"To be strong is not to dominate. To be strong is to hold the sky back without making anyone feel the weight."— Hoshino Souta
Scene 1: Beneath the Sky
It is lunch break, and the rooftop is alive with the gentle caress of an autumn breeze. The soft rustling of hair and the warm glow of the midday sun set the stage for revelations that feel as heavy as they are impossible.
Yamato's words hang in the air: > "We weren't born. We were created. Me and Reina… we're not reincarnations like you three. We're remnants from the First World."
Aqua's eyes narrow, a blend of confusion and suspicion tightening his features. "First World?" he asks, voice low, as if afraid that speaking the term aloud might summon lost horrors.
Yamato continues, his tone dispassionate yet edged with a profound sorrow: > "A parallel origin of humanity. A failed reality… a project gone wrong, created by beings who wanted to design the perfect society through control."
Souta sits quietly, his gaze fixed on something beyond the horizon. His eyes betray the inner tumult of a man who carries secrets and scars. In that silence, the words of destiny echo. Reina steps forward, her voice soft—almost tender—as she adds: > "They called us synthetic incarnates. Human minds formed around predetermined ideals. I was meant to observe. Yamato was meant to collapse."
Ruby's brow furrows. "Collapse?" she murmurs, the word heavy with absurdity and heartbreak.
Yamato's chuckle is dark and brittle. > "I'm what happens when a soul is broken before it's born. A bug. They tried to delete me, but Reina pulled me out."
Then, her voice quavering with a mix of hope and dread, Reina confesses, > "We escaped that reality. But only because… the First World began to merge with this one. Our presence here is a risk."
In that moment, Souta slowly stands, his hands clenching into fists as he faces not only his past but the consequence of his own actions. > "And I almost made it worse."
All eyes shift to him, and the air seems to thicken with fragile remorse and raw confession. Souta's voice, low and trembling, continues: > "I thought if I could control time, pain, fear, emotion… maybe I could keep you safe. But in doing so, I was doing exactly what that First World wanted."
He turns to Reina, his gaze searching for forgiveness. > "I'm sorry. For trying to overwrite your feelings. For doubting if you truly cared."
Reina's eyes widen in shock and hurt as if these words have peeled away a layer she desperately wanted to keep hidden. "You didn't—" she begins, but Souta interjects quietly, voice thick with the memory of old wounds, > "I did. I even feared giving Happy a soul because I thought he'd hate me. Because I didn't trust love unless I engineered it."
For a long, aching moment, the rooftop is filled with silence—a space where truth, regret, and love meet beneath the open sky.
Scene 2: The Promise
That evening, back at home under a velvety twilight, Souta finds refuge on the balcony. Cradled in a cocoon of cool night air, he sits beside Happy, his knees drawn tightly to his chest as if to shield his fragile heart. The distant hum of the city is muted against the backdrop of their quiet world.
In a soft, earnest whisper, Souta confesses: > "I won't try to write the future anymore. I'll earn it."
Happy leans against him, warm and steady, his gentle voice a quiet vow in the enveloping darkness: > "Then you've already started."
It is a promise spoken without fanfare—a pledge that no matter how heavy the past or tempting the lure of control, the path forward is forged by honest love and shared vulnerability.
Scene 3: New Training, New Resolve
Later, deep beneath the shimmering surface of the lake, Souta returns to his hidden pocket realm. This sanctuary is not for simulating mere control anymore—it is now a crucible where resistance is honed against every conceivable threat. In this ethereal space, he summons beings of divine nature that twist and refold reality like delicate origami.
He conjures simulations of planetary-scale anomalies and spawns gods of entropy, each one a test of his resolve. But against all these, he stands alone—wielding his power not to reshape the world for his own gain, but to hold, contain, redirect, and neutralize it. He is, in every sense, learning what it means to be the universe's ultimate guardian.
In a voice that cuts through the charged silence, Souta proclaims: > "Let the gods have their rules. Let the universe throw its chaos. I'll be the shield they'll never break— not because I rewrite the world… but because I stand unshaken."
Each moment of this secret training reinforces his understanding that true strength lies not in dominance over fate, but in the willingness to protect what matters most.
Scene 4: School Life Resumes – A Fragile Peace
At Yoto High, the outside world resumes its ordinary pace. In classrooms filled with the warmth of imperfect life, Souta, Ruby, Aqua, Yamato, and Reina sit together as if nothing extraordinary had shaken them just hours before. Their desks are ordinary, their uniforms slightly wrinkled—a reminder that real life is messy and beautiful.
The echoes of the First World, once so immediate and overwhelming, now linger quietly at the back of their minds… for now. In a burst of light-hearted banter, Ruby groans, "I got a 43 on math," and Aqua smirks, "That's a new record." Ruby glares playfully, "How is that a record?!" before Reina chimes in quietly, "Because I got 39." Their laughter mingles and softens the edges of secrets and burdens.
In a fleeting moment, Yamato sneaks a glance at Ruby. His eyes soften and then quickly dart away, a blush betraying feelings he'd rather keep hidden. For a moment, it seems that, despite everything, childhood innocence still lingers like sunlight through a cracked window.
Scene 5: A Sudden Surge
Yet peace is an illusion—and the delicate balance is soon threatened. Later that night, as Souta lies awake, he senses it first: the stars overhead dim unexpectedly. The moon itself warps, flickering like static on an old television screen, heralding the arrival of something not of this world.
Souta rises from bed, a quiet determination sparking in his eyes. He steps to the window, the ancient promise of protection stirring in his heart. Happy hops onto his shoulder, concern clear in his small eyes. "Do we fight now?" the bear asks, voice tinged with uncertainty.
Souta's answer is measured and calm, a vow forged in fire and regret: > "No. We protect. I promised."
In that moment, amidst the changing cosmos and the echo of forgotten worlds, Souta reaffirms his commitment to the fragile family he loves. His power, his doubts, and his longing are all contained by a single promise—to guard their world with every ounce of love and every measure of strength he possesses.
Each scene reveals another layer of their shared burden and secret beauty. The weight of the past and the lure of forbidden power press close to Souta's heart—even as he strives to build a future where love, not control, defines them. And as the shadows of the First World continue to edge toward their fragile peace, he knows that his journey is far from over. Yet, with each promise kept and each tender moment spent with family, he edges ever closer to the man he aspires to be—a boy, a guardian, a son determined to let love, not fear, light his path.