Together Hyde and Mary crossed the bridge and moved deeper into the forest of orange trees, stopping at the foot of the steps so Hyde could catch his breath from helping Mary the whole way. This is where it all began and now it's where it will all end. Hyde didn't want to think back on it now, he wanted to think about what to say to Cran, wondering what his motive for everything was.

Hyde brushed off his hair and asked "How's your eyesight?"

"I think… I can see a little." Her tone was low and her eyelids weighed heavy. She was on the verge of falling asleep probably from using too much of her magic. She was a liability and Hyde didn't need her help if he were to fight Cran. He moved away from Mary and went alone, not looking back when he ascended the stairs up the shrine.

He reached the top of the steps finally at the shrine. The whistle of the trees and wind and the crimping of birds was all he could hear. It was awkward at first, normally he would be accompanied by one of his friends who filled the void with a conversation Hyde didn't pay much attention to. Being alone like this was a liberating feeling but at the same time, he hoped this would be over with quick.

"..." He reached into his pocket to take his lighter… oh wait. "Hehaa…" he laughed off his stupidity and continued moving, going around the shrine's front not expecting there to be a path that led to another wooden building deeper in the forest.

Even though his magic was little, he could sense something powerful down below. Hyde sprinted to the strange building and entered the dark room filled with cracked wood, dust and cobweb in the corners. Each step he took made the wood creak. The interior looked like an old residential home, probably the house of the shrine keeper who lived here long ago. Stepping into the next room, he found a staircase that led down to parts unknown.

Hyde came to a sudden stop when he heard a rather harsh creek and cracks from wood. Then his foot sank into the wood before the entire floor collapsed below him and he fell into the abyss of darkness…

"Damnnit! Is there seriously no way I can break this seal by myself?" Cran kicked the door one last time and let out a frustrated groan. He turned around from the large doors covered in ofuda seals that emitted a dark aura. He stepped down the stairs and was surprised to see Hyde fall face first into the ruins. Somehow he was still alive and relatively unharmed, standing up to his feet and rubbing his head.

"Damn that hurt…" Hyde winced while looking around at his surroundings. The ruins were lit in natural light that came from small holes in the ceiling. The stone walls and pillars were partially covered in growing moss and vines that bloomed purple flowers that stretched up the walls. It was a completely different location from the shrine Hyde was previously at yet still connected to it somehow.

"You…"

"Cran!"

The way Cran looked at Hyde was like a killer looking at his victim. He was grateful someone he could use came to the ruins below but out of all people it just had to be Hyde Tetsuya. "I guess you grew some brains and figured out how to find my location. Took you long enough."

Hyde looked at the sealed door then back at Cran. "What is that? And why are you here?"

"I suppose I owe you some answers since you're too simple minded to figure anything out on your own." Cran turned to face the door "That door right there is keeping the goddess known as Izanami sealed. With the super emblem in my possession I can briefly break the barrier but I can't hold it long enough for me to enter."

"Izanami is beyond those doors?" Hyde took a random guess "So you want to kill her?"

Cran nodded "That's right. I'm going to finish what I started…"

Hyde gasped "Does that mean y-you're..?!"

Hyde's guess was correct. The man who stood before him was no other than Izanagi. The righteous man who tried to kill his wife. "Yes I am. And you are as well." Cran pointed at Hyde.

He was left confused by that last part. Cran would explain "When Izanami severed my head I was in a half dead state, it was only thanks to my magic that I was able to regenerate my body over the years. However since I did technically die, the world had moved on to create my reincarnation, you."

That was the reason why they looked so similar. It was the reason why Cran was unable to live a normal life due to Hyde killing Sasaki. The blame was placed on Cran and he barely escaped the authorities alive.

"I tried to believe in humanity's kindness but it was all a lie. Izanami said humans were kind but they were easily corrupted by greed and their desires. The individuals who claim to uphold justice are just as corrupt themselves. You, Mikael, Midare, The Director, Lemon… This world was never going to improve with magic. Humans will always use power for their own ends."

Hyde then asked "Then what was the point in pretending to be a criminal? Do you know how many people you hurt?"

Cran chuckled at this "I didn't hurt anyone. As Soap, I merely used people to find Izanami myself. There was no organization, just a brief alliance of criminals I worked with. Unfortunately many had to be put down myself for crossing my goals."

Hyde furrowed his brow "Is that why you told me to shoot Sasaki? You...you…"

Cran closed his eyes "She was killing innocents to quench her vampiric tendencies. Just like how Izanami reaped souls, she had to die. Either way you made the final decision yourself. I didn't pull the trigger."

He was right. Hyde always blamed himself for making that choice but he was lost in that moment. Now he had an answer, he wanted to fix his mistakes, atone for his sin of the past. He held out his hand which puzzled Cran.

Cran was ready to reach for his katana at his side "What are you doing?"

"I'll hold the barrier long enough for you to go in." Hyde said but Cran was personally insulted by the offer.

"You? You're joking right? You couldn't possibly have enough power to even touch the seal." He argued.

Hyde scratched his head awkwardly explaining "With siegmund in my possession I have enough power to hold the door open, I know it. If only one of us gets to go then it should be you."

Cran scoffed "Do you have any idea what you're saying?! Is this some twisted and morbid way of proving yourself to be a good person?"

