The wind didn't calm down.
It grew sharper.
Faster.
Like it was pushing them forward.
Kai walked ahead.
Focused.
Luna followed close behind.
Ron stayed quiet, eyes scanning everything.
Kenta stayed… unusually silent.
For once.
They climbed a broken slope.
Stone under their feet.
Floating islands above them moving again.
The sky had changed.
Not dark.
Not bright.
Just… unstable.
Luna looked ahead.
Her breath slowed.
"There…"
The structure appeared again.
This time it didn't disappear.
A massive gate.
Standing in the middle of the sky.
Not floating.
Not grounded.
Just… existing.
White and black energy moved around it.
Petals.
Thousands of them.
Spinning.
Alive.
Kenta whispered,
"That's not a gate… that's a final boss arena."
No one laughed.
They walked closer.
Each step felt heavier.
Like something was watching them.
Not attacking.
Just… waiting.
Ron spoke quietly,
"This is it."
Kai nodded.
"Yes."
Luna swallowed.
"So… after this…"
No one finished the sentence.
They reached the edge.
A wide open platform.
Stone.
Cracked.
Ancient.
The gate stood at the center.
Huge.
Tall enough to touch the sky.
Covered in moving symbols.
White and black petals circling around it endlessly.
Kenta exhaled slowly.
"Okay… so we just walk in… forget everything… and go home…"
His voice didn't sound excited.
It sounded… empty.
Luna stepped forward.
Then stopped.
Her body froze.
"Wait…"
Ron looked at her.
"What is it?"
Luna pointed ahead.
"There's someone there."
They all looked.
Four figures stood near the gate.
Still.
Silent.
Facing away from them.
Kenta frowned.
"Are those… people?"
Kai's eyes narrowed.
"No."
The wind slowed.
The petals stopped spinning.
Everything went quiet.
One of the figures moved.
Slowly.
It turned around.
Luna's breath stopped.
"No way…"
It was her.
Same face.
Same hair.
Same eyes.
Same clothes.
But…
Different.
Her eyes were darker.
Empty.
No warmth.
No curiosity.
Just… stillness.
Kenta stepped back.
"Okay… okay… no… I don't like this… I really don't like this…"
The second figure turned.
Ron.
But not Ron.
His expression was cold.
Sharp.
His eyes looked like they had seen everything…
and stopped caring.
The third one turned.
Kenta.
But quieter.
No smile.
No jokes.
Just a blank face.
That scared more than anything.
Finally…
The last one turned.
Kai.
Wearing the same royal clothes.
Standing the same way.
But his presence felt heavier.
Colder.
Like a version of him that had lost something.
Or maybe…
given up something.
Silence.
No one moved.
Luna whispered,
"…what is this…?"
Her other self stepped forward.
"You made it here."
Same voice.
But empty.
Kenta grabbed Ron's arm.
"Bro… are we… looking at… evil copies?"
Ron didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Kai stepped forward slightly.
His eyes locked on the other Kai.
"You are not us."
The other Kai tilted his head slightly.
"We are what you become."
That line hit hard.
Luna shook her head.
"No… that's not true."
Her other self looked at her.
"You saw the choice."
Return.
Or remain.
Ron's expression changed slightly.
"You stayed…"
The other Ron nodded.
"Yes."
Kenta's voice shook.
"Why would anyone choose that?"
His other self finally spoke.
"Because forgetting is worse."
Silence.
That hit deep.
Luna stepped forward.
"So you chose to stay… and become… this?"
Her other self smiled faintly.
"Not become."
She looked around.
"Understand."
Kai's voice was sharp.
"This is not understanding. This is losing yourself."
The other Kai replied calmly,
"No. This is accepting what you are."
The wind started rising again.
Slowly.
Ron looked at his other self.
"What did you gain?"
The answer came instantly.
"Everything you were too afraid to face."
Kenta shook his head.
"This is messed up…"
His other self looked at him.
"You were always afraid."
That hit him.
Hard.
Kenta didn't reply.
Luna's chest tightened.
"So what… you're here to stop us?"
Her other self tilted her head.
"No."
Pause.
"We are here to test you."
Kai's grip tightened.
"This world already tested us."
The other Kai replied,
"That was just the beginning."
The gate behind them began glowing.
Bright.
Strong.
Calling them.
The other Ron stepped forward.
"If you pass through that…"
He paused.
"You lose everything from here."
Luna's voice trembled slightly.
"I know that."
The other Luna stepped closer.
"Do you?"
Her eyes locked onto Luna's.
"Will you forget the wind?"
Pause.
"The sky?"
Pause.
"The feeling of this place?"
Luna couldn't answer.
The other Kenta spoke.
"You'll go back to normal life."
His voice was flat.
"No magic. No adventure."
Pause.
"No us."
Kenta looked away.
His hands clenched.
Kai stepped forward.
"Enough."
The wind rose sharply.
"We already decided."
The other Kai smiled slightly.
"No."
He looked directly at him.
"You haven't."
The ground beneath them cracked slightly.
Energy spread.
The petals started spinning again.
Faster.
Darker.
Ron stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
The answer came calmly.
"Show us."
Luna frowned.
"Show what?"
All four of them spoke at once.
"That you deserve to leave."
Silence.
Kenta whispered,
"Oh… this is bad… this is very bad…"
Kai drew his sword slowly.
The sound cut through the silence.
"You stand in our way."
The other Kai did the same.
Same movement.
Same speed.
Same stance.
"You stand in your own way," he replied.
The wind exploded.
Petals shot into the air.
White.
Black.
Mixed.
Ron stepped forward.
Kenta took a deep breath.
Luna clenched her fists.
Four against four.
Same faces.
Same voices.
Different choices.
The gate behind them roared with light.
The sky cracked slightly.
The wind screamed.
Luna whispered,
"This is insane…"
Her other self smiled faintly.
"No."
Pause.
"This is the truth."
The petals turned sharp.
Like blades.
Kai raised his sword.
Ron stepped into position.
Kenta tried to smile.
Luna steadied her breath.
The other versions mirrored them perfectly.
For a moment…
Everything froze.
Then....
The wind shattered.
TO BE CONTINUED....
IN THE FINAL CHAPTER.