Paulo, once a forgotten soul, now stood at the centre of a cosmic revolution.
He, once an overlooked individual, now found himself at the heart of a cosmic upheaval. As he exited the main gate of Gristle Hollow, he was accompanied by Maki. Paulo's cosmic aura was dimming to allow for a moment of respite.
While they were leaving the town, the newly revived Maki Satō walked alongside Paulo. She then glanced at Paulo and inquired, "So, where do we head next, Cosmic Green?"
Maki appeared uncertain about their direction as they delved deeper into the wasteland inhabited by soul creatures.
Paulo responded, "We are either going to recruit more members for our team, eliminate additional Ghostface members, or enhance our own strength." Maki nodded in agreement.
Paulo then unsheathed his sword, which took Maki by surprise. She questioned Paulo's actions, to which he replied saying, "We are in the territory of soul creatures."
Without hesitation, Paulo charged towards a distant soul creature and executed a spin kick aimed at its head. He unleashed a flurry of slashes, but the soul creature evaded every attack.
Paulo's eyes widened as he leaped into the air unpredictably. He declared, "I have only witnessed this move once, but I believe I can replicate it." While airborne, Paulo closed his eyes at random.
Maki shouted, "PAULO, WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING? FOCUS!!!" Upon opening his eyes, green sparks erupted from them as he descended back to the ground. Maki remarked, "He's got it, the Eye."
The Eye, a manifestation of the Cosmic Green's Soul, is reputed to possess Copy abilities and foresight. Paulo Satoshi has become its new wielder.
The soul beast charged at them, but Paulo swiftly cut it down, ending its life. He then detected a significant amount of dark energy emanating from afar; Maki sensed it as well.
Together, Paulo and Maki resolved to pursue the source of the dark energy. The ground beneath their feet fractured, fissures glowing with molten fury.
***
Ash and embers danced in the noxious air, while the distant murmurs of anguished souls echoed through the breeze.
Then, they beheld it: a katana and a mask, crafted from pure shadow, pulsating with an unsettling energy.
One of them, with his crimson eyes glowing with a silent authority, advanced. "I am Akikage Shirogane," he proclaimed, his voice resonating like thunder echoing over far-off mountains.
Paulo gulped nervously, his heart racing. He was unaccustomed to confronting beings of this nature, entities whose mere presence could overpower weaker souls.
Akikage reached out a clawed hand towards his allies. "These are Haruka Yurei, Yurei Mori, Hiro Yamamoto, and Minako Kanamoto," he articulated, his words measured and heavy with significance.
In unison, the Oni adjusted their stance for moment 0f the battle, their muscles coiled, weapons shimmering beneath the distorted sky.
Their energy crackled, infused with the anticipation of a relentless confrontation.
Paulo then retreated to evade an assault launched by Hiro, but Minako struck him in the side, propelling him into the air. Following the impact, Paulo leaped skyward.
As Yurei charged at him, Paulo activated the Eye. He recalled a scene from a show in his previous world, remembering the fight sequence and the technique he had executed and its effects.
Paulo then brought his hands together just as Yurei reached him. He whispered a word, "Death Slice," and Yurei was severed in two.
Haruka Yurei, Hiro Yamamoto, Minako Kanamoto, and Akikage Shirogane were taken aback.
However, Yurei resurrected due to his Oni lineage. Paulo scarcely had a moment to respond before the Oni's enormous sword sliced through him.
Pain exploded across his body as crimson painted the wasteland.
Maki's eyes widened in horror. She wanted to scream, to retaliate, but the battle raged on. She had to defend himself.
Through he was fading consciousness, Paulo's trembling fingers stretched toward the artifact. The moment his fingertips brushed its surface, darkness swallowed him whole. Everything shifted.
***
A shadowy room enveloped him, cold, endless, and pulsing with unseen energy. Before him, standing amidst the abyss, was a figure wrapped in a flowing shadow and crackling lightning.
The entity spoke, her voice both soothing and commanding. "I am Yuki Fujimoto."
Paulo exhaled sharply, his mind spinning. "What do you want? And what powers do you have?"
Yuki's gaze locked onto him, unwavering. "I want to be friends with you, Paulo Satoshi. My powers are shadow manipulation and lightning control."
Paulo let out a frustrated breath, pain still biting at his existence. "That's great and all," he muttered, "but I'm kind of cut in two right now, so that's not very useful."
Yuki's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "If we fuse, I can take over half your body and heal you. Together, we can take care of the Oni and eliminate them."
