In the days following his plunge into the Abyss, Kaito found his senses sharper, his powers more controlled, yet his mind was restless. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming, a storm that would test everything he'd embraced.
At school, he felt isolated. People he once called friends now seemed distant, their faces blurring like faded memories. The pull of the Abyss was stronger, making the world around him feel insubstantial, a mere illusion that could be shattered at any moment. Only Seraphina seemed real, her presence grounding him, a dark star in a sky of fading lights.
As he left school one afternoon, he sensed a presence nearby. Celestia was waiting, hidden in the shadows of the nearby trees. Her gaze was intense, filled with both fear and hope.
"Kaito," she called softly, stepping out to face him. "We need to talk."
He stopped, his expression unreadable. "If this is another warning about the Abyss, Celestia, I don't want to hear it."
"It's not that," she replied, her tone steady but her voice betraying a hint of sadness. "It's something else. There's…danger coming. My father—he knows everything."
Kaito's eyes narrowed. "You told him?"
Celestia looked away, her shoulders tense. "I had to. But it wasn't just to protect Heaven, Kaito—it was to protect you. My father is sending angels—five of them. They're… they're not here to reason. They're here to eliminate you."
A chill ran through Kaito, but he kept his expression calm. "So he sees me as a threat now?"
Celestia nodded, her eyes filled with guilt. "I never wanted this. I tried to convince him, but…he's already decided. The angels will be here soon, and they won't show mercy."
Kaito clenched his fists, feeling the familiar surge of dark energy rising within him. "Let them come. I'm not the same person I was. I can defend myself."
"But Kaito, these aren't ordinary angels," Celestia said, her voice breaking. "They're elite warriors, trained to eliminate any threat to Heaven. If they find you, they won't hesitate. And if you lose control…if the Abyss takes over completely, you'll become exactly what they fear."
He looked away, the weight of her words settling over him. In his heart, he knew there was truth in her warning, but the darkness in him pushed back, defiant.
"I can't run from this," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I chose this path, and I won't back down now."
Celestia took a step closer, her hand reaching out to him. "Then let me help you, Kaito. Please. We can find a way to stop them, or…or at least delay them. If you go up against them now, you might lose everything."
For a moment, Kaito saw a glimpse of the Celestia he'd once admired—strong, compassionate, her light reaching out to him even as darkness surrounded him.
But then he felt Seraphina's presence, a silent force watching from the shadows. She stepped forward, her gaze cold and unyielding as she took her place beside him.
"Celestia," Seraphina said, her tone sharp, "I told you before: Kaito doesn't need Heaven's pity. He's chosen his path, and I will stand by him."
Celestia's face hardened. "You're leading him to destruction, Seraphina. The Abyss will consume him, and you know it. You're risking his life for your own selfish needs."
Seraphina's eyes flashed with anger, her voice turning icy. "Don't pretend you care for him more than I do. You only see him as a threat, as something that needs to be controlled. I see him for what he is—strong, brave, capable of greatness."
Kaito felt the tension between them, the clash of light and darkness growing more intense with every word. He wanted to intervene, to break the cycle of anger and jealousy that had taken root between them, but he felt helpless, trapped between their opposing forces.
Finally, Celestia took a deep breath, her gaze softening. "Kaito, please…whatever happens, remember that you have a choice. You're not bound to the Abyss. You don't have to become what Seraphina wants you to be."
With those words, she turned and walked away, her figure disappearing into the fading light.
Seraphina watched her go, her expression unreadable. "She doesn't understand," she said quietly, turning to Kaito. "The power you have…it's yours to control, not hers to judge."
Kaito nodded, but in his heart, a flicker of doubt remained. Celestia's words lingered, a reminder of the life he'd left behind—a life that now seemed so far away.
"Then let them come," he said, his voice filled with determination. "If Heaven wants a fight, I'll give them one."