Arata felt as if his body had suddenly become weightless.
All the sounds around him—the battle, the wind, the cracking ground—vanished.
When he opened his eyes…
he was no longer in the Kurogane Clan's battlefield.
He stood in a strange world made of darkness and golden light.
The ground looked like black glass, trapping countless faces and memories within it.
There was no sun in the sky—only a massive golden wheel slowly rotating.
"So… it's you."
The voice came from every direction.
Arata's heart pounded.
"Who's there?" he asked.
From the darkness, a figure emerged—
a massive, ancient entity.
Its body was incomplete, as if it had been bound into fragments.
Countless cursed chains wrapped around it.
Its eyes opened—
there was no anger, no mercy in them.
Only the weight of endless time.
"I am the one… your world has forgotten,"
the entity spoke.
"But your blood… remembers me."
Arata looked at his hands.
The same markings… the same warmth.
"You're… the one, aren't you?"
his voice trembled,
"The one those people are trying to revive?"
The entity gave a faint smile.
"Revive?"
"No, child."
"I was never dead."
Suddenly, a wave of pain surged through that world.
Arata dropped to his knees.
"Your ancestors sealed me,"
the entity's voice grew heavier.
"But they did not destroy me… because they knew—if I were erased, the world would be erased as well."
Arata raised his head.
"Then… why me?"
The entity leaned closer.
"Because you are balance,"
"Neither god… nor demon."
"A vessel capable of commanding power itself."
From afar—
another voice echoed.
"Listen… but understand."
It was Kaito.
A crack suddenly tore open the golden world.
Kaito stood there—as if entering this place was nothing impossible for him.
"This is your Inner Domain, Arata,"
Kaito said.
"And this… is what the world fears."
The ancient entity laughed.
"You still trust this boy, guardian of Kurogane?"
Kaito shrugged.
"I don't have a better option."
Then he grew serious.
"Arata, listen carefully."
"If you try to take its power by force—you will be destroyed."
"But if you understand it… you can control it."
Arata took a deep breath.
"And what if I refuse?"
The entity's eyes gleamed.
"Then the world won't refuse."
Silence fell.
Arata clenched his fist.
"I won't become anyone's weapon,"
"Nor anyone's god."
"If this power is inside me—then I'll decide its rules."
For the first time—
The ancient entity fell silent.
Then it spoke slowly—
"…Interesting."
The golden wheel began to spin faster.
Energy surged through Arata's body—painful, yet clear.
Kaito smiled.
"That's exactly the answer I wanted."
The world began to shatter.
And in the next moment—
Arata opened his eyes.
He was lying on the ground.
Members of the clan stood around him.
But now—
his presence was different.
The air itself seemed to bend around him.
Kaito said—
"The episode isn't over, Arata."
"The real story… begins now."
And far away—
in the deep base of the Dark Organization—
another voice echoed:
"Change the plan."
"The vessel has awakened."
⚡ To be continued…