Mei, Arou, Airi, Nora, Lumina, Hikari, Priscilla, Shi, and Akari were still talking quietly in the park. The atmosphere was awkward, yet peaceful, as if the world had finally stopped running.
Suddenly—
Everyone froze.
The wind stopped blowing. Voices were cut off in the middle of their words. The colors of the world slowly faded, turning into a pale gray, like a painting that had lost its light.
Only Arou could still move.
"What's happening…?" Arou asked as he looked around.
A voice came from somewhere in the distance. It had no direction and no form.
"I have stopped the world," Zata replied.
Arou swallowed.
"Zata?"
"I have given you two gifts," Zata answered again.
"Two?" Arou said. "What are they?"
"First, I returned the people you created in your dreams," Zata replied.
"Second, I will give you one percent of my true power."
Arou fell silent for a moment.
"…?"
There was no immediate answer.
The world around Arou began to crack like glass. The gray colors shattered and disappeared, replaced by warm golden light. In an instant, the real world vanished.
Now Arou stood in a garden far more beautiful than any garden he had ever seen. The sky glowed softly, the air felt light, and golden light flowed like the breath of the world.
"Then? Where am I?" Arou asked as he slowly walked forward.
"I invited you here," Zata replied.
"For what?" Arou asked.
"To pick up your other friends," Zata answered.
Arou stopped walking.
"Nova… Shion… Rei… Feeth… Arthur?"
"Exactly," Zata replied.
Arou took a deep breath.
"Why are they here? And one more thing… who are you, really?"
The light in front of Arou began to gather. The air trembled, and then—
A gigantic gate appeared.
The gate radiated a warm glow.
"I am no longer you," Zata replied.
"I am myself."
Arou stared at the gate for a long moment.
"Zata… since when can gates talk?" he asked.
"This is not an ordinary gate," Zata replied.
"This is me."
Arou chuckled.
"So… you're a gate?"
"Correct," Zata answered. "And this is my strongest form."
"Then what number form is this?" Arou asked.
"Eight out of ten," Zata replied.
Arou fell silent for a moment.
"What about that half-bat form you had before?"
"That was only one out of ten," Zata answered.
Arou sighed.
"Seriously? So that was your weakest form? Does that mean I was really that weak?"
"You are not weak," Zata replied.
"You are strong as a human."
"I am simply… a virus."
"Figures," Arou muttered.
He looked at the glowing gate again.
"Then… where are they now?"
"Enter," Zata replied.
"Enter this gate?" Arou asked.
"Yes," Zata answered.
"And after that, you will inherit one percent of my power."
Arou fell silent.
"One percent?" he said. "That sounds… small."
"That is already too much for a human," Zata replied calmly.
"One percent of me is enough to allow you to step beyond the boundaries of time, space, and fate."
Arou let out a short sigh.
"That's insane… even one percent is enough to make the world strange."
"Because you are no longer merely a spectator of the world," Zata replied.
"You have already become part of a higher world."
Arou looked at the glowing gate once more.
"All right."
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and entered the gate.
Golden light completely engulfed his body.
The golden light was not blinding.
Instead, it felt warm, like being embraced by a long-abandoned memory.
Arou stepped forward, and the world behind him closed without a sound.
When he opened his eyes, there was no ground and no sky.
There was only a vast space layered with light, like a blank page waiting for a story to be written.
"What kind of place is this…?" Arou asked softly.
"The Threshold of the Dream World," Zata replied.
"This is where stories that have ended are stored before a decision is made: to be forgotten… or continued."
In the distance, small lights began to appear.
They were not stars—
but silhouettes.
Arou recognized them even before getting closer.
Nova stood at the front, still wearing his calm smile.
Shion leaned casually against something, as if he had never died.
Rei stood silently as usual. Feeth spun a dagger in his hand, while Arthur rested an axe on his shoulder.
They were whole.
Without wounds.
Without any traces of destruction.
"Well," Nova said lightly, "you finally made it."
Arou fell silent. His chest felt tight, but it was not pain—it was more like relief that had been held back for far too long.
"You guys…" he whispered. "I thought—"
"We were finished," Shion continued.
"Yeah. We were supposed to be."
"But someone took power from Chaos," Rei continued quietly.
"And opened a door that was never supposed to exist."
Arou lowered his head.
"I'm sorry. If it weren't for me—"
"You don't need to apologize," Arthur interrupted.
"We were created to walk until we reached our limits. You have already done your part."
Zata spoke again, his voice echoing throughout the space.
"They will not return to the real world. Not now."
Arou looked up.
"So this… isn't a gift?"
"This is a consequence," Zata replied.
"You were given the right to visit, not to possess."
Feeth smiled faintly.
"Besides, if all of us appeared at once, your real world might collapse before dinner."
Arou let out a short laugh—bitter, but genuine.
Nova stepped closer.
"Listen carefully. Someday, when you are ready to accept everything without hiding inside your dreams—"
"—this door will open again," Shion continued.
Zata ended the conversation.
"One percent of my power has already been activated. From now on, the world will react to your existence."
The light surrounding them began to fade.
"Your time is up," Zata said flatly.
Arou looked at them one by one.
"Thank you… for having existed."
Nova nodded.
"Thank you for finally living."
The light collapsed.
The empty space folded in on itself.
And Arou fell back into the real world—
with something that could no longer be erased by any story.
Arou slowly opened his eyes.
The ceiling of his room appeared blurry at first, then gradually came into focus. His breathing felt heavy for a moment before finally becoming steady.
Beside the bed, Hikari sat on a chair, her legs swinging casually. The moment Arou's eyes fully opened, Hikari's face immediately brightened.
"Father is awake," she said calmly, as if it were something she had been waiting for.
Arou moved his head slightly.
"Hikari…"
Before he could say anything else, the bedroom door opened rather quickly.
"Arou!"
Akari entered first, followed by Airi, Lumina, Nora, Shi, and Priscilla. They all stopped at the same time when they saw that Arou had opened his eyes.
"You're really awake…" Lumina said softly, her voice filled with relief.
Airi approached the side of the bed. Her gaze was sharp, but she was clearly holding back her emotions.
"You made us worried."
"You were unconscious for a very long time," Shi added briefly.
Nora crossed her arms.
"Do you have any idea how troublesome things were around the house while you were still asleep?"
Priscilla stood behind them and let out a small sigh.
"Thank goodness."
Akari sat on the edge of the bed, looking closely at Arou.
"It feels like it's been forever."
Arou blinked slowly, looking at each of them one by one.
"…Sorry."
Hikari tilted her head.
"Father doesn't need to apologize. Father was just sleeping."
That simple sentence made the atmosphere soften a little.
Airi let out a long sigh.
"You're back. That's all that matters."
Arou tried to sit up. Lumina immediately helped support the pillow behind his back.
"Don't push yourself," she said.
Arou smiled faintly.
"Relax… I'm fine."
Nora snorted.
"If you pass out again, I'm not waking you up."
"Liar," Akari replied quickly.
Silence followed for a moment.
But it was not a heavy silence.
Arou looked at Hikari.
"Were you the first one to see me wake up?"
Hikari nodded.
"Yeah. Father opened his eyes right away."
Arou smiled softly.
"Thank you."
And for the first time after everything that had happened,
Arou felt that this house truly felt alive again.