The moment Kaito saw the smoke rising from the house, his heart dropped. His legs propelled him forward, moving faster than ever before, faster than humanly possible.
One second.
That was all it took.
He sprinted toward the house, the flames dancing at its edges like demons eager to devour everything. His mind screamed for him to be faster, and somehow, his body obeyed. He threw open the door, the intense heat singeing the edges of his shirt.
"Mom! Dad! Riku! Aiko!" he screamed.
Through the thick, suffocating smoke, he saw them — his parents, lying still on the floor, blood pooling beneath them. The sight froze him for a moment. His legs wobbled, and his breath caught in his chest. He couldn't breathe.
Tears welled in his eyes, but then something shifted in him — a desperate force propelling him forward. His brother. His sister. They were still alive.
"Riku! Aiko!" Kaito cried, stumbling forward, arms outstretched.
His feet carried him across the charred floor, and he collapsed next to them. Riku, still breathing, though weakly, met his gaze. Aiko was unconscious, but alive, tucked into Kaito's arms as he held her close.
"Riku... Aiko... you're alive…" Kaito sobbed, his voice breaking as he wrapped his arms around his brother. He buried his face into Riku's shoulder, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to spill over.
Riku coughed, the smoke too thick for even him to endure. His hand trembled as it rested on Kaito's shoulder.
"Kaito… listen to me…" Riku's voice was strained, but firm. "I need you to take Aiko. Get her out of here. Protect her."
Kaito looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "W-What about you, bro?" His voice cracked, a sob escaping him.
Riku managed a weak smile, even in the midst of the burning nightmare. "You know I'm strong… I'll be fine," he chuckled faintly. "Just… take care of Aiko."
Kaito's throat tightened. He nodded, trying to hold his composure, but it felt like everything inside him was shattering. He bent down and scooped Aiko into his arms, her small frame limp in his hold.
"I'll go now," Kaito whispered through his tears. "But you better catch up later, okay?"
Riku nodded, though it was barely perceptible. "Take care, Kaito."
Just as Kaito turned to leave, a heavy presence filled the room. A shiver ran down his spine.
Footsteps.
The unknown man appeared again. His face was twisted into a cruel grin, his gun raised, pointed coldly at Riku.
"Riku..." The man's voice was like ice. "There's no escape for you now."
Kaito's stomach twisted as he heard the gunshot. The world seemed to slow.
BANG!
A bullet struck Riku's knee, forcing him to the ground with a pained grunt.
The man laughed darkly. "Now you die here. No more escaping this time."
Riku's body trembled as he struggled to stay upright. His hands shook, but his eyes never wavered, filled with hatred. "What… do you mean?" he growled, pain searing through him.
The man smirked, stepping closer, enjoying the suffering. "Don't act like you don't know, Riku. I know your secret. You've been resetting time, haven't you?"
Riku's eyes flickered, but he didn't speak.
The man's grin widened. "How many times now, huh? One thousand loops? Ten thousand? You're stuck. You can't escape me. Poor Riku… cursed to suffer forever."
Riku's face tightened, a fire burning in his chest. "So what if I was?" he spat. "I would have done anything to fix this. Anything to save the ones I love."
Without warning, the man fired again, this time hitting Riku square in the chest.
Riku gasped, his body jerking forward. Blood spilled from his lips, staining the floor beneath him. But he didn't collapse completely.
He stayed kneeling, glaring at the man with a hate-filled intensity that burned through the air.
The man froze. Something wasn't right. Riku wasn't dying—at least, not immediately.
"Why?" The man muttered, his eyes flicking nervously over Riku's unyielding form.
Riku's voice was low, but his words cut through the air like steel. "Too late…"
And in that moment, the truth came crashing down on the man.
Riku's power, the ChronoCode that allowed him to reset time, was gone. The power to loop, to manipulate time itself, had been passed on. And now, Riku was just like any other human — vulnerable. Mortal.
The man's eyes widened in realization. But it was too late. Riku, with his dying breath, smirked.
"Too late," he whispered again, his voice barely audible.
Outside, Kaito heard the gunshot.
He flinched, the sound stabbing through his chest like a knife. The world felt like it had stopped moving.
He tightened his grip around Aiko's limp body, the tears blurring his vision.
No... His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe.
I'm sorry, bro... I'm sorry... I couldn't save you...
His legs moved on their own, carrying him away from the scene, his heart heavy with the crushing weight of his failure. He ran, stumbling through the smoke and ashes, feeling the burn of the heat on his skin, the coldness creeping into his heart.
For you, Riku... for Aiko... I'll keep running.
His breath came in ragged bursts as he reached the safety of the open ground. His chest tightened with every step.
But then… something happened.
A warmth spread through his chest. Not from the flames. Not from the adrenaline.
A warmth that seemed to reach deep into him, as if something inside him had ignited — something familiar, yet foreign.
The sensation grew stronger, wrapping around him like a protective blanket. It was… comforting.
His hands, which had been shaking from the stress and fear, steadied. His knees, which had been trembling, stopped. The overwhelming sense of weakness and loss began to dissipate.
What… is this feeling?
Kaito looked down at his hands. They were glowing faintly — golden threads of light dancing across his skin, flickering like sparks of fire.
"What… is this?" he whispered, bewildered.
The warmth inside him pulsed, stronger than before, like a heartbeat, guiding him. It felt as if… it was alive. Waiting.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the feeling had not faded. Instead, it had grown.
"Kaito…" a voice whispered in his mind.
It was familiar, yet distant. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized it.
Riku.
His hands clenched into fists as the power within him surged. A wave of understanding washed over him — fragments of memories, fragments of a life he hadn't lived yet.
"I don't know what's happening to me," Kaito muttered, his voice breaking. "But if this power can help me protect the people I love…"
He looked down at Aiko, her small body still limp in his arms.
"If this power can bring me closer to understanding the truth, then I'll use it."
With newfound strength, Kaito turned away from the burning house. The air felt colder now, but Kaito wasn't cold.
He was warm.
He had a purpose.
"I'll learn this power," Kaito promised, his voice filled with determination. "I'll grow stronger."
The floating window appeared in front of him, shimmering in the dark.
> "Accept the system?"
[Yes] [No]
Kaito stared at the words, something deep inside him recognizing this moment, this choice. It was like he'd seen it before. Some other time. Some other life.
He glanced down at Aiko, then back at the glowing window. His hand moved, almost instinctively.
Without hesitation, he tapped the [Yes].
The moment his finger touched the option, light exploded around him, overwhelming his senses. Symbols filled his vision, flashing in languages he couldn't understand but somehow knew.
"System Accepted. Synchronizing Soul Memory…"
Kaito gasped, the flood of information nearly drowning him. He felt Riku's presence — his memories, his struggles, and his power, all flowing into him.
"Riku… you passed it to me," Kaito whispered, a tear slipping down his cheek.
> Transfer Complete.
> Activating Core Function: Time Vein Access.
Warning: Soul not fully synchronized. Power may be unstable.
Kaito stood there, stunned, as the world around him seemed to fall away. The warmth in his chest turned into raw energy, his body vibrating with it. He could feel a pull, a connection — to the past, the future, and beyond.
His hands glowed with golden light as the system activated.
"I don't know what this power is yet," Kaito whispered, his voice full of awe and determination. "But I will learn. I will use it to protect those I love… and to avenge you, Riku."
The night felt cold, but Kaito stood firm. He had a mission.
And now, he had the power to change everything.