The room stayed silent after Raiden's words.
Only the faint crackle of the lantern could be heard.
Hanna stepped closer, her expression now serious.
Hanna: "You remember him now?"
Raiden didn't answer immediately. His breathing slowly steadied, but his eyes remained dark and focused.
Raiden: "Not clearly… but enough."
He looked down at his hand.
Raiden: "He placed something on my mother's neck… a mark. That's the curse."
Tom frowned.
Tom: "Then that man… he's inside those ruins?"
Raiden slowly nodded.
Raiden: "Or someone connected to him is."
Hanna crossed her arms, thinking.
Hanna: "That survivor I mentioned earlier…"
Raiden looked up instantly.
Hanna: "He kept saying something before he lost his mind."
Raiden leaned forward slightly.
Raiden: "What did he say?"
Tom answered this time.
Tom: "He kept repeating one thing over and over…"
Tom hesitated for a second.
"…'The star sees everything.'"
Raiden's grip tightened.
The dark star symbol.
The same one on the poster.
The same one carved into the ruins.
Raiden: "…A surveillance-type curse…"
Hanna blinked. "What?"
Raiden stood up slowly, still slightly unsteady—but this time, he didn't fall.
Raiden: "If that mark allows them to observe their target…"
His voice lowered.
"…then my mother wasn't just cursed."
He looked toward the window, in the direction of the ruins.
"…She was being watched."
The realization deepened the silence.
Tom shook his head.
Tom: "That's… disturbing."
Raiden's eyes hardened.
Raiden: "It also means something else."
Hanna: "What?"
Raiden: "They knew about us."
A cold wind blew outside.
Raiden exhaled slowly.
Raiden: "And if they erased my memory…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…then I was never supposed to remember."
Hanna stepped closer.
Hanna: "What are you going to do?"
Raiden didn't hesitate.
Raiden: "Wait until this curse weakens."
His hand crackled faintly with red lightning again—still unstable, but returning.
Raiden: "Then I'm going back to that place."
Tom looked uneasy.
Tom: "You're really going alone?"
Raiden gave a small, cold smirk.
Raiden: "I've always been alone on this."
He paused.
Then added quietly—
"…until recently."
For a brief moment, Taika crossed his mind.
Then his expression hardened again.
Raiden: "But this part… I'll finish it myself."
Outside, far beyond the quiet stirred....
The ruins stood still under the shadow of the volcano.
And deep within them...
Something ancient stirred.
The next morning arrived quietly.
A thin layer of ash drifted through the air outside, catching the early sunlight as it fell. The volcano in the distance rumbled faintly, like a sleeping giant turning in its rest.
Inside the small house, Raiden opened his eyes.
He was already awake before the sun fully rose.
For a moment, he stayed still—testing his body.
The heaviness from yesterday had lessened. The dizziness was gone.
He clenched his hand.
Red lightning flickered weakly at first—then stabilized.
"…Good."
He sat up, this time without collapsing.
The curse was still there. He could feel it lingering like a thin weight on his body.
But it was no longer enough to stop him.
Raiden stood.
Across the room, his coat and sword rested neatly where Hanna had placed them.
He walked over and put them on without hesitation.
The door creaked slightly as he opened it.
Outside, the village was just beginning to wake. A few villagers moved around quietly, preparing for the day.
Hanna stood near a small table, preparing something. She looked up when she saw him.
Hanna: "You're leaving already?"
Raiden nodded.
Raiden: "I can move now."
She walked toward him, holding a small cloth pouch.
Hanna: "At least take this."
Raiden looked at it.
Hanna: "Herbs. It won't remove the curse completely, but it might help your body resist it longer."
Raiden took the pouch.
"…Thanks."
Tom stepped out from behind, arms crossed.
Tom: "Still think this is a bad idea."
Raiden gave a faint smirk.
Raiden: "It is."
Tom sighed. "Stubborn."
Raiden turned his gaze toward the distant ruins.
The dark star symbol flashed in his mind again.
The hooded man.
His mother collapsing.
His memories being erased.
His expression hardened.
Raiden: "But I don't have a choice."
Hanna looked at him one last time.
Hanna: "Then come back alive."
Raiden didn't answer.
He simply turned and began walking.
Each step brought him closer to the volcanic ruins.
Closer to the truth.
Closer to the one who took everything from him.
The air grew heavier as he approached.
The same unnatural pressure from yesterday returned,waiting for him.
But this time
....
