I floated in an endless void, weightless, adrift in a sea of darkness speckled with shimmering stars. My body felt light, almost as if I wasn't real. My senses were dull, my mind teetering on the edge of consciousness, caught between wakefulness and oblivion.
The battle… it was over, wasn't it? But if that was true, then… where was I?
"Did I… win?"
A voice called out to me—soft, distant, yet achingly familiar.
"Daichi…"
It echoed through the void, wrapping around me like a warm breeze. My name… Someone was calling my name.
"Daichi…"
The voice grew clearer, closer. I felt it brush against me like a gentle whisper, soothing yet insistent, urging me to wake up.
And then—
"Wake up, Daichi."
A warmth pressed lightly against my forehead, like a soft touch, like… fingers brushing through my hair. My breath hitched. That feeling—so familiar, so comforting…
My eyelids fluttered open.
And I gasped.
The world around me was unlike anything I had ever seen.
Space stretched infinitely in all directions, vast yet strangely comforting. The stars weren't just distant pinpricks of light—they pulsed, flickered, as if they were alive, breathing. Beneath me, an invisible path shimmered with soft light, forming a bridge across the cosmos.
It was beautiful. Ethereal.
Yet it felt… empty.
I swallowed hard. "Is this… the end?" My voice came out barely above a whisper, fragile against the silence of the cosmos.
A gentle voice answered, its warmth seeping into my very soul.
"It's not, Daichi."
My body stiffened. That voice… I knew it.
I turned sharply, my heart hammering against my ribs.
And then—
My breath caught in my throat.
Standing there, bathed in soft, celestial light, was her.
My grandmother.
But… not as I remembered her.
She wasn't the frail woman I had lost years ago. No. She was young again, just like in the old photographs—her face serene, her long silver hair flowing like moonlight, caught in a breeze that didn't exist.
"Grandma…?" My voice trembled. "Is that… you?"
Tears welled up before I could stop them.
She smiled, her expression gentle and full of warmth. "Daichi, dear… you did well."
A choked sob slipped from my lips, and before I could think, I was moving.
I rushed forward, crashing into her embrace, wrapping my arms around her as tightly as I could. The moment her warmth enveloped me, the dam inside me broke.
"Where have you been all this time?" My voice cracked as I clung to her. "I thought you were gone. I thought… I lost you forever."
I buried my face against her, my fingers tightening around the fabric of her clothes as if trying to anchor myself to reality.
"I missed you," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I missed you so much."
Her arms encircled me, steady, comforting—just like they used to be. She stroked my hair, her touch so real, so familiar, yet tinged with something bittersweet.
"Daichi… I've already passed on," she murmured, her voice laced with sorrow. "What you see before you is merely the reincarnation of my soul, given form in this place beyond time."
My breath hitched.
No…
I wanted to deny it. To scream that she was lying. But deep down… deep down, I knew.
This warmth, this presence—it felt real. And yet, it wasn't.
I clenched my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut, willing myself not to break down again.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally loosened my grip and pulled back. My face was damp, my throat raw.
I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand and forced myself to ask the question clawing at my heart.
"What is this place, Grandma?" My voice was hoarse. "Why are you here?"
She reached for my hand and held it gently, her fingers warm and firm. Then, without a word, she began to walk forward, guiding me along the invisible path of light.
I followed, my feet barely making a sound in this strange, weightless world.
"It's time you learned the truth, Daichi," she said softly.
We walked through the vast expanse of stars, her voice resonating in the quiet.
"As you already know, in every generation, thirteen chosen ones inherit the power of the Zodiacs. Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius… and Ophiuchus."
She paused, her gaze lifting toward the endless cosmos.
"This place exists outside our universe, beyond any mortal realm," she continued. "It is where the Zodiac spirits reside before they merge with their destined hosts."
Then, she turned her head slightly and called out, "You can come out now, Leo."
For a moment, there was only silence. Then—
A golden light pulsed from the ring on my finger.
I watched, stunned, as the small figure of a lion emerged from it, no larger than a house cat. Its fur gleamed like molten gold, its tail flicking lazily as it stretched.
It yawned, then narrowed its piercing golden eyes.
