I remember this day.

How could I not?

“Jade, whatever you do, keep running into those woods. Don’t turn back.”

I was still a naïve girl back then…

Looking at myself now, not much has changed.

I crouch down, brushing my younger self’s hair with trembling fingers. It feels… different every time.

And yet, what never changes is the pain—

That ache in my chest, seeing myself like this.

Fear. Sadness. Regret.

Turning to my father, my gaze lingered longer than usual.

I whispered to myself, “You’re no different.”

“Remember... I love you, Jade.”

As I watch her run into the woods, I can’t stop thinking:

Why didn’t I stay? Why didn’t I help?

And there it is...

Those footsteps.

Itona… right?

Yeah..

“Where’s the kid, Michael?”

Click.

Enough.

This is where I always stop.

I know what happens next.

How could I forget that deafening bang—loud enough to silence a whole forest?

Wait…

Shuzuka?

That’s right.

He said he was there—stuck in a bush, trying to push his way through.

I can see that now. But… why didn’t you stop him?

I wanted to punch him…

But something held me back.

Instead, I just… stared…

He wasn’t scared.

He wasn’t angry.

Or sad…

Wait—your eyes…

You weren’t staring at him.

I turn back toward the forest, rising to stand beside him.

You were staring at… me?

Watching him fixate on my younger self, I realized—he could’ve helped.

He should’ve helped him capture me… that way, at least, I could’ve been with—"

But then—just for a second—I saw it.

Not the younger me.

He looked up.

At me.

The real me.

Now.

Can you see me?

Is it time?

I close my eyes and let the memory play.

The chilling bang echoes in the distance, and I flinch.

I don’t want to open my eyes…

But then—I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I turn.

It’s him.

Shuzuka.

But… how?

This is my memory. You couldn’t have known all this.

“Listen…” he whispers as he walks past me.

My eyes widen.

My ears twitch.

How?

What kind of magic is this?

“We still need him, Itona.”

I look back—and there he is.

My father.

Lying in a growing pool of red.

His eyes blank. His skin pale.

It’s sick.

Before I can even process it, something rises in my throat.

I run.

I hurl into a nearby bush, shaking.

When I look back, I see it—

A bright red glow.

He’s being wrapped in the same magic that took Itona to safety.

But wait…

How am I seeing this?

I don’t remember this part.

Everything freezes.

I strain, trying to remember past the loud bang—

When I hear his voice again.

“I gave you a look at my memories.”

Shuzuka turns, looking down at Jade.

Their eyes meet as the world begins to fade, piece by piece.

“You weren’t lying…”

Tears stream down her face, lips trembling with the weight of it all.

He stares at her quietly, then exhales through his nose—slow, steady.

“Don’t ask me for a reason.

I showed you the important parts. That’s it.”

A soft chuckle escapes her, fragile but real.

“…That’s all I needed to know.”

The memory dissolves into silence.

And when her eyes flutter open—still trapped within the shell—

she sees him.

Shuzuka.

His hand resting gently on the wood.

He looks down at Jade as their eyes meet in silence.

Then—

Konnie.

She steps forward, noticing Jade awake.

At first, she hesitates. Her eyes flicker between the floor and Jade’s face.

But then, she gives in.

She drops the books in her arms—

and unable to hold back the relief, she stumbles forward, nearly tripping—

then throws her arms around Jade’s shoulders.

“Hey, Konnie… haha… been a while.”

Jade tilts her head with a weak smile as Konnie hugs her tight.

But then—

she sees it.

A faint, creeping crack forming on the back of Konnie’s neck.

Jade’s eyes widen as her smile starts to tremble.

Shuzuka sees her reaction.

He follows her gaze—

and sees it too.

His hand shoots out, gripping Konnie’s shoulder.

“Wait, Konnie—”