Yume watched Shirogane after rejecting his proposal when, suddenly, he started speaking.
"I understand," he said.
Hearing those words, Yume felt slightly relieved, letting out a sigh of relief. However, that calm quickly vanished.
"Well, maybe I should ask your mother if you can come with me," Shirogane said, with a smile that conveyed anything but kindness.
Yume suddenly turned pale.
"My... my mother..." she said, her voice trembling with shock and worry, as she collapsed to the ground, her legs shaking.
Shirogane approached her, kneeling down. Their faces were only a few inches apart. The young man stared directly into her eyes, as if trying to pierce into her soul.
"Are you surprised?" he asked, in a tone that left no room for argument. "I've been here for two days in this stupid village. I can tell you're someone who gets things done, just like your mother."
Then he added, with a smile that froze her blood: "It would be a shame if something happened to her because you refused to help me, don't you think?"
He laughed for a moment, the sound of his laughter sharp like a blade, before finishing: "So, will you come with me, or not?"
Yume continued to tremble. The thought of her mother being in danger began to creep into her mind. I don't want to leave, but... she thought, feeling a tightness in her chest. For a moment, she saw her mother Miyuki's face in front of her.
"If I do, will you leave the village alone?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Shirogane stood up, slowly lifting his face.
"Yes," he replied coldly. "I have no interest in this place... except for your spirit."
Yume clenched her teeth and hands tightly around her clothes. Then, with a hesitant but determined voice, she said, "I... I'll come with you."
Shirogane smiled, but his face immediately became more threatening before returning to the calmness it had before.
"Very well..." he said with a sneer. "My name is Shirogane. Don't forget it."
Yume nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, unable to hide the fear she felt.
"What's your name?" asked the boy.
"My name is Yume," she replied.
Shirogane turned around, his back to her.
"Let's go," he said, his voice emotionless.
Yume was shaken by his words. She quickly stood up and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. "Wait, I at least want to speak to my mother one last time."
Shirogane, hearing her words, moved his arm to free himself from her grip, pushing her away. "I think you've misunderstood. From now on, you'll have no one. You'll have no ties, except to me. From today on, you will serve me."
Yume trembled even more. Her hands kept shaking. "I-I..." She couldn't say anything more.
"You will use your spirit for me and allow me to take my revenge against the Mugentamashii," Shirogane added with a sinister smile.
Yume, following Shirogane, began to walk away from the village. She could feel the village in turmoil, realizing they were looking for her. She knew Miyuki was searching for her. For a moment, she even heard her mother's voice calling her from afar: "Yumeeeeee!"
Despite this, with tears in her eyes, she didn't turn back. If she did, she would never be able to leave. Mom, I'm sorry for what I said... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... she thought, and at that point, the weight of her decision pressed on her heart. Holding back her sobs, she began to cry, as the burden of her choice weighed heavily on her.
6 MONTHS LATER
In a small city located still within the land of Kairen, a man was screaming in pain. "Stop, stop, please!" He was tied to a chair inside a dilapidated house, with broken windows and a roof full of holes letting sunlight in.
"Tell me where the Mugentamashii is," Shirogane said, pressing his foot to the man's chest. "Stop lying, you're part of the underworld, you must know something."
The man, covered in bruises and with his white shirt soaked in blood, started to panic. "I've told you the truth, I don't know anything, please, let me go!"
Shirogane glared at him. "Yume, come here."
The girl, who had been standing aside, flinched for a moment hearing her name and approached.
"Take this," Shirogane said, creating a shadow sword from his shadow.
Yume looked at it. "What do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice filled with fear.
"Kill him," Shirogane replied. "I've told you before. For my revenge to succeed, I need strong, ruthless companions."
He leaned closer to her ear. "From now on, you will kill anyone I tell you to, or else..." He didn't finish the sentence. Yume understood, and with trembling hands, she took the sword.
4 YEARS AFTER YUME'S DEPARTURE WITH SHIROGANE
Yume and Shirogane had reached one of the three peripheral cities connected to Shinkase. It was a peaceful town, with houses and buildings mainly made of stone and large wooden structures that allowed people to enjoy hot springs. Next to one of them, a small market for fruits and vegetables had been set up.
Yume was buying supplies. "Anything else, miss?" said an elderly woman, handing her a bag of groceries.
"No," Yume replied, before walking away. Yume had changed completely.
She had just reached adulthood, and those four years spent with Shirogane had stripped her of all freedom.
She walked through the streets of the city, looking around, when suddenly a little girl playing with a ball bumped into her, falling to the ground.
"Hey, little one, are you okay?" Yume said, bending down to hand her the ball.
"Yes, thank you, miss. You're very kind," the girl replied, smiling at her. Then both of them heard a voice.
"Kohana, it's time for lunch. Let's go."
It was a young girl with short blonde hair and an apron covering her dress.
"I'm coming, mom," the little girl said, then turned to Yume. "Thanks again," she said, before walking away with her mother, who took her hand.
"Did you have fun today?" her mother asked.
Yume, at that moment, without realizing it, began to cry.
Not for everything she had endured, but for something so simple and important: the lack of her mother. (Why, why am I crying? Enough, enough, I've already resigned myself...) she thought, while trying to dry her tears that wouldn't stop flowing.
In her mind, the image of her mother became vivid like a flame: her mother smiling at her, her mother hugging her, her mother loving her. At that moment, Yume felt the desire to kill Shirogane. (I want to kill him), she thought again with tears in her eyes, as she made her way to a small five-story hotel. She entered, going up to the fifth floor, room 16. The room had two beds, a bathroom, and a terrace, where Shirogane was admiring the sky. He didn't even turn when she entered, but spoke.
"You're back," he said, while Yume also went to the terrace.
"In a day or two, we'll leave."
Yume didn't respond to this statement.
"What's wrong with you?" Shirogane asked.
The girl looked at him. "You... MUST DIE."
An instant later, she summoned her spirit and struck Shirogane with a blow, sending him flying out of the balcony, landing on the hotel's entrance stairs, creating a hole. The impact made the structure shake. Yume was panting, her heart racing. She looked down, shocked when she saw Shirogane getting back up as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Shirogane spoke coldly: "Appear, Kuroyami!" In an instant, he disappeared from Yume's sight, reappearing right in front of her. "You shouldn't have done that!" Without giving the girl time to react, he struck her with a powerful kick, throwing her out of the balcony, sending her flying down until she crashed into the water of one of the adjacent hot spring pools. Yume lay there, breathless, her mind clouded. The excruciating pain stunned her, and for a moment, she lost consciousness. Chaos erupted around her: the clients of the hot springs fled in panic.
It was then that a familiar voice, seeming to come from afar, called her. "Yume, wake up, Yume... you need to go. Be happy." Her mother's voice, Yume regained consciousness, her heart pounding as she tried to recover. With a speed she didn't think possible, she got up from the pool, covered in wounds and bruises. Taking advantage of the chaos, she ran away, crossing the most crowded streets of the city, never looking back.
As she ran, the weight of the last four years pressed down on her like a vice. The tears she had tried to hold back began to flow.
The memories of everything she had endured, the fear, the loneliness, the pain, all started to flood her mind, and she barely managed to escape the city, crossing a road adjacent to a stream and a long grove, as the night and rain began to fall on her.
Her breath grew weaker, and in her heart, there was only one thought: "I... can't stop..." she thought, but the darkness was already enveloping her. She barely managed to reach another town, when her body gave out, collapsing in front of an inn with only one thought in her mind (I... can't stop...)
At that moment, she didn't know that her life was about to change once again.
She didn't know that she would meet two men who would change everything: Hauromi and Kaito.