The golden sphere faded slowly, dissolving into motes of light until only the reinforced chamber remained.Dust settled. Air stilled.
But no one moved.No one breathed normally.
Kuro sat on the cold floor, Mika gripping him by the shoulders, Lucien hovering behind them like a terrified decorative plant.
The Guildmaster was the first to speak.
"…All of you. Sit."
They obeyed—not because he asked, but because none of them had the strength to argue.
Kuro lowered himself onto a bench, still trembling. Mika sat beside him immediately, refusing to leave even an inch of space. Lucien remained standing, pacing, muttering something about dramatic ghosts and traumatizing Thursdays.
The Guildmaster pressed his palm to a hidden rune on the wall.
Click.
A section of stone slid back to reveal a second room—small, dim, filled with stacks of old manuscripts and artifacts sealed in iron cases.
"Get in," he said quietly.
They stepped inside.
Mika kept a hand lightly on Kuro's back, guiding him.
[Okay. I'm officially filing a complaint. This room smells like ancient dust and trauma.]
Mika twitched. "Can you not right now?"
[No. Coping mechanism.]
Lucien sighed. "I can't believe I understand his coping mechanism."
Inside the Hidden Archive
The Guildmaster closed the door behind them.A blue ward shimmered across the entrance, locking the world out.
He turned to the three, his expression grim.
"What appeared to you earlier was not an illusion. Not a memory. And not a ghost."
Lucien paled. "Then what—"
"An Anchor," the Guildmaster said. "A fragment of the being who sent Kuro here."
Kuro swallowed hard.His hands clenched in his lap.
"…Why now?" he whispered. "Why show up now?"
The Guildmaster hesitated.
Mika didn't.
"He said something awakened."
The room fell silent.
The Guildmaster finally nodded.
"Yes. Something inside you reacted to the gate. Or rather…"His eyes locked onto Kuro."…something recognized you."
Kuro's blood went cold.
Mika leaned closer to him, voice low. "You're not alone. Remember that."
Kuro nodded faintly, trying to hold onto those words.
The Truth They Were Never Supposed to Hear
The Guildmaster pulled out a thick, black-bound book—sealed with three metal clasps. With a deep breath, he opened it.
Pages whispered as he flipped through ancient ink until he landed on a sketch.
A circular sigil.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
It was the same pattern pulsing on the gate.
Kuro's heart stopped.
"That mark…" he whispered.
The Guildmaster tapped the page.
"This is called an Origin Seal. A signature of sorts."
Lucien blinked. "A… signature? Of what?"
The Guildmaster closed the book slowly.
"Of a primordial being."He looked at Kuro."Of your primordial being."
The air froze.
Lucien's mouth dropped. "EXCUSE me?! His WHAT?!"
Mika stiffened, eyes widening a fraction—but he forced himself calm.
"…Explain."
The Guildmaster exhaled.
"Kuro didn't just receive magic upon reincarnation. He received a fragment of an ancient entity—a piece of something so old and so powerful that even the gods fear it.And that entity… wants its fragment back."
Kuro felt the world tilt.
It was as if the room shifted away, as if every breath he took grew lighter, thinner.
A fragment.Inside him.A piece of something trying to reclaim him.
He reached instinctively for his chest.
Mika grabbed his wrist.
"Kuro. Don't disappear on me right now."
Kuro blinked, eyes stinging—but he nodded.
Then the Whisper Returned
Soft.Almost sympathetic.Almost human.
"You are not broken, little one.Just unfinished."
Kuro flinched hard.
Mika reacted instantly. "It's talking again?"
Kuro nodded silently.
Lucien stepped back. "Can—can it hear us?!"
[Oh yeah, sunshine. Loud and clear. I'd wave but I don't have hands.]
"E–Elvastia!!" Kuro hissed mentally.
[What? I'm establishing dominance.]
"Not helping—!"
Mika closed his eyes, inhaled sharply, then glared at the empty air."Tell it to shut up."
"It's not that easy—" Kuro whispered.
The whisper slid back in, colder now.
"You cannot silence what you are."
Kuro's breath hitched. Too sharp. Too fast.
The Guildmaster lifted a hand.
"Enough. All of you."
The voice faded.
Not because it wanted to.
But because something stronger pressed it back.
The Guildmaster lowered his arm, sweat forming at his temple.
"That… thing is listening. But it cannot enter this chamber."He pointed to the glowing wards around them."This is the safest place in the entire Headquarters. Possibly the entire kingdom."
Lucien raised a shaky hand. "Okay. So. Question. Important question. Really important."He pointed at Kuro."Is he going to explode?"
Kuro's soul left his body for a moment.
Mika smacked Lucien.
"OW—what was that for?!"
"Stupidity."
[Agreed.]
"STOP AGREEING WITH HIM!!"
The Guildmaster ignored them.
He knelt in front of Kuro.
"Kuro."
Kuro lifted his head slowly.
"You are not a monster. You are not a vessel. You are not a danger unless you believe you are."
Kuro swallowed.
"…What if I believe it anyway?"
Mika's hand gripped his shoulder again—firmer this time.
"Then I'll make sure you don't."His voice was low. Solid. Unshakeable.
Kuro's eyes widened a little.
Lucien, from the corner: "Can we… not do romantic tension during cosmic horror???"
Mika's head snapped. "Lucien."
"Okay shutting up—!"
The Guildmaster's Final Warning
The Guildmaster stood, folding his arms behind his back.
"You must all understand this.The entity outside isn't just searching for Kuro."
He looked at the door.
"It's coming."
Lucien blanched. "Coming WHERE—"
"Here."
Kuro's heart stopped.
Mika's eyes sharpened. "…To the Headquarters?"
"No," the Guildmaster said quietly.He looked directly at Kuro."To you."
Kuro's breath trembled.
A chill wrapped around his spine.
But the Guildmaster wasn't done.
"And if it reaches you…"His gaze darkened."…the world will learn what you truly are."
Silence drowned the room.
Mika whispered, "Kuro…"
Lucien whispered, "We're going to die."
[Fantastic. Love the optimism.]
Kuro whispered the truth he feared most.
"…What am I?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
And outside the walls,beneath the thick morning clouds,
something enormous shifted.