Teren's eyes met Kaito's, steady and unwavering. "Since you are beginning to remember, they are beginning to remember you as well," he said quietly.
Kaito's chest tightened. He could feel it—not memory, not yet, but something brushing at the edges of his mind. A presence, familiar and insistent, like the echo of waves against rock, or wind stirring a sleeping flame.
"Instinct first," Teren continued. "Memory will come later. But already, they are waking."
Kaito closed his eyes. At first, it was nothing more than a flutter in his chest, a faint pulse that seemed out of sync with his own heartbeat. Then, flashes—fragmented visions—broke through.
A coil of shimmering scales under moonlit water. A laugh that carried like wind across an endless ocean. Eyes bright with mischief and trust, staring at him, even though he knew this was not the present.
He opened his eyes sharply. "I… I can feel them."
"Yes," Teren said, voice soft. "Small, fleeting thoughts. Dreams they've carried without knowing why. Feelings that belong to the friend you lost long ago. They are reaching toward you."
Kaito's hands clenched. Each flicker, each pulse, was a reminder of what he had fought for—and what he had lost. Now, it was coming back to him, piece by piece.
He took a slow step toward the table, brushing his fingers over the ash-stained records. "It's like… I'm touching memories that aren't mine, but still feel mine. They're… awake."
Teren nodded. "They remember the bond. The trust. The battles you shared. And even before memory returns, instinct is enough. They will feel you, sense you, long before they know why."
Kaito exhaled, a quiet, steadying breath. A strange warmth filled his chest. Hope—fragile, yes, but alive.
"For the first time since I was reborn," he murmured, "it doesn't feel like I'm alone in this world. Not entirely."
Teren's eyes softened. "You are never truly alone, Kaito. Not while the bonds you forged remain, even across lifetimes. And now… you will guide them, as they will guide you."
Kaito stood a little straighter, the flickering visions in his mind growing clearer. Faces, movements, instinctive gestures—small threads of his friend's presence weaving into the here and now.
For the first time since his reincarnation, Kaito felt the past and present merge—not as memory, but as something alive, reaching out to him.
And for once, he allowed himself to hope that the friend he had lost long ago was coming back… and that he would not have to face this world alone again.