The road to Kaibetsu wound through steep cliffs and rivers as silver as starlight. The air here was thinner, colder—a place between silence and memory.
Akuzai hadn't spoken much since leaving Aoritsu. He carried the names of those he had to find like weightless stones—until he reached the gates of the old stone village and saw them.
Aditya, sharpening his twin-bladed halberd near the fire. Abhishek, seated beneath a dying tree, watching clouds move like riddles. And by the shrine's edge—Anuj.
They looked up as he approached, and for a moment, the distance of years vanished.
"Look who finally stopped hiding," Aditya said, smirking—but it didn't reach his eyes.
Akuzai smiled faintly. "Missed you too."
Abhishek stood and nodded, his voice even. "The Bloom's stirring, isn't it?"
Akuzai simply said, "It's time."
---
That night, after food and faint laughter, Akuzai asked Anuj to meet him alone beneath the shrine's lanterns.
Anuj knew that tone. The weight behind the words not yet spoken.
"You've been quiet," Anuj said. "But not still."
Akuzai stepped forward, hands folded. "I need something... that only you can do."
Anuj raised an eyebrow.
Akuzai swallowed. "I want you to try summoning them. My parents. And... Tanishk."
Silence settled.
"You know how risky that is," Anuj whispered. "Summoning souls from sealed timelines—especially with reality unstable."
"I know," Akuzai replied. "But if we're going to face what's coming, I need... them. I need to see them."
Anuj stared at the summoning circle, then at his own trembling hands. "Fine. But you must understand—I can't reach what no longer echoes."
He began drawing the seal—symbols glowing blue against the earth. Winds circled. The ground pulsed. Akuzai stepped back.
And then—light.
Two figures slowly formed in the air—shimmering outlines drawn from time's threads.
A gasp escaped Akuzai's lips as the images solidified.
> A woman—tired, elegant, eyes kind and deep.
A man—tall, powerful presence, silver streaks in his dark hair.
"Miyako," Anuj said softly. "And Kaien Arashi."
Akuzai fell to his knees.
His mother blinked, dazed. "Kazuo...?"
He hadn't heard that name in years.
He stood shakily. "It's me. It's Akuzai now."
Tears slipped from her eyes. She embraced him—warm, human, real. His father stepped forward slowly, proud but quiet, placing a strong hand on Akuzai's shoulder.
"You've grown," Kaien said. "Stronger than I ever imagined."
Akuzai was trembling. "You're really here."
And then, just as quickly, his eyes turned to Anuj. "Tanishk?"
Anuj froze.
"I tried," he whispered. "I reached for him. But his thread… it's gone. Burned too deep into the Rift."
Akuzai's heart clenched. "But you summoned the others."
Anuj shook his head. "You don't understand. Your parents—they weren't erased, only locked away. But Tanishk…"
He didn't finish.
Akuzai turned away, shoulders tense, the warmth of reunion instantly shadowed by grief. His mother moved to him, but he raised a hand—gentle but distant.
"I'm glad you're here," he said to them. "But one of us still isn't."
---
Later, Akuzai sat alone beneath the cold moonlight. Abhishek joined him, saying nothing.
After a while, Akuzai finally spoke.
"I brought them back… but I still feel hollow."
"Because he was your fire," Abhishek replied. "And fire leaves ashes."
Akuzai closed his eyes.
He had found family.
But not all of it.
And the space Tanishk once filled now burned deeper than ever.