Raiden didn't stop.
Raiden slowed his steps as he drew closer to the ruins.
Something changed.
The air wasn't just heavy anymore—it was unstable.
He narrowed his eyes.
Around the volcano, a faint glow appeared.
Not visible to normal sight.
But to him—
It was clear.
A white, fluctuating aura surrounded the entire volcanic region.
It pulsed unevenly.
Like a heartbeat… but broken.
Raiden stopped.
"…Mana disturbance."
The aura wasn't aggressive.
But it wasn't natural either.
It expanded and contracted in irregular waves, bending the air and distorting the space around the ruins.
Raiden raised his hand slightly, letting a thread of his own mana extend outward.
The moment it touched the white aura—
It flickered.
Destabilized.
Then snapped back violently.
Raiden's eyes sharpened.
"…So that's it."
The weakening curse from yesterday…
It wasn't just a trap.
It was a defensive field.
A barrier that rejected foreign mana.
And punished anything that tried to enter uninvited.
He looked up at the volcano again.
The white aura wrapped around it like a cocoon.
Hiding something inside.
"…You don't want visitors."
Red lightning slowly crawled along his fingers again.
This time, more controlled.
More focused.
Raiden took another step forward.
The aura reacted immediately..
Ripples spreading outward like disturbed water.
But he didn't stop.
"…Too bad."
His voice was low.
"I'm not here to visit."
The ground beneath him cracked slightly as his mana pushed forward against the invisible field.
Two forces began to clash.
The white aura.
And Raiden's red lightning.
And somewhere deep within the ruins...
Something noticed.
The white aura pulsed harder the moment Raiden pushed against it.
The ground trembled faintly beneath his feet.
Then..
Above the mouth of the volcano, something flickered.
A tiny point of light.
Almost harmless.
Almost… beautiful.
Raiden's eyes narrowed instantly.
"…Not natural."
The light intensified for a split second.
Then vanished.
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Too fast to follow.
A streak of fire shot downward like a bullet, compressing the air around it and leaving a burning trail behind.
Raiden reacted on instinct.
Red lightning exploded around him as he forced his body to move sideways..
The projectile grazed past him.
A fraction too close.
BOOM.
The ground behind him detonated on impact.
Flames burst outward, melting rock and sending shards flying in all directions.
Raiden slid across the ground, boots digging into the volcanic stone.
"…Fast."
He looked up again.
Another light flickered above the volcano.
Then another.
Multiple points.
Each one blinking like stars in the sky—
But they weren't stars.
They were targets.
Raiden's expression hardened.
"…So it's automated."
The ruins weren't just cursed.
They were armed.
The lights flashed again..
This time, three of them.
Raiden exhaled slowly.
Red lightning surged stronger around his body, wrapping him like armor.
Raiden: "Let's see how many you've got."
The lights fired.
Three blazing projectiles tore through the air...
And Raiden charged forward instead of retreating.
The moment Raiden moved forward—
The ground beneath him ignited.
A perfect circle of fire erupted around him, rising instantly like a cage.
Flames spiraled upward, sealing every direction.
"…A trap."
Before he could react further—
The lights above the volcano flashed all at once.
Dozens.
No,hundreds.
Every single point fired simultaneously.
A storm of fire rained down.
There was no gap.
No opening.
No escape.
Raiden's eyes sharpened.
"…Fine."
He planted his foot firmly into the ground.
Red lightning surged violently from his body, expanding outward in jagged arcs.
The air cracked.
The firestorm closed in..
And in that instant..
Raiden raised his hand.
Raiden: "Don't underestimate me."
The lightning condensed rapidly, forming a dense sphere around him.
A barrier.
Not perfect.
But enough.
The first wave hit.
Explosions overlapped one after another, shaking the entire area.
Fire collided with lightning.
Heat clashed with energy.
The pressure alone cracked the ground beneath him.
Raiden gritted his teeth.
The barrier trembled.
More shots slammed into it.
Again.
Again.
Again.
"…Tch.."
The strain showed.
Even with his strength, the continuous bombardment pushed him down to one knee.
The circle of fire tightened.
The barrage didn't stop.
This wasn't just defense...
It was execution.
Raiden's breathing grew heavier.
The curse from earlier still lingered, weakening him just enough to matter.
"…So that's your plan."
His eyes darkened.
To overwhelm.
To crush.
To leave nothing behind.
A small smirk formed despite the pressure.
Raiden: "…Then I'll break it."
