---
Ren stood silently, wind rustling his feathers as he looked down at the unconscious kitsune.
Yuki's face was pale, his chest rising and falling steadily but slowly. Void energy still flickered faintly beneath his skin, like dying embers refusing to go out.
Ren crouched beside him, examining the boy's aura. It was unstable—fractured from pushing past his limits—but still intact.
"Stubborn fox," he muttered under his breath. "You weren't supposed to go that deep yet."
A soft groan beside him caught his attention. Aiko stirred weakly, her eyelashes fluttering as she clutched the grass beneath her.
"She's waking up," Himari said from behind him, her voice calm but tense.
Ren nodded once, then lifted Yuki gently in his arms.
"He needs rest. Somewhere quiet."
"And her?" Himari asked.
Ren's eyes lingered on Aiko for a moment.
"She saw something in there. We'll need to know what."
---
Later...
Aiko awoke in a small shrine tucked in the heart of the mountain—one of the spiritual safe zones that still held ancient power. Incense hung in the air, and paper charms lined the walls like silent guardians.
She sat up slowly, a sharp pain pulsing behind her eyes.
Memories of the void flickered behind her vision—fragmented images: Yuki reaching for her in the dark, something vast lurking in the shadows... and a pair of glowing red eyes that didn't belong to anyone she'd seen before.
She gasped, clutching her chest.
"I remember now…"
The void hadn't just been emptiness—it had been watching her. Studying her.
There was something in there. Something old.
---
Ren entered the room, ducking beneath the low frame. His eyes immediately locked on Aiko, who was now fully awake, sweat clinging to her skin.
"You're awake," he said plainly.
Aiko nodded. "Yuki…?"
"He's alive. Barely."
Relief passed through her face like a breeze, but she didn't smile. Her voice trembled. "There was something else in there. Not just the void. It saw me."
Ren's brow twitched. "Describe it."
"Eyes. Red. Endless. It didn't move, but it… knew me. Knew us. It said nothing, but it was waiting. Watching."
Ren's silence deepened.
"That place wasn't made just from Yuki's powers," Aiko continued, "Something ancient was anchored in that space. And it's still there."
Ren turned slightly toward the door, thoughtful.
"So the storm's coming faster than we thought."
He glanced back at her. "Rest. Your part's not over yet."
Aiko lay back down, her thoughts spinning.
What was that thing? Why did it feel like it knew my name—even though it never spoke?
And as her eyes closed, one final whisper from the void echoed in her mind.
"Not yet, little seer."
---