Sasaki blinked.
For a few seconds, he
Something felt different.
The air.
The temperature.
Even the snow beneath his feet felt unfamiliar.
Sasaki slowly looked around.
The forest was gone.
The trees.
The road.
The mountains in the distance.
All of it had disappeared.
He turned toward Mao.
"Where are we?"
Mao opened her umbrella.
"We're at the entrance to the Architects' Domain."
"The what?"
Sasaki looked around again.
Mao pointed ahead.
"Look."
Sasaki followed her finger.
His eyes widened.
An enormous gate stood before them.
It stretched so high into the sky that Sasaki couldn't see the top.
Massive pillars stood on either side of it, covered in strange markings that seemed to move whenever he looked away.
Sasaki took a few steps forward.
He stared upward.
"...That's a gate?"
Mao smiled.
"Yes."
"It's huge."
"That's usually what happens when something is huge."
Sasaki ignored her.
He continued staring.
The gate seemed to stretch endlessly upward.
There was something strange about it.
It didn't feel like something that had been built.
It felt...
Ancient.
As if it had always been there.
Sasaki slowly approached it.
He placed a hand against one of the enormous pillars.
The moment his fingers touched it—
A faint vibration traveled through his hand.
Sasaki immediately pulled away.
"What was that?"
Mao glanced at the pillar.
"The gate recognized you."
"Recognized me?"
"You're an Architect now."
Sasaki looked at his hand.
"...I haven't even done anything."
"You don't need to."
Mao walked toward the center of the gate.
"Besides, I've already activated it."
She raised her hand.
A small amount of energy gathered around her palm.
The markings across the gate suddenly lit up.
Sasaki stepped backward.
"What the—"
A massive wave of energy surged through the gate.
The ground beneath them trembled.
Wind exploded outward.
Sasaki raised his arm to protect his face.
The enormous gate began to distort.
The space between the pillars twisted.
Then—
A rift slowly opened.
It wasn't like a normal doorway.
The space itself appeared to be tearing apart.
Sasaki stared.
He had never seen anything like it.
Mao looked over her shoulder.
"Come on."
Sasaki continued staring.
"You can just open portals?"
Mao shrugged.
"Something like that."
She stepped toward the rift.
Sasaki looked at her.
"That's it?"
"What?"
"You aren't going to explain anything?"
Mao smiled.
"You'll learn."
She stepped through the rift.
Sasaki sighed.
"...Great."
He looked at the enormous gate one more time.
Then followed her.
The moment Sasaki stepped through—
Everything changed.
His feet touched stone.
He looked around.
There was no forest.
No snow.
No sky that he recognized.
Instead, an enormous realm stretched out before him.
A massive castle stood in the distance.
Floating islands surrounded it.
Bridges connected different sections of the realm.
Strange lights floated through the air like stars.
Sasaki slowly turned in a circle.
"...Where are we?"
Mao opened her umbrella.
"The Architects' Domain."
Sasaki stared at her.
"So this entire place..."
"Is ours."
Sasaki looked toward the enormous castle.
The atmosphere felt completely different from the world he had known.
It wasn't simply peaceful.
It was powerful.
He could feel something in the air.
Something that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
Mao noticed his expression.
"You caught on fast."
"To what?"
"You're feeling it."
Sasaki nodded.
"The atmosphere."
Mao smiled.
"Good."
She began walking.
"This is a different realm."
Sasaki followed.
"So what happens here?"
"You'll find out."
"You keep saying that."
"And you keep asking questions."
Sasaki sighed.
Mao smiled.
"Come on."
She reached for his hand.
Sasaki looked down.
"...Again?"
"Unless you want to get lost."
Sasaki reluctantly took her hand.
"Fine."
Together, they began walking.
A long staircase stretched toward the castle.
Each step was enormous.
Sasaki looked around as they climbed.
The floating islands slowly moved in the distance.
He could see strange creatures flying between them.
Some looked almost like spirits.
Others looked completely unfamiliar.
Sasaki stared.
"Do people actually live here?"
"Architects don't exactly live like normal people."
"What does that mean?"
"You'll understand."
"...You really like saying that."
Mao laughed.
Eventually, they reached the top of the stairs.
Mao stopped.
Sasaki nearly walked into her.
"What?"
Mao pointed ahead.
"They're waiting."
Sasaki looked forward.
Several figures stood inside the enormous castle.
The moment Sasaki entered—
Every pair of eyes turned toward him.
He immediately felt the difference.
They weren't ordinary people.
Even without knowing who they were, Sasaki could feel it.
Power.
A ridiculous amount of it.
Mao smiled.
"Hey, you guys."
She raised her hand.
Several chains suddenly appeared.
They shot toward the other Architects.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
"Wait—"
One of the Architects standing near a window simply raised his hand.
The chains stopped.
Not blocked.
Not destroyed.
They simply stopped.
Another Architect flicked his wrist.
The chains were thrown aside.
A third didn't even move.
He merely looked at them.
The chains froze in midair.
Sasaki stared.
Mao smiled.
"See?"
Sasaki looked at her.
"See what?"
"Everyone here is strong."
She walked forward.
The chains disappeared.
"Let me introduce you."