"Who dares summon me?" it grumbled in a regal yet irritated tone.
The moment its gaze landed on my grandmother, however, the lion stiffened.
Its eyes widened.
"Suzuka…?"
My grandmother's lips curved into a soft smile. "Long time no see, Leo."
For a moment, the tiny lion simply stared at her, unblinking. Then, without warning, it darted forward—leaping into her arms.
"Suzuka!!" it cried, rubbing its face against her like an overgrown kitten.
A warm laugh escaped her lips as she cradled it close, stroking its fur with practiced ease.
I could only watch in stunned silence.
Leo… knew her?
Wait… that would mean—
"You… you were a Zodiac wielder?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.
She looked at me then, her silver eyes glimmering with nostalgia.
"Yes, Daichi. A long time ago."
My breath hitched.
"But you never told me," I whispered, my hands clenching at my sides. "Not even when I was a kid…"
She chuckled softly, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from my face.
"I'm sorry, Daichi," she murmured. "Some things… must be revealed at the right time."
I stared at her, my heart pounding.
All these years… and now, standing in this place beyond time, I was finally learning the truth.
But deep down, amidst all the confusion, all the revelations…
One feeling stood above the rest.
An overwhelming, aching sense of longing.
Because no matter how much this felt real—
I knew this moment… wouldn't last forever.
With Leo nestled in my grandmother's arms, we walked forward, the cosmic void shifting and rippling around us like waves in an endless sea. Every step she took felt weightless, yet deliberate, as if she was moving through something beyond time itself.
I followed close behind, my heart pounding. There was something unreal about the way she moved—as if she was here and yet… not. The stars pulsed softly in the distance, their glow casting a golden shimmer over everything. The deeper we went, the more the space around us seemed to change, bending and stretching in ways that defied logic.
And then… we arrived.
A door stood before us.
No, it wasn't just any door—it was ancient, yet untouched by time. Towering high above us, its smooth, pristine surface gleamed under the ethereal glow. Golden lines, like veins of pure energy, ran across it in intricate patterns, pulsating gently, as if the door itself was alive.
I felt an invisible force pulling at me.
This door…
It was calling to me.
My grandmother turned to face me, her silver hair flowing as if caught in a breeze that did not exist. Her eyes—soft, warm, yet tinged with something unreadable—met mine.
"Are you ready to see the world's greatest secret, Daichi?"
My throat went dry. I tried to speak, but the weight of this moment pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Was I ready?
No.
And yet, I forced myself to nod.
"Y-Yeah."
She smiled, though there was something melancholic in it. With a single, graceful movement, she reached out and pushed the door open.
A golden light spilled out.
And what lay beyond stole my breath away.
An endless landscape stretched into eternity—a vast expanse of rolling mountains, glowing rivers, and lush forests bathed in an eternal golden hue. The sky was neither day nor night, suspended in a perpetual twilight where the stars above seemed close enough to touch.
But it was the trees that truly captured my attention.
Thousands. No—millions of trees stood in clusters, each one unique in color, shape, and size. Some bore luminous white bindings, delicate threads weaving between them like threads of fate. Others stood alone, isolated, untouched by any connection.
At the base of each cluster, a wooden plaque was embedded in the earth.
I stepped forward, scanning the names carved into them.
And then…
I froze.
"Clannad."
"Chainsaw Man."
"Re:Zero."
"Toradora."
"Saint Seiya."
"Steins;Gate."
"Tokyo Ghoul."
"Violet Evergarden."
"Your Lie in April."
The names continued, stretching endlessly into the horizon.
My breath hitched.
"Grandma… what is this?" My voice barely made a sound, but she heard me anyway.
She turned her gaze toward the endless garden, her expression unreadable.
"This, Daichi… is the multiverse," she said softly. "Every story, every memory that has ever existed in those worlds is preserved here… in the form of trees."
I swallowed hard.
The multiverse?
That meant—
I reached out, my fingers trembling as they brushed against the trunk of one of the trees.
The moment my skin made contact, something surged through me.
Emotions.
