The moment it touched him—
Everything shattered.
Not the ground.
Not the sky.
Him.
Pain exploded through Kai's body, but it wasn't something physical. It went deeper than flesh, deeper than bone. It felt like something was tearing through his mind, ripping apart everything that made him… him.
"…STOP—!"
His voice cracked into a scream, echoing into the frozen world.
The distortion pulsed.
And then—
Memories flooded in.
Not his.
Never his.
Laughter that didn't belong to him.
Moments he had never lived.
Arguments he had never had.
Feelings that weren't his—
Yet felt more real than anything he had ever known.
"…what… is this…?!" he gasped, clutching his head.
His vision blurred violently.
The world twisted.
Then—
Her voice.
"Don't forget me…"
It echoed everywhere.
Inside him.
Around him.
Through him.
"…Lina…?"
Kai's breathing became uneven, unstable, like he was losing control of his own body.
The memories kept coming.
Faster.
Stronger.
Overwhelming.
He saw her—
Laughing.
Crying.
Running.
Falling.
Dying.
Over and over again.
"…NO—!"
Something inside him snapped.
A surge of energy erupted from his body, violent and uncontrolled. The air around him warped, bending unnaturally as if reality itself was struggling to hold together.
The distortion reacted.
For the first time—
It pulled back.
Kai froze.
"…it… moved?"
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
The power inside him pulsed again.
Stronger.
More unstable.
The ground beneath him cracked slightly.
Time flickered.
Forward.
Back.
Forward again.
"…I… did that…?"
His voice trembled.
But deep down—
He knew.
This wasn't control.
This was something far more dangerous.
The distortion lashed forward again.
Faster than before.
But this time—
Kai moved.
Without thinking.
His body reacted instinctively.
He stepped aside—
And the world lagged behind him.
Like he had moved before time itself could catch up.
"…what… is happening to me…?"
The air around him bent again.
Reality distorted.
The rules were breaking.
And he was at the center of it.
The distortion hesitated.
Watching him.
Studying him.
Like it no longer saw him as prey—
But something else.
Something unknown.
Then—
Everything stopped.
Completely.
No movement.
No sound.
No time.
Kai stood there, breathing heavily.
"…did I… stop it…?"
He looked around.
The world was frozen.
But this time—
It felt different.
Not like before.
Not like the loop.
This felt like…
Control.
Then—
A voice.
Soft.
Familiar.
"…Kai…"
His body stiffened.
Slowly—
He turned.
And saw her.
Lina.
But not fully.
Her form flickered faintly, like a reflection in broken glass.
Unstable.
Unreal.
"…Lina…?"
His voice cracked.
She smiled.
Soft.
Fading.
"…you found it…"
His heart pounded.
"…found what…?"
She didn't answer.
Her body flickered again.
Fading in and out of existence.
"…wait—don't go!"
Kai stepped forward, reaching out desperately.
But his hand passed through her.
Like she wasn't there.
Like she was already gone.
"…no…"
Her eyes softened.
"…don't lose yourself…"
The words hit him hard.
"…what do you mean—?!"
But she was already fading.
"…Lina—!"
Gone.
Just like that.
The world trembled.
Time snapped back into place.
Sound crashed in all at once.
Kai dropped to his knees.
Shaking.
Breathing heavily.
"…what… was that…?"
But deep down—
He already knew.
Something had awakened inside him.
Something that didn't belong.
Something that changed everything.
And whatever it was—
It wasn't done yet.
Because behind him—
The distortion moved again.