“Everything will be fine… as long as you accept my presence.”
The voice returned.
Soft. Gentle.
And that was exactly what made it dangerous.
Miles stayed silent.
“You know, don’t you… how unlucky you really are?”
Slowly, one scene after another began to appear. No longer distant memories, but something closer—more real, more painful.
The sound of a crash. Blinding headlights. Screams.
Then… silence.
Miles saw his younger self sitting on the road. Blood spread across the ground, shattered glass everywhere, and two figures lying motionless.
“…Dad… Mom…”
His breath caught.
It was a memory that never truly faded. The accident that took everything from him, leaving him completely alone.
“You see it now, don’t you?” the voice whispered again.
“Your family always ends in separation. You’ve never had anyone.”
Footsteps seemed to draw closer, even though no form could be seen. Just a presence—pressing, suffocating.
“And this isn’t over. In the past, you were betrayed. In the present, you’ve lost everything. In the future… you’ll be broken again.”
Silence.
“So why keep going?”
Miles’ hand felt heavy, yet slowly, it began to rise, as if something unseen was pulling it.
“There’s no luck left for you, right? Why keep suffering?”
“…Nothing will ever come easy anyway.”
So close.
Just a little more, and his fingers would reach it—
tap!
His hand was slapped away.
Someone grabbed it firmly.
“Idiot.”
Miles flinched and turned.
A small child stood in front of him—someone with a face he knew all too well. The same face he had seen in his memories.
“…you?”
The child smirked.
“Are you really going to do that? If you are, then you’re betraying yourself.”
Miles fell silent. “I’m just… tired.”
“Being tired isn’t an excuse to give up,” the child replied without hesitation.
“If you’re not happy, then try again. Just once.”
Their gaze was sharp, piercing straight through him.
“If you accept that voice, that’s not a victory.”
“It’s a loss you chose yourself.”
The words hit hard.
But before Miles could respond, another voice slipped in—deeper, colder.
“You believe in false hope?”
“The more you struggle, the more it will hurt.”
“All this suffering… it’s your own fault.”
Miles clenched his teeth. His thoughts tangled, unsure of what to believe anymore.
On the other side, the child frowned.
“So annoying…”
They raised their hand, trying to take control.
“Miles, focus on me.”
Their gaze shifted—deeper, more forceful.
But suddenly—
crack!
A transparent hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed their throat.
“—!”
Their body lifted into the air. Their expression tightened as cracks began to spread across their skin, like something burning from within. If they weren’t a Grim Reaper, they would have already been destroyed.
Outside—
“…damn it.”
Chanson gritted their teeth. Through their connection with Ash, they could feel everything—the pain, the pressure, the growing danger.
“They don’t have much time.”
Brielle stared at the monster in front of them. Her wounds were piling up, her breathing uneven.
“If this keeps up… we’re going to lose.”
She bit her lip, then pulled out an old book she hadn’t used in a long time.
“…I hope I still remember how to do this.”
She began chanting. Her voice was soft, but focused. A magic circle formed, light gathering—
whoosh!
Two figures suddenly appeared.
“…huh?”
“…where are we?”
Brielle froze.
“…what?”
Not a dragon.
Instead—
Gingger and Caramella.
Chanson stared blankly. “…seriously?”
Brielle panicked. “I’m sorry! Wrong summon—I’ll send you back—”
But Caramella grabbed her hand.
“Wait.”
Their expression turned serious.
“What’s going on?”
Brielle hesitated for a moment, but there was no time. She explained everything as quickly as she could.
Caramella clenched their fist.
“…so Miles is inside that thing?”
Brielle nodded.
“Open a path,” Caramella said firmly. “We’re going in.”
Inside the core—
“MILES!!”
The voice echoed, breaking the silence.
Miles flinched. “Caramella…?”
Two figures rushed toward him.
Without warning—
thud!
A punch landed square on his face.
“—!”
“Wake up, idiot!” Caramella shouted.
Strangely, it worked.
More than words.
More than logic.
Miles gasped, but his eyes regained focus.
“…yeah.”
He stood up slowly, but steadily. His gaze had changed—no longer empty, no longer uncertain.
He looked into the darkness ahead.
“If this is the core of everything… then I’ll be the one to end it.”
A faint smile appeared on his face as he turned.
“Caramella, take care of Gingger.”
Caramella paused for a second, then nodded.
Ash, still in the form of a child, quickly moved and pulled them away.
“Move. We’re getting out of here.”
Miles stepped forward alone, facing the thing that had been haunting him all this time.
One second.
Silence.
Two seconds.
Cracks of light began to spread.
Three seconds—
BOOOM!!!
A massive explosion shook everything. Light and darkness clashed, energy spiraling wildly as the world itself seemed to lose its shape.
After that—
nothing was clear anymore.
Only one thing remained—
something had changed.
And nothing would ever be the same again.