1. The Threshold of a Goddess
The Obsidian Pillar loomed above them—a fortress sculpted from polished night and lined with veins of molten silver. It pulsed with divine magic, but not in a welcoming way. More like a "touch me and get vaporized" kind of magic.
Kaito stood before the black gate, the wind pulling at his cloak. His breath came slower now, deeper, like he knew this step forward would change everything.
Behind him, Calia placed a hand on his back—not pushing, just present.
"You okay?"
"No," he replied. "But I've stopped waiting to be."
They pushed open the gates.
2. A Fortress of Memories and Cruelty
The inside of the Pillar was eerily silent.
The architecture defied logic—walls that curved into themselves, endless mirrors that reflected moments from Kaito's past, from childhood laughter to blood-drenched betrayal.
Venari's voice echoed through the halls without warning.
"Welcome home, Kaito. Did you miss me?"
He stiffened. Calia stepped in front of him, sword drawn.
"I don't need to fight you," the voice continued. "I only need you to remember who you are. Who we were."
They walked deeper, through a corridor of floating glass shards. Each one flickered with a different memory—Kaito's memories.
Some beautiful.
Some obscene.
All real.
3. Auren's Breaking Point
"I hate this place," Auren muttered. "It smells like expensive perfume and trauma."
He kicked a golden urn. It shattered and reformed in midair, mocking him.
"Are you okay?" Calia asked.
"No, I'm in a goddess's trauma maze watching my best friend fall apart in 4K," he snapped. "We should've brought a therapist."
Calia smiled faintly. "You're not wrong."
Auren rubbed his temples. "I'm just saying, if this place gets any more cursed, I'm going to start eating the furniture."
From a wall mirror, Auren's reflection briefly grinned back at him with glowing eyes.
"…Okay, maybe less talking, more walking."
4. The Throne of Want
At the top of the endless staircase, the throne room finally revealed itself.
A massive chamber, hollow as a cathedral and silent as guilt. Stained-glass windows depicted Venari in countless forms—savior, destroyer, lover, tyrant.
And on the throne of bone-laced crystal sat the goddess herself.
Venari.
Divine.
Beautiful.
Horrifying.
She wore a smile that could kill, and eyes that once had made Kaito feel whole—now they just made him feel hollow.
"You came back," she said. "My little mortal."
"I'm not yours anymore."
"Oh?" She rose. "Then why did you come?"
Kaito stepped forward, each footfall measured.
"To end this."
5. The Conversation That Wasn't a Conversation
Venari circled him, eyes alight with fascination and… something else. Regret? Hunger?
"You've changed," she said.
"You made me," he replied.
"No," she said softly. "I broke you. And you built yourself again."
There was silence between them—not peaceful, but pregnant. Heavy.
"I didn't come for revenge," Kaito finally said. "I came for clarity."
Venari laughed. It echoed like cracked bells. "Clarity? Darling, I used your soul as a harp. I don't deserve clarity. But you do. Ask."
"Why?"
She blinked. "Because I could."
He closed his eyes. And still, her touch lingered—not on his skin, but in his story.
6. Calia's Warning
Calia stepped beside him, hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "If you're trying to seduce him again, I'll carve your name into every wall of this place using your spine."
Venari raised an eyebrow. "Possessive, aren't we?"
"No," Calia said. "Protective. Of what he's become. Of who he is without you."
Venari looked at Kaito with something that almost resembled sadness. "She speaks of you like you're some divine artifact. I preferred you messy."
"I was never yours to prefer," he said.
Her mask cracked.
Slightly.
7. The Kiss That Didn't Happen
She stepped forward.
"Kaito," she whispered. "One last time. Let me show you what I really feel."
Calia tensed.
Even Auren grunted, "Oh hell no."
But Kaito held up a hand. "Don't. Please."
Venari froze.
"I used to crave your touch like oxygen," he said. "Now it feels like poison."
