Chapter two A familiar stranger

The portal closed behind Star with a low hum, leaving the night silent once again.

Universe seven.

After one hundred years of searching countless worlds, she had finally arrived at the place where Issac had been reincarnated.

The cold air brushed against her face as she slowly pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

This universe felt different from universe eight.

Calmer.

Yet something about it still felt wrong.

Darkness lingered here too.

Star quietly walked through the unfamiliar streets, her crimson eyes scanning every passing face carefully.

People moved around her without noticing the exhaustion hidden behind her expression.

For one hundred years, she searched endlessly across broken universes, chasing the ghost of someone she once lost with her own hands.

And now that she had finally found him…

fear settled deep inside her chest.

What if he hated her?

What if he remembered the moment she killed him?

Or worse—

what if he remembered nothing at all?

Star stopped walking.

A strange feeling suddenly pulled at her chest.

Not magic.

Not danger.

Him.

Without realizing it, her feet slowly carried her toward the bridge near the edge of the city.

The same bridge from her vision.

The same place where his presence felt strongest.

Rain began falling softly from the dark sky as the river beneath reflected the glowing city lights.

And there—

standing alone near the railing—

was Issac.

For a moment, Star could not move.

One hundred years disappeared instantly.

She remembered the knight who once stood beside her during endless wars.

The knight who protected her even after learning the truth about her father.

The knight who died because of her.

Yet the boy standing before her now looked different.

Younger.

Softer.

Unfamiliar clothes replaced his armor.

But it was still him.

Star’s hands trembled slightly.

Issac rested his arms against the railing quietly, staring down at the moving water beneath him.

Something about this place disturbed him.

Like his body remembered something his mind could not.

For days, strange headaches and flashes had haunted him.

Blood.

Swords.

Red eyes.

Pain.

And that strange voice calling his name.

Slow footsteps echoed softly behind him.

Issac turned slightly.

A girl with red hair stood a few feet away, staring at him silently.

The moment their eyes met—

his chest tightened painfully.

That strange feeling returned again.

Familiarity.

Confusion.

Fear.

The girl looked at him as if she had spent centuries searching for him.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

The rain continued falling quietly around them.

Then finally—

her voice barely rose above a whisper.

“Issac…”

The moment she said his name—

everything shattered.

Blood flashed violently across his vision.

A battlefield covered in bodies.

Black darkness crawling beneath his skin.

A sword piercing through his chest.

A girl crying.

Red eyes filled with horror.

Pain exploded through Issac’s head.

He suddenly grabbed the railing tightly as his breathing became uneven.

The visions disappeared instantly, leaving only silence behind.

But one feeling remained.

Fear.

Issac slowly lifted his head and looked back at the girl standing before him.

“…Who are you?”

And for the first time in one hundred years—

Star did not know how to answer.

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