Chaos moved.
Without warning, without a sound of caution, the figure disappeared from sight, then appeared right in front of them.
Nova reacted the fastest.
A black magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
The air around her grew colder.
"Death magic—activated."
A wave of dark energy shot toward Chaos. The space around him slowed, as if time itself were being forced to submit. Chaos's movements were halted for a moment.
"Now!" Nova shouted.
In the distance, Shion had already locked onto the target.
A single shot was fired.
The energy bullet pierced the air, striking Chaos directly in the chest. Yet there was no blood, no reaction of pain—only distortion, as if the bullet had never truly hit him.
Rei slammed her hand against the ground.
A massive dome formed, covering the entire area. Layers of protection surrounded them.
"We'll hold him!" Rei shouted.
Feeth gripped her dagger tightly.
Arthur raised his axe, ready to charge at any moment.
But Chaos laughed softly.
The sound did not come from a single direction, but from the entire space.
With one simple movement, Chaos tore apart the influence of the death magic. Time began flowing normally again. Rei's dome cracked, then shattered like glass.
"What—?!" Rei staggered.
Chaos stepped forward.
Feeth charged first, her dagger moving swiftly and precisely. However, Chaos's body changed shape, avoiding every attack as if the laws of physics did not apply to him.
Arthur swung his axe with all his strength.
The attack hit its target—but his axe stopped in midair, held back by an invisible force. In an instant, Arthur was thrown far away and did not get back up.
Shion tried to fire again.
She had no chance.
Chaos appeared right in front of her.
A single touch.
Shion fell to the ground, her weapon slipping from her grasp.
Nova shouted, trying to activate her final spell.
But before the incantation was complete—
Chaos raised his hand.
The dream world trembled violently.
The sky collapsed. The ground split apart. Light and shadow mixed together without any rules. The world created by Arou began to collapse from within.
Rei fell to her knees, trying to hold back a collapse that could not possibly be stopped.
Feeth stood protecting what remained, even though her body could no longer move.
One by one, they fell.
Nova was the last.
She looked at the destruction surrounding her, then lowered her head.
"…Forgive us, Arou."
The light of the dream world went out.
Nova, Shion, Rei, Feeth, and Arthur—
vanished along with the collapse of that world.
Chaos stood alone in the void.
Then, the figure disappeared, leaving behind total destruction.
Since that morning, Arou had felt that something was wrong.
It was not because of a nightmare, nor because of some strange event that could be explained. The feeling simply appeared—like a part of himself was missing, yet he did not know what it was.
Arou sat in the living room, staring at the television that was playing without him actually paying attention to it.
Nora was near him.
In her human form, Nora sat quietly, far too quietly.
Usually, she would be the one to speak first. Tease him, interrupt him, or at least complain. But this time, Nora only remained silent, occasionally looking away.
"What's wrong?" Arou finally asked.
Nora was slightly startled, then gave a faint smile.
"Nothing."
The answer came too quickly.
Too quickly.
Arou stared at her for a little longer.
"You're different today."
Nora looked away.
"Maybe it's just your imagination."
Silence filled the room again.
Arou stood and walked toward the window. For some reason, his chest felt tight. As if something had happened somewhere very far away, yet its impact had reached him.
"For some reason," Arou said quietly, "I feel… like I've lost something."
Nora clenched her fists.
For just a moment, her expression collapsed—her eyes trembling, her breath held back.
But she quickly composed herself.
"You're just tired," she said. "A lot has happened lately."
Arou nodded, although the strange feeling did not disappear.
He did not know that behind Nora's smile was a message she had never told him.
About the destroyed portal.
About the collapsed dream world.
About Nova, Shion, Rei, Feeth, and Arthur—
who would never return.
Nora chose to remain silent.
Not because she did not care,
but because she was not ready to destroy Arou with the truth.
Outside, the sky looked the same as usual.
But deep within, fate had already changed.
That afternoon, Arou decided to leave the house.
Not for any particular reason—he simply wanted to walk, breathe the outside air, and calm the thoughts that had felt so heavy since morning.
