"Huff…"
Sasaki's breathing came out unevenly.
"Huff… huff…"
He stood in the middle of a massive field.
His clothes were covered in dust.
His hair was slightly disheveled.
And above him—
A boulder weighing roughly one thousand tons floated in the air.
Sasaki held it with both hands.
His arms trembled slightly.
But the boulder itself barely moved.
Sasaki looked up at it.
Then toward the figure sitting casually on top of it.
In Sivarnte.
He was sitting cross-legged on the enormous boulder, resting his chin against one hand.
He looked completely relaxed.
Sasaki narrowed his eyes.
"Come on…"
His arms pushed upward.
The boulder slowly rose.
"Faster."
Sasaki's eye twitched.
He pushed harder.
The boulder rose another few inches.
Sivarnte didn't move.
"Faster."
Sasaki's teeth clenched.
"S-Shut up…"
The boulder rose another few inches.
Sivarnte smiled.
"You can do better."
Sasaki's expression darkened.
"You ass…"
Silence.
Sivarnte continued sitting on the boulder.
Sasaki stared at him.
For several seconds—
Neither moved.
Then Sivarnte stood.
Sasaki looked up.
"…What are you doing?"
Sivarnte stretched his arms.
"I think you need some motivation."
Sasaki's eyes narrowed.
"No."
Sivarnte stepped toward the edge of the boulder.
"Use."
"Yes?"
"Don't."
Sivarnte smiled.
Then—
He jumped.
His body shot upward.
Sasaki watched him disappear into the sky.
"…What the hell?"
A few seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Sasaki slowly lowered the boulder slightly.
"Used?"
A golden glow appeared above him.
Sasaki looked up.
His eyes widened.
"Oh, come on."
Sivarnte descended from the sky.
Golden energy surrounded his body.
His eyes shone brightly.
"Golden Peacock Art…"
Sasaki immediately dropped the boulder.
"WAIT—"
Sivarnte vanished.
"Decimation."
BOOM!
A golden streak tore through the boulder.
The enormous rock split apart.
Fragments scattered through the air.
Sasaki barely had time to react.
The attack continued.
Straight toward him.
"—Oof!"
The impact sent Sasaki flying forward.
He rolled across the grass several times before finally stopping.
For a few moments—
He didn't move.
Dust slowly settled around him.
Sasaki remained face-down in the grass.
Then one hand slowly rose.
His thumb pointed upward.
"I'm alive…"
Sivarnte landed nearby.
"Unfortunately."
Sasaki's thumb immediately dropped.
"You…"
He slowly pushed himself up.
His hair was covered in grass.
"You…"
He turned toward Sivarnte.
"You dick…"
Sivarnte smiled.
"You're welcome."
"I didn't thank you."
"I know."
Sasaki stood.
He dusted himself off.
Then stared at the shattered remains of the boulder.
"You destroyed the boulder."
"Yes."
"That was supposed to be my training."
"Yes."
Sasaki stared at him.
"You destroyed my training."
Sivarnte nodded.
"Yes."
A long silence followed.
Sasaki slowly pointed toward the horizon.
"…I'm going to kill you."
Sivarnte smiled.
"After your next exercise."
Sasaki's expression dropped.
"No."
"Run around the world."
Sasaki stared.
"How many times?"
"Five."
Sasaki's eyes widened.
"Five?!"
"Yes."
"You just destroyed the boulder!"
"Correct."
"And now I have to run around the entire world five times?"
"Yes."
Sasaki looked toward the horizon.
Then back at Sivarnte.
"You're enjoying this."
Sivarnte smiled.
"Very much."
Sasaki sighed.
He rubbed his face.
"Fine."
He turned around.
Then stopped.
He looked back.
"If I come back and you're gone…"
Sivarnte raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"…I'm still going to find you."
Sivarnte laughed quietly.
"Good."
Sasaki took a breath.
Then—
He ran.
The first lap passed.
Sasaki didn't stop.
He ran across plains.
Through forests.
