Tower of Wishes - Chapter 3: Ceremony

Haku let out a sigh of relief as he turned over and laid on his back, taking a long, deep inhale of clear air. He and the boy who tried to infiltrate the tower were released from Ishihara and the guards after Momoka’s intervention. Rolling his head to the side he could see Ishihara speaking to Momoka in a quiet tone. He couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but it was not long until Momoka bowed deeply as Ishihara walked away from her.

Momoka rushed over to Haku after her talk with the captain, appalled by his injuries. “Don’t move too much, let me check…” she placed her hands on his broken wrist, making him wince in pain. “What did they do you?”

“N-Nothing,” Haku showed his broken wrist to her. “I did it to myself.”

“Allow me, please.” She retrieved a thin ofuda paper sheet from one of her hands, the symbols on it read out a single name, Samui. She laid the talisman flat on Haku’s wrist, clapping her hands twice and reciting. “Dear Goddess, close the wounds that have been put onto your beloved subject. Restore his body and heart so he may face your challenge and acquire your divine gift.”

Suddenly, the paper began to illuminate in a green hue that soon enveloped Haku in its radiance. The soothing aroma of flowers wafted into his nostrils as his body began to shift and mend. The distinct purple bruise on his wrist was restored to its original milky white. As it did, Momoka carefully held his hand and firmly realigned his wrist back together. No pain was felt and he could move his hand openly. As the glow subsided, Haku rose from the ground with a chipper expression from before, looking at his fully healed wrist with delight. “Thank you so much, Momoka! You are quite literally a lifesaver.”

“N-No, it’s okay,” Momoka shyly brushed her bangs off her face. “Honestly, I should be the one thanking you for giving me the courage to come back here. If it weren’t for you, I may not have a chance to be a Climber again.”

“Wait, were you…” Haku tried to ask, yet she did not have the chance to respond as Momoka stood up hurriedly and moved on to the boy standing by the wall with bruises covering him from head to toe.

Momoka was almost in shock; he didn't seem the slightest bit in pain. She took another slip of an ofuda talisman and offered it to him. “M-May I?”

He turned to her, staring a while into her innocent eyes before looking away. “Make it quick.”

She laid the ofuda talisman on the side of his arm where she began to recite her prayer yet again. While he watched Momoka healing Uni, a hand appeared in front of him. Ishihara stood next to him, a smirk on his face. “Aren’t you going to get up, Climber?”

Haku returned a grin and grabbed his bandaged hand, it was hard to even notice his injury from the black cloth that covered it. “Thank you, Captain, and I apologize for that outburst. I just… had to step in.”

“I always thought you were spineless and scared of stepping forward. Maybe it was for a good reason if you were willing to do something so reckless. Nonetheless, your actions are forgiven and you have wrangled yourself two other teammates.”

Haku’s eyes lit up from the Captain’s words. “Does that mean…”

Ishihara nodded and stood in front of the gate to the tower with the two guards following him. He cleared his throat, Momoka and the masked boy averting their eyes up to Ishihara along with Haku. “As you know, the graduation ceremony had already concluded and no one was permitted to enter as instructed by our governor. But the fact that you three stand here at this very moment proves that there is still a desire to enter the tower and take on its challenges. It is a treacherous world in there, one that gives no mercy to even the fallen. You may come from different backgrounds, different circumstances, and have different desires. But whatever it is you aim to have, your duty as a Climber is to fulfill three promises.” He laid his eyes on each of the trio corresponding to the three promises. “Our faith in the Goddess may never be severed, our spirit to battle may always be strong, and our bonds with those around us may forever be eternal.”

Looking at the three, their expressions give off mixed results. Haku was serious and attentive, every word carefully ingrained in his mind without a second thought. Momoka looked concerned and even troubled at times, something about the tower fills her eyes with fear. And lastly, the boy who tried to infiltrate the tower is looking the other way dismissively as if he’s not listening to anything he’s saying. Admittedly, that irked Ishihara a little, but they’ve all suffered enough.

