Hana's eyes snapped open.
Sunlight spilled through towering trees, golden and warm. A breeze ruffled her hair, carrying the scent of flowers and damp earth. Birds sang nearby, a melody so alive it almost hurt.
She blinked. Everything felt sharper, brighter, more alive than she remembered. Leaves glimmered like tiny gems. Shadows shifted under the trees. Even the air felt different, buzzing lightly against her skin.
Hana sat up, moving with a strange grace and strength. Her back didn't hurt like it always did after long hours at her desk. She felt… powerful. Her hands… they glowed faintly in pale silver light. She stared at them in disbelief.
'What is this?' Her mind raced with dozen of questions at once.
Her hair felt heavier. She lifted a strand between her fingers, looking at the unnatural colour. It was green, almost silver at the tips, and it shimmered in the sunlight.
"Green?" she whispered. Her mind raced. My hair… green? And so much longer than before!
Her fingers brushed her chest. Her heartbeat strong and steady, as if the world itself was keeping time with her pulse. Calm. Warm. Whole.
"Where… am I?"
The forest answered with nothing but wind and bird songs, yet every sound felt strong, like it wanted her to notice.
A soft bell-like sound rang beside her. She turned, startled. A small lantern hovered in midair, its shape was simple, round, glassy, with faint carvings she couldn't read. Inside, a soft silver light pulsed gently, not a flame, but a ball of light.
Hana swallowed. She wanted to speak, but the words were stuck in her throat. She could only stare in disbelief.
After few seconds, she took a deep breath, smelling the moss, the flowers, the earth. Every sense screamed that she was somewhere she had never been. Somewhere unknown.
"What is going on?" Hana's mind flooded with questions.
When she opened her eyes again, the lantern floated beside her.
Then an image formed in her head. Not in the air, not infront of her, but in her head. A text that felt alive, like trying to communicate.
[Soul Link initializing…]
'Huh?' she twitched.
[10%…]
[17%…]
[23%… Resonance unstable. Emotional state: Overwhelmed → 15 – 30% Resonance decrease.]
Hana's hands shook. Her chest tightened as the lantern hovered beside her, light pulsing weakly. 'Resonance? 23%? Decrease? What does it all mean?'
[27%… Emotional instability detected. Recommend calm.]
She swallowed hard. "What is that? Some sort of a… system? Is it even real?"
[Bearer recognized: Hana Ito. Female. 23 years old.]
[Warning: Corruption signature detected. Presence inconsistent. Dual-state confirmed.]
[Classification: Anomalous. Possible ████-██.]
[Analysis incomplete… anomalies exceed classification parameters.]
[Note: Soul exhibits traits of both ██████ and █████ ████. Handle with extreme caution.]
'Anomalous? Caution? What in the world is going on?' The messages wouldn't stop, they just kept coming.
[Soul connection established.]
[Objective: Redeem or Exterminate Corrupted Souls.]
[Failure condition: Irreversible Spiritual Collapse.]
[Resonance check: 34%… Flickering Flame established.]
[Warning: Emotional turbulence reduces purification efficiency.]
Hana's heartbeat echoed in her ears, but the lantern's glow flickered in response… like it was watching her.
"Okay, this is crazy." She said in disbelief, trying to stop all those questions from flooding her head like tsunami.
'I need to calm down.'
Hana calmly stood up. She looked at the lantern that followed her movement gracefully, the text in her head already gone.
'How did I even read it that fast? Well, nevermind. I should focus on other things right now.' She looked around, trying to figure out where she was.
"Okay, so I'm on a road that's going through some sorf of forest? But what are those trees?' Hana made few steps towards the closest tree to her. Just now she realized how weird those were. Upon a closer look, she realized that many of the them had differently colored leaves. Some blue, some red. Few of the tree trunks had almost glowing flowers on them.
'Okay, even tho this looks amazing, I am more and more confused. Am I really…' she stopped at her thoughts, looking at her hands and then further to the horizon. 'In a different world?'
Hana felt corners of her mouth move up. Faint excitment flooded her body as she decided to follow the road she was on.
'I'm not dreaming, am I?' she hoped as she happily fastened her pace.
[Emotional fluctuation detected…]
[Analyzing emotional state: Excitment… impact on resonance +10–20%…]
[Projected resonance gain: +12%]
[Resonance check complete: 46%… Gentle Glow established.]
"Okay stop it already!" Hana scoffed. 'Interrupting my trip to... who knows where. What am I even supposed to do?' She looked at the lantern, not leaving her side, hoping for an answer. Then she heard a faint sound of water.
'Water? Wait, I need water! I have literally nothing!' she remembered as she started following the sound.
After successfully avoiding tree branches and rocks on the ground, she stood over a smaller lake.
"Ah, but is it drinkable? How do I know…'
She glanced into the lake and paused, seeing her reflection in the lake. Pale skin with red cheecks touched by warmth, green hair, shimmering silver where sunlight touched it, falling freely over her shoulders, blue eyes bright and alive once more. The simple linen dress she wore swayed with the wind, patched but clean.
"...This is me?" she whispered, her voice almost breaking. Her reflection smiled back, calm and still.
A breeze passed. She slightly turned her head. Her reflection wavered. Then, just for a second, it didn't move with her.
Hana blinked. The reflection tilted its head - slowly - delayed.
'Wha-'
The wind died.
The birds stopped singing.
Only the faint hum of the lantern remained, nothing else.
[Warning: Environmental fluctuation detected.]
[Unknown presence nearby.]
Hana's heart pounded. The water darkened, ripples spreading outward like something was breathing beneath the surface.
She took a step back.
The reflection twitched again. Its eyes went pitch black.
Then, from beneath the water, a hand burst through. Black and twisted, dripping with shadows.
Hana screamed, stumbling back. The lantern shot forward, its glow flaring in defense.
[Corrupted Soul detected.]
[Purification potential: Low.]
[Resonance sync recommended.]
Something crawled out of the water, a shape barely human, its body slick with dripping darkness, like oil and blood trying to take form. The air reeked of damp earth and decay.
Its limbs trembled, joints cracking and bending in unnatural ways.
Where eyes should have been, two pools of black water stared back at her, reflecting her own terrified face.
Its hair floated as though still submerged. Water seemed to defy gravity, dripping upward as mist formed over the monster's body.
Hana froze. Her body screamed to run, but her feet wouldn't move.
'Move! For God's sake move!' tears bursting down her face.
The lantern pulsed faster.
[Warning: Emotional conflict detected. Resonance unstable.]
"I… I can't…" Hana stumbled back, gripping her glowing hand. "What do I do?!"
The creature lunged at her.
The lantern bursts into blinding light, filling the forest.