Across mountains.
He crossed rivers.
He ran through deserts.
At one point, he even ran across the surface of the ocean.
The Dream Space shifted beneath his feet to accommodate him.
Then came the second lap.
His breathing became heavier.
The third.
His legs began to feel like they weighed a thousand tons themselves.
The fourth.
Sasaki stopped speaking entirely.
There was only the sound of his footsteps.
And his breathing.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then—
The fifth lap.
Sasaki crossed the final stretch.
His legs finally gave out.
He fell backward.
Thud.
His back hit the grass.
He stared at the sky.
"Huff…"
He closed his eyes.
"Huff…"
For several seconds—
He simply lay there.
The artificial stars above him slowly moved.
Sasaki had created them himself.
He remembered doing it.
It had seemed like a stupid idea at the time.
Now—
They were strangely comforting.
Sasaki opened his eyes again.
"Use..."
No answer.
He waited.
"Use..."
A voice finally came from somewhere nearby.
"Yes?"
Sasaki didn't bother looking.
"I swear…"
He took another breath.
"Huff…"
"One day…"
He raised his hand weakly.
"…I'm going to get you back."
Sivarnte stood several meters away.
His arms were crossed.
"Love to see you try."
Sasaki slowly turned his head.
"I hate you."
"I know."
"You're enjoying this."
"Yes."
"You're supposed to be helping me."
"I am."
Sasaki frowned.
"This doesn't feel like help."
"It will later."
Sasaki stared at him.
Then looked back at the sky.
For a while—
He said nothing.
The stars above him flickered softly.
Eventually, Sasaki spoke again.
"Hey, Siv."
"Hm?"
"How long has it been?"
Sivarnte looked toward him.
He was quiet for a moment.
Then answered.
"A little over two hundred years."
Sasaki's eyes opened slightly wider.
"…Two hundred?"
"Yes."
Sasaki remained silent.
He looked at his hands.
Then his arms.
Then slowly touched his face.
After a moment, he reached into the air.
A mirror appeared.
He caught it.
Then stared at his reflection.
His face looked almost exactly the same as it had when he entered.
Sasaki tilted his head.
"…That's weird."
"What?"
"I haven't aged."
Sivarnte smiled.
"That's because of my Essence."
Sasaki looked at him through the mirror.
"Your Essence?"
"Yes."
Sivarnte walked closer.
"It keeps your body in its youthful state."
Sasaki looked back at his reflection.
"Nineteen…"
He paused.
"Still."
Sivarnte nodded.
"Forever."
Sasaki lowered the mirror.
He looked at his hands again.
Then toward the distant mountains.
Two hundred years.
And he still had so much left to learn.
His expression slowly became serious.
"I need to keep training."
Sivarnte's smile returned.
"That's the spirit."
He snapped his fingers.
A new boulder appeared in the distance.
It was enormous.
Sasaki stared at it.
His expression slowly fell.
"…No."
Sivarnte pointed toward it.
"Create another thousand-ton boulder."
Sasaki stared.
Then looked at Sivarnte.
Then back at the boulder.
Then back at Sivarnte.
"…"
Sivarnte waited.
Sasaki's eye twitched.
"I hate this."
Sivarnte nodded.
"Good."
Sasaki sighed.
"Actually…"
He pointed at Sivarnte.
"I hate you."
Sivarnte smiled.
"Great."
He turned around.
"Something we have in common."
Sasaki blinked.
"…What?"
Sivarnte continued walking.
"I hate you too."
Sasaki stared at him.
"You're unbelievable."
Sasaki stopped.
Then looked back.
"How do you feel…"
He gestured toward Sivarnte.
"…being a being who was created at the beginning of time…"
He paused.
"…arguing with a nineteen-year-old?"
Sasaki crossed his arms.
"Pretty sure you're the one arguing with me."
Sivarnte smiled.
"I feel amazing."
He paused.
"I'm interacting with my failure of an Incarnation."
Sasaki's expression immediately dropped.
"Tsk…"
He turned away.
