No one spoke at first.
Because once a decision like that was said out loud—
it became real.
Lucien was the first to break.
"No," he said immediately. "Nope. Still no. I've had several seconds to think about it, and my answer is still no."
Kuro almost smiled.
"Makes sense."
"I'm serious!" Lucien pointed at him. "That thing is massive. It lives in the sky. It talks like it owns you. These are all terrible signs!"
[All valid points.]
"THANK YOU."
Mika didn't react.
His focus stayed entirely on Kuro.
"You're sure?" he asked quietly.
Kuro hesitated—
just for a second.
Then nodded.
"…Yeah."
The fear was still there.
But it wasn't overwhelming anymore.
Because now he understood something he hadn't before.
"It's not going to stop," Kuro said. "If I stay here… it'll keep getting closer. It'll keep pulling."
The Guildmaster didn't interrupt.
Didn't argue.
Because he knew Kuro was right.
Mika's jaw tightened slightly.
"…Then we don't let it control the terms."
Kuro blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Mika stepped forward.
"If you're going to face it… we choose when."
Lucien threw his hands up.
"WHY ARE WE ALL AGREEING TO THIS?!"
[Because it's the only move left.]
"…I hate that you make sense sometimes."
Kuro exhaled slowly.
"…How do we even get up there?"
That was the problem.
The sky wasn't exactly reachable.
The Guildmaster finally spoke.
"There may be a way."
All three of them looked at him.
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
"…I don't like that tone."
The Guildmaster walked toward a large table, pulling open an old drawer.
From inside—
he removed a small, circular object.
It looked simple.
Too simple.
A thin ring of metal, etched with faint, glowing symbols.
Kuro felt something in his chest react instantly.
The fragment pulsed.
"…What is that?" he asked quietly.
"A relic," the Guildmaster said.
"From before the barrier was created."
Lucien leaned in slightly.
"…And it does what exactly?"
The Guildmaster held it up.
"It opens a path."
Silence.
Then—
Lucien pointed.
"NO."
Mika's eyes sharpened.
"A path to where?"
The Guildmaster met his gaze.
"…To the space between."
Kuro's breath caught.
"The space…" he repeated.
"…Between this world and that thing."
[Oh, absolutely not.]
Lucien stepped back.
"Yeah, I'm with the voice. That sounds like the worst possible destination."
Mika didn't look away.
"…Can it reach the entity?"
"Yes."
Kuro swallowed.
"…Then that's how we do it."
Lucien grabbed his head again.
"I feel like I'm the only one here with survival instincts."
Mika ignored him.
"What's the cost?" he asked.
The Guildmaster went quiet.
That was answer enough.
Kuro noticed immediately.
"…What kind of cost?"
The Guildmaster's expression hardened slightly.
"This relic wasn't meant for repeated use."
Lucien blinked.
"…Define 'not meant.'"
"It will break."
Lucien let out a breath.
"Oh. That's not so ba—"
"And the one using it…"
Silence.
Kuro's chest tightened.
"…What happens to them?"
The Guildmaster looked directly at him.
"…The path won't fully separate you from that space."
Mika's expression darkened instantly.
"No."
Kuro felt his pulse quicken.
"…Meaning?"
"It will connect you more deeply to it."
The words landed heavy.
Cold.
Real.
Lucien stared.
"…So using it makes the whole situation worse."
"Yes."
"FANTASTIC."
[Truly excellent planning.]
Mika stepped forward sharply.
"We're not using it."
Kuro looked at him.
"Mika—"
"No."
His voice was firm.
Unmoving.
Kuro's chest tightened.
"…If we don't, the barrier breaks anyway."
"That doesn't mean we rush into something that makes it worse."
Kuro stepped closer.
"It's already getting worse."
Silence.
Mika didn't respond.
Kuro held his gaze.
"…You said it yourself. We don't let it control the terms."
Mika's jaw tightened.
"That doesn't mean you put yourself in danger like this."
Kuro let out a quiet breath.
"…I already am."
That hit harder than anything else.
Lucien looked between them.
"…Okay, I'm sensing emotional tension and I don't like where this is going."
[This is the part where they argue.]
"PLEASE DON'T—"
Mika didn't raise his voice.
But it dropped.
Lower.
Sharper.
"…You don't get to decide this alone."
Kuro didn't back down.
"…I'm not alone."
A pause.
Then—
"…You said that."
Mika froze.
Just slightly.
Kuro continued.
"…So come with me."
Silence.
Lucien blinked.
"…Oh."
[Oh.]
Mika stared at him.
Kuro's voice was steady now.
Even if his hands weren't.
"…If I have to face it… then I want you there."
The words settled between them.
Heavy.
Honest.
Unavoidable.
Lucien slowly looked away.
"…I suddenly feel like I'm intruding on something."
[You are.]
"SHUT UP."
Mika exhaled slowly.
Long.
Controlled.
Then—
"…Of course I'm coming."
Kuro's chest tightened.
Not from fear.
Something else.
Something warmer.
Lucien groaned loudly.
"AND APPARENTLY I'M COMING TOO BECAUSE I CAN'T LET YOU TWO MAKE DECISIONS ALONE."
[Group suicide. Wonderful.]
"It's NOT that!"
The Guildmaster watched them quietly.
Then nodded once.
"…Then it's decided."
Kuro looked at the relic again.
The faint glow.
The quiet pull.
"…When?"
The Guildmaster didn't hesitate.
"…Tonight."
Silence.
Lucien stared.
"TONIGHT?!"
Mika didn't argue.
Kuro didn't hesitate.
Because waiting would only make it worse.
And deep down—
they all knew it.
Far above—
the storm churned violently now.
The shape within it clearer than ever.
Watching.
Anticipating.
Because something had changed.
Not just in the sky.
But in them.
They weren't waiting anymore.
They were coming.
And for the first time—
the entity did not feel calm.
It felt—
awake.