The medical room stayed quiet long after the Guildmaster finished speaking.
Too quiet.
Kuro sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at his hands like they might suddenly become something unfamiliar.
Something not his.
The fragment inside his chest pulsed.
Slow.
Heavy.
Like a second heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
Across the room, Lucien had finally stopped pacing. He stood with his arms folded, staring at the floor like the answer to everything might be written there.
"…So let me get this straight," he said slowly.
No one answered.
Lucien continued anyway.
"There's a giant sky monster outside the city."
Silence.
"It might be connected to Kuro."
More silence.
"And the weird ghost guy who showed up earlier is the same person who reincarnated him."
Mika's jaw tightened slightly.
"…Yes."
Lucien blinked.
"…Okay."
He paused.
Then pointed at Kuro.
"Why are you the main character of the universe?"
Kuro groaned quietly and buried his face in his hands.
"I don't want to be."
Lucien sighed dramatically.
"Too late. Fate has already chosen you. Very rude of it, honestly."
[Lucien, if you start a speech about destiny, I'm leaving.]
Mika's eyebrow twitched.
Lucien frowned.
"…Why did you both just look annoyed at the same time?"
Kuro lowered his hands.
"…Nothing."
[Wow. Incredible lie.]
Mika rubbed his temples.
"Elvastia… stop."
Lucien froze.
"…Stop who?"
"Nothing," Mika said quickly.
Lucien stared between them.
"You two are talking to the air again."
Kuro looked away awkwardly.
Lucien pointed accusingly.
"See?! THIS IS WHAT I MEAN."
[Lucien, relax. If you could hear me, you'd be even more annoying.]
Mika muttered under his breath, "You're not helping."
Lucien's eyes widened.
"THERE! YOU DID IT AGAIN!"
Kuro tried very hard not to laugh.
The Guildmaster cleared his throat softly.
The room settled again.
"Kuro," he said gently, "how bad is the pull?"
Kuro hesitated.
The fragment pulsed again.
Cold spread slowly through his ribs.
"…It feels like something is calling me," he admitted quietly.
Lucien frowned.
"Calling you where?"
Kuro glanced toward the window.
Toward the sky.
"…Up."
Lucien's face drained of color.
"Oh that's not comforting."
The Guildmaster nodded slowly.
"That confirms our fear."
Lucien threw his hands up.
"Everyone keeps saying that! What fear?!"
"That the entity isn't simply observing," the Guildmaster said.
"It's searching."
Kuro swallowed.
Mika stepped closer to him.
His hand rested on Kuro's shoulder again.
Warm.
Steady.
"You're not answering it," Mika said firmly.
Kuro nodded quickly.
"I'm not trying to!"
"I know."
[Technically the pull will only get stronger.]
Mika sighed under his breath.
"Elvastia."
"What?" Lucien said immediately.
Mika blinked.
"…Nothing."
Lucien squinted.
"…You literally said a name."
Kuro coughed awkwardly.
"It's uh… a magic thing."
Lucien crossed his arms.
"You're both terrible liars."
Outside the window, the sky above the city remained dim.
Clouds churned unnaturally high above the barrier.
Something massive shifted behind them.
Not fully visible.
But big enough to darken the light.
Kuro shivered.
"…It's still there."
"Yes," the Guildmaster said quietly.
Lucien rubbed his arms.
"Okay. I officially hate this city now."
Mika ignored him.
His focus stayed on Kuro.
"You said it feels like pulling," he said.
Kuro nodded.
Mika studied him carefully.
"…But you're still here."
Kuro blinked.
"What?"
"If it truly had control over you," Mika said slowly, "you would have already moved."
Kuro stared at him.
"…You think I can resist it?"
Mika didn't hesitate.
"I know you can."
Kuro's chest tightened slightly.
Lucien squinted at both of them.
"…Are you two having a dramatic emotional moment right now?"
"Yes," Mika said flatly.
"Wow. Rude. I'm part of this friendship."
[Third wheel.]
Mika almost choked.
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
"…Why did you react like someone insulted me?"
Kuro lost the battle and laughed weakly.
The tension eased.
Just a little.
But then—
The fragment pulsed.
Harder.
Kuro gasped.
His hand flew to his chest.
"Kuro?" Mika said sharply.
For a moment—
The medical room vanished.
Kuro stood inside endless dark clouds.
Wind roared across a sky without stars.
Something enormous moved in the storm.
A voice echoed through the emptiness.
Low.
Ancient.
"…You hear me now."
Kuro's breath stopped.
"…Why do you run?"
The voice didn't sound angry.
It sounded confused.
Lonely.
"…You are mine."
Kuro's eyes snapped open.
The medical room returned.
Mika was gripping his shoulders.
"Kuro!"
Lucien looked like he was two seconds away from panicking.
"What happened?!"
Kuro's voice trembled.
"…It spoke again."
The Guildmaster stepped closer immediately.
"What did it say?"
Kuro swallowed.
"…It said I belong to it."
The room went cold.
Lucien's face twisted.
"Oh absolutely not."
Mika's eyes darkened.
"No."
The word came out sharp.
Kuro looked at him.
Mika's grip tightened slightly.
"You don't belong to that thing."
The fragment pulsed again.
But the warmth of Mika's hands kept the cold from spreading.
"You belong here," Mika said firmly.
"With us."
Lucien nodded aggressively.
"Yeah! With us!"
[Unfortunately.]
Mika muttered, "Elvastia…"
"What?!" Lucien snapped. "What does that name mean?!"
"…Nothing."
"YOU KEEP SAYING THAT!"
Kuro laughed weakly again.
But high above the city—
Beyond the golden barrier—
Inside the endless storm—
The ancient entity stirred.
Watching.
Waiting.
And deep inside its vast mind, a single thought echoed.
"…He remembers less than expected."