The ash beneath Kairo's boots felt warm - too warm. Each step left a faint trail of glowing footprints that faded seconds after he moved. The world around him wasn't stable anymore. The sky rippled like water, bending in colours that shouldn't exist.
Reika followed a few paces behind, clutching the hilt of her broken sword. Her eyes were weary, her voice even more so. "This place…it's not real, is it?"
Kairo didn't look back. "Real enough to kill us."
They walked in silence through the ruins of the Rift-core. The ground was littered with what looked like shattered masks - white porcelain fragments that reflected faces when touched. Kairo glanced at one by accident and saw his own reflection smiling back at him - but not him. The smile was wrong.
He crushed it underfoot.
The wind changed. A sound rose from the haze - not the roar of monsters, but singing.
A low, mournful song echoed through the fog. It wasn't in any language Kairo recognised, but it carried a memory that clawed at the edges of his heart. A familiar voice.
Reika's grip tightened on her sword. "That voice…Kairo, that sounds like -"
"Taro."
The name hit them both like lightning.
They ran.
They emerged onto a cracked bridge suspended over an endless void. The Riftlight below burned like liquid gold, illuminating a lone figure sitting at the edge, humming softly.
"Taro!" Reika called out, her voice breaking.
The figure turned - and smiled. His hair was the same messy black, his coat tattered but unmistakeable. But his eyes… they weren't the bright, goofy ones that once made Reika laugh. They were dull, unfocused - like he was dreaming with his eyes open.
"Reika…Kairo," Taro said, his voice hollowed.
"You finally made it back."
Kairo's heart twisted. "We thought you - we saw you die in the explosion."
Taro laughed quietly. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. Time's funny here. You blink, and it rewrites itself." He tilted his head. "But hey, at least the afterlife's got good lighting, right?"
Even now, his voice carried that comedic spark - the same ridiculous humour that used to drive everyone insane. But behind it, Kairo could see the cracks. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
Reika knelt beside him. "Taro, what happened to you?"
He shrugged. "Nothing. Everything. I was here, then I wasn't. The Rift showed me things…people I failed to protect. My parents. My sister." His voice trembled for the first time. "They were alive here, Reika. For a while. Then they started…melting away."
Kairo took a step forward. "You were trapped in an illusion. Like me."
Taro looked at him - really looked. "No, Kairo. I am the illusion."
The words hit like a hammer.
Reika's face was drained of colour. "What are you saying?"
Taro smiled sadly. "I think…I didn't make it out of the explosion. I'm what the Rift remembered of me. A leftover echo. But it's okay." He looked down at his hands, fading slightly at the edges. "I got to see you both again."
Reika shook her head. "No - you're real! You're right here!"
Taro chuckled. "Hey, don't cry, dummy. You'll make me short circuit." He reached out, his fingers brushing her cheek - and then passed right through her.
Her sob caught in her throat.
Kairo's hands clenched at his sides. His chest burned with the ache of power trying to break free, but he forced it down. "No. No more illusions. I'll bring you back, Taro. I swear -"
Taro stood, his smile soft. "You can't fix what's already gone, Kairo. You taught me that."
He looked toward the horizon, where the Riftlight pulsed like a heartbeat. "But maybe…you can fix what's still breaking."
Reika wiped her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Taro turned to her, grin returning one last time. "The Rift's still open. And it's feeding on your memories, both of you. If you don't stop it, you'll end up like me - stuck between goodbye and goodbye."
He stepped back toward the edge, light wrapping around him. "So…don't stop running, okay?"
Kairo's voice cracked. "Taro!"
Taro winked. "Tell everyone I said something cool before I disappeared."
And then he stepped off the edge.
Light burst around them - warm, blinding, beautiful. For a moment, Kairo could hear laughter. Then, silence.
Reika collapsed to her knees. "He's gone…"
Kairo stared into the void, fists trembling. "No. He's still with us."
Reika looked up, tears streaking her cheeks. "How can you be so sure?"
Kairo smiled faintly. "Because he wouldn't let me rest until I fixed everything."
As they walked away from the broken bridge, the Riftlight ahead began to flicker - forming a shape. A door.
Above it, carved in shifting runes, was a name.
ST. KARETH'S ACADEMY.
Reika's eyes widened. "The Academy…here?"
Kairo exhaled, the truth settling in his chest like a storm. "We're not done yet."
He stepped toward the door - and behind him, the wind whispered a faint laugh.
Taro's laugh.