SAI SHINU
Three days had passed since the gate closed, and the village had settled into a rare calmness. Everyone seemed happy.
I spent those days walking through the village with Yuri, talking, learning, listening. I met so many of the people here. They were kind. Even though they came from another dimension, they were still humans—living, laughing, struggling, just like us.
Namae trained tirelessly with her new power, slowly shaping her illusions into something sharper, clearer, stronger. She wanted to understand it fully, to unlock its potential. Watching her reminded me how far we had all come.
The days and nights passed faster than usual. Each night, I found myself staring up at the sky, hoping to see the moon, even though I already knew it would not appear. The last time I saw it was when I met that man in the cursed forest.
I smiled at the thought. I hadn't remembered him in those three years, and yet here I was, realizing I had, in my own way, fulfilled my dreams.
The reason to live in this life, huh? Life has its ups and downs, its good and bad. But is it truly worth stepping into this cycle every single day? Fighting to suffer, fighting to lose, fighting to win… To kill and to watch others be killed? The lives in this world are not always in my hands.
And yet, even in all this suffering, there is a way to achieve peace. Two roads lie before anyone who seeks it.
One is to become the strongest. Lonely as it may be, standing at the top means no one can take peace from you. But everything comes with a cost.
The other way is to love your enemies—to pray for their healing, to hope for their betterment. When that happens, hatred dissolves, and if they rise to something greater, then so do I.
Both roads demand sacrifices. Some small, others heavy enough to break you.
Life is like a coin, with two sides. One side is the actions we take every day. The other side is the impact we leave behind.
But I know my answer now. My reason to live every day… is the people around me. They matter to me, and I matter to them.
With that truth, I can ascend to the next level. I will bring peace to this world, no matter the weight I must
The only way to achieve something like that is by keep moving forward. Live every day with a meaning, with reasons and no regrets.
The next day came heavy with purpose. Sleep hadn't softened the weight pressing against my chest. The godglyphs weren't just stones anymore—they were choices, burdens, weapons. And we needed to find the next one before it slipped away.
We gathered in the meeting hall. Taro stood at the head of the table, his eyes sharp, his posture steady. He didn't waste time. "The gate is gone, but its shadow lingers," he said firmly. "We need to move. Find the next one before it finds us."
I turned my gaze to Naemi. She sat quietly, her hands folded on her lap, but her fingers twitched faintly as if something deep inside her tugged invisible strings. Yosuke noticed too, his voice low but sure. "She's the one who'll lead us there. She can sense it."
Naemi lifted her head, meeting my eyes briefly before drifting back to the floor. Her voice trembled, but there was no hesitation. "It's faint, but I can feel it. Something pulling… east. Beyond the ridges where the forest thickens. If we go that way, we'll find another gate."
The room fell into silence. I could feel the air shift around us—fear mixing with something dangerously close to hope. Jiro crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair, his tone skeptical yet subdued. "So it's true. She really can sense them."
I leaned forward, my words cutting through the stillness. "If she feels it, then we trust her. We don't get to hesitate with things like this."
Taro's nod came quick, decisive. "East it is. We move at dawn."