Kyukyoku landed on his back with an oof. As he sat up, the window he fell through slammed shut.

“What the hell just happened?”

After attempting to open the window with no success, Kyukyoku turned around. He was in a large white room, and in the middle was a chair. Next to the chair was a cart with a cover over it. Kyukyoku grabbed one end of the cover and pulled it off, revealing a bowl of ink and a needle.

“What the…”

Underneath the needle was a paper. Upon inspecting the paper, Kyukyoku noticed that it was a drawing of a right forearm with a spring-like tattoo.

“This is…”

Kyukyoku dipped his hand into the ink, then grabbed the needle. Sitting himself in the chair, Kyukyoku began to fiercely stab himself with the needle.

After a few hours, Kyukyoku stood up from the chair.

“That’s a lot harder to do yourself.”

Wrapping the cloth that had covered the cart around his bleeding arm, Kyukyoku walked to the window and placed his right hand against it.

“You’re mine, Director!”

Falling through the window, Kyukyoku landed into a field of grass. Picking himself up off of the ground, Kyukyoku scanned his surroundings to find he was standing in front of his old house. After taking a deep breath, Kyukyoku tried to open the door again, but this time he found himself in his hotel room. A lady walked into the room with only a towel. Once she saw the apparent criminal in her room, she screamed and began to throw nearby objects at him.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Kyukyoku quickly opened the door again. This time, he found himself in Akahishi’s office.

“Finally… It’s time I kill that bastard.”

Creeping to the courtyard, Kyukyoku stepped over the bodies of a few people. As he stepped over another body, he noticed that it was the man who apologized to him. He was clutching a picture of him, a beautiful woman, and a small child. Closing his fallen comrade’s eyelids, Kyukyoku carried on. Finally reaching the entrance of the courtyard, Kyukyoku peeked around the corner. Hundreds of bodies cluttered the ground, all of them faces Kyukyoku knew. Fists clenched, Kyukyoku walked into the courtyard. Nothing greeted him except silence. A tear rolled down his face. Kyukyoku wiped his face and walked to the stage. On it still sat the box. Looking inside of it, Kyukyoku saw it was still empty.

“Guess this really wasn’t part of the big picture…”

Looking down at his left forearm, Kyukyoku remembered about the research that Takuchi had given him. Sliding his right two fingers down the seal, his mind became flooded with information.

“Hmm… I see... So that’s what he was planning! I need to get back to the cave before it’s too late!”

Sliding his hand down the nearest window, Kyukyoku leapt through.

Kyukyoku found himself in the middle of a meadow. In the distance, Sylphera’s cityscape blended in with the starry sky.

“I think the cave is in this direction!”

Blindly running into the forest, Kyukyoku finally found himself standing in front of mouth of the cave. Gulping, Kyukyoku darted down. The deeper he went, the darker it got. Eventually, he found himself in a room that glowed with a blue light. Gritting his teeth, Kyukyoku walked into the large room. Akahishi was meditating on top of the pedestal.

“Ah, Kyukyoku! How nice of you to finally show up.”

“Director… Why?”

“Why? But I thought Takuchi gave you all of our notes. Why don’t you tell me why you think I did this, hm?”

“You collected the most powerful souls and stored them all inside of your own, amplifying your own power.”

“That’s right! Now all that’s left…”

Akahishi turned to face Kyukyoku. His eyes were both black with jagged red lines running down them in place of pupils.

“...is to take your soul, Jinsei no Hogo!”

Akahishi seemed to disappear instantly, and before Kyukyoku could realize what was happening, Akahishi punched him from behind, sending him forward into the opposite wall. Before Kyukyoku could stand up, Akahishi had already grabbed the back of his head and slammed it back into the ground.

“You know what? I may as well just kill you. That way I get to murder you and I get your gift.”

“Director!”

Akahishi turned to the doorway. Red hair flowed as Ayako stood in the doorway.

“You try to kill him, and I’ll destroy your soul!”

“Right, I’m sorry, Mistress.”

