The mist fell thick as the small group entered the Arashi Forest. Their footsteps sank into the damp earth, and the air around them vibrated with low tones an ancient melody, faint, like whispers from the trees themselves heard only by those attuned to its call.
Itsuki led the way with Miru, who appeared calm, though her eyes reflected an odd color: flickering gold in the dark, like hidden embers. Behind them, Hana, Reina, and Akito stepped carefully. Here, their powers felt unstable, as if the laws of nature had been rewritten by something unseen.
"That sound…" Reina murmured. "It's not a regular song. It's a summoning chant. But not human."
Miru stopped abruptly. "They're waiting."
"Who are they?" asked Itsuki.
"The discarded shadows. Those without names, without forms. They are the in-between guardians. They won't attack… unless we try to force a way through."
From between the trees, tall, slender figures emerged, their bodies made of mist and tree bark. They didn't attack—just stood silently, glowing white eyes fixed on them.
Akito whispered, "I've read about these beings. They're called Yurei-no-Ki—spirits guarding the roots of the world. They only appear when the world's gates are unstable."
Miru stepped forward, and the Yurei-no-Ki parted, forming a natural corridor leading to the heart of the forest. There stood a massive tree with glossy black bark, its roots spreading like lightning veins. From inside its trunk came a deep resonance, as if something was breathing.
"This is it," said Miru. "The Fourth Gate Tree."
Itsuki stepped closer, but the air around the tree instantly reacted. The ground trembled. Wind swirled. Shadows floated and danced in the air. A voice echoed inside all their minds:
"Heir of the Emperor's blood, you've come sooner than time itself."
Itsuki held his breath. "Who are you?"
"I am the Guardian of the Final Seal. And you have brought the key too close."
The black pendant around Miru's neck began to shine brightly. The ground beneath them cracked, revealing roots forming a four-layered spiral seal. The tree's branches started to glow, and the song turned into faint screaming.
Hana raised her hand, creating an energy barrier. "If we keep going, the seal will break!"
Reina pulled Miru back, but the girl resisted. "I have to be here. I saw this in my dreams. If I'm not here, something will come out and take my form!"
Itsuki looked at the tree, then turned to his friends.
"We can't stop this now. But we can choose: will we be spectators or shape what comes from this gate?"
Akito nodded. "Then we fight not to close the gate, but to make sure whatever comes through doesn't conquer this world."
At that moment, light exploded from the tree, and from within it a silhouette emerged. The face was unclear. But the voice chilled Itsuki's blood.
"My child…"
It was Yurina's voice. His mother's. But the form wasn't human—it was a fusion of ancient spirit and a body shimmering with shattered seals.
"No," Hana whispered. "She's become… the Bridge."
And in seconds, everything changed. The sky above Arashi Forest cracked. Reality bent. The spirit world and human world began to forcibly intertwine. The Fourth Gate had opened.
---
—The Bridge of Fate
Shards of sky, like fractured glass, reflected strange colors purple, deep blue, and flashes of blood red as the Fourth Gate fully opened. The human and spirit worlds began to merge. The sky above Arashi Forest roiled like giant waves, and sounds from other dimensions began to seep into their ears.
Yurina or whatever now wore her form—floated in the air. Her golden eyes were empty, yet powerful. Seals meant to bind her body broke one by one, revealing glowing patterns across her skin like ancient writing from the Black Emperor's era.
"My child, at last, you stand before your destiny," the creature said with layered voices, as if many spoke at once through one body.
Itsuki stepped forward. His heart shattered. He wanted to believe his mother was still in there, buried deep within that darkness.
"If you're truly my mother, stop this. The world doesn't deserve destruction because of the past."
Yurina smiled, but it wasn't warm. "You think this is about destruction? This is about wholeness. The spirit and human worlds were never meant to be separate. The Black Emperor wanted unification, so spirit and body could become one. I only continue his legacy—and you are its heart."
Suddenly, the earth trembled. From cracks in the ground emerged black-winged spirits—Shedrim, intermediaries long trapped on the spirit side. They spread out, surrounding Itsuki's group.
Akito drew his weapon—a short blade of black silver. "We can't hold them all. We have to destroy the source—the tree."
"If we destroy the tree, we might lose Yurina forever," said Hana.
Reina stared at Yurina. "Or maybe… we have to save her from herself."
Itsuki looked at his pendant. He felt its heat, its pulse. The power in his blood stirred—ancestral power calling him. But not just the Black Emperor. Another voice was there. A whisper that didn't try to dominate, but to guide.
His father's voice.
"Don't let legacy decide your choice. You can write your own fate."
Itsuki clenched his fist. "Then we won't fight my mother. We'll free her."
"How?" Miru asked, trembling.
"We go to the tree's roots. That's where spirit and body are bound. If we can reach it together, we can separate Yurina from the spirit Bridge that controls her. But it'll take time—and protection."
Akito nodded. "Reina and I will hold off the Shedrim."
Hana stepped forward. "I'll stabilize the energy. But if I fail… the world will fall."
