1. A Dream Drenched in Tears
The night air in the valley was silent. Stars blinked above like the indifferent eyes of a thousand forgotten gods. Kaito lay awake beside the smoldering campfire, Calia curled under one of Auren's enchanted cloaks, her soft breathing soothing against the chill.
But Kaito didn't sleep.
Because dreams hurt more than waking.
And tonight… the past clawed its way back.
The memories started like a whisper—silken, honeyed, cruel.
2. Back Then, When I Was Nobody
He was a boy then.
Just a boy. Human. Mortal. Hopeful.
He lived in a quiet mountain village, baking bread with his grandfather, chasing dreams across rice fields, laughing at the sun. Life was simple. Honest.
He wanted to be someone great—not famous, not rich, just seen.
And then she came.
The sky split open in a thousand petals of starlight.
A woman descended barefoot, wrapped in cosmic silk, her eyes containing galaxies. Her voice echoed in the bones of the world.
The villagers called her divine.
Kaito called her beautiful.
And when she smiled at him—not the sky, not the elders, him—he forgot how to breathe.
3. The First Touch of Heaven
Her name was Venari.
She didn't just bless the crops. She stayed.
Days passed. Then weeks.
She walked barefoot with Kaito through the trees, asked him questions no one ever had. What are you afraid of? Do you dream in color? What would you give to never be alone again?
He answered everything. He gave her everything.
She kissed him for the first time beneath the moon, and he wept because he didn't know joy could burn.
"I've watched a million men," she whispered into his hair. "But you? You're… rare."
And just like that, he wasn't a boy anymore.
He was hers.
4. A Palace of Lies
She brought him to her realm: a floating city carved from gold, built on clouds. Servants bowed to her. Stars curved to her breath.
And she made him her Chosen.
Not a servant. Not a consort.
Her favorite.
At first, it was paradise.
They bathed in nebulae. Danced on Saturn's rings. She whispered divine secrets into his mouth, feeding him divinity like a lover's sigh.
Kaito believed it all.
Believed her.
Even when other gods sneered. Even when servants whispered. Even when he noticed bruises on others who'd come before.
He ignored it.
Because love is louder than truth.
5. The Cruelest Game
It changed slowly.
Venari became colder. Distant.
Where once she pulled him close, now she laughed at his fragility.
"You're so breakable," she cooed, cradling his cheek with fingers too cold for affection. "It's adorable."
Kaito tried to reach her. To remind her who they were. What they had.
She smiled—wide, amused, hollow.
Then one day, she gathered the gods for a feast.
She sat Kaito at her side, dressed in nothing but gold and pride.
And said:
"Look, my darling toy. This one cries when you kiss him."
The gods laughed.
Kaito froze.
Venari poured wine on his head.
"Let's see how long before he begs."
6. Broken Wings, Falling
He ran.
Ran from the laughter. From the judgment. From her.
But there is no escape from a Goddess.
She followed.
On a balcony made of moonlight, she cornered him.
He screamed at her. Asked her why. Why she made him feel seen, then invisible.
Her smile was soft. Sweet.
And deadly.
"I was curious," she said. "I wanted to know how many pieces a mortal heart breaks into when you love it… then leave it."
He fell to his knees, begging—not for mercy.
Just answers.
She kissed his forehead.
"You're lovely when you're shattered."
Then she snapped her fingers.
And he was gone.
7. Left for Dead
He woke up in a crater.
Blood in his mouth. Bones broken. Magic scorched from his soul.
Alone.
Unloved.
Unmade.
The sky above was silent. Not a god stirred. Not even the stars dared to look.
He screamed until his throat gave out.
Crawled until his fingers bled.
The world moved on without him.
And Kaito…
He stopped being human that day.
He stopped being anything.
8. The First Tears in Years
Back in the present, Kaito sat up, choking on memory.
The fire had dimmed to embers. Calia stirred, then sat beside him, groggy and warm.
"Kaito?"
He didn't speak.
She touched his hand.
He flinched.
Then, like something cracked inside, he turned and sobbed into her shoulder.
Ugly sobs. The kind that shake mountains. The kind that taste like betrayal.
Calia held him like armor.
"You saw her, didn't you?" she whispered.
He nodded.
"I remember now," he gasped. "Everything. What she did. What I was. What she made me."
Calia pressed her lips to his temple.
"You're not her toy anymore."
He looked at her—eyes red, soul raw.
"No," he whispered. "But I still feel like one."
9. Still Hurting, Still Human
The tears stopped.
Not because he felt better—but because he'd run out.
