1 Prologue: Past life

[ Tokyo, Japan ] 

[ Risveglio Akasaka Hotel – 3:51 A.M. ]

The yellow lights cast deep shadows on the walls of the hotel room. The dim luminescence gave the place a warm and pleasant atmosphere, but the silence that reigned in the room made the scene more somber.

To one side, a girl with long black hair stood anxiously waiting. The electric kettle in front of her turned off with a 'clack', indicating that the water was ready. She grabbed the handle with trembling hands, pouring the hot liquid into a disposable paper cup. A column of white mist danced in the air, giving off a strong smell of black tea.

She inhaled the bitter smell deeply, feeling her body relax and the haze in her mind gradually clear. However, at that moment, there was someone else who needed to be appeased, so without wasting time, she held the hot cup and approached with careful steps the three people who were huddled on one of the two queen-sized beds in the room.

A brown-haired girl was sitting in the middle of the bed, with her back hunched and both arms tightly wrapped around her legs. Her head was resting on her knees and her short, messy hair fell in waves. Even though none of the other three people in the room could see her face, her labored and shaky breathing showed her agitated state.

"Dre... just a... real…" An almost inaudible murmur left her lips; incoherent words were repeated over and over like an old broken record. Every so often she dug her nails into her skin because she had the feeling that her own body was twisted in a strange way, but it was all her imagination.

She was flanked by a girl of the same age, with brown skin and reddish hair, and a rather tall young man with curly, disheveled hair. The former gently rubbed her back in silence, while the boy caressed her head, trying to comb her tangled hair. Their faces looked fatigued, but their eyes revealed their growing concern.

The three of them had been like this for about ten minutes, maybe more, but they still hadn't managed to completely calm their friend down. The sound of feet dragging on the carpet drew their attention to the woman who had a steaming disposable cup in her hands.

"Drink this," whispered the black-haired woman as she slowly brought the hot tea to her. "It will calm you down," she added in a soft tone, searching her friend's face with her hazel eyes.

The brunette slowly raised her head, revealing an extremely pale and exhausted face. Her left cheek was red and swollen, as were her eyes, either from holding back tears or from lack of sleep.

"Thank you," she replied hoarsely, receiving the disposable cup with trembling hands. In the process, she surreptitiously touched the black-haired woman's hand, seeking to feel the temperature of her skin, and then carefully distanced herself.

They all noticed how their friend's tense face softened with relief, and believed that the tea had done its job of calming her down a bit. When, in fact, her relief was due to something entirely different.

At times, the brunette felt that the people around her were not real, or that her surroundings themselves were part of a dream. Her numb body seemed to be floating above the bed, and even though her friends were next to her, there seemed to be a great distance between them. Their muffled voices echoed in the distance, as if there was a wall blocking them.

The brunette slowly brought the edge of the cup to her lips, ignoring the high temperature that made her skin burn. The mist rose in front of her face, and the intense smell of tea entered her nose. She sighed heavily before taking small sips, feeling her chaotic thoughts slowly settle.

The tea burned her tongue slightly and slid down her throat, warming her chest and stomach, while the temperature that passed through the cardboard to her hands gave her that long-awaited feeling of realism. Her numb body and senses were revived, and the surroundings began to regain color.

Meanwhile, everyone waited in silence, watching her carefully in case she had any unexpected reaction. Only when she put down the almost empty cup did the rest proceed to cautiously inquire.

"Does it hurt a lot?" The red-haired girl began hesitantly, her brown eyes fixed on her friend's swollen cheek. Seeing her shake her head in response, she continued. "Sorry. We had to hit you to wake you up because-" She suddenly stopped, shuddering at the memory of the piercing screams that had made her jump out of bed in the middle of the night.

"Has this happened before?" Interrupted the only man in the room. His brow was deeply furrowed with a mixture of anxiety and bewilderment. "This is no longer normal. To be honest, it's scary. I still have goosebumps."

"This is the first time I've seen her react like this," the redhead denied firmly. "When she has a nightmare, she usually mutters nonsense or wakes up agitated, but nothing like this has ever happened," she explained while looking askance at the brunette, remembering the time they had lived together. "But in the last few months, the number of times she has suffered nightmares or insomnia has been increasing. You already know the rest of the story."

