, okay…"
His hands clenched tighter against the ground.
"…just…"
His breath broke.
"…just stop…"
And then—
A sharp impact.
Something grabbed him.
Hard.
Reality snapped back violently.
"Yuzuki!"
Menchi's voice cut through everything.
His eyes snapped open.
The Cathedral returned.
Stone.
Darkness.
Bioluminescent glow.
And Menchi—
Right in front of him.
Gripping his shoulders tightly.
"…You're back."
Yuzuki blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His breathing was uneven.
His body still trembling slightly.
"…Yeah…"
His voice was hoarse.
Distant.
Menchi's eyes scanned him carefully.
"You were gone and shouting."
"…I know."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"…What did you see?"
Yuzuki didn't answer immediately.
He just stared forward.
Unfocused.
Then—
He exhaled slowly.
"…Nothing good."
Menchi studied him for a moment longer.
Then nodded.
"…We need to move."
Yuzuki wiped at his face absentmindedly.
His fingers came back damp.
He stared at them for a second.
Then lowered his hand.
"…Yeah."
He stood.
Slowly.
Steadily.
But something had changed.
The lightness he usually carried—
Gone.
The casual ease—
Gone.
Even the faint, teasing smile he always wore—
Gone.
In its place—
Stillness.
Cold.
Focused.
Menchi noticed immediately.
"…You okay?"
Yuzuki rolled his shoulder once.
Then looked forward.
Eyes sharp.
"…I'm fine."
A pause.
Then—
"…I'm just pissed."
Menchi didn't question it.
The way his aura settled—
Tighter.
Denser.
Controlled, but heavier said enough.
Yuzuki took a step forward.
"…Let's hurry this up."
His voice was calm.
But beneath it—
Something else simmered.
Not rage.
Not quite.
Something quieter.
Something more dangerous.
Menchi fell in step beside him.
"…Yeah."
And together—
They moved deeper into the Cathedral.
But this time—
Yuzuki wasn't just navigating the path ahead.
He was carrying everything the Cathedral had forced him to remember.
And it wasn't weighing him down anymore.
It was sharpening him.
---
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