The night was impossibly quiet, as if the entire world had paused to listen.
Aki stood at the edge of the old shrine, staring at the glowing barrier that shimmered faintly in the moonlight. The place was ancient—older than the city that sprawled around it. Hoshikiri stood silently at his side, her expression unreadable. She had brought him here, saying this was where answers could be found.
But Aki wasn't sure he wanted them.
He clenched his fists. His mother's voice still echoed in his mind from the vision he had before regaining consciousness. "Aki… you're the chosen one."
The words felt like both a blessing and a curse.
Hoshikiri finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"You heard her, didn't you?"
Aki flinched. "…Yes."
"She's still watching over you." Hoshikiri's voice was softer than he'd ever heard it. Almost… wistful. "Even in death, your mother's spirit clings to this world. It's why you can hear her."
Aki swallowed hard. "But why? What does it mean to be 'chosen'?"
Hoshikiri's gaze turned upward, toward the stars.
"It means your fate was decided long before you were born. It means the gods fear you… because they can't control what's coming."
Aki frowned, his heart racing. "What's coming?"
Before she could answer, the air shifted.
The ground beneath them trembled, faint at first, then stronger. The shrine's ancient stones glowed faintly, as if awakening after centuries of sleep. And then—
A blinding column of light shot skyward from the shrine's inner sanctum.
Aki instinctively stepped back, but Hoshikiri placed a steadying hand on his arm.
"This is why we're here," she said. "You have to go inside."
He stared at her. "What's in there?"
She met his gaze with an intensity that stole his breath.
"The truth."
Without another word, Aki took a step forward. The barrier shimmered as he approached, and then—
It parted for him, as if recognizing his presence.
Inside the sanctum, the world was quiet. Silent in a way that felt ancient and deep. A massive stone tablet stood in the center, covered in glowing runes Aki couldn't read. But he felt them. The meaning pressed into his mind without words.
The child of the fallen star…
Bearer of lost light…
Breaker of the old cycle.
Aki reached out his hand. As his fingers brushed the surface of the tablet, images flooded his mind.
Visions.
A great war between gods and mortals. A star falling from the heavens. A woman—his mother—holding a newborn child beneath that star's light. The gods above, watching with unease. Whispering. Plotting.
And then—
One god took a step back from the others.
Tsukihikari-no-Kami.
The God of Celestial Light.
His golden eyes burned with something Aki had never seen in a god before.
Fear.
---
Back in the Celestial Realm
The gods stood in their vast court, watching the mortal boy touch the ancient tablet.
"Impossible," whispered Amaterasu.
"He's unlocking it already?" Takemikazuchi growled.
Tsukihikari-no-Kami said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on the vision in the Mirror of Eternity.
And then he did something none of them expected.
He took a single step back.
---
Back at the Shrine
Aki gasped, falling to his knees as the visions ended.
Hoshikiri was there, catching him before he hit the ground.
"You saw it," she whispered.
Aki's eyes were wide, wild with revelation.
"They're afraid of me," he said, breathless.
Hoshikiri nodded. "And they should be."
---
To be continued…