The gloomy silence once again reigned in the room as everyone was lost in thought. The phone on the coffee table in the living room suddenly rang. The reception number appeared on the digital display. No matter how well insulated the walls were, with the chaos that had broken out inside the room minutes before, it was no surprise that the hotel employees had inquired about the situation and called once they identified where the disturbance was coming from.

"I'll handle it," said the redhead, getting up from the bed and quickly heading towards the phone.

No one objected since, among the four, the brunette girl was the only one who could speak several languages ​​fluently. However, it was obvious that she was in no condition to take the call, so the redhead, who had an average level of English, was the best option to deal with the situation. With a space now free on the bed, the girl who had brought the tea took the opportunity to sit down and hug her friend who was still frightened and nervous.

Firm, warm caresses ran down her back, letting her know that she was not alone; it wasn't a dream, this was her body, and these people were real. Feeling the comforting warmth emanating from the black-haired woman, the brunette's cold and trembling body gradually relaxed, until the beating of their hearts synchronized. Once the black-haired woman felt that her friend in her arms had stopped trembling, she then encouraged herself to speak.

"Hey, look at me," she called her attention in an affable tone. Her voice was almost a whisper when she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

The brunette hesitated for several seconds, but in the end she refused. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about it, but that she didn't remember the content of her nightmare very well.

Places, noises, objects, voices; it was all a disastrous and confusing jumble of images and sounds without context. The only thing that had remained in her mind was the overwhelming pain, as if she had received a terrible beating, and a great grief that suffocated the rest of her emotions.

"Let's postpone the visit to the shrine for another day," the boy suggested as he examined the situation. "We have a few free days, so it wouldn't be a problem to take a break. What do you think?"

The four of them had arrived in Japan that morning after leaving South Korea, their next destination being China. After years of planning this trip through Asia and Europe, they had finally saved enough money and booked all the flight and train tickets, and hotel rooms necessary for the course of their trip. Although they had a tight schedule full of places to visit and foods to try, they had left a margin of free days in case any inconvenience or emergency occurred. But the brunette refused before the rest agreed.

"No, I'm good." After receiving reproachful looks from her friends, she decided to correct her words a little. "Well, I'm not so good, but I feel better. I don't want to stay in the hotel," she admitted with complete honesty. "I'd rather go out and have fun."

In situations like this, it was better to entertain herself with other things and forget about the horrible nightmares. If she stayed at the hotel, she would surely fall asleep and dream again.

What if it happened again? She didn't even want to imagine it. On the other hand, she also did not want to waste time or money, neither her own nor her friends'. After distancing herself from the black-haired woman, she lightly hit her cheeks to wake up once and for all.

"Ugh!" A painful sting ran down the left side of her face. Only then did she remember that she had been slapped before.

"Sorry about that," the black-haired woman apologized when she noticed her friend's grimace of pain.

"Don't worry. Let's go to sleep, tomorrow will be a long day."

Just in time, the redhead returned from the living room. The kind staff understood the situation and had even asked if anyone needed medical attention, which she politely declined. After apologizing several times and hanging up, she returned to the room to find that the previously gloomy atmosphere had disappeared. The four of them talked a little more and decided to proceed with what they had planned, although they would get up a little later to catch up on lost sleep.

The brunette drank another cup of tea while her friends moved some furniture and pushed the beds closer so they could all sleep together. Needless to say, the next morning they would have to return everything to normal before the employees noticed and reprimanded them, but the arrangement was only for that night.

The redhead and the tall boy occupied the outer sides, while the other two girls remained in the center. The lights went out and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Placid and slow breaths floated through the silent room, yet only one person was unable to fall asleep. The person who caused the whole mess was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. 

To be honest, she was scared to dream and experience that terrifying pain once again. What if she woke everyone up again? Not only would it ruin their friends' trip, but it would also get them a warning from the hotel, and in the worst case, they would be forced to vacate.

