Sasaki blinked.
He immediately noticed something different.
The air smelled different.
"Where are we?" Sasaki asked.
"We're at the entrance to the Architects' Domain."
"Huh? What do you me—"
Sasaki turned around.
His eyes widened.
An enormous gate stood before him—larger than anything he had ever seen.
He stared at it in awe, completely mesmerized by the sight.
As Sasaki continued looking around, Mao called out to him.
"Hey. Enough looking around. We need to go inside. I've already activated it."
A massive wave of energy surged through the gate.
A rift began to form.
Sasaki stared at the scene before him.
He had never seen anything like it.
"Let's go in," Mao said.
"Ladies first."
Mao chuckled.
"What a gentleman."
She stepped through the rift.
Sasaki looked at the enormous gate one more time before following her inside.
The two emerged on the other side.
As Mao opened her umbrella, Sasaki immediately felt something change.
The atmosphere around him felt... different.
"You caught on fast. That's good," Mao said.
"What's wrong with this place?"
"Nothing. We're in a different realm."
"..."
"Come on. The others are waiting for us."
Mao grabbed Sasaki's hand, and the two began walking up the long flight of stairs.
As they neared the top, Sasaki saw them.
The other Architects.
The two entered the massive castle.
"Hey, you guys."
Mao immediately created several chains and sent them flying toward the other Architects.
One of them, standing by a window, simply raised his hand and stopped the chains.
Another knocked them away.
The last one stopped them in midair just by looking at them.
"Hello. I'm back with the interesting mortal."
Mortal? Sasaki thought.
What? Are you not a mortal? Mao asked telepathically.
No. Believe it or not, I'm immortal.
What? Okay, never mind then.
"Is that the one?" one of the Architects asked.
"Yes," Mao replied.
As the Architects looked at Sasaki, he could sense three distinct emotions coming from them.
Curiosity.
Boredom.
Suspicion.
Mao gestured toward them.
"Let me introduce you to them."
"The one in front of us is the Architect of Time."
She pointed toward the figure on the chandelier.
"That's the Architect of Force."
Then, she pointed toward the window.
"And the one at the window pretending to be asleep is the Architect of Love."
Mao pointed to herself.
"And then there's me. The Architect of Spirits."
She smiled.
"Welcome to my Domain, dear Sasaki."
Suddenly, Mao floated upward with her umbrella and smacked the Architect of Force off the chandelier.
Thwack.
Sasaki stared.
"...What a bunch of weirdos."
Mao slowly turned toward him.
"What was that, Sasaki?"
Her voice carried a clear warning.
"N-Nothing!"
Sasaki quickly looked away.
"Um... What Architect am I?"
Mao paused.
"..."
"I don't actually know."
She turned toward the old man.
"Hey, old man. Which one is he?"
The old man looked toward Sasaki.
"He's the Architect of Stars."
Mao's eyes widened slightly.
"There. You're the Architect of Stars."
Sasaki nodded.
"For now."
Mao smiled slightly.
"Prepare yourself for a journey of pain."
She grabbed Sasaki's hand.
Together, they walked toward his quarters.