"You don't mean that."
He stepped back. "I do. And I think some part of you—maybe the part that once cared—knows it too."
Venari looked down.
For the first time… unsure.
8. Auren's Sacred Fart
Silence loomed, serious and heavy.
Then Auren, who had eaten three suspicious glowing berries during the climb, let out a massive, echoing fart.
Everyone froze.
Even Venari.
Auren blinked. "It had to happen. Sorry. Divine digestion."
Kaito chuckled despite himself.
Calia snorted.
Venari stared at them like she couldn't believe she was losing emotional ground to a man named Auren the Flatulent.
The moment broke the tension.
And maybe, just a little, reminded Kaito that he wasn't alone anymore.
9. The Offer
Venari did not speak for a long time.
Then, with a whisper as soft as regret, she said, "Come to me, Kaito. Let me give you what no one else can."
He narrowed his eyes. "And what's that?"
"Truth. Power. And peace."
Calia scoffed. "He has peace. With us."
Venari ignored her. "The peace I offer isn't fleeting. It's not tied to fragile flesh or mortal drama. You want to know who you are? You want to matter in a world that chewed you up and spat you out? I can make you a god, Kaito."
Auren coughed loudly. "Hard pass on divinity. Comes with a serious control-freak clause."
Venari's eyes never left Kaito's. "You were mine once. You still are, in the ways that count. You know it. Feel it. Deny me all you want, but some part of you—"
"—wants to see you burn," Kaito finished flatly.
Her lips twitched.
"Fine. But I'll make you a deal."
10. A Divine Gamble
"I give you one hour," Venari said, pacing slowly down the obsidian steps. "One hour in the Temple of Reflection. Alone. There, you'll see your truths. No filters. No masks. You'll face yourself, Kaito. And if, after that, you still choose to walk away…"
She smiled.
"…I will never appear before you again."
Calia grabbed his arm. "Don't trust her."
"I don't," he said. "But if I don't walk into that place, I'll always wonder what I'm running from."
"You're not running. You're healing."
He looked into her eyes. "Then let me prove that to myself."
11. Inside the Temple of Reflection
The temple shimmered with ethereal silver flame. The walls pulsed with memory, the floor scattered with cracked masks—some beautiful, some monstrous.
Kaito stepped inside, alone.
Immediately, the air thickened, like emotion had a weight and it was trying to drown him.
Then the visions began.
12. Memory 1 – The Toy
A scene unfurled before him: his young self, kneeling in chains made of silk and pain, a collar around his neck, looking up at Venari.
She smiled, stroking his cheek with mock affection.
"You're perfect," she whispered. "You feel so much. That's what makes you fun."
The boy didn't cry. He just looked empty.
Kaito winced. "I hated that version of me."
The memory-Kaito whispered back: "No. You pitied me. That's worse."
The vision shattered.
13. Memory 2 – The Power
Another memory. Older Kaito. The day he first unleashed his forbidden magic—born from divine tampering and trauma.
He stood over a smoking battlefield, hundreds dead. His hands were black with power and guilt.
Venari's voice rang in his head. "This is what you're capable of when you stop caring."
The power felt good. Addictive.
Kaito, watching from outside the vision, said aloud, "But I did care. I always cared."
"That's what made it so easy to break you," the echo replied.
14. Memory 3 – The Choice
Final vision.
A peaceful life. A small cabin. Calia laughing while stirring soup. Auren teasing a squirrel into fighting him with a twig. Kaito sitting on the porch, reading.
No gods.
No war.
Just peace.
Venari appeared beside him in the illusion.
"This is what you want, isn't it?"
"Yes," Kaito admitted.
"But you don't believe you deserve it."
He didn't answer.
She leaned in. "Let me fix that."
He turned to her—his eyes full of longing.
And then punched her in the face.
The illusion cracked.
15. The Fire Returns
Kaito walked out of the temple with a limp and a thousand-yard stare.
