"Even if we forget everything — our names, our sins, our love — the stars still remember who we were."
The Descent in Reverse
The air shimmered with blue light as Hoguro climbed from the depths, each step echoing against the silence that followed revelation. The torches along the ruined walls flickered as if afraid of him now — or perhaps of what he carried within him.
He had seen it. The truth. The first betrayal.
The image would not leave his mind — two brothers beneath a bleeding sky, one crowned, the other kneeling. The betrayal that began it all.And the echo of that bloodline — his bloodline — now beating within Gomi.
He stopped halfway up the fractured stairway and stared at his reflection in a broken shard of crystal jutting from the wall. For a moment, he didn't recognize the eyes staring back.
"Brother," he whispered, though he didn't know which one he meant.
Far above, the faint light of the campfire burned through the haze. He could hear their voices — Gomi's gruff tone, Minagami's calm sarcasm, Hosogiri's laughter.Ordinary sounds that suddenly felt impossibly far away.
The closer he came to the surface, the heavier the truth became.
He was not just a survivor. He was the descendant of the shadowed brother — the one who had turned against the King. The one whose blade had fallen.
The first betrayer.
And if the curse was true, the cycle had not ended.
The Sky That Never Opens
When Hoguro emerged, dawn was trying to bleed through the cracks in the ceiling. It painted the ruins in hues of pale gold and cold ash — light fighting to exist in a place that had forgotten warmth.
Minagami looked up first. "You're alive," she said simply, though her voice trembled with relief.
Gomi stood beside her, arms folded, hiding the faint burn marks that still glowed under his skin. "Took you long enough," he muttered, trying to sound annoyed. "We thought the Pit ate you."
Hosogiri smirked. "You owe me ten coins, Gomi. I said he'd make it."
"Yeah," Gomi said, forcing a smile. "You did."
For a moment, it was almost normal again — three voices, a fire, and the faint scent of cooked rations that somehow hadn't burned. But the silence that followed was too sharp. Too knowing.
Hoguro sat down near the fire, his movements slow. His hands trembled, and he kept them buried in his cloak so the others wouldn't see.
Minagami studied him carefully. "You found something down there, didn't you?"
Hoguro's gaze drifted toward Gomi, who stared back with quiet suspicion.
The words pressed against his tongue, begging to be spoken — the truth that could shatter them all.
He forced a weak smile instead. "Just more ghosts," he said. "The usual."
No one believed him.
The Whispers Return
That night, when the others slept, Hoguro remained awake.
The fire had died down to coals, and the wind carried a faint hum — the same whispers that had spoken in the ruins below. Only now, they said different names. Softer. Closer.
He could hear Gomi's name woven among them.
And his own.
He pressed his hands against his ears, whispering, "Not again…"
But the voices grew clearer.He could almost see them — faint silhouettes in the smoke — reaching, pleading, accusing.
"You struck him down.""You wore the crown that wasn't yours.""You'll do it again."
He jolted to his feet, shaking, heart hammering against his ribs.
And standing just beyond the circle of firelight was Gomi.
His expression unreadable.
"How long have you been awake?" Hoguro asked quietly.
"Long enough to know you're lying," Gomi said.
Their eyes met — fire reflected in both.
"I told you," Hoguro said, his voice cracking. "It's nothing."
"Then why won't you look at me when you say it?" Gomi stepped closer. The air between them felt charged, alive. "Ever since you came back, you've been shaking. You look like you saw hell."
"I did," Hoguro whispered. "And it looked a lot like you."
Gomi froze.
For a heartbeat, neither of them breathed.
Then Gomi said, very quietly, "What did you see down there?"
Hoguro looked at him — at his friend, his ally, the figure who carried the fire of the Oni King without knowing it — and for a moment, he saw both past and present layered over each other.
He saw the brother who had once worn the crown.
And the one who had taken it away.
"Nothing," Hoguro lied again. "I saw nothing."
The Silent Crown
The next morning, the world changed.
It began as a vibration deep under their feet — like the Pit itself had drawn a breath. The ruins around them shifted, dust falling in slow, glittering curtains.And from somewhere beneath, a low hum rose — rhythmic, heavy, ancient.
Minagami gripped her blade. "What now?"
Hosogiri squinted into the distance. "Looks like… something's glowing."
Across the far horizon, a structure began to reveal itself as the dust cleared — a tower of pale stone buried halfway in the ground, crowned by a halo of faint light.
Gomi felt his heart lurch.
It was the same light that burned in his dreams.
Without a word, he started walking toward it.
"Wait," Minagami called, running after him. "You don't even know what it is!"
"I don't have to," Gomi said. "It's calling me."
Hoguro followed behind, silent. The pit in his chest deepened with every step.
The Hall of Echoes
The tower was older than memory.Its walls were carved with images of gods and kings, their faces worn away by time. The floor was lined with mirrors made of polished obsidian — each one reflecting something that wasn't there.
As they entered, their reflections wavered, shifting — younger, older, different.
Minagami gasped softly. "It's showing us…"
"Who we were," Hoguro finished, his voice low.
Gomi stared into the mirror before him — and saw himself dressed in armor of ash and silver, a crown of flame above his brow. The same crown that had haunted his nightmares.
