In the Drakhaen Kingdom,
The training ground shimred under a calm sun. Swords were raised, And the sounds of clashing echoed like a familiar rhythm.
Airi bent near a stone platform, Carefully rearranging the tools, Everything in its place, Exactly as it should be. She paused when she felt a presence behind her.
She lifted her head. Commander Mirei was standing there. No weapon in her hand, No clear expression on her face, Just a still, unwavering gaze.
Mirei spoke in a low, ordinary tone:
"Didn’t you see Skyler today ? Commander Daemon is looking for him ."
Airi turned fully, smiling lightly.
"Skyler? No. I heard he went on a mission."
She paused for a mont, then added:
"With Kai. An outside mission."
Mirei’s face did not change. Not a blink. She turned her head halfway... Then She turned and walked away.
One step... Then another. And at the mont she moved away from the platform, Sothing fell. It hit the ground almost silently. Airi noticed imdiately :
"Wait..!"
She bent down, And saw what had fallen.
A doll. Old. Its fabric faded, Threads frayed, And its face...Without eyes.
A brief silence. Airi lifted the doll slightly and said:
"You dropped this."
Mirei’s steps halted. She turned slowly. Her gaze fell on the doll. Sothing in her eyes shifted. She stepped forward, Took the doll from Airi’s hand, Held it to her chest. She said nothing.
Then she turned... And went.
Her steps were steady, But they no longer led toward the training ground. She moved away... Until she found an isolated spot near the stone wall.
She sat down. Placed the doll on her lap. Stared at it.
Airi remained standing. She looked at Mirei’s distant back, At her tense shoulders, At her unusual silence. A strange feeling stirred within her. Then she lowered her hand slowly.
In the far corner of the training ground,
Mirei sat motionless, Holding a doll without eyes, As if afraid... To look at it more than she should. The semblance of safety Remained standing there, But it was no longer true.
She held the doll tighter to her chest. Her fingers clenched the fabric....
_
—---------Flashback—------------------------
A small hand. A child no older than three. Sitting on the ground, His eyes shining.
Mirei in front of him, Focused, Her needle moved, stitching the fabric
A doll.
She raised it before him. The child laughed. A short laugh... Pure. Mirei smiled. Only once.
Then The doll fell from her hand...
Blood.
Red stains on the ground. On the fabric. On her hands.
Then The child cried. His voice hoarse, Trembling, As if calling out... and no one heard. A man’s voice, close, urgent:
"Run."
Then, Blood. Mirei’s face sared. Strands of hair stuck to her forehead. Her eyes wide... Overflowing, But silent.
She stood before a man holding the child in his arms. She placed the doll on the little one’s chest. Her hand trembled. She spoke, broken but determined:
"No matter what happens to ... Don’t let them know the truth."
She stepped forward. Pushed him back.
"Take him... and run. Take them."
She breathed heavily. Looked at the child one last ti.
"I’ll keep them busy... No matter the cost."
—--------Return—------------------------------------------------
_
Mirei returned to the present. Her breath was heavy. The doll still in her hands. She lifted her head slowly.
The training ground remained. The sounds returned. The sky had not changed. But her hands... Were trembling.
She held the doll to her chest, As if it were the last thread Connecting her to sothing That should have remained buried. And the silence, This ti, Was louder than any sound.
_
anwhile, in the Human Kingdom, at the Central Police Station,
The faint tallic chi of a bell rang. One step. Then another. An elderly man. His hair completely white.
Haruto Takamin.
He paused in front of the reception desk.
Behind the desk stood a young man in a police uniform, His features familiar. Clear eyes... But more mature now.
Kazuma Yoshida.
The sa boy Who every morning Delivered newspapers to Officer Shin’s office, And read the headlines aloud with enthusiasm.
Now... he wore an official badge. He raised his head. His eyes widened slightly.
"Mr. Takamin..."
His voice carried genuine respect.
The elderly man bowed slightly. His voice broken, yet polite:
"Good morning... Kazuma."
A brief silence. Then the question... As always.
"Has Shin... returned?"
Kazuma answered,
"Not yet... he is still missing."
No lies. No false consolation. Only cold truth.
Haruto nodded slowly.
"I understand..."
—
Heavy footsteps approached. The sharp click of formal shoes on tile. A man in his thirties,
Arrogant gaze, His badge shining on his chest. The new officer: Ryoma Kurosawa.
He stopped. Looked Haruto over from head to toe.
"You again?"
Haruto bowed respectfully.
