The Chains of Fate

Ordo took a step forward, locking eyes with Haru. "But let me ask you a greater question, Haruma." His voice carried a strange tension, as if the weight of the truth burdened even him. "Let’s say you and your friends succeed in destroying the system. Then what?"

Haru hesitated for a moment.

This time, Ordo’s voice was firmer, laden with the gravity of the knowledge he held. "If you erase the system, you won’t just destroy yourself, you’ll erase everyone in Orbis."

Haru’s eyes widened, his breathing uneven. Ordo pressed on, his words leaving no room for debate. "All lives, all experiences, joys, sorrows, memories… Everything will be wiped out, never to return. The people you know, the ones you don’t, even those who have never crossed your path but are part of this existence… Do you have the right to erase them from being, Haruma?"

Haru’s mind filled with echoes of Ordo’s words, bouncing off the walls of his consciousness like a storm trapped within. He swallowed hard, struggling to grasp his thoughts. "What do you mean?" he murmured, his voice hoarse. Then, clenching his jaw, he locked eyes with Ordo. "You’re the ones erasing them! You turned them into Voidwalkers, then mockingly carved a countdown into their very flesh. You’re the ones systematically erasing people, slowly, deliberately. We are fighting to give them the right to exist on their own terms!"

Ordo let out a deep breath, a faint smile forming on his lips. But rather than calming Haru, that expression only fueled his anger further. "They are not being erased, Haruma. They are being removed from this reality. The countdown is a transition, a process they must endure. Every being resonates at a particular frequency, and they must exist in spaces that align with that resonance. Those who ‘disappear’ awaken elsewhere, continuing their journey at a higher or lower frequency, just like you and Luna."

Haru’s entire body tensed, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. "Luna?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "What do you mean? Has Luna been erased?"

His mind was a tangled mess, his chest tightening as if the air itself had become too heavy to breathe. Yet Ordo’s words hinted at a deeper truth.

Haru’s voice wavered as he asked, "Where is Luna?"

Ordo met his gaze, tilting his head slightly. "If you wish to know, you must accept the truth of the system, Haruma."

With deliberate slowness, Ordo stepped toward Haru, his robes gliding across the dimly lit floor. His eyes held a peculiar tranquility, as if he knew Haru’s resistance was futile. Without any haste, he raised his hand, placing four fingers against the top of Haru’s head, his thumb resting lightly on his forehead.

Haru’s entire body tensed. His instincts screamed at him to move, to pull away—but his body betrayed him. He was frozen, as if every fiber of his being had fallen under Ordo’s control. The only thing echoing in his mind was a rising wave of pure fear and uncertainty.

A golden light shimmered where Ordo’s fingers touched him, and Haru’s vision blurred. The world around him wavered, and in an instant, he felt himself being pulled into a vortex. His eyes remained wide open, staring blankly into the void as locked doors of the past began to open—one by one.

 A plaza in Ethereon… A city built upon skyscrapers, seamlessly merged with technology. People lived under meticulously structured rules, moving in harmony with the rhythm of the system. Patrol units roamed the streets, ensuring the unwavering order remained intact.

And standing at the center of it all, clad in his uniform, was a young man: Haruma Kisaragi.

Beside him stood another figure… Hikari. His closest friend. Together, they were leading an operation. Their target, a disruptor of order, needed to be captured. For Haruma, it was just another mission, but Hikari’s expression had hardened. The individual they had apprehended was a young woman: Luna.

Luna’s eyes blazed with defiance, unwavering even as the guards dragged her toward the central facility. Her voice rang across the city like an unshakable truth:

"Do you really think you know what Orbis is? You are nothing more than shadows within the system. You believe you are free, but in reality, you are mere slaves to this world!"

Haru had brushed off her words. As a captain, he was bound to his orders. But Hikari… he remained silent, his eyes shadowed by contemplation.

Haru pulled him aside. "What’s wrong with you? Why are you even entertaining this woman’s nonsense?"

Hikari swallowed, averting his gaze. "Rika…" he whispered.

Haruma frowned. "Rika? What does your fiancée have to do with this?"

Hikari took a deep breath. "She’s been saying similar things for a long time. At first, I thought it was just stress, but then… I started noticing things. Inconsistencies in the system, events that didn’t make sense. I tried so hard not to believe her, but Rika kept confronting me with more and more proof."

A chill ran down Haru’s spine. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Hikari looked at him with hesitation. "Because I needed to be sure first."

But before Luna could be taken to the central facility, she was rescued. That was the turning point for Haruma, he started questioning everything. He conducted his own investigations, determined to find a way to contact Luna again. And as he met with her and the Voidwalkers, he realized that their words were not mere delusions. Over time, he forged a bond with Luna—one that only grew stronger. But it was a connection he was not supposed to have.

Meanwhile, Hikari’s situation became increasingly precarious. His father, the Supreme Commander of the Silver Guards, could not tolerate his son being tainted by such thoughts. He had already witnessed his wife lose her sanity upon discovering the truth of the system. He refused to see his son suffer the same fate.

In the end, a decision was made to "save" Hikari, Rika was exiled beyond the system, and Hikari’s memories were erased.

Haruma bore witness to it all, his fury spreading like poison through his veins. He could no longer ignore the injustice of the system. But the greatest blow came with Luna’s erasure. Orbis had erased her existence with its own hands.

These losses shattered Haruma’s reality. He lost control. Using his authority, he stormed the Eye of Fate, vowing to destroy the system once and for all.

And then, the moment of confrontation with Ordo arrived.

Ordo looked at him. "You cannot do this, Haruma."

But Haruma was no longer the man he once was. "I will destroy this order."

Ordo’s gaze darkened. "If you do this, you will bring nothing but chaos."

Yet Haruma did not waver. "I will break these chains."

And so, the system had no choice but to erase him.

But even as he was being erased, Haruma made a vow.

"I will return. And I will save Luna… and everyone bound by these chains."