The room didn't explode into chaos after Zan-Xi finished speaking, because somehow the silence that followed was far more suffocating than an argument could have been. The atmosphere seemed to compress around the table as though the air itself had become heavier, pressing against everyone's shoulders and making every breath feel deliberate. Nobody immediately moved, and nobody seemed willing to be the first person to break the tension that had settled over the chamber.
Ryuji eventually broke the silence, his jaw locked tightly as he curled his hands into fists against the table. His frustration was obvious, but beneath that anger was something closer to uneasiness, because even he seemed to understand that Zan-Xi's words carried a finality none of them could easily dismiss.
"You're talking like this is already decided."
Zan-Xi didn't even glance toward him, keeping his attention fixed entirely on Shoto with a steady gaze that never wavered. His expression remained calm, but there was an unmistakable seriousness behind his eyes as he answered.
"It is already decided," Zan-Xi said quietly. "The only question left is how many people are going to get hurt before it finally ends."
Shoto's fingers tightened beneath the table until his fingernails dug painfully into his palms. He could feel the pressure of his own grip against his skin, but the pain was almost comforting compared with everything happening inside his head.
"…You don't get to decide that."
For the first time, something changed in Zan-Xi's expression. It was subtle enough that someone who didn't know him might have missed it, but Shoto saw the slight softening around his eyes and the brief shift in his posture before Zan-Xi answered.
"Neither did you," he said. "And yet here we are."
The words struck Shoto harder than he expected.
Ren shifted uncomfortably in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck while looking around the table. The tension had become so thick that he seemed almost desperate to interrupt it before someone did something they would regret.
"Okay, hold on," Ren said, trying to keep his voice casual despite the seriousness of the situation. "Before this turns into some kind of family therapy session from hell, can somebody explain what Ayato is actually doing right now?"
Shoto remained silent for several seconds.
His eyes lowered toward the dark surface of the table as the images inside his mind continued colliding with one another. He thought about the Rune Gate, his father, the moon citadel, Mizumi, his mother, and everything Ayato had done in pursuit of whatever future he believed he could create.
Eventually, Shoto pushed his chair backward.
The metal legs scraped harshly against the stone floor, and the sudden sound caused every person around the table to turn toward him.
Shoto stood.
"All I know," he said, keeping his voice flat because he didn't trust himself to speak honestly without breaking down, "is that he's on the moon doing his little dumb research."
He didn't wait for anyone to respond.
Shoto turned toward the exit and began walking.
"I'm going home."
Neko immediately moved after him.
"Wait, Shoto. We can't just rush into this, because we need to figure out what we're actually dealing with before everything gets worse, and if we leave without a plan then we're just—"
"DON'T FOLLOW ME!"
Shoto spun halfway around.
His voice erupted through the chamber with such force that Neko froze in the middle of his step. The anger in Shoto's expression was sharp, but it wasn't pure anger, because underneath it was fear, exhaustion, and the desperate need to escape before someone else could tell him what he was supposed to do.
"I…"
Shoto's chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to control his breathing, while his fists trembled at his sides.
"I just need some air."
For a moment, it looked as though he might say something else.
Instead, he turned away.
He grabbed the door handle, pulled it open, and walked through without looking back before allowing the door to slam shut behind him.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
Silence immediately returned.
Nobody spoke.
Hikaru had remained still throughout the entire exchange, his arms still crossed as he watched the closed door. He didn't move for several seconds, but eventually he slowly stood and adjusted his glasses, his expression remaining calm even though something unreadable had appeared behind his eyes.
"I'll go."
Ryuji immediately turned toward him.
"Hikaru—"
"I know."
Hikaru's voice remained quiet as he interrupted him.
"But if we let him spiral like this, it isn't going to end well."
Ryuji opened his mouth as though he wanted to argue, but Hikaru had already turned toward the exit.
He walked across the chamber without waiting for permission, opened the door, and disappeared into the hallway.
The door closed behind him.
The hallway outside was dim and narrow, illuminated by a single flickering bulb that hummed faintly above him. The light occasionally weakened before returning, causing the shadows along the walls to stretch and shrink with every flicker.
Hikaru could hear footsteps farther down the corridor.
Shoto was already halfway toward the exit.
His pace was fast and uneven, almost as though he were trying to outrun something that only he could see. His breathing came in sharp, shallow breaths, and every few seconds his shoulders rose as though his chest couldn't draw in enough air.
"Shoto."
Hikaru's voice echoed through the corridor.
Shoto didn't stop.
Hikaru continued walking.
"Shoto, slow down."
"Don't."