“I’ll explain how the ceremony works,” he retrieved a scroll from behind him and opened it for all to see. It had instructions for the graduation ceremony, decorated with illustrations in each passage. “Each Junior Climber is assigned to a team of three or more. Once ready, you may enter the gates and head inside the tower. Your task is simple: fight off yokai of any kind according to the number of teammates you have and return with their souls. If you have successfully done that before sundown, you have completed the ceremony and will become a full-fledged Climber.”

Ishihara withdrew the scroll and placed it on his back. “Any questions?”

Among the three, unsurprisingly enough, Haku raised his hand eagerly. “What kinds of yokai are we fighting? What if we accidentally head onto the next floor? Will there be–”

“The yokai you will be fighting will fit the environment of the floor it resides in, you’ll have to see it for yourself on how it looks on the inside. Also, it’s impossible for a Junior Climber to somehow reside on the other floors, the gate guardians are there to ensure no one will go through except for those who bear the higanbana emblem.”

Gate guardians? Haku wanted to raise his hand again, but Ishihara had turned his head to the others, where the spiky-haired boy had his hands up slouchily.

“I want my weapons back,” the boy spoke, scornfully glaring at the captain. “You kicked them out and I want a replacement. You expect me to fight off a monster with my bare fists or something?”

“A selection of weapons is provided to you on a table right by the entrance. They’re all spare training gear, some already worn from battle, but you can choose whatever you like to use.”

The boy grumbled but ultimately stayed silent. Seeing as the three are done questioning, Ishihara signaled the two guards at the gate. “Step forward, state your name and age, then write it down on this paper sheet and you may begin your ascent.”

Haku was the first to step forward. His feet were heavy and yet he could not contain his excitement over what was ahead of him. From the many training sessions as a Junior Climber, he will finally see what’s inside the tower and fight actual yokai in battle. He could not help but grin as he walked up to Ishihara and bowed to him. “Haku Nozomu. Thirteen years old. It is an honor to partake in the ceremony, captain!” Taking his time, Haku tidily wrote his name on the paper sheet before handing the brush back. Once done, he stood by the gate and awaited the other two to come over.

Momoka stood forward, her legs shaking as she stood in front of the captain, bowing deeply. “M-Momoka Kyarameru. Twelve years old. I will do my best to pass the ceremony, captain.” Momoka wrote on the talisman her name and age, her handwriting graceful and beautiful despite her shaky legs. Once done, she joined Haku by the gate

Lastly, the masked boy walked forward with his hands in his pockets. He did not bow or show any kind of respect, only scowling at the Captain aggressively. “Uni Katsuko. Twelve years old. Mark my words, Captain, I won’t miss next time.” Uni threatened, passing by Ishihara dismissively.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Uni looked back, groaned, and wrote on the talisman his name and age. His brushstrokes were broad and rough, nearly covering the entire talisman. When he was done, what was left on the paper was incomprehensible chicken scratch. He seemed proud of himself as he stood right next to Haku and Momoka, leaving everyone stunned and puzzled.

“He doesn’t know how to write, does he?” Haku whispered to Momoka, nodding in response.

The gates out of the academy are handled by two guards, both facing each other and planting their spears onto the ground. Ishihara moved past the three and to the ofuda talisman that seals the gate. He couldn’t see what was going on with their backs covering his view. However, Haku could smell the dry scent of burning wood in the air coming from the gate’s direction. Soon after, the sound of chiming can be heard as the gates open and the sight of the tower at full is visible to them. The entrance to the tower rests at the peak of the mountain they reside in. An uphill road leads them right to the doors of the tower where none guard its vicinity.

“This is it, the tower is just within our reach,” Haku said to himself. “A new world on each floor, filled with yokai and mysteries. I can’t wait!”

