Kaito took in his surroundings.

"Where are we?"

"I'll fill you in on the way. We've got important matters to discuss, and since you're up now, let's get going"

After a few quick preparations, the two made their way out the door. Kaito immediately was bewildered by the winding halls lined with countless doors to individual rooms, bustling with a plethora of individuals who each seemed to have a conscious sense of strict duty and an even stronger sense of direction. Kaito himself had never seen such large interiors back in Hanakawa. Meanwhile, Seika seamlessly navigated the two of them with utmost confidence.

"So... are you going to tell me what this place is?"

"Oh, right. We're currently within the Snow Guild Headquarters, located at the center of Synoria. Your room was on the 23rd floor to be specific"

"23rd! How many floors does this place have?!"

"There's 47 total!"

Seika seemed to be extremely proud of herself for remembering that fact.

The rest of their walk continued with idle chatter about the massive building until they eventually reached a grandiose hall, adorned with beautiful decorations made from various precious metals. Directly ahead of them lay a large staircase that led to a gilded door with two guards waiting on either side. As Seika and Kaito approached the top of the steps, one of the guards spoke up.

"Miss Seika and our esteemed guest, Guildmaster Yukito has been awaiting your presence. Please, go ahead"

The two guards swiftly opened the large door with a bow.

The room that greeted Kaito's eyes somehow was even more impressive than the previous, being constructed from white marble and quartz and adorned with glittering gold. Tapestries of regal red lined majestic windows that overlooked the city below. Between the windows lay massive bookshelves, completely filled with volumes of seemingly every color and staggering sizes. At the center of the circular room stood a rather imposing desk of what could only be seen as extremely high quality wood, and positioned behind the center of said desk sat none other than Yukito himself, clothed in a fine suit of white and gold. 

Having entered what Kaito now realized to be the personal office of Yukito, guildmaster of the Snow Guild and one of the most important figures in Orientalis, the weight of his situation now struck him.

"Wait, a direct audience with Guildmaster Yukito?! How serious is this?! That's like... that's like meeting with the emperor of a country in that one fairytale my dad used to read to me-"

Immediately noticing Kaito's unease, Yukito gave a politically friendly smile that could've put any audience at ease.

"Please, for now, don't worry about my position within the Snow Guild. Such formalities would impede my actual reasons behind today's meeting, so let's do without them. Does that sound good with you?"

"Did he just read my mind..?"

"Ah- yes, that's fine by me"

"Just to make sure, has Seika informed you on where you are and the significance behind this guild?"

"Yes, I believe I've been told enough to understand the basics"

"Good. Yukiko, you may begin recording now"

Glancing to the side of the room, Kaito noticed Yukiko waiting with a quill and paper. She gave a small wave to Kaito before resuming her duties.

"Alright, let's get started for real now. I'd like to start by saying that you're now officially under the protection of the Snow Guild. Whatever information you disclose will inevitably help to turn the tides against the corruption and regain complete human independence. However, whether or not you disclose the information we are about to discuss is completely up to you, and regardless of your answers, nothing will be held against you. Additionally, the Snow Guild will continue to provide our benefits to you regardless of today's outcomes"

"I understand..."

"Just how big of a situation are we dealing with here?! He makes it feel as if the fate of the world is at stake..."

"As the first order of business, have you heard of the shards of the Key of Creation? Moreover, do you bear any connection to them?"

"For both of your questions, yes. What gave you the hint?"

"Well, it wasn't actually a suspicion that came from me. In fact, it was Seika who felt a strange aetheric presence from you during her battle with Gramek"

Seika cleared her throat.

"Ahem, it was more of a one-sided beatdown..."

"Yes, yes, I got it. Anyways, the issue with Gramek and Ezirok will be discussed at a later time. Now, where on your body do you keep your shard? Take Seika, for example. Her shard takes the form of her pendant"

"So that's what that was about before... I couldn't get the full picture after being defeated by Gramek, but that being so makes sense"

"Well... it's not exactly physically with me... it's more of a-"

Kaito hesitated, wondering if it would be a wise decision to reveal everything that happened in Hanakawa. Ultimately, he decided it wouldn't hurt to tell them some of the truth.

"I've technically 'died' once before, in such a way that my old body was no longer inhabitable. My current body is made from the shard that was in my possession. In a way, it's no longer a proper part of the key in a sense, but it's power and physical form has been reshaped and altered to that of a human body"

"Amazing... to think any living being could have that level of control over merely a shard of a Key to the extent they could change its form in reality..."

"It wasn't me who was responsible for that, though. I met with Hayato, the hero of legend, who had sealed his conscience within the shard and awoke when I came into contact with it. He was the one responsible for giving that shard this form"

"It's not exactly the full truth... but it's close enough to the truth that me saying so shouldn't bring any harm... I doubt it'd be wise to reveal who Hayato actually is-"

Kaito snuck a peek over at Seika to see her reaction, as he had never told even her about what happened behind the barrier. However, Seika's reaction was one Kaito could never have expected, and Yukiko shared the same expression.

"Huh? Who?! Wait, you're telling me there's a person inside my pendant???"

"Whuh- What do you mean by 'who'- The hero of legend? Hayato? The one responsible for saving humanity during The Great Uprising?"

Seika glanced at Yukito and Yukiko, seeming to mouth, "He's saying weird words I don't understand. I swear he didn't seem this weird before-"

Yukito made a displeased expression before continuing his conversation with Kaito.

"I don't necessarily know much about this hero of legend, but I can say I've obtained some information about him. Yukiko, Seika, I apologize for keeping what I'm about to mention a secret from you, but it wouldn't have been safe to reveal it until the time was right, and I believe now is the time. You see, Hayato is a member of what I have termed, 'The Erased': sections and individuals of history who have been seemingly 'erased' from the minds of humans. The culprit behind this informational control is none other than the powerful corrupteds acting behind unseen veils in the territories of corruption. Furthermore, I have reason to believe that we're dealing with some sort of higher power, acting as a puppetmaster over the lives of humans in World Zero, one to whom even the likes of Ezirok is a mere puppet to"