While Zekai's consciousness drifted elsewhere—
Aron was still standing in the real world.
Aron stared at Zekai, panic clearly visible on his face. Blood dripped slowly from Zekai's nose—he hadn't even noticed.
"Your nose is bleeding… You don't look conscious. Mr. Zekai—wake up."
"Why are you looking at me like that…?"
Aron's voice shook.
"You're scaring me."
But Zekai couldn't respond.
Something else caught Aron's attention.
The black stone card in his hand began to glow faintly. This time—he could see it clearly.
"What… is this?" he muttered under his breath. "Didn't Mr. Zekai mention this earlier…?"
Instinctively, he slipped the card back into his pocket.
Then he heard it.
A strange sound.
Not loud—but sharp.
Like something rushing past his ears at high speed.
"What is that sound…?" he whispered.
The next moment—
Something slammed into the ground in front of him—hard.
A massive figure.
Blue flames leaked slowly from the cracks in its armor—not burning outward, but seeping through it, like something inside was trying to escape.
It had fallen from above without warning.
Aron froze.
The creature resembled a knight clad in blue and white armor—but its design felt ancient, closer to a fallen king than a soldier.
Its helmet was shaped like a broken crown.
Cracks ran through the metal, as if something had tried to tear it apart from the inside.
The flames pulsed faintly within those fractures—breathing in slow intervals,
like the armor itself was alive.
The eye sockets weren't dark.
Just… hollow.
In its hand was a long, dull-colored sword.
Fear locked his body.
His legs wouldn't move.
"What… is this now…?" he stammered. "What am I supposed to do…?"
"Mr. Zekai—!"
Before he could finish—
the creature moved.
The blue flames flared for a split second—
not reacting to movement…
but anticipating it.
The sword swung.
A streak of blue fire followed the blade—
delayed by a fraction of a second,
like even the flames struggled to keep up with it.
The sound came first.
Then—nothing.
There was no pain.
Just a sudden silence—
like the world had been muted.
His vision tore away from his body—spinning— just long enough to see himself still standing.
Then his body collapsed.
Darkness swallowed everything whole.
—
"...Huh?"
He was back again.
He blinked.
He was still standing.
His body was intact—his head still there.
His breath came in sharp, uneven bursts.
"What just… happened?"
His heart was pounding violently.
"I just saw myself die… I died."
He turned slightly.
Zekai was still standing there, completely unresponsive.
Then—
that same sound returned.
The sound didn't travel through the air—
it appeared directly inside my ears.
This time clearer.
Stronger.
Aron didn't hesitate.
The second time—
he moved earlier.
It didn't matter.
He grabbed Zekai's hand.
He didn't know if this run would be the one that worked…
…or just another death.
His body moved before his fear could stop him.
"Run." No hesitation. "We need to get out of here."
Aron's hand tightened around Zekai.
Like he refused to disappear alone.
He pulled Zekai forward and started running.
But it didn't matter.
The knight appeared behind him again.
A wet sound.
His throat burned—
then nothing.
The world snapped to black.
—
"…Again?"
His hands were shaking now.
Not slightly.
Uncontrollably.
"This isn't real…"
"I died… twice… already…"
His voice cracked.
"This can't be real."
But his heartbeat said otherwise.
Fast. Violent. Alive.
Too real.
Something felt different.
The air felt heavier this time.
The sound came earlier.
Not after the movement—
before it.
Like the attack had already decided where to land—before it even moved.
Like the result came first—
and the attack followed it.
Even the flames didn't move naturally—
they appeared where the strike had already happened.
Aron's breath hitched.
The knight didn't track movement—
it reacted to intent.
"…it's faster."
Aron gasped as his vision returned.
The third time—
the sound came before I even moved.
His body was unharmed.
"This… this is a loop."
His voice dropped.
My throat burned—
even though it hadn't been cut yet.
Realization hit him instantly.
"…A time loop."
He clenched his fists.
"Mr. Zekai is still like this… how am I supposed to escape with him like this?"
Right now… there's only one thing that matters to me.
If there's one person I can't lose… it's you.
His grip tightened.
If he let go—
this time, Zekai might not come back.
His breathing steadied slightly.
"Doesn't matter… I'll find a way."
"Even if it killed us both."
Even if the next second killed him again—
and again.
until he broke.
He tightened his grip.
"…just don't disappear before me."
—
As Aron ran—
Zekai's world had already moved on without him.
———————
At the same time—
The white space closed in around me.
The white space felt tighter than before, though nothing visible had changed. My breathing shortened automatically, as if the space itself was limiting how much air I was allowed to use.
The figure stood in front of me, unmoving.
Then it spoke.
