The sky was still open.
Not all the way. Just a wide line—like someone had torn paper and left it hanging.
Takeshi stared at it.
The air around him felt thin, like he couldn't breathe right. Like it was too sharp.
Rei stood beside him, breathing slow.
> "It's not done," he said.
> "What's on the other side?" Takeshi asked.
> "I don't know. I never looked."
Takeshi squinted. He could barely see through the crack.
But there was light.
Not warm. Not gold.
It was a pale blue, soft and steady, like the glow of cold fire.
And inside that light…
He saw shapes.
Some floated.
Some crawled.
None looked human.
---
A quiet voice came from the side.
> "You shouldn't stare too long."
Takeshi turned.
A girl stood there, wearing a black coat with silver lines that shimmered when she moved.
Long silver hair. Pale skin.
It was the girl from the edge of the dream city.
He had seen her before—but only from far away.
She walked closer.
> "That crack doesn't open for everyone," she said. "Only for those with a mark."
> "You mean the Drift?" Takeshi asked.
She nodded.
> "Yours is different though. It… cuts. Most Drifts bend. Yours breaks."
---
Takeshi looked at his hand.
The mark was faint now, like it was resting.
> "Who are you?" he asked.
> "Just a watcher," she said. "But if you don't close that sky soon…"
She pointed up.
> "More will come. Not just Callers. Worse."
---
Suddenly, the ground shook again.
Small this time.
But deep.
Far below.
Rei took a step forward.
> "We have to go back," he said. "This place is getting unstable."
> "Wait," Takeshi said. "What is this place really?"
Rei didn't answer.
The girl did.
> "This is Nehvarra," she said. "A world made from thought, memory, and sleep. It changes based on who enters."
> "So it's different for everyone?" Takeshi asked.
She nodded.
> "But there are places that stay the same. Old places. Hidden ones."
She stepped back into the mist.
> "You'll find one soon."
> "Wait—what's your name?"
But she was gone.
Just like that.
---
The crack in the sky pulsed once.
Then it began to close.
Slowly.
The pale light faded.
The air got thicker.
The sky stitched itself shut.
---
Takeshi blinked.
And he was in his bed again.
It was morning.
But his blanket was torn.
His hand still glowed faintly.
And in the mirror across the room…
A single blue line hovered in the air behind him.
Faint.
But there.
---
End of Chapter 16.