SHHHHHH!!
A cold breeze of air touched Zeverin's body like a mother praising her child for what he went through.
He didn't age.
He didn't gain any muscle.
He didn't change his personality.
Then what changed...
With time…
How much time....
"I think..." Shinkaku said slowly.
"After 80 years of non-stop training....
You are ready for your return," Shinkaku completed.
"Heh—", Zeverin smiled, but it was not his usual smirk, as his face was not visible; the only thing visible was his lips in the dark.
"But you do remember the cost, right!?" Shinkaku asked, seeing him this absent.
"Since when was being Zeverin about consequences or result? Rather, being Zeverin was always…
Taking action…
Right," Zeverin said, turning just enough so Shinkaku could see his jawline.
"You have—" his lips froze.
"Changed a lot, Zeverin," Shinkaku said slowly to himself.
"I haven't changed a bit," Zeverin said, shocking Shinkaku.
"I have just become the best version of myself, the version my mother would love to watch, the one who even Arashi will admire—in short, I became you," Zeverin said, smiling, making his smile the only thing that shined in the dark.
VRRRRRRRRM - KRAAAAK-!!
The starless expanse shook; the whole endless void that didn't have a single light source shook like it was struck with an earthquake.
[In the real world]
No Kari was not completely, but partially healed, and he had travelled all the way from the place of his fall to the place where Zeverin was, kneeling and covered in his own blood.
His hands were loose on the sides, his chest still had the 'Z' made on it, his neck was still somewhat cut, and he couldn't walk properly because his legs were brutally damaged, yet…
From the weight of his leg moving, the ground shook, and by that force Zeverin's body shook in the real world, resulting in the shaking of the starless expanse inside his mind.
"If not in a fair fight, I will kill you right now," No Kari raised his hand.
WHUP-!!
He raised his hand and held it with the other, making the movement like a spring to hit Zeverin's head with maximum impact.
"I won't show any mercy on you," No Kari shouted, alerting Zeverin as he threw his fist directly at Zeverin's face.
GNNNNK-!
No Kari's tendons became stiff, his nerves popped out, his brain sent signals to stop, but he ignored all the feelings to just end the fight and take the win.
But the moment it was about to reach Zeverin's face, the punch stopped on its own like it hit an invisible barrier that was protecting Zeverin.
[No Kari's thoughts]
"Why? Why? Why? Why!!" The word repeated in his head a million times, but he was not getting a definite answer. This exact phenomenon is called Shinreki (Calendar of the mind), as I remember Shigarō told me about it while telling about Tataris.
The phenomenon occurred in Tatari 810 years ago—the dark age of Tatari evolution and the exact year when the 12 legendary arcanist paths were created.
But...
What was the phenomenon exactly? I don't remember.
No Kari didn't punch Zeverin; rather, he tried to feel his emotions. He tried to understand all of them, which was somehow very easy.
17 years' worth of emotions of Zeverin. No Kari thought he would find a variety and it would be different, but he found just two emotions.
Excitement and grief—just them, nothing more. No Kari was unsatisfied when he discovered there weren't more.
Deeply buried inside his mind, hidden from the world, hidden from himself, were the emotions for his mother.
Tip... Tip... Tip...!!!
No Kari tried to feel them; he tried to endure the emotions, but he can't, he just can't; his mind gave up, his newly formed eye filled with tears. And all of this happened in a split second.
"If he could feel this for someone, I just wonder what that person would look like, but..." No Kari retracted his fist.
"He or she must be a person to fight for, like this boy already does," No Kari said as something inside him broke.
[The Starless Expanse]
"You need to depart now, Zeverin," Shinkaku said in a low voice.
"I wish we had more time," Shinkaku mumbled in a sad voice.
"Good things have to go, good times have to end like always, right," Zeverin said, finally turning.
"I have other work to do, right? There is another protagonist who still needs my help, and what if he is the real protagonist of this world? He must be saved," Zeverin said with a calm smile as he walked.
"Will you... Will you forget this? Will you forget me?" Shinkaku asked hesitantly.
"Huh-!" Zeverin stopped at the end of the starless expanse.
"If you think so—" Zeverin thought, standing.
"Then I will promise you this: I will narrate these 80 years to myself till my last breath," Zeverin said as he fell into the void.
[Zeverin's thoughts]
It is...
It is a long fall. Very long, so I think I should start remembering all of my 80 years here. Right here, right now, so I never forget it!
CLICK-!!
Zeverin was lost in the void. What he could see to what he could feel, everything was black, and he began merging with it.
