The night sky stretched above the city like a wound that never healed. Tokyo glowed beneath it—buzzing with energy, ignorance, and secrets. But in the depths of it all, something inside Kaito was cracking.
Not because of the aliens.
Not because of ghosts or yokai.
But because growth always demands sacrifice.
And Kaito was reaching his limit.
---
Ayase Household – Upstairs Room
Kaito lay on the futon, sweat dripping from his brow, body wrapped in gauze. Seiko knelt beside him, pressing an ancient healing charm to his chest.
"You're burning up," she muttered, brows furrowed. "Your body's fighting something it doesn't understand."
Momo stood in the corner, arms crossed. "Is it the aliens again?"
"No," Seiko said softly. "This is different. This is internal. His soul's caught between what he was… and what he's becoming."
---
Inside Kaito's Mind – The Fracture
In the core of his subconscious, Kaito stood inside a version of himself that had begun to fracture.
Cracks spread through the mirror-like walls of his internal world.
Memories twisted and stretched:
A broken swing from a childhood no one remembered.
A scream from a hallway covered in blood.
A smile from someone he loved, whose name was now lost.
> He was forgetting.
Not facts. But pieces of himself.
The fragments of pain he used to build his will.
The foundation of his evolving soul was shaking.
And at the center of it all was a single whisper.
> "Let go."
---
School Rooftop – Rin's Concern
The next day, Rin watched Kaito stare at the clouds again. She sighed and walked over, kicking his leg gently.
"You've been quieter than usual. You didn't even react when that possessed vending machine tried to sell you ghost snacks this morning."
He looked up slowly. "I think I'm breaking down."
Rin blinked, expression softening. "Is this about… them?"
"Not just the aliens. Everything. My mind feels like it's turning inside out. I'm losing memories that don't belong to this world, but I need them. They're me."
He gripped the edge of the rooftop railing so tightly his knuckles whitened.
> "I was reborn here. But I don't know if I'm meant to stay me."
---
That Evening – Seiko's Workshop
Seiko unrolled an old scroll depicting a legendary yokai known as Kuzure-oni, the Breaker Demon—a spirit of rebirth through destruction.
"They used to say this yokai visited people not to harm them, but to shatter the pieces that weren't true."
Kaito looked up at her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because, kid…" she met his eyes. "You need to stop fearing being broken. Evolution demands death—of lies, of weakness, of old identities."
Momo entered, overhearing.
> "But that doesn't mean you lose your heart," she said quietly. "Your pain isn't a flaw. It's your root."
Kaito swallowed.
> "Then maybe I have to let myself fall apart… to see what's real underneath."
---
The Ritual of Cracking
That night, Seiko prepared a ritual to help Kaito face the broken parts of himself.
Candles. Chalk. Spirit-ink. Incense burned low and cold.
Kaito sat in the center of the circle, shirtless, mark on his chest glowing faint blue.
Seiko's voice was like gravel in wind. "When I say the word, you'll enter the inner shell of your soul. Don't fight the pain. Let it guide you."
Momo and Rin sat outside the circle, watching with unease.
> "Begin."
The candles flared.
Kaito's consciousness plummeted.
---
Mental Plane – Mirror World Again
Kaito stood before seven mirrors.
Each showed a different version of himself:
1. A cold, perfect warrior.
2. A broken child, crying alone.
3. A laughing fool hiding behind charm.
4. A murderer.
5. A victim.
6. A lover.
7. A stranger with no face.
The mirrors spoke in unison.
> "Which one are you?"
He stepped forward and shattered the first.
"I'm not a weapon."
Then the second.
"I'm not weak."
The third.
"I'm not fake."
The fourth.
"I'm not a monster."
One by one, he destroyed them all—until only the faceless mirror remained.
> "I don't know who I was," he said, voice cracking. "But I'll choose who I become."
He raised his hand—
And the final mirror shattered on its own.
---
Real World – Evolution Surge
Back in the circle, the mark on Kaito's chest blazed.
Winds roared inside the room. Papers flew. A sigil on the ceiling burned bright.
Rin shielded her eyes. "What the hell?!"
Momo stared, stunned. "He's not breaking… He's evolving through the break."
Kaito floated off the ground, eyes glowing—tears running down his face.
Then—
Silence.
He collapsed into Momo's arms, chest rising slowly.
Seiko nodded. "He made it. The boy broke himself to become someone real."
---
Aftermath – The Power Within
Kaito woke the next morning to find Momo asleep beside his bed, Rin curled in a chair, and Seiko in a meditative trance nearby.
He sat up.
He felt clear.
The confusion was gone. The pain still echoed—but now it gave him strength.
> New Trait Acquired: Soulframe Core
(Mind and memory reinforced. Identity stabilized against outside forces. Internal growth rate accelerated during moments of emotional truth.)
He smiled.
> "I broke. But now… I'm rebuilding."