By the time the afternoon had passed, Kanasei and Nobu found themselves wandering the streets after college. It was past three-thirty, and without realizing it, they had been walking and talking for hours. The sun was beginning its slow descent, painting the sky in streaks of gold and orange, the city quieting as evening approached.
Nobu, as usual, was loud and unrestrained. His hands rested behind his head, elbows jutting out as he talked about everything and nothing all at once. Kanasei walked beside him, shoulders relaxed under his loose jacket, only nodding occasionally, letting the words wash over him without really processing them.
At times, Nobu gestured wildly, arms flailing to punctuate some story or joke, while Kanasei paid him almost no attention.
The streets around them were bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun. Street lamps flickered to life, casting pools of warm light over puddles from earlier rain. The world felt quiet, almost peaceful, the kind of calm that arrives only at the edge of day.
Kansei's gaze drifted slightly downward, eyes distant as though he were elsewhere entirely. Nobu's laughter rang out nearby, punctuated by animated gestures and sharp "Ha!"s, but Kanasei didn't react. One of Nobu's hands swung past his face mid-story, but Kanasei only gave a slight nod, lost in his own thoughts.
Kanasei walked beside Nobu without really hearing him anymore. The sound of his voice blurred into background noise as Kanasei's thoughts drifted elsewhere, pulled toward something familiar yet distant.
That forest near my apartment…
People talked about it often. Whispered about it, warned each other about it.
I wonder what it looks like up close.
In his mind, the image formed clearly.
A forest too bright to belong to the world around it. Rows of blossom trees stretched endlessly, their pink canopies glowing softly even without sunlight. Vines curled around their trunks, heavy with clusters of blue, berry-like growths that pulsed faintly with light, casting an unnatural glow through the leaves. Beneath them, the grass was a vivid green, untouched and pristine, spreading toward a clear river that flowed down from a mountain waterfall. The water shimmered as it moved, catching light from fireflies that drifted lazily through the air, illuminating the forest even at night.
Beautiful.
And forbidden.
Barbed-wire fences surrounded the forest's edge, harsh and ugly against the vibrant scenery beyond. Guards stood watch at intervals—three, sometimes four—silent figures ensuring no one crossed the boundary. No one was allowed inside. Too many people had died there under circumstances no one could properly explain. A metal sign stood near the fence, half-hidden in shadow.
RESTRICTED AREA — KIRAMKU SEIREI NO MORI
Below it, smaller text warned of past casualties.
That only made it harder to forget.
Kanasei had always wanted to enter that forest.
The thought lingered.
Would he now?
"AYE!!"
Nobu's shout snapped Kanasei back to the present, the image shattering as reality rushed in.
Nobu stopped mid-step and turned toward him, eyebrows raised. "Are you even listenin'?" he said, bringing a hand to his face in frustration.
Kanasei didn't answer.
Nobu dragged his palm down his face and let out a long sigh. "It's like I'm talking to a wall…" He paused, lowering his voice as if the words had slipped out on their own. "At least the wall would listen."
By the time he looked up again, Kanasei was already walking away.
"Sorry, I gotta go. See ya," Kanasei said over his shoulder, lifting a hand in a lazy wave without slowing down.
Nobu stared after him for a second, disbelief setting in.
"AYE! You're just gonna leave like that?" he shouted, his voice echoing faintly through the street.
Kanasei didn't turn back.
The sky had darkened to dusk, the last traces of sunlight fading behind the buildings as Nobu stood there alone. He scratched the back of his head, shoulders slumping slightly.
He's acting weird…
With another quiet sigh, Nobu turned and began walking back home.
High above him, perched against the edge of a nearby building, a shape clung to the shadows. It was barely visible—just a black silhouette crouched unnaturally still, watching Nobu's retreating figure without sound or movement.
Unnoticed.
Night had settled by the time Kanasei stepped out of his apartment.
He was dressed differently now. Black from head to toe, a cap pulled low over his eyes and a mask covering the lower half of his face. He adjusted the brim with his right hand, then reached back with his left, tightening it into place. The streetlight caught briefly on the fabric before he moved again.
Satisfied, he slid his hands into his jacket pockets. The air was cool, the streets quieter than before.
Toward the forest.
The forest loomed ahead of him, brighter than the night around it had any right to be.
Even from a distance, Kanasei could see the guards. Their silhouettes moved steadily along the perimeter, boots crunching softly against gravel, weapons and equipment catching faint glints of light. The barbed-wire fence traced the forest's edge like a warning. There was no way through the front.
Kanasei slowed, eyes scanning the boundary. A short wall ran alongside part of the fence, low and easy to climb—but beyond it stood a taller one, solid and unwelcoming. Past that, a building rose up, its dark shape cutting into the night sky. His gaze moved from wall to wall to rooftop.
An idea formed.
Without hesitation, Kanasei moved.
