Guided by a cloaked attendant of the Duke, Kazuki moved through the ancient tunnels buried deep beneath the capital. The air was thick with dust and old magic—wards of immense power pulsed around him, repelling those without the strength or permission to enter. But Kazuki walked unhindered, the markings on his arm from the baptism glowing faintly.

  They reached a massive obsidian door, engraved with archaic runes long lost to modern scholars. The attendant hesitated. “From here, you go alone,” he whispered.

  Kazuki pushed the door open with ease. Inside was a vast, dimly lit chamber where time itself seemed to stand still. At its center, seated cross-legged on a floating stone platform, was a figure cloaked in chains of golden light and shadow. Her eyes were veiled, yet she turned her head toward him the moment he entered.

  "You finally came," the Seer whispered, her voice echoing as if spoken through time itself.

  Kazuki narrowed his eyes. “You’ve seen me before?”

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  “I have seen you… in every world,” she said, her voice quivering with layered voices—past, present, and future. “The child of ruin or renewal. The blade of twilight. The soul that remembers.”

  Kazuki remained silent.

  “There was a time when the gods feared you. So they cast you into the cycle, memory sealed, life after life… until now.”

  “Why now?” he asked quietly.

  “Because the balance is tipping. R.I.S.K. is not what it seems. The Shattered Veil is not just a place—it is a boundary between fates. And you, Kazuki, have walked its edge before.”

  He stepped closer. “Tell me who created the prophecy.”

  “The Old Ones,” she whispered. “Primordial entities that existed before gods… beings who saw all futures. They glimpsed a child born with infinite potential—who could either rewrite the world or unravel it. That child is you.”

  Chains rattled around her as she leaned forward. “But you must choose. You cannot remain neutral forever.”

  Kazuki’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers twitched near his dagger. “And R.I.S.K.? What is their goal?”

  “To bind the future. To mold fate itself through ancient means. They search for remnants of the Old Ones’ power—and the key to it all… is you.”

  A long silence fell between them. Then the Seer raised her head. “They come for you, Kazuki. From within the Guild. From within the kingdom. Even from your past.”

  Kazuki turned, the weight of new truths settling heavily, though his face remained unreadable.

  As he walked toward the exit, the Seer whispered one final warning. “Beware the crimson sigil. When it burns… the world itself will bleed.”