While Kaede was unconscious, he could still see what was happening outside, but his body moved on its own. He tried to stop it, but his body continued to attack and kill Fina's men.
The men struggled, shooting Kaede multiple times, but the bullets stopped when they got close to his body.
"Do... don't kill them!"
"Wh... what happened to my body?"
"It's moving on its own..." Kaede thought.
After he killed all of Fina's men, Kaede was about to charge an attack toward Fina when, just as he was about to finish, his friends arrived and screamed at him to stop.
Kaede heard them, turned toward them, and blasted the attack in their direction instead.
It hit Yumi, who barely avoided it, but it still scratched her face.
"No!..."
"Please stop!..."
"Not my friends!..." Kaede thought.
Suddenly, he vanished and appeared behind Lary, ready to strike his chest. A sudden light threw him backward.
Kaede looked at it in shock.
"Who's that..."
"It looks like me..."
"A younger version of me..." Kaede thought.
After a fierce battle, Kaede was defeated by the younger-looking version of himself, who then disappeared.
After the big blast, his body stopped moving, and blood began to flow. As darkness overtook him, he suddenly fell into his inner world. A thread of light appeared, holding him, and his body was enveloped by it.
The inner world cracked like a shattered mirror, each shard reflecting a memory that Kaede didn't recall. Some were good, others were painful.
Kaede suddenly fell into one of them.
He found himself in a broken world—crumbling buildings, a cracked sky, dark clouds—a place of ruin. A young boy walked alone through the desolation.
Though the boy looked youthful, his eyes seemed burdened by countless painful memories. His expression was empty, as if he had seen too much for someone his age.
Kaede was confused and tried to follow the boy. As he moved forward, the sky above him cracked—like reality itself was breaking apart. Sharp, jagged lines of light spread through the sky as dust and ash swirled around him. With every step, his body weakened.
"No... his body is decaying," Kaede thought.
His skin slowly decayed, turning into particles that the wind carried away. He could feel his existence slipping, piece by piece.
He whispered, his voice fragile, "This... this isn't what I wanted..."
Kaede watched, speechless.
The boy kept walking despite his fading body, driven by something even he couldn't understand. His legs grew heavier, and his heart ached. He collapsed to his knees, hands sinking into the dusty, cracked ground.
"I never meant for this to happen..." he murmured.
Kaede approached, trying to see the boy's face, but the decay made it unrecognizable. As the last fragments vanished, their eyes met. The boy's eyes glowed faintly, as did Kaede's, before Kaede was violently thrown back into the darkness.
Falling through the void, the light surrounding Kaede stopped his descent. A woman suddenly hugged him from behind. They were transported to a grassy place with a huge tree at the center. Beneath the tree was a small table with two chairs. The woman took his hand, guiding him to sit down.
Kaede was quiet, still confused. He glanced at the woman, but her face was unclear.
Once they sat, a strong wind blew, and her long white hair flowed gracefully. Her silver eyes met his.
Kaede widened his eyes in shock.
"Who are you..." Kaede asked.
The woman smiled. "Don't you recognize me?"
Kaede tilted his head in confusion. "Have we met before?"
She chuckled. "I know everything about you."
Kaede was silent, unsure of what to say.
"How do you know me?" he asked.
The woman thought for a moment before replying. "I... I want to repay you for everything you did for me."
"Repay? I don't even know you," Kaede replied, bewildered.
The woman pouted. "You kind of hurt my feelings. I thought you'd recognize me right away."
Kaede scratched his head. "Sorry, but I really don't know you."
She stood, turned around with a gentle smile, and said, "You'll meet me sooner than you think."
Suddenly, the world around them began to crumble. The woman smiled one last time and warned, "Kaede, remember! Don't make the same mistake again."
ZAP!
Kaede heard a beeping sound and opened his eyes. He was in a hospital room. Looking around, he saw Yumi sleeping beside him, holding his hand.