Toki awoke with a sharp breath, as if he had been pulled violently from the depths of the ocean and forced back into the world of the living.
For a moment, he did not move.
He simply stood there, frozen, his hand resting against the cold wooden surface in front of him.
The door.
The conference hall.
The palace.
His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed his forehead against the wood, closing his eyes.
The world felt… intact.
The air was calm. The distant torches flickered softly along the corridor walls, their light dancing in quiet defiance against the darkness. Through a nearby window, the moon hung high in the sky, pale and distant, its silver glow spilling gently across the marble floor.
No screams.
No fire.
No blood.
A fragile, impossible peace.
A weak, broken laugh almost escaped his lips.
"I'm here…" he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible. "I'm really… here."
Relief surged through him so suddenly it made his chest tighten. His body felt light,like something heavy had been torn away from him, leaving behind only emptiness and exhaustion.
But that relief twisted just as quickly into something painful.
His fingers clenched against the door.
What now?
The question echoed inside his mind, louder than any scream.
What was he supposed to say?
What was he supposed to do differently this time?
What if it didn't matter?
What if everything he had just endured—everything he had sacrificed—led to the same ending?
Toki bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"No…" he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "Don't think like that."
His forehead pressed harder against the door.
His thoughts were spiraling again.
A flicker of frustration surged through him.
Before he could stop himself, he struck his head lightly against the wood.
Then again.
A little harder.
The dull sound echoed softly in the empty corridor.
"Stop it," he whispered harshly to himself. "Stop trying to control everything."
His breathing steadied slowly.
That wasn't why he had come back.
That wasn't why he had chosen this path.
He exhaled.
Deep.
Slow.
"I didn't come back to plan," he said quietly. "I came back to be… me."
The words felt strange.
Uncertain.
But also… right.
His hand slid down the door handle.
For a brief moment, he hesitated.
Then he pushed it open.
The conference hall revealed itself exactly as he remembered.
The long table.
The dim lighting.
The quiet tension in the air.
And them.
King Mathias sat at the head of the table, composed as always, his posture straight, his expression calm but observant. To his right sat Bernard and Harold, both visibly tired yet alert. To his left were Smith and Lorelay, their presence steady, grounded.
All of them turned toward him at once.
Concern filled their eyes.
"Toki," Mathias greeted him calmly, though there was a subtle edge beneath his voice. "You've arrived just in time for the discussion regarding the Snow Festival."
Toki stepped inside slowly.
His gaze moved across each of them.
Bernard.
Harold.
Lorelay.
Smith.
All of them were alive.
Something inside his chest cracked.
He had thought he was ready.
He had told himself that he would be strong enough to face them.
But now, standing in front of them—knowing what he had done in the previous loop—knowing how they had died, how he had failed them…
His vision blurred instantly.
I killed them.
The thought struck him like a blade.
I watched them die. I let it happen.
His breathing became uneven.
His hands trembled.
He tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
The weight was too much.
Suddenly, his legs gave out beneath him.
He collapsed onto his knees with a dull thud against the floor.
"I'm sorry!" he shouted, his voice breaking completely.
The words tore themselves out of him without restraint.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…!"
Again.
And again.
And again.
He couldn't stop.
It was as if something deep inside him had finally shattered.
The room froze for a single heartbeat.
Then chaos followed.
"Toki!" Bernard was the first to move, his chair scraping loudly against the floor as he rushed forward.
Lorelay was right behind him, kneeling beside Toki and placing a gentle hand on the back of his neck.
"Toki… hey…" she said softly, her voice filled with concern. "What happened? Why are you crying like this?"
Harold stood up as well, his usually composed expression cracking with worry.
"Toki," he said firmly, stepping closer. "Talk to us. We're your friends."
Friends.
The word hit harder than anything else.
Toki lifted his head slowly, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
"I can't do it alone," he said, his voice trembling. "I… I can't… I need help."
Silence fell for a moment.
Even Mathias leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes studying him carefully.
"What happened?" the king asked, his tone serious now. "Your investigations were progressing well."
Toki's gaze shifted.
Toward Smith.
Without hesitation, he reached forward and grabbed onto the older man's leg, clutching the fabric of his trousers like a lifeline.
"Master…" he whispered desperately. "I can't do this without you."
Smith froze.
For a brief moment, he simply stared down at him.
This was the same boy who had faced monsters without flinching.
The same boy who carried the weight of impossible battles.
And now…
He was trembling like a child.
Lorelay snapped out of it first.
She turned sharply toward Smith and smacked him lightly on the shoulder.
"Do something!" she hissed.
Smith blinked, then quickly reached into his coat and pulled out a handkerchief. He crouched down awkwardly and began wiping Toki's face, his movements clumsy but sincere.
"Alright, alright…" he muttered. "Let's take this slowly. One thing at a time."