He vaulted the short wall in a smooth motion, landing silently on the other side. The taller wall took more effort, but he found his grip, pulled himself up, and swung over, careful not to let his feet scrape the surface. From there, he climbed onto the building, crouching low as he reached the roof. Above the guards.
Kanasei stayed crouched on the rooftop, hands braced against his knees as he drew in slow, controlled breaths. His chest rose and fell steadily until his heartbeat eased back into rhythm. He straightened and looked ahead.
He straightened and looked ahead.
The gap yawned open between the building and the forest beyond—wide enough to punish hesitation. Below, barbed wire glinted faintly, waiting for a mistake. A fall from this height wouldn't be forgiving either.
Kanasei swallowed.
"C'mon," he muttered under his breath. "You can do it. This is what you've been doing."
He inhaled deeply, exhaled once, and dropped into position. Muscles tensed. Focus narrowed.
Then he ran.
His feet struck the rooftop in rapid succession as he bolted forward, pushing off at the edge without slowing. The world fell away beneath him. Arms flailed instinctively as his body arced through the air, his silhouette cutting cleanly across the face of the moon.
…C'mon.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
Impact came suddenly—but softer than expected.
Kanasei opened his eyes just in time to see pink blossoms rushing up to meet him. Branches caught his fall, leaves and petals exploding around him as he dropped into the canopy. He became tangled among limbs and vines, his descent arrested abruptly.
"Shit," he thought, breath hitching. Am I stuck?
He shifted slightly, testing his weight. Before he could reach for a branch or look for a way down, the vines around him loosened—sliding away as if guided by unseen hands. One by one, they released him. Kanasei dropped the rest of the way, landing hard but controlled. Pain flared briefly, sharp but shallow. A few cuts, nothing serious.
Nearby, a guard paused mid-step.
He turned toward the forest, brow furrowing. "What was tha—"
A sudden burst of wings cut him off. Birds erupted from the trees in a frantic storm, filling the night sky with sound and motion. The guard flinched, then let out a breath, irritation fading into dismissal.
"Tch…"
He turned away and resumed his patrol.
Kanasei pushed himself upright with a quiet groan. A single cut stung along his cheek. He reached up, wiped the blood away with the back of his hand, and shook his head as if to clear it. His body protested as he stood, muscles aching, but he brushed the dirt from his clothes and lifted his gaze.
The forest stopped him cold.
It was beautiful.
Not just beautiful—unreal. Fireflies drifted lazily through the air, their lights blinking like fallen stars. Vines curled along tree trunks, dotted with small, blue, berry-like growths that glowed softly in the dark. Pink blossom petals floated down from above, spinning gently before settling into grass that reached up to his shins, lush and alive.
"…Wow," Kanasei breathed.
He stepped forward slowly, walking through the forest as if afraid it might vanish. His fingers brushed against hanging vines, cool and smooth beneath his touch. Everything felt vivid. Too vivid.
The sound of flowing water drew him onward.
Soon, he reached a river—sparkling, impossibly clear. It looked untouched, like something out of a dream. Kanasei approached the bank and took it in piece by piece.
To the left, a waterfall spilled down from the mountain, feeding the river in a steady silver cascade. To the right, the river flowed onward, disappearing over another drop beneath the glow of the full moon hanging high in the sky. Straight ahead, in the center of the river, lay a gigantic chopped tree trunk, its surface worn smooth by time and water.
Kanasei stepped into the river. Cool water washed over his ankles. He paused, looking around again.
This really feels like a dream…
He waded toward the massive trunk and climbed onto it, sitting down carefully. He faced the moon, its light reflecting off the river's surface and dancing across the forest.
A small smile formed on his lips. Warmth spread through his body. Comfort. Calm.
Sleepiness.
Kanasei blinked.
…Sleepy?
The world tilted slightly. His head felt light. Heavy. Both at once. He grabbed the trunk beneath him, fingers tightening as dizziness washed over him.
What is going on…?
His eyelids grew unbearably heavy. No matter how hard he fought it, they slid shut. His grip loosened.
Kanasei fell backward and into the river.
…
When he opened his eyes again, the world was wrong.
Everything was blurred, smeared with dark reds and blacks. Kanasei blinked repeatedly, rubbing his eyes until the haze slowly cleared.
What replaced it made his breath catch.
He was standing in "hell".
Lava waterfalls poured endlessly from jagged cliffs. Fire pooled into vast lakes, their surfaces bubbling and hissing. Sharp, cruel rocks jutted from the ground at unnatural angles, forming mountains and spires that looked less like nature and more like deliberate instruments of torture.
Around him moved creatures—disgusting, twisted forms that barely resembled anything human. Their bodies were wrong. Fear made flesh.
Kanasei looked down.
His hands were red. Skinny, almost skeletal, ending in long, rotten nails. The skin looked burned, decayed, alive in the worst way.
He stared, frozen. He wasn't just surrounded by them.
He was one of them.
"…Where," he thought, dread pooling in his chest, "the hell am I?"