62: A Past That Won’t Stay Buried

Dan’s eyes burned with fury as he looked up at Rena—now cloaked in light, her entire body radiating a gentle brilliance that felt almost divine.
It wasn’t just protection. It was presence. It was purpose.

“From this scar you left on my face…
I traced the signal of the Golden Axe.
But I never imagined it would come to this… Ha… hahaha!”

Dan pushed himself up from his kneeling position, laughing bitterly.

“I’m going to extract Tom and Rena’s memories—piece by piece.
And in return, Dan… I’ll steal your memories instead.
The Golden Axe wasn’t forged to sever the world of mirrors from reality.
It wasn’t created for your twisted ambitions.”

Each word Rena spoke—her voice now linked with the higher will of Emma Tenner—struck Dan like a burning arrow, peeling away at his darkened mind.

“Emma…
Even after you banished me from the mirror world, I never forgot you.
Not for a second.
But thanks to that, I discovered something even better.
The Picture Book World—a place where infinite creation is possible.
My world.
Mine alone.”

“NEDD I BROF—your so-called Forbidden Collective—ends here.”

Emma’s words, spoken through Rena, became an incantation.
Suddenly, Dan’s disfigured scar began to unravel—memories like strands of film peeled off him, spilling into the air like unraveling ribbon.

“Ggh…! You dare tamper with my memories!?”

Dan clutched his cracked cheek, trying to suppress the leak.
But it was too late—those memories burst like bubbles and returned to their rightful owners: Tom and Rena.

“Fine. Try it.
Let me remind you why I am an emperor.”

The arrogant axe in Dan’s hand began to rise, as if it had a will of its own.
From above, the original Tom—still in bird’s-eye view—saw what was happening and shouted toward Rena.

“Rena!! He’s about to do something!”

The cry echoed into her mind alone.
But Emma, the higher being within Rena, didn’t stop the memory extraction.

And then—Tom moved.
He stepped forward, his presence now solid and real.

Rena saw him, standing between her and Dan, his body shielding her without hesitation.

“I’ve got a trick up my sleeve, Dan!
Come and get me!”

In that moment, Tom shifted from observer to participant.
From imagination—to reality.

Dan swung his axe.

Tom raised his cape.

The instant Dan’s Axe of Hatred tore through the air, Tom unfurled the crimson cloth he’d carried from the mirror world.
At that very moment, the red cape that had shielded little Tom and Rena synced with it—resonating across time.
Their child selves shimmered like reflections on rippling glass, then dissolved gently into light, merging back into their high school forms.
It was seamless. Beautiful. Complete.

Dan noticed it. Of course he did.

“You… brat!
Where did you come from!?
That cape—wasn’t that what used to wrap this axe?!”

His blow unleashed a shockwave, sharp as a blade—yet Tom’s crimson mantle caught it like a calm breeze, absorbing it completely.

“Rena… let me say this.
I’ll protect you.”

Tom turned to her with a sheepish smile.
That smile—warm, awkward, sincere—pierced through Rena’s heart… and reached beyond.
A voice awakened from the past:

⸻

Emma Tenner, guardian of the Eternal Mirror, once created the Golden Axe to protect the mirror world from corruption.

Its boundless power was sealed in a red cloth known as the Red Cape—to prevent its misuse.

But Dan, her equal and rival, desired to build a kingdom of his own.

He seized the axe, broke the seal, and carved out his own dominion.

Emma expelled him and stole a piece of his memory—but he held onto the weapon… and ruled from the shadows.

⸻

Rena stood bathed in radiant light.
Tom stood tall in his school uniform, unwavering.

Dan observed them both, and something shifted in his eyes. Then—

“Heh… Fuhaha…!
So, Emma… if you can access my memories through this connection…
Then I can do the same.
To your memories.”

Tom’s instincts screamed.
He felt it before he understood it.

Dan turned toward his axe—the mirror-bright surface now flickering strangely.
He stared deep into its reflection.

“What’s this…? A piece of my memory?
When did Emma steal this?
And this… this is…!!”

His voice faltered.
His expression twisted in disbelief.
Then, suddenly—his eyes glazed over.
They twitched violently, darting in every direction.

Tom knew it.
Dan was making contact—with something forbidden.
He spun around, reaching for Rena’s hand—the girl cloaked in light.

“Rena! I don’t know what he’s seeing—but something’s wrong!
You’ve got the mirror world’s power now, right?
Can you sense what he’s doing?”

Rena responded.
She looked toward the spot where their younger selves had disappeared, her hand twitching with the memory of them merging into her soul.
She could still feel the echo of them inside her.

And then—
Dan’s voice ripped through the silence like a blade:

“You… boy…
You’re not real.
You’re… a Shadow… aren’t you?”