Kaivan exhaled, his voice rough, almost fragile. "I want to apologize. To all of you."
No one answered, but their quiet was the space he needed. He lowered his head, feeling the weight he could not share. Beneath the moonlight, his face looked paler, his eyes no longer cold but weary, honest, and tired.
"I should never have met you," he continued. He raised the Tome Omnicent, showing it to all. The book looked ordinary, but no one saw it the same way anymore.
He took another deep breath. "Once, I wished… that my life wouldn't be monotonous. That I could become someone better. The book answered, but not with desires. With orders."
He looked at each of them in turn. Shock, disbelief, and faint hurt flickered in their eyes, yet none turned away.
"The book told me to help Radit quit stealing. To catch Zinnia when she fell. To guide Frans to confess to Tira. To save Thivi from that motor accident. And last… to draw close to Felicia."
His words struck like icy wind. Every sentence no longer mere explanation, but confession. The rooftop once full of laughter now held only silence, stripped bare by truth. Even the wind seemed hushed. There was nothing left to say. Kaivan had revealed the page he had hidden most, and now all of them had to bear its meaning.
In the creeping quiet, the rooftop seemed to hold its breath. Their words and thoughts wove a web of fate, unexpected, yet somehow inevitable. Beneath the dim moonlight, they began to realize their presence together was no coincidence.
Kaivan stood within that circle, surrounded by Felicia, Zinnia, Frans, Thivi, and Radit. The night wind carried the damp scent of the garden below, but the air between them grew heavy, laden with curiosity, disappointment, and unspoken care. Their eyes stayed fixed on the book resting calmly on the table: the Tome Omnicent. A source of answers. A source of doubt.
Felicia stepped forward. The moonlight softened her face, resolute yet tender. Her voice cut through the stillness. "So, we're all still tied together through Kaivan… and this book." Her tone held no blame. She only sought to understand, and to be understood.
Radit gave a slow nod. His posture was tense, but his eyes gentle. "If not for Kaivan and this book, I'd probably still be just a street thief."
Frans let out a small smile, shoulders squared. "And I… wouldn't be with Tira. Wouldn't know the courage it takes to confess to a girl."
But Zinnia remained quiet. Her arms folded, violet hair swaying with the wind. She stepped forward at last, her voice striking the air. "But we were used, weren't we?"
The tension snapped taut. All eyes turned to her. Felicia's brows rose. Radit looked down. Frans clenched his jaw. Even the night wind seemed to pause its breath.
Kaivan drew a deep breath. His shoulders lowered slowly, as if releasing a weight. "I know you might feel that way. But I never saw you as pawns. I never meant to manipulate any of you."
Silence swallowed the rooftop. Then Thivi stepped forward. Her short skirt swayed gently as she moved. Her hand brushed against Kaivan's arm, barely a touch, yet filled with meaning.
"If it weren't for you… I probably wouldn't be alive right now. Whether it was the book that told you or not, I'm still grateful."
Felicia glanced at Thivi, then came to stand by Kaivan's side. "If it weren't for you, I'd still be trapped in Julian's hell. You saved me, Kaivan. And I'll never forget that." Her voice trembled softly, heavy with emotion.
Zinnia remained quiet, but her eyes softened. She drew in a long breath. "Maybe… I can see the good in it. But give me time." Her words were faint, yet carried undeniable weight.
Kaivan nodded slowly, his expression easing. He stepped back from the table, as if to show he wasn't forcing them. "I'm not asking to be forgiven now. I just want you to know, you matter to me. Not because of the book, but because you are who you are."
For a moment, time seemed frozen. Then Zinnia's gaze shifted to the book, her eyes reflecting a newfound understanding. She turned back to him. "Alright. So, what's next for the six of us? I think I'm starting to get it."
The night wind carried a damp chill, and the moonlight traced soft silhouettes across their faces, easing the tension into a deeper stillness. All eyes fell on Kaivan.
He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping across each of them, as if engraving their presence in his memory. "We need to find four more people," he said at last. "We'll become the Ten Humans."
The words rippled through the calm like a stone tossed into water. Radit, still leaning on the railing, broke the silence. "Ten? What are we, Power Rangers?"
Zinnia allowed a faint smile. "Radit, Power Rangers only have five."
"Then we're Kamen Riders, different, but plenty of us," Radit shot back without missing a beat.
Thivi stepped forward again, her slender figure framed in moonlight, her blue eyes glowing. "Who are they?"