«Maybe I should ask your mother if you can come with me,» he said, his smile carrying anything but kindness.

Yume suddenly went pale.

«M–my mother...» she stammered.

The young man looked her straight in the eyes.

«Surprised?» he asked in a tone that left no room for doubt. «I’ve been in the village for two days. I can say for certain—your mother sacrifices a lot for you.»

Then he added, his voice chilling: «It would be such a shame if something happened to her, just because you refused to help me, don’t you think?»

Yume’s whole body trembled. The thought that her mother could be in danger began to carve its way into her mind.

—I don’t want to leave, but...— she thought, her heart tightening in her chest.

For a brief moment, amidst the storm of thoughts, Miyuki’s face appeared.

«If I do this, will you leave the village alone?» she asked, her voice trembling.

Shirogane slowly lifted his gaze. «Yes,» he replied coldly. «I have no interest in this place... other than your spirit.»

Yume clenched her fists, gripping her dress tightly. Then, in a voice both shaky and determined, she said: «I–I’ll go with you.»

Shirogane smiled. «Very good...» he said with scorn.

Tears filled Yume’s eyes, impossible to hide as fear overwhelmed her.

«What’s your name?» he asked.

«Yume,» she answered.

Shirogane turned, giving her his back. «Good, Yume. Let’s go,» he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Shocked by his words, Yume quickly stood up and grabbed his sleeve. «Wait, I at least want to speak to my mother one last time.»

With a sharp jerk, he freed his arm. «You still don’t understand. From this moment on, you have no one. Other than me, you’re not allowed to have ties. From today, you will serve me.»

Yume shook even harder. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling. «I—I...» she couldn’t say another word.

«You will use your spirit for me and allow me to fulfill my vengeance... against the Mugentamashii.»

At those words, Yume froze completely, as if bound by invisible chains.

Soon after, following Shirogane, she began to walk down the road that led her away from the village. She could hear the village in turmoil, voices calling out, searching for her. She knew Miyuki was searching for her. For a brief moment, she even heard her mother’s voice echoing: «Yume!»

And yet, with tears filling her eyes, she didn’t look back. She knew if she did, she would never find the strength to leave. —Mom, forgive me for what I said... forgive me, forgive me...— she thought, crying silently.

6 MONTHS LATER

In a small town in the land of Kairen, Shirogane was interrogating a man.

«Enough, enough, please!» the man screamed, tied to a chair.

They were inside a ruined house, windows shattered, with a broken ceiling where sunlight leaked through.

«Tell me where the Mugentamashii is,» said Shirogane, pressing his foot against the man’s chest. «Stop lying. You’re part of the underworld, so you must know.»

The man, covered in bruises and blood, began to sob desperately. «I told you the truth! I don’t know anything, please, let me go!»

Shirogane glared at him. «Yume, come here,» he ordered.

The girl, who had been standing aside, flinched at the sound of her name and stepped forward.

«Take this,» he said, handing her a dagger.

Yume looked at it. «W–what do you want me to do?» she asked, her voice trembling.

«Kill him,» Shirogane replied. «I already told you before. For my revenge to succeed, I need companions who are strong and ruthless.»

He leaned close to her ear. «From now on, you’ll kill whoever I tell you to. Otherwise...» He left the threat unfinished, but Yume understood. With shaking hands, she took the weapon.

4 YEARS LATER

Yume and Shirogane had reached one of the three outer cities connected to Shinkase.

It was a quiet place, with stone houses and large wooden buildings that hosted hot springs. Beside one of them, a small fruit and vegetable market had been set up.

Yume was shopping for supplies. «Would you like anything else, miss?» asked an elderly woman, handing her a bag with her purchases.

«No,» Yume replied, then walked away.

She had only just reached adulthood, but those four years with Shirogane had robbed her of every freedom.

Walking through the city streets, she glanced around.

Suddenly, a little girl playing with a ball bumped into her and fell to the ground.

«Hey, are you alright?» Yume asked, kneeling down to hand her the ball.

«Yes, thank you, miss. You’re so kind,» the girl replied with a bright smile.

Across the street, a voice called out: «Kohana, it’s lunchtime. Let’s go.»

It was a young woman with short blonde hair, wearing an apron over her dress.

«Coming, Mom!» the girl answered, then turned back to Yume. «Thank you again,» she said before running to her mother and taking her hand.

«Did you have fun today?» her mother asked warmly.

Hearing those words, Yume suddenly burst into tears without even realizing it.

—E–enough— she thought, wiping her eyes as the tears kept falling.

In her mind, her mother’s image burned brightly, like a flame: smiling at her, holding her, loving her.

At that moment, Yume’s desire to kill Shirogane grew stronger than ever.

—I want to kill him— she thought, tears blurring her vision.

«Yume,» her spirit spoke. «What are you planning?» it asked with concern.

Meanwhile, Shirogane was inside a hotel room; attached to the building was a hot spring.

He was gazing at the scenery from the terrace when he heard the door handle turn.

«You’re back,» he said without turning, as Yume stepped inside. «We’ll leave in a day or two.»

The girl didn’t answer; her gaze was hidden behind her hair.

«What’s wrong?» he asked.

Yume looked at him, her face burning with rage. «I want you dead, Shirogane!»

An instant later, with her spirit by her side, Yume attacked. The terrace shattered, and Shirogane’s body was hurled down the hotel’s entrance stairs, the impact creating a crater in the ground.

The entire structure shook. Yume gasped, her heart pounding.

She looked down, shocked to see Shirogane stand up as if nothing had happened.

«Appear, Kuroyami!» the young man shouted. In an instant, he vanished from sight and reappeared in front of her, suspended mid-air.

«You shouldn’t have done that!» Without giving her time to react, he struck her with a powerful kick.

She flew several meters before crashing into the waters of one of the nearby hot springs.

Yume lay there breathless, her mind fading. Pain overwhelmed her, and for a moment she lost consciousness. Chaos erupted around her as terrified customers fled the springs.

Then, a familiar voice echoed inside her mind, as if from afar. «Yume, wake up. Get away from here.» Her mother’s face came vividly to life.

«Mom...» her eyes widened.

The vision of Miyuki drew closer, gently caressing her head. «Yume, you must run. You can’t kill him...»

«But... if I don’t... the village...» she looked at her desperately.

«Stop worrying about us. You’ve suffered through four years of hell because of this. Now... try to be happy.»

Miyuki smiled at her, her figure slowly fading away.

«Mom...»

When Yume regained consciousness, her heart was racing. She forced herself to stand, her body covered in wounds and bruises.

Taking advantage of the chaos, she fled through the crowded streets of the city, never looking back.

As she ran, the weight of the past four years pressed down on her like a vice. The tears she had always tried to hold back finally poured out.

The memories of everything she had endured — fear, loneliness, pain — flooded her mind.

Barely making it out of the city, she stumbled along a road beside a stream and into a small forest. As night fell, rain began to pour down on her.

Her breathing grew weaker, but one thought remained in her heart: «I... can’t stop...»

She reached another town just as her body finally gave out.

—Not yet...— she whispered faintly.

Without realizing it, she collapsed unconscious in front of an old inn.

At that moment, she had no idea that soon she would meet Hauromi and Kaito.