The words we had negotiated as a code word

I blink two or three times in amazement at what is now in front of me.

A lake in the middle of the waterfall, with the silhouette of a temple arch visible from a far.

My gaze continues to wander to the seemingly endless bridge in front of me. 

This bridge forms the entrance to this world that is completely alien to me. 

I feel overwhelmed but at the same time fascinated by the strangeness that awaits me.

This time, my heart threatened to come out of my chest with excitement and fear. 

The whole show will only end when I set foot on this island. 

Now I was standing in front of this huge arch, illuminated by huge flames. It didn't look very inviting.

The floor is covered with white pebbles. To the right and left are the lush trees you see in pictures of temples like this.  The air around me crackled with an otherworldly energy, suffused with the scent of ancient incense and the distant murmur of unseen spirits. Each step I took on the pebbled path reverberated with a soft crunch, the sound blending with the gentle rush of water from the nearby waterfall.

I continued to walk through the complex without a sign of life.

Until I came to an artificial lake.

"The grounds reminded me of the Kinkaku-ji temple I had just visited".

Suddenly, out of the blue, an abandoned raft moved in my direction.

Of course, despite my scepticism, I had no choice but to continue.

Either way, I was trapped in a place I didn't think I'd get out of alive.
I swallow hard. 

As I stepped onto the raft, my heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and fear, each beat echoing the uncertainty swirling within me. 

Was I walking willingly into danger or toward some elusive truth?

As if by magic, it took me to the pavilion where the fox is standing.
I get out.

The fox stops in front of the entrance to the golden pavilion.

As I approached the golden pavilion, a sense of foreboding settled over me like a heavy shroud. It was then that I noticed the intricate patterns etched into the stone steps, each one seeming to guard a secret of its own, challenging me to unlock its mysteries.

A man appears.
"The fox disappeared and in its place appeared a young man with long white hair. 

He wore a noble, mint coloured traditional robe. But even more noble was his handsome face. Believe me, Asta, I have never seen such a man before".
The sight of the stranger is not as pleasant as it might be for my grandmother. For me there is something strange about him. Something that makes me very uncomfortable.
"The man remained silent in spite of my numerous questions, and I could not go to him either. His majesty kept me away from him".

"Who are you?" I finally managed to choke out the question, my voice barely a whisper against the backdrop of the surreal temple complex. The man's enigmatic smile only deepened, his piercing gaze holding mine captive.

Suddenly he moved into the pavilion.
"For some inexplicable reason, I followed him until a strange beam of light caught me!"
I covered my face with my hand.
"When I regained consciousness, I found myself standing on the steps of the temple, where I had stood with the group a short time before.
My eyes wandered around. Was it all just a dream?
From a distance I heard a group of worried voices.
"Just as I am about to join them. I notice a fox chain in my fist. Who or how it got there will probably remain a mystery forever".

Clutching the fox chain in my hand, I couldn't shake the feeling that it held the key to unlocking the secrets of this strange realm. Little did I know, its significance would only become clearer as my journey unfolded, revealing truths I had never dared to imagine.

"Grandmother," I stand up, shouting.

She looked at me in silence.

Her face had that one expression.

Of all the expressions, it was the one I hated the most.