Scene: Deep Underground
(A labyrinth of shadows. The air is damp, thick with whispers.)
Kazuki stumbles through the darkness, clutching his bleeding side.
His breath is ragged. His heart pounds.
But it's not pain that grips him — it's fear.
[Kazuki] (thinking)
"How... How could I have underestimated them?"
"That power — no, that presence — was divine. This isn't what I was told..."
(A cold wind brushes past his cheek — and a voice, ancient and cruel, slithers through the air.)
[Dark God] (mocking)
"You ran... coward."
Kazuki freezes.
A shadowy tendril lashes from the darkness, wrapping around his throat.
It lifts him effortlessly into the air.
He kicks and struggles, gasping.
[Kazuki] (voice breaking)
"I... I failed. I thought they were just reborn humans—nothing more..."
"I didn't know the Maiden had returned too..."
The tendril tightens. His vision blurs.
[Dark God] (snarling)
"You had one task—to break the seal. Instead, you have awakened them."
---
Flashback: Years Ago
(Dark temple. Storms rage outside. A younger, desperate Kazuki kneels before a crumbling statue.)
[Young Kazuki] (pleading)
"If I give you my life... will you give me the strength to erase my pain?"
A dark voice coils around him like a serpent.
[Dark Voice] (whispering)
"I will give you more than strength. I will give you purpose."
A pact sealed. A soul tainted.
---
Back to Present
(The tendril tightens.
Kazuki's body goes limp.)
Just as the last flicker of consciousness fades—
A blade of golden light slashes through the darkness, severing the tendril.
Kazuki drops, coughing violently, gasping for breath.
[Time Maiden] (voice clear, unwavering)
"Enough."
Time God and Time Maiden stand above the broken ground — tired, but radiant.
[Time God] (voice rough but resolute)
"This boy has strayed..."
"But even corrupted stars can find their way again."
Kazuki blinks up at them — confused, trembling.
[Kazuki] (hoarse)
"You... You're the Time God... and the Maiden..."
[Time Maiden] (kneeling slightly)
"And we're here to give you a choice — again."
---
Scene: Temple Ruins
(The moon hangs low. Haruto and Airi sit by the remnants of shattered pillars.)
[Airi] (whispering)
"Do you think... we'll ever go back to normal?"
[Haruto] (smiling faintly)
"What even is normal now?"
(They laugh softly — a brief, bittersweet sound.)
But the moment fades.
Airi's eyes turn serious, reflecting the moonlight.
[Airi]
"I felt something when that sigil appeared... like it's tied to our past."
[Haruto]
"I did too."
"Maybe we need to find out what that symbol really means."
"Maybe it's the key."
Suddenly —
The Watch pulses with blinding light.
Haruto gasps, clutching his wrist.
[Haruto] (grimacing)
"It's showing me something again... another vision—"
---
Vision Flashes:
A darkened city crumbling under a bleeding sky.
A throne of bones atop a mountain of ash.
The Dark God — seated, laughing.
---
Back Underground:
The Time God and Time Maiden prepare to leave — Kazuki kneeling, head bowed, silent.
[Time God] (solemn)
"Redemption doesn't erase sin."
"But it changes what you become next."
Kazuki says nothing.
But in his chest — a faint ember of something almost forgotten flickers: hope.
---
Final Scene:
Far above —
Beyond sky and stars —
A cracked celestial mirror hangs between realms.
Within its reflection, a figure watches — ancient, worn, but still burning with hope.
[Mysterious Figure] (softly)
"They're coming together... just like the prophecy foretold."
(He turns away, his cloak of stardust swirling around him.)
Somewhere, destiny tightens its threads.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...