The silence that pervaded the monorail as it made its way back felt different this time. It was not the tense silence that would be expected from an impending danger.
After a long and arduous battle, there was a profound and exhausted silence.
It was as if we had pushed back the darkness just a little bit, and the world outside, which was greenish in colour, appeared to be less dangerous.
Mitsuru sat down next to me; her posture remained flawless, but she had removed the rigidity from her body. She regarded the scene outside the window with a trace of a thoughtful frown on her lips.
I was almost able to hear the whirring of her mind as she analysed each and every second leading up to the confrontation.
In addition, the others were silent. Already in a half-sleep state, Junpei supported himself against the window.
Yukari watched the city pass by with a smirk that was a mixture of relief and excitement on her face.
All that Akihiko did was stand there with his arms crossed and a gloomy expression of contentment on his face.
Just Makoto appeared to have not changed, his expression remaining as unreadable as it had been.
When I returned to the dormitory, the atmosphere was more upbeat than it had been in weeks. The oppressive fear that had been lingering in the corridors ever since the initial distortion had at long last started to dissipate.
"We showed them how it's done!" With a relaxed posture on the couch, Junpei began to sing softly.
"Did they believe they could play games with us? With our hidden advantage?" He grinned at me.
"You were incredible, my friend. Confronting that unsettling person in such a direct manner."
Yukari gave a thoughtful nod, acknowledging the sentiment shared. "The way you stood up for her... It took a lot of courage, Kaito."
Akihiko, usually reserved, shared a sincere compliment. "Your control was perfect."
"You went beyond merely halting him. You played your cards right. That is our path to victory."
Their words enveloped me, soothing and reassuring. For a brief instant, I felt as if I truly belonged among them. A capable partner, not a source of chaos.
Yet, the price of that mastery was a profound, resonating weariness. It was no longer the exhausting struggle it once was. This was a quieter fatigue, a burden on the mind and spirit. Harnessing the Entity's power with such accuracy demanded a profound strength of spirit. I had not been a channel for disorder. Once, I stood as a judge, and the weight of delivering that verdict felt immense.
In the command room, Mitsuru and I went over the data together.
"The energy signature you emitted was impressively steady," she remarked, indicating a consistent, clear wave pattern displayed on her screen. "Everything remained steady, with no sudden changes or risks. It was... restrained. Intentional."
She looked at me, her deep red eyes filled with intensity. "What you did tonight, Kaito, held a significance beyond merely showcasing your abilities."
"A significant change occurred in how you connected with it. You let it be. You worked together with it."
Memories of Makoto's words lingered in my mind as I stood on the rooftop. Embrace the vastness of the sea.
"I began to view it not as a battle," I said thoughtfully. "I began to view it as an integral part of myself that needed comprehension."
"That is the answer," she confirmed. "This insight distinguishes an expert from a beginner." You have moved beyond being a beginner.
Her words brought a gentle sense of pride within me. Yet, a persistent thought lingered.
"Takaya... he was taken aback," I said. "He was unable to understand my actions."
"His comprehension is limited to chaos. He was puzzled by the concept of safety."
Mitsuru's expression became gentler. "He embodies hopelessness."
"He finds it difficult to grasp the idea of safeguarding one life that appears to hold little importance. You didn't merely thwart his scheme this evening. You questioned everything he believed."
She rested her hand on my arm, her grip steady and comforting, "That is a triumph far more significant than any fight."
The days that came after were calm and serene. The persistent, unsettling worry that had walked beside me for ages started to fade away. I strolled through the school corridors, a sense of ease washing over me. With Junpei, I could share laughter free from any shadow of fear. Studying with Yukari felt effortless, free from any doubt or mistrust.
Mitsuru and I grew closer in subtle, unspoken ways. A glance exchanged in the corridor. Just a little touch as she gave me a book. A gentle, secret grin that no one else will see but me.
Despite the amount of time we spent there, the command room had lost its laboratory atmosphere. It seemed like a safe haven. Each of us was a scholar, and together we were trying to understand the cosmos.
As the sun set, we climbed onto the rooftop. As it dipped below the horizon, the sun cast a radiant orange and purple glow across the sky. A golden, warm light illuminated the city below.
"It's hard to believe that world exists," I whispered as I rested my head on the railing. "Actually, there are days when I feel like the Dark Hour was all in my nightmare."
"It is a dream," Mitsuru remarked as he stood in my side. Our worst fear is the same. "Yet, it is the truth for us." Her intense stare was fixed on me. "And it's up to us to deal with it."
For what seemed like an eternity, we stood in pleasant quiet, taking in the city lights as they started to flicker in the waning light of day.
"Your father..." I started, with some hesitation. "Does the Kirijo Group have any idea what went down?" Regarding Strega?"
Her face was cast into shadow. "I have submitted all of my reports. They have... an awareness of it. They assess Strega as a threat that can be controlled, for now." She let out a sigh, which showed a rare sign of exhaustion from her. "They continue to concentrate on more extensive projects. With regard to the containment of the consequences of my grandfather's ambitions."
The expression on her face was solemn as she turned to face me in full.
"But their interest in you has not diminished, Kaito. If anything, your display of control has piqued their curiosity. They see a tool with immense potential. "A key to locks they can't even understand."
A cold knot formed in my stomach. "And you?" "What do you see?"