Hosogiri muttered, "That's… you?"
Gomi didn't answer. His hands trembled, reaching toward the reflection.
And when his fingers touched the glass, it shattered — the sound sharp enough to make them all flinch.
From the shards, light poured out. It spiraled into the air, forming symbols — ancient, intricate, burning with memory.
And within that light, a vision unfolded — two brothers again, standing at the edge of the world.
One with fire in his hands. The other with shadow in his eyes.
The First Betrayal
The vision played like a memory they were all trapped inside.
The crowned brother stood tall, his armor stained with blood. "You swore to stand by me," he said, his voice trembling. "Why, then, do you raise your blade?"
The younger brother's eyes burned with grief. "Because you forgot what we swore to protect."
"Lies," the King whispered. "You envy me."
"No," the brother said. "I pity you."
The swords clashed, sparks scattering like fireflies. The ground cracked beneath them, the sky darkening as the world began to break apart.
And then — the final strike. The brother's blade pierced the King's heart.
The crown fell.
As it struck the earth, it split — half gold, half obsidian — scattering into two directions.
The King's last words echoed through the collapsing world.
"Our blood will curse the future. Every son shall bear our sin until the crown remembers."
The vision faded, leaving only silence.
Brothers of the Present
When the light dimmed, Hoguro stood shaking, tears streaking through the dust on his face.
Minagami turned toward him, realization dawning. "You… you're—"
"Yes," he whispered. "The brother who betrayed him. My blood… is his."
Gomi stared at him, expression unreadable. "You mean—"
"I am descended from the one who killed you," Hoguro said. His voice broke. "The one who ended the first King."
The words struck like a blade.The air grew heavy. The silence between them ached.
Hosogiri looked between them helplessly. "Hey, guys… we're not them. That's ancient history—"
But Gomi wasn't listening. His heartbeat echoed like thunder in his ears.
The faces from his dreams, the flames, the crown, the endless cycle — it all clicked into place. The bond between him and Hoguro wasn't coincidence. It was the wound repeating itself.
He took a step back. "So that's it," he said quietly. "That's why the Pit brought us together."
"Gomi—" Hoguro started, but Gomi cut him off.
"It's fate, isn't it?" Gomi said. "The same story — just with different names."
"No," Hoguro said desperately. "We can change it—"
"Can we?" Gomi's eyes burned faintly, the fire returning. "Because right now, all I feel when I look at you is that memory."
The Breaking Point
The ground trembled again, but this time it wasn't the Pit.
It was him.
Flames erupted around Gomi's feet, swirling upward like wings. His power spilled out uncontrollably — the same ancient energy that had destroyed kingdoms once. The air warped with heat, his emotions spilling into the world.
Minagami grabbed his arm, shouting, "Stop! You're not him!"
But his eyes glowed gold and red, ancient and furious. "How do you know? How can you be sure I'm not about to finish what he started?"
Hoguro stepped forward, trembling. "Because you're my friend."
That single word froze him.The fire dimmed — not gone, but trembling, uncertain.
Hoguro continued, voice breaking. "I don't care if our bloodlines are cursed. I don't care if my ancestor betrayed yours. I won't let history use us again."
The silence stretched, thick and fragile.
Then — slowly — Gomi fell to his knees, the fire collapsing around him like dying stars. His voice was barely a whisper.
"I don't know who I am anymore."
Hoguro knelt beside him. "Then let's find out together."
For a long time, neither spoke. The Pit hummed quietly, almost as if listening.
The Whisper of Forgiveness
Later that night, under the fractured sky, the four of them sat in quiet.The fire flickered softly, and Minagami leaned against a wall, staring into the dim light.
"Do you think fate can change?" she asked.
Hosogiri shrugged. "If it can't, then what's the point of us being here?"
Gomi didn't answer, but the faint smile that crossed his face said enough.
Hoguro gazed up at the sky — at the cracks of light that looked almost like constellations. "Maybe fate doesn't change," he said. "Maybe it just… forgives."
The wind carried his words into the dark.
And far below, in the depths they'd left behind, the mural of the two brothers shimmered once more.
The cracks that divided them began to close — slowly, painfully — until only one faint line remained.
The Promise Beneath the Ash
When dawn came, the Pit looked almost beautiful.
The ruins glowed faintly with morning light, and for the first time, there was birdsong — faint, distant, but real.The air smelled of rain that hadn't yet fallen.
Gomi stood apart from the group, watching the horizon where light met darkness.
Minagami approached quietly. "You okay?"
He nodded once. "I think so."
She smiled softly. "You and Hoguro… you'll figure it out."
Gomi looked at her, then at the others. "Yeah," he said, and for once, he meant it. "We will."
Behind them, Hoguro adjusted his pack, eyes still tired but lighter. Hosogiri yawned, stretching exaggeratedly. "If we're done having emotional breakthroughs," he said, "can we find breakfast?"
They laughed — quietly, but real laughter this time.
And somewhere deep within the Pit, something ancient stirred — not in anger, but in peace.
The Silent Crown remained asleep, for now.
But its dreams had changed.
TO BE CONTINUED...