The moonlight filtered through the window of Tatsuya's room, casting silvery shadows on the floor. Earth was peaceful—too peaceful. Yet Tatsuya lay awake, his heart pounding with unease. Misaki was asleep beside him, her hand resting gently over Himawari's. It should have brought him comfort. But ever since the dark entity's warning and their return from the other world, his dreams had been haunted by strange visions. Broken realms. A bleeding sky. And a figure cloaked in flame and stone: Gaiorox.
Tatsuya slipped from the bed and stepped into the hallway. He paced toward the window at the end, staring into the stars. He could feel the weight of the power within him, the ripple it created with each breath, each thought about crossing worlds. The Earth wasn't his home anymore. It was a memory… and memories were fragile things.
A rustle behind him made him turn. Himawari stood in the hall, her small frame silhouetted by the moonlight.
"Papa," she said softly. Her golden eyes glowed faintly in the dim light. "You can't sleep either?"
Tatsuya knelt and held her gently. "No. Too much on my mind."
She hesitated, then whispered, "I heard voices. In my dreams. Someone calling me from the shadows. They said my name like they knew me… even before you found me."
Tatsuya's blood ran cold. "What did they say?"
"That… I came from a world far darker than I remember. That I don't belong here. That if I stay, I'll destroy everything I touch."
Tatsuya held her tightly, shaking his head. "Don't listen to them. You're our family, Himawari. You belong with us. No matter what."
But in his heart, doubt had begun to take root.
The Unraveling Begins
The next day at school felt even stranger. The students had begun whispering behind Tatsuya's back. Ever since Yuki's tearful breakdown and public confession, word had spread fast. He tried to focus, but shadows clung to his vision. During history class, the teacher's voice faded, replaced by a deep, gravelly growl in his mind.
"You cannot hide in this world forever, Tatsuya Raikiri. The fracture spreads. And soon, the balance will break."
Tatsuya stood abruptly, knocking over his chair. Sweat trickled down his neck. Misaki, seated across the room, glanced at him with wide, worried eyes.
"I need air," he muttered, storming out.
He barely made it into the hallway before collapsing to one knee. The floor beneath him vibrated. For a brief second, he saw it crack—crimson light bleeding through.
Misaki rushed out, grabbing his shoulder. "Tatsuya! What's happening?"
"I… I think someone is trying to pull me back. Another rift is opening. Misaki… I think we're being hunted again."
Misaki's Fear
That night, Misaki sat on the edge of their bed, her face pale. "We can't stay here, Tatsuya. If these rifts keep opening, they'll come through. Ryouma… Gaiorox… worse things."
Tatsuya leaned against the window. "But we can't just keep running. Earth is supposed to be a sanctuary. If we abandon it, then they win."
Misaki's hands trembled. "What about Himawari? She's not just a child anymore. There's something inside her, something waking up."
Tatsuya frowned. "You saw it too."
"She hasn't aged in two years," Misaki whispered. "Not even a little. Her eyes glow at night. She speaks in languages she's never learned. Something's wrong, Tatsuya. What if… what if Himawari isn't just from another world? What if she's the link Ryouma needs to merge them all?"
A silence hung between them like a blade.
The Revelation
Two days later, the mysterious entity returned.
Tatsuya stood in the woods outside town, drawn by a strange force. There, cloaked in shadows, stood the figure—its face ever-shifting, undefined.
"You should not have returned to this world," it said. "The rift grows wider."
Tatsuya clenched his fists. "What do you want from me? You keep warning me, but you never say how to stop it!"
The entity's voice turned grim. "There is no stopping it. Only delay. Unless… you choose the Final Gate."
Tatsuya stepped back. "What's the Final Gate?"
"It's a one-time chance. You and three others. You may return to the world where your fate was forged. There, you will find the answer to ending this chaos—but it comes with sacrifice."
"What sacrifice?"
The shadows around the figure pulsed.
"You must face the truth behind Himawari."
The Dark Secret
Tatsuya returned to his room, heart heavy. Misaki and Himawari sat waiting. When he explained the Final Gate, Misaki was silent. Himawari, however, looked strangely calm.
"I want to go," she said.
Tatsuya hesitated. "Are you sure? We don't know what we'll find."
"I need to know," she said quietly. "About me. About the voice in my dreams. Maybe… maybe I'm the reason all this is happening."
Misaki took her hand. "Whatever happens, we face it together."
And so, Tatsuya opened the gate.
The Forgotten World
They arrived in a shattered realm—not the magical land they remembered, but a twisted reflection. Ruins floated in the air. The sky bled red. Storms of fire and stone roared across the horizon.
A voice echoed through the emptiness.
"Welcome home… daughter of void."
They turned. A woman cloaked in black stepped from the storm. Her face mirrored Himawari's—older, regal, terrifying.
"Who… who are you?" Himawari asked.
"I am your mother," the woman said. "The Queen of the Void."
Tatsuya and Misaki stepped in front of her, weapons drawn.
The queen laughed. "You raised my child well. But she is not yours. She is born of the nothing-between-worlds. A living rift. She cannot stay in any realm long, or it begins to collapse."
Himawari stepped forward. "Then why did you leave me?"
"I did not. You were taken—from the heart of the void by someone who thought you could be more than destruction."
"Ryouma," Tatsuya whispered.
The queen nodded. "He sought to control her. Failed. And now, she is waking."
Suddenly, Himawari collapsed, screaming. Her body shone with golden light, her hair fluttering as her eyes turned completely gold.
"I remember now," she cried. "The fire… the voices… I broke the cave when I was little. I killed… I hurt people before I even knew words."
Tatsuya rushed to her side. "You're not a monster! You're just a child—we raised you!"
"But I'm not!" she wept. "I feel it, Papa. I'm… I'm not supposed to exist in one world."
The queen approached. "She will destroy your Earth, your realms, all that you hold dear—unless she returns to the void."
Misaki broke. "No! She's ours! We can protect her—we can teach her to control it!"
The queen's gaze darkened. "You would sacrifice reality itself for love?"
Tatsuya stood slowly. His eyes burned with fury. "Yes."
To Be Continued…
As the red skies roared above them, and the Queen of the Void raised her hand to summon the storm, Tatsuya stood with his sword drawn, Misaki at his side, and Himawari glowing with a power that could end all creation. The choice was before them—protect their family, or protect the world.