September 30th 1850
Morning at Hanae's
Rei wakes up, sweating scared and confused about what happened last night.
He writes into the journal nothing responds. But when he closes it, a new line appears faintly on the last page:
"Stop digging."
He then goes downstairs for breakfast and to earn some money.
Hanae gives him flowers to deliver and tea to pick up.
Rei walks around seeing odd things:
Townspeople staring a second too long,
A mirror with a crack his reflection glitches for a second,
The town feels like it's watching him.
At the edge of a small park, Rei sees a boy chasing butterflies.
The boy's laughter breaks through the gloom.
> Boy: "Aniki! (Big brother) You're back!"
Rei is stunned. The boy runs to him and tugs on his hand.
> Boy: "Do you remember me? I waited for you!"
At that moment, Rei's journal flips open and writes itself again:
> "Protect the ones who are still fighting."
The boy's eyes widen.
> "Whoa... that's magic! Are you a mage, Aniki?! Teach me!"
Rei stammers and smiles faintly.
> Rei: "Meet me later at the flower shop. Before sunset i'm in a hurry got work to do."
Late afternoon, the boy arrives. They sit near the shop, talk, and play a card game Rei finds in a drawer.
The boy draws a picture of them together with a red crayon.
He says:
> "My name's Okashun Arizawa! But you always called me Shun. You always protected me."
Rei's breath catches his hand trembles on the drawing.
As sunset glows orange-red, Rei says:
> "Let me walk you back."
Shun smiles and nods. They take a familiar path past shuttered homes, whispering trees.
They stop in front of a small worn-out house.
Shun walks to the gate and turns back.
> "Thank you, Aniki."
He waves. Rei watches as the boy walks toward the front door and opens it…
Something's Wrong
The house is silent.
Rei senses a cold wind pass through him. The flowers in his bag wilt instantly.
He walks to the window and peeks in.
The house is abandoned.
No furniture. Dusty. No one has lived here for years.
Rei runs around back there's no sign of the boy.
The Journal Reacts
Rei takes out the journal it flips violently, faster than ever.
The pages blacken as one message carves itself in sharp, torn font:
> "You let him go again."
Rei falls to his knees, blood dripping from his nose.
A whisper behind him says:
> "You forgot who you really are…"
Rei stumbles into the Moonflower shop, shaken.
Hanae turns from her desk, eyes concerned.
> Hanae: "Rei…? Where were you?"
> Rei (still breathing heavily):
"That boy... he was just in my room… his name was Okashun Arizawa."
> Hanae (freezes, voice trembling):
"What boy?"
> Rei (louder): "OKASHUN ARIZAWA! He said I used to call him Shun he drew me a picture he called me big brother!"
Hanae drops the flower she was holding. Her expression shifts from confusion… to horror.
> Hanae (softly):
"That boy vanished… five years ago. On October 3rd."
Rei doesn't speak. He bolts out of the shop, sprinting back to the boy's house, heart pounding.
The house is still there. Empty. Silent.
But he doesn't stop this time.
He forces open the rotting door and enters, calling out:
> "SHUN?! OKASHUN! ARE YOU HERE?!"
His voice echoes through hollow rooms.
Dust. Cobwebs.
A picture frame shattered on the floor too dusty to see clearly.
> "You remembered me… I should've protected you—!"
Rei falls to his knees, crying. His hands tremble.
The boy was real. He had to be.
He looks around, desperate for any clues
Out of nowhere a violent force grabs him from behind.
With monstrous strength, he's hurled through the wooden wall.
The wall shatters, and Rei crashes into the street, blood smearing the ground.
Dazed, coughing, barely able to move he looks up.
A silhouette stands inside the destroyed house.
Tall, distorted, featureless except for that crooked, too-wide smile.
The same one he saw in the mirror.
> Rei (screaming):
"What the hell do you want from me?!"
The thing doesn't speak. It just tilts its head, watching.
Rei doesn't run.
Instead, he starts crawling back toward the house teeth clenched, eyes burning.
> Rei (muttering):
"You took Shun… You're not keeping him…"
He drags himself across broken wood and dirt, his body shaking.
Rei crawls across the shattered ground, blood on his face, eyes full of pain and rage.
He reaches for the broken doorway where the silhouette stood, but it's gone.
Suddenly…
> Voice (twisted, shrill, gurgling):
"You're not supposed to be in this town…"
Rei turns his head
The smiling figure stands behind him again, but this time… closer.
This one's body twitches unnaturally, as if it's made of wrong angles.
Its smile is too wide. The teeth are jagged.
Its eyes are sunken, red, and it reeks of decay.
> The silhouette:
"You were erased. Forgotten. Buried. So why"
"WHY ARE YOU BACK?!"
In a blink, it vanishes
And appears right in front of Rei, gripping his neck with inhuman strength.
> Silhouette (cackling, insane):
"The Keeper doesn't want you sniffing around.
Go back to the dirt. Where you belong."
Rei chokes, clawing at the creature's arm, eyes wide, fading
Suddenly!
His necklace begins to glow.
The ancient key burns hot against his skin, pulsing with a faint whisper:
> "Don't worry, Rei… I'm here for you."
TO BE CONTINUED...