Calia ran to him. "What happened?"
He looked at her, then at Auren, and whispered, "I saw everything. Who I was. Who I could be. Who I'll never be again."
Calia hesitated. "Do you still want to leave this all behind?"
He reached up and brushed her hair back behind her ear.
"No. I want to burn it down and start over—with you."
She didn't cry.
But her kiss was everything tears couldn't say.
16. Auren Touches the Forbidden Sword
Meanwhile, Auren was poking a floating artifact in the corner.
"I probably shouldn't—"
CCHZZZAAAKKKK!
A pulse of divine lightning zapped him across the room. His hair stood on end, and his pants were now glowing faintly pink.
He groaned from the floor. "Okay… bad sword. Very bad sword."
Venari, appearing once more atop her throne, smirked. "That artifact is cursed."
Auren flipped her off. "Yeah, well, so am I. Doesn't mean I need warnings."
17. Final Temptation
Venari stood. The room went cold.
"Last chance, Kaito. Stay. Rule beside me. Rewrite the world with me."
Calia moved forward.
He caught her wrist gently. "I got this."
He faced Venari.
"You took everything from me. My innocence. My trust. My belief in love."
"And yet, you're stronger now."
"No thanks to you."
"You loved me once."
"And I'll carry that scar forever."
He drew his blade—not to attack, but to mark the floor with a rune.
"For every soul you hurt like me," he whispered, "I will build something better."
Venari stepped back—not in fear, but in recognition.
He had truly changed.
18. Exit Wound
As they left the throne room, the Obsidian Pillar began to crumble.
Venari didn't scream.
She simply sat down, expression unreadable, and watched as her creation fell apart around her.
"You win, mortal," she murmured. "Now let's see what you do with that."
19. After the Pillar Falls
The group emerged from the ruins of Venari's Obsidian Pillar as its black spires crumbled behind them like shattered pride. The sky above had turned a deep crimson—twilight stretched too far, as if the world itself hesitated in drawing its next breath.
Calia kept glancing at Kaito. Not because she didn't trust him, but because she did—and she knew how heavy his silence had become.
He had faced himself. And sometimes that's worse than facing gods.
"Kaito," she said softly, "you can talk to me."
He looked at her.
"I know," he said. "But I don't know how."
20. The Lake of Restless Eyes
They made camp beside a strange silver lake—its waters glittered with floating red irises. Not fish. Literal floating eyes.
"This place is definitely cursed," Auren said, poking a log suspiciously before setting it on fire with a sneeze. "Everything here blinks."
Kaito chuckled. A small one. But real.
"Still alive," Auren noted, leaning over. "That's a start."
Kaito nodded.
Then, quietly, "I remembered my mother."
Calia's breath caught.
"I was five. She tried to hide me from Venari's priestesses. She failed."
He took a long pause.
"She died screaming, but her last words were a lullaby. I used to think I imagined that, but it was real."
Calia placed a hand on his.
"You're allowed to miss the people who couldn't save you," she whispered. "Even if they tried."
21. Campfire Confessions
That night, under eerie blinking starlight, the trio sat close by the fire.
Calia leaned her head against Kaito's shoulder. "Can I tell you something selfish?"
He looked down at her. "Please."
"I hated Venari the moment I saw you."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even know me."
"I didn't need to. You walked like someone carrying your own grave. And I hated whoever made you believe that's what you deserved."
He stared at her.
Auren fake-yawned. "Wow, is it hot out here or just the emotionally-charged confessions burning my soul?"
"Shut up, squirrel-whisperer," Calia muttered, though without venom.
22. The Unseen Flame
Auren stood, stretching. "I'm going for a walk. You two—sort out whatever sexual tension is trying to choke me like a divine boa constrictor. If I hear giggling, I'm feeding your underpants to the lake."
He strolled off.
Kaito looked at Calia.
She smiled. "He's not wrong."
"About the tension?"
