The mirror cracked, and everything changed.
Not in a big explosion or flashy mana surge—no, it was quieter than that. More dangerous. Like time had paused to take a breath. The clearing grew still. Even the ever-watchful fog held back.
Kazuki stared into the broken mirror, fragments reflecting a thousand different versions of him. Some smiling, some bleeding, some… gone.
But one shard still showed her.
Sakura.
A girl with eyes like spring mornings and a presence that tugged at something old inside his chest. She looked so real—as if she could step through at any moment.
He raised a trembling hand. "Sakura…?"
The image didn't move.
But then—
A handprint formed on the inside of the mirror.
Small. Delicate.
Pressing outward from within.
"She's Real. Isn't She?"
Kazuki barely whispered it, but Smile nodded slowly.
Sawa stepped up beside him. "You remember her now."
"I don't remember everything," Kazuki murmured, eyes locked on the mirror. "Just… a feeling. Like she was important. Like she was mine."
Hiraya crouched by the altar, brushing away the dust around the base. Symbols carved in old spiritual code flickered to life, pulsing faintly. "It's a Memorygate Mirror," she muttered. "They only show people you've loved… or lost."
"Or both," Sawa added gently.
Tsuki stepped beside Kazuki, nudging his arm with his snout.
"She's somewhere on the other side. Trapped."
The mirror pulsed. A faint hum filled the air—like a melody just out of reach.
Then the sky darkened.
Ambush: The Fogbound Revenants
From the trees came movement—slithering, crawling, gliding through the fog like shadows reborn.
Revenants.
Spirit-corrupted echoes of those who tried to cross the Forbidden Woods and failed. Their forms were twisted and blurred, faces half-remembered by time, and every one of them fixated on the mirror like predators drawn to blood.
The first leapt—
Kazuki reacted on instinct.
He didn't chant. He didn't pose.
He just tripped.
And in doing so, his elbow slammed into Smile, who ricocheted into Tsuki, who launched forward like a missile—and unleashed a wave of mana that turned the first revenant into smoky ash.
"…Was that teamwork or karma?" Kazuki blinked.
"Yes." said Smile cheerfully.
The Battle (That Wasn't Supposed to Work)
Sawa spun her twin fans, whipping wind blades through the air. Hiraya took to the skies, eyes glowing silver. Tsuki became a silver blur of speed and fangs.
But Kazuki?
Kazuki summoned a basic mana shield—sideways.
He'd meant to block, but instead it deflected one of the revenants directly into a falling tree branch… which then collapsed and crushed three more enemies behind it.
Hiraya screeched overhead. "HOW!?"
"Don't ask me! I just do stuff!"
Smile laughed. Then launched himself like a cannonball into a group of revenants, who screamed as they were swallowed by rainbow-colored slime energy. It shouldn't have been terrifying.
It was.
Even the fog flinched.
Aftermath: The Mirror's Warning
As the last of the fogbound spirits dissipated, the mirror shimmered again.
This time, Sakura's figure appeared clearer. She looked older than Kazuki remembered. Worn down. Sad. She pressed her hand to the glass again.
And spoke.
"Find me. Before it finds you."
The mirror went dark.
The fog vanished.
And a new mark appeared on Kazuki's wrist.
A small, glowing cherry blossom sigil.
Back at the Guild (Later That Night)
Kazuki didn't speak much as they walked back to Mugentsu.
The others didn't pressure him.
But the air around him felt different now. More focused. Less chaotic. Like something inside had aligned—just a little.
That night, as he lay staring at the rafters above his bunk, Smile curled up beside him.
"Do you think I loved her?" Kazuki whispered.
Smile blinked. "You still do."
Then after a moment of silence:
"And she loved you enough to break time to warn you."