Kaizen stood motionless in the cold, his body still trembling from the weight of the revelation. The frozen continent stretched endlessly before him, empty, silent. His hands clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. His breath was heavy, ragged, but his mind—his mind was in turmoil.
The demons had tricked him. They had made him believe in a life that never existed. Aoi, Sakura, Itsuro… none of it had been real. He had fallen for the illusion, let himself feel something he should never have had.
And now, as he stood there in the wasteland, he realized something even more painful.
He was alone. He had always been alone.
The laughter had faded, but the demons were still there, lurking in the back of his mind, whispering.
"Do you understand now?"
Kaizen's fingers twitched. "Why?" His voice was hoarse, almost hollow. "Why did you do this to me?"
"To show you the truth."
A bitter laugh escaped Kaizen's lips. "The truth?" He grit his teeth. "You mean to torture me, to break me even further?"
"No, Kaizen." The demons' voices were calm now, almost… sympathetic. "To make you see what you refuse to accept."
Kaizen's fists tightened. "And what is that?"
There was a pause, then the answer came, slow and deliberate.
"No matter where you go… no matter who you meet… no matter what peace you try to find… at the end of the day, you will bring them suffering."
Kaizen's breath hitched.
"It does not matter if it was real or not. If it had been, the end would have been the same. The people you care for will suffer, and you will be the cause."
His body stiffened, his mind replaying the illusions he had lived through—the village, the warmth, the laughter. And then the horror. The betrayal. The blood.
"You have seen it yourself, haven't you?" the demons whispered. "Even in a world of your own creation, you could not save them. They died, and you were powerless."
Kaizen swallowed, his throat dry.
"And they will die again, if you continue to run from your fate."
His hands trembled. His heart pounded in his chest.
"You are cursed, Kaizen."
"But there is a way out."
Kaizen's head snapped up. "A way out?"
"Yes."
The voices swirled around him, a chorus of countless entities speaking as one.
"The Shards of Eternity."
Kaizen's eyes narrowed. "What about them?"
"They are the key."
"The only thing that can break the chains that bind us together."
Kaizen took a slow, shaky breath. "You're saying… the shards can free me from you?"
"Yes… and free us from you."
The words struck him harder than he expected.
"We do not wish to be bound to you forever, Kaizen. Just as you resent us, we too resent being trapped in this existence."
Kaizen's gaze darkened. "Then why haven't you told me this before?"
"Because you were not ready to listen."
Kaizen exhaled sharply.
"You hate us. You blame us for your suffering. But the truth is… we did not choose this either."
"You took us into your body, and now, we are shackled together."
Kaizen closed his eyes. The weight of their words pressed against him. Could he believe them?
"If you truly wish to be free… if you wish to walk a path where you will not destroy everything in your wake… you must find the rest of the Shards of Eternity."
His eyes flickered open. His breath was steady now, controlled.
"Do you understand, Kaizen?"
He did.
For the first time, the demons were not mocking him, not torturing him. They were speaking to him honestly.
The Shards of Eternity… that was his path now.
Not for power.
Not for revenge.
But for freedom.