CRACK.
Something split open inside Yuto's mind. The things that had barely seeped through the narrow cracks of his dreams for the past month. The things that had circled him only as muffled voices and unseen faces.
They shattered the crack and poured forth as a flood.
In the world before his regression, not this one.
His royal father (the king) passed away suddenly, and Yuto became king of Belkain at the tender age of nine.
Loyal retainers surrounded Yuto, but no matter how devoted they were, nine was far too young to lead a nation. Even in the previous world, the Balistera Empire had been constantly watching for an opportunity to seize Listal and Belkain.
In that situation, the Kingdom of Listal extended a friendly hand. Listal had always been an ally of Belkain, and Yuto's father and the king of Listal had been as close as brothers. The king of Listal pitied Yuto for losing his father and swore to aid him until he was old enough to stand on his own.
The proof of that pledge was―Listal's prince, Shiro. He volunteered to remain in Belkain's royal castle and spent his childhood with Yuto.
They had been close to begin with, but living together in the royal castle made Yuto and Shiro as close as brothers.
In time, they grew and learned many of the world's secrets. What steeled their resolve above all was a letter Yuto's father had left behind.
A letter that revealed the truth of the world.
Not every constellation acts for Callisto's sake. Some delight in Callisto's suffering and inflict despair upon the countless beings who live upon this land merely for their own pleasure.
Yuto's father―Luke Belkain―was murdered by a constellation as the price for drawing close to that truth.
When Yuto learned of the conspiracy behind his father's death, he swore revenge. Shiro took the same oath alongside him. They might not share blood, but they were brothers, and Yuto's resolve was Shiro's resolve.
Far too much misery and despair plagued Callisto. Thus, Yuto and Shiro first sought to erase the sources of the misery and despair that pervaded the world.
The Eclipse.
Yuto and Shiro hunted the seven monsters one by one, becoming a beacon that illuminated Callisto's darkness.
If any constellation wished misery and despair upon Callisto, it would interfere anew once every member of the Eclipse had vanished. That was what Yuto and Shiro believed. Belkain's guardian constellation―the ‘Broken Star’―also supported Yuto's will and bestowed many blessings upon him.
As they defeated the Eclipse one after another, Yuto and Shiro shared a dream: to bring true peace to Callisto someday. To create a world without monsters like the Eclipse and without constellations who inflicted misery and despair merely for amusement.
They had surely shared the same dream.
‘You.’
Yuto stared at Shiro through bloodshot eyes. Atop the platform in the middle of the square, Shiro knelt on one knee as he received a constellation's choice.
‘You betrayed me.’
Beside Shiro, Sirin stood with her hands clasped and a radiant smile upon her face. Yuto's eyes could not help trembling as he looked at her.
Sirin Listal.
Sirin had accompanied Yuto and Shiro on their journey to realize the dream they shared. During that journey―Yuto and Sirin fell in love.
They married amid blessings and had... a daughter.
‘Ria.’
Yuto bit hard into his lip.
Ria Belkain.
It had been the night of his daughter's sixth birthday celebration. They had slain every member of the Eclipse and ended the misery that had openly tormented the world. They had made great progress toward the vow they shared, and the night should have held nothing but celebration.
Shiro's sword pierced Yuto's chest.
When Yuto forced his dying body back to the banquet hall, he found only despair. Every guest was dead, and Sirin―she had been cut down by the sword of her older brother, Shiro.
‘That day, I... lost everything.’
His wife died before his eyes.
Ria, weeping and drenched in her mother's blood, was taken by Shiro.
Yuto charged in a frenzy, but the ‘Broken Star’ granted him no blessing. Instead, the Broken Star's lightning crashed into Yuto's body amid mocking laughter.
He escaped death only because of Flokiro. Until Yuto arrived, his partner had desperately attacked Shiro and been savagely carved apart. Mustering the last of its strength, Flokiro blocked Shiro's path and allowed Yuto to flee through a secret underground passage.
Thus Yuto staggered onward, drenched in blood. Dying beneath the constellations' jeers.
And encountered the Void.
“At last.”
