(Yuuta's POV – Age: 8) :- Flashback.
Halloween Night – Luna City Orphanage
While the other kids were out running around in dollar-store vampire capes and screaming about candy, I was in my room—alone. Again.
No one ever invited me to play. Not even the kid who used to eat glue.
I sat on my creaky little bed, fiddling with a broken flashlight, hoping no one would notice I existed.
That's when I heard the slow creak of the door.
Sister Mary stood there in the hallway, her face half in shadow like some horror movie character. The irony is painful in hindsight.
"Yuuta," she said gently, "why aren't you outside playing with the other children?"
I shrugged. "They don't like me. I'm okay here."
She stepped inside and gave me the kind of smile you'd expect from a loving nun in a bedtime story. "Don't be sad. We'll spend time together, just the two of us."
My eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course," she said. "Let's watch a movie."
I should've known something was wrong the moment she walked over and closed the door behind her. Click. Then she marched to the window and yanked the curtains shut like she was sealing a tomb. Whoosh.
Finally, she turned off the lights.
Sister Mary's Horror Dungeon was now in session.
"Umm... Sister Mary?" I asked, already sensing my doom. "Why'd you turn the lights off?"
She smiled. "Don't worry. We're going to watch a movie together."
"Okay… What kind of movie?"
"Horror."
I blinked. Twice. "Wh-What!? Horror!? But you—you don't even have eyes to see!"
She laughed. Laughed.
"Oh, come on, Yuuta. You'll just describe every scene to me. In detail."
My soul began slowly ascending out of my body.
"No. Nope. Not doing this. I refuse. This is a violation of—of child rights! Of the holy church! This is blasphemy!"
"Yuuta," she said sweetly, "sit down."
"No! I won't! I want Jesus, not Jigsaw!"
But she had already inserted the DVD. The cursed intro music started playing, the kind that sounds like someone whispering directly into your nightmares.
The screen lit up, and I swear my young spirit tried to leap out the window.
For the next ninety minutes, I sat there frozen—trapped in a blanket burrito of fear—describing every jump scare, every creepy little girl crawling out of a well, every whisper, and every flickering light… to a nun.
A blind nun.
And from that night forward?
Every. Halloween.
Like clockwork, Sister Mary would waltz into my room with a smile and say:
"Movie night, Yuuta~"
And I would cry internally.
You want to know why I hate ghosts?
It's not the movie monsters.
It's childhood trauma wrapped in nun robes.
_________
Present Time.
Location: Yuno City Central Mall – Movie Theater Lobby
"I don't want to watch The Konjuring!" I yelled, my voice hitting a pitch so high it startled a pigeon outside. "My life literally depends on this, Erza!"
Erza didn't even blink. Her striking Voilet eyes gleamed with amusement—or maybe cruelty—as she folded her arms. "Be mature, you idiotic mortal."
Mortal. She really pulled the "I'm a dragon queen" card again.
I backed up until I hit one of the tall marble pillars in the theater lobby. Then I did the only thing a rational, desperate man could do—I clung to it like a koala.
"I'm not going in there!" I shouted, wrapping my limbs around it as if it were my last hope.
People started staring. A few giggled. One guy took out his phone. Great. I was going viral.
"Laugh all you want—but none of you know why I'm scared of ghosts. I hate them. Truly. More than anything else."
"Elena," Erza called sweetly, "your father has reverted to a primitive life form."
"Mama, is Papa evolving backward?" Elena asked with genuine concern, followed by a burst of innocent laughter.
"I told you we shouldn't have let her watch that documentary about cavemen," I muttered.
Erza marched up and grabbed the back of my shirt. "Let go."
"No."
"We already bought the tickets."
"Refund them."
"There are no refunds."
"Fake news!"
She yanked harder, lifting me a few inches off the ground. "Stop embarrassing yourself."
"It's you who's forcing me to watch a horror movie!" I snapped, still hugging the pillar like it owed me child support.
