—
The temple pulsed.
Not with power—but with *memory*.
Lyric stood at the center, eyes half-closed. The golden lines across the walls curved around him like orbiting thoughts.
"I'm not dreaming," he murmured. "I'm *remembering* what the world forgot."
—
Hoshiro stepped forward, the ground humming beneath his feet.
"You said I'm the door. What does that mean?"
Lyric opened his eyes. "You were the first to resist the Spiral. That act… created a fracture. And through that fracture, *I was saved.*"
Kazuki's voice was tight. "So you're some kind of consciousness backup?"
Lyric shook his head. "No. I'm the last fragment of the world *before* Spiral. The version that chose freedom—then lost."
—
Ayame activated her scanner. "This temple isn't just projecting memories. It's syncing with us. Our minds are being mapped."
Suddenly, she gasped—her vision flooding with a life she never lived.
*A scientist in white. A launchpad. A countdown.*
She collapsed to her knees.
—
The gate flared.
Not open. Not closed.
*Waiting.*
—
Lyric placed a hand on Hoshiro's chest.
"You are the key to unlocking the Core of Aletheia. But once opened, you can't go back."
Hoshiro took a breath.
"I never planned to."