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Interlude: Aiko's Perspective
Darkness.
But not the same kind Yuki had entered. This place was colder—emptier.
Aiko floated in a space without time, her spirit trapped somewhere between the physical and mythic world. It wasn't death. It wasn't sleep. It was… waiting.
She clutched her pendant—a charm her grandmother had once said would protect her when spiritual storms hit. But now it pulsed like it was scared.
"I told him not to go too deep," she murmured, her voice echoing in the void. "But he never listens."
A flicker of light surged in the far distance. She saw it. Felt it.
"Yuki…"
His aura had changed. It was sharper now, heavier. It wrapped around her mind like a thread tugging her toward him.
She blinked as images flashed across her vision: Yuki in a field of black mist… Ren standing watch… Himari, expression unreadable…
And the tear.
That strange distortion ripping through the void.
Aiko gritted her teeth. "Something's coming for him."
She focused her energy, trying to push her way out. Her soul strained, fingertips glowing faintly. But something—someone—was holding her back.
A whisper slithered through the darkness behind her. A voice ancient and cruel.
> "You're more important than you know, girl. Stay where you belong."
Aiko froze. "Who are you?"
No response. Just laughter, low and echoing. And then silence.
But she wasn't afraid.
She reached again for Yuki's aura, eyes glowing with spirit light. "Hang on, Yuki… I'm coming back."
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