Bernard and Harold gently lifted Toki to his feet and guided him back to his seat.
The group settled again, though the atmosphere had completely changed.
No one spoke.
They simply waited.
Gave him space.
After a few moments, Toki's breathing steadied slightly.
Mathias broke the silence.
"What did you see, Toki?" he asked quietly.
Toki swallowed.
His hands clenched against the table.
"I was investigating the areas where I previously encountered the Star Collector," he began slowly. "And… through my spiritual sight… I had a vision."
The words felt heavy.
"I saw tomorrow."
The room grew still.
"I saw caravans arriving," he continued. "Children playing in the snow… people celebrating…"
His voice faltered.
"And then… I saw death."
A chill ran through the room.
"The Star Collector has returned," Toki said, his voice tightening. "And he's not alone."
He lifted his head.
"Five dragons."
Shock spread instantly across their faces.
"They burned the capital to the ground," he continued. "People turned on each other because of the miasma… chaos spread everywhere… and the dragons destroyed everything."
Bernard's hands tightened into fists.
Harold's expression darkened.
"I saw Utsuki die," Toki whispered.
The words barely came out.
"I saw Lady Melissa… Lady Elizabeth…"
Bernard and Harold both flinched visibly at the mention of their loved ones.
Toki forced himself to continue.
"It all begins with the eclipse," he said. "And by the end… no one survives."
Silence.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Toki lowered his gaze.
"I don't have proof," he admitted quietly. "I can't explain it properly."
His voice trembled again.
"But I don't want this to happen."
He clenched his fists.
"So please…"
He bowed his head.
"…help me."
For a moment, no one responded.
"I believe you."
The voice cut through the silence clearly.
Toki's eyes widened slightly.
Smith had raised his hand.
Everyone turned toward him in shock.
Smith scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Since you became my apprentice," he said, glancing at Toki, "I've learned a few things about you."
He shrugged.
"You're not the type to ask for help."
His expression softened slightly.
"Partly because you're afraid people will get hurt because of you… and partly because you're too stubborn to rely on others."
A faint smirk appeared.
"But if you're willing to drop to your knees and beg like this…"
He nodded.
"That's enough for me."
Bernard raised his hand next.
"I'd never doubt you, Toki," he said firmly.
Harold followed.
"From a strategic perspective," he added calmly, "a crowded marketplace is the perfect place to cause large-scale chaos. The scenario is plausible."
Lorelay raised her hand as well.
"I trust your instincts," she said simply.
All eyes turned toward Mathias.
The king stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Dragons are nearly extinct," he said slowly. "And the last attack on this capital was ten years ago."
He paused.
"But given the current circumstances…"
His gaze sharpened.
"Anything is possible."
Then he raised his hand.
"I will trust you as well, my boy."
Toki's breath caught.
Relief crashed into him all at once.
He stood up abruptly and bowed deeply.
"Thank you!" he said, his voice shaking.
Smith snorted.
"Careful," he muttered. "If you keep throwing yourself on the ground like that, you'll break your bones."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then laughter broke out.
Mathias slowly raised his hand, the faint echoes of laughter still lingering in the room. The tension had eased, if only slightly, but the reality of what lay ahead pressed heavily against every mind present.
"Now that we have… regained some composure," the king said calmly, his voice reclaiming its authority, "let us proceed with planning our countermeasure."
The shift in atmosphere was immediate.
Harold was the first to speak.
"If the attack will occur during the noon," he began, folding his hands on the table, "then the marketplace will be the center of both population density and chaos. Would it not be best to gather all four divisions there and expand outward from a single fortified position?"
It was a logical suggestion.
Simple.
Structured.
Safe—on the surface.
Toki's eyes shifted instinctively toward Smith.
Smith tapped his fingers lightly against the wooden table, the soft rhythm echoing in the quiet room like a ticking clock.
"It sounds good," he said slowly. "On paper."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"But if we don't know how the enemy will strike… that formation becomes a cage."
Silence followed.
Toki stared at him.
Not in surprise.
But in recognition.
It's the same…
Smith's experience was not just knowledge—it was instinct refined through years of war. He had seen patterns others couldn't. He had survived battles others never even understood.
He wasn't the general of the army by chance.
He was a weapon.
And right now—
He was pointing them away from disaster.
Smith leaned back slightly, continuing.
"If we concentrate our forces in one place, we're giving the enemy exactly what they want. One target. One strike. Maximum casualties."
His fingers tapped again.
"Instead, we spread out."
The room stilled.
"We deploy units across the city," he continued, his voice steady. "Primary objective: evacuation. Fast. Efficient. No hesitation."
Harold nodded slowly, already following the logic.
"And the dragons?" Bernard asked, his tone tense.
Smith's gaze darkened slightly.
"Small, mobile squads," he said. "Mounted on Umma birds. Fast enough to engage and disengage."
He exhaled.
