The rain had long ceased, but the scent of scorched air remained. The mountain sanctuary, once untouched by the outside world's rhythm, now thrummed with a tension that refused to fade. Deep within the underground chamber, Rei sat alone, legs crossed in meditation, his body glowing faintly with residual energy.
The First Flame fragment now burned calmly before him, encased within layers of his spirit energy and Karasu's guidance. Yet its silence was deceptive—it spoke not in words, but in memories, whispers, echoes of lives Rei hadn't lived yet somehow carried within him.
> [System Notice: Spirit-Core Stabilization — 87% Complete. Psychic Overlap Imminent. Proceed with caution.]
Karasu's voice murmured within, quieter than usual. "You're on the edge of something irreversible. The next choice you make may not be yours alone."
"I never expected to be in control forever," Rei replied aloud, his voice low.
From behind him, soft footsteps approached—barefoot and measured. Noira entered, wearing a dark robe that shimmered with ethereal embers. Her eyes held a sharp glint, though her expression was uncharacteristically subdued.
"You've been here all night," she said.
"Time feels different when you carry fragments of forgotten gods inside you."
She sat beside him without a word, resting her head against his shoulder. For a moment, there was no conversation—just the sound of distant wind brushing against stone.
"I had a vision," Rei said at last. "A city buried in ash. A throne made of screaming spirits."
Noira's hand found his. "Was it a prophecy?"
"Maybe. Or maybe just a warning."
---
Elsewhere in the sanctuary, Mireille moved through the halls with mechanical grace. In her hands, a sealed envelope trembled slightly—an ancient wax seal imprinted with a symbol none had seen in millennia: a half-moon surrounded by burning chains.
Eirenne waited in the strategy chamber, wrapped in a soft blue shawl, her eyes distant. She was healing slowly, her synchronization with Rei having grown more erratic since the last battle.
"You're worried about him," Mireille said, placing the letter down.
"He's changing," Eirenne replied. "Not just growing stronger. Becoming something… harder. Colder."
Mireille nodded. "Power always demands a toll."
The seal cracked open, releasing a wave of pressure into the room. Both women flinched, despite their strength.
> [Message Transmission: Authorized Faction – Unbound Council of Nine Graves] [Directive: Kazenari Rei requested to attend the Convergence at Hollow Meridian]
"The Council moves faster than expected," Mireille murmured. "They've sensed the fragments converging."
Eirenne stood. "We'll go with him."
Mireille gave her a small, knowing smile. "He'll argue."
"Then we'll follow anyway."
---
That night, Rei stood atop the central peak of the sanctuary. Stars blazed above in impossible patterns, rearranged by the subtle shifts in spiritual pressure. Below, the world felt like it waited with bated breath.
He wasn't alone.
Eirenne stood a few paces behind, dressed in a white battle robe embroidered with runes. Mireille flanked her, a compact weapon case slung over her back. Noira stood beside Rei, arms folded, eyes distant.
"I assume you read the message," Rei said without turning.
"We're going with you," Eirenne answered.
"It's not a battle," he replied. "It's a summons from something older than the Biblical factions. You don't need to risk it."
Noira stepped forward. "And you don't get to play martyr alone."
Rei sighed, the ghost of a smirk touching his lips. "Fine. But you follow my lead."
A portal shimmered open—deep violet edged with silver. The air around it pulsed with tension.
"Next stop: Hollow Meridian," Mireille said softly.
They stepped through.
---
The Hollow Meridian was not a city.
It was a wound in the world.
Spirals of floating stone and dead star-metal drifted through a twilight sky lit by no sun. Gravity bent erratically, and the ground beneath their feet shimmered like obsidian glass suspended over a void.
The Council awaited them.
Nine figures stood at equidistant points around a circular platform. Each was draped in cloaks of dusklight, their faces veiled by masks etched with ancient runes. No two looked alike—some tall as giants, others hunched and brittle.
One stepped forward.
"Bearer of Flame. Weaver of Spirits. Kazenari Rei."
Rei stepped forward, back straight, his harem standing close behind him. "You summoned me. Speak."
The masked figure inclined its head. "You hold fragments not meant to coexist. You stitch together truths meant to remain apart. Why?"
"Because the world isn't made of just one truth," Rei said. "And because I refuse to be another pawn in an old game."
Another councilor spoke, this one with a voice like shattering glass. "Then you intend to rewrite the game?"
Rei's eyes burned. "No. I intend to burn the board."
A silence followed—long, suffocating. Then, laughter—cold, echoing, inhuman.
"Very well," the first councilor said. "Then let the Trial of Meridian begin. Survive it… and we will offer answers. Fail… and your name will be erased from all memory."
The ground beneath their feet shifted. Platforms fell away, forming a ring of battle.
Eirenne stepped beside Rei, spirit energy forming in her hands. "You get us into the strangest places."
Rei grinned. "You love it."
"I do," she whispered. "More than I should."