Red lightning surged wildly again..
More violent than before.
More unstable.
The ground beneath him shattered outward...
And the barrier exploded.
The explosion tore through the firestorm.
Lightning and flames scattered in every direction, carving a crater into the volcanic ground.
Smoke rose.
Ash drifted.
For a brief moment..
Silence.
Raiden stood at the center, breathing heavily, red lightning still flickering around his body like unstable veins of energy.
"…Come out."
His voice was low.
Cold.
A slow sound echoed from the shadows beyond the burning circle.
Footsteps.
Calm.
Unhurried.
A figure emerged from the dark edge of the ruins.
A man.
Wearing a long cloak, the hood casting a shadow over his face.
But this time..
Raiden could see more clearly.
The same presence.
The same suffocating aura.
The same man from his memory.
Raiden's eyes widened slightly.
Then narrowed into something far sharper.
"…You."
The man stopped a few steps away, just outside the scorched ground.
He tilted his head slightly, observing Raiden as if studying something familiar.
???: "So… you survived."
His voice was calm.
Almost uninterested.
Raiden's hand clenched, lightning snapping violently around his arm.
Raiden: "You remember me."
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly raised his hand..
The same motion.
The same gesture.
The one from years ago.
Raiden's breathing hitched for a split second.
???: "A child who should have forgotten everything."
The words landed heavily.
Raiden's eyes darkened completely.
Raiden: "…You killed her."
The air tightened.
The man finally lowered his hand slightly.
???: "No."
A pause.
???: "I only gave her a mark."
Raiden's voice sharpened.
Raiden: "That mark killed her."
The man remained still.
Unmoved.
???: "Then she was weaker than expected."
The ground cracked beneath Raiden's feet.
Lightning surged violently outward.
Raiden: "Say that again."
The man's gaze shifted slightly..
Then landed directly on Raiden's eyes.
For the first time..
A faint smile formed under the shadow of his hood.
???: "You carry the same blood."
A pause.
???: "But far more unstable."
Raiden didn't move.
Didn't speak.
But the air around him screamed.
Because standing in front of him..
Was the one who cursed his mother.
The one who erased his memory.
And now...
The one he had finally found.
The air between them grew heavier.
Raiden's lightning crackled louder, unstable, violent.
He took a slow step forward.
Raiden: "Why…?"
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried something deeper.
Raiden: "Why did you do that to her?"
The hooded man tilted his head slightly, as if the question itself was unremarkable.
???: "Why?"
A faint chuckle escaped him.
???: "Because she refused."
Raiden's eyes narrowed.
The man slowly stepped forward, his presence pressing against the air itself.
???: "She had potential. Power. Intelligence."
He raised his hand slightly, almost as if recalling a memory.
???: "I thought… perhaps we could build something together."
A pause.
???: "Control this world. Shape it."
His tone remained calm.
Detached.
???: "All power… within my grasp."
Raiden's grip tightened.
The ground beneath him cracked further.
The man's voice lowered slightly.
???: "But she disagreed."
A brief silence.
Then—
He made a small gesture with his hand.
A simple motion.
Clean.
Final.
As if cutting something off.
???: "…So I had to."
Everything went still.
For a single second.
Then..
A violent surge of red lightning exploded outward.
Raiden's eyes burned with fury.
Raiden: "…You think that's a reason?"
His voice shook..not from fear.
From rage.
Raiden: "You think you can just decide who lives or dies because they don't agree with you?"
The man didn't flinch.
Didn't react.
???: "That is how the world works."
Raiden's body trembled as his power surged uncontrollably.
Raiden: "No."
Another step forward.
Raiden: "That's how you work."
The lightning around him intensified, turning brighter, more violent than before.
Raiden: "And I'm going to end that."
The man finally straightened slightly.
For the first time..
There was interest in his posture.
???: "End me?"
A faint smile returned beneath the hood.
???: "You can try."
The white aura around the volcano pulsed violently again.
The battlefield shifted.
Because this was no longer about traps.
No longer about ruins.
This...
Was personal.
The ground split beneath Raiden's feet as his mana surged.
Red lightning erupted outward in jagged arcs, tearing through the scorched earth.
Raiden didn't wait.
He vanished.
A red flash cut through the space between them—
And reappeared directly in front of the hooded man.
Raiden: "Die."
A lightning-infused punch shot forward—
But...
It stopped.
Not because it missed.
Because it was caught.
