Step One: Unlock

The next morning, Rokuro found himself once again in the underground chamber.

This time, the room had been cleared. In its center lay a glowing magic circle, etched into the stone like some ancient brand. Robed mages stood nearby with staffs in hand, and the king, dressed in his full regalia, turned to address him.

“As you can see, Rokuro, everything is in place.” He said, voice firm.

Rokuro blinked, scanning the scene. “Okay… but what exactly are we doing here, Your—uh, Majesty?”

Saying that still felt weird.

“This ritual will summon your Key.”

That word again. “Key.” Spoken like it meant everything.

“What is the Key, exactly?” Rokuro asked.

“The Key is the Lock’s aide. Your companion. Loyal, unwavering. Created to serve you and you alone.”

Fair to say the king’s reply wasn’t as clear as he hoped.

Was he getting a… mythical beast perhaps? A kickass sword?

“...”

He wouldn’t be getting a literal key with magical properties, right?

“All right,” Rokuro muttered, unsure. “Let’s do it.”

With his consent, the ritual began. The gathered mages, court-sanctioned witnesses, took their places. They weren’t allowed to interfere—the ritual had to be performed solely by the Lock himself.

Lucas stepped forward, kneeling and offering a small leather pouch. Rokuro took it and peeked inside.

A soft glow radiated from within—shimmering dust, like crushed stardust. It twinkled like a miniature galaxy, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.

“What… is this?”

“That is the essence of the realms between.” Lucas said, “This dust has existed for as long as this universe has, or perhaps more. It is the most sacred of components known to this world, and the next.”

It suddenly felt heavier in his hands now. Like holding something that didn’t belong in mortal fingers.

“Whenever you are ready, lay some in your palm,” Lucas instructed.

“Just like that?”

“Indeed, Master Lock.”

Rokuro took a breath and tilted the pouch.

Before the dust could fall, it defied gravity—rising instead, dancing above his hand in spirals. The chamber collectively held its breath. Not a single mote touched him.

The dust spun faster, brighter, forming a shape midair. The core of his gauntlet pulsed in sync, responding to it.

They were communicating. Resonating.

Then, before anyone could react—

The stardust stretched, twisted, shimmered—and became a massive, glowing key.

“…Seriously?” Rokuro muttered.

“Magnificent!” one of the mages gasped.

The light intensified. The circle beneath his feet pulsed. The air itself grew heavy.

Then came the sound.

A chime, pure and sharp, rang through the chamber. The key burst into radiant white, blinding and overwhelming. Rokuro staggered back as the light swallowed everything.

When it cleared—there was no key. No sword. No beast.

Only… a girl.

She floated inches above the circle. Petite frame. Dark purple hair. Sharp pointed ears. One eye blue, the other violet. Dark markings curled across her cheeks like inked constellations. Her gothic dress fluttered gently in the residual energy.

And on her exposed shoulder, still glowing—was the shape of a keyhole.

Rokuro’s brain barely kept up. “A-Are you—”

She said nothing. Just walked towards him.

Then—on her toes—she kissed him.

Short. Sharp. Done before he could process it.

Rokuro froze. His mind blue-screened. Then he stumbled back and fell square on his ass.

“WHAT IN THE BLUE HELL?!”

Silence. The mages stood stunned. The king and Lucas… quietly smiling.

The girl looked down on him with a sly, amused smirk.

“Hmph. Wimp.”

“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!”

╒ 🗝 ╛

Lucas rushed over, extending a hand. “Master Lock! Congratulations!”

Rokuro accepted it, and stood up. He turned towards the Key, cautiously,

“So you’re…”

“Your key of course.”

“I’m asking for your name.”

“Rokuro…” The king intervened, “Keys are existences born only through the ritual, and your powers. The Key did not exist up until this point.”

“...” Rokuro stood silent for a moment, pondering those words.

“What the king is saying is that the Key has no name yet. It's a manifestation of what you truly need in your journey. The key is supposed to…” Lucas cleared his throat, “Complete you.”

“Complete me?” Rokuro raised a brow, “This sassy girl?”

“Sassy? Excuse you.”

“No, excuse YOU. What’s with the kissing business, anyway?!” Rokuro glared.

“Still embarrassed by that?” She smirked, “You really are a wimp.”

“You wanna try that again?!”

They were already bickering like old rivals.

Lucas turned to the king. “Should we…?”

“They’ll figure it out,” the king said, arms folded.

Rokuro and his Key kept glaring—each waiting for the other to blink first.

Then the king stepped forward.

“Rokuro. You’re ready. Your journey begins now.”

As the words left the King’s lips, Lucas had already turned to retrieve something, his steps quiet but swift. The mages, too, had begun to file out in silence, leaving just the three of them alone in the fading glow of the ritual chamber.

“So… no name, huh?” Rokuro muttered.

“You summoned me. I didn’t ask to be here.”

