Part IV – Whispers in the Mist
The path continued quietly beneath the red arches of the Torii, but something had changed. Yuri walked slowly, her steps muffled by a carpet of cherry blossom petals that never stopped falling. She looked up: the fog had grown denser, muffling every sound.
"Kayla?" she called out. No answer.
She turned. The path was empty.
No Kayla, no Lucen, no Yuu.
Just her. And the mist.
A shiver ran down her spine, but she didn't move. Something in her mind whispered that running would be pointless. It felt like she had stepped into a dream—but with her eyes open.
Voices.
At first faint, like they were carried by the wind. Then clearer.
"You are special, always remember that."
Her grandmother's voice.
"Yuri, wake up! Come on, we've got P.E. class today!"
Her desk mate's voice.
She turned from side to side, but there was no one. Only those echoes, fragments of memories woven together in a mosaic that was beginning to crack.
In front of her, the mist parted like a curtain.
A woman with long black hair was watching her, standing between the trees. She wore a kimono adorned with peach blossoms, and her almond-shaped eyes glowed with ancient light. But her face... it seemed to change with every blink: young, old, sorrowful, serene.
"Do you truly know what you desire, human?"
Her voice was both soothing and discordant.
"Or are you merely a reflection among reflections…?"
Yuri froze. Her heart pounded. She wanted to reply, but her voice wouldn't come.
Then a spark flashed through the air. A breath of energy cut through the mist. A hand—Kayla's—rested on Yuri's shoulder.
"That's enough. This forest has played its game."
The illusion shattered. The woman was gone. The voices faded.
Yuri was exactly where she thought she was: on the path, beside Kayla, Lucen, and Yuu.
"In the Forest of Illusions," Kayla said softly, "you don't get lost in the paths. You get lost in your own desires."
Yuri remained silent, her breath still unsteady. But something new shimmered in her eyes: understanding, perhaps. Or maybe just deeper confusion.
It was then that the wind changed.
A slow rain of petals fell from the sky, and the mist cleared before them. In the distance, beyond the final curve of the path, stood a white castle, its towers delicate, dreamlike. On a high terrace, among glowing lanterns and dancing veils, a feminine figure appeared.
The woman in the kimono.
She raised her arm slowly, gracefully. She didn't speak. But her gesture was enough.
The forest moved.
Torii tilted. Lanterns lit themselves, creating a path suspended in the haze.
An invitation.
Or a challenge.
Perhaps both.
Kayla gave a slight bow. Lucen stood still, watching the scene in silence.
Yuri swallowed hard, then took a step forward.
The path was open.