The man's hand gripped Raiden's fist effortlessly.
No strain.
No movement.
Just… stopped.
The air cracked from the force alone.
Raiden's eyes widened slightly.
???: "Fast."
A pause.
???: "But reckless."
The man twisted his wrist.
A pulse of white mana exploded outward.
Raiden was launched backward, crashing through broken stone and sliding across the volcanic ground.
He forced himself to stop, boots digging deep as sparks flew.
"…Tch."
He looked up.
The man hadn't moved from his spot.
Not even a step.
Raiden exhaled sharply.
Raiden: "You're holding back."
???: "Of course."
The answer came instantly.
???: "You're still… incomplete."
That word.
Triggered something.
Raiden's expression darkened further.
Raiden: "Say that again."
The man raised his hand slightly.
The white aura around the volcano responded instantly.
It condensed.
Focused.
Then shot toward Raiden like a wave.
Not fire.
Not lightning.
Pure mana pressure.
Raiden braced himself.
Red lightning surged around him again.
He charged forward into it.
The two forces collided.
The impact shattered the ground, sending cracks outward like a spiderweb.
Raiden pushed through.
Step by step.
His body trembled under the pressure—
But he kept moving.
Raiden: "I'm not a kid anymore!"
He broke through the wave.
Appeared in front of the man again.
This time, faster.
Stronger.
His hand formed into a blade of condensed lightning.
Raiden: "Crimson Edge."
He slashed.
The man tilted his head slightly.
The blade grazed his cloak.
A clean cut.
The first hit.
Silence followed for a brief second.
Then—
A faint drop of blood fell.
The man looked at the small cut on his arm.
Then at Raiden.
For the first time—
The smile disappeared.
???: "…Interesting."
The white aura surged violently.
The temperature around them dropped despite the volcanic heat.
???: "So you can reach me."
Raiden stood firm, breathing heavily.
Raiden: "I told you."
Lightning flared again,stronger, more controlled.
Raiden: "I'm going to end you."
The man slowly raised his hand again—
But this time—
The sky above the volcano darkened.
Multiple magic circles began forming.
Larger than before.
More complex.
???: "Then show me."
A pause.
???: "How far you can go… before you break."
Raiden surged forward again.
A streak of red lightning tearing across the battlefield.
His blade carved through the air, leaving a blazing trail behind it.
Raiden: "Stay still!"
He swung..
CLASH.
A wall of fire intercepted the strike.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
Precise.
The flames curved like a shield, wrapping perfectly around the point of impact.
The lightning blade was stopped again.
Raiden's eyes narrowed.
"…Fire?"
The hooded man didn't move much—only his hand shifted slightly.
Each of Raiden's attacks was met with the same response.
Fire trails.
Not ordinary flames.
They moved like extensions of his will, bending and shaping to block every angle.
Raiden vanished again—
Appearing from the side.
Another slash.
Another red arc.
CLASH.
Blocked.
He reappeared behind—
CLASH.
Blocked.
Above. .
CLASH.
Blocked.
Every strike.
Every direction.
Perfectly defended.
Raiden skidded back, breathing heavier now.
"…You're predicting me."
The man finally spoke.
???: "No."
A pause.
The flames around him flickered calmly, forming thin, flowing lines that hovered in the air like ribbons.
???: "You're too straightforward."
Raiden's grip tightened.
The man raised his hand slightly.
The fire trails expanded..
Then shot outward.
Not as explosions..
But as slicing streams.
Raiden reacted instantly, dodging left.
One trail grazed his shoulder.
His coat burned slightly.
He clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
He jumped back again, putting distance between them.
For the first time...
Raiden felt it clearly.
This wasn't just power.
This was experience.
Control.
A completely different level.
The man stepped forward slowly now.
Closing the gap instead.
???: "Your lightning is powerful."
A pause.
???: "But you rely on force."
His hand moved again.
The fire condensed.
Sharper.
Denser.
???: "Power without control… is easy to stop."
Raiden's eyes darkened.
Red lightning surged again, more violently this time.
Raiden: "…Then I'll break through it."
The ground beneath him cracked again as his aura intensified.
Even if every attack was blocked.
He wasn't stopping.
Raiden lunged again,faster.
This time, his movement wasn't a straight line.
He vanished, reappeared to the left,then instantly above—then behind,each step chaining into the next without pause.
Red lightning split into afterimages, making it hard to tell which one was real.
Raiden: "Try this."
