Sasaki reached the town as his footsteps crunched against the snow.
He slowed as he approached the first few buildings.
The town wasn't particularly large.
Wooden houses lined both sides of the road, their roofs covered in a thin layer of snow.
Smoke rose from several chimneys.
People walked through the streets, carrying bags, talking to one another, and going about their daily lives.
Sasaki quietly walked among them.
He didn't pay much attention to anyone.
He was only looking for information.
Anything about his sister.
Anything that could point him in the right direction.
Then—
He noticed a family.
A mother.
A father.
And their child.
The little girl was holding her mother's hand while her father carried a small bag over his shoulder.
The child suddenly pointed toward something in the snow.
Her father crouched down beside her.
The mother laughed.
Sasaki stopped walking.
He stared at them.
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
There was something strangely familiar about the scene.
Not the people.
The feeling.
A family simply spending time together.
Something Sasaki couldn't remember having for a long time.
He looked away.
"..."
Then he continued walking.
Eventually, Sasaki found a bar.
The wooden sign above the entrance creaked slightly in the wind.
He pushed the door open.
Warm air immediately hit his face.
The smell of food and alcohol filled the room.
People were talking.
Someone was laughing.
A few patrons were playing cards at one of the tables.
Sasaki walked inside.
He wasn't interested in staying.
He only needed information.
Then he heard something.
"...An elf..."
Sasaki stopped.
His eyes shifted toward the nearby table.
Two men were sitting together.
They looked like bandits.
Their clothes were worn.
Weapons rested beside them.
Sasaki slowly walked over.
"Hey."
Neither man answered.
Sasaki waited.
"What were you two talking about just now?"
One of the bandits looked him up and down.
"Huh?"
He laughed.
"Why would we tell you, shrimp?"
The other bandit chuckled.
"Get lost, kid."
He took a drink.
"Before you get yourself hurt."
Sasaki stared at them.
He didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he looked around the bar.
Nobody seemed interested in what was happening.
He looked back at the two men.
"I'm looking for someone."
The first bandit smirked.
"Then look somewhere else."
Sasaki sighed.
"I'll ask again."
The bandit's smile faded.
"And I'll tell you again."
He placed his hand on his weapon.
"Get lost."
Sasaki's expression became colder.
"I'm going to count to three."
The bandit laughed.
"Seriously?"
Sasaki looked down.
"One."
The bandit slowly began drawing his weapon.
"Two."
The second bandit stood.
"Kid, you're making a mistake."
Sasaki raised his eyes.
"Three."
Before either of them could react—
Sasaki raised his hand.
His fingers slowly curled into a fist.
Crack.
The first bandit suddenly collapsed.
The second man's expression changed.
"H-Hey!"
He reached for his sword.
Sasaki's hand lowered.
His sword flashed.
The man fell silent.
The bar became completely quiet.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Sasaki looked around at the frightened patrons.
"I'm sorry for the mess."
He walked toward the counter.
He placed a single gold coin on it.
"Keep the change."
The bartender stared at him.
Sasaki turned around and walked outside.
The cold air immediately hit his face.
He continued walking.
The information he wanted had already been obtained.
He had read their minds.
That was all he needed.
The bandits were dead simply because they had annoyed him.
Snow continued falling.
Sasaki walked through the town without looking back.
Eventually, he reached the edge of the settlement.
He stopped.
His eyes wandered back toward the buildings.
The family he had seen earlier was still somewhere inside.
He remembered the little girl.
The mother.
The father.
Sasaki looked at his hand.
His fingers slowly tightened.
"...Should I just blow this entire place up?"
He raised his arm.
Energy began gathering around his hand.
The snow around him began to shift.
He could destroy the town.
It would be easy.
One attack.
One moment.
Then silence.
Sasaki stared toward the town.
But his arm slowly trembled.
He remembered the family.
The little girl holding her mother's hand.
Her father smiling.
The warmth inside the bar.
People simply living their lives.
Innocent people.
Sasaki remained silent.
The energy around his hand slowly disappeared.
His arm lowered.
"...No."
He turned away.
For a moment, his expression softened.
Then it returned to its usual blank state.
He reached into his coat and pulled out his leather book.
His hands were still stained from the fight.
He opened it.
On the next empty page, he wrote:
[Day 394]
Random bandits being annoying.
Sasaki stared at the sentence for a moment.
Then he closed the diary.
He slipped it back into his coat.
Snow slowly covered the footprints behind him.
Sasaki never looked back.
He simply kept walking.
Somewhere...
His sister was waiting.
Sasaki wandered through the forest.
He didn't know how long he had been walking.
The trees seemed endless.
Every direction looked the same.
Snow covered the ground, making the forest almost completely white.
