The next morning felt… off.
Not wrong.
Just… slightly out of place.
Kai noticed it first.
A bird flew across the sky—then for a split second—
it froze.
Mid-air.
Then continued flying like nothing happened.
Kai frowned.
— …Did I just—
"Confirmed."
Jinwi's voice cut in.
"That was not natural."
Kai stood still.
— What do you mean?
"…Processing."
For the first time in a long while—
Jinwi hesitated.
Later, Kai found Nyari near the training field.
She looked fine.
Too fine.
— Nyari… you okay?
She turned, smiling.
— Yeah. Why?
Kai stared at her.
— You didn't feel anything strange?
— Like what?
Kai hesitated.
— Never mind.
Nyari tilted her head slightly.
— You're acting weird today.
Kai forced a small smile.
— Maybe I am.
But something felt wrong.
Not around her.
Around… everything.
That afternoon, while walking alone—
Kai stopped.
The ground beneath his feet…
glitched.
Just for a second.
Like reality itself skipped a frame.
His breath caught.
— Jinwi…
This time, Jinwi didn't answer immediately.
"…This environment."
Silence.
Then:
"It is unstable."
Kai's eyes darkened.
— Explain.
"…I cannot."
That was the first time Jinwi had ever said that.
That night—
Kai stood alone under the sky.
The same sky from yesterday.
But now…
it felt distant.
Fake.
He looked up.
— What the hell is going on…
Jinwi whispered:
"Something is wrong with this world."
Kai clenched his fist.
— A new enemy?
"…Unknown."
Silence.
Then—
very quietly:
"…Or something else entirely."
The wind stopped.
Completely.
Kai's eyes narrowed.
— Jinwi…
"…Yes."
— If this isn't a battle…
— then what is it?
A long pause.
Then Jinwi said something that didn't make sense:
"…Kashikari."
Kai froze.
Jinwi never called him that like this.
Not like a name.
Like a… concept.
"…If this world breaks…"
"…what do you think will remain?"
Kai didn't answer.
Because for the first time—
he didn't know.
The thin line in the sky appeared again.
This time… it was longer.
Deeper.
And this time—
It didn't disappear.