A flood of feelings, memories, lives that were not my own. Laughter, sorrow, love, loss—it all hit me at once, like a tidal wave crashing through my soul. My vision blurred as fragments of a story played in my mind, pieces of another existence flowing through me like a dream I had long forgotten.
I staggered back, gasping for air.
"What… was that?"
My grandmother watched me with gentle eyes.
"Each tree contains the essence of a world," she explained. "When you touch them, you feel their stories—their joys, their tragedies, their sacrifices."
I stared at the vast garden before me, my chest tightening.
So many lives.
So many stories.
And then, my grandmother's voice softened.
"Daichi… I know your heart is heavy."
I tensed.
"You've lost Izumi twice now. The pain you carry is unbearable."
My breath hitched.
Izumi.
Her name alone was enough to make my chest ache.
She's gone.
Again.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.
"But remember this," my grandmother continued, her gaze never leaving mine. "Your sacrifice is but a single thread in the grand tapestry of fate. Many before you have suffered, have lost, have fought against despair… and yet, they kept moving forward."
A golden shimmer flickered in the air.
Then, suddenly, glowing screens appeared before me, floating in the golden expanse.
And in them—
Faces.
People from worlds beyond my own.
I saw a young man with a straw hat, standing proudly.
"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"*
A determined boy, his eyes fierce and unwavering.
"I never go back on my word! That's my ninja way!"**
A lone mage, battered yet unyielding.
"My magic is never giving up!"***
A man with white hair that had sacrificed everything.
"Dear God of Games, if you exist... hear my prayer. This world, erase all the conflicts and war, and make it a world where we can play games together someday. The one who will come to challenge you... please, give the throne to him." ****
My breath grew unsteady as the screens changed.
The next faces were different—those who had given up everything for their cause.
A lively blonde hair girl.
"Maybe there's only a dark road ahead. But you still have to believe and keep going. Believe that the stars will light your path."*****
A girl who sacrificed herself to take the Apocalypse Virus from a certain man.
"I will always be by your side."******
A masked slender man that wants to attain world peace.
"Yes... I destroy worlds... and create them anew."*******
A girl talking to a man besides her, wearing fox mask.
"Even if I can't touch you, I'll always be by your side."********
My grandmother's voice softened.
"And some… some could not bear the weight of their choices. They fell into darkness."
A chilling voice echoed through the void.
A once commited and kind-hearted man, but the result of years of suffering, revelations, and his deep desire for freedom, he changed.
"I'll keep moving forward until all my enemies are destroyed."*********
His suffering and trauma turned him into an anti-hero willing to do whatever it takes to survive.
"Weak people are ugly... The strong devour the weak. That's just how the world works."**********
A man that believes true power comes from knowing the difference between illusion and reality.
"Admiration is the furthest thing from understanding."***********
The screens flickered.
The weight of their choices, their sacrifices, their regrets pressed against my chest like an invisible force.
I felt like I couldn't breathe.
My grandmother's voice pulled me back.
"They were all once normal people," she whispered. "But their fates were shaped by the choices they made. Some chose to fight for hope… while others were consumed by despair."
I looked at her, my heart pounding.
"Now that you know the truth, Daichi…"
She met my gaze, her expression unreadable.
"What will you do?"
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
My heart wavered.
"I… I don't know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
She reached out, cupping my cheek. Her touch was warm, grounding.
"That's okay, Daichi."
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"You have been given a second chance at life." Her voice was steady, unwavering. "Make the most of it."
A heavy silence fell between us.
Then, she added, "And soon… you will inherit the true power of Leo."
I blinked.
"What?"
She only smiled.
"You'll understand one day."
A shift in the air made her gaze darken. She turned back to me.
"It's time to go, Daichi."
Panic flared in my chest.
"But… I'm scared, Grandma," I whispered. "I'm scared I'll make the wrong choice again."
Tears welled up. She wiped them away with a gentle touch.
"Now, now… don't cry, dear."
The light around me grew brighter.
She extended her pinky.
"Promise me, Daichi. Promise me you'll make the right choices this time."
I hesitated.
Then, with a trembling hand, I linked my pinky with hers.
"I promise."
Her smile was the last thing I saw before the light swallowed me whole.
And just like that…
I was gone.