“If you were truly sorry, you would’ve listened to my commands in the first place! Now knock him out!”

Kyukyoku spit out blood.

“Ayako? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Don’t you see? I’m the leader of the cult.”

Kyukyoku’s vision darkened as something hit the back of his head.

Slowly opening his eyes, Kyukyoku tried to move his hands and feet, but they were restrained to something. As his surroundings became clearer, Kyukyoku realized that he was tied to a pole. Next to him was Make, who was also tied to a pole.

“Make! Make, wake up!”

Make remained unconscious on the pole. Ayako and Akahishi walked up the hill.

“Ah, you’re awake? Great! Now you’ll get to see us kill your sister!”

“What did you say?!”

Ayako walked up to Make and placed her hand on Make’s face.

“Yes… This is a great body to inhabit.”

“I’ll fucking kill you! Leave your hands off her!”

Akahishi grabbed Kyukyoku’s face and slammed his head against the pole. Feeling disoriented, Kyukyoku barely clung onto consciousness.

“First, I trade my body for my soul to enter this one…”

Ayako’s body suddenly collapsed to the ground. Make’s head suddenly jerked up and her eyes fluttered open.

“Akahishi, cut these ropes off of me.”

“Right away, Mistress!”

“Ma...ke….”

After Akahishi cut the ropes off of Make’s wrists, she rubbed them.

“Nice work tying that, it really hurt her. Now, for the main event!”

Make placed her hand onto Akahishi’s face.

“Thank you for your dedication, Akahishi. I’ll be sure to leave your soul untampered.

“Bless you, Mistr-”

Akahishi fell to the ground. Make rubbed her right hand.

“Your sister’s soul for his… What a great trade, don’t you think?”

Make placed her hand on Kyukyoku’s face.

“Now, it’s time for you to fall as well. Farewell, Kyukyoku.”

Kyukyoku felt his soul begin to be tugged out of his body. Suddenly, Make’s hand jerked up, breaking the ropes that bound Kyukyoku.

“What the hell?!”

Kyukyoku chuckled.

“It seems as though your souls are protesting against it.”

Kyukyoku grabbed the needle that he had used earlier and stabbed himself in the hand. Ink pooled around his palm, and formed a thick ring that was connected by smooth curves to a surrounding thin ring. As Make lunged at Kyukyoku, Kyukyoku grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. Grabbing the back of her head, Kyukyoku grabbed at the souls in her.

“Fortunately, I can leave your soul alone. As for Akahishi, he has to be sealed away.”

Sweating, Kyukyoku poured life essence into Make, and in response, a red crystal forced itself out her palm, bouncing off the ground with a low ringing noise.

“Now to save Make!”

“You… you can’t!”

“My soul and body to remove you and put her back!”

Kyukyoku’s body fell onto the red crystal, absorbing it into his skin. Make’s body collapsed as well.

A blinding white fog filled Kyukyoku’s vision.

“Shit… Did I die again?”

“Not necessarily.”

Kyukyoku turned around to see The Creator standing before him.

“What do you mean? I gave up my body and soul to save my sister!”

“Yes, but you also stole the souls of hundreds of people. Would you like to use those to save your sister?”

Kyukyoku gritted his teeth.

“As much as I’d like to, I can’t do that. They’re still people, and if my duty is to protect them, that includes their souls.”

The Creator smiled.

“Good answer. For completing your duty as Jinsei no Hogo, I will gift you something. But this gift, much like your previous one, does not come without cost. Will you accept it?”

Kyukyoku nodded.

“Great. The soul of your sister will return to her body, and she will have no recollection of what occurred in the past few hours. The soul of Akahishi, which includes all of the souls he had absorbed, will remain sealed within your body. As for the bodies of you and Ayako, they will be sent to drift into time. The souls of you and Ayako will also drift into time.”

“What does all of that mean? Our souls and bodies will drift into time?”

“Yes. I am afraid I cannot make it anymore simple.”

“May I ask to alter my sister’s memories?”

“Hmm?”

“If I’m destined to float throughout time, there’s no reason to have her worry about me. I’d like to replace all of her memories of my letters to those of someone else.”