The crowd filling his vision, the high platform, and the figures of Shiro and Sirin vanished behind darkness. On the far side of that deep, pitch-black void, a girl gazed at Yuto.
“Have you remembered who you are?”
Yuto clenched his fists and stared at the girl. She glided toward him across the darkness. With pitch-black hair and pitch-black eyes, the girl seemed formed from darkness itself. She stopped before Yuto and tilted her head slightly.
She was the girl he had seen on the night he escaped the colosseum, at the instant the power of the Void entered his body.
“Yes.”
Yuto answered quietly.
“I remember everything.”
The king of Belkain, and the boy who swore revenge for his father. The hero who slew the seven members of the Eclipse. Sirin's husband and Ria's father. And―the man whose sworn brother took everything from him, who lay dying beneath the constellations' jeers and drove a tentacle of the Void into his own chest.
“I am Yuto Belkain.”
The instant he spoke that name, he felt something take root deep within his chest. The roots of his identity, which had drifted unmoored for a month, finally settled into their proper place.
The girl's black eyes curved faintly.
“Yes. That is your name.”
“Who... are you?”
Yuto met the girl's gaze directly.
“Are you the Void?”
The girl's appearance and voice were unfamiliar, but the darkness before him was not. At Yuto's question, the girl laughed softly. Her fathomless black eyes studied him in silence.
“No. I am not the Void. I am merely its Agent, here to convey its will to you.”
Agent of the Void. As Yuto mulled over the words, the girl continued slowly.
“A creature like you could never comprehend the will of the Void, could you? That is why I exist―to convey its will in a form you can understand.”
“What is the Void?”
Yuto strode forward.
“That night, the constellations... feared the Void. Those beings who claim to have created the world were terrified and appalled. What is the Void that even they would fear it?”
“......”
“And why me? Why did the Void reach out to me as I was dying? Does the Void wish to use me and watch me struggle... just as the Broken Star and the other constellations did?”
“Insolent creature.”
The girl narrowed her eyes and glared at Yuto.
“Do not presume that a creature like you can fathom the will of the Void. Besides, were you not the one who needed its power?”
The girl raised one hand for him to see, grasped the darkness, and formed it into a tentacle before bringing it to her own chest.
“You wished to change the dreadful ending that befell you. If so, then struggle to change that ending. The Void went to the trouble of turning back the hands of the clock for you.”
“It turned... the hands of the clock... backward.”
“Yes. The almighty Void personally granted you that favor. Do you regret returning and mean to collapse in despair at the truth you have learned?”
The girl turned her head. The dense darkness behind her split apart, revealing Shiro atop the distant platform.
“Your enemy stands there. And many more fill the heavens above. This world may appear different from the one in which you lived, but at its core, it is the same. It remains a hell consumed for the constellations' amusement.”
“......”
“If your desire to take revenge on this hell has broken, kill yourself now and spit out the Void's power. But if you still desire revenge―”
The girl turned back to Yuto. Her slowly extended hand stopped before him.
“Take the Void's hand. It will help you achieve the revenge you desire.”
“You do not answer the questions I truly wish to ask.”
Yuto glared at the girl as he spoke.
“What is the Void, and why me of all people?”
“Because you are still far too insignificant to understand the Void. And you ask why it chose you? You must have been suitable for tearing down the sky of this hell.”
The girl stared at Yuto and continued.
“The Void has done many things for you. It turned back the world to undo your death, gave power to your feeble body, and sealed your memories so you would not go mad with despair. Until you were ready to accept them.”
“And the price for all this?”
“There is one.”
The girl did not deny it.
“A contract such as this could not possibly come without a price. But that too is not something you need to know now.”
His memories had returned.
He knew who he was.
What he wanted to do.
And what he had to do.
Yuto raised his head. Beyond the girl's shoulder, he saw Shiro atop the platform. The sight forcefully reminded Yuto of ‘what’ he wanted and needed to do.
“I...”
Yuto began to speak.
“I want revenge.”
He raised his tightly clenched fist.
“I want an ending different from the one I met in my previous life.”
