---
The shrine was quiet, too quiet.
Aiko sat beneath the old cherry tree in the garden, the soft petals falling around her like snow. Her fingers brushed the edge of her sketchbook, where the red eyes she'd seen in the void were etched with shaky lines. She had barely spoken since returning.
Her body had recovered.
But her spirit hadn't.
"Still seeing them?" came a soft voice.
She looked up.
Yuki stood there, arms folded, bruised but steady. There was something new about him. His energy—calmer, stronger, deeper. He looked like someone who had walked through fire and decided to make a home in it.
Aiko closed the book and gave a small nod. "They weren't just illusions. Something... ancient was there. Watching. Speaking." Her voice dropped. "And it knew your name."
Yuki's gaze dropped to the ground, his jaw clenched. "I felt it too."
Aiko studied him. "You're changing."
"I have to," he replied.
Their eyes met.
For a second, everything else faded. No spirits. No whispers. Just the silence between two people trying to understand what they were becoming.
---
Elsewhere, near the shrine—
Ren stood on the steps of an old pagoda, his arms folded behind his back as Himari and Haru stood opposite him.
"So it's true," Ren muttered, eyes narrowed. "The seals are failing."
"They are," Himari replied. "And it's not just the void beneath. The entire balance is shifting. Creatures we thought were bound are awakening."
Haru added, "And they're being drawn to Yuki."
Ren glanced toward the horizon. "The kitsune awakening... I should have predicted this."
Himari stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. "There's more. In the void—I saw a glimpse of something else. A creature of many forms. Not bound to one shape. It whispered Yuki's name... and another name too."
Ren's brow furrowed. "Whose?"
Himari hesitated.
But before she could answer, a crack split the air—a sudden ripple of spiritual pressure from the direction of the shrine.
Ren vanished in a gust of wind.
Himari and Haru followed.
---
Back at the shrine—
Yuki's body jerked as a wave of unfamiliar energy pulsed through the earth. Aiko stood immediately, eyes scanning the surroundings.
From the forest's edge, a shadow stepped forward.
It wore a mask—fox-like, but twisted. Its aura was strange. Not void. Not spirit. Something... blended.
Yuki stepped in front of Aiko.
The masked figure tilted its head. "So this is the awakening fox," it said, voice distorted. "Interesting."
Yuki's fists clenched. "Who are you?"
But the figure didn't answer. Instead, it raised a hand—and a torrent of corrupted energy erupted toward them.
Yuki moved instinctively, the void crackling around him.
Aiko tried to warn him—but the force of the blast sent them both crashing backward.
Then—
In a sudden blur of motion, Ren landed between them, his hand raised, the wind howling around him like a shield.
"Stay back," Ren growled.
Himari and Haru appeared moments later, their eyes locked on the masked figure.
But it was already fading.
Its voice echoed as it vanished—
"The threads have begun to pull. Let's see which one of you snaps first."
---
"If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comment—it really helps this grow!"