Several images raced through her mind; some violet petals that danced in the air, a loud crashing sound, a long flight of red-painted steps, and terrified voices.

'Why is this happening to me now?,' she thought while cursing how untimely her nightmares were. Tears that she hadn't cried before watered her eyes, but they didn't fall. Suddenly, she was startled to feel something touch her hands. A pair of warm hands wrapped firmly around hers.

"We're here," the black-haired woman on her right whispered.

"Sleep," the other girl on her left added sleepily.

"Do you want me to leave some lights on?" asked the boy thoughtfully.

The brunette giggled under her breath, exchanging a few words with them before finally closing her eyes and falling asleep. Luckily, there were no more nightmares.

- - - - - - - -

The restaurant located on the ground floor of the hotel was small but cozy. The interior design was a fusion between modern and vintage, with furniture made of ocher colored wood. The white walls and antique lamps with yellow lights added just the right touches to complement the design.

The strong smell of coffee mixed with the subtle aromas of different foods spread throughout the place. The employees were cleaning the counter and dishes, waiting for the clock to mark the time to close the kitchen and rest.

At the end of a row of empty tables, a group of four people were leisurely chatting. As they finished their drinks they also determined the route they should take to their first destination of the day, the Hie Shrine.

"According to the map, the shrine is about a 400-meter walk away, so we'll get there pretty quickly. When we leave, we go to the taxi stand half a block down the street, and continue on our way towards the Tokyo Skytree, is that okay?" The redhead confirmed with the rest one more time.

"It seems perfect to me," the brunette agreed as she put the last bite of her dessert into her mouth. "Them we'ff haf mom time tu walf afound," she mumbled with a mouthful of food.

"Do we have enough cash?" the black-haired girl asked after sipping her strawberry smoothie. Meanwhile, her free hand smacked her friend's head in reproach. The brunette retaliated by opening her mouth to show her the half-chewed food.

"Yep." The boy replied, ignoring the typical antics of his friends. His side of the table had more plates than the rest, although now they were all clean as new.

"Then let's get going." The brunette looked at the time on her phone and stood up. Her fair complexion had regained its natural color and her mood had returned to normal; so much so that what happened last night seemed like a bad illusion.

It was the middle of spring in Japan and the weather was mild, perfect for walking. Still, the morning breeze was quite cool, so many people had light coats on. The area they were in was full of restaurants, bars, and hotels. Luckily, there weren't many people at that time, so the walk was rather pleasant. 

Passing by the Bank of China, they reached Sotobori-dori avenue. Across the street and between two buildings was a dark gray torii gate with a green sign with gold letters written on it. On the side there was also a map with the necessary information about the shrine.

They all gawked at the giant torii, for it was the first time they had visited a shrine. Although none of them were fervent believers, they couldn't help but feel the sacred air that the place emanated. Indeed, it was as if the gate separated the human world from the divine world.

When they crossed the torii, the four of them suddenly stopped and looked at each other quizzically.

"Was it just me or…?" asked the redhead.

"No, I felt it too," the boy said in wonder, his big brown eyes wide open.

"I thought I was the only one," the black-haired woman added in amazement.

The brunette nodded twice, for she had felt it too. It was as if she had broken through some kind of membrane and was now inside a bubble. The air actually felt cleaner and her body became lighter. She even believed that her surroundings had become more radiant.

On the other side of the torii was a short flight of steps that connected to another street. In the center of the wooden lanterns was a stone sign with the words "Sanno Hie Shrine" engraved on it.

"Let's take a photo here," the black-haired woman proposed, showing her phone.

The problem was that their tripod had broken and they had not yet purchased a replacement. So if they wanted a group photo, they had to ask someone else. 

While they were debating whether to just take a selfie and continue on their way, a man approached them. Although they couldn't see his full face since he was wearing a facemask, his amber eyes were a mix of European and Asian features. A professional camera hung around his neck, so everyone believed it was another tourist who had realized their dilemma.

"Excuse me, if you don't mind, can I take you some photos?" The man asked in a perfect British accent as he raised his camera. "Free of charge," he clarified when he saw them hesitate. "I can show you my Instagram so you can see some of my latest works. I'll send the photos to one of your numbers after editing them."