"I'm going to bed."
Sivarnte nodded.
"Fine."
He started walking in the opposite direction.
"I'm going to check on the others."
Sasaki stopped.
He looked over his shoulder.
"Hey."
Sivarnte looked back.
"Make sure you don't dream about anything bad."
Sivarnte stared at him.
For a moment—
Neither said anything.
Then Sivarnte smiled.
"Yeah, whatever."
Sasaki turned away.
He began walking toward the distant mountains.
His footsteps slowly disappeared into the night.
Sivarnte remained where he was.
Watching him.
Two hundred years.
Sasaki had changed.
The way he thought.
The way he endured.
Two hundred years ago—
He would have complained about the first thousand-ton boulder.
Now—
He complained about the second one.
Sivarnte smiled.
"…Progress."
Sasaki eventually reached the edge of the training grounds.
He stopped.
The world around him was quiet.
Above him, the stars continued to shine.
He looked at them for a while.
Then—
A thought crossed his mind.
A library.
Sasaki tilted his head.
He imagined it.
Not just a room filled with books.
Something bigger.
A massive library.
Endless shelves stretching farther than he could see.
Thousands upon thousands of books.
Each one containing a different story.
Different worlds.
Different people.
Different lives.
Sasaki slowly walked between the shelves.
His fingers brushed across the spines of the books.
Each one felt different.
Some were warm.
Some were cold.
Some seemed to hum softly beneath his fingertips.
Sasaki stopped at one.
He pulled it from the shelf.
There was no title.
Just a blank cover.
He slowly opened it.
The pages began turning on their own.
Sasaki watched.
The blank pages suddenly filled with words.
Then—
The words began moving.
The ink spread across the pages, forming an image.
A landscape.
A sky.
A city.
People walking through unfamiliar streets.
A completely different world existed inside the book.
Sasaki's eyes slowly widened.
"…Oh."
He placed his hand against the page.
The paper rippled beneath his fingers.
Like water.
Sasaki pulled his hand back.
He stared at it.
Then looked at the book.
"So the stories aren't just something I can read."
He slowly placed his hand against the page again.
This time—
He pushed.
His hand disappeared into the book.
Sasaki froze.
"…What?"
He pulled his hand back.
His hand was perfectly fine.
He stared at the page.
Then slowly smiled.
"I can enter them."
He pushed his hand through again.
The page rippled around his arm.
Sasaki leaned closer.
The farther he pushed, the more he could feel.
Wind.
Heat.
The distant sounds of people.
It wasn't an illusion.
There was an actual world on the other side.
Sasaki pulled his arm back.
He looked down at the book.
"So every book is a doorway."
He turned another page.
The world changed.
Another landscape.
Another sky.
Another story.
Sasaki's smile grew.
"And every story leads somewhere different."
He closed the book.
Then opened it again.
The same world was still there.
Waiting.
Sasaki understood.
He wouldn't simply read these stories.
He could travel through them.
The book itself would act as the gateway.
He could open a story, step through its pages, and enter the world contained within it.
Once inside, he could move through that world as though it were real.
And when he wanted to leave—
He could return to the same book.
The pages would bring him back to the library.
Then he could choose another.
Another story.
Another world.
Another life.
Sasaki looked down the endless rows of books.
His eyes slowly lit up.
"…I could spend forever here."
He opened the book again.
The pages glowed softly.
Sasaki stepped forward.
His foot passed through the page.
Then his entire body followed.
For a moment—
There was nothing.
Then—
His feet touched solid ground.
Sasaki looked around.
A completely different world surrounded him.
He turned around.
Behind him was the open book, floating in the air like a doorway.
The pages gently fluttered.
Sasaki reached back and touched them.
They rippled beneath his fingers.
Still connected.
He smiled.
"So that's it."
He looked toward the unfamiliar horizon.
"A story isn't just something you read."
He tightened his grip around his sword.
"It's somewhere you can go."
Sasaki turned toward the horizon.
And stepped deeper into the story.