Kaito sat still beside the dying fire, Calia's arms wrapped around him like warmth he didn't deserve.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
"For what?" Calia asked gently.
"For breaking apart like this. For… not being strong."
Calia pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes.
"You were used. Lied to. Left for dead. You get to fall apart, Kaito. That's what makes you human."
His throat tightened again, but the tears didn't come. They were dry now. Burned out.
But her gaze—
Her gaze felt like the first honest thing he'd seen in a long, long time.
10. Closer Than Skin
They didn't speak for a while. Just sat in the hush of the night.
Calia rested her head against his shoulder, her warmth seeping into him.
"I used to dream of kissing her," Kaito said after a long moment.
Calia tensed.
He continued, voice fragile. "And now? I have nightmares of it. Every time I wake up, I taste the lie on my lips."
Calia lifted her head. The firelight painted gold into her pale skin.
"Then maybe you need to replace that dream," she said softly.
Kaito blinked.
And then—she leaned in.
Not fast. Not hungry.
Just… real.
And kissed him.
It wasn't godly. It didn't taste like starlight or eternity.
It tasted like healing.
Like something that wanted him, not his soul as a plaything.
When she pulled back, Kaito's breath caught.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because," Calia whispered, brushing hair from his eyes, "you deserve to be kissed by someone who means it."
11. Of Course, Auren
"OKAY, WHAT THE HELL, I LEAVE FOR TWO MINUTES—"
Kaito and Calia jolted apart.
Standing at the edge of the clearing was Auren—still shirtless, holding a half-eaten meat bun, staring at them like he'd walked in on his parents roleplaying.
"You two were just sobbing like traumatized walruses five minutes ago!" he shrieked, waving his bun. "And now you're—gag me with a swordfish, was that tongue?!"
Kaito buried his face in his hands.
Calia smiled without shame. "You're the one who said I needed to loosen up."
"I meant with me!" Auren pouted, biting into his bun like it had betrayed him.
12. Three Idiots and One Very Awkward Fire
The trio sat around the fire—now rekindled, thanks to Auren accidentally setting part of a log pile on fire with his lightning breath.
"So," Auren said, stuffing his face. "You remembered the Goddess?"
Kaito nodded.
"And she was a psycho space witch who used you like a chew toy?"
Kaito nodded again, slower.
Auren raised a finger. "Then I propose: we find her. We stab her. We set her realm on fire. And then we have celebratory meat buns."
"That's not a plan," Calia said flatly.
"Sure it is! Step one: vengeance. Step two: buns."
"Step three: death by divine smiting," Kaito muttered.
"Still better than death by crying," Auren grinned.
13. Plans Are for People Who Sleep
That night, Kaito didn't sleep.
Again.
But not because of nightmares.
Because now, he had memories. Clarity. A scar that was no longer hidden.
The hurt still lived inside him—but so did rage.
Not the kind that burned quick. The kind that waited.
Venari had taken his innocence. His hope. His self.
But she'd made one mistake.
She'd left him alive.
And now?
Now he had friends. Allies. People who cared.
He had a reason to live.
And he had a score to settle.
14. A Message from the Void
At dawn, as the first orange light spread across the forest clearing, a breeze shifted unnaturally.
And from the wind… a voice.
Sweet. Sharp. Like poisoned honey.
"Oh, little Kaito… Still alive?"
Everyone froze.
Kaito stood slowly, eyes narrowed.
"Venari."
Calia unsheathed her blade. Auren spat out his bun.
A glowing glyph shimmered in the air—floating, spinning, beautiful and wrong.
"I see you've remembered our time together," the voice purred.
"Good. Pain is the purest memory."
Kaito stepped forward, glaring.
"Come finish what you started."
The glyph pulsed, amused.
"Oh no, my little toy. I already did."
The sigil exploded in violet flame.
The trees cracked.
And something vast stirred on the horizon.
15. War Is Coming
When the smoke cleared, the trio stood in silence.
"I'm going to kill her," Kaito said calmly.
"Dibs on punching her," Auren added.
"I'll take her eyes," Calia said, voice like a winter blade.
Kaito turned to them both.
"You don't have to come with me."
Auren gave him a flat look.
"Kaito. My dude. We shared a cursed taco in chapter two. We're bonded for life."
Calia placed a hand over his.
"You're not alone. Not anymore."
Kaito looked at them.
His pain hadn't vanished.
But for the first time since the betrayal—
He wasn't carrying it alone.
16. The Road to Trouble (and Probably a God
Three idiots. One dream. Zero planning.
