The moment we stepped through the door, the world shifted again.
The air changed—heavier, humid, and thick with something unseen. My ears rang for a moment, as though I'd stepped underwater. Trees arched overhead like twisted iron, their leaves humming low like whispers just beyond understanding. A faint crimson glow seeped through the fog like blood through cloth.
"This place… feels alive," I whispered.
Aoi gripped my hand tighter. "It is. It's the In-Between. A labyrinth for the lost, where time folds in on itself and memory becomes bait."
The lamp pulsed with dim yellow light, masking our scent like the gatekeeper promised. Even so, I felt eyes on us—dozens, maybe hundreds—pressing from the shadows.
"Stay on the path," Aoi murmured.
"What path?"
She pointed down. The cracked stone beneath our feet shimmered faintly. A worn mosaic trail, half-hidden beneath soil and tangled vines, snaked through the forest like a lifeline.
We walked quickly and silently, ears alert for anything unnatural. The deeper we went, the more surreal the world became. The trees turned into doorways. Statues blinked. Shadows detached themselves from their hosts.
Then we heard it—a soft, familiar laugh.
I stopped. "Hanabi…"
She was just ahead, standing in a field of dying lilies. Her back was turned. Her school uniform was spotless. Her hair fluttered like a black flame. She was holding hands with… someone.
A second figure stood beside her, their body flickering like bad reception. A girl with no face, just a void where her features should be.
"Hanabi!" I called out.
She didn't react.
The faceless girl turned her head—no, not her head. It was like the entire space around her shifted toward me, as if noticing me through some terrible sixth sense.
Aoi grabbed my wrist. "Don't get too close. That's not fully Hanabi yet."
"What do you mean?"
"She's split. Part of her soul is caught here, trapped by the witch's grip. If we approach too quickly, we could trigger a collapse."
"Then how do we get to her?"
"We have to weaken the bind first—remove the shadow from her side."
I took a breath. "How?"
Aoi looked down at the lamp. "We bait it."
I swallowed. "Using me?"
Aoi nodded.
We stepped slowly into the field. The scent of burnt lilies filled my nose. My skin prickled as the faceless girl turned more toward us. She began to twitch—her limbs bending wrong, her presence growing heavier.
Hanabi finally looked up. Her eyes widened. "Nee-chan?"
I smiled, just barely holding back tears. "I'm here, Hanabi."
But the shadow screamed.
A horrific, grating wail shook the dreamworld. The faceless girl lunged forward—but Aoi was ready. She struck the ground with her stick, drawing a circle of light around us. The lamp flared, burning with blinding fire.
"NOW!" Aoi shouted. "Call her back!"
"Hanabi!" I screamed, stepping through the circle, "You don't belong here! Come back to me!"
Her eyes fluttered. The shadow clung to her hand tighter.
"Remember me! Remember Hiraizumi! Remember the garden—the mountain hikes—summer fireworks!"
Hanabi's lips trembled. She whispered, "Nee-chan…"
And then the faceless girl screeched—splitting apart like smoke pulled from skin. The light from the lamp ignited it, consuming the shadow with a final burst of violet flame.
Hanabi collapsed.
I caught her before she hit the ground.
"I've got you," I whispered, trembling. "You're coming home."
Meanwhile at home, Hanabi awake from her sleep.
I woke to the scent of incense and old wood.
Sunlight filtered in through the shōji panels, casting gentle stripes across the tatami mat. My body ached, like I had run a marathon in my sleep. When I sat up, Aoi was already awake, kneeling beside a small table, preparing tea.
"You're back," she said gently, not looking up.
I blinked. "It worked?"
A voice croaked from the next room. "Nee-chan…"
Hanabi.
I scrambled to my feet and rushed through the sliding door. Hanabi sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, but her eyes—her eyes were clear again.
She smiled weakly. "I dreamed you were calling me… over and over."
Tears fell down my face before I realized I was crying. "I was. I never stopped."
Granny appeared in the doorway, leaning on her cane. "The bind was severed. But…" Her eyes darkened. "That witch did more than steal her soul. She left something behind."
My sister has been away for a few days now, for a while. I stayed with Aoi Nee-Chan, again they helped me through the tough time especially when I'm fading away.
"The faceless woman…" I need to know why I was the one that being curse, but Hikari Nee-chan also having a problem with her life too.
I wasn't asleep that night when Aoi Nee-chan and Hikari Nee-chan having a conversation about me. I overheard everything.
Flashback to the night Hikari last night with them.
"She still has something inside her," Hikari said, voice tight.
Aoi nodded. "Residual darkness. Witches don't just take—they plant. That kind of seed doesn't die easily."
"So, what should we do? I have no clue at all. I'm a useless sister." Said Hikari, she was overwhelmed with all supernatural events that happened to her lately.
"We take it slow, Hikari. You and Hanabi is the strongest team and I believe in both of you." Aoi tried to reassure my sister. Her words was gentle and warm.
"Please help us, help her."
My sister fell into despair and I know she would protect me from all of this. I was thought she's the toughest person in the world. Never back down, always the hardest. I forgot that she's also a woman. Since I was little, my sister has always try her best to be the good example, the A plus student and the perfect eldest daughter in our family.
Our mother left us with an illness, since then Hikari has always replaced my mother present at home until our stepmother comes. I know she's struggling with letting go her role which she was force to be, a mature woman. I only hope this time, she will find it easy and overcome it just like how she used to do.