Arou slowly opened his eyes.
The world around him was empty, cold, and silent. There were no colors, no sounds—nothing. Even the ground beneath his feet felt unreal, as if it didn't truly exist.
Then suddenly—
a light emerged from the darkness.
It gathered itself into the form of a tall figure with piercing crimson-gold eyes and a faint smile resting on his face. The figure walked toward Arou with calm confidence.
"Well?" the man asked softly.
"Did you enjoy it?"
Arou stared at him in shock, immediately on guard.
"W-Where am I…?"
The figure smiled faintly, his sharp eyes fixed on him.
"This is where your journey began."
Arou swallowed hard.
The overwhelming aura surrounding the stranger made his heart pound violently.
"So… you're still controlling the story?" Arou asked carefully, trying to remain calm.
"Yes," the figure replied without hesitation.
"And now… I will begin the Third Game."
His voice was quiet, yet carried absolute authority.
"Before this, I erased Rei, Feeth, and Nora. But now… I've decided to free them."
Arou's eyes widened.
"You mean… they're coming back?"
The figure nodded slowly, his smile still unsettling.
"But this time," he continued,
"I will erase only one person."
A cold pressure spread through the void.
Arou stiffened.
"Erase… one person? Who?"
The figure stepped closer.
His crimson-gold eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
"I will erase…"
"…AIRI."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere became unbearably heavy.
The emptiness itself felt colder.
Arou stared at him in disbelief.
This new game—
was going to be far more dangerous than the last.
Arou lowered his gaze slightly.
"So… everyone returns except Airi…" he muttered quietly.
The figure smiled coldly.
"Yes. This game will be much more entertaining now."
He raised a hand.
"Watch."
Light flickered within the void.
One by one, three figures slowly appeared.
Arou immediately recognized them.
Rei.
Feeth.
Nora.
Rei stepped forward first, wearing a calm yet confident expression.
"You called us back, Zata?" he asked, his voice cool and composed.
Feeth appeared next, crimson energy flickering in his eyes like wildfire.
"Thanks for freeing us," he said with a grin.
"I'm ready to play again."
Finally, Nora emerged from the light, her steps graceful yet firm.
"We're back," she said softly.
"Now let's see who survives this time."
Arou's throat tightened.
"They're really back…
But why was Airi erased?" he wondered silently.
Zata stepped forward once more, his gaze sweeping across all of them.
"I only banned Airi," he said casually.
"She became too dangerous."
His smile widened slightly.
"If victory remains in her hands, this entire game could collapse."
He spread his arms slowly.
"So let's see…"
"…how long all of you can survive without her."
Silence fell.
Rei, Feeth, and Nora exchanged glances before looking back at Zata.
Meanwhile, Arou stared into the endless darkness, unease twisting deep inside his chest.
One thing was certain—
this battle would be far worse than before.
Zata looked toward Arou again, his faint smile still carrying that terrifying sense of control.
"The Third Game officially begins."
"You'll face new challenges now…"
"And I want to see who survives without Airi by their side."
Rei rolled his shoulders lightly, already prepared.
"Fine," he said coldly.
"Then let's show what we can do."
Feeth grinned wildly as energy spiraled around his hand.
"This is gonna be fun."
Nora remained silent, though the pressure of her aura quietly distorted the empty space around them.
Arou clenched his fists.
"If Airi's gone… then I have to move forward myself," he whispered.
"I can't let everyone face this alone."
Without waiting any longer, he stepped forward.
The void pressed against every movement he made, as though trying to crush him beneath its weight.
But his determination didn't waver.
Zata watched him with satisfaction.
"Good."
"That determination will make this game much more interesting."
Arou looked at him one last time.
"If moving forward is the only option…" he murmured,
"then I'm ready."
Zata's crimson-gold eyes glowed faintly.
"Excellent."
He raised his hand.
"You will now return to the human world."
"But remember…"
"Airi does not exist there anymore."
A massive portal opened before them.
White light burst outward, forcing Arou to narrow his eyes.
