"Tuziku! Tuziku! Tuziku!!" his mother cried as she knelt beside his body, her face filled with worry and fear.
Tuziku's eyelids slowly opened to the blurred image of his parents and sister.
"Ahh—big brother! You're awake!" Celia cried, her face covered in snot and tears as she smiled brightly.
"Thank goodness!" Tuziku's mother said as she hugged him tightly.
"I was worried when it started getting late and you hadn't returned, so I wanted to come look for you—but your dad wouldn't allow it. So we all came, and we found you passed out."
"Sorry to make you worry, Mother," Tuziku said weakly.
"Ugh…" he moaned, pressing a hand to his head.
"I feel light-headed… Everything's spinning."
"You're okay now, son. Let's get you inside," his father said with a reassuring grin.
His father carried Tuziku home on his back as his mother and sister followed closely behind.
They arrived at their house and gently laid him in bed.
"What happened out there, kiddo?" his father asked, while his mother and sister stared anxiously.
There was a brief silence.
"I… don't know. I can't remember. I was staring at the sky… then I suddenly woke up to Mom calling my name."
"It's alright, son. Just get some rest, and I'm sure you'll remember tomorrow," his father said.
"Yeah…" Tuziku replied.
They left his room.
As Tuziku stared at the old, cobwebbed ceiling above him, he tried to remember what had happened.
What happened to me? Did I fall asleep?
No… I remember now!
His eyes widened.
I heard footsteps behind me… then that weird creature flew into my mouth!
Now that I think about it, it looked like a ball of green, slimy substance…
He gasped.
But if that's true… whose footsteps did I hear?
"Ugh…"
The headache returned, along with the dizziness.
I feel so tired…
He drifted off to sleep.
That night, Tuziku had a strange dream.
He saw himself facing a demonic being in battle, countless corpses scattered behind them. But he wasn't truly himself—he was inside the body of another demon, preparing to clash with the one before him.
"Tuziku!"
"Tuziku!!"
He gasped and bolted upright.
"So it was just a dream…"
"It's alright, son. It's just me," his father said as he patted Tuziku's head. "You were having a nightmare."
"It's nothing serious…" Tuziku replied sleepily, yawning.
"How are you feeling today? Think we can still go see the other side?" his father asked with a grin.
Tuziku remembered the dream… and the incident from the night before.
After a moment of silence, he smiled.
"Yeah! I'm feeling much better now!"
"Good. Go wash up and eat something first. We'll head out after."
"All right, we're heading off now!" Tuziku said excitedly.
"Why can't I come with you?" Celia asked sadly.
"I already told you—you're not old enough to help me with work yet," their father said, gently patting her head.
"Are you sure you're feeling better, Tuziku?" his mother asked.
"I'm fine, Mother."
"Okay, girls—we'll be gone for three days. Take care!"
"Bye, big brother!" Celia said, hugging him tightly.
"Bye, Celia. One day I'll take you to the other side."
"Bye, Mother."
"Bye, my strong boy," she said with a warm smile.
"Let's go now, son!"
"Yeah!"
Together, they headed for the sea dock.
CHAPTER END