“One more thing,” Ishihara shouted while the gate between them was in the process of being closed. “If one or all of you fall in battle, then you are automatically disqualified from the ceremony. Good luck.”

“What!?” Haku turned around in outrage, but before he could object, the gates between them shut themselves tightly, encasing them outside right in front of the gigantic tower. It’s clear that not even his screams would be responded to until they finish the ceremony.

This is bad, we all have to watch for each other’s backs then. I might be ready for the tower, but… Haku looked over at his teammates disappointingly. One is already making his way up the path without a second glance, and the other is shivering in place while afraid to take a peek down the mountain. I don’t know about them.

Looking back, Haku approached Momoka as she crouched by the ledge to see the town below. He laid a hand on Momoka’s shoulder. “Are you alright–”

Startled by Haku’s hand, she recoiled and bumps her head up to Haku’s chin, practically headbutting him. Both shivered on the ground in pain just a few steps from the Academy. Momoka peeked with one eye as she held her head. “I-I’m so sorry, Haku. I’m not the best with heights. Let me see if I can heal you again.”

“N-No, it’s okay! It’s not like I’ll die or anything,” Haku rubbed her lower jaw. “Are you alright, though? Didn’t you just say before that you didn’t want to face the tower? What happened to you trying to stop me from coming here?”

Momoka paused for a moment, her gaze fixated on the tower, deep in thought. “I never said I despised the idea. Truthfully, I’ve always wanted to be a Climber and reach the top, no matter how dangerous it could be. But it was not until I was there that I realized the reality of that danger,” she said sorrowfully, giving a sad smile to Haku. “I was afraid that something like that could happen to you too, so I decided to chase after you after a bit of thinking. Thankfully, I got to you just in time.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Haku sheepishly admitted. “If you weren’t there, I don't know what would have happened to me or Uni.”

“Uni?” Momoka looked over at the spiky-haired boy by the tower entrance, laying his hands on all the weapons at the table. “Ah, right. We’ll all be counting on each other for the ceremony, I suppose. But he doesn’t seem to be from around here. Where did you find him?”

Thinking back on all the things he has been through today, Haku decided to keep quiet and dodge the question. “I-It’s a long story. I’m sure he’ll be a wonderful ally to both of us.”

The two chatted as they walked up the path to the tower. Haku took the moment to look back at the academy and the levels below. They all look so small from up high, he could even see where he lives on the outskirts of town, right by the giant wall of thick fog that encircles the town. Even from such a height, nothing is visible through the mist other than the glimpse of some trees. Haku always wondered what is beyond the fog and even tried traversing it. But all he knows is that anyone who tries to pass through will always find their way back into town, missing some parts of their memories.

Before he unknowingly falls off a cliff, Haku turns his head to the road where they approach the entrance to the tower. Even if the sun is above them, the shadow cast by the tower envelopes the surrounding area, only being lightened by the lanterns by the tower and path. A staircase is there that leads up to the entrance, and in front of it lies the storage that houses the weapons, now scattered about by Uni’s enthusiasm to try out each one.

“Not this,” Uni picked up a two-handed axe, swinging at the air and nearly chopping it into a column. “Not this either.” As they approached Uni, they suddenly jumped to the side as a giant spinning axe rolled down the stairs where they stood. “None of these weapons are even half-decent. Their weights are unbalanced, their materials are cheap, and some aren’t even weapons at all!” Uni holds up a pickaxe among the pile and throws it off the stairs yet again, almost striking Haku in the head if he hadn't ducked in time.

“Hey! Watch it, will you? You nearly killed both of us.” Haku exclaimed, causing Uni to look down at them from the top of the stairs.

“Took you long enough, I almost thought you gave up. Come on, we don’t have much time.” Seeing as no other deadly weapons are rolling down, both Haku and Momoka walked up the stairs cautiously. There they see Uni crouching by a pile of weapons on the floor and busily looking through its contents. Most of the weapons on the stands have either been thrown off or are crudely damaged. Nonetheless, Haku peeked over Uni’s shoulder to see what he was up to.