“To do this, I must take something more from you.”

“Whatever it is, take it.”

“Very well. Goodbye, Jinsei no Hogo.”

“Goodbye. Thank you for allowing me to visit.”

Opening his eyes, Kyukyoku sat up in a bed. Wiping his face, he took a deep breath.

“Seems like my soul finally found a body.”

Shoving the covers of his blanket off of him, he walked to a mirror and examined his face.

“Not too shabby, guy. Gotta hand it to ya, this is a nice body. Now let’s see if we can’t find a calendar…”

Walking through his new house, Kyukyoku found a paper hanging on his wall.

“There’s no way…”

Kyukyoku slid on his shoes and ran out of the door.

After miles of running, he finally saw Sylphera.

“It really is the same time period!”

Running even faster than before, followed another dirt road out of Sylphera. Running along it for some time, he saw a large house being constructed. Approaching it, he saw Make walk outside of an uncompleted room. Taking off her hard hat, she withdrew a canteen of water and drank from it. She turned and looked at Kyukyoku. Eyes widening, Make smiled and dropped her canteen to run towards Kyukyoku.

“Make!”

Embracing each other in a tight hug, Make clutched onto Kyukyoku dearly.

“Jitsu! It’s been far too long!”

Kyukyoku pushed Make off of him for a moment.

“‘Jitsu’?”

“What’s wrong, Jitsubutsu? I thought you were okay with me calling you that.”

“I guess I did ask him to alter her memories…”

Kyukyoku embraced his sister once more.

“Right, Jitsu’s fine.”

Sniff

“Jitsu, why’re you crying?”

Jitsubutsu wiped the tears from his face. As the door in the alleyway creaked open, Jitsubutsu jumped up. Red hair flowed through the doorway. Shippai turned to face him.

“Ah, Jitsubutsu! So you finally came to die?”

Jitsubutsu’s eyebrows furrowed.

“You’re Ayako, aren’t you.”

Shippai grinned.

“Ayako… You’ll die. If not with me, then with Yami.”

Shippai formed a portal and reached her hand into it, withdrawing a knife.

“We’ll see about that.”

Shippai flung the knife at Jitsubutsu, who dodged it. Before he could react again, Shippai was already next to him. Sending life essence into his muscles, Jitsubutsu began to engage Shippai. Fists connected with one another as they swung at one another. Blood splattered against the wall. As Shippai swung, Jitsubutsu knocked her arms away from him.

“Gotcha!”

Slamming his elbow towards her temple, Shippai grinned.

“Why is she…”

“Yaberu…”

“It can’t be!”

“...Hagane!”

Rikai drove her palms into Jitsubutsu in a flurry of rapid attacks. Blood began to pour out of every orifice in Jitsubutsu’s body. Jitsubutsu’s bones cracked as he tried to get up, making him fall over again. Shippai reached into a portal and withdrew a katana. Unable to move, Jitsubutsu laid on the ground as the katana drove itself through his chest.

“You were a fool for coming alone, Kyukyoku! Now I have killed the Jinsei no Hogo!”

Shippai’s grin slowly began to fade.

“Why aren’t I getting stronger?!”

Jitsubutsu coughed a little blood.

“I’m no longer the Jinsei no Hogo. I lost that privilege when I took this body. All you’ll get is that horrid soul removal Sirushi Inochi which you already have.”

Shippai began to tremble in anger.

“No… no… this can’t be…”

Hands violently shaking, Shippai’s face began to contort in frustration.

“No, it’s because you aren’t dead!”

Shippai drew the katana from his chest and plunged it in and out several times.

“Good luck, Yami. It seems her mental state has weakened a little bit at least…”

It was now night. Sloshing was heard as the blade went in and out of Jitsubutsu’s chest. His eyes were drained of any life, leaving dried, dulled pupils. Shippai was sweating and shaking out of anger.

“You… you…”

Shippai screamed into the sky in agony.

“YOU WORTHLESS SON OF A BITCH!!!”