Chapter 106 – The One Before the Door
The world was black.
No sound.
No light.
No ground.
Nothing.
Then—
Tick.
A single sound echoed through the darkness.
Tick.
Another.
Tick.
Kai opened his eyes.
He was standing alone.
"...Evetyl?"
No answer.
"Cr-Hook?"
Nothing.
Kai looked around.
There was no white world anymore.
No ancient city.
No door.
No Original Cr-Hook.
Just darkness.
Kai touched his chest.
The silver symbol was gone.
His fingers trembled.
"No…"
A voice answered from somewhere behind him.
"You lost it."
Kai slowly turned.
Nobody was there.
"What?"
"The key."
Kai looked down at his chest again.
"I didn't lose it."
The voice became quieter.
"You broke it."
Kai frowned.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Then a faint light appeared in the distance.
Kai started walking toward it.
The light became brighter.
A figure slowly appeared.
A young boy.
Silver hair.
Pale clothes.
A familiar face.
Kai stopped.
"Cr-Hook?"
The boy smiled.
"No."
Kai stared at him.
"You look exactly like him."
"I know."
The boy stepped closer.
"I existed before him."
Kai's eyes widened.
"You're…"
"The first possibility."
Kai remembered Original Cr-Hook's words.
The last possibility.
"No."
The boy shook his head.
"You were the last."
He pointed at himself.
"I was the first."
Kai didn't understand.
"What does that mean?"
The boy smiled.
"It means you and I should never have existed."
Kai took a step back.
"Why?"
"Because there was nothing to create us."
The darkness around them began moving.
Like an ocean.
The boy continued.
"Before the first world, there was no time."
He raised one hand.
"No space."
Another.
"No life."
Another.
"No death."
Kai listened silently.
"There was only possibility."
The boy looked directly at him.
"And possibility doesn't need a world."
Kai whispered:
"Then why were we created?"
The boy's smile disappeared.
"We weren't."
A deep sound echoed through the darkness.
BOOOOOOM.
Kai turned.
Something enormous moved far away.
The boy whispered:
"That's why she's afraid."
"Who?"
"The one who made the first mistake."
Kai's heart stopped.
"Evetyl?"
The boy didn't answer.
Instead, the darkness suddenly cracked.
A familiar voice echoed from somewhere far away.
"Kai!"
Evetyl.
Kai immediately ran toward the voice.
"EVETYL!"
The boy watched him disappear.
Then he smiled.
"Of course."
Evetyl opened her eyes.
She was lying on a cold white floor.
Cr-Hook was beside her.
"Evetyl!"
She sat up quickly.
"Kai!"
Cr-Hook grabbed her shoulders.
"He's gone."
Evetyl's eyes widened.
"What?"
"The door took him."
She stood immediately.
"No."
Original Cr-Hook was standing several meters away.
He looked different.
Older somehow.
His face was pale.
Evetyl turned toward him.
"You know where he is."
"I know where he might be."
"Where?"
The boy looked toward the darkness ahead.
"Before."
Cr-Hook frowned.
"Before what?"
"Before the First Door."
Silence.
Evetyl's expression changed.
"You mean…"
Original Cr-Hook nodded.
"He's somewhere the First Door cannot reach."
Cr-Hook clenched his fists.
"Then we go after him."
Original Cr-Hook looked at him.
"You can't."
"Why?"
"Because you belong to this world."
Cr-Hook stepped forward.
"And Kai doesn't?"
"No."
The boy looked down.
"Kai belongs to something older."
Evetyl walked toward him.
"Then I'll go."
Original Cr-Hook immediately shook his head.
"You can't either."
"Why?"
"Because you created this world."
Evetyl froze.
"You don't understand."
"I do."
The boy looked directly into her eyes.
"You can't enter the place before creation."
Evetyl's hands tightened.
"I saved him once."
"Yes."
"I can save him again."
Original Cr-Hook stared at her.
"You already did."
"What?"
"You saved Kai."
He pointed toward the darkness.
"Now you have to save everything else."
Evetyl looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
The boy didn't answer.
Instead—
A massive sound echoed.
BOOM.
The white floor beneath them cracked.
Cr-Hook immediately moved beside Evetyl.
"What now?"
Original Cr-Hook looked upward.
"The thing beyond the door is waking up."
Cr-Hook looked at the cracks.
"Can we stop it?"
The boy shook his head.
"Not from here."
"Then where?"
Original Cr-Hook looked at Cr-Hook.
"At the lock."
Cr-Hook's expression hardened.
"No."
Evetyl looked between them.
"What?"
Original Cr-Hook said quietly:
"The First Lock must return."
Cr-Hook stepped back.
"No."
"You knew this would happen."
"I don't care."
"You have to."
"No!"
Cr-Hook's voice echoed through the white world.
"I spent centuries being a lock!"
His eyes filled with anger.
"I was a person before that!"
Original Cr-Hook stared at him.
"And that's why you're the only one who can do it."
Cr-Hook went silent.
Evetyl stepped beside him.
"You don't have to do this alone."
Cr-Hook looked at her.
"I know."
He slowly turned toward the darkness.
"But I think I know where Kai is."
Evetyl looked surprised.
"Where?"
Cr-Hook pointed ahead.
"Wherever that thing is…"
He clenched his fist.
"…Kai is standing in front of it."
Kai stood alone.
The strange boy was gone.
The darkness had become completely silent.
Then—
A door appeared.
Not the First Door.
Not the Second.
Not even an ancient door.
This one was small.
Simple.
Like the door to an ordinary house.
Kai stared at it.
A voice came from behind.
"Open it."
Kai didn't move.
"Who are you?"
No answer.
"Why do you want me to open it?"
The voice whispered:
"Because you already have."
Kai's eyes widened.
The door slowly opened by itself.
Behind it was a room.
A small room.
A bed.
A window.
A wooden table.
And a little boy sitting on the floor.
Kai stared.
The boy looked exactly like him.
But younger.
Much younger.
Kai whispered:
"That's me."
The younger Kai looked up.
Their eyes met.
The child smiled.
"You came back."
Kai's breathing stopped.
"What happened here?"
The child stood.
"You left."
"Where?"
The child pointed toward the window.
Kai looked outside.
And his blood ran cold.
Beyond the window was the first world.
But it wasn't dying.
It was alive.
People were walking.
The sky was blue.
The city was peaceful.
Lyra was standing outside.
Young Cr-Hook was beside her.
And Aeterna was nowhere to be seen.
Kai slowly stepped backward.
"This isn't a memory."
The child smiled.
"No."
Kai stared at the impossible world.
"Then what is it?"
The child answered:
"The world that should have existed."
Kai's eyes widened.
"You mean…"
The child nodded.
"The world where you were never saved."
Suddenly, Lyra turned toward the window.
She looked directly at Kai.
Her eyes widened.
"Kai?"
Kai froze.
Lyra smiled.
Then she started walking toward the house.
Kai whispered:
"That's impossible."
The child beside him smiled.
"That's why you're here."
The door behind Kai slowly closed.
And for the first time—
Kai heard a voice that wasn't asking him to return.
It was asking him to choose.
"Which world do you want?"
Kai stared at Lyra.
Then at the child version of himself.
Then at the door.
His hand slowly reached toward the handle.
And somewhere far away—
Evetyl screamed his name.
"KAI!"
Kai stopped.
His fingers remained on the handle.
He closed his eyes.
Then whispered:
"...I already chose."
The entire impossible world suddenly began to shake.
The child smiled.
"I knew you would."
Behind him, something opened its eyes.
And the voice from before whispered:
"Then let the real world remember what you did."
The door slammed shut.