The laughter gradually faded, but the atmosphere had completely changed. For the first time since they had arrived, the three felt that… perhaps they could trust each other.
Akari, who had remained observant until then, rose from her chair with calm grace and impeccable posture. Her gentle, yet determined eyes landed on the three.
"That's enough for today. Come with me. I'll take you to your dormitories."
The tone was firm, but there was a certain implicit affection there, an authority that didn't intimidate, only guided.
Renjiro, Reika, and Takumi exchanged glances. They all nodded without protest.
Yuto waved his hand, relaxed:
"Sleep well, brats. Tomorrow is another day."
Ryo was already lying down again, snoring softly.
Asuka, still with her arms crossed, murmured:
"Don't call me crazy on the way."
The three walked past her laughing, still a little embarrassed.
But before the door opened completely, a soft voice called them again.
Shiori.
She stood in the center of the room, enveloped in a soft light from the lamps above.
"Wait."
The three stopped. Akari also turned around, respectfully.
Shiori took a few steps forward. Her tone was serene, but laden with meaning.
"When you're ready… come back here."
She paused, as if wanting to carefully weigh her words.
"I, Akari, and the others will be waiting for you. Not everything was said to you today… but there are things that cannot be forced into an exhausted mind."
Her gaze met Renjiro's, then Reika's, and finally Takumi's.
"Trust the masks. But above all… trust yourselves."
Renjiro felt a chill down his spine at that phrase. Nyxalith's voice whispered in unison, like an echo from within the soul:
"It is in the abyss of the unknown that true masks are born..."
Reika nervously squeezed her left arm with her right hand.
Takumi merely closed his eyes for a moment and nodded.
Akari turned to the door, which opened gently. With a light gesture of her hand, she invited them to follow her.
"Let's go. It's time to rest."
And with that, the three left the Council room, while the imposing figures behind the table watched them disappear down the corridor illuminated by stained-glass windows that cast ethereal reflections on the floor.
In the air hung the weight of something greater. A future still hidden.
But for the first time... they were not alone.
The corridors of the Tower of Voices were long and imposing, lined with polished stone bearing almost mystical patterns, undulating lines, and symbols that seemed to pulse slightly as one passed through.
The sound of footsteps echoed in a calm, almost meditative rhythm as Akari guided the three young people up the wide staircases. Beside the walls, flutes of light projected soft images, flowery fields, distorted landscapes of Yumehara, figures training in silence. It was like walking inside an ancient, living sanctuary.
Akari spoke as she walked, needing no turn, her voice filling the corridor with natural clarity.
"From now on… your daily life will change completely. Waking up early. Mental training. Physical training. Synchronization with the masks. Study of the spiritual planes and the Fractures. And of course…" she stopped at the top of the stairs and turned slightly, "…your own emotions will be challenged. Constantly."
Takumi grimaced.
"Sounds like the army with a postgraduate degree in magic."
Reika grumbled.
"And I barely got out of bed before eight..."
Renjiro remained quiet, simply absorbing everything. But there was a silent concentration in his eyes. As if he had accepted it. As if he had no choice but to move forward.
Akari continued.
"But... all of this is for a greater good. You weren't brought here by chance. The masks chose you. And we... will prepare you for what comes next."
She stopped in front of a side corridor that opened onto a wing illuminated by floating lanterns. On the ceiling, there was a skylight with a direct view of the reddish sky of Yumehara. The clouds there moved slowly, as if dancing to the rhythm of an invisible current.
"This is your dormitory."
The doors were dark wood, decorated with small metallic talismans embedded in a spiral. Each with a unique symbol engraved in the center, abstract representations of the newly awakened masks.
Akari pointed:
"Renjiro, room 3. Reika, room 2. Takumi, room 1. You're side by side, for now."
Takumi looked around.
"This looks more like a luxury hotel than a training dormitory…"
Reika nudged his shoulder:
"Pshh. Shut up before they change their minds and make us sleep on the floor."
Akari smiled slightly. A rare smile.
"Rest tonight. You'll need it. Because from tomorrow… your path begins as true bearers."
She turned around with an elegant movement of her cloak and began to walk away down the corridor.
But before disappearing into the darkness between the stained glass windows, he turned one last time:
"And remember… the more you know each other, the stronger the bond with your masks will be. And when that happens… nothing will stop you."
The bedroom doors opened gently, as if recognizing their new occupants.