Multiple slashes came at once,overlapping angles, unpredictable timing.
CLASH.
CLASH.
CLASH.
The fire trails reacted instantly.
They curved, twisted, and intercepted every strike with unnatural precision.
But—
A spark slipped through.
A shallow cut formed across the man's side.
For a split second. ...
Raiden saw it.
An opening.
Raiden: "Got you."
Before he could finish,
The man's hand flicked slightly.
The fire didn't just block this time.
It shifted.
A spiral of flame wrapped around Raiden's arm mid-swing..
Then detonated.
BOOM.
Raiden was blasted backward again, crashing across the rocky ground.
He rolled, forced himself up, breathing rough.
His sleeve was burned.
Skin slightly scorched.
"…He adapts mid-combat."
The man stepped forward slowly, unhurried.
???: "Better."
A pause.
???: "But still inefficient."
Raiden wiped a bit of blood from his lip.
Then-he smiled.
Not calm.
Not relaxed.
Something sharper.
Raiden: "…Yeah."
Lightning surged again—but different this time.
Instead of exploding outward..
It compressed.
Pulled inward.
Tighter.
Denser.
The chaotic arcs disappeared—
Replaced by a thin, concentrated layer around his body.
Even his blade changed.
From wild lightning..
To a clean, sharp edge of red energy.
The air around him stabilized.
The man noticed.
For the first time..
He didn't speak immediately.
Raiden rolled his shoulder slightly.
Raiden: "You're right."
A step forward.
Calm.
Controlled.
Raiden: "I've been wasting movement."
Another step.
Raiden: "Too loud. Too obvious."
His eyes locked onto the man's.
Raiden: "So I'll fix it."
He vanished again...
But this time..
No explosion.
No flash.
Just silence.
A thin red line cut through the air..
And appeared directly at the man's neck.
A clean, precise strike.
CLANG.
The fire blocked it..
But barely.
The impact forced the man's arm to move more than before.
A difference.
Small.
But real.
Raiden's voice came from right beside him.
Raiden: "There it is."
Another strike followed instantly.
Faster.
Cleaner.
More efficient.
The fire responded again...
But this time...
It was reacting.
Not predicting.
The man's eyes narrowed slightly under the hood.
???: "…So you can learn."
Raiden didn't stop.
Strike after strike..
Each one sharper.
Each one faster.
Each one closer to breaking through.
The battle shifted.
Not in power...
But in control.
And for the first time..
The man was no longer completely untouched.
The next strike came faster than the last.
Raiden moved without wasting a single motion. No extra force. No wide swings. Just clean, precise cuts aimed at the smallest openings.
Clang.
The fire blocked again.
But this time, it was late.
A thin line of red passed through the defense and cut across the man's shoulder.
A deeper wound.
The man stepped back for the first time.
His breathing changed.
Unsteady.
His hand trembled slightly as he tried to reshape the fire around him.
Then his composure broke.
???: "No… no no no… this can't be…"
His voice was no longer calm.
???: "How… how are you doing this?!"
Another strike came.
He barely blocked it.
The flames flickered unevenly now.
???: "How did you do it?!"
Raiden stopped a few steps away.
His lightning remained condensed, stable, quiet.
His eyes locked onto the man.
Raiden: "You said it yourself."
A step forward.
Raiden: "Power without control is easy to stop."
Another step.
Raiden: "So I stopped relying on power."
The air around him felt sharper now.
Focused.
Raiden: "And started controlling it."
The man staggered back slightly, trying to maintain his fire defense.
But it was different now.
Before, it moved perfectly.
Now, it hesitated.
Small gaps appeared.
Raiden saw all of them.
Raiden: "You're panicking."
Silence for a second.
Then the man clenched his teeth.
???: "Shut up!"
He raised both hands.
Fire erupted violently around him, larger than before, more chaotic.
Not controlled anymore.
Desperate.
Raiden didn't flinch.
Raiden: "That's your mistake."
He moved again.
Faster than before.
This time, there was no wasted motion at all.
A single clean strike.
Straight through the opening.
Raiden stepped in.
No hesitation. No wasted motion.
His blade of condensed lightning moved like a straight line.
Clean.
Precise.
Raiden: "This… is for our mother."
SLASH.
The strike cut through the man's defense.
A deep wound opened across his chest.
The fire around him flickered violently.
He staggered.
Raiden didn't stop.
He stepped again.
Closer.
Raiden: "This… is for erasing my memories."