"Hey. Don't worry," he said.
"I don't need to hurt you."
My fingers pressed lightly against the white surface beneath me, searching for something solid. There was nothing. That bothered me more than his words.
"Get out of my head," I snapped. "And stay away from me."
The man sighed.
"First rule," he said. "Don't call me that."
A faint smile formed.
"I'm Zero. Call me Zero."
The name settled strangely in my mind.
Like I had heard it before.
Like it had always been there.
I narrowed my eyes.
"What... are you?"
Zero tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question.
"A beginning. A mistake. A doorway."
That wasn't an answer at all.
"We are… what you call Arcana."
In the distance, the statues shifted.
Not moving.
Aligning.
I didn't look at them.
"Let me ask you something."
Zero waited.
"…You're the one behind that voice, right? Why did you summon me?"
Zero blinked once.
"I didn't."
"Then who did?"
"…It could be you," Zero said.
I frowned.
"That doesn't make any sense."
The word summoned bothered me.
It implied intention—preparation.
I had done neither.
"It's your mind," Zero said.
"Whatever you're trying to resist… you're the one who brought yourself here."
I paused.
"How did I bring myself here?"
The rules and the ritual instructions flashed into my mind.
Maybe… my mind believed those rules without me even realizing it.
"…I'm an idiot."
The irritation came first.
Not fear.
"But you're the one who used those rules to bring me here."
"I didn't tell you any rules," Zero added.
"No. I didn't even believe them."
Zero didn't answer.
Then—
who wrote them?
The thought came naturally.
Maybe Marcus Grandpa… it was his coat, after all.
From the beginning, nothing about this made sense.
Zero tilted his head slightly.
"Is that enough of an answer?"
I exhaled slowly.
"There was no special reason.
I just wanted to test it."
Zero clasped his hands behind his back and began walking around me slowly.
The space bent slightly around him.
Not visibly—
but enough that I felt it.
Like the distance between us kept changing—without either of us moving.
I tracked him from the corner of my eye but didn't turn fully.
If he wanted to circle me, I'd let him.
"So," Zero asked casually, "what do you want?"
The question sounded simple.
But it wasn't.
What do I want?
No one had ever asked me that before.
Most of my life had been reaction—adjusting to circumstances, surviving whatever shape the day took.
Wanting something had never seemed necessary.
"I want you to stop this. Let me out."
Zero hummed.
"No return. No escape."
My jaw tightened.
"Only death allows exit."
The words settled into the space like a fixed rule.
I remembered the paper.
[ Rule Three - Don't fear. ]
I exhaled slowly.
Fear had never been my problem.
But I had always had the opposite issue.
I let go too easily.
Accepted things too quickly.
The rule wasn't telling me to be brave.
It was telling me not to hesitate.
"…fine." I exhaled once. "Then answer this."
Zero stopped.
"What can you give me?"
Zero smiled.
"Anything... this world allows."
Allows.
Not everything.
That meant limits.
Invisible ones.
"Anything?"
He nodded.
Then added calmly,
"Dead things... don't return."
My fingers twitched—just once.
My throat tightened.
For a brief moment—
my parents came to mind.
For a second… I almost said it.
The word reached my throat—
and stopped.
I shut that thought down immediately.
Not like this.
Never like this.
Wealth? Useless.
Career? A trap.
Love? Temporary.
"I don't want anything." I paused. "I just want peace. Let me go."
The answer surprised even me.
Zero's smile faded slightly.
"That's not an option."
"Why?"
"One wish," he said calmly. "Only one."
Silence followed.
Not empty.
Waiting.
The space itself felt like it was watching me.
Measuring me.
I stood there thinking.
Zero didn't move.
He just watched.
"Take your time," he said. "But understand this… even a few seconds of hesitation can cost you things you don't realize you still have."
That didn't sound like advice.
It sounded like a warning.
I could feel it now.
Not just from him—
from the place itself.
How many people had stood here before me?
If I didn't choose…
what would I lose?
I exhaled slowly.
"…one wish," I said. "If you grant it… what do you gain?"
Zero's expression softened slightly.
"The wish allows me to fulfill mine."
I frowned.
"Then what's your wish?"
For the first time—
Zero hesitated.
It was brief.
but real.
"That is irrelevant." His voice didn't change.
For the first time—his voice felt colder.
I nodded slightly.
"Alright."
He blinked.
"I'll mind my business."
Silence settled again.
I looked down.
If I didn't choose—
this wouldn't end.
And that wasn't a guess.
It was the moment something decided…
what I was allowed to become.
The rule surfaced again in my mind—
No escape.
✦ End of Chapter 6 — The Vision (Part 2) ✦