Part I – Crossing the Border
Morning had risen with a milky light, diffused like a thin veil through the mist.
Before them, the massive red Torii stood tall—silent sentinels guarding the entrance to the Forest of Illusions.
Yuri took a deep breath.
Despite Kayla's words, despite the unsettling dream from the night before, a part of her was drawn to that place.
As if something was calling to her from beyond those ancient gates.
Kayla was the first to move.
With confident steps, she approached the Torii, her cloak drifting lightly around her like a second skin.
"Crossing this border means accepting the loss of certainty," she said without turning, her voice calm. "Be ready to distrust even yourselves."
Lucen, silent, followed without hesitation.
His face remained hidden beneath his hood, but Yuri felt his fleeting gaze settle on her—a silent invitation.
With Yuu steady by her side, Yuri took her first step beyond the Torii.
The world changed instantly.
The rugged path vanished, replaced by a road of perfectly polished stone.
On both sides stretched endless rows of blooming cherry trees, their petals falling slowly like summer snow—never touching the ground.
The sky, a pale blue, seemed closer, as if the entire world were suspended in a dream.
In the distance ahead, a castle stood: white as marble, elegant as an ancient vision.
Its walls blended with the landscape, radiating an aura of majestic unreality.
Yuri was breathless.
Everything was too perfect, too still.
Then she saw it.
Among the cherry tree trunks, resting on a small rise, a figure watched them: a massive white fox, with nine tails waving slowly like flags in an invisible breeze.
Its golden eyes were fixed on Yuri—not hostile, but filled with an unsettling intelligence.
"Yuu…?" Yuri whispered, glancing down at her small companion.
The little fox growled softly, the fur on his back bristling—as if he sensed something dangerous.
Kayla and Lucen, however, seemed unaware of the creature's presence.
Or perhaps… they were deliberately ignoring it.
The fox tilted its head slightly, as if studying Yuri.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it vanished—dissolving among the falling petals.
Yuri stood still, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Come on, don't fall behind," Kayla called out with a wry smile. "We still have a long way to go."
Yuri clenched her fists, trying to push the image of the fox from her mind.
Or at least… she tried.
The Forest of Illusions had only just begun to play.