Kaito, Calia, and Auren stood at the edge of the Mistgrove Forest, staring at the winding path ahead.
"So," Auren said, hands on hips. "Which way to the screaming goddess nightmare?"
Kaito unfolded a crudely drawn map. It had a skull, a frowny face, and a taco stain.
"We head east. Toward the Shattered Plains. Venari's realm is beyond that—atop the Obsidian Pillar."
"Obsidian Pillar?" Auren repeated, eyebrow raised. "Is that a fortress or a sex dungeon?"
"Both," Calia deadpanned.
They began walking.
17. Town of the Damnedly Awkward
Their first stop was a town called Glimmergrave, which sounded romantic but was just infested with haunted pottery.
Auren was nearly murdered by a teacup.
Calia accidentally joined a cult while looking for a hot bath.
Kaito, meanwhile, spent thirty minutes arguing with a talking mirror about whether he was "main character material."
The mirror won.
18. Hot Springs and Honest Moments
Somehow, they found themselves at a hot spring.
Calia and Kaito ended up alone together in the secluded pool, steam rising around them, moonlight painting her skin silver.
She sighed, slipping deeper into the water. "I forgot what peace felt like."
Kaito leaned back, arms stretched. "Peace feels weird."
Then silence.
And then—
"You ever wonder what you'd be like if none of this happened?" she asked quietly.
Kaito blinked. "Like if I was never… chosen by her?"
"Yeah."
He considered. "I'd probably be in school. Studying. Trying to ask a girl out."
Calia turned to him. "You know… you don't need to be a broken boy to be loved."
His breath caught.
"You're worth more than your damage, Kaito."
Then, she reached over and gently touched his hand under the water.
The warmth had nothing to do with the spring.
19. Of Course, Auren (Again)
"AWWWWW—THEY'RE MAKING OUT IN THE HOT SPRING!"
Auren cannonballed into the pool like a ballistic dolphin.
Water erupted.
Calia scowled. "Were you spying on us?"
"I was guarding you. From perverts."
"You are the pervert!"
"Takes one to know one!" Auren said cheerfully, flipping upside-down in the water.
20. Cult Meeting & Goat Boy
They left Glimmergrave the next day, after Auren had been banned from three shops and Calia had politely resigned from the cult she accidentally joined.
Just before leaving, they were approached by a half-goat boy named Mipsy.
"You travel to Obsidian Pillar?" he asked nervously.
Kaito nodded. "Got business there."
Mipsy glanced around. "Beware. Shadows move before your feet. And your dreams will not always be your own."
Then he handed them a basket of pickled radishes and disappeared into a shrub.
"Okay, new rule," Auren said. "No more advice from vegetable-delivering goat children."
21. Dreamwalkers and Temptation
That night, they camped under the stars.
Kaito drifted into uneasy sleep.
In the dream—
He stood in a void of stars and silk, suspended in nothing.
Venari appeared, wearing a gown of galaxies and nothing else.
"Miss me?" she purred.
Kaito clenched his fists. "Not even a little."
She smiled and circled him. "But your body remembers me. Your soul still aches for me."
He snarled. "You don't get to seduce me anymore."
Her smile turned sharp.
"Oh, little toy. I don't need to."
She kissed him in the dream—hard, possessive, violating.
He woke with a gasp.
Sweat. Cold air. Auren snoring nearby.
And Calia watching him quietly from across the fire.
He couldn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
She moved closer. Not to ask. Just to sit with him.
And that was enough.
22. Road to Ruin (and Lunch)
They crossed the Deadwind Cliffs the next day. The wind shrieked like ghosts arguing about tax policy.
Auren fought off a sky-worm with nothing but a stick and a lot of swearing.
Kaito nearly fell into a ravine twice.
Calia stabbed a shadow beast that tried to eat their sandwiches.
It was a very eventful lunch.
23. Tension, Torture, and Thirst
By nightfall, they made camp inside the broken ribcage of a dead world serpent. Which was cozy, in a weirdly terrifying way.
Kaito and Calia ended up together again, close—too close—sharing a blanket.
"Still cold?" she asked, her breath warm against his neck.
"Yeah," he murmured.
She leaned in. "Want me to warm you up?"
Their eyes locked.
Then Auren kicked snow onto both of them.
"NO SEX UNTIL AFTER WE DEFEAT THE FINAL BOSS!" he yelled.
They both threw boots at him.
24. What Lies Beyond the Veil
As they approached the edge of the Shattered Plains, the sky darkened unnaturally.
Lightning forked in green spirals.
The air tasted like secrets.
Calia unsheathed her blade. "This is it."