She pointed toward an old man standing quietly near the center of the room.
"This is the Architect of Time."
The old man opened his eyes.
He looked at Sasaki.
Then—
He snapped his fingers.
Everything stopped.
Sasaki froze.
A small piece of dust was suspended in the air.
A curtain stopped moving.
Even Mao's umbrella remained perfectly still.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't even blink.
Then—
Everything returned to normal.
Sasaki took a sharp breath.
"What..."
The old man closed his eyes again.
"Time."
Sasaki stared at him.
Mao continued.
"And that's only a small part of what he can do."
She pointed toward another Architect.
The Architect of Force stepped forward.
He looked at a massive stone statue sitting near the wall.
He raised one hand.
The statue lifted from the ground.
Sasaki watched as the enormous object floated effortlessly through the air.
The Architect slowly closed his fist.
The statue compressed.
Not violently.
It simply became smaller.
Smaller.
And smaller.
Until it was no larger than Sasaki's hand.
The Architect tossed it toward him.
Sasaki caught it.
He stared at the tiny statue.
"...Force."
The Architect nodded.
Then he snapped his fingers.
The statue returned to its original size.
Sasaki quickly dropped it.
"Okay."
Mao laughed.
"That one's the Architect of Force."
Sasaki looked at him.
"He's terrifying."
"I heard that."
Sasaki immediately looked away.
Mao pointed toward the next Architect.
"And that one..."
She paused.
"...is the Architect of Love."
The Architect of Love was standing near the window.
He looked half-asleep.
Sasaki waited.
Nothing happened.
He looked at Mao.
"...Is he going to demonstrate anything?"
The Architect of Love slowly opened his eyes.
He looked toward Mao.
Then Sasaki.
A faint glow appeared in the room.
Sasaki suddenly felt something warm in his chest.
He looked around.
The other Architects began laughing.
Sasaki frowned.
"What?"
Mao was smiling.
"You feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"The connection."
Sasaki looked around again.
For a moment, he could feel the emotions of everyone in the room.
Curiosity.
Amusement.
Suspicion.
Even Mao's emotions felt strangely close.
Then the feeling disappeared.
Sasaki stared at the Architect of Love.
"...You can manipulate emotions?"
The Architect smiled.
"I can influence bonds between people."
Sasaki became quiet.
Mao interrupted.
"Don't worry."
She waved her hand.
"He doesn't use it on people without a reason."
The Architect of Love looked at her.
"Usually."
Mao's eye twitched.
"Don't make me regret introducing you."
Sasaki almost laughed.
Then Mao pointed toward herself.
"And finally..."
She smiled.
"I'm the Architect of Spirits."
Sasaki looked at her.
"Can you demonstrate?"
Mao's smile widened.
"Of course."
She raised her hand.
The room became quiet.
A faint blue light appeared around her.
Then another.
And another.
Small figures began appearing around her.
Spirits.
Some looked like tiny animals.
Others were strange floating shapes.
One landed on Mao's shoulder.
Another flew around Sasaki.
Sasaki raised his hand.
The spirit landed on his finger.
He stared at it.
"...They're alive?"
"Sort of."
Mao gently touched the spirit on her shoulder.
"They're spirits."
The spirit disappeared.
Then reappeared behind Sasaki.
Sasaki turned.
It disappeared again.
He looked around.
Mao laughed.
"Don't worry."
She snapped her fingers.
Every spirit returned to her.
"They're harmless."
Sasaki looked at Mao differently.
"So that's your power."
"One part of it."
"There's more?"
Mao smiled.
"Much more."
Sasaki looked around the room.
Time.
Force.
Love.
Spirits.
Each of them was completely different.
Yet they all stood in the same room.
He slowly realized something.
These weren't simply powerful people.
They were beings who controlled forces he barely understood.
Mao gestured toward the others.
"So..."
She smiled.
"Welcome to the Architects' Domain, dear Sasaki."
Sasaki looked at the group.
Then at Mao.
"...What Architect am I?"
Mao stopped.
"..."
Sasaki waited.
Mao slowly looked toward the Architect of Time.
"Hey, old man."
The old man opened one eye.
"Which one is he?"
The old man looked at Sasaki.
He remained silent
Then—
"The Architect of Stars."
Sasaki blinked.
"Stars?"
Mao's eyes widened
"So that's what you are."
Sasaki looked down at himself.
"What does that mean?"
The old man didn't answer.
Mao smiled.
"I guess you'll have to find that out yourself."
Sasaki looked at her.
"Great."
Mao stepped closer.
She grabbed his hand.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Your quarters."
Sasaki looked back at the other Architects.
The Architect of Force was already back near the chandelier.
The Architect of Love was staring out the window again.
The Architect of Time had closed his eyes.
The spirits surrounding Mao slowly disappeared.
Sasaki looked toward them one last time.
Then followed Mao.
As they walked away,
"So what happens now?"
Mao smiled.
"Now?"
She tightened her grip on his hand.
"Now your life gets much more interesting."
Sasaki sighed.
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
Mao laughed.
"It isn't."
She looked ahead.
"Prepare yourself."
"For what?"
Mao smiled.
"A journey of pain."
Together, they continued toward Sasaki's quarters.