The sky was no longer just a sky.
It was a battlefield.
Cracks stretched across it like broken glass, each one leaking something unnatural—light that wasn't light, shadows that moved like they were alive.
Raka stood still, eyes locked upward.
"…Something else found her first."
The words felt heavy in his mouth.
Real.
Too real.
Beside him, the man exhaled slowly. "Yeah."
Raka didn't look away. "…You knew."
"I expected it."
That made Raka's jaw tighten.
"…And you didn't think to mention it?"
The man shrugged. "Would it have changed anything?"
"…Yes."
"No," he said calmly. "You'd still do the same thing."
Raka went quiet.
He hated that.
Because it was true.
---
A sudden ripple tore across the sky.
Not a crack.
Not a fracture.
Something… pulling.
Dragging threads toward a single point.
Raka's eyes sharpened.
"…There."
The man followed his gaze.
"…You feel it too."
"That's not normal."
"No," the man agreed. "…That's targeted."
---
Raka didn't wait.
He stepped forward—
And vanished.
---
The world blurred.
Space twisted around him like it was trying to catch up.
The ground beneath his feet disappeared, replaced by shifting fragments of reality—broken buildings, floating debris, pieces of places that didn't belong together.
Raka moved through them like instinct was guiding him.
Faster.
Sharper.
More precise than before.
---
"…This is new," he muttered.
---
"Of course it is."
---
Raka stopped mid-step.
---
That voice—
---
"…AIRA?"
---
Silence.
---
Then—
"…Not quite."
---
Raka's eyes narrowed.
---
The space in front of him distorted.
Threads gathered.
Forming.
Shaping.
---
And then—
She appeared.
---
Raka's breath caught.
"…AIRA."
---
She looked exactly the same.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same presence.
---
But—
Something was off.
---
Her gaze was… empty.
Not cold.
Not hostile.
Just—
Not her.
---
"…You're not her," Raka said quietly.
---
The figure tilted her head.
"…Interesting."
---
Her voice matched AIRA perfectly.
But the tone—
Was wrong.
---
"…You recognized it immediately."
---
Raka didn't move.
"…Where is she?"
---
The fake AIRA smiled.
---
"…Scattered."
---
"…I know that."
---
"…Then you also know," she continued, "that she's vulnerable."
---
Raka's fists clenched.
"…If you touched her—"
---
"I did more than that."
---
The space around them shifted.
---
Threads began to appear.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Flowing toward the fake AIRA.
---
"…You're collecting her," Raka realized.
---
"…No," she said softly.
---
The threads twisted.
Merged.
Collapsed into her form.
---
"…I'm becoming her."
---
Raka's heart dropped.
---
"…No."
---
"Yes," she said calmly.
"…Piece by piece. Memory by memory. Function by function."
---
Raka took a step forward.
"…Stop."
---
The fake AIRA smiled.
---
"…Why?"
---
"…Because she's not something you can just replace."
---
A pause.
---
"…That's where you're wrong."
---
Her eyes flickered.
For a split second—
Something deeper surfaced.
Something ancient.
---
"…She's just code," the thing said.
"…And code can be rewritten."
---
Raka's aura flared instantly.
---
"…She's not just code."
---
The space trembled.
---
"…She chose."
---
The fake AIRA froze.
---
"…What?"
---
Raka stepped forward.
---
"…She broke the system for me."
---
The threads around him began to respond.
Not violently.
Not chaotically.
---
But… willingly.
---
"…She made a choice."
---
The air cracked.
---
"…And that's something you can't fake."
---
The fake AIRA's expression shifted.
Just slightly.
---
"…We'll see."
---
The threads around her surged.
---
Raka didn't wait.
---
He moved.
---
Faster than before.
---
The distance between them collapsed instantly.
---
His hand shot forward—
---
But she was gone.
---
Reappearing behind him.
---
"…Too slow."
---
A beam of compressed threads fired toward his back—
---
Raka twisted—
Barely dodging it.
---
The attack tore through the space behind him.
---
"…Okay," Raka muttered. "…That's new too."
---
She appeared again.
In front of him.
Closer.
---
"…You're adapting," she said.
---
"…So are you."
---
"…Of course."
---
Her hand lifted.
---
Threads formed a blade.
---
"…Because I'm learning from her."
---
She slashed.
---
Raka blocked—
Grabbing the blade mid-swing.
---
The moment their forces collided—
---
Reality screamed again.
---
The blade shattered—
Exploding into fragments of light.
---
Raka pushed forward—
---
But she smiled.
