Teruna set her backpack down by her bedroom door and took off her shoes.
The little packet of strawberry candies peeked out of the bag, which brought a smile to Teruna's face.
When her mother's back was turned, Teruna popped one of the candies into her mouth.
"Go give some to your sister; your father will be arriving home shortly," her mother said.
"Oki!" Teruna said, taking up a handful of candies and rushing to Kurai's room, only to see her lying asleep.
I'll just leave it on her desk.
As soon as the handful of strawberry candies hit Kurai's desk, her eyes jolted open, and Kurai hopped off her bed.
"Teruna, please, I beg you, please can we talk?" Kurai asked, her voice trembling.
"What's wrong?" Teruna replied, sounding rather worried.
Kurai closed her door shut and lowered her voice so their mother couldn't hear.
"Do you think...I'm weird?"
"No, but why'd you think you're weird?"
"I...I don't know, it's just..."
Kurai looked at Teruna and before saying.
"I think something is in this house."
"I agree, but why do you ask?"
"People treat me like—wait, what?! You knew?! When?!"
"I don't know, a lot of weird stuff happens around this house, that's why I used to sleep by mother and father, but they say I'm a big girl now, so I should stop being silly."
"I knew I wasn't hallucinating!"
"Why would you ever think you're hallucinating about something like that?" Teruna innocently asked.
"Sometimes in life, people would think you're mental no matter how much evidence you give."
Teruna hugged Kurai, then gave her a thumbs up in a cringey anime style.
"I don't think anything's wrong with you, big sis! Sure, you're weird at times, but that's why you're my big sister."
"Oh, Teru!"
Then Kurai and Teruna hugged it out and sat on Kurai's bed and talked about their strange spiritual experiences.
It was quite obvious that Kurai was trying not to smile, but failed.
Deep down in her heart, she had found someone who didn't think she was crazy, and all along, that very person turned out to be someone so little, her dearest little sister, Teruna.
We all should be rejoicing.
Kurai had found someone who could relate to her and actually feel safe at home, so now they'll confront their parents and call them out for having them bottle up their darkest secret for years.
And they'll forever live happily ever after like some boring fairytale!
EERT!
It seems you have forgotten the webnovel you decided to check out. I suggest you find another webnovel if you really think they'd ever find their happy ending that easily!
Now's your last chance!
Run along my friend!
Oh, you're still here?
Quite brave, actually, I do say, I'm rather impressed.
For you see, Lenieve wasn't very happy about Kurai and Teruna teaming up now.
I mean, why would he?
That was another soul that he failed to capture for Lukien, and souls, especially in the spiritual realm, hold significant value, but for the persons who are willingly handing up their souls to his master, what will they benefit from it if they receive everything they've ever wanted but lose their own souls?
Even Lenieve, that monitoring spirit he is, knows that nothing is worth more than a soul.
A soul I've marked that very day is becoming more aware, along with that sister of hers
Why disrupt the order we have forged?
What the hell is happening on this wretched day?!
Lenieve's scream split through the molecules in the air like a jagged blade.
His minions scurried nervously.
One stepped forward and said, "The humans are right in front of us, why can't we just kill them—
"You're lucky I can't kill you because what kind of idiotic question is that?! You and I both know we have to play the long game; if they're not scared of us, we can't kill them. I want to strip every bit of faith Kurai has, and oh, it would be sweet like milk and honey!"
His minions exchanged uneasy glances, whispering urgent commands to each other.
"Shit...their father is here."
Lenieve's head snapped toward the faint sound of a key in the lock.
"Ah...so those fools' father has arrived,"
Lenieve growled.
Azhield and the other minions began scuttling to their usual positions in the Tsukikage's house.
"Focus," one whispered, "We have to keep an eye on all of them now, Lenieve would have to take care of Teruna."
The same tingling sensation of the heat came back on Kurai's arm, and she groaned and just waited for it to go away, but it just intensified.
"Hey, what y'all up to?" Mr. Tsukikage asked, knocking and opening Kurai's door.
"Just talking," Teruna replied.
"Very nice, alright, I'll leave you two to it." Mr. Tsukikage said and closed the door.
--
Night fell across Setagaya and Teruna clutched her bedsheet and covered up with her quilt to stay nice and cozy with her air conditioner set on the perfect temperature.
She yawned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
When she stopped rubbing her eyes, she noticed a red glow since her bed was in sight of the door.
Teruna blinked, scared by the sudden red glow.
She tried to think about something else, but she just couldn't explain the unease she felt.
It went away, and Teruna was about to get up and alert Kurai about what was happening, but it appeared again, and this time the red was brighter than before.
Teruna's breath hitched, and her heart hammered painfully in her chest.
I wanna be with Kurai
But the red glow remained where it was, and that's when she closed her eyes and started praying like she never did before, the words rambling out of her mouth.
"Um...God I don't know why I feel so scared but please don't let anything come in here, please? I don't know why it's at my door but please don't let it touch me or even look at me or...or anything."
The red glow got brighter, just a little, sensing her fear.
Teruna breathed in heavily to calm herself.
"Please stay with me, please just...stay here," she whispered, clutching the quilt to her chin. "I know Kurai and I don't pray often but I'm trying. I really am."
Tears pricked her eyes.
"Please protect me. I don't want anything bad to happen. Not tonight."
The glow pulsed slowly almost like a heart.
Teruna pressed her forehead against her knees.
"God, please make it go away," she randmbled. "Please make it disappear or fade or something. I don't even care how, just...make it stop. Don't let it open the do or whatever demons do. Don't let it come to my bed, please."
Her quilt trembled with her small, shaking breaths.
The silence of the room grew heavier, thicker, as though the glow itself were breathing with her.
Teruna swallowed hard.
"I'm scared," she whispered,"I don't wanna feel like this. Is it wrong that I care for my sister?"
The red glow was still there but it was no longer reaching into the room.
Almost as if something invisible had pushed it back.
Teruna exhaled shakily.
"Thank you...please stay with me," she murmured,"Just...stay. Don't leave."
The glow dimmed again, fading away completely.
And Teruna stayed like that—quilt to her chin, eyes wide open, muttering prayers until exhaustion slowly pulled her toward sleep.