[Raiden Zeverin - POV]
I would say it with my personal experience, year 1 would be the worst for all as it was for me. I was literally in a place where there was no climate change, no day, no night, no building, no trees, no field, no farm, no person.
I never got tired. I never wanted to eat or drink. I felt pain which I could almost heal the very next second because all these are psychological and this place is in my mind—of course, with just a little mind control I could do it.
Year 2 was a bit comfortable as I adapted to this place, and that is when I realized my Shinkaku wasn't lying when he said he is the best version of my soul.
When I saw him, I always thought if this was the person my mother would love to see me as.
She would have been very happy. As Shinkaku and I became close, things changed; what I had kept hidden suddenly was deeply explored by myself.
It was like a stranger had been found who the real Raiden Zeverin is. The person I completely forgot ever existed—I could now see him clearly.
Year 3 to 10 were my fight with myself without violence, without anyone interfering; the feeling of envy towards Arashi, greed of having more than what Ren sensei has, pride of being the favorite of Vance sensei, and the ego of being the strongest turning just into fuel for more training and a razor-sharp focus. But Shinkaku failed at understanding one thing; I always had a desire—it was never like I didn't have any desire...
DOOK-!!
Shinkaku in his memory punched Zeverin on the head very hard, causing a bump on his head and a striking pain on the area hit.
"If it was a desire, you would have never broken the damn cage. You think meeting your mother is your desire, and that is where you are wrong," Shinkaku frowned.
"If it isn't a desire, what is it then? Tell me!" Zeverin shouted.
"This is your life's motive, your only true motive, but you don't understand the way you explain it," Shinkaku said.
"Then what is it?" Zeverin asked curiously.
"Meeting her means walking on her path, and walking on her path means understanding:
True strength isn't about having the power to defeat the weak. It is about having the power to hurt them yet choosing to protect them.
Kindness requires restraint, courage, and a strength that doesn't need to prove itself.
The strong don't look down on the weak. They become the reason the weak can stand tall. Understand?" Shinkaku shouted.
"..." Zeverin was completely speechless, absorbing every word very slowly.
"Now let's get back to —" Shinkaku in Zeverin's memory faded away.
"We won't ever again get back or look back, ever," I said, reaching almost the end of my fall.
But what were the 70 years after that? As far as I remember, it was just training harder and harder, and my last 5 years where he showed me how far I have reached. The path I forgot I ever walked was split open again in front of my eyes.
Ah! Yes, I remember that, living the trauma of losing her again, but that wasn't the thing I forgot. I live that every day, every second.
What I actually forgot was my peer, best friend, and the most important person after Vance sensei. And I feel a guilt about forgetting about him—the one and only
My beloved KARN.
But... I don't think he is alive; it does hurt a lot, but I promised to not look back again.
And there I reach the end of the fall finally.
And that also wraps up my 80 years' worth of life in the starless expanse. Although I remember just a summary of it, I will definitely live the whole thing again.
SHHIIIIINNNNNG-!!
In the endless void of the starless expanse, a white light suddenly started shining brilliantly as it opened its mouth and closed the moment I entered it.
[Dotonbori, Osaka]
No Kari didn't only learn every feeling Zeverin had lived in the real world, but also what he explored or felt in the starless expanse in all those 80 years.
The newly born Tatari was now equal to a Tatari that was biologically and mentally born 97 years ago.
But Zeverin's emotions worked out in a different way from how they were working at the start on him.
They didn't make the Tatari emotionally vulnerable; rather, they grew him even more emotionally distant and pushed his power to grow much stronger.
But because of the sudden 80-year jump, he was much more hungry than ever, and then he raised his arm to proceed to kill Zeverin once and for all.
But…—
WHISTLE-FIIT!
One out of three fights in Dotonbori was concluded, and the only winner was... You know it.
KRRRAAA-BOOOM-!!
As the result of the conclusion of one fight, a shockwave struck No Kari and every street above the underground metro station, breaking every single source of light on them.
[CUT]
[BLACK SCREEN]
In the dark streets of Dotonbori, above the underground metro station, no one could hear or see anything except darkness...
"What is it?"
"A strategy?"
"A technique?"
Nothing came, nothing answered. But a black line said.
"SHŪKYOKU KENGEN : JINSENSHINKYAKU"
[Ultimate Manifestation - Godstep of Instant Flash]
A new story has begun in Dotonbori.
But what will happen now?
[This scene refuses to Conclude]
We live our lives chasing dreams, until we realize that the most aimless person in the world resides besides us in the same graveyard.
—Musō no Kari
[TO BE CONTINUED]
"Zeverinnnnnnnnnnn!" Musō shouted.