He had mountains of questions for the girl and the Void. But asking them now would yield no satisfying answers.
For the moment, he abandoned his fixation on those answers. What mattered was that he had returned to the past and that a ‘power’ feared even by the constellations now dwelled within him. In that case, what Yuto had to do was clear.
Revenge.
Kill Shiro. Kill the constellations. Bring down the sky of this hellish world. The girl had said this power carried a price, but Yuto would pay anything demanded after achieving his revenge. If the Void intended to use Yuto for that price―then Yuto would use the Void for his revenge.
Yuto seized the girl's hand. A bright smile spread across her pale face.
[Quest completed.]
[You have realized who you are.]
[Reward: Void Storage.]
[Reward: Bond from a Past Life.]
Pitch-black screens appeared before Yuto. He froze at the sight. Beyond the screens, the girl was still smiling.
“Now, then.”
The girl released Yuto's hand first. She took one step back and whispered.
“We shall meet again later.”
With those final words, the girl's form melted completely into the darkness and disappeared. At the same time, the entire darkness in which Yuto stood began to ripple like water.
Sounds returned from far away. The square's shouts. The festival drums. They tangled together into a wall of noise. Yuto grimaced at the pain that threatened to split his head apart.
And―
“Boy.”
Yuto opened his eyes.
He saw a scene entirely different from the one before. Sariel. She looked down at Yuto with concern in her eye.
“What happened this time?”
Sariel blinked her lone eye and whispered to him. Yuto did not answer immediately, instead staring blankly at her face. He saw a ceiling beyond Sariel's head and felt a soft bed beneath his back.
“Where is this...?”
“An inn room. You suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed. Do you know how much This One paid to rent this cramped little room?”
Sariel grumbled and tapped Yuto's forehead with a fingertip.
“The festival left few rooms vacant, and even those cost an outrageous sum. In truth, This One wanted to leave you lying in a back alley, but then she remembered that every coin spent on you becomes part of your debt and decided it did not matter.”
Sariel chuckled. Listening to her, Yuto slowly sat up. As he remained silent, Sariel continued.
“So why did you collapse? This One is well aware that your mind is unstable, but you had been doing rather well of late, and now this happens again.”
“My memories returned.”
Yuto began to speak. Sariel's laughter stopped dead.
“I remember everything about who I am.”
As he spoke, Yuto studied Sariel. She looked back at him with a faint smile, then slowly nodded.
“Indeed. It seems This One's decision to come to Listal was correct. So, who are you?”
“......”
“Why are you silent? Did you not say you remember everything?”
“I cannot tell you.”
Yuto squeezed his eyes shut as he answered.
He knew how much kindness Sariel had shown him. But it was impossible to reveal everything he had remembered to her.
“You remembered, but cannot tell This One. Why is that? Is your past so secret and important?”
“Yes.”
“So much so that you cannot tell even This One?”
“Lady Sariel... do you trust me?”
Yuto asked in a trembling voice. Sariel laughed softly at the question and propped up her chin.
“Boy, what an absurd thing to ask. You do not trust This One, yet you ask her to trust you?”
“There is much I do not know about you.”
“A beautiful half elf. The benefactor who taught many things to a boy who did not even know who he was. Is that not enough?”
“It is... not enough.”
Sariel laughed again at Yuto's answer. She watched him for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“No. It is not enough. A wise answer, boy. You must not trust even This One.”
Sariel spoke quietly as she stroked Yuto's head.
“Because This One has many secrets, and her true intentions cannot be known. Though you and she have traveled together, you do not know all of her.”
“......”
“Thus, This One cannot insist on knowing everything about you either. Truth must be fair to both sides.”
Rather than sadness, Sariel's whisper carried pride in Yuto. Reading that emotion only left him confused.
“You will not force me to tell you the truth?”
“Your truth is not especially important to This One. What matters is whether you can repay your debt to her.”
“Just what do you intend to demand as your price...?”
“As you are now, you cannot repay This One anything.”
Sariel's hand tousled Yuto's hair.