“That’s far enough, Kappa,” Uni glared at him. “These weapons are the only interesting ones here. Go and look somewhere else.”

“What are you on about? We’re teammates.”

“I never agreed on that.” Uni kept digging his hand through the blades. “Don’t act like we’re allies or something.”

Haku felt his blood boil. “I saved you from Ishihara trying to kill you. If you are so against this idea, then why did you come with us?”

“Like I had a choice, it was either this or being cremated. You think saving me would make you my knight in shining armor? What a joke.” Uni grabbed a sickle to match his own and placed it behind his cloak, along with a double-handed spear. “Like it or not, you’re my ticket here and so am I to you. Let’s keep it at that.”

Haku, clearly ready to burst, instead lets out a sigh and looked away. “Just… make sure not to die, I guess.”

“I’ll do you a favor and leave once the ceremony concludes. I climb the tower my way once I become a Climber and you do yours.” He rose from the pile and stood right by the entrance. “Grab a weapon or something. Let’s get this over with.”

With nothing better to do, Haku searched the pile for anything that catches his eye. From the looks of it, everything is either too big that it’s hard to even lift or too fragile that it would break from a single touch. That is until he dug a little deeper and saw something shining amongst them all. Careful not to cut himself, he reached in and pulled out an old single-edged sword from the pile, a standard katana. Despite its age and crusty handle, it seemed balanced enough for him to use effectively. “This should do.”

For Momoka, she seemed to take an interest in a display box on the table. Pulling off the crooked knives and broken spears, she grabbed the old display box and blew away the dust from the surface, coughing as some went to her face. Engraved on the surface were three sentences.

“Believe in me. Trust in me. Have faith in me.”

Opening the display box reveals several sheets of ofuda talismans stacked on top of one another. Momoka was delightfully surprised at that, placing her own paper talismans inside the box for safekeeping. Satisfied, she placed the display box in the sleeve of her kimono. “Alright, I think that’s all I need for myself.”

“Is that all?” Haku pulled out a knife from the pile and offered it to Momoka. “Here, you could use a weapon handy at all times just in case anything gets close to you.”

Even if the knife was tempting to take, Momoka shook her head. “It would be useful, yes, but I have to refuse.”

Uni suddenly raised an eyebrow. “What, you’re not a wuss or anything, are you?”

“No, no! It’s just that we are not meant to draw blood. Priests and priestesses are not tasked to cut yokai down, we leave those to the other Climbers. We primarily exorcise and provide support with blessings from the Goddess, much like how I healed both of you with the ofuda talismans.”

“Blessings from the Goddess, huh?” Uni crossed his arms and scoffed. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised coming from your kind. Just make sure you can be useful in a fight.”

Momoka seemed offended by his comment but hides it with an awkward laugh. “I-Is that so? Well, no matter. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Haku shrugged it off, placing the knife back into the pile. Since there was nothing left to prepare, Haku took a deep breath and stood right by the entrance. It was closed shut with no way for air to enter. Momoka and Uni stood right by his side as he was in the middle. The gateway to becoming a Climber is right in front of me. What lies ahead I can only hope will be safe, something for beginners to ease themselves in. But something tells me the Goddess has other plans.

Placing his hands on the gate, Haku inhaled and gave it a hefty push. The doors creak and slowly shove their way open, light and air flooding in through the crevices. Before long the doors fully open revealing to them what’s beyond the gates. There they could see an enclosed room with no windows or opening than the gate they stand from. The walls had the same color as the exterior, but they were old and lined with hundreds and thousands of ofuda talismans. Lastly, the main attraction, a giant torii gate stood tall in the middle awaiting their arrival. Talismans were attached to its surface, symbols of sealing written on each one. The plaque at the top reads the goal that all Climbers strive for.

