The Guild Headquarters had never been this silent.
Not the comfortable kind of silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
This silence felt… heavy.
Like the entire building was holding its breath.
Kuro sat on the edge of the medical room bed, his hands loosely gripping the sheets beneath him. The bandage around his arm glowed faintly with sealing magic, but the ache underneath it still pulsed with every heartbeat.
Across the room, Mika leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
Watching.
Always watching.
Lucien paced back and forth like a restless animal.
"I'm just saying," he muttered for the tenth time, "maybe the mysterious ghost guy was lying. People lie all the time. Ghosts probably lie even more. It's like their whole personality."
Kuro blinked slowly.
"…I don't think ghosts have personalities."
"Exactly! Suspicious, right?"
Mika pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Elvastia," he said under his breath, "do not encourage him."
[Oh please, Lucien doesn't need encouragement. He was born like this.]
Lucien stopped pacing.
"HEY— I heard that!"
[Good.]
Lucien pointed at Kuro.
"See?! Even the evil spirit agrees with me!"
"I'm not evil," Elvastia snapped.
Mika sighed.
Kuro tried not to laugh.
The tension in his chest loosened just a little.
Just a little.
But the moment didn't last long.
Because the door opened.
The Guildmaster stepped inside quietly.
His robes were still creased from earlier. Dark circles rested beneath his eyes like he hadn't slept in days.
All three of them straightened.
"Kuro," the Guildmaster said gently, "how are you feeling?"
Kuro hesitated.
"…Cold."
The Guildmaster nodded slowly.
"I expected that."
Lucien frowned.
"You expected that?? That seems like important information you should have shared earlier."
Mika elbowed him.
"Let him speak."
The Guildmaster walked closer, stopping a few feet away from Kuro.
"The entity outside the barrier," he said carefully, "is reacting to you."
Kuro's fingers tightened.
"…Because of the fragment?"
"Partly."
Lucien's eyes widened.
"Wait— PARTLY?! What do you mean partly?!"
The Guildmaster didn't answer right away.
Instead, he looked directly at Kuro.
"That figure you saw earlier."
"The one who said he sent you here."
Kuro nodded slowly.
The Guildmaster exhaled.
"…I believe he was telling the truth."
The room froze.
Lucien's jaw dropped.
"You mean the creepy transparent guy who appeared out of nowhere and said mysterious things like a villain in a bad play?"
"…Yes."
"That guy."
Lucien pointed wildly at the empty air.
"THAT'S the guy we're trusting?!"
[To be fair, Lucien, your standards for trustworthy people are extremely low.]
"YOU LITERALLY LIVE IN SOMEONE'S HEAD."
[And yet I'm still more reliable than you.]
Mika stepped forward slightly.
"Guildmaster," he said seriously, "if that thing outside is connected to Kuro… we need to know how."
The Guildmaster nodded.
"I agree."
He turned to Kuro again.
"Kuro… when that entity spoke to you… what exactly did it say?"
Kuro swallowed.
His voice came out quieter than he expected.
"…It said I was incomplete."
The room fell silent again.
Even Lucien didn't joke.
Mika's jaw tightened.
The Guildmaster's expression darkened.
"…Then our fears may be correct."
Kuro's stomach dropped.
"What fears?"
The Guildmaster looked older suddenly.
Tired.
"The fragment inside you may not just be a piece of that entity."
Kuro felt his pulse quicken.
"…Then what is it?"
The Guildmaster held his gaze.
"It might be the part that was supposed to become you."
Lucien blinked.
"…I'm sorry, what?"
Kuro felt the words slam into his chest.
"Meaning," the Guildmaster continued quietly, "the creature outside may not simply want its power back."
His voice lowered.
"It may want you back."
Kuro's breathing stopped.
Mika stepped forward instantly.
"No."
The word came out sharp.
Protective.
The Guildmaster raised an eyebrow.
"You seem certain."
Mika didn't hesitate.
"Kuro isn't some missing puzzle piece."
He placed a firm hand on Kuro's shoulder.
"He's Kuro."
Kuro's chest tightened.
Lucien nodded aggressively.
"Yeah! Also if that giant sky monster thinks it can just steal our friend back, it's got another thing coming!"
He paused.
"…Actually several things coming. Probably swords."
[And bad decisions.]
Lucien pointed upward.
"YOU'RE a bad decision!"
The Guildmaster rubbed his temples.
"…I see nothing has changed."
Despite everything—
Kuro laughed.
Just a small laugh.
But it was real.
For a moment the fear faded.
For a moment the world felt normal again.
But far above the Guild Headquarters…
Beyond the clouds…
Beyond the barrier of golden magic…
Something massive shifted.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere deep inside Kuro's chest—
The fragment pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Like a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.