SLASH.
Another cut.
Faster.
Sharper.
The man's body twisted from the impact, his control over the flames collapsing further.
The fire trails broke apart, scattering into unstable bursts.
???: "Y-you—"
Raiden's eyes burned with focus.
No rage.
Just clarity.
He raised his blade one last time.
Raiden: "And this… is for everyone you cursed."
A single breath.
Then—
FINAL SLASH.
The red line flashed across the battlefield.
Silence followed.
The man stood still for a moment.
Then the fire around him died completely.
His body slowly collapsed to his knees.
The hood slipped slightly, revealing part of his face for the first time.
Shock.
Disbelief.
???: "…Impossible…"
Raiden stood in front of him, breathing steady.
The lightning around him slowly faded.
The battle was over.
The battlefield fell silent.
Ash drifted slowly through the air.
The flames were gone.
Only the faint heat of the volcano remained.
The man knelt, barely holding himself up.
For the first time, his hood slipped enough to reveal his face.
Raiden looked at him clearly.
No doubt.
No confusion.
Only truth.
Raiden stepped closer.
His voice was quiet now.
Almost calm.
Raiden: "Goodbye… Aiden Flint."
The name hung in the air.
A name he never knew before.
A name that only returned when his memories came back.
Aiden's eyes widened slightly.
"…So you remember."
Raiden didn't answer immediately.
He looked down at him.
Raiden: "Not everything… but enough."
Fragments of the past echoed in his mind.
The house.
The night.
The hooded man.
Not a stranger.
Not just an enemy.
His father.
Aiden let out a weak breath, almost like a laugh.
Aiden: "I made sure you wouldn't."
Raiden's eyes darkened slightly.
Raiden: "Yeah."
A short pause.
Raiden: "You erased it."
The truth settled heavily.
Raiden had always believed his family was simple.
Just his mother.
And later, Taika and her parents.
Two separate lives.
Two separate families.
But it was never like that.
It was all one.
All connected.
Aiden had rewritten it.
Twisted Raiden's memories.
Made him believe a false past.
A clean separation.
So he would never question anything.
So he would never remember.
Raiden clenched his fist slightly.
Raiden: "You split everything apart… like none of it mattered."
Aiden's gaze weakened, but there was still something behind it.
Not regret.
Conviction.
Aiden: "It was necessary."
Raiden's voice hardened.
Raiden: "For what?"
Aiden coughed slightly, blood staining his lips.
Aiden: "For something greater than this world."
Raiden didn't react.
Aiden: "You wouldn't understand."
Raiden took a slow breath.
Then shook his head.
Raiden: "I don't need to."
Silence followed.
The wind passed through the ruins.
Raiden looked at him one last time.
Raiden: "You took everything from us."
A pause.
Raiden: "So this is where it ends."
Aiden's body slowly gave in.
He collapsed forward.
The last breath leaving him quietly.
No grand explosion.
No final attack.
Just… silence.
Raiden stood there for a long moment.
The fight was over.
The truth was uncovered.
But the weight of it didn't disappear.
Because the enemy he chased for years…
Was never just a stranger.
It was his own blood.
And now..
That chapter of his life had finally ended.
Back at the academy, the day was quiet.
Students moved through the halls, some reviewing notes, others talking about the delayed exams. Everything felt normal again.
In one of the classrooms, Taika sat by the window, her chin resting lightly on her hand. A book lay open in front of her, but her eyes weren't really reading.
Something felt… off.
A faint pressure touched her head.
She blinked.
Taika: "…"
Her fingers slowly moved to her temple.
It wasn't pain.
Not exactly.
More like a gentle pulse.
A quiet shift.
Outside, the wind passed through the academy trees.
For a brief second—
Her vision flickered.
A house.
A voice.
A shadow.
Then gone.
Taika frowned slightly.
Taika: "…What was that?"
She shook her head.
The feeling disappeared just as quickly as it came.
Like nothing happened.
Maya leaned over from the next seat.
Maya: "You okay?"
Taika blinked, then smiled faintly.
Taika: "Yeah… I think so."
But something had changed.
Deep inside her mind, something long buried had quietly returned.
Memories.
Real ones.
Unlocked.
Yet untouched by her awareness.
For now.
**************
for further understanding, It was a lie that taika and Raiden have different parents, turns out they're the same blood, just got separated, this cancelled out all existing fake memories like 'Taika's dad died because of using too much magic " and her mom's "illness".