"About the underpants."
They both laughed.
Then, the silence stretched again. Not awkward—just fragile.
Kaito turned to her.
"Why did you stay?" he asked. "You could've left. You had every reason."
Calia's smile faded—but her eyes held.
"Because the first time you touched my hand, I felt safe. Which is funny, considering how dangerous you are."
She slid her hand up his arm.
"I don't want a perfect hero, Kaito. I want you. Flaws, pain, weird spark powers and all."
He swallowed.
And then, finally, he kissed her.
It wasn't rushed. It wasn't desperate.
It was an apology.
And a promise.
23. Trouble Sparks
Just as things got heated—clothes askew, hands lost in hair, that almost-magic moment—
Auren ran back into camp screaming.
"UH, GUYS!? NOT TO COCKBLOCK BUT THERE'S A GIANT NIGHTMARE DEMON CRAWLING OUT OF THE SKY!"
Calia groaned, sitting up. "I swear to all the gods, if this thing ruins my almost-first time with Kaito, I'm going to banish it with a boot."
Kaito was already on his feet, pulling his blade from the ground.
"Talk later?" he asked.
Calia winked. "Finish what you started or I will."
24. The Whispering One
From above the lake, a massive crack tore open in the sky like someone had ripped cloth soaked in midnight.
Out slithered a creature—not fully formed. Too many arms. Too few eyes. And no mouth, just a swirling black void where its face should be.
"Oh cool," Auren deadpanned. "A nightmare from the dimension of 'nope.'"
Calia fired an arrow.
It vanished.
The creature laughed—not audibly, but inside their minds.
:: The Forgotten One watches you, toy of Venari… ::
Kaito winced. "That's… new."
:: You think you're free. But she was the least of your shackles. Come, little god-toy. Let me show you the truth behind gods. ::
Then it disappeared.
The sky sealed shut like nothing happened.
Silence.
Auren blinked. "Okay. So. Good news? Not dead. Bad news? We just unlocked nightmare new game plus."
25. Kaito Breaks
Later, after calming their pulses with what Auren called "emotional soup," Kaito sat away from the others. Staring into the lake. Into his reflection.
He didn't notice Calia walk up behind him.
"I'm still here," she said gently.
He looked up at her, eyes glassy.
"I'm scared."
She sat beside him.
"So am I."
"I thought once Venari was behind us, I'd be okay. But there's always something else. Some god. Some monster. Some voice in my head trying to tear me apart."
Calia took his hand.
"Then let's fight them. Together. Until there's no one left."
26. One Last Joke
Auren rejoined them carrying a long stick.
"What's that?" Calia asked.
"A legendary staff forged from the cursed branches of the Eye Tree."
"…It's just a stick."
"Yes, but I say it's magic, and therefore it is. That's how hero lore works, right?"
He looked at Kaito.
"Hey. You're not broken. You're just… remodeled."
Kaito chuckled.
"I'm serious. You're like a really badass teapot. Got shattered, put back together with gold, and now you're ten times more interesting and definitely more expensive."
Calia laughed until she cried.
And then they sat there, three survivors of too many worlds, ready for whatever came next.
Even if it wore the face of Gods
27. The Valley of Memoryrot
The next morning, they reached the edge of a strange canyon known only in whispers—Memoryrot, where time didn't flow straight, and shadows told your secrets before you could.
The cliffs pulsed with a violet shimmer. Carvings shifted as they passed—sometimes they looked like ancient runes, sometimes like eyes.
"This place gives me the screaming willies," Auren said. "Which is saying a lot, considering I once dated a banshee."
Calia rolled her eyes. "Was it serious?"
"She tried to scream me into commitment. I respect her hustle."
Kaito was quiet. The closer they got to the center, the more his skin buzzed—not painfully, but with the awareness of something ancient watching him breathe.
