"The past isn't dead. It's just waiting to be remembered by the wrong person."
Scene 1 – The Hoshino Household: Night Before the Storm
May 8, 2011 – 11:47 PM – Tokyo
The wind pressed against the sliding doors, restless, whispering through the cracks. Outside, the streetlights flickered—like candles trembling before an unseen force.
Inside, the house was still. Not peaceful, just waiting.
At the kotatsu, Souta sat motionless, fingers hovering over an empty notebook. The others had gone to bed, but sleep didn't feel like an option.
Happy curled beside him, his faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat, watching quietly.
"You okay?" Happy asked, voice barely above the hush of the wind.
"No," Souta murmured. "But I will be."
Happy shifted. "Is this about them?"
A slow nod. "They're not just memories. They're versions of us—mirror-forged, reflections of who we were before Mama found us."
A pause.
"And the god wants us to fight them?"
Souta's grip tightened around the edge of the notebook.
"Worse." He looked up, eyes shadowed with resolve. "He wants us to kill them."
Happy flinched.
Souta exhaled. His voice softened, but the steel in it remained.
"But I won't erase the past. I'll teach it to grow."
The notebook shut with a quiet finality.
"Tomorrow, we begin."
Scene 2 – Training Day Zero: The Field of Reversed Time
May 9, 2011 – 8:00 AM – Hidden Space Outside Time
They woke in a place that wasn't supposed to exist.
A suspended field, looping endlessly, light and shadow breathing in rhythm like something alive.
Souta had brought them here using the same power he had once feared.
Ai stood beside her children, arms crossed, trying to mask the unease beneath her confidence.
"Is this safe?" she asked.
"No," Souta replied.
"It's fair."
Three gates shimmered into existence, hovering before them.
Gold. Pale blue. Flickering starlight.
"These lead to your past selves," Souta said, his voice steady.
Aqua frowned. "Our reincarnations?"
"No." Souta's eyes darkened. "The versions of you who never met Mama. The ones who were alone."
Ruby inhaled sharply.
"You're making us fight… ourselves?"
Souta shook his head.
"I'm making you forgive them."
Scene 3 – Ruby's Gate: The Lonely Idol
The golden gate dissolved around Ruby, warmth wrapping around her like nostalgia.
She was in a hospital room—Sarina's room.
On the bed, her past self lay curled, fragile, hooked to machines, staring at a glowing TV screen where B-Komachi danced under bright lights.
Stars in her eyes.
Ruby took a step forward.
"I used to love this," Sarina whispered, unaware of her visitor. "But even when I smiled… I was so angry."
Ruby swallowed. "Why?"
Sarina's gaze finally met hers.
"Because no one saved me."
The words cut deep.
"I died in bed, alone. No one held my hand."
Ruby trembled. "I'm sorry."
"Why should you be?" Sarina's voice cracked. "You're the one who got to live my dream."
Ruby knelt by the bed.
"I didn't live it instead of you." Her voice was soft, but certain. "I lived it for you."
A slow inhale.
Then—she reached out her hand.
"You were me. You gave me this chance."
Sarina hesitated, then touched her fingers to Ruby's.
The gate shattered into gold light.
Scene 4 – Aqua's Gate: The Doctor's Fall
Aqua stepped into a quiet forest, where dusk settled in like an unspoken goodbye.
Gorou Amamiya stood beneath a sakura tree, white coat stained, a bloodied clipboard clutched in his hand.
"I couldn't save her," Gorou whispered. "Ai died. I failed."
Aqua stepped forward.
"She lived." His voice was steady. "Long enough to love her children. That's all she ever wanted."
Slowly, Gorou turned. His eyes met Aqua's, wide with realization.
"Are you… me?"
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken grief.
"Would you change it all if you could?" Aqua asked.
Gorou exhaled, barely a breath.
"No," he whispered. "Because even in the pain… I got to see her eyes again."
Aqua's throat tightened.
"Then come home." His voice shook. "We don't need to forget. Just… stop blaming yourself."
Gorou reached for him. Aqua held on.
The sakura petals dissolved into stars.
Scene 5 – Ai's Gate: The Child That Never Was
A gate Ai hadn't expected flickered into existence.
Souta stiffened. "That wasn't supposed to appear."
Ai didn't wait—she stepped through.
Inside was her childhood bedroom—but emptier. No toys. No warmth. No mother.
No name on the door.
A little girl sat on the floor.
Alone. Crying.
"They said I'd never be loved."
Ai knelt, gently touching her hair.
"They were wrong."
The girl looked up.
Her own face.
Her own eyes.
"You lie. You lie to everyone."
Ai pulled her close.
"Lies can be love too." Her embrace was firm. "But you deserved real love."
The girl trembled.
Then—she disappeared.
Scene 6 – Souta's Trial: The Unthinkable Mirror
Souta stood alone.
No gate appeared.
Only a whisper:
"You cannot forgive what you erased."
He turned.
A reflection stood before him—his own face, older, worn, hollow-eyed. The version of him who never found Ai.
"You think love saved you?" the Mirror-Souta spat. "It chained you."
"It freed me," Souta murmured.
The mirror trembled.
"You will regret this."
Souta's voice was quiet.
"No." His eyes shone. "I'll keep choosing it. Every time."
The mirror cracked.
Final Scene – The God Watches
The formless god observed from above.
The gates had shattered.
"They've passed the trials?"
A pause.
Then—its voice darkened.
"Then we shall test them with what they haven't faced yet—"
"The moment they lose each other."
The sky split.
A new enemy stepped forward.
To Be Continued inChapter 56 – "Which One Do You Save?"
The family has conquered their past. But now, a new trial begins—one will vanish. The rest must choose.