Yuma Saegusa's introduction sent a jolt through the room. Natsuki's hand trembled, nearly spilling her tea, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the newcomer.
Yuma Saegusa? Could she really be Aya's daughter…?
A storm of emotions flickered across Natsuki's face. Once upon a time, Chitose Aya had been her closest friend—a fellow witch, a kindred spirit. But Aya had always doubted the very nature of magic and demons. Ten years ago, she'd tried to invoke the Dark Oath on Itogami Island. Natsuki had stopped her and, with a heavy heart, sealed her away in a prison of another world.
Natsuki's voice was tight, wary. "What's your relationship to Chitose Aya? Did you come here to break her out?"
Yuma's head snapped around, her pupils contracting. She hadn't expected Natsuki to appear—her plans were unraveling before they'd even begun.
For Yuma, the price of her witch's power was clear: she was compelled to free the Prison Barrier. That was why she'd come to Itogami Island—to rescue her mother, Aya, from the magical cage Natsuki had crafted.
But the barrier was no ordinary lock. To drag the Prison Barrier out of its alternate dimension would require a staggering amount of magical power. That's why Yuma had planned to swap senses with the Fourth Primogenitor, Nagisa, hijacking her body and using her immense power to break the seal.
Shuo watched Yuma's face—guilt, fear, and desperation flickering in her eyes. He decided to lay the cards on the table.
"Yuma, I knew the moment I saw you. You want to use Nagisa's Primogenitor power to open the Prison Barrier and free your mother, Chitose Aya."
The room fell silent. Nagisa, Asagi, and the others stared at Yuma, shock written all over their faces.
Nagisa's voice was small, wounded. "Yuma… we grew up together. I was so happy when you came back. I never thought you'd—"
Yuma's gaze dropped, shame burning in her cheeks.
"But isn't the Prison Barrier just an urban legend?" Nagisa asked, her confusion plain.
Shuo shook his head. "No. The Prison Barrier is real—a hidden facility on Itogami Island, built to hold the most dangerous magical criminals. Not even the Management Corporation knows where it is, so the public thinks it's just a story. But the truth is, it's a world of magic, woven from Natsuki's dreams. Ten years ago, she put herself into an endless sleep to maintain the seal. The Natsuki you see at school? Just a clone, made from her own magic."
He let the truth settle over the group, watching their faces shift from confusion to sympathy. Even Nagisa, who'd always seen Natsuki as invincible, looked stricken.
Natsuki felt Shuo's gaze on her—a silent promise, and a warning. An uneasy premonition prickled at the back of her mind.
"I was already planning to break the Prison Barrier," Shuo said, his voice gentle but unyielding. "If you want to save Aya, I'll handle that too."
The room erupted in protest.
Natsuki's eyes flashed with panic. "Shuo, don't you dare! Don't do anything reckless!"
But Shuo only smiled, drawing her into his arms. "Reckless? Never. I'll save you, Natsuki-chan. I promise."
She tried to pull away, but he was already moving. With a flick of his wrist, Natsuki's phantom form dissolved, returning her consciousness to her true body, deep within the Prison Barrier.
"Wait—where did Natsuki-chan go?" Asagi blinked, scanning the room. Only Yuma seemed unsurprised.
Shuo explained, "The Natsuki we see here is just a magical avatar. Her real body has been sleeping alone in the Prison Barrier all this time. That's why I need to rescue her."
He paused, letting the weight of Natsuki's sacrifice sink in. She'd made a contract with a devil, paid the price by becoming the key to the Prison Barrier, sealing it alone for eternity. Her only escape: to sleep, dreaming the prison into existence, while her clone walked the halls of the school.
Nagisa and the others exchanged glances, their hearts aching for Natsuki.
"That's my goal—to open the Prison Barrier and bring Natsuki-chan back."
Smiles flickered through the group, hope blooming where there'd been only confusion.
Even Yuma, who'd braced herself for failure, looked up in astonishment. "You… you'd really do that?"
Yukina's voice was soft but firm. "But, Senpai, the Prison Barrier holds the most dangerous criminals in the world. If we open it… are we really going to let them all out?"
The others turned to Shuo, anxiety in their eyes.
Shuo shrugged, utterly unfazed. "They're monsters. We'll just kill them. No need for a fancy prison."
Yukina hesitated, visibly unsettled by his casual ruthlessness. Destroy the barrier and kill all the inmates? The world would tremble. But, knowing Shuo, there was no point arguing.
With no further objections, Shuo activated a magic circle, teleporting the group to the windswept coast of Itogami Island.
According to his research, the Prison Barrier's gateway was anchored somewhere offshore—hidden in the folds of magical space, but physically tethered to this stretch of coastline.
In the original story, it had taken Yuma's desperate gamble and Nagisa's Primogenitor power to barely summon the barrier into the world. But Shuo didn't need such theatrics. He closed his eyes, felt for the pulse of forbidden magic, and reached out.
A surge of crimson power rippled from his palm. The air above the ocean split with a thunderous crack, reality itself tearing open. A vast, gothic structure—etched with ancient wards and ominous sigils—rose from the rift, looming over the darkened waves.
The sky itself seemed to dim, the sun swallowed by the shadow of the Prison Barrier. Even the bravest among them felt a chill crawl up their spines.
Shuo led the group to the massive iron gates. As they approached, the doors groaned open of their own accord.
"Well, looks like Natsuki-chan knows she can't stop me. Guess she's accepted her fate." Shuo grinned, eyes glinting with anticipation. "Let's see what nightmares this place is hiding."
With a mix of dread and curiosity, the group stepped into the heart of the Prison Barrier.
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