They confronted the empty shop. Only a journal remained—yellowed pages detailing a family curse. The music box didn't just echo melodies. It echoed souls. It bound bloodlines across time, forcing the living to pay for the sins of the dead.
Kai's voice broke as he read aloud: "Lena Nakamura... psychic. Disappeared after playing the Melody of Echoes. Her half-sister... never knew."
Sora's world tilted. "Half-sister?"
Kai looked at her with eyes full of agony. "Your father... my father... an affair. Lena found out. She confronted him. Then she vanished."
Sora staggered back. "You knew?"
"I suspected. I came to the academy to find answers. I never expected... you."
The betrayal sliced deeper than any knife. Sora slapped him—hard. Tears streamed down both their faces.
"You used me," she choked. "To find your sister. To close your wound. While ripping mine open."
Kai fell to his knees. "I love you. God help me, I love you more than the truth. But the truth is killing us both."
They were followed that night. A masked figure lunged from the shadows. Kai shoved Sora behind him, taking the blow. Blood bloomed on his shirt. He fought like a man already dead inside—fists flying, voice roaring her name.
In the hospital, Sora held his hand, sobbing. "Don't you dare leave me. Not after making me need you this much."
Kai's fingers tightened weakly. "If I die... promise you'll keep playing. For both of us."
She kissed his knuckles, tasting copper and salt. "I hate you for making me love you this hard."