Kaito didn't hesitate for a moment, jumping into the pit, everyone watching his long fall. He felt as if he were floating in an endless void, before hitting the hard bottom, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. He looked up to find himself in a dark stone hall, its walls inscribed with worn symbols, and shattered columns surrounding the room like skeletons.
The room resembled an ancient, abandoned shrine, filled with the heavy silence that precedes cursed tales.
"Are you still alive?" Haeru Shin shouted from above.
Kaito answered with a cold, calm voice:
"It's safe... Get down."
The others jumped one by one, until they were all gathered. At that, Kurul's breath caught, his eyes widening as if they had encountered an ancient ghost:
"...Lyra's Shrine."
Minamoto approached him, his features taut:
"What is this place?"
Korol lowered his head, his voice trembling. "A horrific killing place… They slaughtered insect children, claiming the children brought bad luck. Hundreds of innocent lives were lost here, and the blood that was spilled has yet to dry."
Kaito froze. Korol's words echoed in his head, scattering like shards of a shattered mirror. Suddenly, he saw a blurry image before him: a long corridor traversed by a small child, a hand grasping his, pulling him toward a distant light, and a strange sense of reassurance in his heart.
But the image soon faded, leaving a suffocating emptiness in his mind. He looked around slowly… This shrine, despite the desolation that surrounded it, wasn't entirely foreign to him. He had seen it before… but how?
Something was missing in that memory.
Something was hidden, waiting to be revealed.
In an instant, the air around them changed. A harsh chill pervaded the space, as if an invisible breath hovered in every corner. Suddenly, Hana's scream echoed from the depths of the shrine, her voice echoing off the dark stone walls until it pierced everyone's hearts.
Minamoto lunged forward, his eyes blazing with rage, but Kurul's hand blocked his breath as he shouted sharply, "Don't go! We're… surrounded."
From the shadows, strange creatures lurked. Short, red-skinned, their heads covered in mysterious circles, their eyes bleeding hot blood streaming down their faces. They looked like tiny nightmares sprung from Hell itself.
A stifling silence enveloped the team.
Kurul's voice filled the hall, "Show your soul cleft… Kaito!"
Kaito didn't flinch. His eyes were covered in black, his silver pupils shining like two stars in the pitch-black darkness. Six black cracks appeared on his body, slowly glowing.
As for Korol, three glowing cracks appeared on his chest, as if they had been carved by fire.
The air around them trembled. The red creatures slowly backed away, their mysterious whispers fading, as they realized the balance of power was not in their favor.
Minamoto muttered, recalling the ancient rule:
"Cracks… they are a measure of fear. The more they increase, the more the enemy shrinks before you."
But before they could catch their breath, the sound of footsteps echoed… slow, heavy footsteps, as if trampling on the very souls of the dead.
Out of the darkness emerged a tall woman, her hair as black as night swaying behind her, her eyes glowing bloodshot. She was dressed in the royal attire of an ancient empress. Beside her stood a man with jet-black hair, dressed in dark chlorine, his features a mixture of sneer and malice.
They stopped before the team, awe filling the room.
The man smiled a crooked smile and said,
"It seems we have some unwanted guests… my dear sister."
The woman's voice was as cold as ice.
"That's true… Guests don't enter our home uninvited."
With a quiet movement, she reached inside her robe and pulled out a small, chained body.
It was Hannah, her eyes trembling, her voice muffled behind the shackles.
The woman raised her head proudly and said, her voice as sharp as a sword:
"But it seems you're looking for… what belongs to you."
END OF CHAPTER