Ren didn't remember how long he lay there, breathing in sharp, shaking bursts while Ayaka held onto him as if she could keep his soul stitched together by force of will alone.
The second heartbeat—a rhythm not his own—kept pounding inside him.
—Thrum. Thrum.
Stronger.Louder.Leeching into his own pulse.
Ayaka pressed a hand to his cheek, forcing him to meet her gaze. Her eyes were fierce—even scared, she carried strength like a blade.
"Ren. Listen to me."Her voice cut through the ringing in his ears. "You are still here. You are still you. Stay with me."
Ren nodded weakly, though it didn't feel true.
Inside him, the seal whispered things he didn't want to hear.
—Soon you will not need her. Soon you will return to who you were.
He pressed his palm hard against his chest as if he could crush the seal into silence. "Ayaka… it's getting worse."
"I know."
Hiro crouched beside them, trembling. "Should we—uh—run? Or tie him to a pole? Or tie me to a pole? I don't know what's safest right now!"
Kurogane ignored Hiro entirely. He paced the clearing, muttering frantic calculations under his breath.
Ayaka snapped at him, "We need a solution, Professor. Not commentary."
Kurogane turned, eyes grim. "The seal is accelerating the Merging process. Yurei's presence triggered it. And Ren's emotional instability is speeding it further."
Ren winced. "Sorry."
Ayaka shoved his shoulder lightly. "Don't apologize for almost getting possessed."
Hiro raised a finger. "Actually, maybe he should—"
Ayaka glared him into silence.
Kurogane moved closer, lowering his voice. "Ren, tell me truthfully… what do you feel?"
Ren swallowed the rising panic. "Like… like I'm not alone in my own head. Like something is trying to shift my thoughts. My emotions aren't… mine."
Ayaka stiffened beside him.
Kurogane nodded slowly. "That is the beginning of Merging. Stage Two. The fragment is aligning itself with your soul."
"Can we stop it?" Ayaka demanded.
"No. But we can slow it." Kurogane inhaled deeply. "If you're willing."
Ren blinked. "Willing to do what?"
Kurogane hesitated.
Ayaka stepped between them immediately. "What are you planning to do to him?"
Kurogane sighed. "Nothing to harm him. But the mental barrier between Ren and the seal is weakening. If it collapses, the god's influence will pour in."
"And?" Hiro asked weakly.
"And Ren will no longer be Ren," Kurogane said.
Ayaka's jaw clenched. "Then what do we do?"
Kurogane pointed to where Yurei had vanished. "The seal responds to emotional anchors. Yurei represents the god's past. She stabilizes the seal." He turned to Ayaka. "You represent Ren's humanity. You stabilize him."
Hiro blinked. "So we have a moon ghost calming the demon shard and a medic calming the human?"
"Essentially," Kurogane said.
Ayaka crossed her arms. "So my job is to stay next to him. I've been doing that."
"Yes," Kurogane said, "but you must do more."
Ren tensed. "What does that mean?"
Ayaka's eyes narrowed. "Professor. Say it plainly."
Kurogane paused.
Then he said the last thing Ayaka wanted to hear.
"You must synchronize with him."
Ayaka blinked. "I'm sorry—what?"
Ren's stomach dropped. "That sounds like merging."
"No." Kurogane raised a hand. "Synchronization. Emotional, mental, spiritual alignment. A counter-resonance to the seal."
Hiro whispered, "So… soul-holding hands?"
Ayaka ignored him. "What does that actually involve?"
Kurogane answered carefully. "You must bring Ren's emotional frequency back under his control. The bond between you two is strong—strong enough to suppress the seal."
Ayaka flushed faintly. "It's not— it's not—"
Ren's ears burned. "Can we focus?"
Ayaka took a breath. "What do I have to do?"
Kurogane gestured at Ren. "Sit with him. Maintain physical contact. Guide his breathing. Speak to him. Keep him emotionally grounded. If his mind slips, bring him back. If his heartbeat spikes, synchronize yours."
Hiro blinked rapidly. "So… like a psychic cuddle session."
Ayaka punched his arm without looking.
Ren tried to smile—failed. "Ayaka… you don't have to do this."
