Night blanketed Hoshino City like a silent curse.
Akira walked home alone, his footsteps slow, almost dragged. His mind replayed Ryozen's words again and again — Miyuki.
His mother's real name.
A name he had forgotten… not by neglect, but because something had taken it from him.
His pendant pulsed weakly at his chest, the sealed form of Yamitsurugi trembling as though reacting to the storm in his soul. Shadows along the street flickered in response to his heartbeat. Even the wind felt heavy.
He rubbed the pendant tightly.
Why… did I forget her name? Why now? Why her?
Masahiro's voice murmured faintly, restrained.
> "Because Varek stole more than her life, kid…
He stole your link to her. He wanted you unstable."
Akira stopped walking. His breath trembled.
"Why? Why go this far?"
> "Because he knows your heart will break before your blade ever will."
The pendant dimmed again — as if Masahiro didn't want to say more, or couldn't.
Akira forced himself to breathe. "I'll get her back… no matter what."
But the night only answered with silence.
---
Ren — In the Shadow of Oblivion
Far across the city, inside a half-collapsed warehouse, Ren woke up gasping.
His hand clenched the ground hard enough to crack the concrete. His veins pulsed violet. His shadow stretched unnaturally long across the broken floor, whispering like smoke.
He wiped blood from his mouth.
"Again… I blacked out."
But the problem wasn't the blackout.
It was the smile on his face.
A smile he didn't remember making.
A voice whispered inside him — not Oblivion fully, not Ren fully. Something in-between.
> "He suffers. You feel it, don't you?
Good… very good."
Ren grit his teeth, nails digging into his palms until they drew blood.
"S-Shut up!"
> "No.
Look at you — evolving.
You feel his grief… and it fuels you."
Ren's breathing steadied. Slowly. Coldly.
His eyes darkened into a violent spiral.
"Akira… I'll surpass you.
Even if I have to break every soul connected to you."
A pulse of shadow burst through the warehouse, shattering every window.
Oblivion fragments pulsed inside him — awakened by Akira's pain.
---
Ryozen — Hunting the Missing Piece
Beneath the city, in the forbidden lower archives, Ryozen stood before a locked circular seal. The underground chamber was filled with ancient scrolls and floating glyphs, each representing the memory of a life touched by the Void.
Ryozen pressed his hand against the seal. Light ruptured outward.
The chamber opened — revealing a cracked violet crystal.
Inside it —
A memory sigil.
Half shattered.
Half erased.
Ryozen lifted it gently.
The sigil whispered weakly:
> "Miyu…ki…"
His jaw tightened. His voice dropped into a whisper.
"…Varek, you snake."
He examined the sigil's remaining patterns — the structure revealed two horrifying truths:
Part of Miyuki's soul was stolen ten years ago.
Part of Akira's memories were forcibly extracted to hide her existence.
Ryozen's fist trembled.
"She doesn't have much time left…
If Akira doesn't find her soon, she won't survive the collapse."
He sealed the chamber and vanished into the night.
---
Varek — The Puppeteer
In a realm far deeper than the normal Void, Varek stood on a floating platform of bone and glass. Around him hung countless chains — each holding a suffering soul, their cries echoing into the endless black.
He walked casually through the chamber, boots clicking on the cold floor. Shadows parted for him like servants. Souls trembled as he passed.
He stopped in front of one particular figure.
A woman.
Her form was barely solid, flickering in and out like a dying flame. Her hands were bound above her head, her legs shackled, her hair floating weightlessly. Chains wrapped her body like serpents.
She did not scream.
She only whispered, broken, barely audible:
"…A…ki…ra…"
Varek smiled gently, as if admiring a piece of art.
"Such a beautiful sound," he whispered.
"Even after all these years… your heart still calls for him."
He brushed his fingers across her cheek — or where her cheek would be.
Her soul flinched.
"You will break him perfectly," Varek said softly.
"You were the last piece I needed."
He tightened his grip on the chains.
Shadow runes lit up across them — draining the last warmth from her soul.
Her voice cracked into a newborn sob.
Varek leaned close, whispering:
"Don't worry, Miyuki.
Your moment is coming."
He disappeared into a vortex, leaving her hanging motionless — flickering like a candle fighting death.
---
Akira — The Voice That Reaches Where It Shouldn't
Akira sat in his dark room, head lowered, the pendant resting in his trembling hand. He kept hearing faint echoes of a woman calling from somewhere beyond the world.
He tried to ignore it. He tried to breathe. He tried to stay calm.
But the voice grew louder.
> "A…ki…ra…"
He froze.
His heart almost stopped.
"Mom?"
Masahiro's voice thundered in panic.
> "AKIRA — DON'T RESPOND."
Akira rose instantly, blood rushing in his ears.
"That was her voice—!"
> "It's a trap!
That call isn't hers — it's the chain echo! Varek is—"
But Akira was already at the door.
The pendant pulsed violently, black light surging through it. His mark burned so hot it felt like a brand against his skin.
The world flickered.
Streetlights outside cracked one by one.
Akira stepped out into the cold night.
Masahiro shouted again.
> "Kid, LISTEN!
If you follow that voice now — you'll be walking into Varek's plan—"
Akira's voice cut him off, soft, shaking, desperate:
"I can't let her cry alone."
The pendant fell silent.
Akira walked down the dark road, Yamitsurugi pulsing black in his hand, following the faint echo of a voice he was never meant to hear.
Somewhere above him, watching from a rooftop, Varek whispered:
"…Perfect."
The pieces were falling exactly where he wanted them.