He turned around.

In front of him stood a figure shrouded in a bright light.

The light was blinding, making it impossible for him to clearly see who it was, but something about them seemed oddly familiar.

Suddenly, the figure raised a finger, motioning for him to follow.

Then, just as quickly, they ran ahead of him.

"Hey! Wait!" he shouted, and began to follow.

----------------------------------------

Even after what felt like several minutes, he couldn’t get any closer.

He ran and ran, but the distance between them didn’t shrink.

Not even when he used his Nyd.

Eventually, he became so focused on the chase that he didn’t notice as everything around him grew dark, until he was running through complete darkness.

Then, suddenly, the figure stopped and turned around.

They smiled, raising their arms as if to embrace him.

But he was moving too fast to stop in time and ran right through them.

Through them?

Yes.

It was as if he had passed through a mist.

He quickly came to a halt.

At first, he thought he had hit them so hard they were gone and he’d be covered in blood.

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But he was clean.

Confused, he looked around.

The figure reappeared before him, still smiling.

“You haven’t changed!” they said in a familiar tone.

“Well… no, that’s not true! You have changed! You’ve finally defined your goal and finally taken my advice. I thought at first you couldn’t perceive me, but if that were the case, who knows what else would be in store for us.”

“Who are you?”

“You know who I am!”

He thought about it but couldn’t figure it out.

It felt as if he’d met this person before.

But every time he thought he remembered, the memory slipped away, leaving him uncertain.

“I… really don’t know!”

“The last time, you recognized me. Maybe it was because you were full of adrenaline and close to death… Yes, that must be it! But I can still reach out to you, even if only briefly.”

“Briefly?”

“Yes, that’s right! I don’t have much time left!”

Slowly, the light began to fade.

“So, let me quickly share my two messages! The first is to congratulate you—you’re finally paying more attention to yourself, and you’ve defined your goals. Perhaps that’s even why I was able to contact you. Who knows. The second is a warning!”

A warning?

“You’ve chosen some powerful and dangerous opponents. Even if you train until you drop, you won’t be able to defeat them in time. Not to mention all the other people on this planet who are much stronger… But anyway! Here’s what I mean, simple to say, harder to do: Learn to use your power more efficiently! Taking in more energy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stronger! With that mindset, you’ll never get strong quickly enough! Find a way to use energy to become stronger without overloading your body. Your ‘Stage One’ is nothing more than a water balloon filled to the point of bursting. If you learn to use the energy you have in that state more efficiently, you can become exponentially stronger without much effort. You’ve already taken the first step! Now, keep building and unlock your full potential!”

The light and the figure were about to fade completely.

“Our time is up! Think about my words. And beware of your enemies! Not everyone is as they seem! Be cautious of…”

Then they vanished completely, before they could finish speaking.

Kawao had no idea what had just happened.

At first, he thought it might be an attack from the Church of Madness, but something felt different.

It didn’t feel like a nightmare.

It felt more like a vision.

The darkness around him faded, and he found himself standing at the crossroads again.

A rebel rounded the corner and spotted him.

“Oh, hi! … What’s up? Did you get lost?”

Kawao hesitated for a moment.

“No, thanks. I’m fine!” he replied, quickly heading toward his room.

For now, he wanted to forget what had just happened.

But he would dwell on it all night, until he eventually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion and fatigue.