"Can you show me, please?" The boy approached the photographer.

While both of them were talking, the brunette watched the man discreetly. He seemed to be their age, around thirty years old. He didn't act strange and was very polite, however, she felt that something didn't fit.

Unconsciously, she averted her gaze to the other two girls. The redhead was carefully examining the exchange between the guys, and the black-haired girl exchanged glances with her; her hazel eyes reflected the same discomfort. Noticing their exchange, the redhead looked at them out of the corner of her eye and raised her eyebrows, implying something.

The three of them came to the same conclusion without saying a word.

After a few minutes, the boy returned and the four of them posed. After taking a few photos with his camera and one of their phones, the man bid a polite farewell and walked down the path to the right. They, however, went down the left side. Before going up another flight of stairs, the brunette turned and looked over her shoulder.

Great was their discomfort and surprise when she realized that the man had also turned and was watching them from afar. Instinctively, she gave a small smile, and he returned the gesture by waving his hand.

'How awkward,' she thought as she turned quickly to follow her friends.

The long flight of stairs was narrow, so they were forced to go up in a single row. The path was adorned with ninety vermilion-colored torii gates that were clustered together. Despite being amused taking photos as they went up, the brunette occasionally turned around to check if the man was following them, but she only saw a few other tourists who were also taking photos like them.

At last she thought she was being too paranoid and stopped.

Upon reaching the top, the group followed the path until they found one of the side entrances to the main shrine. After walking in, the first thing they noticed was the enormous main building to their right, where several people were lining up to pray and pay their respects to the gods. Luckily, the place was not so crowded and they could walk around easily.

They also saw two stalls where people were also lining up; in one you could buy the popular amulets and other souvenirs. In the other stall they could get the 'goshuin seal', but for that they needed a special booklet which they didn't have.

In the center of the courtyard was a large hoop that appeared to be made of straw, and there were two long bamboo poles on the sides. Visitors first went through the hoop and then lined up to pray. On the sides were roofed passages embellished with wisteria trees in full bloom that gave off a musky fragrance.

"Where is it…?" the brunette murmured, searching for something with her eyes, and the rest did the same.

According to their information, they first had to find a water ablution pavilion, in which they were to perform a ceremonial purification rite, which consisted of washing their hands, mouth, and also the water ladle before presenting their prayers.

"Is that it?" The redhead pointed to the other corner of the courtyard, where three people were each holding a wooden ladle.

"Yes, that's it!" The brunette exclaimed excitedly when she recognized the pavilion.

While they were doing the ritual, they couldn't help but laugh at themselves as they watched their clumsy actions as they tried to imitate the locals. When they finished, they joined the line to pass through the straw hoop.

"Do it again, just in case," the boy suggested with a mischievous smile to the black-haired girl, who looked at him confused. "I don't think a single purification is enough," and he moved his eyebrows up and down several times.

"And you need a few exorcisms, let me ask if they do those here," she retorted, pretending to be looking for a shrine employee.

"Ask them if they do two for one," the brunette added, pointing to herself.

"Guys, we came to visit the shrine, not to set it on fire," the redhead joined in and everyone laughed quietly.

The line in front of the huge hoop moved quickly as they joked around until it was finally their turn. While waiting for the others to cross one by one, the brunette gazed at the hoop in wonder and imagined that it was some sort of portal to another world. 

Suddenly, she felt a horrible sensation on the back of her neck that made her shrank her shoulders. She immediately scanned her surroundings, until her gaze stopped on a figure standing in the middle of the front door. However, before she could focus her sight, she was startled to hear her friends calling her name and turned around.

"Hurry up, don't hold up the line," the boy urged her.

"Ah, yes, sorry," she muttered in embarrassment, quickly crossing the hoop to join them.

When one of her legs crossed to the other side, she again experienced the sensation of passing through a thin membrane, although this time the sensation was more realistic.

A series of images flashed through her head. Shadowed faces of strange people appeared one after another, followed by a beautiful and eerie forest of snowy flowers. The world was spinning and she was falling from the sky, until a bright light blinded her. 

