Defying fate was one thing. Understanding how to do it was another.
Aiko and Ryou stood at the heart of the ruined shrine, the weight of their past lives pressing down on them. The air was still thick with the energy of their revelations, but now, they had a new purpose.
They had to find the source of the curse.
Mei leaned against a broken pillar, arms crossed, watching them. "So, where exactly does one find the force responsible for cursing generations of lovers? Because I'm guessing it's not going to just introduce itself."
Aiko exhaled slowly. "No. But I think we already know where to start."
She turned back to the inscriptions lining the shrine's walls. The visions had shown them what happened, but the why was still shrouded in mystery. Her fingers traced the ancient carvings, feeling the pulse of something old, something waiting.
"The Ninth Tail was split to prevent destruction," she murmured, piecing together the puzzle aloud. "But destruction from what?"
Ryou stepped closer, his gaze following the markings. "Or from who."
Aiko stilled. She turned to him, and in that instant, she felt the pulse of their bond shift—something flickering at the edges of her consciousness, like a whisper she couldn't quite hear.
Mei straightened. "You think someone caused this?"
Ryou's voice was quiet but firm. "Curses don't just exist. They're made."
Aiko swallowed hard, her heart pounding. If someone had created this cycle, then that meant—
"They're still out there," she whispered.
The thought sent a chill through her. Whoever had first torn the Ninth Tail apart, whoever had set this cycle in motion, hadn't just been trying to prevent destruction.
They had been trying to control it.
Mei let out a low curse. "Great. So we're not just fighting fate—we're fighting whoever decided to play god."
Ryou's jaw tightened. "Then we need to find them."
Aiko turned back to the shrine, determination settling over her. "And I think I know where to start."
She pressed her palm against the oldest of the inscriptions, letting her energy flow into it. The stone beneath her fingertips trembled, and suddenly—
Darkness.
A new vision seized her, dragging her into the depths of the past. But this time, it wasn't a battlefield.
It was a throne room.
A figure sat upon a raised dais, their presence suffocating, their aura wrong. Shadows curled at their feet, tendrils of power coiling around the room like living things. The air shimmered with raw energy, but it was not natural—it was stolen. Hoarded. Twisted into something unrecognizable.
And before them, kneeling, head bowed in forced submission—
The Kyūbi.
Aiko's breath caught. This wasn't love. This wasn't sacrifice.
This was subjugation.
"You are too powerful," the shadowed figure said, their voice rich with something ancient, something insidious. "And power that cannot be controlled must be divided."
The Kyūbi lifted her head, golden eyes burning with defiance. "You will regret this."
The figure only smiled, the shadows twisting at their command. "No. You will."
Then, with a motion so simple it was almost gentle, the figure reached out—and tore something from the Kyūbi's very soul.
Aiko gasped as pain lanced through her, as if she too had been ripped apart. She could feel the Kyūbi's agony, the desperate struggle against something so absolute, so wrong. The vision blurred, flickering between past and present, and for the briefest moment—
Aiko saw the figure's face.
And it was not a stranger.
Her breath hitched, the connection severing violently as she was hurled back into reality. She stumbled, hands gripping the stone beneath her as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. Ryou was there, his arms steadying her, but his concern barely registered over the pounding in her skull.
Mei knelt beside her. "What did you see?"
Aiko's fingers curled against the earth. She forced herself to lift her gaze, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's not just some nameless force." Her hands trembled. "It's someone I know."
Ryou's grip on her tightened. "Who?"
Aiko's lips parted, but she hesitated. The truth burned on her tongue, a revelation so heavy she could barely voice it.
Because if she was right—
Then the enemy wasn't just some distant, forgotten figure from the past.
They were waiting for her.
Mei's expression darkened. "Aiko…?"
She swallowed hard, steeling herself. "The one who cursed us." Her fists clenched. "The one who started it all."
Ryou's jaw set, his body tensing as the weight of her words sank in. "Then we end this. Together."
The bond between them pulsed again, stronger than ever.
They weren't just fighting destiny anymore.
They were hunting the one who had written it.
And this time, they wouldn't fail.