---
Himari's Perspective
Deep in the forest, the light was dim, filtered through thick branches. Himari moved in silence, her presence barely disturbing the leaves underfoot. Each step brought her closer to the spot where she first sensed the disturbance—a rift, brief and subtle, but unmistakably unnatural.
She crouched down, brushing her fingers against the mossy ground. Her eyes flickered with soft blue light.
"Still warm..."
A flicker of void energy pulsed beneath the earth. Whatever—or whoever—had opened the way hadn't entirely closed it. And worse, there was another energy laced through it now.
Familiar. Deceptive. Kitsune.
She pulled out a talisman from her sleeve, casting it into the air. The paper burned with black fire before vanishing into the wind.
Her heart pounded.
"He's not just waking up... someone is guiding it."
She stood, jaw tight, the realization settling cold in her stomach. There was more to Yuki's power. More to his awakening.
And someone didn't want him to remember it—not yet.
---
Aiko's Perspective
Yuki stirred again in the dim afternoon light, murmuring nonsense as his brow furrowed. Aiko sat beside him, knees pulled to her chest.
She hadn't said anything since that moment in the void—but the memory of it gnawed at her.
She reached out, gently brushing his hair back. "Yuki…"
His eyes fluttered open, dazed and distant. For a moment, he looked through her.
"…Aiko?" His voice cracked.
She hesitated, then leaned in. "What did you see? In the void?"
He blinked, the question piercing through his haze. "…I don't know. Someone… stood with me. I felt safe… but scared, too."
Aiko's fingers curled into a fist. "He looked like you."
Yuki's eyes widened.
"I don't know who he is," he whispered, suddenly gripping his blanket. "But he said I wasn't ready. That I needed to get stronger before… before they come."
Aiko leaned back, her heart pounding.
"I saw him too," she confessed. "I think… he was protecting you. But it felt wrong."
Yuki turned his face to the wall, voice low. "I feel like I've seen him before. In my dreams. He calls me 'little brother' sometimes… but that's impossible."
A long silence filled the room.
Then Aiko asked the question neither of them wanted to ask:
"What if… he's real?"
---
Meanwhile, Himari returned to the house, face pale and unreadable.
She said nothing as she stepped inside.
But her thoughts were racing.
I need to find out who he is. Before Yuki remembers on his own.
Because if he does… it might already be too late.
---
End of Chapter 29.