The funeral was silent.
No flowers.
No visitors.
Not even rain.
Kikoshin stood alone before the grave under a gray sky that seemed as empty as his heart. He spoke for a long time, though no one else listened. He told the earth how much he missed her. That he didn't understand why she had to go. That he wished to wake up and realize it had all been a nightmare.
But it wasn't a dream.
She was gone.
And the shadows… were still there.
From that day on, he could no longer ignore them.
At first, they were just shapes moving in the corners of rooms — figures that vanished when you looked directly at them. But now…
Now they were everywhere.
In the school walls.
In the windows of his house.
In the reflection of water.
Even in his dreams.
He saw them move. Heard them breathe. Whispered his name.
— Kikoshin…
Kikoshin…
He tried to ignore them.
But it was impossible.
One afternoon, walking home from school, he saw a shadow behind a trash bin. It wasn't large. Not threatening. But it moved… like it was watching him.
He stopped.
Stared at it.
"Did you see her die too?" he whispered.
The shadow didn't answer. Just shifted slightly, as if trembling.
Then Kikoshin lost control.
He ran toward it.
Screamed something unintelligible.
Without thinking, he punched the trash bin with all his strength.
The metal crashed to the ground with a loud bang.
But the shadow…
The shadow was already gone.
Kikoshin gasped for breath.
His knuckles bled.
He didn't know if it was from rage… or fear.
That night, he sat on the couch where he used to spend time with his mother.
He stared forward, but saw nothing.
His mind was blank.
Only memories remained.
Her voice.
Her hands.
Her smile.
Suddenly, a chill ran through the room.
A cold air swept across the space.
He lifted his gaze.
There, in the corner of the room, appeared a dark figure.
Tall. Thin. With limbs too long.
It was her .
The same shadow that had taken his mother's life.
Kikoshin jumped to his feet.
"YOU!" he screamed, tears of fury burning in his eyes. "Damn you! Why did you do it!?"
The shadow didn't speak.
Just watched him.
With those hollow eyes that had no defined shape.
"She was my mom! She was the only thing I had!"
Without hesitation, he charged at her.
Fists clenched.
Heart shattered.
And he threw a punch straight into the darkness.
A hard strike.
As strong as he could.
It hit the shadow like real flesh.
The figure staggered back, swaying as if it had truly felt the blow.
Kikoshin froze.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't blink.
Couldn't believe what he'd just done.
"I… I just hit a shadow…"
The figure looked at him.
Then, it faded into the air like black smoke.
Silence.
Kikoshin lowered his gaze to his fists.
They still trembled.
Still bled.
But that wasn't what scared him.
What terrified him… was that he had touched her.
"What am I…" he whispered, voice broken. "What am I… that I can do this?"
He collapsed to his knees.
And cried.
Like he never had before.