The forest was unnaturally quiet.
No birds.
No insects.
Just the sound of Renji's boots crunching over dried leaves as the group ascended the mist-cloaked slope of Mt. Shide.
Ahead, barely visible through the veil of fog, stood the Withered Tree Shrine—a forgotten relic buried in roots, its torii gate snapped in half, and its walls leaning as if bowing to time.
But something else lingered here.
Something alive.
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The Tree That Watches
The shrine's namesake stood at its center—a massive, dead sakura tree, its gnarled branches clawing skyward. The bark was etched in spirals so fine they looked like veins.
Renji stepped closer, the spiral mark on his arm pulsing hard.
Aoi's voice was hushed. "You feel that too?"
"It's like it's… watching us," Kaito murmured.
Suma held a warding charm in her hand, muttering old prayers. "This tree was never planted. It grew from the body of the first Spiral Dreamer—one who crossed fully into the spiral realm and never came back."
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The Echo Beneath the Roots
Renji placed a hand on the bark.
The moment he touched it—visions slammed into his mind:
A boy tied to the tree as villagers prayed for rain.
A twisting shadow coiling from the roots and pulling him inside.
Eyes blooming on the branches like flowers.
A blade—jagged, silver, spiral-forged—buried beneath the roots.
Renji fell back, gasping. "The Spiral Blade… it's here."
Kaito: "Buried under the tree?"
Suma: "Or within it."
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Digging the Curse
They began to dig.
Aoi and Renji used tools they brought; Kaito cleared fallen branches. As they unearthed soil and bones—yes, actual bones—the spiral hum grew louder, more urgent.
And then—metal.
Renji's fingers struck it: cold, ancient steel wrapped in bone-like grooves.
He pulled it free—The Blade of Broken Circles. Spiral carvings shimmered along its edge, and as he held it, the mark on his arm began to recoil, shrinking ever so slightly.
But the moment he gripped the hilt, the tree screamed.
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The Guardian Emerges
The withered sakura tree split open with a groaning crack, and from within, a figure spilled out—a mass of bark, flesh, and eyes, spirals churning across its body.
It stood taller than a man, yet moved like liquid shadow.
Suma gasped. "The Dreamer… it's still alive."
The creature lunged at Renji.
Without thinking, he raised the Spiral Blade—and it sang as it sliced, cutting not flesh, but essence.
The thing howled, disintegrating into ash.
The fog began to lift.
---
One Root Cut
Suma fell to her knees, stunned. "You actually did it. You severed one of the spiral's roots."
Renji stared at the blade in his hand, still glowing faintly. "And there are two more to go."
Aoi looked at the map. "Next stop—the Bone Spiral."
Kaito shuddered. "I don't even want to guess what that is."
Renji stood tall. "Whatever it is… I'm ready."
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End of Chapter 47
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To Be Continue