Nora, Lumina, Akari, and Hikari went with him.
They walked side by side toward the city park. The leaves swayed gently in the breeze, the atmosphere peaceful, as if the world was giving them a moment to rest.
Hikari walked beside Arou, occasionally looking around with curiosity.
Akari looked relaxed, while Lumina and Nora talked quietly behind them.
When they arrived at the park, Arou stopped.
On a bench a little farther away, stood two figures he knew very well.
Long, soft black hair.
A gaze that had once been a place he could call home.
And beside her, another girl with a calm yet unfamiliar aura—yet somehow still felt familiar.
Arou's steps stopped.
"Airi…" he whispered almost inaudibly.
Shi stood beside Airi and turned first.
"Oh?"
Airi raised her gaze.
Their eyes met.
Arou's face went pale. His body froze as if his legs no longer belonged to him.
"Arou…?" Airi's voice was soft and uncertain.
Lumina and Akari immediately noticed the change.
Nora tensed.
Hikari grabbed the edge of Arou's clothes.
"What's wrong, Father…?" Hikari asked softly.
Arou did not answer.
He only stared at Airi—someone who should have existed only in his dreams.
Someone he thought he would never see again.
Shi stepped slightly forward.
"So this is it… we really did meet."
Arou swallowed.
"Why…"
His voice trembled,
"why are you here too?"
Airi looked at him with a gentle expression, but there was something behind her eyes—something she was not ready to say.
"I wanted to ask the same thing," Airi answered softly.
In that peaceful park,
two worlds that should have remained separate
finally collided.
And Arou knew—
from this moment on, nothing would be as simple as before.
Arou turned his face away first.
His footsteps moved half a step backward without him realizing it, as if that small distance could protect him from something too painful to face.
"Arou…?" Airi called softly.
He did not answer.
Lumina immediately noticed his behavior. Nora clenched her fists, while Akari fell silent—for the first time, she did not make a joke.
"Father…" Hikari pulled at Arou's sleeve.
"Are you okay?"
Arou nodded slightly, but still did not turn toward Airi.
"Sorry," he said briefly, though he did not know who he was apologizing to.
"Let's… let's just go home."
Shi stared seriously at Arou's back.
"So this is how you face your past?"
Arou stopped for a moment, his shoulders tensing, then continued walking without answering.
Airi bit her lip.
She did not chase after him.
She simply stood there, watching the person who had once created her—now unable to even look back at her.
The sky suddenly changed.
The wind in the park stopped blowing.
The leaves that had been moving moments ago froze in midair.
"Strange…" Akari murmured, looking around.
Arou stopped walking.
In the middle of the park, space seemed to fold in on itself. A thin light appeared, then cracked—opening a small rift that slowly widened.
Someone stepped out of the rift.
Long, pale hair, cold yet calm eyes.
Her face was mature, her expression emotionless—yet her aura made the air feel heavy.
"So…" she said softly,
"this is the real world he created."
Nora immediately tensed.
"Priscilla…"
Arou quickly turned around.
"Who are you?"
The woman turned toward him.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, Arou felt as though he was being stared at by someone who knew all of his mistakes.
"My name is Priscilla," she said.
"I did not come here because I wanted to."
Lumina stepped half a step forward.
"Then why did you come?"
Priscilla shifted her gaze toward Airi and Shi, who were still standing some distance away.
"Because the time is almost up,"
she answered briefly.
"And you," she looked at Arou again,
"have been hiding from your own guilt for far too long."
Arou clenched his fists.
"I'm not hiding."
Priscilla gave a faint smile—without warmth.
"Then why are you not even brave enough to look at her?"
Arou fell silent.
Hikari looked at Arou, then Airi, then Priscilla—confused, yet able to feel the tension.
"Father…"
"What actually happened?"
Arou opened his mouth, then closed it again.
For the first time since all of this began,
he realized—
avoiding Airi would not make his guilt disappear.
And Priscilla's arrival marked one thing:
the time to keep running was almost over.