The silence in the room was deep, as if time itself were holding its breath.
Kaito was still trying to grasp it: was this a dream? A hallucination? His fingers gripped the sheets, feeling the fabric — too real to be an illusion.
"Guardian?" he repeated softly, staring at the man before him.
Ryong raised his golden eyes, radiant like the sun.
"Yes, sir. I am Ryong, your guardian. We have awaited your return for centuries."
Kaito raised his eyebrows, confused and skeptical.
"Awaited...? But I'm just… a nobody."
Ryong stepped forward, his presence commanding the room with an almost tangible aura.
"You are more than you know. The Obsidian Seal has reappeared in the world with your arrival. And it pulses in your chest."
Instinctively, Kaito tugged at his shirt collar. In the center of his chest, a black mark — twisted like flames — throbbed in sync with his heartbeat.
He backed away, startled.
"What is this?"
Ryong approached and, with a careful gesture, knelt before the bed.
"The proof that you were reborn as the Heir of the Eclipse."
Outside, thunder echoed despite the clear sky. An omen. Ancient magic sensed the awakening of the one who could unite both worlds — or shatter them.
Kaito didn't know what to believe. But when he looked at Ryong, kneeling before him with unwavering loyalty and something that looked like… tenderness in his eyes, something stirred within him.
An invisible thread connected them. Fragile. Unbreakable.
And it was only the beginning.
TO BE CONTINUED...