With no time to hesitate, they moved. Itsuki and Miru descended a small slope toward the massive tree's roots. Beneath the ground, they found a glowing ancient circle, a seal partially broken. At its center, like the heartbeat of the world, pulsed a dark orb of light—the tree's core.
Itsuki and Miru joined hands, channeling their power. Itsuki's pendant merged with the light, and a piercing scream rang throughout the forest. Above, Yurina screamed, her body pulled downward, twisted between human and spirit.
"Hold on!" Hana shouted from above.
Reina and Akito fought wave after wave of creatures, protecting the ritual. Blood spilled. The earth burned. But they stood firm.
Below, Itsuki saw his mother's true form. A young woman with a weary smile. She looked at her son, tears in her eyes.
"Forgive me…" she whispered.
Itsuki embraced the light with all his soul. "I won't lose you again."
A massive flash occurred. An explosion of black and white light split the sky.
And when all fell silent, Yurina lay in Hana's arms. Human once more.
The black tree had turned to crystal.
The Fourth Gate had closed again.
But the world was not yet safe. Three gates remained open. The final shadow had yet to reveal its face.
But that night, for the first time, hope felt real.
And Itsuki knew: the journey had just entered a new chapter.
---
—The Heir and the King Without a Crown
Morning mist slowly descended over the Arashi Valley, veiling the ruins of last night's destruction. The tree roots that were once pitch-black had frozen into silvery-white crystal, stretching to the cliffs. The world looked calm, but the silence felt like a held breath—not yet released.
Yurina, now freed from the Bridge spirit's influence, remained unconscious. She lay atop an old stone altar in the western temple. Hana sat beside her, channeling healing energy gently. Yurina's body was weak, but her soul was whole—at least for now.
Meanwhile, Itsuki stood outside the temple, overlooking the valley below. The leaves that had withered now regained color. But he knew it wasn't a victory—it was a pause.
"There's something different in you," Akito said from behind.
Itsuki turned. "You too."
Akito gave a faint grin. "I saw how you rejected the legacy of darkness. I couldn't do that back then. That's why I left. But you—you've surpassed all of us."
Itsuki was quiet for a moment. "I haven't won. Three gates remain. And one Shadow hasn't revealed itself."
Akito looked up. "The Fifth Gate lies northwest, in the ruins of Fort Kozame. But the Sixth Gate—the most dangerous one—doesn't open from the outside. It opens from within you."
Itsuki stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"The final Shadow doesn't come from the outside," Akito explained. "It comes from your own blood. Before he fell, the Black Emperor stored part of his soul in his bloodline. If all six gates open, the last part of the Emperor will awaken—inside you."
"So I am the final gate?"
"More precisely—you are the door. That's why the Shadows want you alive. So they can open it from within."
Itsuki fell silent, trying to grasp the truth. He had always thought the power in him was a weapon. But now he realized—it could also be his greatest curse.
Suddenly, Reina appeared with an old scroll. "We found this beneath the altar when the tree turned to crystal. A scroll from the Black Emperor's era." She unrolled it and pointed to ancient symbols.
"This is a map to the final throne chamber. That's where the Emperor stored his soul before falling. If we want to stop his return, we have to go there—and seal it—before the last Shadow can awaken him through you."
Itsuki nodded. "Then that's our next destination."
Reina nodded. "But not without sacrifice. The final seal needs a key. And according to this text, that key is the soul of 'The King Without a Crown.'"
"Who is that?" Miru asked, suddenly appearing beside them.
Reina looked at the sky. "The King Without a Crown is the spirit who gave up his throne to fight the Black Emperor—your real father, Itsuki. He's the only one who can re-seal the Emperor, but also the one who must vanish for the seal to last forever."
"He's still alive?" Akito asked.
Reina looked at Itsuki. "No. But part of his soul is in your pendant. He is your father, Itsuki."
Everyone fell silent.
Itsuki held the pendant, now heavy—like it carried the sky and earth within. A soft voice came from inside it, a voice that had always been there, unnoticed until now.
"When the time comes, the choice will be yours, my son. But know this—saving the world sometimes means losing a part of yourself."
Itsuki gripped the pendant tightly. "If I have to choose between the world and myself—I'll choose the world. But I won't let anyone else make that decision for me."
Akito chuckled. "You may be the Emperor's heir, but not his son. You're more than that. You're the child of two worlds. And maybe—you're the only one who can unite them without destroying either."
In the distance, a massive shadow appeared in the sky. Clouds swirled like a vortex. An ancient flute's call echoed once more—summoning spirits.
A sign.
The Fifth Gate had begun to open.
Reina gripped her sword. Hana stood tall. Yurina, now conscious, slowly rose—still weak, but awake.
They all knew.
The journey wasn't over. But they no longer walked without direction.
They were heading to the heart of fate—where everything would be decided by a single human child, carrying the blood of darkness, but a heart of light.
And for Itsuki, one truth remained ablaze, Destiny may be inherited.
But choice is his alone.