Morning light filtered gently through the tall windows of Kaito's room.
Soft wind moved the curtains.
For a moment everything was peaceful.
Then—
Kaito's eyes snapped open.
"Hah!"
He sat up suddenly, breathing hard.
His heart was pounding.
The white world.
The throne.
The endless walking.
"…What was that?"
He looked around his room quickly.
His bed.
His wooden desk.
His training sword leaning against the wall.
Everything was normal.
Kaito rubbed his head.
"Was… that a dream?"
He tried to remember it clearly, but the details already felt blurry, like sand slipping through his fingers.
"…Weird."
Just then—
Knock knock.
"Kaito-sama?"
It was Kaede.
"Are you awake?"
Kaito blinked.
"Yeah!"
He jumped out of bed quickly and stretched.
"I'm awake!"
"Your parents are waiting for you at breakfast."
"Alright! I'll be there!"
Kaito glanced back toward the window.
The wind outside felt normal.
Nothing strange.
He shook his head.
"Definitely just a dream."
And he forgot about it.
---
Breakfast
The dining hall was bright with morning sunlight.
Hana sat at the table sipping tea while Toru read through a stack of papers.
Kaito ran in energetically.
"Good morning!"
Hana smiled warmly.
"Good morning, dear."
Toru lowered the paper.
"You're awake early today."
"I had a weird dream," Kaito said casually while sitting down.
Both parents immediately looked at him.
"Oh?" Hana asked carefully.
"What kind of dream?"
Kaito shrugged while grabbing food.
"I don't know… it was just white everywhere. And there was this throne thing."
Toru and Hana exchanged a quick glance.
"What happened in the dream?" Toru asked.
"I walked toward it but couldn't reach it," Kaito said between bites.
"Then I woke up."
Hana forced a small smile.
"That sounds… strange."
"Yeah," Kaito said.
"But dreams are weird."
He happily continued eating.
Hana's fingers tightened slightly around her cup.
Toru said nothing.
Kaede quietly watched from the side of the room.
---
Morning Training
After breakfast, Kaito stepped outside into the fresh morning air.
The Wind Village floated peacefully between cliffs and clouds.
Birds soared through the sky.
The wind felt cool and alive.
Kaito stretched his arms.
"Alright!"
Training time.
He dropped down and started doing push-ups.
"One… two… three…"
The grass beneath him bent gently under the wind.
Sweat formed quickly.
"…twenty… twenty-one…"
Nearby villagers smiled when they passed by.
"Kaito-sama is training early today."
"That boy never rests."
Kaito finished and jumped to his feet.
"Okay next!"
He grabbed a wooden bar attached to a stone structure and began doing pull-ups.
His small arms trembled but he kept going.
"Seven… eight… nine…"
The wind swirled slightly around him.
"…Ten!"
He dropped down and grabbed his practice sword.
"Time for swings."
He took a stance.
One swing.
Two swings.
Three.
The blade sliced through the air with sharp sounds.
He continued for several minutes before finally collapsing onto the grass.
"Haaah…"
He stared at the sky.
"…I'm still weaker than Rize."
That thought annoyed him.
He sat up again.
Then suddenly—
An idea struck him.
He grinned.
Moments later he climbed up the side of the estate building and sat on the roof.
From up there the entire Wind Village stretched across the horizon.
Floating rocks.
Suspended bridges.
Wind currents dancing through the air.
"…This place is awesome."
He smiled quietly.
---
Kaede Searches
Meanwhile—
Kaede walked through the estate.
"Kaito-sama?"
No answer.
She checked the training grounds.
Empty.
The courtyard.
Empty.
She sighed softly.
"…Where did he go now?"
Then she looked upward.
And spotted him.
Sitting on the roof like a small king overlooking his kingdom.
Kaede shook her head slightly.
"…Of course."
Wind lifted beneath her feet as she gently floated upward.
She landed beside him.
"Kaito-sama."
Kaito looked over.
"Oh! Kaede!"
"You should not disappear without telling anyone."
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
"Your parents are looking for you."
"Oh?"
He stood up immediately.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Kaede smiled faintly.
"I don't believe so."
"…Then why?"
"You will see."
---
The Visitor
Inside the estate's main hall—
A man sat calmly in the center.
He looked old.
Very old.
Long silver hair flowed down his back.
His robes were simple but carried an ancient elegance.
The air around him felt heavy.
Not oppressive.
But powerful.
Like standing near a mountain.
Toru and Hana stood respectfully nearby.
Kaito entered the room.
"…Whoa."
He immediately felt it.
That strange pressure in the air.
The old man slowly looked at him.
His sharp eyes studied Kaito silently.
Kaito bowed politely.
"Hello, Great Grandfather."
The old man smiled faintly.
"So this is Kaito."
His voice was calm but deep.
Hana bowed slightly.
"Grandfather."
Toru also bowed.
"We apologize for calling you so suddenly."
The old man waved his hand.
"You did the correct thing."
Then his eyes returned to Kaito.
"…Come here, boy."
Kaito walked forward curiously.
The old man placed a hand on his head.
Immediately—
The wind around the room shifted.
"…Hmm."
"What?" Kaito asked.
"You really are him."
Kaito blinked.
"…Who?"
The old man chuckled softly.
"We will discuss that later."
He stood up.
"However… this conversation should not occur here."
He gently raised his hand.
The world shifted.
The air twisted like flowing water.
Suddenly—
The entire room dissolved.
They now stood in a vast mystical space filled with floating lights and endless currents of wind.
Kaito's eyes widened.
"WOAH!"
"What is this place?!"
Hana looked around in awe.
