[Scene opens – The Vault of Infinity]
Jin Kuroya stood alone.
No ground beneath him. No sky above. Just a swirling plane of memories, shadows, and endless mirrors, each one whispering names, fears, regrets.
This wasn't a battlefield.
This was a soul trap.
Renzai's voice echoed in his mind.
"This place doesn't test strength. It tests identity."
A mirror cracked in front of him.
Jin stepped toward it.
Inside—
He saw himself.
But weaker.
Smaller.
Dead in the eyes.
---
[The First Trial – The Coward]
The reflection spoke.
"You died that night, remember? When Raikou left. When Mom never woke up. You blamed the Order. But you were just… too weak to do anything."
Jin clenched his fists.
"You're not me."
"No," the reflection said.
"I'm the version that accepted it."
Suddenly, it leapt from the mirror—now wielding a version of Renzai twisted into a noose-like blade made of regret.
They fought.
But Jin couldn't strike it.
Every time he slashed, it became a memory.
Every hit was his own pain, mirrored back at him.
---
[Jin falters]
The Coward pinned him.
"This is who you really are. Lost. Scared. Unworthy."
Flames sparked—but didn't ignite.
Then—
A whisper.
"Get up."
He looked up to see Captain Aria's silhouette behind the mirror.
It wasn't real.
But it was real enough.
---
[Jin's Resolve Awakens – Internal Flame]
"You're right."
He stood.
"I was weak. But I didn't stay that way."
His hand pulsed.
Tenrou reformed in full flame. Not through rage. Not through hate.
But through clarity.
He sliced upward.
The Coward shattered into ash.
---
[Scene shift – Rekikan Council Hall, real world]
Kurohana paced.
"The Vault should have broken him by now."
Genroku remained calm.
"If it hasn't… then perhaps the prophecy isn't a curse. Perhaps it's a warning to us."
---
[Back in the Vault – The Second Trial Appears]
Jin kept walking. Dozens of reflections shimmered.
One stepped forward.
Older.
Wiser.
But empty. Eyes black. Armor clean.
"Jin Kuroya, the Weapon of the Rekikan."
This version had survived the prophecy.
But at a cost.
No laughter. No friends.
Just power. Cold, efficient, obedient.
"I became what they wanted."
The reflection stepped forward, dragging a massive blade with no flame.
"Are you ready to give up yourself to save the world?"
Jin stood still.
"No."
"Then you're not ready."
"No," Jin whispered. "I'm ready to change the damn world on my terms."
---
[Fight begins – Jin vs. The Weapon]
It was his hardest fight yet.
No emotion. No hesitation.
Every move calculated. Every strike perfect.
But that was the weakness.
Jin fought wild. Creative. Real.
And finally—he won.
The reflection shattered with a single upward slash, bursting into golden flame.
---
[Final Scene – Vault Core Appears]
A massive door of living light opened before him.
Inside… a burning throne.
Renzai's voice whispered:
"What you choose next… becomes your fate.
You've seen who you could've been.
Now choose who you'll become."
Jin stepped forward.
Eyes calm.
Blade ready.