She cupped his cheek again. "Ren. I'm going to do this whether you ask me to or not."
He swallowed hard. "It might be dangerous for you."
She leaned in just slightly—just enough that her warmth reached him."I'm not scared of your shadow. And I'm definitely not scared of the god inside you."
Ren felt the seal recoil for the first time.
As if Ayaka's boldness pushed it back.
"Sit," she said.
Ren obeyed.
Ayaka knelt in front of him, guiding his hands to hers. "Match my breathing."
The moment their palms touched, a shockwave of warmth shot up Ren's arms—like sunlight cutting through storm clouds. His second heartbeat faltered.
"Good," Ayaka whispered. "Follow me. In… out… stay with me."
Ren tried.
But the seal pushed back.
And with it came visions—shattered temples, a moon drowning in shadow, Yurei standing at his side in a past he didn't remember.
Ayaka squeezed his hands. "Ren. What do you see?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Everything. I don't— I can't tell—"
"Then listen to me instead." Ayaka moved closer, her forehead almost touching his. "Hear my voice. Stay here. Stay now."
The second heartbeat thrashed wildly.
Kurogane watched intently. "Ayaka, push deeper. He is slipping."
Ayaka placed her hands on Ren's shoulders, grounding him fully. "Ren. Look at me."
He did.
And the visions flickered—weakening under her gaze.
"Ren," she said softly, "tell me one thing you know is real."
He swallowed. "You."
"And?" she whispered.
"Hiro complaining," he breathed weakly.
"Correct."
Hiro huffed. "Rude but true."
"And third?" Ayaka pressed.
Ren hesitated. "The way your hands feel. Warm. Steady. That's… real."
Ayaka's expression softened. "Good. Hold onto that."
But the seal snarled inside him.
—She is pulling you away. She is breaking what binds us.
Ren clutched his head. "Ayaka—!"
"I'm here," she said, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into her chest. "I won't let it take you."
And for a moment, Ren felt safe.
Held.
Human.
Until—
A whisper slipped through the back of his mind.
Soft.Moonlit.Undeniably Yurei.
—She cannot keep you from me forever. Your soul always remembers mine first.
Ren stiffened.
Ayaka felt it immediately. "Don't listen to her. Listen to me."
"I'm trying," Ren gasped.
Ayaka cupped his face fully, leaning close, her forehead pressing to his. "Ren. Look at me. I'm right here."
Kurogane muttered, "Good. Keep synchronizing. Push your emotional presence deeper."
But Ayaka didn't need instruction.
Her voice dropped to a whisper so steady it cut through the god's murmur like a blade.
"You're Ren Arashida. Not a god. Not a fragment. Not her past. You're you. And I'm not letting anything take you away from yourself."
Ren trembled.
The second heartbeat faltered.
Slowed.
Synchronized with Ayaka's.
For the first time since the seal awakened, the pressure inside him eased—just slightly, but real.
Ayaka exhaled shakily. "There you are. I've got you."
He leaned against her shoulder, breath ragged. "Ayaka… thank you."
She didn't answer right away.
Her hands remained firm on his back.
Kurogane stepped forward. "The synchronization worked. Temporarily."
Ayaka glared. "Temporarily?"
"Yes," Kurogane sighed. "But the seal will push harder next time. And harder after that."
Ren's stomach dropped. "What happens… when I can't fight back anymore?"
Kurogane's voice softened. "That is why we must prepare for the final stage."
Ayaka stiffened. "Which is?"
Kurogane looked at Ren with something like sorrow.
"Overtaking."
Ren's blood ran cold.
Ayaka stood abruptly, pulling Ren up with her. "No. We're not letting it get that far."
Hiro raised a shaky hand. "Um… is anyone else seeing the fog move again?"
Ren turned.
And froze.
Because in the mist behind the tents…
Two glowing eyes watched him.
But they weren't Yurei's.
And they weren't Kuro-Obake.
They were something worse.
The seal whispered:
—He comes. A guardian of the god… and a hunter of the vessel.
Ren stumbled backward.
Ayaka caught him.
"Ren?" she whispered.
But Ren couldn't answer.
Because the mist parted—
Revealing a new threat stepping into the waking world.