Shoto's answer came immediately, his voice strained as he reached the exit and shoved the door open.
The cold night air struck him the moment he stepped outside.
The smell of rain and wet concrete filled his lungs, and for several seconds he simply stood there, breathing deeply as though the open air could somehow force the thoughts out of his head.
"I said I needed space."
Hikaru followed him outside anyway.
The door creaked behind him before slowly closing, leaving the two of them alone in the narrow alley.
Hikaru didn't raise his voice.
He didn't rush toward Shoto.
Instead, he simply walked.
His footsteps were steady as he approached, while Shoto continued forward with his shoulders tense and his hands clenched.
"I understand that he's your father," Hikaru said after a moment, "but we need to deal with this now, before something else happens, because we have no idea what Ayato is planning or how much time we have left. We can't just walk away from everyone and pretend that this will somehow resolve itself."
Shoto stopped.
"You heard Zan-Xi."
His voice was quieter now.
"Everyone in there already made up their minds, so why does it matter what I do?"
Hikaru stopped several steps behind him.
"It matters because you're at the center of this."
Shoto slowly turned around.
His expression was filled with frustration.
"I'm always at the center of it."
He laughed bitterly, although there was no humor behind the sound.
"I'm a reincarnated king, I have the Zamorak Sword, the Rune Gate somehow keeps circling back to me, and every disaster we deal with somehow ends up connected to something I've done or something inside me."
His voice began trembling.
"I just need to get back to space and deal with him myself."
Hikaru's expression changed.
He stopped completely.
"For yourself?"
Shoto looked at him.
Hikaru's eyes hardened.
"What exactly do you mean when you say you're going to deal with him yourself?"
Shoto didn't answer.
"You can't deal with this alone."
The words were firm enough that Shoto's breathing hitched.
"You don't get it."
Shoto lowered his head.
His voice became quieter, and the anger that had been keeping him upright began collapsing beneath the weight of his exhaustion.
"He wants to start a new world."
Hikaru remained silent.
"I don't know where my mom went," Shoto continued, his voice beginning to shake. "Mizumi is dead, and he wants to bring her back."
His teeth clenched.
"And apparently I'm the sacrifice."
Hikaru's expression tightened.
Shoto looked away.
"If I stay close to everyone, people die."
The alley became quiet.
Rainwater dripped from the edges of the surrounding buildings while the wind moved through the narrow passage, carrying the distant sounds of the city with it. Shoto stood with his shoulders lowered, staring at the ground as though he were ashamed of the words he had just admitted.
Hikaru slowly adjusted his glasses.
He didn't immediately answer.
Instead, he seemed to consider his words carefully, because whatever he said next could either push Shoto further away or pull him back from the edge he was standing on.
After several seconds, Hikaru finally spoke.
"Do you really believe that?"
Shoto looked up.
Hikaru's expression remained serious.
"Or is believing that easier than admitting you're scared?"
Shoto's eyes widened.
Hikaru didn't look away.
"You've been scared your entire life, Shoto."
His voice wasn't mocking.
If anything, it was strangely sincere.
"I've watched you panic, run, freeze, and convince yourself that you're incapable of handling anything that comes your way. I've watched you go from terrified to calm, from calm to controlled, and then back again whenever something happens that reminds you of everything you've lost."
Hikaru took a slow step closer.
"But every time you thought you were finished, you got back up."
Shoto's expression tightened.
Hikaru continued.
"It wasn't because somebody always saved you, and it wasn't because the world suddenly became kinder to you. You survived because you became stronger every time something tried to break you."
Shoto stared at him without speaking.
Hikaru's hands slowly tightened at his sides.
"And honestly…"
His expression hardened.
"That makes me sick."
Shoto's eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"What?"
Hikaru didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he reached behind himself and slowly pulled something from beneath his coat.
A metallic black bow emerged into the moonlight.
Its dark surface reflected the faint glow from the nearby streetlights, while intricate markings along its limbs seemed to shimmer as Hikaru's fingers closed around it. He then reached for the quiver at his side and drew out a single black arrow, holding it between his fingers as his gaze remained fixed on Shoto.
Shoto's confusion deepened.
"Hikaru, what are you doing?"
Hikaru lowered his glasses slightly and looked directly into Shoto's eyes.
For the first time that night, there was no trace of hesitation in his expression.
"I'm tired of watching you become stronger while everyone else keeps paying the price."
He slowly raised the bow and fitted the arrow against the string, his movements controlled and deliberate as he pulled the weapon into position.
Shoto's body instinctively tensed.
"Hikaru…"
Hikaru's eyes narrowed.
"Today is my chance to finally destroy you, Kazami.."