63: Own Story

The higher being, Emma Tenner, had taken control of Rena’s body.
She knew that probing Dan’s memories would eventually draw attention—but still, she had judged that restoring Tom and Rena’s memories was worth the risk.

Meanwhile, Tom—now merged with his younger self—had inherited his own memories from the parallel world.
And as he looked upon the enemy standing before them, a chilling sense of danger crept in.

Dan, his gaze returning from a dazed state, now stared at Tom with widened eyes.

“…A being that transcends time…
Are you Shadow?”

The look in Dan’s eyes had completely changed.
Gone was the ruthless glint; in its place was an almost childlike awe.

Tom couldn’t tell if this was due to some purifying influence from Rena’s unknown power or something else entirely.
Nor could he understand what “Shadow” meant.

“So it’s true… Someone who can withstand my mirror abilities without faltering…
I used to think such a thing was impossible. But now I see—
You were one of us once… a member of NEDD I BROF…
You were Shadow Tom!”

“What…? I was part of your organization…?”

“Thanks to Emma, your existence had been erased from my memories.
But now, it’s coming back to me.
That power of yours… If I have you by my side, my ideal world will be complete.
Together, we could reach even greater heights.”

Dan’s tone had softened.
His ruthless energy faded, replaced by something eerily gentle.
Even the axe in his hand—once seething with malice—had begun to return to its golden glow.

Tom, disarmed by this change, hesitated. His guard slipped.

“No, Tom!!” Rena’s voice cut through the moment.
“That man—he’s been pulling people from the real world into his fake storybook world…
Just like what happened to us!
He gives them roles, makes them act out his twisted narrative—
He’s not a creator, he’s a manipulator! A childish author playing god!”

Tom froze.

The truth was clearer now.
The beautifully bound world of storybooks… wasn’t a sanctuary.
It was Dan’s kingdom—one built on obsession and control.

—He casts them… selects them…
And those he doesn’t need are thrown into the void—

Emma’s voice echoed in Tom’s mind.
In his memories—back when he was still a child—he saw it:
a corridor lined with mirrors, a pitch-black realm,
where countless victims were pulled into glassy prisons.

That was it.
The in-between world… just a passage to that terrible beyond.
Tom clenched his fists.

“I’ve heard of it before…
People vanishing without a trace—mysterious disappearances.
So that’s what it was all along…
It wasn’t fate. It was Dan’s doing.
He dragged in innocent people.
I let my guard down—and that was my mistake!”

The world around him—his imagined realm—began to tremble with instability.
His doubts about Dan had shattered the illusion.

And Dan, sensing it, screamed:

“Shadow! Your true power…
It exists for me!”

In an instant, his face contorted into a devilish sneer.
He raised the axe—the Axe of Hatred—once more.

Tom, ready this time, unfurled his red cape before him.
But the shockwave unleashed was beyond anything he’d felt before.
The cape—so powerful before—shuddered, fractured like glass, and began to split.

“Emma!!
Show yourself if you dare—
And see what that truly means!”

Dan closed the distance in a single step,
his hands gripping the torn fabric,
pulling it open with brute force.

Behind it…
A portal of light—a passage to another dimension.

Rena gasped.

“Tom!
He’s trying to break into the Mirror World!
Even my robe… it’s tearing!”

Tom turned toward her—

—and time froze.

A searing pain tore through his back.

His breath vanished.
His vision blurred.
His heart, his lungs, his everything—felt like they were collapsing.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!!!”

Rena’s scream tore through the world.

Tom’s knees buckled.

His body fell forward—
quietly, heavily.

His school uniform, sliced open.
The cursed axe buried deep in his back.
The sight pierced through Rena’s heart.
Dragged her soul into despair.

And Tom’s world…
…was swallowed by darkness.