✦ Ikiryo ✦
AGHHHH—
It's like time is being ripped from my bones.
The world bends. My vision stretches. My skin feels like it's being peeled back, slowly.
It hurts.
My whole body screams—
And then...
Time stops.
A blue flash swallows everything.
Where am I?
**In a past time, inside Jinrai's memory.**
"Jinrai…"
"Yes, Ishvaa?"
"Promise me something. That no matter what, you'll always stay by my side.
"You know i could never leave you"
"I am happy to hear that" she chuckles
"You created this part of the world —this sacred piece of earth. It belongs to us, right?"
"Yes… it does."
"Even if we can't go further than this… will it be enough for you?"
"Wherever you are, Ishvaa… it's enough. I want a new eternity with you. Everything I learned in this human world, I learned for you."
She approached the creature, close and she rebbued his fury skin at first , then her tiny hands went on his cheek, as she rubbed the fur it felt like a trail of shining stars was following her, as if every caresse was an acte of love , it felt like she was hugging him, putting her head on his heart sadly but happy at the same time, she took a step back , and looked at him instesly in the eye , she was dressed with a long white wrecked robe
That name—Ishvaa. Why am I standing next to her like I've always known her and seeing all this ?
Wait, is this a dream? I looked at myself eager to pinch myself to wake up , but I couldn't , and I was blue. I looked like a ghost in blue?! WHAT IN WORLD IS GOING ON!
Ikiryo–I hear your thoughts. Even the ones you try to hide deep inside.
You're not dreaming or hallucinating . You're living my memory. One I never wanted to relive.
But now... you have to see it.
Am I dead?
No. You're in your spirit form.
You're feeling what I once felt. You're seeing the world as I once did—
you are seeing me, for a moment.
Everything blurs at first.
But then, my eyes open wide.
And I saw.
There he stood.
A fox—but unlike any fox I'd ever seen. His fur shimmered in shades of celestial blue, and behind him flowed two long tails, each reflecting fragments of the sky as if the night itself lived within them.
His eyes were sapphire flames, ancient and unwavering—older than stars.
From his head rose twisted antlers, curved like roots of silver and rosewood. He didn't stand on the earth. The earth bent toward him. Not because of weight, but out of reverence.
Even the forest leaned in.
"Now," he said, "you see me in my true form."
So… this is Jinrai.
My eyes were wide. I hadn't expected this.
"Then… what form were you in at the museum?"
"My human form," he replied calmly.
"But—no creature in our world ever looked like that."
"A hidden world has always existed alongside yours," he said. "You just never saw it."
Good point.
"I remained hidden… but always watching."
His voice echoed with mystery.
"And… that woman," I asked. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Ishvaa," he said softly.
And Ishvaa , there she was. She stood quietly under the pale sky, her long hair fluttering in the wind — a soft, glowing shade caught somewhere between white and blonde, like sunlight on fresh snow.
Her face was delicate, shaped like a diamond, with a narrow chin and high cheekbones that gave her a graceful, almost noble air. But it was her eyes that truly caught attention — a deep brown mixed with threads of gold, like warm light shining through a forest. They held a calm strength, as if they had seen much, but judged nothing.
Her skin was smooth and soft, a warm brown with just a hint of cream, like coffee touched with milk. Her aura glowing gently against the simple white dress she wore.
The dress had no decoration, but on her, it didn't need any.
Just by standing there, quiet and composed, she felt like something out of a dream —
not because she tried to be beautiful, but because she simply was.
He spoke her name with a depth I couldn't describe—melancholy, maybe… or mourning.
"Where is she now—?"
Before I could finish, the vision fractured.
Darkness bled into the forest.
The scent of smoke filled the air. Trees screamed in the language of fire. Animals fled, their shapes blurred by panic.
And there, in the flames—
Ishvaa was burning.