CHAPTER 28 — "MIST-VEILED PATH" (part 2)
The ferry groaned as Ashura, Temari, and Shoto stepped onto the mist-drenched pier of Kagejima Island. The villagers lingered behind closed doors, watching in silence, their wary eyes following the newcomers like shadows.
Temari muttered, "It feels wrong here… like the air itself is watching us."
Shoto tried to lighten the tension. "Or maybe they just don't like me."
Temari's hand twitched toward her satchel. "Say that again, and I'll stitch your mouth shut."
Ashura remained silent, his eyes scanning the thick mist that curled around the docks like fingers probing for weakness.
---
Haruto led them through the twisting paths of the village, his robes flawless, his smile never faltering. He moved with a calm precision that put the trio on edge.
Ashura (thinking): Something's off. Too practiced… too smooth. There's more going on here than he's telling us.
The path left the village behind, cutting into dense, overgrown forest. Black vines coiled around ancient torii gates. The fog thickened, swallowing their steps and dulling the world outside.
Faint whispers floated through the mist. At first, Temari thought it was the wind, but the words were deliberate, like voices speaking just behind their backs.
Temari (quietly): "Ashura… do you hear that?"
Ashura: "…Yeah. Keep moving."
Shoto tried to laugh. "Maybe it's just some weird birds?"
Even his bravado faltered as he kept his hand on his blade.
---
Halfway to the shrine, the compass spun violently, and their map seemed to bleed ink, the paper warping as if corroded from inside.
Temari's eyes widened. "The map… it's ruined!"
Haruto's calm smile never wavered. "Maps mean nothing here. This island does not welcome outsiders."
Ashura's hands clenched around his katana. "Funny you didn't mention that before."
Haruto's eyes glimmered, a faint shadow in their depths. "You didn't ask."
---
As the forest thinned, the shrine emerged through the mist. Silence settled over the path. No wind, no whispers, just the faint scent of decay and something older — something aware.
Haruto stopped, gesturing toward the shrine. "We're here. Tread carefully. The shrine tolerates no intrusion."
Ashura's gaze flicked to Haruto's eyes — for a brief moment, they seemed almost serpentine, too sharp, too knowing. Then the caretaker stepped back into the mist, leaving the trio alone at the forest's edge.
Temari whispered, "Did you see that? His eyes…"
Shoto shivered. "Yeah… definitely not normal."
Ashura tightened his grip on his katana. "Whatever's here… it knows we're coming."
From the shadows, faint glowing eyes reflected the dim light. Someone — or something — was watching, patient and calculating, waiting for them to take the next step.