Rei glanced toward him.
"Ready?"
Arou nodded firmly.
"Yeah."
"Let's finish this."
Without hesitation, the four of them stepped into the portal.
The sensation was overwhelming.
Gravity twisted unnaturally.
The air spun violently around them.
The silence of the void slowly faded away—
until suddenly—
they arrived.
The human world stretched before them.
A familiar city… now covered in destruction.
Cracked buildings.
Dust-filled streets.
Panic lingering in the air.
Arou stared ahead silently.
Rei carefully observed the surroundings.
"We move carefully," he said calmly.
"Every step could be a trap."
Feeth cracked his knuckles as wild energy gathered around him.
"Doesn't matter," he said with a grin.
"We'll crush whatever comes."
In the distance, shadows began moving between ruined buildings.
Strange sounds echoed through the empty streets.
Arou, Rei, Feeth, and Nora slowly advanced through the silent city.
Dust drifted through the air.
The atmosphere felt heavy.
"We stay alert…" Arou muttered.
"Something's wrong here."
Suddenly—
dark figures emerged from behind the ruins.
Tall.
Distorted.
As though they weren't fully real.
Their crimson eyes glowed through the darkness.
Rei immediately stepped forward.
A soft defensive aura spread from his hands.
"We can't wait for them to attack first," he said firmly.
A barrier of light expanded around the group, blocking the incoming shadows.
Feeth grinned.
"Then I'll attack first."
With explosive speed, he launched himself forward like a living blur.
Sharp energy spiraled around him as he struck the shadows head-on.
Though even Arou could tell—
his strength still wasn't close to Airi's.
Arou looked toward his companions, determination burning inside him.
"If we keep moving together…" he whispered,
"we can survive this."
Far above the city—
a faint crimson light appeared atop a ruined building.
Zata watched from the distance.
Smiling.
"This is only the beginning," he murmured quietly.
"Let's see…"
"…how far they can go without Airi."
Arou slowly walked through the ruined city streets.
Dust drifted across the cracked roads while leaning buildings looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Feeth frowned as he looked around.
"Why does this city feel like a giant maze?" he complained jokingly.
Rei simply adjusted his pace.
"Watch your step," he replied calmly.
"Don't trip over the rubble."
Nora walked quietly behind them, occasionally whistling softly to herself.
Arou stared ahead silently.
But his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Toward Airi.
Her smile.
Her voice.
The moments they shared together.
A painful warmth spread through his chest.
"Hey… you okay?" Feeth asked, lightly tapping Arou's shoulder.
Arou snapped out of his thoughts.
"Yeah… just remembering the past."
Before anyone could continue the conversation—
a figure suddenly appeared from behind the ruins.
Calm expression.
Sharp eyes.
Arou froze.
"…Nova."
Old memories instantly resurfaced.
They had fought together once before—
against the shadow version of Airi.
That battle had left a deep scar in all of them.
And now, Nova stood before them once again.
Nova smiled faintly.
"Do you remember?" he asked quietly.
"That day we fought Airi's shadow?"
Arou swallowed hard.
"Yeah…" he answered softly.
"I could never forget it."
Nova lowered his gaze slightly.
"And after that… she disappeared."
His expression darkened.
"Do you know where she is?"
Arou let out a long breath.
"She… was never recreated."
Nova blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Arou stared toward the gray sky overhead.
"This world…"
"…is nothing more than a game to him."
Nova frowned.
"To him? Who?"
Arou's eyes darkened slightly.
"Zata."
"The embodiment of destruction and creation."
Nova stiffened.
"So we're all just pawns to him?"
"And the Airi from before… she was never brought back?"
"Why?"
Arou slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
Feeth sighed in frustration.
"So this whole time… we've just been toys?"
Nora crossed her arms calmly.
"We can't waste time drowning in thoughts like that."
She looked ahead.
"What matters now…"
"…is continuing forward."
Arou stared at his companions for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"Yeah…"
"This is only the beginning."