The next day, Shisui could barely stand.
Kurou said nothing as he tossed him a small clay talisman. Carved into its face was a symbol Shisui had never seen—two crescents forming an eye.
"You broke your Spirit Gates. They won't heal with rest. They must be reforged from within," Kurou said. "That talisman will draw you into the Animus Realm—the landscape of your soul."
Shisui's eyes widened. "What do I do there?"
Kurou's answer was grim.
"You suffer. You survive. Or you don't return."
Shisui clutched the talisman and obeyed. He sat cross-legged under the silverleaf tree and pressed it to his chest.
His breath slowed. His pulse dropped.
And then the world changed.
He opened his eyes to a field of dying leaves, falling forever into gray mist. The sky above him wept stars like tears, and his footsteps made no sound.
In the distance stood a door—massive, cracked down the center, leaking golden light.
The Gate of Echoes.
As Shisui approached, he heard whispers. His name. His mother's voice. His father's final words before disappearing into war. Laughter from children he once knew, now dead.
Each word was like a knife. Animus pulled nothing from imagination—only memory.
When Shisui touched the gate, a black shadow burst from within.
It took the shape of himself—but older, broken, and bloodstained.
"Why did you chase power?" the shadow asked. "Why did you let her die?"
"I… couldn't stop it," Shisui whispered.
"You didn't even try."
Shisui fell to his knees. The shadow raised its hand, and darkness poured toward him.
Then—
Shisui screamed. Not in fear, but defiance.
"I'll become strong! Not to run… not to prove anything… but to protect!"
The world cracked.
Golden fire erupted from Shisui's chest. The shadow burned away, and the Gate of Echoes shattered.
As the vision faded, a message burned into his mind:
Animus Resonance: Restored. Spirit Gate 3 Reforged. Emotional Core Stabilized.