SAI SHINU
he purple haze around us began to flicker, as though the room itself acknowledged Taro's new bond. The pedestal cracked and dissolved into shards of crystalized sand, fading into nothing. The godglyph's power had chosen its vessel.
I watched Taro's hand lower slowly, his expression calm but unreadable. Tiny fragments of glass spiraled around him before vanishing into thin air, leaving behind a faint shimmer on his skin that faded as quickly as it appeared.
Namae broke the silence first, her tone half in awe, half in disbelief.
"You… you really did it. I could feel it—like the air itself cut for a moment."
Yosuke smirked faintly, folding his arms.
"Figures. If anyone could handle something that sharp and dangerous, it'd be you."
Taro turned to us, his eyes steady.
"This power isn't mine alone. It's for all of us—for the fights ahead. Remember that."
I nodded, though deep inside I felt a pang of worry. Every godglyph seemed to draw us deeper into something greater, something beyond what we could predict. Still, if it had to be someone, I trusted Taro with it more than anyone.
Suddenly, the walls of the purple chamber began to tremble, the glassy surfaces rippling like disturbed water. A low hum filled the air, and then—like shattering mirrors—the entire space fragmented into cascading shards of light.
When I blinked again, we were standing back in front of the gate. The portal behind us pulsed once, then closed with a deep, echoing thud. For the first time since entering, silence fell. The gate was gone—sealed, as though it had never existed.
Jiro was the first to step forward, relief flooding his face.
"You made it. All of you." His eyes fell on Taro. "And judging by that look… you've got it, don't you?"
Taro gave a small nod. A single shard of glass appeared in his palm, refracting the morning light into a rainbow before vanishing.
"Yes. The godglyph is mine now. Its name…" He paused, as if the word was whispered to him from somewhere deeper. "…is the Godglyph of Glass."
Namae exhaled slowly, almost laughing in her relief.
"Good. That means the gate is closed, and we can finally rest easy—for now."
But Yosuke shook his head.
"Rest easy? No. This was just another test. The more of these glyphs we collect, the more the balance of the world shifts. And if there are more gates out there…"
I looked toward the horizon, the weight of his words sinking in. He was right. This wasn't the end—it was barely the beginning.
Still, as the others gathered themselves, I glanced at Taro one more time.
He now carried the power of glass—fragile, sharp, reflective. A weapon and a shield. But glass was also breakable. And the thought lingered with me: would this new power protect him… or shatter him?
For now, though, the gate was closed. The village was safe. And together, we had taken another step forward.
The air outside felt sharper, cleaner—like stepping out of a suffocating dream. The moment our feet touched the soil, I noticed the sunlight breaking through the trees, painting the ground with thin golden lines.
Naemi was the first to rush toward us, her face tense.
"You're back!" She stopped in front of me, searching my eyes, then glanced quickly at the others. "What happened in there? The gate—it looked alive while you were gone."
Yuri came next, slower, her gaze fixed on me before shifting to Taro. She noticed the faint shimmer of glass still lingering in his hand.
"You… you claimed it, didn't you?"
Taro nodded, calm and steady.
"Yes. The godglyph of Glass. It's mine now."
Jiro stepped forward, his brows furrowed.
"Glass? What does it do?"
Taro turned his palm upward. With a flick of thought, tiny shards of transparent crystal bloomed in the air, spinning in a circle before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"It creates. It shields. It reflects. That's the simplest way I can put it."
Naemi's eyes widened, her voice low with awe.
"So another godglyph has been claimed…"
Namae crossed her arms, her tone thoughtful.
"The gate wasn't like the others. It was filled with mirrors. Each of us had to face ourselves—our reflections. Our truths."
That made Jiro tilt his head, skeptical.
"Reflections? What do you mean?"
Yosuke stepped in, his voice heavier than usual.
"I had to stand face-to-face with myself. The worst and best parts of me, laid bare. That was the trial. We didn't fight monsters… we fought the truth of who we are."
Naemi frowned.
"And what happened after?"
I stepped forward then, my voice steady but quiet.
"Once we accepted who we were… we were brought into another chamber. That's where the godglyph waited."
The silence that followed was thick, the kind that demanded thought. Everyone seemed to carry the weight of our words in different ways.
Finally, Yuri broke it.
"Then it's true. Every gate isn't just a challenge—it's a test of the soul."
Taro nodded slightly.
"And each godglyph comes with a cost. The question is… how many of these gates will we face before the final price is too high?"
Naemi crossed her arms, her expression firm despite the fear in her eyes.
"Then that's why I'm here. I may not be able to fight inside the gates, but I can feel them. Guide us to them. I'll make sure none of us are walking blind."
I glanced at her, at Jiro standing beside her, at Yuri still lingering close to me. For a moment, I felt that strange pull again—the weight of leadership even though no one had called me their leader.
"We've made it through another," I said finally. "And the gate is gone. That means we've already won one more victory."
Jiro gave a dry laugh.
"Yeah. But every victory makes the next battle harder."