Sasaki occasionally stopped to examine tracks.
Nothing.
No travelers.
No villages.
No signs of his sister.
He continued anyway.
Eventually, he noticed something between the trees.
A house.
It was old.
Very old.
Moss covered parts of its walls, and several windows were almost completely obscured.
Sasaki approached.
He stood in front of the door.
Then knocked.
Knock. Knock.
Nothing.
He waited.
Then knocked again.
After several seconds—
The door slowly opened.
An elderly woman stood behind it.
She looked at Sasaki for a moment.
Then smiled.
"Hello there."
Sasaki bowed slightly.
"Hello, ma'am."
He gestured toward the inside.
"Would it be okay if I came in and asked you a few questions?"
The woman smiled.
"Why, yes. Of course."
She opened the door wider.
"Come in."
The inside of the house was surprisingly warm.
A small fireplace burned in the corner.
Old furniture filled the room.
Sasaki sat at the dining table.
The woman walked into the kitchen.
"Tea?"
Sasaki nodded.
"Sure."
She returned a few minutes later with two cups.
She placed one in front of Sasaki.
"You're traveling alone?"
"Yes."
"That's dangerous."
"I know."
The woman smiled.
"You don't look very worried."
Sasaki took a sip of tea.
"I'm used to it."
The woman laughed softly.
"I suppose young people say that."
Sasaki reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small book.
The cover had a single word written across it.
Sister
The elderly woman glanced at it.
"Looking for someone?"
"My sister."
Sasaki opened the book.
"I've been searching for her for a long time."
He turned toward the woman.
"Do you know the whereabouts of the so-called Greatest Sorceress?"
The woman thought for a moment.
"The Great Sorceress?"
Sasaki nodded.
"She's rarely seen around these parts."
She took another sip of tea.
"If you're looking for her, you'd have better luck searching the Forest of Time."
Sasaki immediately wrote it down.
"The Forest of Time..."
He underlined the words.
"Thank you."
The woman smiled.
"Of course."
Sasaki closed his book.
"I have another question—"
He looked up.
The chair across from him was empty.
Sasaki froze.
The tea was still warm.
The chair was still slightly pulled away from the table.
But the woman was gone.
"...What?"
He stood.
He looked toward the kitchen.
Nothing.
He checked the hallway.
Nothing.
Sasaki slowly walked through the house.
"Where did she..."
Silence.
He returned to the dining room.
The cup remained on the table.
He stared at it.
"...What the hell?"
He slowly closed his book.
He slipped it back into his coat.
Then he left the house.
The moment Sasaki stepped outside—
He stopped.
Someone was standing between the trees.
A small figure.
A dark umbrella.
Sasaki's expression changed.
"...It's you."
The girl tilted her head.
Sasaki immediately drew his sword.
He remembered the last time they had met.
He remembered what she had done.
And he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
He rushed forward.
His sword cut through the air.
Clang!
Chains wrapped around his blade.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
"Damn these chains."
He pulled.
Nothing.
The girl smiled.
Sasaki suddenly released his grip and stepped backward.
The girl closed her umbrella.
Then—
She moved.
Sasaki barely had enough time to react.
The tip of the umbrella struck him and sent him stumbling backward.
He caught himself before falling.
He looked at her.
She's fast.
The girl stared back.
"You really don't know when to stop, do you?"
Sasaki tightened his grip on his sword.
He rushed forward again.
This time, he changed his angle.
The girl blocked his strike.
Sasaki stepped back.
He tried reading her mind.
Nothing.
His eyes widened.
...It's not working.
The girl smiled.
"Trying to read my mind?"
Sasaki said nothing.
She tilted her head.
"That won't work on me."
Sasaki stared at her.
For the first time, he felt uncertain.
Not because she was strong.
Because he couldn't understand her.
He couldn't predict her.
He couldn't read her.
The girl closed her umbrella.
Then disappeared from his sight.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
"Where—"
Something struck him.
He staggered.
Before he could recover, chains wrapped around his body.
They tightened.
Sasaki struggled against them.
"Get off!"
The chains pulled him down.
His knees hit the snow.
He tried to move.
Nothing.
The girl slowly approached.
Sasaki looked up at her.
His breathing became heavier.
His vision began to blur.
For the first time in a long time—
Sasaki was afraid.
The girl raised her umbrella.
Sasaki stared at the ground.
His thoughts became scattered.
His sister.
His promise.
Shigura.
He had promised them.
He couldn't die here.
Not yet.
Sasaki's eyes slowly closed.
"I'm sorry..."
His voice trembled.
"Sister..."
He swallowed.
"I'm sorry, Shigura."
His head lowered.
"I couldn't keep my promise."
The world around him slowly disappeared.
Everything went dark.