The pentagram on the floor began to glow faintly, a pulsating red light seeping from its lines. The air around me grew colder, and the strange energy from before intensified, almost suffocating. I instinctively took a step back, but Ayami motioned for me to stay still.

"Don't move," she said firmly, her gaze fixed on the glowing circle. "This is the most important part."

The black chicken in the center of the pentagram twitched, its form warping in the shifting energy. The light from the pentagram grew brighter, and the symbols on the book beside Ayami shimmered, as though alive.

"Okay, Hikaru," Ayami said, her voice steady but filled with anticipation. "Step into the circle."

I hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment settle in. "Are you sure about this?"

She shot me a quick glance, the hint of uncertainty in her eyes masked by determination. "As sure as I can be. Just trust me."

Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the glowing pentagram. As soon as I did, the energy surged around me like tendrils of invisible force. My body felt warm and heavy, as if standing in a current of electricity.

"Stay calm," Ayami instructed, flipping through the pages of the book with urgency. She began chanting again, the words flowing smoothly now. The red light shifted to a blinding white.

A sharp pain shot through my chest, and I gasped, clutching at the sensation. The world around me blurred, and suddenly, visions filled my mind—strange places, unfamiliar faces, and powers I couldn't begin to understand. It was overwhelming.

Then, everything went silent.

"Huh?!" I blinked, disoriented, realizing I was no longer standing in Ayami's apartment. The world around me was... nothing. It was an empty void, and I wasn't sure if I was even standing. There was no ground beneath me, no sky above. Just... nothing.

"A-Ayami-san!" I called out, panic creeping into my voice. "Where are you?"

But there was no response. Only silence.

"Finally," a voice echoed from the distance, low and resonant.

"Finally... final..." the word repeated, bouncing off the unseen boundaries of the void.

"He has come..."

"The last one..."

"Last one..."

The voices layered over each other, all speaking in unison, yet distinct as if an entire crowd whispered at once. It made the hairs on my neck stand on end.

"This is scaring me!" I yelled, spinning in place, searching for the source of the voices. "Let me go back home!"

The void remained unchanged, yet the voices seemed to draw closer, growing louder with each repetition.

"Home...?" they repeated, the tone almost mocking.

"You have no home here."

"You belong to us now..."

The air—if it could even be called that—felt heavy, pressing down on me. My legs trembled, and I instinctively stepped back, though there was nothing to step onto.

"Who... who are you?!" I shouted, my voice shaking.

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But the voices only laughed, a chilling harmony that sent shivers down my spine.

As the echoes of laughter faded, the void around me began to shift. Shapes emerged from the darkness, stepping forward one by one. At first, they were indistinct shadows, but as they came closer, I froze in shock.

They were... me.

One after another, countless versions of myself appeared, each slightly different. Some wore strange clothing, others carried weapons or held books that glowed with an eerie light. There were versions of me that looked older, scarred, or impossibly young. Yet, they all shared the same face, my face.

They surrounded me, their footsteps eerily synchronized. When they spoke, it was in unison, their voices blending into an overwhelming chorus:

"Believe in Enkidu, or you'll die in the future."

The words hit me like a hammer, each syllable resonating deep within my chest.

"What... what does that even mean?" I stammered, looking around wildly. "Who are you? Why do you all look like me?!"

But they didn't answer my questions. Instead, they repeated their chilling statement, their eyes glowing faintly as they stepped closer.

"Believe in Enkidu, or you'll die in the future."

I stumbled backward, my heart racing. "Stop saying that! Tell me what's going on!"

One of them, a version of me wearing armor that looked ancient and battered, stepped forward. His voice was deeper, more commanding than the others, though it still blended with the collective.

"You are the last. The chosen. The one to bridge the gap. Accept the truth, or perish in ignorance."

The other versions nodded in sync, their eyes fixed on me.

"The future depends on your belief. Believe in Enkidu, or face annihilation."

I could feel sweat trickling down my face despite the cold void. My mind raced, trying to make sense of it all.

"But why? What does Enkidu have to do with me?!" I shouted, desperation creeping into my voice.

The armored version raised a hand, and the others fell silent. He pointed directly at me, his eyes piercing.

"You will understand... in time."

And then, as suddenly as they appeared, the infinite versions of myself began to dissolve, their forms breaking apart into wisps of light, leaving me alone in the void once more.

I gasped, my body jolting upright as if I had just been yanked from a nightmare. My vision swam for a moment before settling back into reality—the dimly lit apartment, the laptop's faint glow, and Ayami sitting directly in front of me.

She was waving a hand in front of my face, her eyebrows knit together in concern. "Oi, you alive over there? Earth to Hikaru~?"

I blinked a few times, trying to steady my breathing. "What... what the hell was that?"

Ayami leaned back, crossing her arms. "Reasonable reaction. Let me guess—big, scary creature inside your body? Some kind of ancient beast?"

I shook my head, still rattled. "No... no, nothing like that." I hesitated, trying to find the words. "It was... me. Thousands of me. All different versions, surrounding me in some kind of void."

Ayami's eyebrows shot up, her curiosity clearly piqued. "A thousand yous? Seriously? What were they doing?"

"They were all saying the same thing... 'Believe in Enkidu, or you'll die in the future.'"

Ayami froze for a moment, her confident demeanor faltering. She leaned forward, her expression more serious now. "Enkidu? Are you sure that's what they said?"

I nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah. Over and over again. It was like... they were warning me or something."

Ayami exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "That's... interesting. And by 'interesting,' I mean terrifying. "

I slumped onto the couch, staring blankly ahead, the weight of the experience pressing down on me. "I don't want to do this anymore..." I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

Ayami stood nearby, watching me with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy. "Mhm... seems like it's different from what I thought," she said, tilting her head slightly. "When I did the ritual on my own, I had to fight a massive creature inside my body to gain control of my power. So, you didn't fight anything?"

I shook my head, still in a daze. "No. How would I even fight... a thousand versions of me?"

Ayami let out a thoughtful hum, crossing her arms. "That's... strange. Maybe it's symbolic or some kind of test. But for all of them to say the same thing—'Believe in Enkidu or you'll die in the future'—there's got to be a deeper meaning."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Whatever it is, I don't think I'm cut out for this. I didn't ask for any of it."

"None of us did," Ayami said softly, her tone unusually gentle. "But here we are."

She moved to sit on the armrest of the couch, looking down at me. "You don't have to decide everything right now. Just... take it one step at a time. If those thousand versions of you are right, then figuring this out is a matter of survival. For now, though, maybe just rest."

I nodded weakly, leaning back into the couch.

Ayami leaned closer, resting her head lightly on my shoulder, her tone teasing. "Don't you want to try if you've unlocked some power?"

I glanced at her, feeling a mix of exhaustion and annoyance. "…How would I even know?"

She shrugged, her playful smile not faltering. "I don't know, do you feel any change? Like, anything at all?"

To Be Continue.