The door creaked open, and a small bell jingled overhead as HIKARI stepped inside. The air was thick with incense—sandalwood, maybe, or something older. Dust danced in the low amber light, and every object in the cluttered shop seemed to hum faintly, as though whispering secrets.
Behind the counter, JARREL polished a blade of black stone. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers—dark, calm, unreadable.
"Welcome young lady, You're not here by accident." He stare at Hikari and let out a warm smile.
Hikari hesitated, the weight in her chest pressing harder. " I saw your statue. Outside the window. I.." She stop.
Jarrel stared at her for a moment longer, then nodded. " Sit. Now."
Hikari obey his instructions,
folding into the wooden chair near the back of the shop. He reached for a bowl, pouring a dark liquid inside, and began chanting under his breath.
"I… I think something's wrong with me. I was cursed. A woman—she whispered something into me. Since then, I've been seeing… things."
Jarrel studied her, eyes sharp and unreadable, "What you're carrying isn't just a curse. It's a tether. Witch-spun. This won't be pleasant."
"Pleasant? I-i don't understand."
He began to chant, his voice low and rhythmic. The air changed, tightening around her. Her heart pounded. Her skin crawled.
As the ritual progressed, the room seemed to contract around her. The air grew thick, and Hikari's head spun. Her body jerked, then convulsed.
"Something's inside me—!" Hikari let out a loud scream, butJarrel didn't flinch. He pressed two fingers to her forehead and muttered a final chant.
Her back arched—and she vomited.
A long, wet retch echoed through the room.
From her mouth spilled something grotesque—blackened bile clinging to strands of wet, knotted hair. It slithered onto the floor like a dying thing.
Breathless, Hikari slumped forward, eyes wide. " What… what was that?" Hikari panicked while catching her breath.
Jarrel knelt, scooping the hair into a glass jar. He sealed it with a small glyph drawn in ash.
"The anchor of her spell. Hatred. Memory. She marked you with her suffering."
"Is it over?"
Jarrel looked at her, expression grim.
"No. Now she knows you're resisting. And she won't let go easily."
Hikari swallowed hard. The room had returned to stillness, but something deep within her had shifted.
Jarrel led Hikari behind a curtain into a smaller room. The air was cooler here, quieter—strangely insulated from the rest of the world. A shelf of herbs and bone-carved charms lined the walls.
He poured tea into a cracked ceramic cup and handed it to her.
"Drink slowly. It'll stabilize your spirit and your heartbeat."
"Why would someone curse me? I've never done anything to her."
"Sometimes, it's not what you've done. It's what you are."
Hikari looked up, puzzled.
She took the cup with trembling hands, her fingers still stained from earlier. She sipped it—bitter, earthy, but warm. Her breathing began to steady.
"What I am?"
Jarrel sat across from her. His gaze pierced through her as if he could see beyond the flesh.
"You're not just a girl who sees spirits. You're a soul traveler. The kind that walks both realms—living and dead. Rare. Dangerous." He pause for a moment. "And to those who envy power, you're a vessel worth corrupting."
Hikari stared into her tea, mind spinning.
"I didn't ask for this."
"No one ever does."
A long silence fell. From the other room, wind rattled the old windowpanes.
"How do I stop it? The curses, the spirits… all of it?"
Jarrel stood, walking to a shelf. He took down a small wooden box and placed it on the table.
You start by learning what they are. What you are. And how to stand before the darkness without letting it in.
He opened the box—inside were prayer beads, paper talismans, and a blade no longer than her hand, etched with strange glyphs.
"This is only the beginning." said Jarrel.
Hikari reached out, fingers brushing the edge of the blade. A jolt of cold ran up her arm. She met Jarrel's eyes, frightened—but determined.
"Then show me. I don't want to be afraid anymore."
Jarrel nodded once, gravely.
"Good. Because what's coming… fear will be the least of your enemies."
That was the day they met. Hikari knew she will meet him sooner, so she introduced herself. " My name is Hikari. I get the feeling that we will be a good friend."
"Kodozuki Jarrel. I guess that's how fate work for us."