Wish, Haku admired the size, it was almost as big as the room itself and far exceeded any gate he had seen in town. “So this must be the torii gate Ishihara mentioned, I wonder what the inside of the tower will look like…”

Uni contemplated. “It’s a different world of its own, I can say that. But no matter how much I gotta climb, that wish is mine.”

Momoka extended her fingers to the gate’s hole. But instead of passing through, the air wobbled like a water’s surface. From the ripples, they could see white light peeking out from beyond the gate, inviting them to the other side. “When we go through, we’ll be transported to the first floor of the tower. Dangers await at every corner, be very careful on where you step.”

Haku made sure he had his weapon handy. He could feel his newly-found sword at his side and his trusty knife sheathed behind him, ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice. With one last look at the two, he took his first step. “Let’s go, to the Tower of Wishes!”

As Haku got closer, the gate’s blinding light appeared before him. He shuddered and braced for impact as he pushed himself through the gate. He felt the white light slowly encasing his vision into emptiness, it was like fighting a strong wind trying to push him back. But after he breached the surface, the opposing push gradually turned into an inviting pull. He could feel his body weightless and his senses dampen as he was transported into a new world.

When he regained his vision, Haku’s eyes came to view the world he was in, a place he was most familiar with. A black and white world with a field of flowers stretching endlessly at all sides. “W-Wait, why am I here?” Haku was bewildered. “This… can’t be the tower, is it?”

He couldn’t see Momoka or Uni around, so there was no way to be sure, but someone else was there with him, someone he should have expected. The long white-haired girl who admired the higanbana garden in the Academy tended the white flowers beneath the blank sky. Just like before, her eyes were gleaming red despite the lack of color everything else was. Haku was puzzled, something about that girl intrigued him to approach, she was beautiful and alluring, but more importantly, he needed answers. A dry scent wafted in the air around her, like the smoke from an incense burner. As he got closer, a familiar sensation occurred, he could feel his vision get obscured by a wall of fog between him and the girl. Haku tried his best to push through, but it was like the fog itself was weighing him down, his breathing getting heavy and his head feeling light.

“My prince, my prince…” Haku could hear from beyond the fog the mature voice of a girl. “If you wish to find me, seek out the gate from which water flows. This is your destiny.”

As his entire vision was enveloped in the fog and the ground of flowers begin to crumble, Haku reached out to the girl to no avail, succumbing to the bottomless fall of the void. He could feel his senses dwindle to nothingness, his consciousness soon fading, hearing the echoes of that same voice one more time in his head. “I’ll be waiting, my prince.”

Bursting out from the torii gate, Haku took a deep breath of fresh air, violently coughing out the heavy fog from his lungs. His senses slowly returned to him, the taste of dirt, a soft touch on his shoulder, and the muffled sound of someone calling out to him.

“Haku!” he heard a voice say to him. “Are you okay?”

As his vision returned, he could see Momoka crouching beside him, grabbing his shoulder with a concerned look on her face. The world was not black and white anymore, and there was no field of flowers to speak of. Haku took this moment to catch his breath and adjust himself from that awful experience. “I-I’m fine, just need to catch my breath is all.”

Momoka let out a sigh of relief. “You had me dead worried for you. We couldn’t find you when we went through the gate, only just now did you come out gasping for air.”

I assume they didn’t encounter that world I was just in, but what even is it? Haku still had thousands of questions in his head, but he decided to set all of them aside for now and ask the most important one. “Did the gate work? Are we in the tower?”

Momoka stepped aside. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

The sun was high in the sky, shining down on the vast, open area of the first floor. The ground was laid with stone pathways leading to huge temples and beautiful shrines. Amidst the wooden construction of abandoned buildings, naturally forming bamboo forests, flower gardens, and branching rivers complimented the divine ambiance of the tower. Tall staircases lead further up the area, and at the peak sits a large temple with an equally sized torii gate in front of it.