"They distract the dragons. Lead them away from civilians."
A pause.
"But…"
The word hung heavy.
Smith's eyes lowered slightly.
"That's a suicide mission."
No one spoke.
The truth settled over the table like a shadow.
"No one," Smith continued quietly, "will willingly throw their life away like that."
Silence deepened.
Toki stood up.
The sound of his chair sliding back cut through the room.
"I will."
All eyes turned to him.
"I have two hundred men in the Fourth Division," Toki said, his voice calm but firm. "I will divide them into four groups of fifty."
He placed his hands on the table.
"We will engage the dragons directly."
A flicker of tension passed through the room.
"We will draw all five of them to a single point," he continued. "The center."
Bernard frowned.
"Five dragons… all at once?"
Toki nodded.
"Yes."
Harold's expression hardened.
"And then what?" he asked.
Toki didn't answer immediately.
Smith did.
"I thought you'd matured a little," he said flatly.
The words cut cleanly.
"How exactly do you plan to convince your men to walk to their deaths just because you told them to?"
Toki met his gaze.
Unflinching.
"And even if you manage that," Smith continued, his voice sharpening, "we don't have anything capable of killing five dragons."
Silence.
Toki inhaled slowly.
"Don't worry about what I will tell my men," he said.
His voice didn't rise.
It didn't waver.
"And don't worry about what happens after we gather the dragons."
"You just need to trust me."
The words landed with weight.
Doubt lingered.
They looked at him.
Measured him.
Weighed the risk.
Toki clenched his fists.
"I have seen what hell looks like," he said quietly.
His voice dropped.
"I've seen where my pride led me."
"I've seen the cost of trying to carry everything alone."
His gaze moved across the room.
"So I am asking you," he said.
Not as a commander.
Not as a strategist.
But as a man.
"Trust me."
His voice tightened slightly.
"And if even one person dies because of my decision…"
The room froze.
"…then I will step down as commander."
A breath.
"And accept execution."
Silence exploded.
Not loudly.
But violently.
Smith's eyes narrowed.
He stared at Toki.
Long.
Hard.
As if trying to see through him.
Then—
Smith spoke.
"You made me a promise once."
Toki didn't move.
"And I didn't keep mine," Smith continued quietly. "So as your master… I owe you."
A pause.
Then his voice shifted.
"But as a general…"
The room seemed to tighten.
"If you break that oath…"
His gaze locked onto Toki's.
"I will be the one to execute you."
The words were not a threat.
They were a fact.
"Tell me, Toki Ikaru," Smith said.
"Are you prepared to uphold your promise?"
Toki lowered his head.
"I swear," he said.
His voice was steady.
"On my soul."
A breath.
"On my heart."
Another.
"On my power."
Smith leaned back slightly.
"Good."
A faint smirk.
"Then I want to see how you solve this problem… your way."
Something shifted.
Not fully.
But enough.
Bernard suddenly stood, striking his fist against his chest.
"Then we fight!" he declared. "For life! For justice!"
Harold immediately grabbed his arm.
"Sit down," he muttered. "We're not at a parade."
Lorelay covered her mouth slightly, a faint smile forming.
Mathias observed everything quietly.
Then he spoke.
"You may go, Toki."
The words were calm.
"I believe you have much to prepare."
"We will ensure everything is ready by tomorrow."
Toki nodded.
He turned.
Walked toward the door.
His hand reached the handle—
"Wait."
Smith's voice.
Toki stopped.
But didn't turn.
Behind him, Smith shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable.
"Ahem…"
A pause.
"…Take care of yourself."
Toki's lips curved faintly.
"I won't promise that."
Then he opened the door and stepped out.
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Inside—
Lorelay leaned back slightly, glancing at Smith with amusement.
"Well, well," she said lightly. "Looks like he's grown on you."
Smith scoffed.
"That's not it."
He crossed his arms.
"…He just reminds me of myself."
But his voice lacked conviction.
Outside, the night air was cold.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Toki exhaled slowly.
Then walked toward Umma.
The great bird lowered her head slightly as he approached, her feathers catching the moonlight.
He reached out and gently brushed her neck.
For a moment—
He just stood there.
Then, instead of mounting her, he began walking.
Leading her by the reins.
Step by step.
Through the silent courtyard.
His thoughts were quieter now.
Not empty.
But… clearer.
This is different.
Not because the world had changed.
But because he had.
"I'm not alone anymore…" he whispered softly.
Footsteps approached.
Toki's gaze shifted.
Reginald.
Walking past.
As if he didn't exist.
Just like always.
Toki spoke.
"I know why you didn't attend the meeting tonight."
Reginald stopped.
Slowly—
He turned.
His expression was sharp.
Defensive.
"What do you want from me?" he snapped.
Toki looked at him calmly.
Just… certain.
"I want to speak with Rosalin Berg....."