The return to the Red Forest felt heavier than the first time.
The sky was low and leaden—no fractured violet, just uniform gray pressing down like a lid.
The trees stood silent; the violet veins had faded to dull scars.
The air carried the faint metallic taste of spent essence and coming rain.
Ren, Aoi, and the small team—Saya, Jiro, and two trusted runners carrying the last crates of stabilizers—moved quickly but quietly.
No drones.
No chatter.
Only the crunch of boots on dead leaves and the soft hum of twilight energy kept low and contained.
The altar appeared unchanged—except for the Shard.
It was smaller now, edges crumbled inward, the obsidian surface spiderwebbed with hairline fractures.
The violet-gold glow inside was barely a flicker—slow, labored, like a heartbeat counting down.
They formed a loose circle—Ren and Aoi closest to the altar, the others fanning out to watch the perimeter.
Hana had been right: time was almost gone.
Ren knelt first—slow, deliberate.
Aoi followed—knees touching his on the cracked concrete.
They placed the central ritual disc beneath the Shard—same one from before, now etched with fresh twilight lattice from the stolen schematics.
The three amplifiers were positioned—triangle tight.
Ren and Aoi joined hands over the disc.
Twilight rose—soft, steady—violet-gold current flowing between their palms, into the amplifiers, toward the Shard.
The disc pulsed once—weak, grateful.
You returned… before the end.
Aoi's voice was gentle.
"We're not here to take you. We're here to ask you to hold on a little longer. Let us share the burden. Let us prove there's another way."
The Shard trembled—cracks flaring briefly.
I am ready to rest. The fracture cannot be healed without reunion. You know this.
Ren's grip tightened on Aoi's hand.
"We know. But we're not ready to lose you. Not yet. Give us time. Give us a chance to find the impossible."
Silence.
Then the Shard pulsed—stronger this time.
Then witness.
The vision came—not forceful, not consuming.
A gentle unfolding.
They saw the Saint approaching—alone, golden robes billowing, spear of pure light already in hand.
No squad.
No orbital support.
Just one man—old, weary, resolute—walking through the forest toward the altar.
The vision ended.
The Shard pulsed again—final, soft.
He comes. Now.
Ren and Aoi rose—hands still joined.
The team tensed—Jiro's bone spurs extending, Saya's golden threads flickering along her knuckles.
From the tree line—golden light cut through the gray.
Saint Kurosawa stepped into the clearing.
White-gold robes untouched by mud or rain.
Hair silver-white, eyes the color of cold dawn.
The spear in his hand was not raised—not yet—but light coiled along its length like contained lightning.
He stopped ten meters away.
Looked at Ren and Aoi—then at the Shard.
His voice carried—calm, resonant, carrying centuries.
"You stabilized it. Temporarily."
Aoi stepped forward—half a step—Ren moving with her.
"We did."
Kurosawa's gaze lingered on their joined hands—on the faint twilight shimmer between their fingers.
"You could have ended it. Taken its power. Become something new. You chose not to."
Ren met his eyes—level.
"We chose to keep being us."
The Saint exhaled—long, almost sorrowful.
"I have spent my life protecting humanity from the rifts. From the chaos. From the things that would unmake us. The Shard is chaos given form. If it fractures completely, the rift will swallow this prefecture. I cannot allow that."
Aoi's voice was steady.
"Then help us save it. Help us find a way that doesn't end in erasure."
Kurosawa's spear lowered—slowly—tip touching the ground.
"I have seen every path. Every possibility. There is no way without reunion. Without sacrifice."
Ren felt Aoi's hand tremble—just once.
He squeezed back.
"Then watch."
He and Aoi turned back to the altar.
The team formed a protective ring—ready, but not attacking.
Ren and Aoi knelt again—hands over the ritual disc.
Twilight flowed—stronger now—violet-gold current pouring into the Shard.
The cracks flared—bright, painful.
The Shard pulsed—voice faint but clear.
Hold me.
They did.
Not merging.
Not consuming.
Simply holding—sharing the weight—buying time with their own essence.
The Saint watched.
Minutes passed.
The glow inside the Shard steadied—not healed, but no longer bleeding out.
Kurosawa lowered his spear completely.
"You are… fools."
Ren looked up—breathing hard.
"Maybe."
The Saint studied them—long, searching.
Then he spoke—quiet, almost to himself.
"I have spent my life believing balance was impossible. That light and shadow could only destroy each other. You have proven me wrong. Not with power. With stubbornness. With choice."
He stepped closer—robes brushing dead leaves.
"I will not strike today. I will not order the arrays to fire. But I will not help you either."
He looked at Aoi—really looked.
"You were my best student. I thought I lost you to shadow. I see now… you found something I never did."
Aoi's voice cracked.
"Will you walk away?"
Kurosawa shook his head—slow.
"I will watch. From a distance. If you fail—if the Shard fractures—I will end it. Quickly. Mercifully."
He turned—golden light flaring once—then fading.
"I hope you prove me wrong again."
He walked away—disappearing into the trees.
The forest exhaled.
Ren and Aoi rose—shaking, exhausted.
The Shard pulsed—soft, grateful.
Thank you.
They looked at each other—smiles tired, but real.
Jiro lowered his spurs—exhaled.
"Well. That's… something."
Saya laughed—short, relieved.
"We just talked down a saint."
Ren pulled Aoi close—kissed her forehead.
"We bought more time."
She leaned into him.
"Enough to keep choosing."
They turned back to the altar—hands still joined.
The Shard glowed—faint, but steady.
Waiting.
Not for the end.
For them.
Essence Level: 10.3 → 10.7
(resonance overflow from direct communion + Saint confrontation – twilight deepened)
New passive: Saint's Mercy (once per month, briefly project a calming twilight aura that reduces hostility in observers – no combat use)
Current status: Saint Kurosawa stands aside (temporarily) – Shard further stabilized – Time bought – The long game continues with new eyes watching
End of Chapter 37