"What's wrong with horror movies?" she asked like a true psychopath.
"You don't get it! You're not human! You're not emotionally fragile!"
She sighed like she had just stepped on something disgusting. Then, without warning—WHACK!
She karate-chopped the top of my head.
I collapsed instantly. I think I saw three Elenas giggling above me. Or maybe that was just brain damage.
"Target neutralized," Erza muttered, grabbing my ankle and dragging me across the theater floor like I was a bag of groceries.
Everyone around us? Laughing. Filming. A grandma even gave Erza a thumbs-up. Betrayal was in the air.
And then—just to finish me off—Elena trotted along beside us and said loud enough for the entire mall to hear:
"Mamaaa, Papa is scared of ghosts!"
I wanted to vanish.
Location: Yuno City, Central Theater – Hall 3
The moment we stepped into the theater hall, I swear my jaw dropped a little. The screen was massive. Like, "I could park a dragon on that thing" massive.
And for just a fleeting moment… I saw it.
Erza's icy composure cracked. Her eyes lit up like a kid at a candy store. For exactly 0.3 seconds, Her Royal Frostiness looked genuinely excited.
Caught ya.
"Told you you'd be surprised," I said, grinning like I'd just won the lottery.
She coughed, adjusted her posture like she was sitting on a throne, and said flatly, "It's… quite good. But not that big. I was expecting something more… colossal."
Right. Of course. Just admit you liked it, you pride-fueled dragon popsicle.
Before I could reply, a small blur of energy shot past us.
"Elena—!" I called out.
Too late.
She was already jumping on the seats like it was a trampoline park.
"No jumping! It's rude!" I yelled, trying to sound like a responsible parent. People were starting to stare. Again.
"Papa! It's sooo soft here!" she giggled, flopping belly-first onto one of the seats like she was swimming in marshmallows.
I sighed. "Oh, that's just kids for you," I said, turning back—
—and nearly choked.
Erza was sitting down.
Comfortably.
Relaxed.
She leaned back into the plush seat like she was finally letting her guard down after five centuries of war. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes—those fierce crimson eyes—had softened just a bit. Like she was… content.
"Feeling good?" I asked, almost in a whisper.
She immediately froze, turned her head slightly, and said with full dragon queen denial, "No. I'm just comfortable because the atmosphere is cold. That's all."
Yeah. Right.
"Oh, right! You're a Snow Dragon. Cold air's basically your spa day," I chuckled. "No wonder you and Elena are thriving while I'm over here turning into a popsicle."
"You call this cold?" she raised an eyebrow. "This is room temperature in the Atlantis Kingdom. If you went there, your bones would turn to ice shards."
I hugged myself dramatically. "Yeah, okay. Thanks but no thanks. I like my organs where they are—unfrozen."
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing!" I coughed. "In fact, I was just saying I'd love to visit the Atlantis Kingdom one day. Absolutely. 10 out of 10. Sounds… magical."
She smiled. And not the warm kind.
"Good mortal."
I was sitting right in the middle of the row—sandwiched between a dargon queen and a toddler who clearly had more courage in her pinky finger than I had in my entire body.
On my right, I clutched Elena's tiny hand like it was a holy artifact.
On my left… well, I tried to hold Erza's hand.
She gave me one glare.
So instead, I held the armrest. Tightly. Like it was the only thing keeping my soul from leaving my body.
And then…
The movie started.
The lights dimmed, creepy music oozed out of the surround speakers, and my survival instincts kicked in.
I was already clutching the theater seat with both hands like the ghost might crawl out of the cupholder any second.
Meanwhile, Elena sat there with a big ol' tub of popcorn, munching away like she was watching Peppa Pig.
Then came that scene.
Some girl—probably the dumbest character in cinematic history—was entering a creepy, abandoned house… alone. With a flickering flashlight. At midnight. On Halloween.
I leaned forward and whispered, "No. No, don't go in there. Please don't—"
She opened the door.
