Hypnos, the god of sleep, and his twin brother Thanatos, the god of death, were ancient figures from Greek mythology. The Greeks depicted them not as grim skeletons with scythes, but as beautiful, winged beings. To them, death and sleep were siblings, soft and peaceful companions who offered escape from the waking world. In Japanese folklore, the Shinigami served a similar role. They weren't always monsters. Sometimes, they were just visitors.
Kayoko had seen one.
She didn't know if it was a dream or something more, but it came to her on the night she tried to end her life. It stood in the corner of her hospital room, its face hidden beneath a hood, its presence neither menacing nor comforting. It didn't say a word, yet it understood her. When their eyes met, it was as if time had stopped. The world paused, and in that silence, something whispered through her thoughts. It wasn't your time.
That was the last time the Shinigami visited her. That was two years ago.
Now, the lights in her hospital room flickered again. It happened every now and then, always late at night, always when she was drifting between sleep and wakefulness. Some of the nurses blamed it on faulty wiring. The soldiers stationed outside didn't believe that explanation. They watched her door with tension in their shoulders and unease in their eyes.
"She hasn't moved in days," said one guard, his voice barely audible.
"Doesn't matter," replied the other. "The reports say she's one of them."
"She's still human."
"Maybe not for long."
Behind the walls, Kayoko heard them. She heard everything. Her body wouldn't move, but her mind remained sharp. Awake. Listening. Her skin tingled. Her breath slowed. And then, just like every night before it, her world shifted.
It began with a pressure behind her eyes. Like something pushing from the inside. Then the weightlessness came, followed by silence. Complete, suffocating silence. The world around her melted away.
She wasn't in the hospital anymore.
She stood in a street she didn't recognize, the pavement dark with rain. Neon signs reflected in puddles. Cold wind passed through her, but she felt no chill. Her hands were glowing faintly. In the distance, someone was crying.
She turned.
A girl. Around her age. Maybe younger. Sitting beside a stray cat, stroking its fur. Her eyes were sharp, almost calculating, yet filled with sorrow. The cat turned toward Kayoko and stared. For a brief moment, Kayoko felt like it wasn't the girl who saw her, but the cat. Then, just as quickly, everything disappeared.
Kayoko blinked and found herself underwater. No, not underwater. In another memory. This one didn't belong to her.
A hospital bed.
Machines beeping erratically.
A woman shouting a name.
"Eloisa!"
The image fractured. Then it reformed.
Now she stood in a ruined city. Buildings cracked. Streets broken. People screamed and ran, but there was nowhere to go. A man stood at the center of it all, screaming into the sky. With every word, the clouds responded. Thunder. Lightning. Waves rising from dry earth.
Another image. A man levitating in Tokyo, eyes glowing. Police surrounding him. Then, silence.
It kept happening.
Flash. Shift. Blur. Collapse.
Vision after vision poured into Kayoko's mind like a flood. The more she resisted, the stronger they became. Her chest ached. Her forehead burned. She screamed, but no sound came out. The final image burned itself into her consciousness.
A crest. An ancient symbol.
The Eye of Ra.
Egyptian. Not Japanese. Not Greek. Something older. Something watching.
She stared at it for what felt like hours. It pulsed like a heartbeat. Then, darkness.
When Kayoko opened her eyes, the hospital lights had stopped flickering. Everything was quiet. Too quiet.
She lay in her bed, breathing heavily. Her hands trembled. Her vision blurred.
Then the voice came.
It wasn't spoken aloud. It came from within her mind.
"Kayoko."
A woman's voice. Calm. Strong.
"Kayoko, can you hear me?"
She didn't answer immediately. She couldn't. Her lips were dry, her heart racing.
"I'm Lara," the voice continued. "I've seen what you've seen. The visions are real."
"What's happening to me?" Kayoko finally whispered.
"You're a clairvoyant," Lara said. "You have awakened. That lightning strike didn't kill you. It opened your mind. And now, your role begins."
"I don't want this," Kayoko said.
"It's not a matter of wanting. You've seen her. Eloisa."
Kayoko froze.
"She's in danger," Lara said. "You must find her. You're connected."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the first to awaken."
Kayoko's thoughts raced. The Eye of Ra. The girl with the cat. The man who summoned storms. Eloisa. It all spun around her like a storm she couldn't escape.
"Eloisa's heart is slowing," Lara said. "She doesn't have much time. The world needs her. But the Eye will try to erase her."
Tears welled in Kayoko's eyes.
"What can I do?" she asked.
"Share the vision. Send it to someone who can help. Her name is Geneva."
"I don't know anyone named Geneva."
"You don't need to. Just trust your gift. Focus."
Kayoko closed her eyes.
She saw Geneva in her mind. A woman in her forties. Stern eyes. A body trembling with age she hadn't yet earned. A knife in her hand. A time-weaver.
And in the silence of her mind, Kayoko finally understood.
This wasn't just about her.
Something had been set in motion. Something that started four years ago with the lightning storm. And now, it was waking up.
Eloisa.
Geneva.
Kayoko.
Three names. One thread.
And somewhere out there, a prophecy written nearly a century ago was beginning to unfold.