"Grandfather… where are we?"
The old man smiled softly.
"This is a spiritual boundary realm."
"A place between minds and reality."
Kaito looked amazed.
"This is awesome."
The old man walked toward him.
"Kaito."
"Yes?"
The old man placed a single finger against Kaito's forehead.
"Kaito… I want you to search for someone inside your own consciousness."
"…Who?"
The old man answered calmly.
"Freedom."
The old man gently tapped Kaito's forehead.
The world around them blurred.
The air twisted.
Reality shifted.
Kaito's body became still.
His consciousness disappeared into the depths of his mind.
"This is the border of your mind."
"My mind?!"
"Yes."
The old man pointed forward.
"Somewhere inside this place… is Freedom."
Kaito froze.
"…Freedom?"
"Yes."
"You must find him."
"And talk to him."
Kaito frowned.
"…Why?"
"Because if you don't," the old man said calmly, "he may one day take your body permanently."
Kaito's eyes widened.
"…Wait WHAT?"
The old man simply pointed deeper into the realm.
"Go."
Back in the real world—
Kaito's body sat unconscious.
Hana stepped forward nervously.
"Grandfather… what exactly is happening to him?"
The old man sighed softly.
"…Kaito is not simply a child."
"He is the embodiment of something far greater."
Toru crossed his arms.
"…Freedom."
The old man nodded.
"Yes."
The old man folded his hands behind his back.
"Kaito carries the essence of a Guardian."
He began walking slowly across the mystical realm.
"Guardians are conceptual beings."
"They are not creatures."
"They are living embodiments of universal principles."
"Love."
"Hope."
"Time."
"Freedom."
"These are not merely ideas."
"They are forces that shape reality itself."
Hana whispered,
"…And you?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"I am also one."
Toru looked at him carefully.
"The Guardian of…?"
The old man paused.
"…Wisdom."
He walked slowly across the room.
"Entities like Freedom are known as Guardians, because they are the protectors of existence."
"They are constructed from seven fundamental principles."
He lifted one finger.
"Soul."
"The Soul is the core of identity. It is what gives a being its true existence."
"It allows a Guardian to be something, rather than simply being energy or force."
Another finger rose.
"Spirit."
"The Spirit is the power that moves the Soul."
"It is what allows a Guardian to manifest, to act, and to influence the world."
A third finger.
"Function."
"Guardians do not live with ordinary desires like humans."
"They possess a Function."
"That function is the role they exist to fulfill."
"Freedom spreads freedom."
"Time maintains the flow of time."
"Hope preserves hope."
"They do not choose these roles."
"They are those roles."
Another finger rose.
"Connection."
"This allows a Guardian to bind with reality."
"To interact with worlds… people… and vessels."
He glanced briefly at Kaito's unconscious body.
"…Like Kaito."
The fifth finger lifted.
"Consciousness."
"Although Guardians are concepts, they are not mindless forces."
"They possess awareness."
"They can think… observe… and understand existence."
The sixth finger followed.
"Memory."
"A Guardian remembers everything it experiences across time."
"Unlike humans, their memories do not fade."
"They accumulate endlessly."
Finally, the old man raised his last finger.
"Eternal."
"Guardians cannot truly die."
"As long as the concept they represent exists… so do they."
Hana whispered quietly.
"…Then what about the final one?"
The old man's eyes softened slightly.
"…Essence."
"The Essence is the concept itself."
Hana inhaled slightly.
"Then what is the danger to Kaito?"
The old man answered calmly.
"A Guardian cannot truly coexist with a human soul forever."
"Eventually…"
"The concept will dominate."
Toru's voice became serious.
"You mean Freedom will take over Kaito's body?"
"If nothing is done," the old man said quietly,
"yes."
Hana's voice trembled.
"…But Freedom is not evil."
"No," the old man said.
"Freedom is a beautiful concept."
"But even beautiful concepts can become overwhelming when they are absolute."
He looked toward Kaito's unconscious body.
"If Kaito cannot meet Freedom within his consciousness…"
"If they cannot reach an agreement…"
"…Freedom will eventually become the dominant existence."
"Guardians are not normal embodiments like the two of you, so they do not think like you."
Hana whispered—
"…Do they have emotions?"
The old man shook his head.
"No."
"They feel no fear."
"No guilt."
"No mercy."
"No hesitation."
"They have no will."
"Only function."
Toru's expression hardened.
"…Meaning?"
"If Freedom believes something must be done for freedom to exist…"
"He will do it."
"No matter the cost."
Hana's hands trembled slightly.
"…Even if it means taking over Kaito's body?"
The old man did not answer.
That silence was enough.
Inside the Subconscious
Kaito walked through endless shifting worlds.
The realm kept changing.
Mountains.
Oceans.
Storms.
Cities made of wind.
"What the heck is this place?!"
He kept walking.
"Freedom?!"
No answer.
"HELLO?!"
The world changed again.
Now he stood in a desert of floating islands.
"Come on!"
"Where are you?!"
Then—
The sky cracked.
A massive storm formed above him.
Suddenly—
A violent force exploded outward.
Kaito was thrown backward.
"AHHH!"
Back in the mystical realm—
Kaito's body suddenly flew backward.
Hana gasped.
"Kaito!"
Toru caught him before he hit the ground.
"He's unconscious!"
Hana looked at the old man.
"…Grandfather!"
The old man stared calmly.
But his eyes were serious.
"…Freedom rejected him."
Hana's voice trembled.
"Is he going to be okay?"
The old man looked down at Kaito.
"…For now."
Then he added quietly—
"But the real trial has only begun."