Dev's breath returned in a ragged gasp.
Gone was the stinking alley. The blood. The shouts. The shame.
What replaced it was heat.
Meera stood above him, her right arm wreathed in blue flames, her eyes blazing. Her psychic barrier pulsed around them both—barely holding. The illusion was crumbling, but the threat wasn't gone.
"Get. Up," she snapped, sweat trailing down her brow. "I didn't pull you out so you could lie there crying like a kid."
He coughed. Laughed. Then spat out blood and stood.
"Thanks," he said hoarsely.
She didn't look at him.
"I didn't do it for you."
They both knew she was lying.
---
Elsewhere – Mindscape Layer: Aya
She stood in a corridor lined with mirrors.
Each mirror reflected a different version of herself.
Aya the Daughter. Aya the Weapon. Aya the Ice Queen. Aya the Monster.
They all stared at her. Judging. Whispering.
You're nothing without your power.
You're cold because no one could ever love you.
You use Kaito to feel human.
Aya's fists clenched.
Then—
A mirror cracked.
A hand reached through. Calm. Gentle.
Kaito's voice echoed through the fragments:
> "They can only break you if you believe them."
She gasped. Light swallowed the illusions. The mirrors shattered.
And suddenly, she was free.
---
[Outside – Reality]
Two explosions of aura surged from the Mindtrap Zone.
Dev and Meera burst out first, bodies covered in psychic burns.
Then Kaito and Aya walked through the smoke—unstained.
The other Awakeners nearby turned in stunned silence.
"What just… happened?" someone whispered.
Aya's gaze was steel. "We broke his hold."
"And we're going back in," Kaito added. "Because Dev and I have an idea."
Dev raised a hand. "Nurarihyon feeds on trauma. On guilt. On memories we fear."
"But what if," Kaito said, stepping forward, "we give him something else? Something we control?"
---
Inside the Mindtrap – Second Attempt
They entered as a squad. Five duos. Kaito and Aya leading.
Nurarihyon materialized again—his eyes curious now.
"You returned," he said smoothly. "Fools. Gluttons for suffering."
"We brought a gift," Kaito replied calmly.
"A what?"
"Fake memories."
Nurarihyon blinked. For the first time… uncertain.
---
[Flashback – 1 hour earlier]
Kaito sat cross-legged. His eyes closed.
Beside him, a holographic script played: detailed, fabricated memories constructed from dreams, lies, and pure imagination. False childhoods. Fictional regrets.
Psychic illusions crafted by Meera. Powered by Dev. Structured by Kaito's godlike imagination.
"If he eats these," Kaito had said, "he'll get indigestion."
---
[Now – Inside the Zone]
Nurarihyon hissed. The moment he touched the fake memory, his body recoiled.
"These are… not real! They taste… wrong!"
"You wanted minds?" Kaito said softly, eyes narrowing. "Then feast."
Aya and the others flared their auras.
And unleashed the mental storm.
---
[Final Phase – Nurarihyon: True Form]
The sky cracked again. This time, darker.
Nurarihyon's skin peeled like paper, revealing a true form beneath—elongated, faceless, dripping shadows. He had no mouth. No eyes. Just endless teeth and echoing voices.
> "IF YOU DO NOT BREAK… I SHALL ERASE WHO YOU ARE."
The world screamed.
---
[Final Battle Begins]
Aya launched forward, slicing through illusions with her frost blades.
Dev anchored their thoughts, holding the mental barrier.
Meera manipulated false dreams to confuse the demon.
Kaito stood still.
And whispered one word—
> "Forget."
Reality twisted. Nurarihyon stumbled.
Then roared.
And the true fight began.
---
To Be Continued in Chapter 40: "The Battle for Self"