Morning sunlight filtered through the pale curtains, dancing across Toshio's face.He blinked awake, the vivid memory of the Dreamscape still burning behind his eyes — the silver fields, Ren's sacrifice, the sound of a world breaking apart.
Beside him, Airi slept peacefully. Her breathing was soft, steady. For the first time in weeks, her face looked calm — no shadows, no pain.
For a moment, he allowed himself to believe it was over.That the curse, the visions, the haunting — had finally ended.
But when he rose to his feet, his fingers brushed against something on the floor.A single crimson petal — shaped like a teardrop.
It shimmered faintly under the sunlight before dissolving into dust.
At school later that day, Toshio couldn't focus. Every sound — the squeak of sneakers, the murmur of classmates — felt too sharp, too distant.Even his reflection in the window seemed slightly… delayed, like the world around him wasn't quite real.
"Hey, Shinji, you okay?" Hiro asked, slapping his shoulder. "You've been zoning out all morning."
Toshio forced a small smile. "Yeah. Just… didn't sleep well."
Hiro grinned. "Maybe too well — rumor says you've been hanging out with that girl from next door again."
Toshio's heart skipped. "Airi?"
"Yeah. People are talking. Said they saw you two walking home together under the rain."
Toshio felt a faint warmth creep into his face, but before he could reply, he noticed something odd.
Outside, beyond the classroom window — a tree stood in full bloom.Cherry blossoms.In October.
That night, he couldn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw flashes — fire, Ren's eyes, the citadel crumbling.And beneath it all, a voice whispering softly in his mind:
"The dream never ends. It only changes shape."
He sat up, rubbing his temples. "Ren…?"
Airi stirred from her side of the room. They'd grown inseparable since that night — neither wanting to be alone anymore.
"Toshio?" she murmured sleepily.
He looked at her, hesitating. "Do you ever… feel like it's not over?"
She opened her eyes slowly. The golden glow within them flickered faintly. "It isn't."
Toshio frowned. "What do you mean?"
Airi sat up, her hair falling around her face. "The Dreamscape was never just a dream. It's a reflection — a shadow of reality. When Ren shattered the bond, it didn't vanish… it bled through."
He blinked. "Bled through?"
She nodded, her voice trembling. "It's merging. The line between waking and dreaming is fading. That's why you're seeing things."
He swallowed hard. "And you?"
Her gaze drifted toward the window. "I hear them. The echoes of the souls trapped there."
Suddenly, a faint scratching sound echoed from the window.Toshio turned — and froze.
Outside, the reflection of their room stared back at them, but something was off.In the mirrored glass, they weren't moving — their reflections sat perfectly still, eyes wide open, staring directly at them.
Then, slowly, the reflected Airi smiled.
Toshio grabbed Airi's wrist, pulling her back. "Don't move."
The reflection began to bleed — dark lines dripping from its eyes like ink.
Airi gasped, clutching the pendant half she still wore. "It's him. The curse — it's not done feeding."
"Feeding on what?"
"On memories," she whispered. "On love itself."
The reflection's mouth moved soundlessly — but Toshio understood the words forming on its lips.
"You left me there."
Ren's voice.
The window cracked.A gust of cold wind tore through the room, scattering papers and pulling the curtains wide open.
In the chaos, Airi's pendant half began to glow fiercely — golden light clashing with the crimson energy that seeped through the reflection.
Toshio grabbed her shoulders. "Airi! You have to close it!"
"I can't!" she cried, tears in her eyes. "It's not coming from me — it's coming for me!"
Then everything stopped.Time itself seemed to freeze — the wind hung still, the curtains suspended midair.
A tall silhouette appeared beyond the window, formed of pure shadow.Not Ren — but something older. Something wearing his shape.
It pressed a hand to the glass, and the world darkened.
"You broke the seal," it whispered. "Now the Dream bleeds freely."
The glass shattered — not outward, but inward — and the room was swallowed by silver mist.
Toshio found himself standing once again in the silver field beneath the two moons.Except this time, the field was empty.
No Airi.No Ren.Only silence.
He ran through the mist, shouting her name. "Airi! Where are you?"
No answer.
Then, faintly, her voice — distant, echoing.
"Toshio… help me…"
He turned toward the sound and saw her — standing on the edge of a cliff, the ground crumbling beneath her feet.
He sprinted forward, but every step seemed to pull him further away. The air grew thick, heavy, until he could barely move.
Then he saw it — the crimson thread wrapped around her wrist, vanishing into the void below.
Without thinking, he grabbed it.
The moment his fingers touched the thread, a surge of energy exploded through him — flashes of past lives, memories of Ren, Elara, and a thousand forgotten faces.
Pain seared through his skull. He screamed.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his room — gasping for air.The window was intact. The curtains still.But Airi was gone.
Only her pendant half remained, lying on the pillow beside him.
He picked it up. The glow was gone — replaced by a dull, crimson shimmer pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
A chill ran down his spine.
Outside, cherry blossoms were falling again — this time, drifting upward into the night sky.
He stared at the pendant, whispering:"I'll find you. No matter how many dreams I have to cross."
As he spoke, the lights in his room flickered.On the wall, faint letters began to form — drawn by an unseen hand.
"Dreamwalker… awaken."
The moment the final word appeared, the pendant flared — and the chapter closed with the echo of Ren's voice:
"The curse never ends, Toshio. It just waits for the next dream to begin."