The rift in the sky yawned wider, and the Warden stepped forward.
Its form was ever-shifting—neither man nor woman, beast nor machine. Clad in armor woven from dimensions, it radiated an aura that neither angel nor devil could possess. Its eyes were cold equations, its mouth a slit of steel.
"Rei Kazenari. You now bear six Fragments. The Spirit Crown rests upon your soul. You have violated boundaries older than the Three Factions."
Rei remained calm. "Then why are you here?"
The Warden raised one hand, and the sky above darkened.
"Because your path approaches the Forbidden Locus. And such roads are never walked without consequence."
Eirenne stepped forward, her eyes hard. "Are you a threat?"
"I am a threshold," the Warden replied. "And you must prove you are worthy to pass through."
> [System Directive: Dimensional Protocol Activated. Threshold Combat Engagement Initiated. Victory Condition — Survive Beyond Zero Point.]
Karasu's voice was unreadable. "This is no normal test, Rei. This is a synthetic battlefield drawn from collapsed dimensions. If you fall here... even your echoes will be erased."
---
The world around them shattered into glass.
They fell.
When they landed, the group found themselves scattered across a field of broken stars. Above them, there was no sky—only rotating spirals of memory, each one playing events that had never happened. Below their feet, fragments of ruined realms floated like shattered continents.
Rei stood alone atop a floating slab, the Warden before him.
"Define your existence," the Warden commanded.
Rei flared his spirit energy, the six fragments swirling like galaxies around him.
"I exist not as a god. Not as a tool. I exist to remember, to connect, and to defy the silence."
The Warden charged.
---
They clashed, not with weapons, but with realities.
Every blow the Warden struck rewrote physics. Every counter from Rei forced logic to bend. Time fractured with each collision. In one second, Rei was a child, then a spirit, then a skeleton in golden armor.
His memories fought to anchor him.
Don't forget who you are, Karasu whispered.
He saw flashes of Mireille, Noira, and Eirenne battling their own echoes across other realms. Each one fighting doubts and fears born of past pain.
But Rei stood firm.
When the Warden launched a final strike—a spear of paradox—Rei let it pierce him. Blood spilled, but he caught the shaft and pulled the Warden forward.
"I don't reject your judgment," Rei whispered. "I embrace it. Because I know what I've become."
The fragments surged.
Blue flame from Serapha. Wind from Velstra. Shadow from Noctis. Pulse from Eirenne's pact.
Together, they formed a sphere around Rei, absorbing the paradox and feeding it into the Spirit Crown.
With a cry, Rei slammed his palm into the Warden's core.
Light exploded.
---
He awoke on his knees.
The floating battlefield had faded. They were back at the canyon, stars realigned overhead.
The Warden stood, undamaged, but silent.
Then it knelt.
"You are not yet whole," it said. "But you are no longer hollow."
A shard broke off its chest—silver and translucent.
> [Dimensional Key Obtained — Access to the Forbidden Locus Granted.]
"Your next step will bring you to the edge of the root. Where spirit and truth diverge. Beware what you awaken."
The Warden vanished.
---
They regrouped at a ridge overlooking a desert wasteland far beyond Kuoh's known borders. A land unreached by modern maps, shielded by divine omission.
Mireille pressed close to Rei, concern soft in her touch. "You bled more than I've seen before."
"I remembered more than I ever wanted to," he replied quietly.
Noira stood watch, her hand never leaving her blade. "We're heading to the core now, aren't we?"
Rei nodded. "To the birthplace of the first Spirit. And maybe the first betrayal."
Eirenne muttered, "Then we're not ready."
But Rei shook his head.
"We'll never be ready. That's why we go."
Above them, clouds began to circle. A symbol of the old gods blazed in fading light.