Morning crept slowly over Natsukawa City. The rain had stopped, but the clouds still hung low, veiling the sun like gray silk. Toshio Shinji hadn't slept. The mark on his palm pulsed faintly, each rhythm echoing through his veins like a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
He sat at his desk, staring at the symbol under the dim light. It looked like a blooming flower made of glowing circuits — or maybe, something alive. No matter how hard he tried to wash or scratch it off, it remained there, warm against his skin.
"She's lying to you."
The whisper still haunted him. Lyra's voice — that haunting, soft tone that seemed to echo from within his soul.
But Sora couldn't be lying. She was the girl who'd grown up next door — the one who bandaged his knee when they were kids, who laughed with him through the storms of high school life. She wasn't someone who'd ever hurt him.
Right?
Still… the way she'd reacted last night, the flicker in her eyes when he mentioned Lyra — it wasn't nothing.
Toshio rubbed his temples, feeling the fatigue sink in.
"I need answers," he muttered. "Not dreams. Not whispers."
A knock came at his door. Sharp. Three times.
He froze, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him. Slowly, he stood and opened the door.
Sora stood there again — this time holding a small lunch box. Her smile was soft, but her eyes looked tired.
"You didn't come for breakfast," she said lightly. "So I brought it to you."
He forced a smile. "Thanks. You didn't have to—"
"You never eat properly when you're stressed."
Her tone was warm — the same caring tone he knew so well. Yet something in her aura felt off. The air around her seemed charged, heavy.
She stepped inside, glancing at the shattered glass near the wall. "Did something really break last night?"
Toshio swallowed. "I thought it did… but when I woke up, everything was fine."
Sora tilted her head. "You were dreaming again, weren't you?"
"Maybe."
She sighed softly, setting the lunch box on the table. "Toshio, I know you've been through a lot lately, but—"
"Sora," he interrupted gently. "Can I ask you something?"
She blinked. "Of course."
"Do you know anyone named Lyra?"
Her smile froze. The silence that followed was heavy enough to break.
Toshio watched as her fingers clenched slightly at her side. "Lyra?" she repeated, forcing a chuckle. "No. Is she… someone from your dreams again?"
"Maybe," he said carefully. "But she knew things about me. Things she shouldn't."
Sora's eyes flicked briefly to his hand — the glowing mark. He caught it.
"Sora," he said, voice low. "You see it too, don't you?"
She hesitated — just for a heartbeat — before shaking her head quickly. "See what?"
"The mark," he pressed. "It's real."
"Toshio…"
"Don't lie to me."
Her lips parted, trembling slightly. Then — her expression shifted. The warmth in her eyes faded, replaced by something sharper, colder.
"So you remember."
The air in the room changed instantly. The walls pulsed faintly, as if responding to her words. Toshio took a step back, heart pounding. "What… did you just say?"
Sora exhaled slowly, then looked at him — not as the girl next door — but as someone entirely different.
"You weren't supposed to remember her yet," she said quietly. "Lyra broke the sequence."
"Sequence?" he echoed.
"This world," she said, spreading her hands slightly, "isn't as simple as you think. You weren't meant to live a normal life here. You're part of something… older."
Toshio's chest tightened. "What are you talking about?"
Sora's form flickered faintly — not unlike Lyra's had. A ripple of digital static shimmered across her outline before she stabilized again.
"You… you're not real either," he whispered.
"I'm as real as you need me to be," she said softly. "But I was sent here to protect you — to keep the core from awakening."
The words hit him like ice.
"The core," he repeated. "Lyra mentioned it too."
Sora nodded. "And now it's waking inside you."
"Inside me?"
"You were its last host," she said. "Before everything collapsed."
Toshio shook his head, backing away. "No. This is insane."
"Is it?" she whispered. "Then why do you think she found you again?"
Before he could respond, the mark on his hand began to burn. A surge of blue light erupted from his palm, illuminating the entire room. Sora shielded her eyes as Toshio fell to his knees, gasping. The light expanded, fractal patterns blooming across his skin like living code.
"Toshio!" Sora called out.
He screamed as visions flooded his mind — flashes of war, collapsing stars, two figures reaching for each other through the wreckage. He saw Lyra's face — tear-streaked — as a massive explosion tore their world apart.
"Find me again… in the next life."
Then darkness.
When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in his apartment anymore. He was standing on a field of glowing fragments — the same world of shattered voices. Lyra was there again, her hand extended toward him.
"You woke it," she said softly. "The core."
Toshio's hand still glowed, energy swirling around his fingertips. "What… what is this?"
"It's you," Lyra said. "The real you. You were never just human, Toshio."
He froze. "What do you mean?"
Lyra stepped closer. "You're a Resonant. A soul born from both human consciousness and echo energy — a being that bridges reality and dream. You and I were the first pair created to stabilize the two worlds."
His breath caught. "So… we were—"
"Connected," she said. "Always."
He looked at her — and for a moment, the memories came flooding back. Their laughter, their battles, the promise made under a dying sky.
"I told you I'd find you," he whispered.
"And you did," she smiled sadly. "But you're not safe yet."
A sudden tremor shook the ground. The skies cracked open, and out of the light descended a figure cloaked in obsidian armor — eyes burning crimson.
"You shouldn't have remembered," the figure growled. "The cycle was meant to reset."
Lyra's expression hardened. "Run, Toshio!"
"No," he said, clenching his fists. "Not again."
He stepped forward, the core pulsing violently. Energy surged through him — blinding blue flames that tore the air apart. The armored figure raised a hand, summoning chains of shadow.
The two forces collided. The impact shattered the glass world into a thousand fragments, scattering stars and echoes into the void.
Toshio roared — a sound that felt more than human — as the energy within him erupted, obliterating everything around.
Then — silence.
He fell to his knees, breathing heavily, his body trembling from exhaustion. The mark on his hand dimmed, fading to a soft glow.
Lyra appeared beside him, kneeling gently. "You've awakened it now," she said. "There's no turning back."
"Who was that?" he asked weakly.
"The Keeper," she said. "The guardian of the loop. He'll come again — stronger."
"Then I'll be ready," Toshio said, determination lighting his eyes.
Lyra smiled faintly. "You sound like you used to."
He turned to her, his gaze softening. "And you look just like I remember."
The air between them hummed with quiet warmth — fragile but real. For a brief moment, time itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then, just as she reached for his hand — the light around her flickered violently.
"Lyra?"
"No…" she gasped. "He's pulling me back—"
Her form began to distort, fading into mist.
"Lyra!"
"Find the second core!" she cried, voice echoing through the collapsing space. "It's the only way to save me!"
And then she was gone.
The world fell apart, leaving Toshio alone amidst the silence.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his apartment — floor cracked, lights flickering. The lunch box Sora had brought was spilled across the ground. But she was gone.
Only a faint note lay on the table.
He picked it up, heart pounding.
"You were never meant to remember her. Forgive me, Toshio. – Sora."
His grip tightened around the note. "No…"
Outside, the city lights flickered — once, twice — then died completely. The entire city plunged into darkness.
And in that silence, a low hum began to rise from deep below the earth — rhythmic, ancient, and calling his name.
"Toshio…"
The echoes had awakened. And this time, the world would never be the same.