The kingdom of Elvaris had returned to calm, but Yuto couldn't shake the lingering tension in his chest. Every night, dreams of a shadow with golden eyes haunted his sleep.
And every morning, Noa noticed the change in his smile.
"You're hiding something," she said gently one dawn as the sun stretched across their balcony.
"I don't want you to worry," Yuto replied, cupping her cheek. "It's just a dream."
But dreams in Elvaris were often more than just fragments of thought. They were messages.
Later that week, a mysterious traveler arrived at the Royal Academy gates — cloaked in gray, his eyes ancient, his aura heavy with time magic.
"I bring a warning," the man said to the High Council. "A calamity is stirring beneath the surface. One not of this world."
Yuto and Noa, summoned immediately, listened closely as he continued.
"The Flame of Eternity has cracked — the balance of reincarnation and memory is breaking. If the core collapses, your souls — and every reborn soul — will vanish forever."
It was clear. Their peaceful life was borrowed time.
The cycle of reincarnation that had granted them their new life was failing.
And only they, the ones who had bridged life and death, could reach the flame and restore it.
"But the journey is not just perilous," the man added. "It requires the ultimate offering — the strongest bonds, the greatest memories. The flame must be fed."
Noa glanced at Yuto. She didn't need to speak. Her emerald eyes said everything: We'll go. Together.
The Journey to the Flame
To reach the Flame of Eternity, they had to pass through the Shifting Expanse, a realm where time twisted, gravity reversed, and memory became weapon.
Their companions joined them:
Souta, brave and grounded
Hikari, her light shielding their path
Aya, quiet but unwavering
Miyu and Kenta, watching each other's backs like siblings
Each friend had grown, each willing to face the end for the world they now called home.
Inside the Expanse, the group was tested.
At one point, Yuto was separated — trapped in a loop of past memories. He relived the moment Noa collapsed from her heart attack, her hand slipping from his as doctors held him back.
But this time, he screamed louder.
This time, he fought through the illusion, breaking free with a blast of lightning that cracked the realm's false reality.
Elsewhere, Noa faced her old fear: being forgotten. The world around her was silent, her name erased from books, her presence unseen. But she remembered the warmth of Yuto's arms, the fire in his voice when he promised never to leave.
With a burst of wind and flame, she lit the darkness around her and shattered the test.
The group reunited and pressed on until they reached the Eternal Gate — a towering structure of glowing crystal.
The traveler met them there.
"One may enter and be consumed. But only two hearts bound as one may restore the flame."
Yuto and Noa stepped forward.
"Wait," Souta said. "There has to be another way."
"There isn't," Noa whispered. "But we knew this. From the moment we remembered our past life… we knew it wouldn't be forever."
Yuto smiled, his eyes wet with emotion. "We got to love twice, live twice. I wouldn't trade that for anything."
Noa nodded, her voice trembling. "Promise me… in the next world… we'll meet again."
"I always do."
They stepped through the gate.
Inside the Flame
The heart of the Flame was beautiful — an endless ocean of light and memory, glowing with every soul reborn.
A voice echoed:
"To restore the cycle, the flame requires two eternal hearts. The cost: your present existence."
Noa turned to Yuto, her hands in his. "Let's make our final moment… the best memory yet."
They kissed — surrounded by light, by warmth, by every version of themselves across time. From childhood in kindergarten to teenage school life, their first confession, their wedding, and every battle fought side by side.
Their love ignited the flame.
In one final burst of brilliance, the world sang with magic, balance was restored — and two stars faded from the sky.
Back outside the Eternal Gate, the light erupted into the heavens.
The traveler fell to his knees, tears in his ancient eyes. "They did it…"
The others stood silently, watching the stars.
And though grief clung to their hearts, so did peace.
Souta spoke first. "He kept his promise."
Aya looked up, her eyes filled with wind and memory. "So did she."
The world would go on.
And somewhere, in a new world, perhaps already reborn, a boy with stormy blue eyes would meet a girl with pink hair and emerald eyes — and their story would begin once more.