---
The wind whispered through the mountaintop shrine, now silent after the chaos that had erupted only days before. Yuki lay resting in the old temple's inner chamber, wrapped in thick blankets. His breathing was steady, but his aura—still volatile—flickered faintly around him like shadows dancing in candlelight.
Outside, Ren stood at the edge of the stone steps, arms folded, gazing at the horizon.
He felt it.
Something… watching.
The hair on his neck bristled.
It was faint, barely noticeable, but unmistakable—a ripple in the spiritual flow, like a shadow passing through the very fabric of the world. A trace of something not quite void, not quite spirit… but something older.
He turned sharply, eyes narrowing at the forest beyond the shrine.
Nothing.
But deep within the trees, far from sight, a faint figure crouched silently on a branch. Cloaked in dark foxfire, twin eyes—silver and cold—watched the shrine with unreadable intent.
Nogitsune.
He said nothing, but the corner of his mouth curled into the faintest smirk.
"So… you're beginning to wake up, little brother."
His voice didn't escape his lips, but echoed faintly in the spiritual realm—low, calm, and dangerous. Yuki stirred in his sleep, his brows twitching slightly. Somewhere in his dreams, that voice had already returned.
Yuki flinched, gripping his blanket tighter.
"Not yet," the voice whispered in the dark corner of his mind. "But soon."
Nogitsune turned away, leaping effortlessly from tree to tree, vanishing into the deeper woods, leaving behind nothing but the faint scent of foxfire and a barely-there echo.
---
Back at the shrine, Himari stepped into Yuki's room with a damp cloth. She paused, sensing something… wrong.
"Ren," she said softly as she came back out. "Did you feel that?"
Ren nodded, staring into the trees. "He was here."
"Should we warn Yuki?"
Ren glanced over his shoulder, then looked up at the sky.
"…Not yet. Let him rest while he can."
---
"If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comment—it really helps this grow!"