28. A Wish in the Stone
At the center of the canyon stood a circular altar made of mirror-stone. It reflected not their faces—but their true selves. Kaito flinched as he saw his reflection shift: child, weapon, survivor, protector… lover?
In the center hovered a single, burning ember.
"A Divine Spark," Calia breathed. "That's a wish."
Kaito approached.
The spark pulsed. And in his head, a voice—not Venari, not the Forgotten One—something older, something beyond.
:: One wish, child of gods and ruin. Anything. ::
Calia stepped forward. "Kaito… don't. This isn't normal magic. It's origin magic. It comes with a price."
He stared at the ember.
"I know what I want," he said.
Auren coughed. "I mean, if it's extra crispy chicken wings, I support it. But otherwise—"
"I want to forget Venari ever touched me."
Silence.
Calia inhaled sharply.
"No," she said.
He looked at her. "Why not?"
"Because then you'd forget how far you've come."
"You don't know what it's like—"
"I do!" she snapped. "Do you think I wanted to remember being sold by my own father? Or being forced to kill for 'noble causes'? You think I don't dream of forgetting?"
He stared at her, trembling.
She stepped closer. Her voice softened.
"You're not just your trauma, Kaito. But it made you you. And I like you. All of you."
His hand, outstretched toward the Spark, faltered.
And finally, lowered.
29. Auren's Mystery Satchel
Later that evening, while Kaito and Calia were wrapped in each other's warmth near the fire (finally kissing without demon interruptions), Auren sat alone with his satchel.
He muttered, "Alright, secret bag, time to spill your guts."
He opened it—and a voice chirped.
"Good evening, Wielder. You have successfully unlocked Arcane Satchel: Level 2."
"Wait—you talk now?"
"I always talked. You were just too emotionally constipated to listen."
"Fair."
He dug deeper, pulling out:
A glowing feather marked "Do Not Use Near Volcano."
A small orb with a tag: "Press for Instant Regret."
A letter with his name written in unfamiliar handwriting.
He opened it.
The letter read:
"Auren—when you read this, you'll have made two friends worth dying for. Don't let the next part break you. You're stronger than what's coming."
—Your Future Self
He stared at it.
"…I hate time travel," he muttered.
30. A Moment Without Gods
Later, lying beneath the stars, Calia curled up beside Kaito. Her hand drew lazy circles on his chest.
"We almost… y'know."
He chuckled. "Yeah. We did."
She smirked. "You nervous?"
"I've been thrown into lava, stabbed by a mimic, and kissed by a goddess. But yeah—you make me nervous."
She leaned up on one elbow.
"I want you, Kaito. Not as a savior. Not as a victim. Just as a man who makes me feel seen."
He pulled her into a kiss. This time, slow and deep and without hesitation.
Their clothes didn't matter.
Their scars didn't matter.
It was soft. Honest. A surrender, not of bodies—but of fear.
31. Auren Sings (Poorly)
From across the camp:
🎵 "OH MYSTIC FLAMES OF UNDYING LOVE / PLEASE SHUT UP SO I CAN SLEEP / IF I HAVE TO HEAR ONE MORE MOAN / I'M THROWING MYSELF INTO THE DEEP!" 🎵
Calia broke the kiss, laughing into Kaito's neck.
"I'm going to kill him," she whispered.
"Wait until he makes breakfast."
32. A Quiet Aftermath
In the quiet that followed, the three of them sat together under a rising moon. Kaito played with Calia's fingers. Auren sharpened his blade—backward, as always.
No one spoke about what they'd just survived.
No one talked about the Forgotten One.
They just existed, in peace.
It was the most rebellion they'd ever committed.
33. Foreshadow: The Chain-Singer
Far away, on a tower of bone and stars, a figure in broken armor watched through a pool of silver ink.
"Ah," said the Chain-Singer. "The toy awakens. The flame takes form."
He turned to the chained gods around him.
"Soon, my little spark. You'll wish Venari had finished you."
End of Chapter 7