“This is… incredible!” Haku marveled. “It’s like we’ve been transported into another world, much bigger than what it looks like from the outside.”

Momoka joined him, smiling lightly. “That’s right, the torii gates lead us to the true appearance of the tower. Each floor represents a different environment and habitat for the yokai to live in. At the end sits the gateway to the next floor, where the Gate Guardian sits and tests Climbers if they are capable of advancing to the next floor.”

“You seem to know a lot about the tower, Momoka. You must’ve done quite well in the Academy.”

She modestly shook her head. “I wouldn’t say I was that good. But I suppose learning about the tower and the Goddess is one of my interests.”

Haku continued to marvel at the tower’s beauty, realizing that he was alone with Momoka by the entrance. From her eyes, he could see her innocence and desire to achieve what every Climber wants. But he’d always wondered what made her to what she is right now and why she stopped him before. “Hey Momoka, could I ask you a question?”

“Oh?” She turned to him, a warm smile on her face. “If there is anything I can help you with, I’d love to be there for you.”

Seeing her smile, her happiness for putting the courage of getting back into the tower, he couldn’t help but bite his lip in hesitation. I can’t ruin this for her, not now. We need to focus on the ceremony.

“Ah, no, never mind,” Haku forced a smile as he excused himself. “I was just wondering where Uni might be since you’re the only one here.

“W-Well, about that…” Momoka turned around and pointed at a pathway leading to a more scenic part of the route with paper lanterns lighting up its vicinity. “He saw some movement somewhere over there and decided to chase after it. I tried to stop him, but he was already gone by then.”

“What!?” Haku felt the air getting tense as he remembered the Captain’s words. This isn’t good… Knowing his reckless behaviors, he could be swarmed by yokai by now!

Haku’s mind wandered and imagined Uni in dangerous situations; being surrounded, mauled, cornered, and all sorts of other unfortunate predicaments. Enough was enough for Haku and he made haste to where Momoka pointed. “Come on, Momoka! He must be close.”

“W-Wait!” Momoka shouted at him. “You’ll be stepping out of the barrier!”

Haku felt he had breached through some sort of silky fabric, his soul suddenly felt heavy and weighted by something unknowable, weirdly making him hard to breathe. He looked back at Momoka who had her feet right next to the barrier. Haku gave Momoka an assertive nod. “Take your time, I’ll meet you there!” Haku turned and made chase for Uni, leaving Momoka alone at the entrance.

“Haku…” Momoka sighed to herself. She felt the cold wind brush against her shoulders making her shudder. Anxiously looking around, she could see movement all around her, seemingly disappearing when she laid eyes on them. She let out a squeal when one of the lanterns dropped and rolled over to her. Her hands clasped into prayer. “G-Goddess bring me peace, Goddess bring me peace.”

As the lantern touched Momoka’s feet from beyond the barrier, her hands trembled and shoulders buckled. Her head slowly turned at the lantern in anticipation. Slowly, its paper body began to shred into a crooked mouth, and revealing its eternal fire, the center of the lantern tore a hole in place for its enormous eye. Panic ran down Momoka’s spine as the eye shifted and looked up at her with a sinister grin that slowly spewed out a stream of fire from its holes, eager to have a taste of her delicate soul.

Momoka let out a muffled shriek that caused her to close her twitching eyes. Her breathing grew rapidly and her heartbeat spiked drastically. When she opened her eyes, the lantern was still by her feet, but no oddities whatsoever were present on its unlit body. She took a while to calm herself down, trying to control her anxieties. “I’m all alone now,” she solemnly said as she stared at the lantern. The path ahead where Haku and Uni went off could be filled with yokai, I can’t leave them by themselves. I need to be brave for them. She adjusted her kimono and sprinted up the stone path in search of her runaway teammates.

