The wind blew gently across the city of Merinthal, rustling the flags atop the guild as the sun set behind the clouds. Inside a private guild meeting room, silence filled the air—only broken by the soft footsteps of Kazuki’s party members as they stepped inside one by one.

  Kazuki stood by the window, staring out at the distant mountains, his arms crossed. His aura was dimmed now, no longer crackling, but it still radiated overwhelming pressure. His hair was longer, messier, pure white like freshly fallen snow. His eyes glowed faintly under the light.

  Garron was the first to speak.

  “…You’re really back.”

  Kazuki turned slightly, offering a faint smile. “Yeah.”

  Elara rushed forward, throwing her arms around him without thinking.

  “I thought… I thought you were gone forever!”

  He didn’t hug her back.

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  Instead, he simply stood still and spoke softly, “I’m sorry I disappeared.”

  Elara slowly stepped back, looking up at him, confused by the coldness in his eyes.

  Rinara entered next, standing tall but visibly shaken.

  “You were sealed in another dimension… and survived it. That’s not something any ordinary person could endure.”

  “I’m not ordinary,” Kazuki replied without pride or arrogance. “And I’m no longer the same.”

  Drake leaned against the wall, arms folded. “We figured that much.”

  The group fell silent.

  Even though Kazuki stood before them, something was different. The warmth that once made him feel like the heart of the team—it was dulled, distant. His smile was no longer full. His voice, though familiar, lacked emotion. The trauma of isolation had changed something inside him.

  “…It’s like we got you back, but not really,” Garron muttered, unable to meet Kazuki’s eyes.

  Kazuki stepped forward. “I didn’t forget about any of you. I saw glimpses—your fights, your struggles. You cried for me. But I couldn’t reach you.”

  He glanced toward the window again. “I had to become stronger. Otherwise, I’d never escape.”

  Elara lowered her head. “We kept hoping. Every day. We trained, we searched… and even though we lost hope sometimes, we never gave up on you.”

  “I know,” Kazuki said. “That’s why I’ll never forgive the ones who did this.”

  His eyes hardened.

  “And that’s why I’m going to destroy them.”

  Rinara stepped forward. “But we need to know what you’re planning. We’re your party, Kazuki. Let us in again.”

  He was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

  “I’ll need you all for what’s coming. But I’m different now… so don’t expect the old me.”

  The party stood in silence. The reunion they dreamed of for years had finally come—but it wasn’t the tearful embrace or joyful celebration they had imagined.

  It was solemn.

  Quiet.

  Kazuki wasn’t broken.

  He was reforged.

  And something inside him was still… lost.