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  Chapter 28 — The Heart Over the Mind

  Hirauka stood silently in Sayaka’s cabin, the weight of the day pressing down on him. Sayaka, still shaken by the storm of emotions she had witnessed earlier, studied him with wide, uncertain eyes.

  “Hirauka… I’m not sure anymore,” she murmured, her voice trembling. “Out there… you were like a completely different person. So many thoughts are clashing in my mind. I need to know… who are you exactly?”

  Hirauka lowered his gaze for a moment, shadows flickering across his face.

  “You really want to know who I am?” he asked softly.

  “Yes,” she replied without hesitation.

  He inhaled, voice steady yet cold. “Fine. I am Kurogane Hirauka. The son of a criminal. And because of what I did… I am a criminal too. I killed my father. And I regret nothing—not for taking revenge, not for my sister’s death. That is who I am. Anything else?”

  Sayaka felt her chest tighten, a mixture of fear and sorrow clenching at her heart.

  “I… think you just need some time alone,” she whispered.

  Hirauka nodded, his expression unreadable. “Yeah. You’re right.”

  He turned and left the cabin, walking briskly toward the washroom. Standing before the mirror, he splashed cold water onto his face. The reflection staring back at him trembled under the weight of unspoken memories.

  “No… I’m not like this. I’m not this monster,” he whispered to his own reflection. “What have I done? Sayaka is scared of me… No. This isn’t right.”

  He closed his eyes, placing both hands firmly on the basin, grounding himself.

  “I need to calm my mind. I have to go there.”

  With deliberate intent, he spoke the phrase that would carry him beyond the physical plane:

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Far from reality… gates of space and time, open.”

  Instantly, his consciousness slipped free of his body, tumbling into the Null Void. Galaxies shimmered around him, vast and separate, untouched by any notion of time or mortality.

  “Hirauka? You do not look well. What troubles you?”

  The voice of the God of Space resonated through the void, calm and impartial.

  “Lord of Space… please. Help me. I’m confused. You see everything—you know what happened to me,” Hirauka admitted, a tremor of vulnerability threading through his words.

  A second voice, colder and precise, spoke from the other side—the God of Time.

  “I do not believe anything happened to you,” it said.

  Hirauka frowned, startled. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because nothing happened to your body or your mind,” the God of Space explained. “Something happened to your soul. It is disturbed… agitated by something neither right nor wrong, but deeply unsettling.”

  “Then how do I fix it?” he asked, his voice echoing across the void.

  “Simple,” said the God of Time. “Stop listening to your mind. Listen to your heart. Your mind is corrupted by trauma and tragic memories.”

  The God of Space added, “But your heart… it remains untouched. Free. Pure energy. It carries the pain, yes, but not the instability.”

  “In essence,” Time continued, “your mind experienced the tragedy. Your heart experienced the pain.”

  Hirauka closed his eyes, absorbing the truth. Slowly, the tension in his chest eased.

  “You’ve opened my eyes… I feel lighter,” he whispered.

  “Channel your heart more than your mind,” Space advised, and with that, his consciousness snapped back into his body.

  He opened his eyes, calm, centered. “Channel the heart… not the mind. Everything’s fine now.”

  The reflection staring back in the washroom mirror no longer seemed like a stranger.

  ---

  Later that day, after finishing his work, Hirauka entered Sayaka’s cabin. Her eyes widened in relief.

  “Hirauka… your aura. It’s normal again! How?”

  He offered a small, teasing smile. “Oh, you noticed? All thanks to the Guardians.”

  “Guardians? What guardians?” she asked, incredulous.

  He scratched the back of his neck, casual but confident. “I can contact the Guardians of Space and Time telepathically.”

  Sayaka nearly dropped her pen. “You WHAT?!”

  Hirauka recounted everything—the journey into the Null Void, the counsel of the primordial beings, and the clarity he had found.

  Sayaka’s eyes sparkled with a mixture of awe and disbelief. “Holy crap… you can literally talk to the Space and Time Guardians. That’s insane! Let me try too.”

  She repeated the phrase, but nothing happened.

  “…Hmm. Didn’t work,” she admitted.

  “Obviously,” Hirauka said lightly. “They granted that ability only to me.”

  Sayaka nodded, a smile of wonder softening her features. “Makes sense. But Hirauka… you’re really special.”

  She stepped closer. “When your aura turned dark earlier… I was honestly terrified.”

  “Ohh… so you felt fear for me for the first time?” he teased.

  “Maybe,” she whispered, then her expression softened. “But don’t forget—most of my feelings for you are love.”

  Hirauka smiled, warmth returning to his eyes. “I know, Sayaka. So when are you gonna tell your mother about me?”

  She smirked, playful yet affectionate. “Be patient. I will.”

  Then, suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, relief and love pouring from her.

  “Okay, okay… now will you let me go home?” he asked, laughing softly.

  “Only after you kiss me,” she whispered.

  He shook his head with a smile. “You never change.”

  And then he kissed her, a gentle but firm promise. Afterwards, he finally left for home, heart lighter than it had been in days.

  ---

  At home, Sanae approached him, calm yet concerned.

  “Hirauka… Yumeha hasn’t visited lately. Did something happen?”

  Hirauka froze, uncertainty flickering across his face. “I… don’t know, Mom. Maybe she’s busy.”

  Sanae studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Hmm. Alright.”

  He went to his room, but even as he lay down, his mind hummed with unease, a quiet reminder that the world outside—and within—was never truly still.

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