The words hung in the air like a blade.
"The Stardust Witch has returned."
Ayame didn't breathe. Couldn't. The hooded figures remained bowed before her, as if she were a queen reborn—an echo of a power she didn't remember claiming. Kael stood frozen at her side, his hand still gently on her shoulder.
She turned to him. "I swear, Kael… I don't know what they mean."
"I believe you," he said quickly. "But *they* do. And that's a problem."
The cloaked leader rose slowly. "You carry the Tome of Echoes. It only opens for the Witch of Falling Stars. Your presence in this realm confirms your identity."
Ayame shook her head. "There's been a mistake."
"There are no mistakes," the figure replied. "Only forgotten truths."
Kael stepped forward. "If she's this witch, then explain what that means."
The figure's eyes gleamed beneath the hood. "Long ago, before the timelines fractured, before memory splintered, a child was born under a sky where stars fell in reverse—upward. She was marked by cosmic flame. A guardian… and a threat. She would either seal the great rift or tear it open completely."
Ayame frowned. "But I'm just—"
"A high school girl?" the figure interrupted gently. "That part was true. But not the whole of you. Pieces were… removed. Hidden."
"By who?" she asked.
"By *you*."
Ayame stumbled back, heart pounding.
"She doesn't remember anything," Kael said sharply. "You said pieces were hidden. Can they be restored?"
The figure nodded once. "They can. But doing so will unseal memories locked for a reason. You must decide if you truly wish to remember."
Ayame hesitated. Her mind screamed *yes*, but something deeper—the part that curled in her stomach and made her sweat cold—whispered, *what if you don't like who you were*?
Kael touched her hand. "You're not alone in this."
She exhaled slowly. "Okay. Do it."
The cloaked figure stepped forward and held up a crystal, pulsing like a heartbeat. "This will draw the echoes."
As the crystal neared her forehead, light blazed—and Ayame's vision shattered into stars.
---
**She stood on a bridge made of moons. Below her, a sea of memories churned. Her reflection stared back—same face, but eyes like novas.**
*"You sealed them to protect him,"* her reflection said.
*"Kael?"*
The reflection nodded. *"You touched the roots of time. You tried to rewrite fate. But the cost was too high. So you gave it up—all of it. To save him."*
*"Why don't I remember?"*
*"Because you made sure you wouldn't."*
---
Ayame gasped as the vision faded. She dropped to her knees, overwhelmed.
Kael knelt beside her. "What did you see?"
She looked at him, tears rising. "I… I did it all for you. I gave it all up—my power, my memories, my past. So you'd live."
He stared at her, jaw clenched. "That doesn't sound like a witch."
"No," said the cloaked figure, bowing once more. "That sounds like a hero."
Before she could speak again, the forest trembled.
Something dark had found them.
From beyond the trees, a figure emerged—dripping shadow, eyes burning like coals.
"Ayame," it growled. "You opened the breach. You woke *me*."
Kael pulled her behind him, fists clenched.
The cloaked figure turned to them. "That… is the Hollow King. The one you sealed away in your past life. Now he wants revenge."
The ground cracked beneath the creature's feet.
Kael whispered, "You sealed a demon king?"
Ayame wiped her eyes, fire returning to her voice. "Apparently I did a lot more than study for finals."
---