The rain hadn't let up since dawn.
At the top of the sacred tower--a place said to hold hostage one's time--Rikushi stood motionless, clutching Kite's cold hand. The others gave him space. No one said a word. Only the subtle drip of rain on stone and the soft humming of the crystals lining the pool broke the silence.
Blaidd and Glonk exchanged glances, their postures tense. Both leaned against the far edge of the chamber's balcony, occasionally glancing toward Rikushi with expressions that didn't quite match the rest of the NTG. There was something unspoken between them--an edge of calculation behind the sorrow.
Jin's gaze flickered upward, brows furrowing. "The sky's too dark," he muttered. "We need a clear path. The ritual won't work properly in this kind of atmosphere."
Toku, already fidgeting by the entrance, turned on his heel. "Hold on," he said, stepping out to the balcony.
With practiced steps, he climbed the side wall, ascending to the top of the tower. The storm's winds whipped at his cloak, but he stood tall against it.
He raised his spear skyward, eyes glowing with divine light as he began his chant. Each word rumbled through the stone-roof tiles like thunder.
"Stars above, winds below... light the path with what you owe... cut the dark, release the fall--AND HEED MY CALL!"
"SHAPED BY DESTINY"
His spear flared blindingly, then shot a radiant pillar of light into the sky, parting the clouds like glass shattering. The rain ceased. A massive circular clearing opened up in the clouds above the tower, revealing the twilight sky. It could be seen from Eagle City and far beyond.
Inside, Jin stepped forward, eyes shut, hands glowing with arcane sigils. "It begins."
The pool surrounding Kite shimmered with multicolored light, the crystals pulsating in rhythm with her slowing heartbeat. Magic circles bloomed around the pool like blooming lotuses. The stone beneath them trembled.
Then--hands formed from the water. Ethereal, glowing, not of this world.
"No!" Rikushi shouted, trying to lunge forward.
But Jin raised a single hand, casting a layered restraining spell that halted Rikushi mid-air. The spell held him gently but firmly, binding him just enough to watch.
"I couldn't save her," Jin whispered. "But I can remake her. Just... in a new form. She'll remember everything. Trust me."
The hands pulled Kite's limp body beneath the surface.
Silence fell. No more thunder. No ripple in the water.
And then--particles of light rose. One by one. Dozens. Hundreds. They danced above the pool like a spiral galaxy forming in real-time, spinning faster and faster until the air itself hummed with power. The room glowed like starlight incarnate.
A flash.
And then... she was there.
A little necklace was also around her neck, a necklace that held the power to revive someone, as if that was her catalyst, that was the way she's alive. If that necklace was torn away from her, she'd die again, and this time for good... she needs that necklace to survive... as it is a part of her.
Lying quietly on the platform was not Kite--but someone new. Someone reborn.
Slightly sharper eyes. Paler skin. Faint pointed ears. Two delicate fangs peeked from her lips. Her hair was longer, glossier. And her aura--it didn't feel like death anymore. It felt... like she was there to stay...
The spell around Rikushi faded, and he rushed forward, throwing his coat around her.
"Kite!? Kite!?" he gasped, holding her. "Is it... is it you!?"
The girl stirred, eyelids fluttering open with glowing stardust in her irises. A soft smile curled her lips.
"My Riku... it's me... Hoshina..."
She fell asleep in his arms, peacefully, but alive.
Everyone stood frozen. Valentine wept silently. Jin exhaled slowly, collapsing to one knee in exhaustion. Outside the chamber, others gathered, staring in disbelief.
Rikushi lifted her gently, carrying her with reverence. As he stepped over to Blaidd and Glonk, he caught a glimpse of something strange.
Blaidd had covered his mouth, eyes wide in disbelief. A single tear rolled down his cheek.
"It's possible..." he whispered.
The thought echoed like thunder in his chest.