"I was just asking about...."
Ryoma cut him off coldly:
"We have enough work. This is not your personal information center."
Silence. Then, with a faintly sarcastic smile:
"And if you’re looking for him... he chose to disappear."
The old man’s hand trembled. But his face... remained steady. Ryoma turned his back.
"Kazuma, bring coffee. Double."
He walked away. Sat down. Tossed his hat onto the desk carelessly.
—
Haruto’s eyes remained fixed on the ground. Then he slowly raised his head. A faint smile... barely visible.
"I understand..."
He turned. Walked toward the door. His cane tapped the floor with a slower rhythm than on his entry.
Kazuma watched him... Wanted to say sothing. But did not.
_
At the sa ti, Kai and Skyler were still on the mountain.
They took another step. The silence was unnatural. Kai felt it first. He stopped. Did not turn. But his shoulders tensed.
Then, The sound returned. Close, Very close. Not from ahead. Nor from the valley. But, Directly behind them.
A sharp, torn scream, As if a mouth opened at their ears. The scream of a man being slaughtered.
Kai turned imdiately. His hand rose halfway. Skyler moved at the sa mont.
No one. Only the fog.
It moved slowly, heavily, As if withdrawing after whispering sothing. The sound vanished. Its echo left no trace.
Kai said in a low voice,
"It was behind us."
Skyler did not answer. His eyes scanned the void, With deadly precision.
The sound returned. But... from another direction. Higher up the slope this ti. A shorter scream. Choked. As if soone pressed its throat.
Kai looked upward.
"This is impossible..."
The air grew heavier. The mountain did not echo. It swallowed the sound.
The sound moved again. To the right. Then to the left. Then from far away. Then Closer than it should be. As if distance had lost all aning.
Skyler clenched his fist. His voice calm, yet sharp:
"Do not follow the sound."
But the sound was following them. A short scream, Then a muffled laugh, Barely audible.
Kai froze.
"Did you hear that?"
Skyler did not answer.
The sound had changed. It was no longer a man’s scream. But, Crying. Light at first. Intermittent. Then clearer.
Kai felt a chill run down his spine.
"No..."
This ti, the crying ca directly from in front of them. Clear. Close. So close that Skyler almost reached out his hand.
It stopped. Not gradually. Not faintly. But as if a mouth had been forcibly shut.
Silence.
A cold wind passed between the rocks.
A whisper. Not crying. Not a scream. It brushed past Kai’s ear. Very close.
"...Save ..."
Kai spun violently. No one. But behind him, The fog had thickened. Not naturally, But concentrated in a single point. As if the air itself Carried a shape.
Skyler raised his hand slowly. This ti... It was not the feeling that they were not alone.
But, That sothing Was close enough To touch them.
Then
The fog began wrapping around the mountain as if it were breathing skin. Heavy... wet... as if it ca from a rotting lung. The sound was no longer clear crying. It beca closer to a broken moan.
Kai clenched his fist.
"Do not co closer."
But Skyler did not answer. His eyes remained fixed on the fog.
The sound stopped. Suddenly. Complete silence. Even the wind vanished. Even the mountain seed to hold its breath.
One step. Just one step.
Beneath Kai’s foot... The ground did not crack. It did not tremble. It made no sound. But disappeared. As if soone had wiped it from existence.
The void appeared suddenly. Black... deeper than shadow. Not a pit. But a mouth with sharp yellow teeth. And from within, A sll surged. The sll of old flesh. Wet decay. Sothing that had lived long in darkness.
Gray smoke tinged with green seeped from the edge. It did not rise. But crawled... As if searching.
Kai did not scream. Gravity pulled him directly.
Skyler moved without thinking. He lunged and grabbed Kai’s hand before the darkness could swallow him. His knees struck the eroded edge. The void beneath them widened unnaturally, As if opening an eye.
"Hold on to !"
Kai’s fingers were cold. The sll intensified. The smoke clung to Skyler’s skin. The ground around them began to crumble. Not a collapse... But erosion.
From the depths... The sound returned. But this ti It was not crying. It was a short laugh. Broken. Inhuman.
The void expanded suddenly. The edge beneath Skyler collapsed. In a single mont, He lost his balance. His hand still held Kai’s.
The two fell together. The fog swallowed the light above them. The smoke wrapped their bodies like sticky fingers. And the black mouth... Closed its edges slowly.
The last sound that remained in the mountain Was not the sound of falling.
But... Sothing that was breathing.
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