Darkness. A low heartbeat thuds. Then faster. Louder.
The Spiral Gate glows from within. Aki stands at the core, eyes wide, wind swirling around him. The "Heart" pulses like a dying star. Rei watches from the platform, unsure.
Aki (to himself):
"This place… it's not just a world. It's alive. And it's in pain."
---
A blast of light. Aki's thrown backward. Floating symbols orbit him. He hears dozens of voices—laughing, crying, whispering his name.
Voice (fragmented):
"Aki… Aki… find the key… don't trust—"
---
Real world. Yumi stares at her reflection in a mirror—it ripples. Her hand moves on its own, sketching a rune onto the glass. The mirror turns black. She screams—
Yumi:
"No. I don't want to go in—"
She's sucked into it.
---
Back in Yūgen. Rei senses a distortion. She spins around, raising her blade. Yumi appears mid-air, crashing to the ground, coughing.
Rei (shocked):
"What the hell—how did she get in here?!"
Aki (running to her):
"Yumi?!"
Yumi (dizzy):
"I followed the drawings… the mirror… It dragged me in!"
---
A deafening explosion shakes the tower. Kael appears, riding a hovering gear. He's bleeding, furious.
Kael (shouting):
"The Enforcer is coming. He's cleansing the whole tower!"
The sky cracks. The Enforcer descends—cape billowing, sword massive and burning. His voice booms.
Enforcer:
"Seeker. Your interference ends here."
---
Kael draws both guns. Rei forms her shield. Yumi looks terrified. Aki breathes deeply and steps forward.
Aki:
"No. I'm not running."
Enforcer (coldly):
"Then be reset."
---
Massive clash. Aki blocks the first strike—barely. The Enforcer moves like lightning, cutting through time. Rei leaps in, deflects a blow. Kael fires shots that bend midair. Yumi grabs Aki's shoulder—
Yumi:
"I saw the symbol. It's not just a world—it's you. The Realm is your mind, Aki. It's you."
Aki freezes. Memories flood in—
Drawing under the hospital bed.
Wires, machines, a coma.
A voice: "We're losing him."
Aki (quietly):
"I'm... dreaming this?"
---
The Enforcer strikes again. Aki catches the blade with his bare hand—it bleeds, but he doesn't let go.
Aki (shouting):
"No. I'm waking up."
---
His Sketchblade transforms—becomes a double-edged staff glowing with memory runes. Time bends outward. He strikes—the Enforcer is knocked back for the first time, mask cracking.
The Enforcer speaks, softer:
Enforcer:
"…Then wake, Seeker. If you can."
He vanishes into ash.
---
The tower calms. Lights fade. The Heart pulses slow and steady. Aki looks around: Rei breathing heavy, Kael wounded, Yumi trembling.
Aki:
"This isn't just a game. This is my mind. My coma. My world."
Rei:
"Then the next choice is yours."
---
Back in the real world—hospital room. A monitor blinks. A nurse gasps as the heart rate rises. Aki's fingers twitch.
Hospital room. Morning light. Machines beep steadily. Aki lies motionless. Eyes closed. A nurse scribbles notes. Suddenly—
His hand twitches again.
Nurse (startled):
"…Dr. Sato, you need to see this. Subject 19 is responding."
---
Inside the Yūgen Realm. Aki stands at the edge of a shattered bridge overlooking a sea of starlight. Rei, Yumi, and Kael stand behind him. The tower is silent now. The Heart pulses slowly in the sky above.
Aki:
"I was in a coma this whole time. This world—everything—is part of my mind trying to survive."
Yumi:
"Then why am I here too?"
Kael:
"You touched the seal. Once you do, part of you syncs. Like it or not."
Rei:
"And I've been trapped here for years. Maybe longer. But you—"
She steps closer.
Rei:
"You might be the first to leave."
---
A gust of wind carries whispers. The stars begin to rearrange themselves into a spiral symbol.
Aki (whispering):
"The Spiral Gate again... It's pulling everything into it."
Suddenly, the sky flickers—black veins crack the air. The Architect returns, face now broken, one eye glowing red like static.
Architect (voice distorted):
"You broke protocol. You refused reset. And now... entropy begins."
---
The ground splinters. Gravity flips. Everyone's thrown into the sky, pulled toward the black spiral forming above.
Kael (yelling):
"He's collapsing the entire Realm! He'd rather kill it than let you leave!"
Aki (gritting teeth):
"Then we fight."
---
Mid-air battle. Aki summons the twin-blade, Rei floats using her sigils, Yumi controls streams of light from her sketchbook, Kael launches gravity-warping bullets.
The Architect lashes out with fractal weapons, data tendrils, corrupted memories. Visions of Aki's childhood swirl—his mother crying, his empty room, machines beeping.
Yumi (screaming):
"They're using your fears against you! Don't let them in!"
Aki stares into the chaos—and smiles faintly.
Aki:
"I'm not afraid anymore."
---
He charges forward, slicing through the Architect's core. A burst of light. Time freezes. The Realm turns silent.
---
The stars rearrange again. The black spiral fades. A gateway opens—warm, golden light pouring from it. The real world calling.
Watcher (appearing from the light):
"Seeker. You've reached the threshold. Step through… or remain."
---
Yumi:
"You have to go."
Rei (quietly):
"If you wake up... we might vanish."
Kael (smirking):
"Don't get sentimental. You'll be back."
---
Aki looks down at his hand. The glow fades. He breathes deep, steps toward the light.
He turns back one last time.
Aki:
"I'll remember you. All of you."
He steps through.
---
Real world. Hospital monitor spikes. Eyes flicker open. Aki gasps. Alive.
Doctor (shocked):
"Subject 19 is awake!"
---
Cut to Aki's POV. Blurry ceiling. Blinking lights. Cold air. Then—
A girl's voice.
Yumi (softly):
"You came back…"
He turns. She's there. Real.
Aki (weakly smiling):
"…So did you."