Paulo's eyes flickered with realization, but then an idea struck him. "Wait… Can't you revive them? Turn them into allies using soul magic?"
Yuki nodded, extending her hand to him. "That is within my power. But you must accept the bond first." Paulo stared at her outstretched hand. This was it, his only chance.
Without hesitation, he clasped her hand. Power surged through him.
***
Back in reality, Maki panted, and exhaustion was creeping into her limbs.
She had managed to kill Hiro, but the remaining Oni were relentless. Then, everything changed.
A storm of shadow and lightning erupted from Paulo's broken form, the ground trembling beneath his rebirth.
His body pulsed with dark energy, his wounds sealing, his aura roaring to life. Maki glanced over, eyes wide in disbelief.
The Oni took a step back, sensing the shift in power. Paulo was no longer just human. He was something else entirely.
Paulo reached down, his fingers curling around the mask. The moment he lifted it to his face; an overwhelming surge of power exploded through his body.
Dark energy pulsed around him, shadows twisting like living tendrils. The mask fused to his skin, its form shifting as horns sprouted from his head, curling upward like a demon lord's crown.
Wings erupted from his back, vast, jagged, and shrouded in shadow and crackling lightning.
The wasteland trembled beneath his presence. When he spoke, his voice was no longer his alone.
It was a fusion, a haunting blend of Paulo resolve and Yuki's ethereal command. The sound reverberated through the battlefield, shaking the very air.
"Maki," Paulo intoned, his eyes glowing with unearthly brilliance. "We have the artifact."
The Oni tensed, sensing something beyond their understanding. Their instincts screamed at them; this was no longer the Paulo they had just confronted moments ago.
Paulo's lips curled into a smirk, his voice carrying the weight of his newfound power. "Let me use it on the Oni."
***
The storm of shadows surged. The battle was about to take a terrifying turn.
Paulo surged forward, his newfound power crackling through his veins. He met Haruka head-on, his fist colliding with her torso and launching her skyward.
Lightning magic roared to life, allowing him to materialize above her in an instant.
He drove his foot downward, sending her plummeting toward the scorched earth like a fallen comet.
Haruka staggered to her feet, her eyes burning with fury. She darted toward Paulo in a zigzag pattern, closing the distance with unpredictable speed.
Just before her punch connected, Paulo caught her wrist with a precise block.
Before he could counter, Akikage struck, his leg swinging in a brutal arc.
His foot smashed against Paulo's head, sending him flying into the skeletal remains of burnt trees. Ash scattered around him as he steadied himself.
Paulo wiped the blood from his lip, eyes gleaming beneath his mask. "Four-on-one? Child's play when wielding this artifact."
So, with a flicker of shadow energy from Paulo, he vanished, reappearing in front of Akikage.
A single devastating punch tore through Akikage's stomach, piercing flesh, and bone with monstrous force.
Akikage let out a strangled gasp before collapsing lifelessly. Paulo barely had time to recover before Yurei hurled a massive rock, blocking his charge toward Haruka.
But fury blazed within him. He disappeared, then reappeared behind Yurei, katana in hand. One swift, merciless slash. Yurei's head tumbled to the ground, his body collapsing soon after.
Haruka retaliated, her foot snapping forward, launching Paulo into the sky.
Minako wasted no time, leaping upward and driving him down into jagged rocks with relentless force. Pain seared through Paulo body. but his rage burned hotter.
Shadow tentacles erupted from his back, coiling like living darkness.
He teleported above Minako, and in one swift motion, his tendrils impaled her, consuming her form in black flames.
Haruka stumbled back, fear finally flickering in her gaze. Then, she turned, only to meet Maki's piercing stare.
Paulo did not hesitate. His flames blazed with deadly intent, and with one final, ruthless strike, Haruka fell. Paulo then chuckled as the last oni fell.
Paulo then used the eye to learn a clone technique. Paulo then put the soul of Yuki in a new clone as it transformed into the new Tengu's vessel.
***
The next morning back on earth, Ava stepped through the gates of Keiko High with a lightness in her stride that had not been seen in weeks.
Her golden hair shimmered in the early sun, catching the light like strands of fire, but this time, her glow was not just surface-level.
it radiated from somewhere deeper. The grief that had once hollowed her out had been pierced by something far more powerful: hope.
She wore Paulo's school tie around her wrist, as always, but now it looked less like a mourning band and more like a vow.
