Chapter 9: Shadows of Yesterday Part II
Kazuki stood frozen, heart racing, as the gate pulsed ominously before him. Panic surged through him like electricity, sweat beading on his brow as he fought to comprehend what had just happened.
"Sistine!" he shouted again, desperation twisting in his chest. "Where are you?!"
He could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on him—stay and follow the rules, or break them and risk everything to save her. The words of caution echoed in his mind, warnings about the dangers that lay beyond the gate, but they faded against the overwhelming need to act.
What if she's in trouble? What if she needs me?
Kazuki's thoughts raced as he fought against the rising tide of doubt. Sweat dripped down his cheek, and he could hardly breathe.
With a deep breath, he forged his courage.
"I can't just stand here!" He pushed himself forward, determined to follow her through the gate.
He lunged into the dark rippling surface, the world around him warping as he crossed the threshold. For a brief moment, it felt like he was being pulled apart, the air thick and heavy. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the sensation faded, and he tumbled out onto solid ground.
Kazuki landed hard, gasping for breath as he looked around, trying to orient himself in this unfamiliar place. The air was charged with energy, and the landscape stretched out before him—wild and uncharted.
"Sistine!" he called again, voice echoing into the vastness.
Meanwhile, back at the realm gates, the driver of the carriage, having witnessed the incident unfold, pulled the reins and halted his horses. He stared wide-eyed at the now-empty spot where Kazuki and Sistine had just been.
He quickly climbed down from his carriage and rushed toward a nearby group of townsfolk.
"You won't believe what I just saw!" he exclaimed, breathless with urgency. "A girl was knocked into that forbidden gate! And then… then her friend jumped in after her!"
The crowd turned, murmurs spreading among them like wildfire.
"The gate is forbidden! How could he be so reckless?" one man gasped, shaking his head.
"Did you see it? That boy was so desperate!" another woman added, worry etched across her face.
The driver nodded vigorously. "I swear it happened right before my eyes! They just… disappeared!"
Panic swept through the townsfolk as the implications of the event settled in. The whispers of caution grew louder, and a sense of foreboding gripped the air.
Back through the gate, Kazuki pressed forward, urgency fueling his steps as he searched for any sign of Sistine.
He had crossed into the unknown, and he would do whatever it took to find her.
Kazuki stood frozen, heart racing, as the gate pulsed ominously before him. Panic surged through him like electricity, sweat beading on his brow as he fought to comprehend what had just happened.
"Sistine!" he shouted again, desperation twisting in his chest. "Where are you?!"
He could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on him—stay and follow the rules, or break them and risk everything to save her. The words of caution echoed in his mind, warnings about the dangers that lay beyond the gate, but they faded against the overwhelming need to act.
What if she's in trouble? What if she needs me?
Kazuki's thoughts raced as he fought against the rising tide of doubt. Sweat dripped down his cheek, and he could hardly breathe.
With a deep breath, he forged his courage. "I can't just stand here!" He pushed himself forward, determined to follow her through the gate.
He lunged into the dark rippling surface, the world around him warping as he crossed the threshold. For a brief moment, it felt like he was being pulled apart, the air thick and heavy. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the sensation faded, and he tumbled out onto solid ground.
He landed hard, coughing as he pushed himself up, eyes darting across the strange, twisted landscape.
It felt wrong.
Everything about it.
Then he heard something—rustling, movement in the distance.
His eyes narrowed.
And then… they widened.
A gasp escaped his lips, trembling with fear, disbelief… and rage.
"What the hell…"
Meanwhile, back at the realm gates, the driver of the carriage, having witnessed the incident unfold, pulled the reins and halted his horses. He stared wide-eyed at the now-empty spot where Kazuki and Sistine had just been.
He stood frozen for a moment, the image of the two children vanishing into the gate still fresh in his mind. With panic tightening in his chest, he scrambled back onto his cart and whipped the reins.
"Hyah!" he shouted, urging the horses into a gallop.
Dust kicked up behind the wheels as he raced down the road, past the edge of the realm gates and toward the nearest Sentinel outpost—miles away.
"I have to report this," he muttered to himself, eyes wide. "They need to know… they have to know."
To Kazuki's horror, just ahead—Sistine lay motionless on the ground.
And looming above her… a creature out of nightmare.
Its claws scraped the earth, limbs twisted and sinewy, horns curled like jagged blades from its skull. A dark mist pulsed around its body, distorting the air like heat off fire. The malice it radiated was suffocating.
Then it struck.
Its jaws clamped down on Sistine's shoulder with a sickening crunch, crimson spraying across the dirt.
"Sistine!!" Kazuki's scream tore through the stillness.
His instincts took over.
With a fluid motion, he unsheathed his katanda—the blade humming with energy. His feet launched him forward, body low, eyes locked on target.
Slash!
The creature reacted instantly, raising its claws in a swift arc, deflecting Kazuki's strike. The sound of steel scraping against claws rang through the air. The creature's claws were like iron, sharp and unforgiving.
Kazuki didn't hesitate. He pivoted, adjusting his stance for another strike—
But the creature hissed, pulling back, its glowing red eyes narrowing with a primal intensity.
Kazuki turned his attention back to Sistine, his mind racing. She was unconscious, the bite mark already darkening her skin.
He turned his head slightly, ready to fend off another attack—
But the creature was backing off.
Retreating, its glowing red eyes flicked toward something beyond him.
Kazuki frowned, confused—
And then, suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
The air around him shifted.
The presence… was undeniable.
Kazuki's pulse quickened.
He wasn't alone anymore.
Footsteps.
Quiet. Steady. Closing in.
He gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around the hilt of his katanda.
His heart pounded in his chest.
Who—?
And then, the silence was broken by a voice. Cold. Authoritative. "Step away from the girl."
Kazuki's eyes snapped to the source of the voice, his body tensing in preparation.
And everything within him screamed that this was no ordinary presence, it's dense but, in a completely different way.