"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 finally awake!" Celia cried, hugging him. Her face was 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. I wanted to come look for you by myself, 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 in a soft tone.
"Hey there, son…"
"Ugh…" he moaned, pressing a hand to his head.
I feel like i have no energy...
"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.
Soon after, 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… Last I 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.
"Y-yeah…" Tuziku replied.
They left his room.
As Tuziku stared at the old, cobwebbed ceiling, he desperately tried to recall what had transpired before he fell unconscious.
What happened to me…? Did I fall asleep?
…No… I remember now!
His eyes widened.
I heard someone approaching behind me, then something weird flew into my mouth.
Now that I think about it, it felt like a ball covered in some kind of slimy substance…
He gasped.
But then, whose footsteps did I hear?
This doesn't make any sense at all…!
"Ugh…!"
"My head…"
I feel so tired…
He drifted off to sleep.
That night, Tuziku had a strange dream.
In his dream, he watched two demons face off against each other in a deadly battle. Countless corpses were scattered around them. At some point, one of the demons called out Tuziku's name while locking eyes with the other demon.
"Tuziku!"
"Tuziku!!"
He bolted upright, gasping for air.
"It's alright, son. It's just me," his father said as he patted Tuziku's head.
"...So it was just a dream…" he whispered.
"Were you 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 suddenly remembered his strange dream… and the incident from the night before.
After a moment of silence, he smiled.
"Yeah! I'm feeling much better now!"
"Hmmm… 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, Papa?" Celia asked, wearing a sad expression.
"I already told you—you're not old enough to help me with work yet," said her father as he gently patted 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 in order to cross over to the other side.
CHAPTER END