Takumi gave a low whistle and entered, still curious about everything.
Reika, before entering, glanced sideways at Renjiro, who seemed lost in his own thoughts. She lightly touched his arm.
"Everything will be alright. Even if we're caught up in a completely crazy reality."
Renjiro looked at her. And for the first time in a long time, he smiled. A small smile. But a genuine one.
"Yeah. Go."
Tower of Voices - Reika's Room
The door closed behind her with a dry click. Silence.
Reika placed her hand on the doorknob for a few seconds, as if the touch of the wood kept her anchored to reality. Only when she exhaled did she allow herself to let her coat fall to the floor, carelessly.
The room was spacious, with warm tones and fabrics hanging on the walls, embroidered symbols dancing in the soft light of a floating lantern. The tatami floor creaked slightly under her bare feet, and the air had a scent somewhere between burning incense and ginger tea.
She looked around and let out a muffled laugh.
"This looks more like a temple room than a dormitory..." she murmured.
She walked to the futon spread out in the corner. On the way, she pulled up her shirt, which slowly rode up her back, revealing skin still sweaty from the day's tension. The warm light of the lantern cast shadows on the curves of her body as she dropped the garment onto a nearby chair.
She was left only in her top, which clung to her skin. Her hands slid down her waist, loosening the button of her shorts with a subtle snap. The zipper slowly slid down.
Piece by piece, she freed herself from the weight of the day.
When she turned her back to the bedroom mirror, she stopped. She turned slowly. She observed herself. A firm body, marked by small scars, lively and heavy eyes. Hair stuck to her forehead. Irregular breathing.
She approached the mirror and stared into her own eyes.
"What are you doing, Reika?"
There was no answer. It wasn't needed.
She let her fingers trace her shoulders, as if testing if she was still real. The reflection followed each gesture with an almost uncomfortable intensity.
She lay on her side on the futon. Her nightgown fell off one shoulder. The sheet slipped to the beginning of her thigh, and the warmth of the fabric awakened shivers.
The position was casual… but heavy.
With her head resting on her hand, she turned to face Ame-no-Kagura's mask, resting like a relic on the low table.
"You've been very quiet today."
Silence.
Then, a soft laugh. The voice came as a warm breath close to his ear.
"I was enjoying the show. You know, you look beautiful when you let yourself be seen like this. No filter."
Reika huffed, but bit her lower lip with a smile that was hard to hide.
"You really are... unbearable."
"And you're truly delicious when you get lost in your own room."
Reika rolled onto the pillow and pulled the blanket up to her waist.
"Sleep, little voice from beyond. Tomorrow hell begins."
"Or paradise, sweetie. It depends on how you use the power you have."
She closed her eyes. Her heart was still pounding. Not from fear, but from the feeling of being on the edge. On a threshold between the old Reika and something she didn't quite know what it was yet.
And in the warm silence of that night, where body met soul, and apprehension mingled with desire and curiosity, Reika fell asleep. Not peacefully. But in a gentle fire.
Tower of Voices - Takumi's Room
The door slammed shut with a dull thud.
Takumi leaned back against the wood, arms crossed, eyes on the ceiling of the room.
The space was simple, but spacious. Traditional style mixed with discreet technology, tatami mats on the floor, an impeccable futon in the corner, but also a small bookshelf with books and a terminal embedded in the wall. The window was open, letting in the soft sound of wind and running water outside.
"Well… shit." he whispered.
He threw himself back on the futon, arms outstretched as if he had just come out of a war. He took a deep breath. The ceiling gave him no answers.
"So that's it. Masks, fractures, parallel realities. And now we're trapped in a new world with a crazy white-haired woman, a strange queen, and a council that looks like it came out of a post-apocalyptic anime."
Pause.
"…and we haven't even had dinner yet."
Silence.
But he knew he wasn't alone.
He turned his face slowly, his eyes fixing on the mask leaning against the wall, earthy in tone, with austere lines, and that unmistakable presence, as if the air around it were always denser.
"You're there, aren't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
The voice came, calm and deep, like someone with centuries of time in their throat.
"I'm always here, Takumi. Even if the silence seems empty."
Takumi laughed, a dry, ironic laugh.
"Tenax. You really are... how do you say... a monk? A Zen master? You speak as if you were in an ancient book."
"I speak like someone who observes time passing. And has learned to listen before judging."
