✦ Ikiryo ✦
Mmmgh…
Ikiryo… where are you?
"Mom?"Her voice—it was hers. Soft. Shaking.
Why aren't you at my side, honey?
"No—Mom, I'm doing this for you. Just hold on. I found a way to save you—please."
"I wish I hadn't become a burden to you, my son… But don't worry. I don't have much time left. This will all be over soon."
"No! Stop—don't say that…"
"Promise me something Ikiryo."
"No, I don't want to promise anything! I'm going to save you!"
"Please promise me you'll save yourself first… alright?"
"I don't understand. Why are you saying this? What do you mean?"
I reached for her.
And when I touched her—Her eyes bled.Her hands bled.Her back split open in a gash of red.
"MOM!"
—
I jolted upright in bed, soaked in sweat. This dream again..
"Guh—" I couldn't breathe.
My ribs ached like someone had driven blades between them. My head throbbed. My eyes burned.
Where… where am I?
I blinked hard, and the room slowly came into focus.Warmth beneath my fingers. Rough wool. A blanket?
My heart still raced as I registered the texture. I was sitting on a bed—a real bed.
Pain sliced through my chest as I was tryin to catch air.
"Shit—"
"Well, aren't you charming" said a calm, dry voice.
I snapped toward the doorway.
An old woman stood there, arms folded. Her long blonde braids glinted in the firelight. She wore a white patchwork robe, the kind you'd see in fairy tales—if the grandma was raised by wolves and probably hunted with a spear.
"Who the hell are you?" I blurted out.
She didn't flinch. "Just your local savior and tea-brewer."
"Where's my friend—?"
"IKIRYOOO!"
A voice exploded from behind her.
Yumi burst through the flap, cheeks stuffed with bread. The second she saw me, her eyes widened—and then she tackled me with a hug.
"Your finally awake! I'm so glad"
I winced. "Ah—!"
She gasped and instantly pulled back. "Sorry! Sorry—are you okay?"
Tears brimmed in her eyes. Her mouth was still full of food. She was sobbing while chewing.
God, this girl.
I stared at her, dazed. "Where… where the hell are we?"
Yumi turned to the old woman. "Granny, can we have a moment?"
"Granny?" Is she serious..
The woman chuckled and placed a steaming bowl of water on the table before walking out, disappearing behind thick hide curtains.
I scanned the room.
Round walls. Animal pelts. Strange herbs hanging from ropes along the ceiling. The air smelled of smoke, pine, and something… old. A little fire crackled in the center, like a beating heart.
This place feels ancient.
"Yumi," I said slowly. "What the hell is this?"
She sat down beside me, fiddling with her bread crust. "To be honest… I don't really know."
"Then why are you eating it?! That could be poison!"
I swatted the bread from her hands and mouth.
"HEY!" she yelped.
"Yumi—what the hell?! How can you think about food right now?"
"Because we've been stuck in this nightmare for twelve hours and my stomach doesn't run on trauma, okay?!"
I forced myself up, wincing hard. "We're leaving. Now."
"Can you just listen for one second?!"
She stood, fists clenched. "You passed out! I panicked! I yelled for help, and some guy came. He helped carry you here. He said we were lucky. That we shouldn't be out there in the dark. So I followed him."
"You followed a stranger?"
"Yes! Because you were dying! AND I didn't know what to do"
"How do you know this isn't a trap?!"
"Oh my god, Ikiryo—do you think I just waltzed into the jaws of death for fun?! I did what I had to do!"
"You're always acting on impulse. You can't keep risking your life like that—"
"Then stop treating me like I'm your sidekick!"
The air froze.
Tears spilled down her cheeks, and my throat closed up.
I said too much. Again.
She turned away. Her fists trembled.
"I hate it when you yell at me," she whispered.
Shit.
I reached out without thinking. "Yumi, I didn't mean to—"
"Don't touch me!" she snapped, voice cracking.
But I saw her shoulder shake.
I stepped around her and caught her wrist gently.
She stiffened—but didn't pull away.
Her eyes met mine.
I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
She stared at me. Furious. Fragile.
Like I'd just cracked something open inside her.
I leaned in, our faces inches apart. She didn't move. Didn't breathe.
She was waiting.
I parted my lips to say something—
SCREEEEECH!
The tent flap snapped open. Cold wind blew in. We launched apart like we'd been caught doing something illegal.
A tall figure stepped inside, silhouetted by the firelight.
"Hey, ya. How are you guys doing?" he asked casually.
Too casually.
He looked… familiar.
But not in a way I could name.
Something deep in my chest stirred.
I know him… don't I?