A cold liquid that touched his back woke him up. Slowly, he opened his eyes as thoughts quickly flooded his mind.

Where am I?

His body felt weightless and as he tried to turn around, he realized he was floating.
It didn't seem real to him. No, it couldn't be real. It was probably like those times when the awful powers dragged him into Cray.
The outstretched, dark blue sky before him carried millions of stars and some planets were even visible. His eyes widened at the familiar place.

Is this… Cray?

Finding himself struggling to stand up on his feet, he lay motionless, letting his body get carried by the river.

How did I end up here in the first place?

Pondering on his own thought, he closed his eyes again, letting darkness consume him.

Weak… I am weak…

He gritted his teeth and felt his fists shake. How could he, Kai Toshiki, let himself become more powerless than he already was?
The silence was engulfing the place, dragging every single noise to death. He could only hear his own heartbeat against his chest; strong yet calm as if he'd been asleep.
He thought he was drifting to sleep, before a dark, taunting voice echoed in his mind.

"Kai Toshiki, I presume?"

Eyelids that were closed against the dim light of morning instantly fluttered open to reveal no one. Nothing.

"Who's there? Who are you?"

"I am not known by any name. I am your shadow; the darkness that sleeps within your heart"

Words, as if spoken by many, echoed in his head which only he heard clearly and loudly. He shivered slightly at the tone of the voice.

"The darkness… in my heart?" He hesitantly repeated each word.

"That's right"

"What do you want with me?" Kai narrowed his eyes. He felt himself getting more impatient after each question he asked. After everything that had happened with his close friends, he did not want to get himself involved in the same experiences.

"There's no need to fear. I am merely here to guide you and lend you power." There was a pause lingering in the air before the voice spoke again. "Let us make this quick as you do not seem to like wasting time. You would like more power, right? To become stronger"

"How did you know that?"

"I know everything. I know about what happened to Suzugamori Ren and your failure in the attempt of saving him. Ah, and of course, Sendou Aichi who you managed to save just in time. That poor boy. If you were just a little bit late, you wouldn't have been able to save him, right? Just like with Suzugamori Ren."

"I know. Why are you telling me this?" Kai retorted but lowered his voice, feeling the energy in his body forcefully getting sucked out.

"Can you save him again if he falls into the depths of despair?"

His confidence suddenly disappeared like a sun losing all its radiance. His fist trembled but he kept silent.

"You can't, can you, Kai Toshiki? After all, you let your closest friends suffer and you could only watch them from afar, without being able to do anything to save them. Sendou Aichi who used to admire someone as pathetic as you, will chase the light further and leave you behind, all alone"
The shadow lurking in the distance had stopped speaking, interrupted by Kai's not amused and stern voice.

"Stop"

"How does it feel to know that your closest friends, both of them, left you behind? It's painful, don't you think? It's sad, painful and unforgivable. Everyone will leave you soon. You left them before and you weren't bothered to get them back, after all. You didn't care from the start"

"Shut up"

"Face the reality, Kai Toshiki. You are weak. This is why you couldn't save anyone. It feels terrible, does it not? It must, especially to feel your connection with Sendou Aichi slipping away. You are on the verge of losing yet another person you hold dear. It is not something you deserve to suffer from."

"Shut up!" He shouted, cautiously taking one step forward towards the shadow. His sudden outburst of anger left him panting slightly. His sharpened eyes were almost burning with hatred. He spoke again, but this time with a lower voice, muttering softly, only for himself to hear.

"Shut up…" He sounded pained and desperate to escape this haunting darkness but he hid it behind his cold and expressionless mask on his face.

"I am here to help you, Kai Toshiki. I will grant you the power you seek then you can be worthy in their eyes again, if you chose so."

"Tell me" He shuddered at the feeling of someone smirking behind that darkness that blinded him from seeing the unknown. It took him a few seconds to muster up enough courage to speak again.
"What do I have to do to gain this power?"

"Sell everything to the darkness; your mind, your soul and your body. All you have to do is give yourself in to me. If you do just this, then you will never feel weak again. You will gain the power you want, and the ability to gain what you most desire. So, Kai Toshiki, what is your answer?"

"I… don't want to hurt Aichi. No, I don't want to hurt anyone. But, I…"

"You want to be powerful and prove to everyone that you are still strong and worthy." The voice continued Kai's unspoken words before he could say anything else. "So that Sendou Aichi will love you again"

"I…" His eyes widened before painfully squeezing shut.

What is wrong with me?

"Kai Toshiki, you cannot gain what you want without a battle. Fighters battle to gain victory. You, a Vanguard fighter, should know this. Hurting your precious people… and betraying your comrades are the least you can sacrifice to obtain power. That's right, and once you obtain this power you can bring back everything you lost."

"Do it. Give me the power. I'll fight and I won't let anything stand in my way"

"That's the way, Kai Toshiki. Now Sendou Aichi will not painlessly walk past you without glancing back. You'll become powerful and show them!"

A light pierced through the darkness and his body started to emit a powerful, dark aura that replaced his calm one. It felt as if an invisible force was enveloping him, clinging to him tightly and digging into his flesh, equalling the pain of thousand daggers piercing his skin, forcing its way into his body. His thoughts forced their way out of his mind, leaving it blank. He felt a swelling and painful feeling that prickled beneath his skin, running all the way down to his fingertips.
A sword of painful shock struck his body and it felt like the pain was about to cut his body in half.

I won't lose to anyone any more.

He thought before his mind slipped into an unconscious state.

He won't lose to anyone; not to Ren and not to Aichi. He won't lose to anyone any more.