The walk back to the inn was supposed to be calm.
It wasn't.
The moment they stepped out of the Guild Headquarters, Mika moved closer to Kuro like a lion guarding its favorite… extremely breakable… cub.
Lucien kept glancing between them, confused but pretending not to be.
Mirei walked ahead, muttering about incompetent guild masters and ancient gates waking up "on her day off."
But Kuro…
Kuro was quiet.
Too quiet.
And Mika noticed.
He always noticed.
As they turned onto a quieter street, Elvastia's voice echoed lazily in Kuro's mind:
[You know… you are walking like you're heading to your own funeral. Again.]
Kuro winced.
Mika snapped his head toward him immediately.
"What did he say?"
Kuro hesitated."…Something unhelpful."
"Tell him to shut up."
[EXCUSE YOU—]
"Not you, Elvastia," Mika muttered through clenched teeth, "the other you."
Kuro blinked. "…That didn't clarify anything."
Lucien stopped walking. "Are you two… talking in code now? Should I also be pretending I understand?"
Mika didn't even dignify that with a reply.
They kept walking, the street unusually quiet. Too quiet.
No vendors.
No carriages.
No laughter from taverns.
Just silence.
Mirei slowed, eyes narrowing. "Something's wrong."
Lucien stiffened. "Yeah… feels weirdly empty."
Kuro swallowed.
He felt it too.
A prickling sensation on his neck.Like something crawling behind him.Watching.
Mika stepped closer until his arm brushed Kuro's.
"Kuro."
"Y-Yeah?"
"Stay behind me."
Kuro's heart did a strange flip."Why—?"
Mika gently pushed him behind his back.
Lucien blinked. "…Should I also get behind Mika or…?"
"No," Mika said. "I only need to shield one of you."
Lucien threw his hands up. "Wow. Rude."
Mirei suddenly raised a hand. "Stop."
Everyone froze.
A shadow moved at the far end of the street.
Slow.
Dragging.
Heavy.
Kuro felt something cold curl around his spine.
[Mmm. I don't like that. It feels like…]Elvastia paused.[…an echo that shouldn't exist.]
Mika's eyes sharpened. "Kuro?"
Kuro whispered, "Something's there."
Lucien squinted. "There's nothing— oh. Oh wait. No. There is something. What is that??"
At the end of the street, the shadow detached itself from the wall.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't even shaped like one.
Long limbs.Longer fingers.Eyes that glowed faint white, like pale lanterns.
And a whisper that slid across stone:
"Found you."
Kuro stumbled back, breath catching.
Mika immediately grabbed his arm.
Lucien drew his weapon.
Mirei summoned her spell.
The shadow twitched once—
—then sprinted toward them.
Fast.
"So we're running, right?!" Lucien shouted.
"YES!" Mika barked.
They bolted.
Hard.
Mika grabbed Kuro's wrist and practically dragged him as the creature skittered behind them on all fours, scraping the ground like it was crawling on bone.
"WHY IS IT SO FAST?!" Lucien yelled.
"RUN FASTER!" Mirei shouted back.
"I'M TRYING BUT MY LEGS AREN'T DESIGNED FOR TERROR!"
Kuro glanced over his shoulder.
The creature's pale eyes locked on him.
Just him.
"Mika—! It's after me—!"
"I KNOW," Mika growled. "I'm deciding if I'm killing it first or the people who let it near you."
Lucien panted, "Please pick the creature—!"
They rounded a corner—
The creature leapt—
Mika shoved Kuro to the ground—
The creature slammed into the wall, cracking it.
Lucien screamed. "OH MY GODS—"
Mirei cast a burst of light, stunning it.
"Run NOW!"
They scrambled away, turning corner after corner until—
Finally—
They burst out into a populated street.
The creature vanished the moment other people appeared.
Gone.
As if it had never been there.
The group staggered to a stop, panting.
Lucien bent over, wheezing. "I… hate… everything… that just happened."
Mirei looked furious. "That thing shouldn't exist in this world."
Kuro leaned against a wall, trembling.
Mika stepped in front of him, grabbing his shoulders gently."Kuro. Look at me."
Kuro did.
"You're okay," Mika said firmly. "It didn't touch you."
Kuro nodded shakily. "I-I know…"
Mika lowered his voice."I won't let anything take you."
Lucien stood up, rubbing his knees."Okay but— maybe we should… go somewhere that doesn't have demon spaghetti shadows??"
Mirei pointed toward the inn. "Move. We regroup. We plan. And we find out who—or what—is after Kuro."
Elvastia whispered in Kuro's head, suddenly serious:
[It's starting. And whatever that thing was… it wasn't from this world.]
Kuro's blood ran cold.
Mika immediately noticed him freeze."Kuro. Talk to me. What did he say?"
Kuro swallowed hard.
"…He said it didn't come from this world."
Everyone went silent.
Mika's grip on Kuro's shoulders tightened.
"…Then we're not stopping until we find out why it wants you."
And with that—
They headed straight for the inn.
Their night of rest?
Gone.
The nightmare had finally begun to follow them.