Nobody spoke.
For once—
not even Lucien.
The ruined Guild Hall felt suffocatingly quiet.
The sky was still torn open above them.
The giant eye still watched.
The chained creature still knelt.
And Kuro still couldn't stop shaking.
Mika didn't let go.
Not even slightly.
One arm wrapped around Kuro's shoulders while the other remained on his sword.
As if he expected something else to appear at any second.
Honestly—
everyone did.
Lucien finally broke the silence.
"...So."
Nobody answered.
"...Are we going to talk about the giant creepy hand?"
Still nothing.
"...Or are we pretending that didn't happen?"
[I'd personally like to pretend.]
"Not helping," Mika muttered.
[Wasn't trying to.]
The Guildmaster slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
He looked exhausted.
More exhausted than Kuro had ever seen him.
And that alone was terrifying.
"Three."
The old man spoke quietly.
Lucien blinked.
"...Three what?"
The Guildmaster looked toward the fractured sky.
Then toward the space where the hand had disappeared.
Then finally toward Kuro.
"Three forces."
Nobody liked where this was going.
"The entity above."
His eyes shifted toward the sky.
"The chained guardian."
His gaze moved toward the kneeling creature.
"And now..."
His expression darkened.
"The one beyond the fracture."
Kuro swallowed.
The memory of that voice still made his skin crawl.
The Guildmaster continued.
"And all three appear connected to you."
Lucien pointed at Kuro.
"How does one person collect this many problems?"
[It's honestly impressive.]
"Elvastia."
[Fine.]
Kuro looked down at his hands.
The trembling had lessened.
But it hadn't stopped.
The images kept replaying.
The throne.
The crown.
The endless darkness.
And the worst part—
they hadn't felt unfamiliar.
Mika noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
He always did.
"Kuro."
"..."
"What did you see?"
The question made everyone look at him.
Kuro hesitated.
Then quietly answered.
"A throne."
Silence.
"A crown."
The chained creature lifted its head.
Kuro's chest tightened.
"And..."
He swallowed.
"...people kneeling."
Nobody moved.
Not even Elvastia.
The Guildmaster looked concerned.
Very concerned.
"What else?"
Kuro closed his eyes.
Trying to remember.
Trying not to.
"There was someone sitting on the throne."
Lucien leaned forward.
"...Who?"
Kuro opened his eyes slowly.
"...I think it was me."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
Lucien pointed dramatically.
"I KNEW IT."
Everyone jumped.
"You knew WHAT?"
Mika snapped.
"I DON'T KNOW."
Lucien pointed harder.
"BUT I KNEW SOMETHING."
[His survival instincts are a miracle.]
The Guildmaster sighed heavily.
Meanwhile—
the chained creature was staring directly at Kuro.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Like it already knew.
Kuro noticed.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
The creature lowered its head slightly.
"Because I remember."
The room froze.
Mika's hand immediately found his sword again.
The Guildmaster stepped forward.
"Remember what?"
The creature's silver eyes remained fixed on Kuro.
"The throne."
Kuro's stomach dropped.
"The crown."
His breathing became uneven.
"The King."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Then—
Lucien slowly raised his hand.
"...Question."
Nobody acknowledged him.
"...Can we stop calling Kuro king?"
Still nothing.
"It feels like we're accidentally creating a cult."
[Valid concern.]
The Guildmaster ignored both of them.
"Who was this king?"
The creature answered immediately.
"My master."
The room went cold.
Kuro felt Mika's grip tighten.
"No."
Mika's voice was sharp.
The creature looked at him.
Mika stepped forward.
"No."
He repeated.
Stronger.
"Kuro is Kuro."
The creature stared at him for several seconds.
Then—
surprisingly—
it nodded.
"...Yes."
Everyone blinked.
Even Mika.
The creature continued.
"My master is gone."
Kuro's chest tightened.
"The one before me..."
The creature lowered its head.
"...is gone."
Then it looked directly at Kuro.
"But you remain."
Silence.
The statement felt important.
Dangerously important.
Before anyone could ask another question—
BOOM.
The entire Guild Hall shook.
Everyone stumbled.
The sky.
The eye had moved.
For the first time since appearing—
it blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then something deep within the rift began to glow.
The chained creature immediately stood.
"Move."
Mika grabbed Kuro.
Lucien screamed.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING BUT I'M PANICKING."
[Reasonable.]
The glow intensified.
The Guildmaster's face lost all color.
"...Impossible."
"What?"
Lucien yelled.
The old man stared upward.
Horrified.
"It's opening."
Nobody liked those words.
Nobody.
Then the eye spoke.
For the first time.
Not into minds.
Not through emotions.
With an actual voice.
A voice so vast it shook the world.
"Kuro."
The entire Guild Hall froze.
"Kuro Kyoko."
Kuro felt his blood run cold.
Because the voice sounded familiar.
Not from this world.
Not from the sky.
From somewhere else.
From long before he ever woke up in a cage.
And suddenly—
he remembered a white room.
A beautiful man dressed in white.
And one sentence.
"Let us meet again."
The voice from the sky spoke once more.
And this time—
everyone heard it.
"Do you finally remember me?"