Takumi looked at the ceiling again, this time with less sarcasm in his eyes.
"You know, I thought I'd be the guy who just had to choose the right course, pretend I was okay, make jokes when the world burns. But now…"
He closed his eyes.
"Now I'm here. And, strangely, I feel like nothing I've been until now… is worth a damn."
Tenax was silent for a moment.
"What you were… brought you to where you are. Don't deny it. But what you become from here on out… will define whether you survive."
Takumi opened his eyes. There was no anger in them, but there was no peace either.
"Did you know this was going to happen? Even before we met?"
"I felt you carried something. An emptiness. A shadow you tried to hide with false light. The mask isn't just power, Takumi. It's a reflection."
"A reflection… huh."
He stood up slowly. He went to the window. Outside, Yumehara shone in the soft light of floating lanterns. The buildings, the curved roofs, the light mist drifting between the temples and fountains. It was beautiful. But it seemed so far from his reality that it hurt.
"Reika is out there trying to stay whole. Renjiro… I have no idea what he feels. But I… I feel like I'm deceiving everyone, Tenax. Even myself."
"You're not alone, Takumi."
"You say that because you have to keep up with me."
"I say that because I believe in you."
Takumi turned around. For the first time, he smiled, not that arrogant or provocative smile. But a small, real one. The kind that comes with the eyes and not the mouth.
"Tomorrow we'll train, won't we?"
"Tomorrow you'll get to know parts of yourself you've always avoided."
Takumi looked at the mask. Then at the bed.
"Then sleep well, my masked spirit. Tomorrow... we'll try not to die."
And with that, he turned off the light and let the room plunge into silence.
Tower of Voices - Renjiro's Room
The door closed behind him with a soft click. Renjiro leaned against the wood, as if the world had stopped.
The room was the most austere of the three, light gray walls, dark wood floor, a bed in the center and a desk in the corner with paper and ink. There were no windows. Only a light suspended from the ceiling, almost as if the room were between worlds.
On the floor lay the mask.
The same one that had changed everything.
Nyxalith.
Renjiro approached, his steps slow. He looked at her. It was like staring into a cracked mirror that showed not what he was… but everything he had always tried to hide.
She sat on the mattress, his body still tense. He was barefoot, his shirt clung to his chest, and his breathing was shallow, as if he were still trapped in the moment of awakening.
"This isn't normal…" he murmured. "None of this is normal…"
Silence. But it didn't last.
The voice came, not from his ears, but from his spine. A whisper that seemed to pass through his bones, warm, moist, with a poisonous sweetness.
"And since when were you a normal guy, Renjiro…?"
He froze.
"Nyxalith…"
"Ah… so you still remember my name. Good. I thought you tried to bury it with everything else."
Renjiro swallowed hard. His heart raced.
"What are you, anyway?"
She laughed. Not a laugh… but a hissing sound, almost like the touch of cold fingers on the nape of his neck.
"I am what lives in the space between who you are… and who you refuse to be. I am the echo that always whispered to you when you cried alone in that room. I am the emptiness you learned to pretend not to feel. And now, dear Renjiro, I am yours."
He stood up abruptly, almost tripping.
"Shut up! You know nothing about me!"
"Ah, but I do. I was there when you yelled at your sister at the door, when the blood stained the floor and you didn't know whether to cry or laugh. I felt the guilt. The anger. The terror. And the sweet, sweet relief… of finally feeling alive."
Renjiro staggered back and slammed his fists against the wall.
"Don't talk about her…"
"But she's part of you. Like me. Don't you see? You're not just the guy who survives. You're the one who carries everything… and still keeps walking."
He collapsed onto the mattress, his eyes brimming with tears, but without letting them fall.
"So tell me. What the hell do you want from me?"
The answer was soft… almost maternal.
"I want you to stop running away. I want you to use me. To accept me. I want you to stop trying to be the good guy for a world that has never treated you well."
She paused. Her tone softened.
"I want to be your strength. Your refuge. Your poison. And, if you allow me… the only thing that will never abandon you."
Renjiro let his head fall into his hands. He stayed like that for several minutes.
The room was hot. Too hot.
But he didn't move.
The mask seemed to breathe with him. And when he finally closed his eyes, one of her phrases echoed in his mind:
"You will sleep in peace… only when you accept the pain as part of you."
And that night, Renjiro didn't sleep. But also… he didn't feel alone.
...