"You seek to end me," the divided Core whispered.
Kaito shook his head slowly.
"No."
Destruction would repeat the cycle.
Sealing would delay it.
Consumption would complete it.
All previous paths led back to imbalance.
So he chose something unprecedented.
He compressed both hemispheres inward—not into himself, not into singularity—but into orbit around a newly forged axis.
His axis.
The refined system inside him expanded outward, transforming from armor into structure.
The two halves locked into rotation around his balanced core, unable to merge, unable to escape.
Silver threads wove permanently between them.
The hunter's glyph sealed the rotation.
The sky above the world cleared completely.
Stars became visible again.
"You redefine existence," the Origin murmured weakly.
Kaito's voice was calm.
"No."
He looked down at the world far below.
"I define your limits."
And for the first time since before creation—
The Hunger stopped expanding.