Hyde rejected these claims "I'm not a good person at all and I'm probably the worst friend ever. I lived my life not knowing what I really want to do and I still don't know even with an answer provided to me. I think I saw Izanami in my dreams but I don't know her well, and she doesn't know me at all. You could at least see her one more time before--"

Cran drew his sword and aimed it at Hyde "Enough of your ramblings! Just stop! I'm not going to stand here and listen to you pretend to pity yourself. You're nothing but a hollow copy of me and just as faulty."

Hyde took a step back and summoned siegmund into his hand, holding it like he would a sword. "Cran…"

"Humans that think like you are pathetic. You aren't fooling anyone by trying to be kind to your enemies. You get nothing out of it!" Cran lowered his sword "If people accepted their faults then the world wouldn't be so dark."

"I already have. And if I have to prove it to you then I'll hold nothing back." Hyde was confident in his reply.

"And those words will be your last, Hyde!!!"

Their battle began and both boys unleashed a fury of slashes, all clashing with each other in perfect synchronization. They fought very similarly to each other to a point where neither could land a clear strike on each other. Their perfectly synced attacks came to an end when Cran parried away Hyde's lance and thrusted his fist into his chest, unleashing a thunderous explosion that sent him flying quite a distance.

Hyde flipped back midair to recover and landed holding his chest. The attack was merely meant to push him around rather than to injure him heavily. He ran forward, hiding behind a pillar to avoid another thin thunderbolt being shot out at him.

Cran quickly closed the distance and slammed his sword down which Hyde blocked with the lance's pole. "I'm honestly surprised the other detectives never caught onto my plans."

Hyde pushed Cran away and swiped his lance only for Cran to easily deflect it and counter with his own jab. Hyde dodged the hit and locked blades again with Cran.

"I was certain Midare had figured it out but after Levin and Kamui's death, I knew she hadn't had a clue what was going on behind the scenes." Cran continued. "When you tried to attack me back there, I was afraid you figured it out yourself. But you fell into every trap I made."

He was trying to get into Hyde's mind. Cran knew these truths hurt Hyde at his very core, but he had to move past his regrets. He accepted his flaws, right?

Cran and Hyde hopped away from each other to gain some space before engaging in a fury of clashes with sparks flying off the metal of their blades. Fed up with their similarities, Cran jumped up and came back down on Hyde with a dive kick imbued with lightning.

Hyde dove out of the way as the ground cracked and lightning shot up from around Cran. He wasn't going to lose here, he couldn't lose here! "So what if I fell for your tricks? At least I get to end this now!"

He ran towards Cran and swung his lance only for Cran to dodge by flipping over Hyde and striking him while midair. Hyde managed to turn just in time to block the attack, stumbling back a little from his bad footing. He continued to run back as Cran chased.

It was far-fetched but Hyde had to show Cran just how far he's come. Hyde jumped up and ran up the pillar, concentrating as much magic he had inside. He felt gravity coming back and flipped off the pillar. The lance's blade started to glow purple and Cran brought up his sword ready to block with a magic barrier.

"Death counter!" Hyde slammed his lance down followed by purple thunder pulsing from where their blades collided, the barrier broke and both boy's magic spun out of control. The ground started to crack and both were engulfed in a flash of blinding light from the massive explosion.

Hyde fell back and quickly sat up feeling light headed after the immense attack. There was a crater left where he stuck and Cran lying just beyond it, bleeding from his mouth. Hyde tried to grab his lance but none of his nerves would move. His arm was restrained and it took him a second to realize that he broke his arm either completely or partially. At the moment he couldn't feel anything from it.

Hyde stood up and slowly walked over to Cran, this time, looking down at him. "How's that..? I'm not so faulty am I now?"

"Ironic… for the original to be beaten by a replica…" Cran coughed and dug in his pocket, taking out the super emblem. "A deal's a deal…"

Hyde was surprised to see Cran willingly keep his end of the deal. Nonetheless he took the emblem and held it up. The magic power was little at first, then came a burst of energy coursing through his arm. It was numbing but he held onto the small medallion as the door slowly opened to a pitch dark path. He then dropped the emblem for Cran to hold the entrance open while he ran towards the steps.

"..." Beyond that darkness was something unfathomable. Hyde was unsure if he was going to return in time or find Izanami at all. If he met her, what was he going to say? He looked back at Cran one last time before facing the unknown with determination to see his goal to the end. Hyde was going to reconcile for both his and Cran's mistakes. With one last deep breath, he ran into the darkness not holding back any emotions with his final decision.

The doors closed shut permanently and Cran rolled over to lie on his back. His bones were fractured and he was set on the course of death, something fitting for him. Even now he still didn't understand the motivations of real people, he didn't get why they made decisions that plunged the world into chaos. He didn't get why Izanami was so loving of humanity with so many flaws. Cran closed his eyes only to reopen them when the footsteps of a small child came. And soon following, the face of Hoka tear filled, holding onto him hoping he would keep the strength to stay alive.

His time was done and long overdue. Hoka clasped his hand with the medallion. He muttered, "I'm a really bad dad aren't I..? I guess I should give you this to make up for… all the time I missed." He released his grasp on the medallion but Hoka held on.

She didn't want to let go of him now. She was willing to look past his misdeeds just to live happily with him but it was far too late. And Hyde was gone as well. This gift in her hands granted her one wish to change the world.

A change that can be anything.

If only she could have a normal life with the detectives… that is all a child like her wanted.