The skies above Valhalla split apart as six figures moved across the heavens.
Kaelen flew ahead calmly with white dragon wings spread wide behind him while Jess, Faith, Kimotsu, and Gene followed beside him using their circuits to maintain aerial movement.
Only Denma traveled differently.
Far below them—
BOOM.
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he launched himself from one city sector to another using nothing but monstrous physical strength.
Faith looked downward with disbelief.
"…he's literally jumping from Valhalla to Arkion."
Kimotsu folded his arms.
"That doesn't even make sense."
Kaelen smiled slightly.
"That's Denma for you."
Hours later—
The group finally arrived in Arkion.
Unlike Valhalla's advanced atmosphere, Arkion felt calmer.
Older.
The streets of City Star bustled with life. Vendors shouted from roadside stands while civilians walked peacefully through the district without fear.
Then the heroes saw it.
A black obsidian restaurant standing quietly at the end of the street.
Above the entrance were elegant silver letters:
Hoshigawa.
Kaelen stopped walking.
"That's the restaurant."
He looked back at everyone seriously.
"And remember what I told you all."
Denma narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…strange."
"It feels…"
"…still."
Jess understood immediately.
The air around Hoshigawa felt unnaturally calm.
Not weak.
Not peaceful.
Just…
Still.
Like the world itself unconsciously quieted around the building.
Kaelen walked toward the entrance.
The door suddenly opened.
A little girl stepped out.
Rei.
Now ten years old.
The moment she saw Kaelen her face lit up immediately.
"Big bro Kaelen!"
Kaelen smiled warmly for the first time in hours.
"Hey Rei."
She ran straight into him and he hugged her gently.
"How's it going?"
"Good!"
Inside the restaurant—
Asar, now sixteen, wiped down tables after customers finished eating.
Nax carried dishes toward the kitchen while muttering complaints under his breath.
And Mitsuki stood inside the kitchen cooking.
Near the window—
Veydra sat lazily atop a table in child form while staring outside.
At another table—
Arata sat reading a book.
Without even looking up, he spoke calmly.
"Kaelen."
"It's been a while."
The heroes froze slightly.
Arata finally turned a page in his book.
"Come on in."
Then casually—
"Oh, and Jess, Kimotsu, Gene, Faith, and Denma…"
"…welcome to my restaurant, Hoshigawa."
Jess's eyes narrowed slightly.
Gene was fully awake now.
Even Kimotsu looked surprised.
Jess thought silently:
…how did he know our names?
Kaelen motioned them inside.
"Guys, come in."
"This is Arata."
"The restaurant owner."
The heroes sat around a long wooden table while the atmosphere inside Hoshigawa remained strangely warm despite Arata's overwhelming presence.
A few moments later Mitsuki stepped out carrying food for everyone.
"Here."
The heroes thanked her politely before beginning to eat.
Arata closed his book.
Then calmly stood and walked over to their table before sitting beside them.
He rested his chin against his palm while keeping the book open in one hand.
"So…"
"You all need my training?"
Kaelen nodded seriously.
"Yes."
"We need your guidance so we can prepare for when Hades and June attack again."
Arata's eyes lowered slightly.
Inside his mind he sighed.
…this is troublesome.
…I hate attention.
…But John, Alzwalt, and Tessandra aren't here.
…So eventually it would come to this.
…and soon I'll have to reveal myself anyway because of That coming to Kael'Ar.
Arata finally exhaled softly.
"Fine."
"I'll help."
Everyone straightened immediately.
"But only for one reason, Kaelen."
"You don't have anyone else to go to right now."
He closed the book.
"So this is the first and last time."
The heroes immediately bowed their heads slightly.
"Thank you, sir."
Arata waved his hand casually.
"Finish eating."
"We're going on a little trip."
A few minutes later—
The group stood outside Hoshigawa.
Arata snapped his fingers.
The world distorted instantly.
Space folded.
And suddenly—
The heroes appeared in an endless grassland beneath an open blue sky.
Nothing surrounded them except wind and endless land stretching toward the horizon.
Denma blinked.
"…what the hell?"
Arata stood with his hands in his pockets.
"Alright."
"Listen up, heroes."
The atmosphere immediately became serious.
Arata looked toward the endless horizon while speaking calmly.