Auren summoned his crackling spear. "Time for someone to get wrecked."
Kaito stood at the front.
Memories of pain surged.
Venari's smile.
Her betrayal.
The feeling of being a toy.
A thing.
A nothing.
Not anymore.
He was no longer just a boy.
He was becoming.
And whatever waited beyond?
He would face it—with steel, fire, and the people who stood beside him.
Even if one of them still refused to wear a shirt.
25. The Shattered Plains
The Shattered Plains were exactly what they sounded like: broken.
Jagged earth, floating shards of rock that defied gravity, lightning that struck sideways, and occasional screaming in the distance—because nothing says "fantasy landscape" like distant, unexplained screams.
Kaito stood at the edge of a fractured cliff, looking down into a void that shimmered with starlight and memory.
"Venari lives beyond this madness?" Auren asked, shielding his eyes from a gust of ash.
"Yes," Kaito said quietly. "Her throne floats above it all, wrapped in dreamfire."
Calia took his hand. "Then we go through it."
26. The Flashback: "Not a Toy"
The moment Kaito stepped onto the fractured land, his body locked up.
Reality twisted.
The sky spun.
And then—
He was back.
Not physically.
Memory.
Venari's palace. Her celestial chamber. The air thick with incense and whispered laughter.
He stood naked, trembling, before the goddess. She circled him like a predator.
"You are beautiful when you break," she had whispered.
He remembered the way she touched him—not with love. With ownership.
"You are mine, little mortal. Say it."
"I'm yours," he had whispered. Because he thought it would stop the pain.
It didn't.
Not that day. Not for weeks.
He cried out—present-day Kaito, falling to his knees in the now, clutching his head.
Calia was beside him in an instant. "Kaito? Hey—hey, talk to me!"
He couldn't speak. He could barely breathe.
So she just held him.
And slowly, slowly, the trembling stopped.
"I'm not her toy anymore," he finally whispered.
"No," Calia said. "You never were."
27. The Temple of Memory and Plot Advancement
As they crossed the next rift, they reached a glowing temple that wasn't on the map.
Of course it wasn't.
Auren stared at the sign above the door: "Temple of Memory & Questionably Useful Plot Advancement."
"I like this place already."
Inside, they were greeted by a floating jellyfish librarian named Bloopus.
"You may each ask one question," Bloopus intoned in a British accent. "Choose wisely."
Auren asked if he would ever get taller.
"No," Bloopus replied.
Calia asked how to defeat a goddess.
"By making her remember her heart."
Kaito asked: "What am I now?"
Bloopus paused. "You are becoming what gods fear: A mortal who remembers pain."
That shut everyone up.
28. Confession Under a Broken Moon
That night, beneath the shattered moon, Calia and Kaito sat by a campfire.
Auren was pretending to fight a tree and losing.
"You saw something today," she said.
Kaito nodded. "She… broke me. In ways I didn't know a person could be broken. And sometimes I still hear her voice when I sleep."
Calia touched his face. "Then let me be louder."
And she kissed him.
Not out of pity. Not out of obligation.
Because she chose to.
And because he chose not to flinch.
He kissed her back.
The fire crackled.
Auren ruined the moment by falling into the firepit.
29. Battle at the Edge of Infinity
They reached the final rise. Above them floated the Obsidian Pillar—Venari's floating fortress of impossible geometry, wrapped in dreamfire.
Before they could begin climbing, they were met by a trio of goddess-spawn warriors: twisted, beautiful horrors in divine armor.
"Submit," the lead hissed. "Or suffer."
Auren cracked his knuckles. "I've been waiting to suffer all week."
The battle exploded into chaos.
Calia moved like lightning, her blade singing.
Auren fought like a rabid dog fueled by adrenaline and bad decisions.
Kaito stood at the center—and his hands began to glow.
Power surged from him, not gifted by a goddess, but stolen from her—twisted, reclaimed, reforged by pain.
He struck the lead warrior with a wave of pure defiance.
It screamed, unraveling into stars.
30. Rise, Mortal
After the battle, they climbed the path of floating stone toward the Obsidian Pillar.
Step by step.
Higher and higher.
Wind howled.
Memories clawed.
But Kaito did not falter.
He had remembered who he was—not just the broken boy, not just the toy—but the one who survived.
Calia looked at him with pride.
Auren looked at him like he was wondering if Kaito had any more cool powers.
They stood at the gates of Venari's domain.
"You ready?" Calia asked.
"No," Kaito said. "But I'm going anyway."
And with that, he stepped forward.
End of Chapter 6