Chirashi handed Kairo his phone before walking over to pick up Nasaki off the ground.
"You best hurry; I'll look after your sister for you." Chirashi, she advised as she walked away from Kairo and into his house.
Kairo turned and began running without thinking. Instantly opening his phone, his eyes are serious as he reads the name of the previous caller. Causing him to run even faster.
Nine years ago
In a park with kids playing adventurously, a young Marin is seen alone playing in the sandbox. Patting away at a small sandcastle she had worked so hard to build. As she finished it, she felt like she had done something amazing and felt so much excitement from it.
But as she stood up to go get her family to show them,. Her foot kicked it and crumbled it back into nothing. Tears started to flow from her eyes as she stood by her now destroyed sandcastle.
Yet as she cried, a sudden and gentle hand started rubbing her head. Causing her to uncover her eyes.
"Now, now... Don't cry, Marin; we can rebuild it and make it even better."
"S-Sissy!!" Marin leaped into her sister's arms as she continued to cry.
This was Marin's sister Karla; she took care of Marin even when she was only 2 years older than her.
"It's okay, Marin, we'll rebuild it, I promise." Karla reassured as she patted Marin on the back gently.
"B-But I keep messing up everything; Mom and Dad will not be together because of me!" Marin wailed.
"Hey, hey, why are you saying such things? Them splitting up isn't your fault; why do you think that?" Karla challenged with a disturbed look on her face.
"Because nothing has been going right ever since I was born, you said it yourself..." Marin wept as she continued burying her face in Karla's chest.
Karla felt her heart drop as she remembered the conversation Marin was talking about.
"Marin... Marin, look at me." Karla urged, pulling Marin off her chest to look her in her eyes.
"Marin, what I said back then, I didn't mean it. I was angry at Mom and Dad, not you. None of this is your fault, I promise." Karla kept her eyes locked with Marin's as she stared back with glistening eyes.
"Y-You promise?" Marin asked.
"Of course, I'd never meant to hurt my favorite sister." Karla hastily picked up Marin and lifted her into the sky. Instantly turning Marin's tears into laughs and giggles.
While in the air, Marin laughed and giggled wildly, and when she opened her eyes. She caught a glimpse of her mom standing on the other side of the street. Waving to her from afar.
As Karla set Marin down, she smiled widely.
"Karla! Karla! Look, it's Mom!" Marin beamed as she started running towards her.
Karla looked around in the direction Marin started running towards but couldn't see their mother.
Rushing through the park and past other kids playing. Marin only focused on her mother, who held out her arms and waited for Marin to come to her.
"I'm coming, Mom! I'm coming!" Young Marin shouted,
She continued running as she slightly tripped but hopped quickly back onto her balance.
As Marin exited the park and onto the sidewalk, she continued running, instantly stepping out onto the road.
HONK, HONK.
Her attention being snatched from her mother as young Marin looked to her right to see an incoming truck attempting to brake as it quickly began approaching her. As the car gets closer, her body freezes in fear and she stops moving. Quickly looking over at her now vanished mother.
The truck is closing in as Marin starts raising her hands in fear and her eyes start to close, then—.
CRASH
People start screaming and shouting after witnessing the event. But as soon as a vehicle door slams shut, Marin's eyes pop open, and she finds herself with arms wrapped around her. Ones that weren't her own. As she looks up, Karla was looking down at her, blood gushing from her head as part of her skull was split open.
Her skin torn and shredded, a section of her brain visible.
"A-Are you okay, Marin?" Karla asked as she kept a weak smile on her face.
"Karla, Karla, what did I do?" Marin begged as tears started glistening from her eyes again.
"Heh, I lost sight in my left eye already... Marin, w-why did you r-run into the road?" Karla asked shakily as she was finding it harder to stay awake.
"Because Mom was on the other side! I wanted to see Mom!" Marin wept as she kept looking at her wounded sister.
"Marin... Mom wasn't there..." Karla muttered as her final breath left her body. Leaving Marin as the only survivor of the accident.
As young Marin stared at her sister's face, it started to blend into the present day, with Marin staring down a fissure that shared the exact same wound as her deceased sister.
Present day—outside Marin's house
"Mom... Wasn't there... Marin…" The fissure spoke in a distorted version of Karla's voice.
Marin clenched her hands together as she could see, hear, and feel the Fissure that was once her sister. The stench radiating from it rested on Marin's shoulders like a weighted jacket.
"W-Why is this happening?" Marin wailed as she tried to take a step back.
"Are you okay... Marin?" The Fissure asked
"Karla, what happened to you?" No, how are you..." Marin held her hands over her mouth. Closing her eyes as tears begin to swell up in them.
"Marin!" A strong voice shouts from afar. Causing Marin's eyes to shoot up, tears dripping out of them as she turns to see Kairo rushing towards her with his sword.
And without hesitation, Kairo rushes past Marin, ready to kill the fissure. But as he readied a swing.
"Wait! Kairo, don't!" Marin shouted in plea. Kairo instantly halts his actions as he's damn near face-to-face with the fissure.
However, the fissure still remained even with Kairo so close.
"Please! Don't hurt her! She's my sister!" Marin howled as she fell to her knees.
Kairo looks at her as she begins sobbing uncontrollably. Yet even with the abrupt emotions, the fissure continued to stay stationary.
"I-It's okay, Marin... We'll rebuild it, together." Karla's distorted voice echoed as it began to move towards her. Kairo instantly reacted, ready to cut it down. Yet it took no interest in battle.
It pushed forward towards Marin, walking slowly as to not scare her.
"A-Are you okay... Marin...?" Karla's distorted voice probed as it continued approaching.
"I-I can't... I'm sorry... Karla, I'm so sorry!" Marin wailed as she lifted her head and found herself face-to-face with the fissure. Her tears are dripping from her chin as it just watches her.
"O-Of course, I'd never hurt m-my favorite sister." The fissure pleads as it reaches out to her face with its decaying right arm to wipe the tears from her face.
Kairo watches in disbelief as the fissure's body starts to turn to ash and a spiritual manifestation of Karla's soul appears before Marin.
"Marin, it's not your fault. You were young and something of great evil lured you in. So please, don't blame yourself anymore." Karla says as she reaches out and places her glowing hand onto Marin's cheek.
"Karla... Karla I-I..." Marin stuttered as she tried to get the words out, but Karla smiled as she knew what Marin was trying to say.
"I know, I love you too sissy. You're my favorite sister after all." Karla confirmed as her spiritual form began to dissolve. The light from it leaving particles of glowing specks as they fly up into the air.
Marin watching still in tears while Kairo just stood and let the world play out.