"I'm so sorry for clashing in your place tonight again," I said, holding Aoi-chan's hands tightly in mine. My voice trembled, but I couldn't hide it anymore. Not after what happened last night.
"Hikari-chan, it's okay. I don't mind having you here. So…" Aoi leaned in, her eyes gentle, yet curious. "What's the secret?"
Aoi had always been quiet, maybe even shy—but she was the kind of person who listened deeply. She never dismissed things she didn't understand. That's why I trusted her with this.
I glanced at Hanabi, who sat pale and quiet by the door. She nodded at me—go on.
"I… -We saw something in the dream last night. Something I still don't understand.
Hanabi—" I looked at my little sister again. "She hasn't been cleansed yet. And I think… it's getting worse."
Aoi's expression didn't shift. She simply nodded. "What kind of witch did you see?"
"I don't know. Black hair. Sharp teeth. Bloody mouth." I shuddered, just remembering that face made my stomach twist.
Aoi's voice turned serious. "Witches and spirits are different things, Hikari. Witches don't just haunt—they invade. They live in layers of our world, but… upside-down. Shadowed. I don't know much, but I think Granny might."
"She's awake?"
"No. She's mid-ritual. Cleansing the altar today. But this sounds urgent—we should tell her now."
We didn't waste time. Aoi led us behind her house, where the family's sacred temple stood. It was smaller than a shrine but older. Much older. The air smelled of incense and something deeper, ancient and clean.
"You two stay here," Aoi said at the threshold. "Only blood family can enter the holy ground."
We nodded. I watched Aoi bow low and step inside with reverence, then kneel beside her grandmother—an old woman in white, chanting softly. Aoi whispered into her ear.
Granny's eyes opened slowly. She looked disturbed. Not scared—but focused. Alert.
Inside the waiting room, Hanabi leaned on me. Her forehead was burning. "What do you think's going to happen to us?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "But we're not alone anymore."
Moments later, Aoi reappeared. "Come," she said. "Granny will see you now."
We stepped barefoot into the temple. The moment Hanabi's foot touched the sand, she let out a scream that tore through my heart.
"Hanabi!" I tried to hold her upright, but it was like trying to lift stone—her body was suddenly so heavy.
"The witches have seeded her soul," Granny said. She stepped forward in her flowing white kimono, eyes sharp as blades. "They feed on impurity. She is marked."
"Please, save her!" I dropped to my knees beside my sister, her skin beginning to shimmer with burn marks—red, hot, alive.
"She must endure," Granny said calmly. "This sand is from the heavenly sea. Only truth may remain here."
I tried to hold onto Hanabi, but Aoi pulled me back. "Let her fight it, Hikari. This is the only way."
"But it's my fault," I whispered. "It started after I met that witch too. How long has this been happening?"
"Two weeks," Aoi murmured.
Granny turned to me. "Who cleansed you, child?"
"The man from the chairman's shop… I vomited something awful after he chanted over me."
Granny took my hands and studied my palms with a nod. "You have the gift."
"What?"
"You were born to walk between the veils. You crossed into the other world and came back."
"But Hanabi—she's not like me," I said. "Why her?"
Granny placed her palm gently on Hanabi's head. "She's fed the darkness. Not on purpose… but through her pain."
"Pain?" I asked.
"Loneliness. Anger. Self-doubt. These things open doors, Hikari. Doors witches love."
Suddenly, Hanabi screamed again—and her face morphed. Her hair twisted longer, her mouth split open into a jagged grin, her eyes gone black.
"HUMAN!" she shrieked in a voice not her own. "Let this child go, or I devour her soul!"
I froze.
Granny didn't.
"Demon, be gone!" she shouted, and shoved a pinch of white salt into Hanabi's mouth.
"Noooo!" the witch's voice echoed. Hanabi's form began to shift back. Her limbs twitched violently, but the black mist around her faded.
"She's weak," Granny said quickly. "Bring her inside!"
Aoi and I rushed forward, lifting Hanabi's limp body. The house servants opened the door as we carried her into the guest room, laying her down on the futon.
"What happened?" Kimura rushed in from the hall, alarmed.
"It's Hanabi. Please—help her!" I pleaded.
He moved with quiet precision, checking her vitals. "Leave us."
Aoi tugged me out, her hand in mine. My tears wouldn't stop.
"Hikari," Granny called from the hallway. "Come with me."
I followed her into a small room lined with herbs and talismans. The smell of dried sakura and incense filled the air. I sat on the straw mat, watching her light a candle.
"Granny… is it bad?" My voice was barely a whisper.
"It is," she said. "But you can help her."
"What do I do?"
"You must guide her soul back. To do that, you must train your mind—and your spirit."
"I don't know if I believe in all this. What if I'm not special?"
Granny smiled faintly. "When you touched the holy sand, what did you feel?"
"Warmth," I said. "Like… I'd been there before."
"That's your answer," she said, then nodded to Aoi. "Prepare the tea."
Aoi moved quickly, placing petals, roots, and herbs into a carved wooden bowl. Granny took my hand.
"This won't hurt," she said, pricking my finger with a small silver blade. My blood dripped into a cup of clear water.
Then she chanted—words ancient and echoing, not meant for our ears.
"Aoi-chan… what is she doing?"
"She's reading your memories," Aoi whispered. "She needs to see if your spirit is ready to enter the dreamworld."
I watched my blood swirl in the water, the petals dancing in strange patterns.
I closed my eyes.
And behind them…
I saw the witch again.
Waiting.