She slows, breath shaky, and blinks open her eyes. Towering trees stretch endlessly into the darkness above, their upper branches lost to the void. No light filters in from the outside. The only sources of illumination are the soft, pulsing glows of bioluminescent mushrooms, vines, and scattered flowers.

Tall, elegant blooms catch her attention—Delphinium flowers. Their petals shimmer with an ethereal shade of blue, ghostly against the darkened forest floor.

She exhales, kneeling to touch one. "So this is the Lost Woods..."

"So this is the Lost Woods..."

Her own voice whispers back at her.

Konnie startles, glancing around. The forest is still. Too still.

She steps forward. The soft crunch of a flower beneath her foot sends another echo rippling through the air.

"This is the lost..."

Her breath tightens. The flowers... they repeat what they hear.

She crouches, pressing her fingers to a single petal. The bloom quivers slightly, absorbing the faintest noise before murmuring it back. A memory of sound. A whisper of the past.

A twig snaps.

She stiffens. Slowly, she glances over her shoulder.

Something moves.

A towering figure lingers just beyond the trees, its form wreathed in shifting, smoke like tendrils. Two glowing blue eyes pierce through the shadows, watching.

Konnie's breath catches in her throat. The figure is gone in a blink, slipping behind a trunk.

Her legs move before she can think.

The moment she starts running, the forest erupts.

The ground trembles beneath her feet. A chorus of phantom footsteps follows, countless unseen figures rushing through the trees behind her.

Her breath drowns beneath the sound. The rhythmic pounding of her footsteps is no longer hers alone.

Something is chasing her.

She doesn't dare look back. Fear lingers around her chest, squeezing tighter with each step. The ground trembles beneath her—the soft thudding of many footsteps begins to merge into one. A single, monstrous step. Each impact sends a shudder through the earth like a distant quake.

Then—a glimmer of hope.

Up ahead, nestled in the darkness, a faint light flickers—a tiny mushroom hut dusted around it, glowing crystal powder. The sight pushes her legs faster. Almost there—almost—

She leaps, arms outstretched, but lands just in front of the hut, breathless. Before she can scramble up, something coils around her ankle. A chill crawls up her spine as she turns.

A grotesque mass squirms in the darkness—an amalgamation of faces, their mouths frozen in twisted expressions of agony, ecstasy, and rage. Some sob. Some laugh. Some scream. Their voices layer over each other, a cacophony of madness.

The central face—larger than the rest—unhinges its jaw.

Konnie thrashes, digging her fingers into the dirt, clawing for anything to hold onto. But the pull is relentless. The creature drags her closer, inch by inch, her boots scraping against the ground.

Her panic bursts free.

"H-HELP! NO!"

Her screams cut through the silence of the woods.

Then—a burst of glittering dust.

The creature recoils with an inhuman shriek, releasing its hold as the shimmering powder sears its flesh.

A hand grips the back of Konnie's cloak and yanks her free, shoving her into the glowing circle of safety. A figure steps between her and the writhing mass, holding up a crystal that burns red.

"Get back!"

The creature lets out a final, gurgling wail before retreating into the abyss.

Konnie gasps for air, her wide eyes locking onto her savior.

A woman stands before her, ghostly white hair tied into two pompom balls—delicate mushrooms sprouting from it as if they were a natural part of her. She adjusts her round glasses and turns to Konnie with an easygoing glance, as if the retreating creature were nothing more than a passing shadow.

"Hey. Took the frog route again?" she says with a playful smile.

Konnie stares, still catching her breath. Her gaze flickers to the enoki mushrooms dotting the woman's hair.

The woman smirks, offering a hand. "Name's Mitski Yasuda... though my friends call me Enoki. Not sure why."

Konnie slowly takes her hand, still squinting at the mushrooms. "Yeah... name's... Konnie." Her lips pucker slightly in thought.

Mitsuki leans toward Konnie, her voice playful yet knowing. "So... what brings you here, Konnie~?"

Before Konnie can reply, Mitsuki suddenly turns away, hands behind her head, strolling toward the house with exaggerated steps, lifting her legs high like a toy soldier. "You know, I rarely get visitors around this time, so I'd assume you're here to get your..."

She stops, glancing back with a sly smile. "Fate read?"

Jade gazes out the window, hope flickering in her eyes. Worry still lingers, but deep down, she knows—Konnie is safe. She has to be.

Behind her, unseen, the unconscious stranger stirs ever so slightly. His lips curl into a slow, eerie smile as thin vines creep from his fingertips, flickering—like embers reigniting, his magic slowly returning.