CHAPTER 31 — "The Hall of Silent Names"
The corridor swallowed their footsteps.
What little light Haruto's lantern shed seemed to be eaten by the walls, as if the shrine disliked illumination.
Shoto whispered,
Shoto: "Are we… getting closer? Or deeper?"
Neither Temari nor Ashura answered.
The deeper they went, the more wrong everything felt.
Ashura ran a thumb across his katana's guard.
His senses weren't screaming danger —
but a slow, quiet warning pulsed beneath his ribs.
---
Temari kept glancing at her hands.
Even though the talisman had dissolved, she swore she could still feel something cold crawling along her skin.
Temari (thinking):
That black mass… it disappeared too easily. Like it wanted to.
She stepped closer to Ashura, lowering her voice.
Temari: "That thing was sealed. Someone didn't want it escaping."
Ashura: "Or didn't want others knowing it existed."
Their eyes met —
same conclusion.
This shrine was no relic.
It was a prison.
---
The Hall
They emerged into a wide chamber.
Stone tablets lined the walls, each engraved with names — but so worn that only fragments remained.
The atmosphere felt heavier than anywhere they'd walked.
Haruto held the lantern high.
Haruto:
"These stones honor those who once protected this island."
His tone was soft — reverent.
But Ashura noted how he never looked directly at the names.
As if he didn't want to see them.
Temari moved closer to one of the slabs.
A faint trace of ink lingered at its base —
another broken talisman.
She knelt, brushing her fingers over the dust.
Temari (whispering):
"…Same as before."
Ashura's jaw tightened.
So the statues weren't the only things bound here.
---
A faint rustling echoed —
not ahead…
but above.
Ashura looked up.
From the ceiling, small stone figures clung to the ancient beams —
motionless.
Dozens.
Shoto nearly choked.
Shoto: "Nope nope nope—"
Ashura raised a hand —
Not in fear.
In caution.
Ashura:
"No sudden moves."
The stone figures didn't attack.
They simply… watched.
Haruto stood silent, smile thin and unreadable.
Haruto:
"They only react to hostility.
As long as you show respect, they will remain still."
The way he said it made Ashura's skin crawl —
as if he were speaking from experience.
---
One statue suddenly twitched.
Not enough to drop —
just a shift.
Temari gasped softly.
Ashura stepped forward, nudging her behind him.
His hand ignited again — faint flame gathering around his fist.
> Ninpō: Enken — 焔拳 (Burning Fist)
Minimal output — controlled.
The statue hissed…
But didn't fall.
It simply settled again.
Ashura lowered his hand, flame fading.
Just a message:
"Don't try me."
Shoto exhaled shakily.
Shoto:
"Bro… they're making my heart age."
---
As they moved on, Ashura lagged a step behind Haruto — watching.
The caretaker's pace never faltered.
But when he thought no one was looking—
His smile vanished.
His eyes… narrowed.
Haruto (quietly to himself):
"…They adapt quickly.
Even the girl recognized the seal."
He seemed pleased.
Almost proud.
Then he adjusted his lantern —
Smile returning like a mask being pulled back on.
Ashura caught only the tail end.
Even that was enough to confirm…
His earlier instincts were dead right.
Ashura (thinking):
He's hiding something.
And he knows… we know.
---
A Name Reappears
One stone slab near the back was cleaner than the others.
A newer talisman held it together —
barely.
The writing beneath was still readable:
> "Here lies the Watcher of the Gate."
Temari leaned closer.
Temari:
"…Watcher… of what gate?"
Haruto's lantern light flickered.
Haruto:
"Do not touch that one.
Its story is… unfinished."
He moved quickly —
Too quickly —
placing himself between them and the slab.
Shoto muttered under his breath,
"…Dude's acting like a guard dog."
Ashura said nothing.
But his grip on his weapon tightened.
---
The Door of Veils
At the far end of the hall stood a massive stone door.
Layers of scripts covered its surface — familiar symbols, similar to Ashura's mark.
Haruto stopped before it.
Haruto:
"Beyond here…
lies what you came for."
Temari felt her heart drop.
Not excitement.
Dread.
The black talisman residue on her fingers tingled.
Ashura stepped closer.
Ashura:
"And what exactly is that?"
Haruto turned —
Lantern glowing softly under his chin,
casting his smile in a strange light.
Haruto:
"A truth older than the island.
A power that should never have awakened…"
His eyes glimmered.
Haruto:
"…Yet here you stand."
Ashura's jaw locked.
He didn't like the certainty in that voice.
Not one bit.
---
Behind them —
a faint sound of stone shifting.
The statues on the ceiling turned their heads
in unison.
Watching.
Waiting.
Haruto extended a hand toward the immense door.
Haruto:
"Shall we?"
The lantern dimmed again.
To be continued…