Chapter 25: The Melody of Fate

Chapter 25: The Melody of Fate

✿———✦———✿

Kougei did not flinch. He already knew what was coming; his life had always been a confrontation with injustice. He feared no punishment, as long as the path he took was righteous in his own eyes. Across the sky, the comets became increasingly visible, streaking like the unfulfilled hopes of humanity.

Seeing this, Jouga cried out, “Forget it! Forget everything! You are Chinatsu!” It was as if Kazuaki’s soul began to resurface, fighting to reclaim his existence.

I saw their resolve. Indeed, this was the shared will of Kazuaki and Jouga. I smiled. That red thread had not snapped—no. A red thread that has been tied can never truly be broken.

You must understand. Fate cannot be altered; everything is inscribed within the scroll I hold in my hands.

Jouga tried to reason with Kougei, who was attempting to flee. “Stop it!” Kougei shouted, panic rising.

I could see that Chinatsu’s heart was no longer in sync with Kougei’s. They were the same being, yet fundamentally different.

“This summer hasn't ended yet! Let's have some fun!” Jouga shouted, a smile on her face. Those tears? They were no lie.

“Gei-chan,” Jouga’s voice trembled as she spoke the name, as if every word stored in her heart was spilling over, unstoppable. “The world might be dying, but you... you are still alive. Do not surrender to this darkness.”

Jouga locked eyes with him, searching for any sliver of remaining light. “You once told me that summer flowers are always stronger, even when battered by storms. That flower is you, Gei-chan. Even as everything around you fades, you must endure. You must shine to warm everyone else.”

Kougei remained silent, his lips trembling as if wanting to speak, but no words came out. Jouga knew his heart was wounded—too much had happened—but she needed him to hear... no, to feel that there was still something precious worth fighting for.

“Like a flower growing in barren soil, you have the strength to keep blooming, Kougei. Do not let this darkness swallow everything you possess. Let yourself be the summer song that continues to echo, even in the midst of this eternal darkness,” Jouga said, her voice softening to a whisper beneath the gaze of the witnessing comets.

I didn't expect such resolve. The Moon truly refuses to give up, doesn't she? The burden of the entire world—the weight of every soul’s longing—resting on those small, trembling shoulders. I am the only one who can truly see the cracks in her soul. Are you alright, my dear Moon?

The Moon chases the Sun, and the Sun evades. That is the cosmic tragedy of day and night. Well... it’s quite similar to those two stars in that foolish Asterism that Kagechi holds so dear.

Is there still something that love can do? I wonder. Resolve? Struggle? What is the reason people fight for love? True, it’s often for self-satisfaction, but not for this woman. Jouga and Kazuaki are like an autumn morning refusing to kill the lingering warmth of summer.

I want to change it. Let me answer for every plot hole, every mistake, and every silence I’ve left in the pages. I couldn't save Enji and his girl; I let their ink run dry. So consider this my atonement.

I am the one who should be responsible for this story—not her, and certainly not Kazuaki.

The gods prepared to seize Kougei, their weapons humming with the sound of absolute law. I, Getsurou, stood my ground. My midnight robes billowed as if caught in a gale. “This is my masterpiece; do not disturb the story I am about to weave!”

“Forgive my insolence, Jade Emperor, but this is the point where the world must know that love can defeat ego—bridging distance and time, life and death.”

Suddenly, the air smelled of fresh ink and ancient paper. Taiitsu Shinjin stepped forward, a mischievous glint in his old eyes. With a grand, sweeping motion, he swung his celestial brush, painting a rift in reality. He cast Jouga and Kougei into the dimension of his scroll. They began to fall, not through air, but through a bottomless void of white and gold. They were so close to the Aurigama Comets now that they could see the faces of the souls trapped within the ice.

“Since you threatened that this is also the wish of my disciple, Kagechi... I hope the show you intend to put on isn't a dull one,” the old Shinjin whispered to me, leaning on his staff.

Shoki, the demon-quelling god, roared in fury. “You lot! You are a traitor, Getsurou! You are meddling with the cosmic balance for the sake of a mortal's whim!”

However, Tekkai, Roshi, and Genbu stepped into his path, their divine signatures clashing like tectonic plates. They held him back, allowing me the space I needed. The other gods watched with a mix of rage and fascination. I shouted back, my eyes fixed on the two figures falling within the scroll. To the world, the scroll acted like a cinema screen of impossible proportions.

Shinjin, being the celestial hacker he is, broadcast the image to every digital screen on Earth. Smartphones, billboards in Times Square, tiny TVs in rural villages—everyone was watching the Sun and the Moon fall together. This was my declaration!

“Hear me, inhabitants of Earth! These comets are not just rocks; they are the judges. And the stars are the witnesses to this trial. This phenomenon is like an hourglass—a moment where time and fate are one and the same!”

“O World! Today is the day the universe awakens from its ten-thousand-year slumber! Stand at the break-even point where the Sun and Moon have abandoned their orbits. If they leave, let us go with them! Stomp the earth! Make it shake until the world itself joins their dance!”

“The song... the song of the summer flowers! Sing it with me!”

I began to sing. It was a melody that didn't exist until that moment, yet felt like something every soul had known since birth. The song was automatically translated into every language, every dialect, vibrating through the collective consciousness of humanity.

In that moment, the silent, terrifying world was filled with the song of summer flowers. It came from every person on Earth. Children sang from their balconies, soldiers sang in their trenches, and even the animals joined the chorus. The rustle of wind through the trees seemed to hum the melody. It was a symphony of the living.

The gods, both on Earth and in the Jade Palace, watched in stunned silence. Some were amazed, some moved to tears, and even the most stoic felt the warmth of that human song.

“You’re welcome, everyone!” I whispered, my heart racing.

What do we think of when we hear the word “summer”? Is it just a season, or is it the lie that happiness can last forever?

What do we think of when we hear the word “autumn”? Does it mean that every beautiful thing is destined to rot?

“This world is full of lies,” so the cynics say.

But just a little longer, and we will welcome them back. Soon, the light of summer will shine upon this world, not as a scorching fire, but as a gentle dawn. Until that moment arrives...

We realize the world is never satisfied. We crave more, we want the stars, we want the moon. Nothing is ever enough. There is no sin in the cold wind that blows between the seasons. Day turns to night; it is a rhythm we cannot fight.

Yet, in this fleeting scene, amidst the fireworks that make the world bright and calm for just a second, we find the truth. By knowing sacrifice, the flower finally blooms. Hope doesn't just happen—it is built from the ashes of what we’ve lost.

Accompanied by the echoing song of the summer flowers, I watched the screen of the world. Jouga wasn't just falling anymore; she was reaching. Her fingers strained until they finally brushed against Kougei’s hand. They weren't sinking; they were trying to fly. They were finding their footing in a world without ground, bound together by a song.

“Let us go back to the beginning,” I murmured, clutching the glowing red thread. This was the answer. Not a tragedy, but a return. 

Look at this, Kagechi... I’ve finally fixed the ending. I’ve made up for the silence I gave you. So forgive me, you idiot.

The Author has finished the chapter. Let the music play on.