Makoto Ito's thoughts swirled as he retraced his steps through the darkened streets.
In the original timeline… who awakened Kōgo Ginjo's power over death? Who gave him that cross pendant—his medium for manifesting his abilities?
A chill ran down his spine.
Why does everything I do seem to push events closer to their original course?
The idea gnawed at him, his instincts screaming that something was off.
Is the timeline correcting itself?
Had his mere existence thrown the world's natural order into disarray, forcing it to instinctively repair itself? Or—worse—was someone orchestrating everything, ensuring events followed their predestined path?
If so, only a handful of beings in existence had the power to do that.
The Spirit King—Adenais.
Makoto's breath hitched. If his theory was correct, it meant that everything he had done, every battle he had fought, had been foreseen, planned, and manipulated.
For a moment, panic threatened to set in.
But then, he exhaled slowly, forcing himself to regain composure.
If that's true… then there's nothing I can do about it. At least not yet.
The only solution was power. Absolute, undeniable power.
If something tries to control me, I'll just cut it down.
He shook his head, brushing aside the troubling thoughts.
"I hope I'm just overthinking this."
"Brother Makoto, what's wrong?"
A young voice cut through his thoughts.
Makoto turned to see Kōgo staring at him with concern, his small hands gripping the silver cross he had just received.
"It's nothing," Makoto replied, forcing a grin. "Let's head back."
Two Months Later
Time flew by. Only three days remained until Makoto's mission in the Human World would officially end.
He sprawled lazily on the small sofa of his rented apartment, a straw between his lips as he slurped the last remnants of a soda.
"This world's way too comfortable..." he muttered.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden beeping of his phone alarm. Glancing at the screen, he smirked.
"It's time."
With a swift motion, he rolled off the couch and landed on the bed. The next moment, his spirit form stepped out of his Gigai, leaving his physical body behind in what looked like peaceful sleep.
In an instant, Makoto vanished into the night.
His destination—the unfinished building where he had been training Ginjo in secret.
Because the boy was only seven, he was under constant supervision at the orphanage. To avoid suspicion, their training sessions always took place in the dead of night, after everyone had gone to sleep.
Tonight would be their final session.
Arriving at the training ground, Makoto expected to find Ginjo waiting as usual.
But something was wrong.
He's not here?
Frowning, he glanced around. Ginjo was always punctual—if anything, he was usually there before Makoto.
Did he oversleep?
Just as he was about to check, a sudden spike of spiritual pressure flared in the distance.
His expression darkened.
"I see."
Without hesitation, Makoto vanished in a flash step, heading straight toward the disturbance.
Yuhua Town - Residential Area
A monstrous, snail-like Hollow loomed over a terrified young woman, acid dripping from its grotesque maw.
"Sssssccchhhh!"
The creature spat a thick, yellow-green liquid at its prey. The moment it struck the concrete wall beside her, the material sizzled and melted into a gaping hole.
The girl let out a strangled scream.
Then—
A small figure blurred into existence beside her, yanking her out of harm's way just as another spray of acid scorched the ground where she had stood.
The girl gasped, staring up at her rescuer.
A child?
Kōgo barely spared her a glance. His focus was locked onto the Hollow, his tiny hands tightening around the hilt of his oversized sword.
With a sharp movement, he rushed forward.
His blade flashed, slicing cleanly through one of the Hollow's grotesque tentacles.
"ROOOOOAAARR!!"
The creature let out an agonized wail, then retaliated. Its gaping mouth expanded unnaturally before spewing out a deadly acid projectile straight at Ginjo.
The boy's eyes flashed.
"Hadō 4—Byakurai!"
A streak of pure white lightning burst from his fingertips, colliding with the acid in midair. The impact sent black smoke billowing into the night, the corrosive liquid splattering against the pavement, sizzling ominously.
Through the haze, Ginjo charged forward once more.
His blade glowed faintly in the moonlight as he leaped onto the Hollow's massive shell. Raising his sword high, he drove it straight through the creature's mask.
"GRRAAAAAAHHHH!"
The Hollow let out one final, agonized shriek before its body disintegrated into the wind.
Silence settled over the scene.
The girl, still trembling, looked at the child who had saved her.
"Th-thank you, little brother..."
Ginjo turned toward her, his expression unreadable.
At that moment, from a rooftop nearby, Makoto Ito observed the scene, his arms crossed.
His eyes narrowed as he watched the boy.
"So... it's already beginning."
"Oh? Sister, you can see me?"
Kōgo Ginjo's eyes widened in surprise. Without hesitation, he pulled out the memory modifier that Makoto Ito had given him and pressed it gently against the young woman's forehead.
"Wha—?"
Before she could react, a faint burst of black smoke rose from the device. Her body swayed, and within moments, she collapsed unconscious.
A slow, deliberate clap echoed from the alley behind them.
"Well done, little Ginjo."
Makoto Ito stepped forward, his smirk barely concealed. In truth, he had arrived long ago. He had simply chosen to observe, curious to see how much the boy had grown under his training.
And the results were impressive.
"Brother Ito, you're so sneaky!" Ginjo pouted, crossing his arms. "You were here the whole time and didn't even help!"
Makoto only chuckled in response, ignoring the boy's complaints.
But just as he was about to speak, something happened that left him utterly stunned.
Ginjo walked over to the unconscious woman, rubbing his hands together as if preparing for something. Then, with a small, focused gesture, he extracted a tiny, glowing white speck from her body.
The light pulsed gently in his palm.
With a soft, childlike voice, he murmured, "Without this little light, sister, you won't be targeted by Hollows anymore."
Makoto's eyes narrowed. In a flash, he was beside the boy, taking the mysterious light into his own hand.
"This is..."
His grip tightened instinctively as he examined the radiant speck.
Something about this... felt very wrong.
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