The knot was tighter, the fabric slightly frayed from constant wear, but it pulsed with meaning.
Her eyes sparkled with quiet determination, her smile soft but unmistakably real. Students turned to look, surprised by the shift in her energy.
Whispers followed her, but they were different now, curious, not cruel. The ghost of tragedy still lingered, but Ava walked through it like sunlight through fog.
Saya and Tsuki flanked her, their steps matching hers in rhythm. They exchanged glances that held both relief and disbelief. They had seen Ava unravel, watched her scream at the sky, cry herself hoarse, and wander the halls like a shadow.
But today, she was something else entirely, alive with purpose, burning with something that could not be extinguished.
The courtyard was buzzing with students, but Ava's presence cut through the noise.
When they spotted Alexis leaning against the wall, earbuds dangling, his usual slouch intact, Ava did not hesitate. She marched straight up to him, her smile widening with every step.
Alexis looked up, eyebrows raised, ready with a quip, but before he could speak, Ava beat him to it. "Paulo called me." Her voice was clear, confident, and brimming with emotion.
The words hung in the air like a spell, and for a moment, everything stilled. Alexis blinked, stunned. Saya's breath caught. Tsuki's eyes widened.
The courtyard seemed to shift around them. The grief had not vanished, but it had transformed.
It was no longer a weight dragging Ava down, it was fuel. Proof that loves could stretch across worlds. That death was not the end.
Alexis stared at Ava, Saya, and Tsuki, his usual smirk faltering into something more serious. The courtyard noise faded into the background as the weight of Ava's words settled in.
He searched her face for any hint of doubt, but there was none.
Her eyes were clear, her voice steady, and her presence radiated something he had not seen in her since Paulo's death: conviction.
"You're serious," Alexis finally said, his voice low. Ava nodded, her grip tightening around Paulo's tie. "He is alive. Somewhere. And he is trying to come back."
Saya stepped forward, her tone calm but resolute. "We do not know how it happened. But it did. The call was real. Ava heard his voice. He remembered everything."
Tsuki crossed her arms, her usual sarcasm replaced by quiet awe. "He said he'd call again once he figures out how to travel between universes."
Alexis exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "This is insane. But… if it is true, then we have got something. Something real." Ava's smile was soft, but fierce. "I am not letting go. Not again."
The four of them stood together, the morning sun casting long shadows behind them. Around them, students passed by, unaware that something extraordinary had just unfolded. That the impossible had cracked open a door.
And in that moment, they were not just friends mourning a loss, they were believers. In love. In connection. In the idea that even death could not sever what was meant to endure.
Ava's heartbeat with purpose. Paulo was out there. And she would wait, fight, and search until the day he returned. The school day unfolded with a strange, electric energy trailing behind Ava, Saya, and Tsuki.
Word had not spread yet, only Alexis knew what had happened, but the shift in Ava's demeanour was impossible to ignore. She was not just smiling.
She was glowing. Her steps were lighter, her posture stronger, and her eyes held a fire that had not been seen since before Paulo's death.
In homeroom, whispers stirred as she entered. Some students exchanged glances, nudging each other, wondering what had changed.
Ava did not react. She slid into her seat with quiet confidence, her fingers brushing the tie around her wrist like a talisman. Saya and Tsuki took their places beside her, calm but alert, like sentinels guarding a secret.
Alexis arrived a few minutes later, and for once, he did not crack a joke. He gave Ava a nod, subtle, but meaningful. She returned it with a small smile, and that was enough.
The four of them shared something now. Something bigger than grief. Classes passed in a blur. Ava did not zone out like she used to. She took notes, answered questions, even laughed once when Tsuki whispered something snarky during history.
Teachers noticed. Students noticed. But no one dared ask.
By lunchtime, the tension had shifted. Ava walked into the cafeteria with her head high, her usual table waiting. Alexis had already claimed their spot, and Saya and Tsuki joined without hesitation.
The group sat together like they always had, but this time, there was no heaviness. No silence. Just quiet strength.
A few students approached, curious. Ava did not share details. She simply said, "I'm okay now," and that was enough to leave them speechless.
The rest of the day moved like a tide, steady, calm, but charged with something new. Ava was no longer the broken girl clinging to memories. She was a girl with a mission.
A girl who had heard the impossible and believed in it with every fibre of her being.
And as the final bell rang and students poured out into the fading afternoon light, Ava lingered by the rooftop stairs, her gaze drifting upward.
The copycat and the destressed will meet again soon.