“Oh, great. A magical freeloading smartass.”

“You should be grateful. Some Keys manifest as burning skulls that whisper in riddles.”

“That actually sounds kind of cool.”

“You’re hopeless.”

“Rokuro”, the king started, “The Key may know many things already… but she’ll discover more with you. Her form, her voice—even her personality—are shaped in part by you.”

“…I’m not this annoying.”

The Key rolled her eyes.

“Anyway,” Rokuro sighed, “do I really have to call her Key all the time?”

“You can name her. A title is tradition. But a name… that’s personal. It’s yours to give.”

He glanced over.

She was still watching him, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with amusement.

They stood in the circle—one born of stardust, the other from a world far away.

And for the first time, side by side.

Then something clicked inside him. A single word came to the front of his mind.

“Kagi.” Rokuro nodded, “Your name is Kagi.”

The girl processed it, nodding, a grin forming on her face. “That’s fairly decent. And here I thought you’d name me something stupid out of spite.”

“This little…” Rokuro muttered, somehow swallowing his frustration.

“And you can call me…”

“Roku.”

“Eh?”

Before he could even think of a nickname, Kagi beat him to it. Rokuro blinked. He had never told anyone in this world about it.

That was what his mother used to call him. What Kenji used to call him…

“How did you…”

“It sounds like Lock, don’t you think?” she said with a teasing glint in her eyes.

Rokuro stared, caught off guard. A strange warmth settled in his chest.

“Yeah… Roku sounds nice.”

He didn’t know why it felt good to hear that name again. But it did.

“Master Lock.”

Lucas reappeared, carrying a large linen sack that looked far too heavy to be held so casually. Rokuro blinked and instinctively took it—

“Uff—”

—and nearly buckled under the weight.

“What’s… all… this?”

“Supplies for your journey. Rations… and gold.”

“Currency may vary across realms,” the king added, “but gold speaks everywhere.”

Rokuro raised an eyebrow. “Like… actual gold?”

“Is that so surprising?” Kagi chimed in.

He shot her a look. “Hey, gold is… well, gold.”

“Are you always this articulate?”

Before he could come up with a retort, Lucas extended a hand, revealing a metallic cube.

“This will make carrying easier.”

With a soft whir, the entire sack vanished into the cube like it had never existed.

Rokuro blinked. “Okay, that’s dope.”

“It’s called Keybox,” the king explained. “A national treasure reserved for the Lock of Legend. Treat it well.”

So now he was carrying a whole treasury in his pocket. Great. Just another thing to not screw up.

Lucas gestured. “Inside, you’ll find a map to the realm connected to Portalia. That’s where your journey begins.”

“How do I… get stuff out of this thing?”

“Just visualize what you want while holding it. Simple.”

“Sure. Easy for you to say…” Rokuro muttered.

The king’s tone shifted, firm and resolute. “Once there, begin your search immediately. For Draven, or for the next portal. He’s not hiding—he’s acting.”

“Trying to kill me before I even got here certainly fits the bill.”

“He’s a man of power,” Kagi said, tapping her chin. “And certainty.”

The king looked at him one last time. “Are you ready, Rokuro?”

He hesitated.

No. He wasn’t.

But he also knew he’d never be ready.

“…Yeah.”

Kagi, standing beside him, nodded once.

“Very well.”

The king stepped forward, parting his white cape to extend his hand. Not as royalty, but as a man.

Rokuro froze. But then, he took it.

A king’s handshake. Full of trust. Weight. Expectation.

“Safe travels, Rokuro. May you be victorious. Portalia, and every realm beyond, is counting on you.”

That pressure hit like iron. But Rokuro had made peace with that weight.

He squeezed back.

“It has been an honor, Master Lock,” Lucas said, bowing deeply.

Rokuro nodded awkwardly. “Thanks… Lucas.”

He didn’t feel like a hero. Not yet. But these two—king and aide—they believed in him. Whether it was because of the prophecy or because they had no choice…

It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t let them down.

The king turned to Kagi.

“Key… or rather, Kagi. Serve your Lock well.”

“I shall,” she replied with a rare, respectful bow.

Their goodbyes said, Rokuro and Kagi turned to face the portal—an endless sea of shimmering violet, pulsing with unknown energy.

Rokuro’s pulse spiked.

So this was it. The beginning. Almost sensing his nerves, Kagi glanced over and gave him a firm nod.

He breathed out, gave the king and Lucas one final wave…

…and stepped forward.

His arm slipped through first. The sensation was oddly warm—like slipping into a dream. Then the rest of his body followed, swallowed by the void.

And then—darkness.

One thought rose to the surface. A conversation he had with the king this morning.

“What happens if I stop him? Draven, I mean.”

“Order will be restored. And you’ll return home.”

So… this was a one-way trip.

No coming back. No second chances.

They had to believe in him.

And wait.