The mist swirled violently around Kento, wrapping him and the figure before him in a pale blue haze.
He could see Furi's face clearly now, but something about it felt… off. The shadow beneath his smile, the flicker in his eyes—it wasn't entirely him.
"You…" Furi whispered, voice trembling. "You came back…"
Kento stepped closer, heart pounding.
"Yes. I remembered our promise. I will not let it break."
A strange wind blew across the cliff, carrying whispers from long ago.
Images appeared in the mist: children running along the cliff, laughter echoing, and Furi holding out his hand toward Kento.
A memory Kento didn't know he had—memories of the moment when the original promise was forged.
"The promise… it wasn't just yours," Furi said, almost as if remembering something distant.
"It was ours… but something… interfered. It twisted me, and twisted the world."
Kento felt a shiver run down his spine.
"The sky… the sealing… it was because of the promise?"
Furi nodded slowly.
"The power of a promise can be so strong that it bends reality. But the more it bends, the more it consumes the one who made it… and those tied to it."
Kento clenched his fists.
"So all this time… the shadows, the lost memories, the world falling apart… it was because of us?"
"Not just us," Furi corrected. "It's what became of the promise. And now… it's testing us. Challenging us."
The blue mist began to coalesce into shapes, swirling faster and faster.
From the mist emerged glimpses of creatures—strange, twisting forms, neither fully alive nor dead.
The echoes of broken promises, lingering regrets, and shattered hopes.
Kento gritted his teeth.
"No matter what happens… I will face it. I will protect our promise."
Furi's shadow shifted, his smile flickering between warmth and sorrow.
"I… I want to believe you. But the promise… it is hungry. It wants more than just your heart."
Kento tightened his grip on the emblem.
"I give everything for this promise. Not for power… not for glory… just to see you again."
For a moment, silence fell over the cliff.
Even the sea seemed to hold its breath.
Then the emblem flared brighter than ever, bathing them both in a protective light.
Furi reached out slowly.
"This… might hurt," he warned. "But maybe… together, we can mend what was broken."
Kento took a deep breath and clasped Furi's hand firmly.
The mist surged, the wind howled, and the cliff seemed to vibrate with the power of memories long forgotten.
And in that moment, Kento realized the truth:
This was not only a battle against shadows or the sealed sky…
It was a journey to reclaim the heart of a promise itself.