"Let's talk about the origin of everything."
The wind slowed around him.
"The world was not born from light."
"Nor from darkness."
His voice remained calm—
Yet every word carried impossible weight.
"It was born from a line."
"A single endless line that coiled through the void and pulsed with colorless radiance."
As he spoke—
The air before the heroes distorted slightly.
A luminous line appeared floating across the empty sky like a cosmic brushstroke.
"It stretched through nothingness…"
"…weaving paths, spirals, and infinite intersections."
"That line became known as the Great Circuit."
"The first and only meridian from which all power flows."
The heroes stared silently.
From the Great Circuit illusion—
Mountains formed.
Seas emerged.
Storms roared into existence.
"From it, the realms unfolded."
"Mountains rose where the line coiled tightly."
"Seas poured into the gaps it left behind."
"Fire was born from sparks shed when it bent too far."
Then luminous knots formed along the massive line.
"And where the line thickened into luminous knots…"
"…life was born."
The illusion shifted again.
Dragons appeared.
Phoenixes.
Endless serpents.
Mythical beings beyond imagination.
"Creatures came first."
"Then myths."
"Then gods."
"Each guarding fragments of the Great Circuit."
Arata's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And at the very end of the line…"
"…the final knot split into countless strands."
The glowing strands descended into countless human figures.
"Those strands pierced the bodies of men and women."
"From that moment…"
"…mortals inherited reflections of the world's origin."
"Circuits."
The heroes listened in complete silence.
"A circuit is not simply a vein of power."
"It is a living meridian."
"A pathway etched into flesh and soul connecting you to the Great Circuit itself."
He pointed toward Denma.
"Some possess only a single thread."
"A flicker."
"Enough to strengthen their body beyond reason."
Then toward Faith.
"Others possess entire branching systems."
"Allowing dominion over concepts, elements, or existence itself."
Arata continued calmly.
"A circuit's location determines its gift."
He raised one finger.
"Hand circuits create warriors capable of channeling flame, steel, lightning, or destruction through physical strikes."
"Heart circuits awaken elemental authority."
"Ice."
"Magma."
"Storms."
"Gravity."
Another finger.
"Leg circuits manipulate movement."
"Speed."
"Weight."
"Acceleration."
Finally—
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Eye circuits…"
"…the rarest."
The atmosphere subtly changed.
"Those are feared."
"Because they grant vision not meant for mortals."
The illusion showed eyes glowing across the sky.
"Paralysis."
"Illusions."
"Conceptual death."
"Absolute perception."
The heroes remained completely silent now.
Arata continued.
"To channel circuit energy properly…"
"…you must draw from the source of all things."
"The Great Line."
He extended his hand slightly.
"Energy exists everywhere."
"In the air."
"In matter."
"In thought."
"In life itself."
"If you consciously draw that free energy inward…"
"…your circuits evolve."
"They strengthen."
"They awaken."
"Eventually…"
"…they transcend."
Faith looked completely absorbed in the explanation.
Jess narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
Kimotsu silently memorized every word.
Gene actually looked awake.
Arata then looked at all of them.
"But."
The heroes straightened.
"I won't let you meditate yet."
The pressure around them suddenly changed.
"First…"
"Show me your synergy as a team."
Arata smiled faintly while keeping both hands inside his pockets.
"Come at me with everything you've got."
Kaelen immediately stepped forward.
White dragon wings exploded outward behind him as scales formed across parts of his body.
"Hybrid State—Dragon Bearer."
Then he looked back toward the others.
"Y'all better listen."
One after another—
Their circuit embodiments activated.
Jess stepped forward first.
"Circuit Embodiment—Nemesis."
"God of Retribution, Balance, and Vengeance."
White wings manifested behind her.
Kimotsu slowly unsheathed his blade.
"Circuit Embodiment—Sword God Futsunushi."
Gene's sleepy aura darkened.
"Circuit Embodiment—Gift of Dreams, Morpheus."
Denma cracked his neck with a grin.
"Circuit Embodiment—Kratos."
"God of Strength."
Finally—
Faith's gentle aura spread across the grasslands.
"Circuit Embodiment…"
"Idun."
"God of Rejuvenation and Youth."
The wind stopped completely.
And Arata smiled.