“Because you are still a boy. You are young, your body is small, and your strength is weak. Demanding a price from you would be like taking the liver from a flea.”
“......”
“So grow well. Grow older, grow taller, and grow stronger. Then you will be able to repay your debt to This One.”
After tousling Yuto's hair a few more times, Sariel withdrew her hand.
“Boy, answer This One's question.”
“If it is something I can answer.”
“Are you so weak that This One must protect you?”
Yuto's eyes trembled at the question. Sariel's lone eye remained calm and unwavering as it stared at him.
All his memories had returned. This body, sent back to the past, was twelve years old―the same age as Shiro and Sirin. Unlike his previous life, Yuto had not received the Broken Star's blessing, but he possessed the power of the Void instead. With the memories he had accumulated on battlefields in his previous life, Yuto would also be able to grow strong quickly.
“......”
What would happen if he said he was weak? Would he be able to keep traveling with Sariel? Sariel was strong. So strong that Yuto wondered why someone like her had never made a name for herself in his previous life. To be honest, even at the height of his power in the past, Yuto could not be certain he had been stronger than Sariel.
‘Sariel is hostile toward the constellations.’
Perhaps if he joined forces with Sariel―he might achieve his desired revenge more quickly and certainly.
‘...No.’
Yuto worried at his lip.
‘I... must not be protected by Sariel. My revenge must be achieved with my own hands.’
His trembling ceased.
Yuto slowly opened his mouth.
“No. I am no longer weak.”
Sariel's lone eye curved in a smile at his answer. She tousled Yuto's hair again and giggled.
“What an impudent creature. You are this small, yet you claim you have no need of This One's protection?”
Sariel whispered with laughter in her voice and removed her hand from Yuto's hair.
“But that is what you must become. You may be weak for now, but someday you must grow strong enough to need no help from This One.”
With that whisper, Sariel stepped back several paces and reached toward the bag in the corner. An obsidian dagger slipped free and flew into her hand.
“A parting gift. Take it, boy.”
Sariel offered the hilt of the obsidian dagger to Yuto. He looked back and forth between the dagger and Sariel for a moment before speaking.
“You are... leaving?”
“Did you not say you no longer needed This One's protection? More precisely, you refused it.”
“......”
“That was the answer This One wished to hear. Since you have chosen to walk on your own, there is no need to keep you in her embrace. You have at least grown capable of avoiding death in the gutter.”
Yuto swallowed a sigh and grasped the hilt of the obsidian dagger.
“We will meet again someday.”
“Of course we must. This One has yet to collect any price from you.”
“When will I see you again?”
“When you have grown so well that This One can no longer call you boy.”
Sariel grinned and released the dagger.
“Then you will be able to meet This One again. Do not trouble yourself looking for her first. If you have grown well, she will find you herself.”
With that, Sariel spun around and lifted the pack from the floor.
“Lady Sariel.”
At the sight, Yuto climbed out of bed and bowed deeply to her.
“Thank you... for everything.”
“Ahaha. What is there to thank her for? This One did not take you along for free.”
Sariel waved a hand dismissively and slung the pack across her back.
“It is all debt, debt. You should fear how great a price This One will demand someday.”
“Yes.”
Yuto answered with a bitter smile.
“I do not know what you will ask, but I will prepare to the best of my ability.”
“Yes, as you should.”
Sariel opened the door and gave Yuto a light wave as she stepped out.
“Then remain in good health until we meet again.”
The door closed.
That was all. Yuto stood blankly for a moment, then opened the door and went outside. Sariel had left only an instant ago, yet she was nowhere to be seen.
She was a strange woman.
She had appeared without warning, saved Yuto, taken him along, and taught him many things. She called every kindness she showed him a ‘debt’ and repeatedly said that she would someday collect a ‘price.’
Just as suddenly and lightly as she first arrived, Sariel left Yuto. He clenched the obsidian dagger in his hand.
Emotion welled within him. But Yuto worried at his lip, refusing to let that emotion control him. He could not show weakness. Sariel had spoken the farewell, but Yuto was the one who chose it.
“Someday.”
Yuto murmured quietly and closed the door.