Ever since the first time he saw the vision of his mother's death, Itsuki's life had spiraled further into something bizarre—unrecognizable from the life he used to live before.
Strange dreams. Demons. And now, domains.
And as if that wasn't enough, apparently sorcerers too.
He exhaled sharply. "Yeah, just keeps getting better and better" he muttered under his breath as he moved forward.
The two of them walked in silence—Amane leading, Itsuki trailing behind with his headphones still on, the faint hum of music barely grounding him as they moved through what once was a normal school hallway.
Now, it stretched unnaturally long, like a tunnel with no end.
The walls glowed faintly with symbols—some in Japanese kanji, others in Zhongrel, and even a few in Frenciah, some he didn't know of and some seeming like they didn't exist at all. A chaotic mess of writings, scrawled and glowing, crawling across the walls' surface.
Itsuki frowned.
"This is so weird. Why are all these writings here? They're not even written properly. Looks like a bunch of scribbles from a multilingual toddler or something…'
They walked on, step after step, but the door at the far end only grew farther away—as though the more they moved, the more reality itself stretched to mock them.
"Why are we even walking?" Itsuki asked finally. "The hallway's clearly looping. We're not getting anywhere."
Amane didn't slow down. Her voice came cold and focused.
"You talk too much, kid. I'm trying to concentrate. If you can't keep up, then you can stop following me and die right here."
"Kid?!'
He scowled, half off-put, half stunned, but didn't argue further. As much as he wanted to snap back, she was the expert here—not him.
"What's she calling me a kid for anyways, we're probably around the same age…' he thought to himself, sighing. "Still, I've got no clue on how to get out of this place, so… probably best to shut up and follow.'
They walked a while longer, the silence broken only by the echo of their footsteps—until Amane suddenly stopped.
Itsuki froze. "What's wro—"
Before he could finish, she sprinted forward without warning.
"Wait—what the hell?!'
He blinked, then instinctively chased after her.
"She's fast..." he muttered, panting as he tried to keep up. She didn't even glance back, her speed unrelenting. Then, out of nowhere, she leapt to the side—slamming her shoulder against the wall.
And just like that, she vanished.
Itsuki skidded to a halt, staring ahead at the wall she'd disappeared into.
"…Did she just—?"
"No time to think'. He braced himself, ran forward, and mimicked her motion. When he had gained enough motion, he threw his shoulder into the wall as well.
The world around him warped as he went through it.
He blinked as his body hit solid ground again, feeling the chill of the floor beneath his palms. When he looked up, he saw Amane already standing a few feet ahead—her eyes fixed on the faint, endless darkness stretching before them.
"Where… are we?" he asked, as he slowly got up.
Her answer came quietly, almost like a whisper:
"The pocket within the pocket. This is where the demon who owns this domain resides."
She tilted her head forward slightly.
"And it's right in front of us."
Itsuki followed her gaze—then froze.
Standing before them was a figure. A Human. Or at least, it looked human.
The person was tall—about his height, maybe a little taller—with dark, smooth hair that shimmered faintly. Sharp eyes, black as ink, stared back at them with quiet amusement. It wore a perfectly tailored suit, hands tucked casually into its pockets.
Itsuki's thoughts stumbled.
"That… that's a demon?'
He blinked hard. Maybe the fall messed with his head. Maybe this was another illusion. But the fact was, there was no denying it—this was real. The presence, the aura—it pressed against his chest like the air had thickened around him.
The demon smiled faintly. Its voice came deep and cold.
"Hello, sorcerers. What brings you to my domain?"
Itsuki's heart kicked in his chest.
"It speaks too?....'
Amane stepped forward, her expression unshaken.
"What do you mean, you filthy piece of crap?" she snapped. "You brought us here. Our spiritual energy was clearly interfering with your feeding, so you tried to get rid of us. Quite the cowardly way to try to do it though."
The demon didn't reply right away. Its gaze locked on her, slow and predatory, like a wolf deciding whether to attack.
Itsuki swallowed hard.
"Shit… this is intense. Does she actually plan to fight and kill this thing?'
The air around them grew heavier.
Both Amane's and the demon's gaze didn't linger.
For a moment, silence filled the air around them—then, the demon smiled.
"I'm sure you're not just any sorcerers," it said, its voice calm yet laced with quiet arrogance. "After all, you managed to find your way here… despite the complete darkness you're in. Congrats."
Itsuki stiffened.
"Complete darkness…?" he whispered.
He looked around instinctively—and that was when he realized it.
There was nothing.
No walls. No floor. No light. Just… a seemingly endless void.
The only reason he could even see Amane or the demon was because for some reason they glowed faintly against the darkness, even though there was no source of light around them.
Before he could speak again, Amane moved.
Her right hand lifted to her side—and in that instant, a weapon materialized out of thin air, slicing through the silence with an ethereal shimmer.
A katana, long and sleek. Its blade gave off a faint white light, not bright enough to illuminate the void, but sharp enough to cut through it. Its handle was dark, wrapped in black silk, and from its edge pulsed a quiet, trembling aura that made the air vibrate faintly.
Even without moving it, Itsuki could feel it—power, condensed into a simple, elegant shape.
Amane gripped the hilt tightly, her expression calm yet utterly focused. She shifted her feet, lowering her stance, her movements fluid and deliberate. Every inch of her posture screamed experience—she wasn't just ready to fight; she was ready to kill.
"Itsuki," she said softly, her eyes still locked on the demon.
Her tone was firm.
"Find a corner to stay in. And don't get in my way."
Itsuki opened his mouth to protest—
"Wha—"
But before the words could leave his lips, Amane was already gone.
She moved in an instant, like lightning.
Her form blurred, her figure cutting through the void with a faint shimmer as she lunged forward, the sound of her blade slicing the air echoing faintly through the darkness.
The demon didn't flinch.
It merely tilted its head slightly, the smirk still on its lips—