Shinji didn't say anything, but he felt his heart pounding. There were so many questions spinning in his mind, but he wasn't sure which one to ask first.
Satoru, who had been silently observing until now, finally decided to speak:
"So, why did you come here? If you know what happened to him, what exactly do you want from him?"
The girl looked at Satoru for a moment, then turned back to Shinji, her eyes glowing slightly under the light.
"I want to show you something, Shinji. Something that might change everything you know about yourself."
Her words carried a strange weight, as if she was trying to tell him a truth far greater than he could comprehend. For a moment, Shinji considered ignoring her, walking away, and treating this as nothing more than a strange coincidence. But deep down, he knew that was impossible.
Something had changed since that night, and there was no going back.
"Alright," he finally said, determined. "Show me what you have."
The girl smiled, then turned and gestured for them to follow. Without hesitation, Shinji and Satoru stepped behind her, the sounds of the city fading as they sank into the shadows of the unknown.
She led them through the alleys of the city until they reached an abandoned building on its outskirts. It wasn't anything special—just ruins worn down by time—but something about the atmosphere made it feel different... as if it pulsed with a hidden truth.
The girl stopped at the entrance, then turned toward Shinji and Satoru.
"What we're about to see isn't something you can undo," she said with a warning tone. "Once you step inside, you'll realize that some questions are better left unasked."
Shinji looked at Satoru, who crossed his arms uneasily but said nothing. The choice was clear—there was no turning back now.
"I came here for answers, not to stop at closed doors," Shinji said firmly.
The girl nodded, then silently pushed the door open. It creaked with resistance, revealing a narrow passage leading downward. There was no light—only darkness stretching endlessly.
"Down there," she said, and began descending without hesitation.
Shinji and Satoru followed cautiously, their steps echoing in the void. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became, as if the very walls whispered old secrets.
Eventually, they reached a wide underground hall, dimly lit by light seeping through cracks in the ceiling. In the center stood a massive stone door, covered in intricate carvings that belonged to no language Shinji knew.
They stopped in front of it, and the girl stood beside it, her eyes fixed on it with intensity.
"This is the place," she said. "The door that cannot be opened."
Shinji stared at the carvings for a moment, then touched the stone surface with his hand. It was strangely cold, as if life hadn't touched it for centuries.
"Why did you bring us here?" he asked in a low voice.
She looked at him and said, "Because this door is connected to your past, Shinji. A past you don't remember—but it remembers you."
His breath caught for a moment. There was something unnatural in her words, something that made him feel that what was about to happen… wouldn't be easily forgotten.
Silence fell. Shinji kept his gaze on the stone door, while a strange sensation crept into him… as if something deep inside him was trying to surface.
Satoru moved slowly, running his fingers over the carvings. There was a faint sense of electricity in the air, as if the stone itself was alive.
"This isn't just a door," he said in a low voice. "It's a seal."
The girl looked at him silently, then added, "It's more than that—it's a record… a gateway to a forgotten memory."
Shinji took a step back. He didn't like the feeling that was overtaking him.
"Why do you say it's linked to my past? What do you know about me?" he asked sharply, looking directly at the girl.
She answered calmly, "I don't know—it's the door that knows you."
In that moment, the air around them trembled slightly, as if the place itself responded to her words. Shinji's fingers tingled where they touched the stone, and then suddenly—
The door opened.
There was no sound, only a deep sensation of change, as if the world had split before them. Behind the door, a dark corridor stretched endlessly, but inside… there were voices.
A faint echo… like forgotten whispers.
Shinji felt something pulling him forward.
"Don't move," Satoru said quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
But it was already too late.
The moment the door fully opened, a wave of energy swept through them, as if the place itself refused to remain just a memory. Shinji saw visions flicker before his eyes—a man standing in darkness, surrounded by invisible phantoms… a village burning… a crying child… then, he saw himself.
Not as he was now, but as he never imagined himself before.
—Then, darkness.
The gloom was heavy, but not empty. There was a faint pulse in the heart of the darkness, as if it were breathing, watching… waiting.
Shinji opened his eyes slowly. There was no ground beneath him, no sky above. He was floating in a space without meaning, without boundaries.
Then, from the void, reflections appeared.
The first was a small child, sitting alone in a dark corner, hugging his knees. His hair covered part of his face, but he didn't need to see him to know who it was.
"You…" Shinji whispered, but his voice made no sound.
The scene shifted. The child looked at him, his eyes hollow, hopeless. Then he began to fade, as if his existence had been nothing but an illusion.
But behind him, another figure appeared.
A tall man, with weary features and eyes carrying something more than knowledge… he carried certainty.
Shinji felt a shiver run through him.
"Who are you?" he asked in a low voice.
"Me?" the man smiled quietly. "I'm the one you're looking for."