The knock didn't stop ringing in Takeshi's head. It wasn't just a sound. It was a feeling. Like something—or someone—had marked him.
Back in class, nothing felt normal anymore. Chalk scraped against the board, students whispered, phones buzzed quietly. But for Takeshi, everything blurred. His eyes kept drifting to the windows, as if something outside waited.
Rei passed him a note under the desk.
"Stay tonight. In Nehvarra. No wake-ups."
Takeshi folded it quickly and gave the smallest nod.
After school, the sun dipped behind the clouds. A soft drizzle fell, but the streets were full of life. People laughed, umbrellas clashed, cars moved in slow streams.
But in Takeshi's chest, there was only quiet tension.
He got home, ate in silence, showered, and stared at the clock. Midnight. Then a bit past. He didn't force sleep this time. He let it come slow.
And then—
The Drift pulled him in.
He woke on a stone path, mist curling around his feet. Nehvarra breathed around him. The sky was a swirl of soft light and shadows. Strange trees shimmered nearby, their leaves glowing faintly blue.
Asami stood waiting, her silver hair tied back. Rei leaned against a cracked wall, holding a thin blade, his face serious.
"You made it," Asami said, eyes scanning him.
Takeshi nodded. "This place feels different tonight."
"It is," Rei said. "The Hollow Path opened."
Asami pointed. "We go that way. But only if we're ready. There's a Faint Line ahead. If you step past it, Nehvarra changes you."
Takeshi asked, "What happens if you're not ready?"
She looked down. "You don't come back the same."
They walked in silence. The road narrowed. Then they saw it—a glowing thread of light stretched across the path like a boundary. Thin. Barely there. But it hummed.
The Faint Line.
On the other side, fog rolled thicker. Shadows moved between old stone statues and broken signs.
Takeshi reached out.
And then—
A voice.
"Don't cross it, Sato."
He turned fast.
No one was there.
But the voice was real.
Rei's eyes narrowed. "You heard it too?"
Asami didn't answer. Her gaze stayed locked on the line. "It's watching us."
Takeshi stepped closer. "Who is 'it'?"
She took a slow breath. "Something old. Something sealed. Something that knows your name, Takeshi."
The wind grew colder. The mist swirled harder.
And the light line… started to crack.
[End of Chapter 35]