The pathway Haku was on is surprisingly smooth, gradually tilting to inclines at some points but barely noticeable that it would inhibit his movements. Long wooden poles would be at the side of the pathways occasionally with paper lanterns hanging from them that light up the road. Most of them were unlit, but some still had a flicker of light on them. Soon enough, Haku saw a fork in the road leading to two different ways: a stone path that leads to a main road to the center, or a rough dirt path leading up to what seemed to be an abandoned shrine. Haku took the time to examine each path thoroughly. It didn’t take long for him to discover a few prints roughly scattered about the dirt that seems to lead up to the abandoned shrine. “Bingo. Uni must be here then!” Haku spoke to himself proudly, running up the dirt path towards the shrine, passing by the shattered weapons and broken tree stumps along the way.

The visibility of the shrine slowly came closer to him. It was unsurprisingly very old and mossy with two of the buildings falling apart already. Only one barely stood up, housing a giant golden gong above its offertory box. Clashing was heard nearby, followed by a loud crash and trembling of the ground. Not even fully inside the shrine, he could see Uni’s spiky hair and giant spear fending off a yokai all on his own. It looked to be a paper lantern with a giant eye on its center and a gaping wide maw below, an undying flame could be seen peeking from it.

“Uni! Wait a moment, I’m coming for backup!” Haku shouted out as he approached him, jumping over some of the old ruins to reach him, tripping over an umbrella in the process. In a surprise, Uni turned around quickly and had his hand up signaling him to stop. Haku noticed his expression was oddly shocked and concerned, more than he thought he would be.

“Idiot!” He heard him shout. “Don’t come any closer!”

Confused at this, Haku slowed down to stop but suddenly felt something painful impacting his back, throwing him forward and letting his body tumble down the rough ground into the shrine grounds. Haku let out a pained groan, feeling the bitter taste of dirt in his mouth when he got up and looked to see the perpetrator. Blocking the entrance and only exit was a paper umbrella standing on its one leg and sprouting a singular eye on its center, an evil maw sits below it, much like the lantern. But unlike its brother, this one has a long extendable tongue that moves flexibly from its mouth. It salivated copiously as the yokai stared into Haku’s fearful eyes.

Haku reached for his side and pulled out his katana, holding it tightly with both his hands. He backed up slowly, nearly touching Uni’s back. “T-This is bad… We’re trapped here.”

Uni glanced back at him with annoyance, stabbing his spear into the ground and drawing out his dual kama sickles. His focus was set on the lantern yokai. “You shouldn’t have come here, I would’ve been fine on my own. Now I’m stuck with a spineless pup and two monsters to kill.”

The two held their weapons high as the yokai surrounded them. They seem to be eager to attack them, but they stand their ground and circle their vicinity as if they were waiting for their prey to make their move. Seconds pass, the yokai slowly getting closer to the two boys. When they were about to make their move, they could hear frantic footsteps from a distance. They looked over with their weapons ready for another opponent, only to realize that it was Momoka, her eyes closed by a tree while she catches her breath.

“Haku! Uni! I finally made it. I’ve been looking all over for…” her eyes averted up from the ground, seeing her teammates surrounded by yokai. Their singular eye averted to her with a hungered gaze. “...you.”

Panic, fear, despair; she couldn’t tell which of those emotions she felt the most. Her heart sank into the abyss, her eyes jittering uncontrollably as their imposing stare got closer. But most importantly, she felt like she had been here before. A memory she locked away that had haunted her forever. It was not until she saw the shrine in the middle that she realized it all. The memory she had was a memory stained in red.

“No…” she stood there, paralyzed in fear as the yokai turned to her. “P-Please, not again…”

Whereas Uni was staring over for an opening to eliminate the two yokai, Haku gazed at Momoka in worry. Her once innocent eyes were now filled with terror, tormented by something in her past. Even in the face of the yokai’s dangerous presence, she could only stand in fear without trying to defend herself. Goddess… I underestimated what the ceremony and tower are like, Haku realized. Inside the tower, they are not only facing dangerous yokai but also their internal conflicts as well.