The cold stone walls of the palace pressed in around them, shadows twisting in corners like watchful eyes. Yui sat with her back against the rough surface, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Ayumi sat beside her, quieter now, the weight of everything settling in the spaces between them.
Yui's voice was barely above a whisper. "Do you think the others are okay?"
Ayumi swallowed hard, biting her lip. "I don't know. But we have to keep moving. We can't let ourselves fall apart now."
Yui nodded but didn't meet her eyes. "I'm scared. So scared."
Ayumi reached over, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from Yui's face. "Me too. But we have each other, and that's something."
They sat like that, silence wrapping around them, broken only by distant echoes drifting through the endless halls.
The palace felt alive — a cold, breathing thing — and yet, in that small moment, Yui and Ayumi found a flicker of warmth in each other. Yui's voice trembled as she finally looked up at Ayumi.
"Do you ever wonder… if we'll even make it out of here?"
Ayumi shook her head, trying to keep her tone steady. "We have to. We don't have a choice."
A sudden chill ran down their spines — the air grew heavy, thick with something unseen but terrifying.
Yui stiffened. "Do you feel that?"
Before Ayumi could answer, a grotesque spirit lunged out from the shadows. Its face was twisted and broken, jaws cracked open with blood dripping and pooling at its feet, eyes empty but filled with malice. Its limbs moved unnaturally, jerking like a marionette on frayed strings.
"Get back!" Ayumi shouted, pulling Yui to her feet.
Yui's heart pounded, but she raised her hands, trying to focus on the transformation energy swirling around her wrist.
Ayumi drew her own weapon, eyes blazing. "We can handle this — together!"
The spirit screeched, lunging at them again, and Yui and Ayumi dodged, their movements becoming sharper, more synchronized with every passing second.
"This thing… it's like the one I saw when we first met Haruka," Ayumi said between gritted teeth. "Disfigured. Hungry."
Yui swallowed hard, swinging her energy weapon in a wide arc, forcing the spirit back.
"We have to finish this quickly," Ayumi warned. "Or it'll keep coming."
With a final, fierce push, the two girls combined their attacks, the spirit howling before it dissipated into a cold mist.
Breathing heavily, Yui looked at Ayumi and managed a shaky smile. "Thanks… for having my back."
Ayumi smirked. "Don't get used to it."
They both laughed — a brief, shaky sound — before falling silent again, knowing the palace held many more dangers ahead.
After the spirit faded, Yui and Ayumi remained tense, their breaths shallow and quick. Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the stone corridor—steady, familiar.
"Daichi!" Yui exclaimed, relief flooding her voice as he appeared from the shadows.
Ayumi smiled weakly. "Thank goodness, we finally found you."
Daichi gave them a tired but reassuring smile. "I'm glad I found you too. It's been… rough."
Yui's heart lightened a bit, hope sparking. Maybe they weren't completely alone.
Daichi swallowed hard, running a hand through his hair. "I… I lost Haru."
Yui's heart clenched. "What? Where?"
Daichi shook his head, the tension in his jaw obvious. "I don't know. The palace… it's splitting us up more than I thought. I've been looking everywhere, but he's nowhere to be found."
Ayumi's face paled. "What about Haruka?"
Daichi's eyes darkened. "I'm pretty she's all alone. I'm not even sure if Haru ever found her after…"
He trailed off, unable to say the words.
Yui swallowed hard, the reality sinking in like a heavy stone.
"We have to find them," Ayumi said firmly, her voice steadier than she felt.Daichi nodded.
"Let's stay super close."
Their footsteps echoed faintly across the cold marble floor as the three of them moved in a tight group. The palace around them stretched endlessly, its walls gilded with faded gold and dark vines, hallways twisting like they had minds of their own. Every sound seemed to bounce back wrong, like the air itself was warped.
"I hope Airi and Kaito are okay," Ayumi muttered, eyes scanning the corners with every step. "I mean… Airi is strong. Kaito too, but still, I can't help but worry."
Yui nodded silently, her fingers clenched into the edge of her shirt. "They probably stuck together. They'll be fine, right?"
Daichi didn't answer right away. His brows were furrowed, and he kept glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting the palace to shift again. "They'll be okay," he finally said. "We have to believe that. If we start thinking the worst… this place'll eat us alive."
There was another silence—longer, heavier.
Ayumi hesitated before speaking again. "And Haruka…?"
Daichi's expression tightened. "I don't know. Haru ran off to find her, but—"
He shook his head. "I lost track of him. The palace pulled us apart before I could even follow."
"I just…" Yui's voice broke a little. "I really hope he found her."
"She's tougher than she looks," Ayumi said, but it didn't sound confident.
"Still… I hope they're together. I hope everything turns out okay."
Daichi exhaled sharply through his nose. "We'll find them. We'll find everyone. We have to."