"WHY would you do that!?" I whispered louder.
Erza side-eyed me with amusement, legs crossed like she was sipping tea.
Suddenly, the camera panned to a dusty portrait of a nun on the wall. A shadow slowly crept toward it.
I knew what was coming.
"I swear, if that thing moves—"
The shadow disappeared behind the portrait… and then—BAM!
The ghost girl launched herself out from behind the frame like a cursed Olympic sprinter, screaming toward the camera.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!" I shrieked, throwing popcorn three rows forward.
Elena burst into a giggle fit.
Erza? She was laughing. Laughing.
Like she was watching a rom-com.
"Did you see that, mortal?" Erza chuckled, nudging me with her elbow. "That girl's expression when the ghost ran at her… priceless."
"I almost passed out!" I hissed, hand on my chest like a grandma who just saw a demon in her teacup.
Elena and Erza burst into laughter.
"Papa!" Elena says between giggles. "You screamed louder than the ghost!"
Erza wipes a tear from her eye—not from fear, from laughter. "This is the best comedy I've ever seen."
---
Scene 2: The Mirror Scene
The main girl's brushing her hair in front of a mirror. Behind her, something moves.
I whisper, "Don't look. Don't look. Please don't look—"
She looks.
Ghost appears. Mirror cracks.
I actually passout almost can't breathe.
Erza tilts her head. "You react like you're the one being haunted."
"I am!" I whisper-scream. "Emotionally!"
Elena nods seriously. "Papa is so soft, like mashed potato."
Thanks for the emotional support, kid.
---
Scene 5: Ghost Under the Bed
The girl hears whispers and leans down to check under the bed.
You never check under the bed. That's like rule #1 in horror survival.
"No… NO. Girl, just leave the room and live your life," I plead.
She looks.
Nothing.
She gets back up.
The ghost is on the bed.
I scream Again covering my face.
Erza chuckles. "You mortals have the best screams. Almost musical."
Elena mimics my scream like a parrot. "Aaaaaahhh!"
"Stop it, both of you!" I whisper, shaking in my seat.
At this point, I wasn't even watching the movie anymore.
The screen was still flickering with creepy ghost faces, dramatic violin screeches, and flickering lights, but I could barely register any of it.
I had reached a new stage of fear.
I wasn't blinking. My hands were cold. I was hugging myself, knees pulled up like I was about to survive a winter storm—inside a theater.
This… was not entertainment.
This was spiritual torture with surround sound.
Then…
I felt something.
A warm touch.
My hand—which had been gripping the armrest like a lifeline—was gently covered by another. Softer. Warmer. Steady.
I turned slowly, almost scared that the ghost followed me into reality.
But it was her.
Erza.
She was looking at the screen like it was nothing. Like she was watching a weather forecast.
"Don't worry," she said softly.
Huh?
"If a ghost really appears…" she added, voice cool and confident, "I'll kill it for you."
My breath caught.
"You… what?"
"I'll destroy it," she repeated, casually. "Even if it's already dead. So stop being afraid of this ghost nonsense."
I blinked twice.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry from relief or propose to her all over again.
Without hesitation, I turned, took her hand in both of mine, and said with all the emotion my heart could produce:
"Erza… I love you so much. You're my savior."
She gave me a look. The kind that said: "Are you serious right now?"
"Don't get carried away," she muttered, trying to pull her hand back.
"Nope," I held it tighter. "I was reborn in this moment. Let me stay here forever."
Behind us, Elena giggled, still chewing on popcorn.
"Papa's blushing~ He looks like a tomato!"
"Shh," I said, but I was smiling.
Even with ghosts flying across the screen, and half the audience screaming, that one small moment with Erza was the warmest part of the whole night.
And that… is how I survived a horror movie.
Barely.
With my dignity in shambles.
With popcorn in my shoes.
And with my hand held by the strongest dragon in the world.
Not bad, right?
To be continued…