A din of voices penetrated her ears in such a way that she staggered from the sudden dizziness that assailed her. The redhead and the boy reacted quickly and held her arms before she fell to the floor.

"Are you okay?" they both asked at the same time.

"Yes, I just got dizzy for a moment. I'm fine now," the brunette tried to calm them down and once she regained her balance they let her go.

"If you feel bad, we can sit for a while and then come back," the black-haired woman suggested, but the brunette refused.

"I'm fine, let's move on."

The three examined her face with concern, but in the end decided to continue standing in line. After about fifteen minutes, it was their turn. 

The brunette did not affirm the existence of what was known as gods, but she did not deny it either. To be honest, relying on something unknown and intangible like a god gave her a feeling of uncertainty, which is why she preferred to rely on herself and the people who were always by her side through thick and thin. However, when she visited a church, a temple, or a shrine, she tried to respect their beliefs, like now.

'I don't know if they really exist, but... Whoever is listening, I don't want to dream anymore, please,' she begged with all her might. Her intertwined fingers turned white from squeezing them so much. 'Allow us to return home safely... Thank you.' She bowed and stepped to the side, waiting for her friends to finish.

Then, everyone headed straight for the stall where they sold souvenirs, amulets, and so on.

"I want to buy an amulet."

"Me too. And I want that wooden tablet to write wishes on."

"Let's buy those fortune papers," the boy suggested as they stood in line again. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if we all got the unlucky ones," he joked.

After a few minutes, the four of them were under the wisteria-covered passage, putting their new purchases in their bags. Afterwards they busied themselves writing on their wishing boards, leaving the fortune papers for last. 

"What did you write?" The black-haired girl finished writing on her tablet and looked at the others'.

"May we always find our way home safe and sound, and may we be together forever," the brunette answered honestly, showing hers. "And you?"

"Prosperity and health for my loved ones," she replied with an expression overflowing with affection.

"May I never lack the wisdom to solve things and overcome any situations," the redhead continued.

"May my mental health be stable and may no passion enslave me," said the boy, turning his tablet over. "Happiness and health for all those who seek it."

"Stop, holy sir, your magnanimity hurts me," the brunette teased him, making the rest laugh.

After everyone revealed their wishes, the most anticipated moment arrived: the mysterious omikuji that contained their fortune. Since they were in Japanese, they decided to use the translators on their phones for greater convenience.

The four then concentrated on reading, but the heavy silence that surrounded them was evident. The girls raised their gazes almost at the same time, fixing their somber eyes on the boy's face. 

"Don't tell me... You're kidding, right?" He began to laugh out of nervousness as he felt the threatening pressure on him.

"Mine says 'kyō'." The first to speak was the redhead. "According to the translator, it means misfortune."

"Mine too," the black-haired woman followed.

"Mine says 'dai-kyō'... Great misfortune." The brunette wore a scathing expression as she glared at the boy who moments before had joked about this.

"Mine also says 'kyō'." The boy couldn't contain his laughter, since the chances of something like this happening were slim, and yet, they had pulled it off.

Between laughter and disbelief —and a few well deserved hits—, everyone hung up their tablets and tied their papers before continuing on their way. When they passed through the passageway full of violet flowers again, the brunette heard a faint voice calling her and turned around thinking it was one of her friends.

"Did you say something?"

"No?" The redhead, who had been checking the route and visiting hours of their next destination, shook her head with a frown.

"Let's buy something to drink." Thirsty, the other girl couldn't wait to get a bottle or two of water.

 "And something to eat on the way," the boy added.

Puzzled, she thought she had misheard and continued walking. Before leaving through the huge front door, the brunette heard it again. It was a high-pitched, desperate voice screaming her name, but the rest was unintelligible. 

Chills ran through her body, making her skin crawl, as she once again experienced that horrible feeling that someone or something was watching her with almost palpable malice. A strong gust of wind shook the wisteria branches and hundreds of purplish petals whirled through the courtyard like a whirlwind, drowning out all sounds.

"Don't fall behind, or you'll get lost!"