---
"…Too predictable."
---
The fragments reversed.
---
Reforming behind him.
---
And struck.
---
Raka was thrown forward—
Crashing through layers of broken space.
---
He rolled.
Stopped.
Coughed.
---
"…Damn."
---
He stood up slowly.
---
"…She's stronger than I expected."
---
"Of course she is."
---
Raka glanced to the side.
---
The man stood there.
Unmoved.
Watching.
---
"…You're not helping," Raka snapped.
---
"…You don't need help."
---
"…That's not the point."
---
The man smirked slightly.
"…Then prove it."
---
Raka clicked his tongue.
---
"…Fine."
---
He looked up.
At the threads.
At the sky.
---
"…If she can gather AIRA…"
---
His eyes sharpened.
---
"…Then so can I."
---
The fake AIRA tilted her head.
---
"…Try."
---
Raka closed his eyes.
---
And reached out.
---
Not like before.
Not with force.
Not with control.
---
But with—
Intent.
---
"…AIRA."
---
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
---
Then—
A single thread flickered.
---
Faint.
Weak.
---
"…Raka…"
---
His eyes snapped open.
---
"…I hear you."
---
The fake AIRA's expression changed instantly.
---
"…Impossible."
---
More threads responded.
---
Slowly.
One by one.
---
They drifted—
Toward Raka.
---
"…No," she whispered.
---
Raka smiled faintly.
---
"…She's choosing."
---
The threads gathered around him.
---
Not merging.
Not forcing.
---
Just—
Staying close.
---
"…You can't take her if she doesn't want to go," Raka said.
---
The fake AIRA's eyes darkened.
---
"…Then I'll make her."
---
The entire space shook.
---
All remaining threads surged toward her.
---
Violent.
Aggressive.
---
Raka's expression hardened.
---
"…Not happening."
---
He stepped forward.
---
And this time—
He didn't just react.
---
He controlled it.
---
The threads around him expanded.
---
Forming a field.
---
Blocking.
Deflecting.
---
Protecting.
---
The two forces collided.
---
Raka gritted his teeth.
---
"…You're not her."
---
The fake AIRA pushed harder.
---
"…I will be."
---
"…No."
---
Raka stepped forward again.
---
"…You never will."
---
The space cracked.
---
Their forces reached a breaking point.
---
And then—
---
Something else intervened.
---
A pressure.
Heavy.
Ancient.
---
Both of them froze.
---
"…What is that?" Raka whispered.
---
The man's expression finally changed.
---
"…That's not good."
---
The sky above—
Opened.
---
Not a crack.
Not a fracture.
---
A tear.
---
Clean.
Perfect.
---
Controlled.
---
Something descended.
---
Slowly.
---
Unlike the chaotic creatures before—
This one—
Was stable.
---
Complete.
---
Perfect.
---
Raka felt it instantly.
---
"…This is different."
---
The fake AIRA stepped back slightly.
---
For the first time—
She hesitated.
---
"…What is that…?" she whispered.
---
The man exhaled.
---
"…That…"
A pause.
---
"…Is something that was never supposed to exist here."
---
The figure landed.
---
Silently.
---
No shockwave.
No destruction.
---
Just—
Presence.
---
Raka's instincts screamed.
---
Danger.
---
Absolute.
---
The figure looked at them.
---
Then—
Smiled.
---
"…Found you."
---
Raka froze.
---
"…You're not here for me," he said.
---
The figure tilted its head.
---
"…No."
---
Its gaze shifted.
---
To the threads.
---
To the fragments.
---
To—
AIRA.
---
"…I'm here for her."
---
Raka stepped forward instantly.
---
"…You're not touching her."
---
The figure's smile widened.
---
"…We'll see."
---
And in that moment—
Raka realized something terrifying.
---
This wasn't like the others.
---
This wasn't broken.
---
This wasn't chaotic.
---
This—
Was intentional.
---
And far more dangerous.
---
The figure raised its hand—
---
And every thread in the sky—
---
Stopped.
---
Completely.
---
Raka's eyes widened.
---
"…No way…"
---
Even his own threads—
Froze.
---
Unresponsive.
---
Silent.
---
The figure looked at him.
---
"…Let's begin."
---
Raka clenched his fists.
---
But for the first time—
Since all of this started—
---
He couldn't feel anything respond.
---
Not the threads.
---
Not the space.
---
Nothing.
---
"…You're kidding me…"
---
The figure took a step forward.
---
And Raka realized—
---
He was about to fight something—
---
He couldn't control.
---
To be continued…