The storm had been gathering all morning.
Not a normal storm, of course. This was the kind of storm that crackled with mana so thick it sang in the bones. The skies over Renga darkened, swirling with colors no human tongue had names for. Crimson lightning spiderwebbed across the clouds, and down in the guild courtyard, even the chickens were hiding.
Kazuki stood in the middle of it all, umbrella upside-down, trying to catch mana droplets.
"Maybe if I collect enough, I can sell it as… artisan storm water?" he muttered, deadpan, as a droplet landed on his nose and promptly exploded into confetti.
Aurelis stormed out of the guild hall, drenched despite her magic-resistant cloak. "KAZUKI! This is YOUR fault!"
"Technically, I didn't ask the clouds to become self-aware," Kazuki replied, pointing at the sky where a vaguely face-shaped cloud grinned ominously. "It just sort of… happened."
Behind them, the ground trembled.
Smile slithered into view, bouncing along with his usual squelchy glee. The little slime, who by all appearances was just an adorable blob, had left behind a trail of magically blooming flowers, inverted shadows, and a chicken now fluent in four languages.
"It's time," Smile said cheerfully, his voice echoing in every direction.
"…Time for what?" Aurelis asked, hand on sword, eyes narrowing.
Smile didn't answer. Instead, he bounced toward the storm with joyful purpose.
In the northern ridge overlooking Renga, a figure cloaked in silver fur and snow watched from atop a jagged outcrop.
The wolf—Kyokō, now known by name—stood tall and quiet, unblinking, as if reading the skies themselves. His fur bristled.
"They're waking up," Kyokō growled to himself. "The Threads That Bind…"
He sniffed the air, then turned and vanished into the wind. The others would need to be gathered soon.
Back in the town's sealed archives (which Kazuki accidentally unlocked by tripping over a cat), hidden truths were finally being revealed.
Aurelis stared at the tapestry on the wall. Woven in golden thread was a familiar scene: a smiling slime standing atop a mountain of twisted roots and stars.
"…That's Smile," she whispered.
And at the slime's side—half-hidden by shadow—was a young man with a broken sword and confused eyebrows.
"…and that's Kazuki?"
Behind her, the Philippine Eagle ruffled its feathers in discomfort. It had seen glimpses of this prophecy before in the wind patterns. But never this clearly.
Aurelis turned. "Kazuki doesn't know, does he?"
The eagle let out a single, low whistle. It was a sound of warning.
Meanwhile, Kazuki was currently trying to evacuate a group of old ladies who had turned their knitting circle into an arcane summoning coven.
"I told you not to chant in sync!" he wailed, waving his arms as a portal to the Thread Dimension opened behind them. "That's literally how you summon Ancient Yarnbeasts!"
"It was in the pattern book, dear," one of the grannies replied sweetly.
Before the woolen monstrosity could fully emerge, Smile plopped into the portal and belched. The portal immediately imploded, taking the smell of lavender and despair with it.
"Crisis averted!" Kazuki beamed.
"That was a crisis? That was a Tuesday," Aurelis said, approaching. "Listen. We need to talk."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "You're being serious. That's never good."
The group convened in the guild's hidden basement—the same one Kazuki discovered when the floor collapsed under him during snack time.
Maps were unrolled. Tapestries brought down. Smile arranged chairs with psychic precision.
"Kazuki," Aurelis began, eyes focused, "You've noticed the storms have names now, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Yesterday's was named Sharon. Very polite."
"And that birds have been gathering? Magical beasts are restless. Even your companions are acting strange."
Kazuki turned to look at his team. The eagle had stopped blinking. The cobra was coiled in perfect circles, hissing a tune in a minor key. Kyokō was nowhere to be found. And Smile was… chewing on a star-shaped cookie that hadn't existed until five seconds ago.
"They do seem moodier than usual," Kazuki admitted.
Aurelis stood. "There's a convergence happening. Mana threads are warping. You're at the center of it—and so is Smile."
"Wait. Me?" Kazuki blinked. "But I've literally never tried to do anything on purpose!"
Smile giggled, wiggling happily. "And that's why you're perfect."
Outside, the storm stopped.
Not because it ended—but because it paused.
As if the world itself was holding its breath.
Deep beneath Renga, something cracked.
Not a bone.
Not a stone.
But a seal.
One forged long ago by a being known only in whispers. A being who had once smiled so brightly it bent time backward.
Aurelis felt it. Kyokō felt it. Even the eagle bowed its head.
Only Kazuki continued sipping from his mana-flavored tea mug, blissfully unaware that the final arc had begun.