Kael was left alone with the Custodian.
"How long will it take?" he asked.
The Custodian gave him a sad smile. "That depends… on how much of herself she's willing to remember."
The silence that followed was heavier than the shadows swimming around them. Kael stood still, fists clenched at his sides. The temple felt colder now, the shimmer of celestial threads around them dimming.
He didn't like not knowing. Not being able to help. Not being with her.
"She's strong," the Custodian finally said, her voice distant, as if echoing through time itself. "But some memories hurt more than they heal."
Kael nodded, jaw tight. "Then I'll be here when she wakes up. Even if it takes forever."
The Custodian looked at him with something unreadable in her eyes—perhaps approval, or maybe sorrow. "Then sit," she said. "And listen."
With a wave of her hand, the starlit floor beneath them shifted, forming a spiral of light. Images flickered in and out—moments Kael didn't recognize. Ayame as a child, laughing as petals swirled around her. A boy who looked suspiciously like him, chasing stars barefoot through a twilight garden. A pair of glowing eyes, watching from the dark.
"She's been dreaming of you long before this life," the Custodian whispered. "But the stars aren't kind to lovers. Not always."
Kael watched the images in silence, heart twisting. "What are you trying to show me?"
"That your story didn't begin in high school," she said. "It began lifetimes ago."
The spiral spun faster now, winds curling Kael's hair as visions flashed—fields of glowing lotus, a temple buried in snow, Ayame reaching for him on a cliff's edge before tumbling into light.
And then…
She screamed.
It wasn't physical—it came from somewhere deep, deep within the temple. A sound like glass fracturing, like stars shattering.
Kael surged to his feet. "Ayame?!"
The Custodian closed her eyes. "She's found it."
"What? What did she find?!"
But the Custodian only gestured toward the temple corridor, now glowing with golden runes. "Go to her. She needs you."
Kael didn't hesitate. He ran.
The corridor twisted like a dream—sometimes long, sometimes short, walls humming with forgotten magic. Kael's breath echoed as he sprinted, his only guide the pull in his chest.
Finally, he reached her.
She lay on the ground, hair spread like ink, fingers trembling as sparks danced up her arms. Her eyes were open—but distant. Unfocused. Glowing.
"Ayame," he whispered, falling to his knees. "I'm here."
Her lips moved. Barely. "Kael… I… I saw them."
He touched her cheek. "Saw who?"
"…us. In the stars. Over and over again."
She blinked, the glow in her irises flickering.
"I saw you die."
Kael froze.
Ayame clutched his shirt. "Not just once. In every life. We find each other and then… one of us disappears."
He swallowed. "Ayame, I'm not going anywhere."
"You always say that," she whispered. "And I always believe you."
Kael leaned in closer, pressing his forehead to hers. "Then let's break the pattern."
The temple pulsed, as if responding to his vow.
Later, they sat in a quiet corner of the temple, the cosmic winds now stilled. Ayame wrapped in his jacket, her hand entwined with his.
She didn't speak at first. Neither did he.
"I'm scared," she finally said.
"I know," Kael answered. "But I'm right here."
She looked at him, her expression softening. "I don't want to forget again."
"You won't."
He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it gently.
A blush touched her cheeks—unexpected after all they'd seen—but real. Her eyes shimmered, and not just with magic.
"I feel like… everything's been out of my control. My powers, my dreams, even my heart."
Kael smiled faintly. "Then take it back."
She hesitated… then shifted, leaning against his chest. "This. Just this, right now. It's the only thing that feels real."
He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin atop her head. "Then let's stay in it. For as long as we can."
Far above them, the stars blinked.
And from the depths of the temple, unseen by either of them, something stirred.
An old presence. Watching. Waiting.
Its time would come again.
Soon.