Blinding light swallowed Renji.
The spirals—his endless prison, the loops, the Watchers—everything unraveled around him.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity…
There was silence.
No whispers in the air. No distant echoes of forgotten timelines.
Just… nothingness.
Renji felt weightless. Drifting.
Had he succeeded?
Had he truly escaped?
---
Awakening in a New Reality
A sudden rush of cold air hit his skin.
His breath hitched as his senses came rushing back—the feeling of grass beneath his fingers, the scent of damp earth, the distant sound of waves crashing against a shore.
Slowly, Renji opened his eyes.
He was lying on a beach.
The sky above him was a soft blue, the horizon stretching out infinitely. The sun was warm, casting golden light across the endless ocean.
And for the first time in forever—there were no spirals.
Renji sat up slowly, his heart pounding.
He touched his face—his left eye.
The spiral was gone.
His hands trembled.
"…Did I really do it?" he whispered.
No answer.
No Watchers.
No resets.
Just… the real world.
A laugh bubbled up in his throat—disbelieving, exhausted, overwhelmed.
He had done it. He was free.
But then—
A voice.
Soft. Familiar.
"Renji?"
His breath caught.
He turned—
And there, standing a few feet away, staring at him in shock—
Was Aoi.
---
Reunion in Reality
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The wind carried the distant cry of seagulls, the waves rolling against the shore.
Aoi's eyes were wide, disbelieving. "You… You made it."
Renji swallowed hard. "You're here too?"
Aoi gave a shaky laugh. "Of course, idiot. I told you I wasn't letting you do this alone."
Something in Renji's chest cracked—relief, shock, emotions he had buried for so long.
She was real.
This was real.
Aoi stepped forward hesitantly. "So… Is it over?"
Renji looked around. No spirals. No distortions. Just the real world.
He exhaled. "Yeah. I think it is."
Aoi let out a breath, her shoulders sagging. Then—without warning—she punched him in the arm.
Renji flinched. "Ow! What the hell?!"
"That's for making me think you were gonna die, you idiot!" Aoi snapped, her eyes wet.
Then—before he could respond—she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Renji froze.
Then, slowly, he hugged her back.
The weight of everything crashed into him at once.
The pain. The fear. The loss.
And now—the relief.
Aoi's voice was quiet. "We actually did it, huh?"
Renji nodded. "Yeah."
For the first time in forever… they were free.
---
The Mystery of the New World
But even as relief settled over them, something lingered in the air.
A question.
"…Where are we?" Renji murmured.
Aoi pulled back, looking around. "I… don't know."
The beach stretched endlessly in both directions.
The ocean was vast, shimmering under the sun.
And in the distance—a city.
It was unfamiliar. Modern, yet… off.
Like a place that existed outside of time.
Renji's stomach twisted.
They had escaped the loops, the Watchers, the spirals—but where had they ended up?
Aoi met his gaze. "What now?"
Renji inhaled deeply.
Then, a small smirk tugged at his lips.
"…We find out."
With that, the two of them turned toward the unknown city—
And took their first step into the real world.
---
End of Chapter 13
---
To Be Continue