"The deepest wounds are the ones you deny."
Scene 1 – Where Mirrors Bleed
May 18, 2011 – 2:35 AM – Mirror Garden, Dream-Space
The clash was not the roar of thunder but the fragile shatter of a heart cracking in two. In the endless twilight of the dream-space, Souta and the Star-Eater met as not two separate beings but as parts of one shattered soul—one radiating soft, warm light like faded memories of home, and the other a ravenous void, dark and relentless. They collided mid-air, not with explosive violence, but with a quiet undoing: as if every possibility they had ever imagined was being gently rewritten. Amid the trembling silence, Souta's voice rose—raw and determined—as he shouted, "You're just the part of me I let go!" To which the Star-Eater's laughter echoed, biting and familiar, "And you're the part that ran."
Scene 2 – The Real World Reacts
Same Time – Bedroom, Hoshino Residence
In a modest bedroom far from the surreal chaos, Ai bolted awake, her eyes wide and shining under the weight of a painful recognition. They were not the eyes of fear, but of a bittersweet remembering—an echo of a world she once knew. Ruby stirred beside her, startled enough to clutch her chest in silent alarm. "I saw… I saw Souta in some other world," Ruby managed between shaky breaths. "He looked... broken."
Before they could dwell on this vision any longer, Aqua appeared quietly, already dressed as though he felt the urgency in the air. "It's starting," he murmured as if stating an inevitable truth. When Ai whispered, "What is it?" Aqua simply replied, "His fight to stay himself." Then, handing Ai a glowing shard—Souta's last silent message from the night—he said, "He left this. Told me to break it if he didn't wake up." Ai cradled the shard with trembling hands, her resolve hardening as she whispered, "…Then let's go find him."
Scene 3 – Power Rewrites Memory
Mirror Garden
In the surreal confines of the Mirror Garden, Souta's anguished scream tore through the silence as his own power rebelled against him. Flickers of forsaken lives burst through his mind—visions of a lone boy kneeling in the rain, pleading silently; a hospital room filled with the crushing hush of loss; a cracked mirror in a pitch-black corridor, taunting him with voices that said, "You're not worth saving." As the Star-Eater hurled him downwards, Souta crashed into a reflector that forced him to relive infinite specters of Ai dying, again and again. "You locked me away because you feared what I'd do," hissed the voice from the mirror. Souta's own reply was barely audible, "No… I locked you away because I hated who I was." In that pain, he found determination rising anew.
Scene 4 – Happy's Decision
Same Time – Dream Gate
Outside the fragile boundary where dreams intertwine with reality, Happy—the ever-faithful bear, now more than a toy—stood resolute by the shimmering wall that separated worlds. His button-eyes held a spark of new life as Ai and the twins joined him, their presence a quiet rebellion against despair. Aqua's firm voice cut through the tension, "Let us through, now." When a barrier of unknown power denied them passage, Ruby stepped forward with unwavering courage. Happy then spoke in a soft, otherworldly tone, "He left a piece of himself in each of you. That's the only way to reach him." Ai's reply, gentle but commanding, was, "Then take it," to which Happy added, "Not give—remember." With closed eyes, the spark within each of them burst forth, a steady, unyielding star lighting the path ahead.
Scene 5 – Family Enters the Mirror
The Mirror Garden Fractured
As the garden of mirrors began to weep its bleeding sky, four new figures emerged like promises against the dark:
Ai, radiant in a white stage outfit, the embodiment of empathy. Ruby, aglow with crimson flames of passion and fierce loyalty. Aqua, cloaked in the steady, unwavering blue of resolve. Happy, now alight with golden brilliance, steadfast as ever.
The Star-Eater's hiss cut through the unveiling: "How dare you bring them into this." Souta's voice rang out, calm but defiant, "They are my reason to fight—for you, for me. You are the fear I buried, but they are the love I chose." Stepping into the truth of that moment, Ai reached out with gentle determination, "We're here not to destroy you, but to heal the part of you that is a reflection of him." The stark reflection trembled, and for the first time, tears began to roll down its dark, twisted facade.
Scene 6 – The Twist of Acceptance
The world did not explode into chaos; it softened, like hardened memories melting into gentle stardust. As the Mirror Garden shimmered and transformed around them, Souta approached his darker self. With trembling conviction, he wrapped his arms around it in a tender embrace. The Star-Eater's sorrow was palpable as it whimpered, "You… forgive me?" Souta's quiet reply, laden with both regret and grace, was, "I forgive us." In that transformative moment, the darkness was not vanquished but lovingly integrated—a part of him reclaimed not as a weapon, but as a lifelong lesson in acceptance.
Scene 7 – The Real Souta Awakens
May 18, 2011 – 5:44 AM – Bedroom
Later, as dawn crept into a quiet bedroom, Souta slowly awoke to a scene of gentle solidarity. Ai lay asleep against his chest—a quiet reassurance of unwavering support. Ruby and Aqua rested on either side, the steady rhythms of their breath forming a soft symphony of care. Happy sat nearby, his gaze calm and knowing. "You came for me," Souta whispered, the warmth in his voice reflecting a fragile hope. With a slow nod from Happy, the unspoken truth was clear: they were together. Exhaling deeply, Souta added, "...I'm ready now."
Scene 8 – An Invitation from the Unknown
Later That Morning – Hoshino Residence Mailbox
In the quiet aftermath, a golden envelope lay nestled among bills and flyers in the mailbox—mysterious, unmarked, adorned solely with a symbol: a spiral galaxy with a solitary, watchful eye at its center. Inside, elegant script invited him:
"To the Third Child Who Awoke Too Soon:
A seat has opened among the Timeless.
Will you come to the summit of gods and monsters?"
—The Watchers Beyond the Light
Souta gazed at his own reflection in the envelope's surface and, for the first time in a long while, allowed himself a small, hopeful smile.