The moment Kaito saw smoke rising from the house, his heart dropped.
Without thinking, his legs moved faster than ever before. Faster than humanly possible.
One second.
That's all it took.
He sprinted toward the house, threw open the burning door, and rushed inside.
"Mom! Dad! Riku! Aiko!" he screamed.
Through the thick smoke, he saw it — his parents, lying still on the floor, blood pooling beneath them.
Tears welled up instantly. He clenched his fists — but then, something caught his eye.
Through the fire and the chaos, he saw them.
Riku. And Aiko.
Alive.
"Riku! Aiko!" Kaito cried, stumbling forward and throwing his arms around them.
He sobbed, burying his face into his brother's shoulder. "You're alive… you're alive…"
Riku coughed from the smoke but smiled weakly. He placed a trembling hand on Kaito's shoulder.
"Kaito... listen carefully..." Riku's voice was hoarse. "I want you... to take Aiko. Get her out of here. Protect her."
Kaito looked at his big brother with wide, tearful eyes. "O-Okay, bro... but what about you?!" he asked desperately.
Riku managed a smile, even in the middle of the hellish scene.
"Don't mind me. You know how strong I am, right?" he chuckled lightly. "I'll be fine. Just take care of Aiko."
Kaito nodded, even though his heart screamed no.
He bent down to pick up Aiko. She was unconscious, her small frame limp in his arms.
"Brother... I'll go now," Kaito said, his voice breaking. "You better catch up later, okay?"
"Take care, Kaito," Riku whispered.
Just as Kaito turned toward the door, a heavy presence filled the air.
Footsteps.
The unknown man appeared again, his gun raised coldly.
"Riku…" the man sneered. "There's no escape for you."
BANG!
A bullet struck Riku's knee, forcing him down.
The man laughed coldly. "Now you die here. No more danger left in this world."
"What do you mean?" Riku growled, pain searing through him.
The man's smirk widened. "Don't act dumb, Riku. I know your secret. You've been resetting time... haven't you?"
Riku's eyes widened slightly, but he stayed silent.
"How many times has it been now, huh? 1,000 loops? 10,000?" the man mocked. "You're stuck. You can't escape me. Poor Riku... cursed to suffer forever."
Riku stared at him with hatred burning in his eyes.
"So what if I was?" Riku said through gritted teeth.
Without warning, the man fired again — the bullet hitting Riku's chest.
Riku gasped, blood dripping from his lips... but he didn't fall completely.
He stayed kneeling, glaring at the man.
The man frowned. Something was wrong. Riku wasn't dying — at least, not instantly.
"Why...?" the man muttered.
And then it hit him.
This was Riku's last loop.
The power — the power to reset time — was gone.
It had been passed on... to someone else.
And Riku... was just a normal human now.
The man stared, shocked, as Riku, with his dying breath, smirked.
"Too late…" Riku whispered.
Meanwhile, outside...
Kaito heard the gunshot behind him.
He flinched, tightening his arms around Aiko's unconscious body.
He knew what that meant.
Tears blurred his vision as he ran faster, stumbling through the smoke and the ash.
"I'm sorry, bro..." Kaito cried under his breath. "I'm sorry... I'm too late..."
His chest ached, every breath feeling like knives.
But he kept running.
For Riku.
For Aiko.
For their family.
Kaito stood there in silence.
The flames behind him crackled, casting flickering shadows over the bloodied ground.
His chest rose and fell quickly, breath shaky, heart pounding like a drum.
And then—
a warmth.
Not from the fire.
Not from the adrenaline.
But from deep within.
It started in his chest — a small spark, like a heartbeat — and spread outward through his arms, his legs, his fingertips.
It was gentle.
Comforting.
Almost like...
someone was hugging him.
His eyes widened.
The warmth grew, wrapping around him like a soft light — chasing away the cold, the fear, the pain.
His hands stopped shaking.
His knees stopped trembling.
He felt…
Stronger.
Steadier.
Like the weight of the world wasn't so heavy anymore.
"…What… is this feeling?" he whispered, looking down at his hands.
They were glowing faintly — golden threads of light dancing across his skin before fading into the air.
The power inside him pulsed again, like it was alive.
Like it was waiting for him to understand.
And then
> "Kaito…"
A voice echoed in his mind
Kaito clenched his fist.
He looked toward the horizon, holding Aiko tightly against him.
"I don't know what's happening to me…" he said quietly.
"But if this power… lets me protect the people I love…"
He smiled, tears in his eyes.
"…then I'll use it."
He turned away from the burning house, his heart full of pain and hope.
The night felt cold — but he wasn't.
He carried a warmth now.
A strength he didn't understand.
But he knew one thing for sure—
This was not the end.
This was the beginning
A large floating window appear on him
"Accept the system?"
[Yes] or [No]
Kaito blinked.
The floating window shimmered before him, softly glowing in the dark.
> "Accept the system?"
[Yes] [No]
His breath caught.
The words didn't make sense—
But somehow, they did.
Like he'd seen this before.
Somewhere.
Some other time.
Some other life.
He looked down at Aiko, still unconscious in his arms.
Her breath was shallow, but steady.
Then his thoughts flashed to Riku—
His smile.
His final words.
His death.
Kaito's hand hovered near the glowing [Yes].
He didn't hesitate.
Tap.
The moment his finger touched it, light exploded around him.
Symbols spun across his vision—languages he couldn't read, yet understood.
"System Accepted."
> Welcome, Kaito.
New User Registered.
Synchronizing Soul Memory…
Inheriting Previous User's Abilities…
Riku: Last Holder of [ChronoCode]
Kaito's eyes widened.
"Riku… he gave this to me…?"
> **Transfer Complete.
Activating Core Function: Time Vein Access
Warning: Soul not fully synchronized. Power may be unstable.
The glow faded.
Kaito stood still, stunned.
He could feel it now—more than warmth.
Raw energy.
A pull. A connection to something larger than himself.
Like… he could reach into the past.
Or maybe—
Shape the future.
He clenched his fists again. Golden light pulsed at his knuckles.
"…I don't know what this is yet," he whispered. "But I promise, I'll learn it. I'll get stronger."
He looked back at the burning ruins.
"Riku… I'll make sure your death wasn't in vain."
He turned forward.
His eyes burned not just with tears—
But with resolve.
Because now, he had the power.
And he had a mission.
Protect Aiko.
Uncover the truth.
Break the loop.
And maybe—
Just maybe—
Face the man who killed his brother.