Lysandra's smile was the most terrifying thing Kaito had seen in Eterea so far. It didn't promise violence, but total manipulation. The magical lock deactivated with a soft click, and she entered the cell with a calmness that disarmed him more than any threat.
"I want to know why your soul bears the echo of another. And I want to understand why, after all the suffering my people have inflicted on you, your heart still burns with the need to *protect*," said Lysandra. Her tall figure cast a total shadow over him. "We'll start with something simple. Who is Ren?"
The impact of the name was physical. How could she know about his brother? The terror of the mine was replaced by a cold shiver that ran down Kaito's spine. His only weakness, his only tie to the previous world, had been exposed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kaito lied, his throat dry.
Lysandra knelt softly, still looking him straight in the eye. Her proximity in the small cell was a deliberate invasion. She didn't touch him, but her aura of power was so palpable that Kaito felt the urge to recoil.
"Don't lie. The magic in this place amplifies truth and pain. And what I see in you is a tragedy in two parts. Yours and his. Your reincarnated body clings to the memory of that person."
She extended her hand, and Kaito flinched, expecting punishment. Instead, Lysandra simply placed a small, slender silver box on the ground beside him.
"Inside there's healing ointment and a glass of pure water. It's not a torture tool, but an offering of peace. I'm the Watcher of the Specters, not Darius's executioner. But information is the only currency here. If you want to heal and survive to find Ren, you must trust my ability to keep secrets."
Kaito stared at the box. The ointment... the idea of relief was almost as attractive as the truth was dangerous. His pain was a constant hammer. The need to heal to _remain strong_ and search for Ren was stronger than his distrust.
"He's my... my brother," Kaito whispered, his voice laden with the emotion he'd kept repressed since awakening. "We were inseparable. We dreamed of this, of reincarnation... of an Isekai."
Lysandra nodded, her expression remaining in that controlled melancholy.
"Tell me how a boy from another world ends up in the salt mines."
Kaito took a deep breath, and the breath hurt. The ointment in the box seemed to glow. He wasn't going to tell it like a story. He was going to relive it.
"It was a cold night, on Earth. Ren and I were arguing about the ending of one of our favorite novels. He got angry and went out for a walk to clear his head. It was raining. And then..." Kaito stopped, the pain wasn't physical now, but emotional, a cold stab of tragedy. "A car that ran a red light... He pushed me. He saved me."
Kaito closed his eyes, and the image returned with painful clarity: *_(Flashback: The Conjunction)_*
The asphalt was wet and slippery. Ren, tall with that self-sufficient smile that always annoyed Kaito, shouted something inaudible about the novel's ending. Kaito saw the flash of headlights, too close. Ren's shout, the abrupt push, and then... the sound of a dry, horrible metallic impact, followed by silence.
Kaito was lying on the ground, unharmed, but the rain washed the blood off the pavement.
Right then, the air tore. It wasn't the sound of police, but something deeper, a ripping of reality itself. A vortex of sickly green light opened above the exact spot where Ren's body had fallen. A second vortex, smaller and dirtier, formed over Kaito. An immense, irresistible force sucked Kaito into total darkness.
*_(End of Flashback)_*
Kaito opened his eyes. He was sweating despite the cell's cold. The pain in his shoulder throbbed.
"We were sucked in," Kaito whispered, staring at Lysandra. "Him first, and me after. We weren't teleported. We were torn away. Do you know what happened?"
Lysandra observed him, not with mockery, but with an intense fascination that made Kaito feel completely exposed.
"Fascinating. A forced Conjunction event. A rift. That would explain why your souls didn't reincarnate at the same time. And it would explain why the Paladins haven't detected your presence until now."
She stood up, and the staff she carried floated beside her.
"Ren arrived first. That means he's had time to adapt. And if your pain drew him to this world, Kaito, his power... could be immense. And dangerous."
Lysandra looked at the door, and back at Kaito, her face emotionless.
"It seems we have a lot to talk about. We'll start with the ointment. Cover the wound and take off the dirty clothes. I don't tolerate my projects being rotten. If you want me to keep you alive, I need to see exactly what kind of body you have and where that shadow resides."