The rain came again that night, steady and unending — like the sky was trying to wash something away.
Toshio sat on his bed, his hand pressed over his heart. Ever since that whisper — that voice — something inside him wouldn't stop stirring. It was like someone had left a door half-open in his mind, and behind it waited a thousand lives whispering his name.
Rai…
That name again. It echoed in his dreams and clung to his skin like a scar that refused to fade.
He closed his eyes.
The world shifted.
When he opened them again, he wasn't in his room.
He stood on a cliff overlooking a silver sea beneath two moons. The air shimmered with light, the grass glowed faintly blue, and in the distance, a castle of crystal and metal rose into the clouds.
He looked down at himself — a dark coat of armor etched with strange runes, and a sword made of glowing light in his hand.
"Rai," a voice called behind him.
He turned.
Airi stood there — or someone who looked like her. Her hair was longer, flowing with silver streaks, and her eyes glowed like stars. She wore a gown woven with golden threads that pulsed softly in rhythm with her heartbeat.
For a moment, Toshio — Rai — forgot to breathe.
She smiled sadly. "You came after all."
"I said I would," Rai replied, though the words left his lips on instinct, like he'd said them before.
A shadow passed over the twin moons. He looked up. A massive ship — alive and breathing, its wings like black glass — descended from the sky.
The wind howled as dark figures appeared around them, their armor reflecting the moonlight. And at the center of them stood a man with silver eyes and a faint crimson mark on his neck.
Ren.
Or rather, whoever he had been in that lifetime.
"Rai," Ren said, voice deep and calm. "Step away from her. You know what will happen if you don't."
"She doesn't belong to you," Rai said, sword flashing into a defensive stance.
Ren's eyes flickered. "She doesn't belong to anyone. But she carries the power of the Source. You know what that means."
Airi's hand reached out, trembling. "Please, both of you—"
But neither man moved.
Rai could feel it — that strange pull between them. Not hatred, but something deeper, older. Like brothers torn apart by fate.
"Do you think love will save you?" Ren asked softly. "You can't outrun eternity."
"Maybe not," Rai said, stepping forward, "but I'll fight it anyway."
Lightning cracked across the sky as their blades collided — light and shadow meeting with a sound like thunder.
Toshio gasped as the vision shattered.
He was back in his room, breathing hard, his heart pounding against his ribs. The rain still fell, but now it sounded distant, muffled by the ringing in his ears.
His hands were trembling.
He looked down — and froze.
There was a faint mark on his wrist. A small symbol glowing faintly gold, the same sigil that had been on Rai's armor.
He tried rubbing it off, but it only shimmered brighter before fading into his skin.
"What… was that?" he whispered.
His phone buzzed suddenly, making him flinch.
It was a message from Airi.
Airi: "Did you dream again?"Airi: "I felt it too."
He stared at the screen, then typed back:
Toshio: "I saw him. I saw us. And I think I saw how it started."
A moment passed before her reply came.
Airi: "Then the curse has awakened completely. We don't have much time."
The next morning, the world felt subtly different.Colors sharper. Sounds crisper.And every time Toshio looked at Airi, he felt memories flicker — flashes of her smile in another life, her laughter under alien skies, her tears when she'd said goodbye.
During lunch, Airi whispered, "We can't let him know how much we've remembered."
"He already knows," Toshio said.
Her lips parted in fear. "Then it's worse than I thought."
"Tell me everything," Toshio pressed.
Airi looked around before leaning closer. "The curse wasn't born from hate, Toshio. It was born from love twisted too far. In our first life, Ren wasn't our enemy. He was your brother — the High Guardian of the Source."
"Brother…?" Toshio repeated.
She nodded. "You were both protectors of the same power — a force that could reshape worlds. But when I was chosen as the Keeper, something inside him broke. He thought if he couldn't have me, then no one could. So he bound our souls in eternity, ensuring that every time we were reborn, he would find us."
Toshio felt his stomach twist. "And we forget each time."
"Yes," she said softly. "Until now."
He clenched his fists. "Then I'll break it."
Airi's eyes softened. "That's what you said every time, Toshio. You always try. You always fail. And each time, you die for me."
"Then maybe this time will be different."
Her eyes shimmered with hope — and fear. "Maybe."
That evening, as the sky turned scarlet, Toshio stood by the window again.
He watched Ren through the narrow crack in the curtains. The silver-haired boy sat at his desk, sketching something in a black notebook.
Then, as if sensing Toshio's gaze, Ren turned his head — and smiled.
The window between them rattled faintly, though there was no wind. Toshio's pendant glowed again, resonating with the faint hum that filled the air.
A voice — Ren's — echoed in his mind.
"You've started remembering. Good. It makes the game more interesting."
Toshio staggered back, clutching his head. "Get out of my mind!"
"Oh, but it's our mind, isn't it, Rai? The same soul, split in three. You, me, and her — bound until one of us wins."
The connection cut off, leaving Toshio panting, drenched in cold sweat.
He could feel it now — not just in his head, but in his heart. The bond between the three of them pulsed like a living thing.
Love. Hate. Fate.Twisted together like threads in a web.
And somewhere deep within, another whisper stirred — one that didn't sound like Ren or Airi.It was older. Darker.
"Every soul must pay for its desire. Every love must face its echo."
Toshio looked up at the sky. The clouds were gathering again, forming the shape of a great, dark wing.
He knew then — the shadow wasn't just returning.It had never left.