The night sky stretched like a vast black silk curtain soaked in ink, silently covering the heavens.
Not a single star dared to show itself—only the full moon hung high in the center of the sky.
Amid this stifling silence, ripples suddenly began to form.
As if an invisible stone had been thrown into a calm lake, waves spread outward.
A door glowing with white light appeared, materializing out of nowhere in the void.
Three figures stepped through the radiant gateway, one after another.
The moment their feet touched the soil of this alternate world, Miko paused.
A sensation completely different from Orario or the modern cityscape surged up through her soles.
The ground beneath her feet was soft, layered with fallen leaves.
The cool night breeze swept past, bringing with it the distinct freshness of mountain air.
But mingling with it was a faintly sweet, unsettling scent.
As soon as the trio fully exited, the glowing portal slowly vanished.
"Wow... So this is the world where Kanae-senpai came from?"
Miko's eyes grew wide with curiosity once she adjusted to the dim light.
Her head swiveled left and right like a curious kitten, carefully observing her surroundings.
They were standing in the middle of a sprawling forest.
Tall trees stretched to the sky, their leaves rustling gently under the moonlight, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
The architecture around them was ancient and refined, exuding a strong sense of history and a distinct touch of a bygone era.
Miko tilted her head, studying the unique eaves of the buildings, and tried to dig up fragments of her sparse history knowledge.
"Hmm... The design of these houses... I think I saw something like this in a history book...?"
She tapped her chin thoughtfully, trying to remember.
"Is it... Showa Era style? It kind of looks like some of the old houses near where I live, but... much older?"
Standing beside her, Phaethon, his silver-gray hair gleaming faintly under the moonlight, glanced calmly around.
He nodded slightly and corrected her in his usual composed tone.
"You're not entirely wrong, Miko. This indeed resembles past Japan.
But it dates back even further. This place exists during the Taishō Era."
"T-Taishō?"
Miko practically squeaked like a startled kitten.
Her mind quickly began to calculate: The Taishō Era... that would be... that would be over a hundred years ago compared to the Heisei and Reiwa Eras she knew!
A hundred years?
The realization struck her like a thunderbolt, sending her mind spinning with dizziness and disbelief.
She took a half-step back, staring at Phaethon in utter astonishment.
"A hundred years ago? We... we really traveled back a hundred years?"
"Time is not always a straight, uniformly flowing river across all worlds, Miko."
Phaethon shook his head slightly.
"You cannot measure every world using the linear concept of time you know.
Every world has its unique origin, development, and independent timeline.
The flow of time might differ—some faster, some slower, some even looping or branching."
He paused for a moment before continuing:
"Some worlds might resemble Earth's historical progress, merely set in different coordinates of time—like this one.
Other worlds could be entirely separate planets with different physical laws, life forms, and paths of civilization.
It's not something to be surprised about."
Phaethon's words, though spoken in a calm tone, were like a heavy key forcefully unlocking Miko's previously single-world-centered perspective.
Before her eyes, a grand, magnificent, and infinitely possible multiverse seemed to unfold.
She nodded, still processing, feeling like her brain had just been force-fed a tidal wave of advanced concepts.
Yet, when she looked at Phaethon, her eyes shone with even deeper reverence and trust.
This god who stood before her clearly held knowledge and power far beyond her imagination.
While Phaethon explained the concept of the multiverse to Miko, Kanae stood silently to the side.
Her amethyst eyes gazed with complex emotions upon the familiar landscape.
Her body tensed slightly, and her breathing was a bit faster than usual.
Every tree, every brick, every leaf seemed to whisper tales of a past brutal and humiliating battle.
Her gaze paused at a cherry blossom tree that had been cleaved in half, its stump still jagged and raw.
Her eyes then flickered to the ground, where faint, dark stains of dried blood were barely visible.
Memories surged like tides, flooding her mind.
"This place..."
Kanae finally spoke, her voice firm yet laced with a hint of melancholy.
"I remember clearly... this is where I fought Upper Moon Two."
"If the battlefield was here,"
Kanae took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, her eyes sharp as she looked toward a brightly lit temple deeper within the grounds.
"Then Doma should be not far from here..."
"Let's go!"
Phaethon followed her gaze and nodded, his voice steady and assured.
"That temple must be Doma's lair.
He has been squatting there under the guise of a cult leader, enjoying the offerings of foolish devotees, treating them as nothing but his own food supply."
He turned to look at Kanae, his expression growing stern.
"Kanae, I will not intervene in the coming battle.
This is your fight for vengeance, your trial to prove your growth and transformation.
You must face him alone, with the new strength you have gained.
You must sever the nightmares of the past, and cut down the threads of the tragic fate that awaited you."
Kanae's body trembled slightly, but then she straightened her back.
She met Phaethon's gaze, and the last trace of hesitation in her violet eyes vanished completely.
What remained was a fierce, unyielding battle spirit that blazed like fire.
She nodded heavily, her voice firm and unyielding.
"Yes, Lord Phaethon! This time, I will not be as helpless as before.
I will... I will kill him with my own hands!"
"Umm... Kanae-senpai..."
Miko, sensing the sudden surge of tension, nervously tugged at Kanae's sleeve and whispered timidly:
"W-Who are you fighting? Is... is it someone really scary?"
Though she heard names like "Upper Moon Two" and "Doma," she had no understanding of this world's power structure.
But from the seriousness in Kanae's expression, she could feel the danger looming.
Phaethon reached out and gently stroked Miko's soft black hair, his smile warm and reassuring.
"Don't worry, Miko. You'll understand soon enough.
Just stay by my side and watch."
His smile was like a spring breeze, instantly sweeping away the anxiety building in Miko's heart.