Emi held Arou's hand as she guided him through the forest.
Their steps were slow, yet Emi's heart felt like it was racing.
She kept glancing at him, making sure the person walking beside her was truly real.
Arou remained silent, his gaze drifting between the trees and the sunlight filtering through the leaves.
This world felt unfamiliar… yet it didn't scare him.
Instead, a quiet sense of peace slowly began to fill the emptiness inside him.
"…Emi."
Arou broke the silence.
"You said I was gone for a long time. How long…?"
Emi paused.
Her face grew still, as if she was choosing words that wouldn't hurt him.
"…A long time," she answered softly. "Long enough that everyone started to lose hope that you'd ever come back."
Arou looked at her.
"And you?"
"…I kept waiting."
Emi gave a small smile. "Because I knew you wouldn't just disappear like that."
Arou didn't know how to respond.
But for the first time… he felt valued.
They continued walking.
Once they stepped out of the forest, a wide open plain stretched before them, with a simple stone road cutting across it.
In the distance, a village came into view.
Small houses stood in neat rows, their walls made of light wood and their roofs covered with sturdy straw.
Thin smoke rose from several chimneys.
Voices filled the air—children laughing, adults chatting, footsteps brushing against the earth.
Arou stared at the village for a long moment.
"…Is this the human world?"
Emi nodded.
"Ardis Village. This is where I live."
Then she glanced at him, a little awkward.
"…and… you used to live here too."
Arou felt his chest tighten for a moment.
"…Really?"
Emi nodded again.
As they walked into the village, several villagers turned to look.
At first, they paid little attention.
But the moment they saw Arou's face clearly, their expressions changed completely.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Some covered their mouths.
Others rubbed their eyes, as if trying to confirm what they were seeing.
The atmosphere fell into silence.
An elderly man approached with hesitant steps.
"Arou…? Is that really you…?"
Arou looked at them, unsure of what to say.
Emi stepped beside him, smiling with quiet pride.
"Yes. This is Arou. He's back."
Whispers spread among the villagers.
"Arou is back…?"
"I thought he was already…"
"How is he alive…?"
"God answered Emi's prayers…"
Arou felt uncomfortable.
He didn't feel like the person they believed him to be.
But Emi gently held his arm.
"It's okay. They're just surprised," she whispered.
A woman approached with a warm smile.
"You returned at the right time, Arou. The world outside is in chaos. Many people have lost their way…"
Arou wanted to ask more.
But before he could speak, Emi pulled him toward a small house at the edge of the village.
"Come inside. You need to rest first."
The house was simple, yet warm.
As soon as the door closed, Arou finally let out a breath.
Emi prepared some water and a clean cloth.
"You must be tired. I'm really glad you're back."
---
Arou sat down on a wooden chair.
"…Emi."
He looked at her quietly.
"Why does everyone… look at me like I'm someone important?"
Emi paused.
Her eyes trembled slightly as she looked at him.
"Arou… because you are important."
She stepped closer.
"And if this world is going to change… you're one of the people who can make it happen."
Arou fell silent.
Those words… felt like a truth he didn't fully understand yet.
Outside the window, the wind blew gently.
As if the world itself was waiting for what he would do next.
---
Arou stepped outside the house, his breathing still not fully steady.
His mind kept spinning with thoughts about the "Old World" and the strange changes he had felt since waking up.
Some villagers sat along the roadside, their faces pale and exhausted.
One of them—a man in his forties—looked at Arou as if he had been waiting for him.
"Arou… you finally came out," he said, his voice rough.
Arou nodded. "I just woke up. Can you tell me what's been happening here?"
The man took a deep breath.
"This world… it's not the same anymore. Three days ago, the sky changed color. Houses collapsed without warning. Rivers dried up. People just… disappeared."
Arou frowned slightly.
"And the worst part," the man continued, "some people say they saw a giant figure in the sky. Glowing eyes… like it was watching us."
Arou fell silent, his throat tightening.
"Everyone is living in fear now. No one knows what's coming next. But… somehow, ever since you came back… people started to feel hope again."
Arou looked down, slowly clenching his hand.
"I don't understand what's happening yet… but I'll find out," he said.
The man nodded, a hint of relief appearing on his face despite the lingering fear.
As Arou turned to leave, he felt something—
A gaze from the sky.
Faint… distant… but unmistakable.
As if something above everything was watching him.
---
As Arou walked away, his thoughts remained tangled in the story of the changing sky.
Each step felt heavy, as if even the ground held secrets yet to be uncovered.
At a crossroads, someone suddenly appeared before him.
A man in a dark robe, his face hidden in shadow.
Without a word, he held out a long box.
Arou instinctively stepped back. "What is this?"
"For you," the man replied quietly. "From someone who still remembers you."
Before Arou could ask anything else, the man vanished like smoke in the wind.
Arou opened the box.
Inside were two swords, faintly glowing.
One was crimson, patterned like flames.
The other was blue, carrying a cold aura like the night sky.
Both felt… familiar.
Like something he had once held before losing his memories.
Arou grasped the red sword first.
"…Why does it feel like I've used this before?"
He looked at the blue one.
"…This one too."
Suddenly, three names flashed through his mind.
Rei. Feeth. Nora.
Arou flinched.
"…Who are they?"
No faces.
No voices.
No memories.
Just empty names, as if they came from a void within him.
The harder he tried to remember, the further they slipped away into darkness.
Arou pressed his temple.
"…Why does it feel like something was taken from me?"
He looked at the two swords again.
The red one felt warm.
The blue one felt cold.
They were like keys… connected to a past that had been forcibly severed.
Arou gripped them tightly.
"…Zata… what did you do?"
---
The sky trembled.
Then suddenly—
It tore apart like fabric being ripped open.
A dark red light poured down from the crack, casting a massive shadow over the village.
The ground shook violently.
The air turned cold.
Villagers screamed in panic.
A massive creature fell from the sky, slamming into the ground with enough force to nearly destroy the village.
Its body was enormous and black.
Its eyes glowed red.
Its jagged teeth grated like metal against the air.
Arou stepped back, both swords trembling in his hands—not from fear, but as if they were reacting to the threat.
"…Is this part of the new world?" he muttered.
The monster let out a thunderous roar.
Before Arou could move—
A streak of blue light shot in from the distance and slammed into the creature's head.
The monster staggered back.
Arou turned.
Someone stood there.
A young man with short silver hair, breathing heavily, his body covered in dust and wounds.
His sharp eyes looked like he had just fought something far worse than this monster.
"…Good. You're still alive, Arou," he said.
Arou stared at him.
"…Nova?"
Nova walked closer, suppressing the pain.
"This world is unstable. Creatures are coming through the cracks in the sky."
He took a deep breath.
"And this… is just the beginning."
The monster moved again, cracking the ground beneath it.
Nova steadied himself.
"We don't have time to talk. Arou—get ready."
Arou tightened his grip on the red and blue swords.
"If this is the new world Zata created… then I'll see for myself how far he's willing to go to destroy it."
The monster raised its arm.
Arou and Nova stood side by side.
A new chapter had begun.