She reached out to gently brush a stray strand of hair from my brow. Her touch was incredibly gentle.
"Before me stands a young man, shouldering a weight that no one ought to endure." I observe a resilience that transcends the authority you possess. I understand... you, Kaito. Only you."
Her words soothed my spirit. In that moment, enveloped by the dimming glow, I experienced a tranquilly I had never realised could exist.
Yet tranquilly, in our existence, was perpetually ephemeral.
The upcoming Dark Hour ushered in a new, yet familiar tension. The tug from Tartarus grew more powerful, more demanding. The Full Moon was drawing near once more.
Mitsuru's briefing was strictly professional.
"The pattern remains steady." The Shadow is set to appear at the local museum. The energy signature indicates a link to ideas of preservation and obsession. It's probably going to be a well-defended, firmly established adversary."
She fixed her gaze on me, steady and unyielding.
"Tanaka. Your role is still essential. Your accuracy is essential. Your command. This is not an adversary we can just easily defeat. We need to think beyond it."
I nodded, my determination steady. I won't disappoint them. I will take on the role of the surgeon. The keeper. The magistrate.
I would not be the bomb.
On the night of the Full Moon, we found ourselves in front of the grand museum building. The green light cast a skeletal appearance on the classical columns, while the windows resembled hollow eye sockets.
The atmosphere was heavy with a dusty, timeless quiet. It had a sense of being observed.
We walked in. The magnificent hall was adorned with statues and glass displays. At the heart of it all, the Shadow lingered.
It wasn't a creature born from anger or hopelessness. A huge, human-like shape sculpted from shining, white marble. It grasped a stone tablet in its hands, and its face was a sleek, unadorned surface. It exuded a sense of profound, steadfast patience. A name emerged in my thoughts, gifted by the Entity's intuition: THE CURATOR.
The main idea was instantly evident to me: PERMANENCE. A relentless, unyielding calm. The wish to halt the passage of time.
"This won't be a contest of might," Mitsuru murmured, her voice resonating through the expansive hall. "It will be a clash of determination."
The Curator refrained from attacking. It just remained in place, and the atmosphere surrounding us started to harden. Our movements became sluggish, as though we were trudging through thickening cement. It was asserting its idea onto the surrounding environment.
"Tanaka, it's time!" Akihiko let out a grunt, his movements growing heavy and slow.
I concentrated. I reached for the Entity, not as something apart, but as a part of my own will. I discovered that serene, tranquil core inside me. I considered Mitsuru's trust. With my friends standing by my side.
I didn't attempt to resist the permanence. I couldn't just wipe away such a core idea.
Instead, I placed a new one upon us. I implemented ADAPTATION.
The impact was immediate. The air that pushed against us appeared to split apart. Our movements became fluid again. We could breathe.
The Curator tilted its head, a minute gesture of confusion. Its unchanging world had just been challenged.
The battle became a complex, cerebral duel. The curator would try to freeze time in a localised area, and I would enforce FLOW. It would try to petrify a teammate, and I would impose FLUIDITY.
I was not dealing damage. I was constantly rewriting the rules of reality in our small pocket of the world, countering its absolute stillness with the concept of change.
It was the most mentally taxing thing I had ever done. Sweat beaded on my forehead. My hands trembled with the effort of maintaining such fine, constant control.
But I did not break. I did not panic.
I was the ocean, and I was riding the waves.
Finally, seeing its primary weapon neutralised, the Curator resorted to a final, desperate act. It raised its stone tablet, and a wave of pure, conceptual OBLIVION swept towards us—not an attack on our bodies, but on our very memories, our identities.
It was a terrifying power. I felt my own past begin to blur at the edges.
But I was ready.
I looked at Mitsuru. I saw the determination in her eyes. I saw Junpei's stubborn courage, Yukari's compassion, and Akihiko's relentless strength. I saw Makoto's quiet resolve.
These were not things I was willing to forget.
I imposed IDENTITY.
The wave of oblivion broke against us, unable to find purchase. Our memories, our selves, remained intact, locked in place by my will.
The Curator, its final gambit failed, seemed to… sigh. Its marble form cracked, then crumbled into a pile of inert dust. The stone tablet clattered to the floor, the light fading from its surface.
We stood in the sudden silence, panting. The oppressive stillness was gone.
"We did it," Yukari breathed, lowering her bow.
Junpei let out a whoop of victory. "Yeah! Take that, you walking statue!"
Akihiko just nodded at me, a look of deep respect in his eyes.
But my attention was on Mitsuru. She walked towards me, her steps sure and steady. She didn't say anything. She simply placed a hand on my cheek, her touch cool against my feverish skin.
Her eyes said everything. Pride, relief, and awe.
In that instant, enveloped by the remnants of a vanquished deity, I experienced a chilling sense of understanding. The strength inside me was not a burden. It was an obligation. An obligation. And I was finally discovering how to use it effectively.
Yet, alongside that clarity emerged a fresh fear. The more I honed this ability, the more the distinction between Kaito Tanaka and the Warden faded away. I emerged victorious in the battle.
But I began to question whether I was losing the battle for my own soul.
The way forward was evident, yet it was guiding me to a realm where humanity could fall short. The idea of what I might need to transform into to achieve my purpose was the most frightening shadow of all.