"Hurry up!"

"Coming!"

The only voices that resonated in the abysmal silence were those of her friends. The brunette ran towards them, completely ignoring what was lurking behind them.

- - - - - - - -

After walking around the premises for a while longer, they decided to end their visit to the shrine. If they took the steps leading down to the white torii gate, they would find the cab stand half a block away. At the top of the stairs there were a few vending machines, so they took the opportunity to buy some soft drinks and rest for a few minutes before heading down.

"I think I'm going crazy," the brunette confessed. Her revelation was so sudden that it caught others off guard, leaving them bewildered.

"If anything, you were never very sane," said the boy, believing that his friend was joking. However, the girl's face did not twitch. It was then that everyone understood that she was being serious.

"What do you mean?" The redhead looked her in the eyes solemnly. "Why do you think that?"

"The thing is…"

Honestly, that was the only conclusion she could come to. For as long as she could remember, she'd had strange, vivid dreams. Her sleep patterns had always been irregular as well, so she didn't understand when exactly it all got out of control. 

When did her dreams start to become so real? When did her insomnia start to get worse? Was it when she started dreaming about that story, or was it when she started writing it down?

"When we went through that hoop before... How do I explain it... I saw something strange. Although I don't know if 'saw' is the correct way to define it." She rubbed her face in frustration as she couldn't find the words and then sighed heavily. "They were like memories, or a lucid dream. Bah, I don't know what it was. What scares me the most are the voices. Since we walked in here, I can hear as if someone is talking to me, but at the same time I don't understand what the hell they're saying. I know they're calling my name." The brunette then realized something and began to mutter to herself. "Come to think of it, was that my name? It didn't sound like mine, but…"

"Let me tell you, if that's the reason you think you're crazy, then that makes two of us."

"Thank God!" The boy celebrated with great relief after getting rid of a big load off his shoulders, "I'm not the only nutcase, haha!"

"Well, look on the bright side," said the redhead, making a grimace with her lips, "at least we'll all end up in the asylum. We might even get a discount."

The brunette examined her friends one by one, surprise and confusion evident on her face. Were they serious or were they just playing along to keep her from falling apart? But when everyone started talking, she finally realized that they weren't kidding.

"I felt like I was in free fall and then I got really cold," the black-haired woman explained, adjusting the coat she was wearing, "but I thought it was my anemia, so I didn't think much of it."

"Me too!" The boy exclaimed excitedly. "But in my case I felt very hot and hungry. I assumed it was some symptom of, you know, purification," he emphasized at the end, raising and bending his index and middle fingers several times. "That or I was just hungry," he concluded, shrugging his shoulders and taking another sip of his drink.

"Besides the feeling of falling, I felt like my skin was burning, to the point where I started sweating and I had to take off my coat," the redhead revealed. "And I heard voices, but I thought they were the people around me. Then I realized that it wasn't actually my name I was hearing, but for some reason, I thought they were calling me."

"I don't know if I'm scared, amazed, or possessed," the brunette scoffed at her situation, feeling overwhelmed by her emotions and chaotic thoughts. She even thought that perhaps her paranoia was also due to her mental fatigue from having to deal with one thing followed by the other.

"Whether it's the shrine, or us, we'll find out when we leave." The boy stood up and put the bottle in his backpack.

"He's right, we still have places to visit. And at night we can talk about it calmly at the hotel." The black-haired woman patted her friend's shoulder and held out her hand out of habit.

The brunette smiled with relief and took her hand, intertwining their fingers firmly. The anguish she felt in her chest faded largely thanks to the understanding and constant support of her friends who listened to her without judging. Thanks to them, the insecurities and fears that she thought she was unable to face became easy to overcome.

To the point that, if she were the monster in a fairy tale, she was absurdly certain that, no matter how much the whole world rejected her, she would be proud to be the wicked witch or the dangerous dragon.

The four of them descended the first flight of stairs and contemplated the long descent they had to the immense white torii gate and the busy avenue.

"How many steps are there...?"

"About a hundred?"

"Let's take a photo from here. It's a nice view."

"Let the torii gate be seen in the background!"

Since there weren't many people around, they decided to quickly pose for the photo. Just as they got the perfect shot, a shrill screech of tires skidding across the pavement penetrated their eardrums, followed by a loud impact and the horrified screams of people. Everyone turned around, focusing their attention on what was happening on the avenue.

"How awful…"

"It looks like a car hit a bicycle."

"I hope they're all right, that it's nothing serious."

"Let's go down."

The four resumed their walk, this time with more haste. As they approached the base of the stairs, the brutal scene became more visible. The police reacted quickly and moved the onlookers away. One of them was reporting what had happened, probably asking for an ambulance and reinforcements, while the other was assisting the cyclist. The car's driver, who had apparently suffered minor injuries, even got out to help and check if the girl was all right.

When they were halfway down the stairs, the brunette looked at the unfortunate young woman who was lying motionless on the ground. The impact had been of such magnitude that the bike was destroyed, and its owner had been thrown several meters away, to the center of the avenue. Some of her limbs were twisted in an unusual way, so it was obvious that they were fractured. But this was not what caught the brunette's attention.

Her eyes were fixed on the bike, or what was left of it. The colors, the decorations, even the contents of the small basket that had been scattered across the street. She then observed the clothing of the girl who was bleeding out, the shocked onlookers murmuring in anguish, everything.

'It's like a deja vu'. Something told her that this situation had already happened before or, rather, all the elements together formed a familiar scene.

Suddenly, the view before her eyes became blurry and grainy, like static from an old television. A sickening, creepy feeling crawled up her body like a snake coiling around her. Her body was petrified in place, and no matter how much she forced it to move, it did not obey her.

"What's going on?" The redhead noticed that something was wrong, so she immediately approached the brunette, but received no response.

"What happened?" The boy asked when he realized that both of them had stayed behind.

"No, it's just... I…" she stammered anxiously, not knowing how to explain the horrible feeling that compressed her chest. "I don't feel well. Let's get out of here."

"Then let's go," the black-haired woman urged nervously, her face pale with fright.

"I can't," the brunette's voice trembled, her fear growing immeasurably. "I can't move."

"I'll carry her," the boy immediately picked her up and carried her on his back, rushing down with the other two girls at his side.

However, they didn't go down even ten steps before the boy screamed in pain, falling forward. The brunette felt her world spin out of control, not understanding what had happened. The next moment, everything went white.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she felt was an excruciating pain throughout her body. As she remembered that she had not been the only one who had fallen, her adrenaline shot up, to the point of completely overshadowing her pain. She tried to sit up without noticing the state she was in, frantically looking for her friends.

"Ah... what... no…" she stammered with trembling lips as she saw what was in front of her.

Blood had stained the stairs a reddish hue and the bodies of her friends were scattered on them like puppets whose strings had been cut. The scene was so unreal that the brunette believed it was a dream. Her fool of a friend had surely lost his balance and now they were both unconscious. This was nothing more than a nightmare, or so she tried to convince herself.

Her senses slowly returned, until she finally heard the terrified shrieks of people running and the bellowing of police officers in the distance. Amidst all the commotion, that voice from before was desperately shouting her name so loudly that it seemed like their vocal cords would break at any moment.

The brunette tried to crawl towards her friends, shouting their names over and over again, hoping that one of them would show signs of life. Her dull brain didn't notice details such as why they had fallen? Or, why were they all bleeding to death? Much less did she notice the presence of the man with the facemask who was standing in the middle of the stairs, a blood-smeared knife in his hand.

"At last. You don't know how long I've been waiting for this," the photographer mumbled, a fervent madness reflected in his eyes. "This will be the last time, the last time... There will be no more pain. I promise."

The man knelt in front of the girl who couldn't stop crying and climbed on top of her, thus preventing her from moving. The brown eyes beneath him wandered from the lifeless bodies on the stairs, finally resting on him. He could not help but feel great pleasure in knowing that his presence had at last been acknowledged.

"I'll be the one who fulfills your wish. No one else but me."

It was the last thing the brunette heard before the knife pierced her heart.