Yuki's legs felt weak as she walked away from the hospital. The city lights blurred around her, as if the world itself couldn't decide whether to stay real or dissolve into smoke. She kept seeing Zero's hand falling limp, the blood, and the shadow of that girl—Sakura's form—laughing as she tore the pure ghoul apart.
Seven walked ahead of her, his posture rigid. Pen and Shara followed, whispering among the 678. But Yuki didn't hear any of them. The night felt cold. Too cold. Like the city itself was turning its back on her.
"Yuki," Seven said without looking back. "You need to keep up."
She swallowed hard and forced herself forward. But something inside her felt strange—off balance, like her soul was pulling two different directions at once.
They walked until they reached an abandoned subway entrance, one known only to ghouls. Pen raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop.
"This is where the human ties end," he said quietly.
Yuki blinked. "What do you mean?"
Shara stepped closer, her voice heavy. "Since humans are now becoming suspicious of Ghoul City, the government has a rule. All Sacrifice Ghouls must cut ties with every human they have ever known."
Yuki's throat closed. "What? That's not fair—Zero almost died. He needs me."
"And that's exactly why," Seven said sharply. "Your emotions are a danger to the Web. Anyone you care about becomes a target. Humans cannot know what you are. Your memories with him…" He hesitated. "They weaken you."
Shara touched Yuki's arm gently. "This is the rule for all Sacrifice Ghouls. The more you care for humans, the more powerful enemies you attract. You can still protect them—but from a distance."
Yuki shook her head. "I don't want distance. I want my life back. I want to talk to my friends. To laugh with them. To… feel normal."
Pen sighed, stepping forward. "Normal is gone. You crossed the boundary when you entered Ghoul City. You survived things humans never should see." He pointed toward the darkened subway entrance. "And now you must prove your loyalty."
"What loyalty?" she whispered.
Seven turned fully toward her now, expression unreadable. "The Loyalty Ghoul Test."
Yuki's heart froze.
She had heard rumors about the test. How brutal it was. How deeply it reached into your soul. How many ghouls failed.
"How long… how long will it take?" Yuki asked, her voice trembling.
"Until your true nature reveals itself," Seven answered.
Shara leaned in closer. "And Sakura will guide you through it."
The street lights flickered.
Yuki's vision blurred.
A sharp pain burst through her chest like someone had plunged icy fingers into her heart.
Then—
Everything went black.
---
Inside the Mind — Sakura Awakens
When Yuki opened her eyes again, she was no longer in the city. She was lying on something soft, like a bed of petals. Red petals. The air was warm. Thick. Heavy with the smell of old memories and something darker—betrayal, she realized.
A figure stepped out from behind her.
Long hair. Beautiful. Familiar.
Sakura.
But she looked… different. Older, sadder, and somehow glowing with a supernatural aura.
"Welcome to your loyalty test," Sakura said softly. "And welcome to my truth."
Yuki tried to stand but couldn't move. Her body wasn't hers.
"S-Sakura… what are you doing?"
"I'm taking over for now," Sakura said, her voice almost gentle. "Don't fight it. You need to see this."
The red petals curled upward, forming the shape of a doorway. Inside it, a scene flickered like a broken TV screen.
A cold night.
Sakura—human Sakura—standing near the old river bridge with her boyfriend, Kai.
Yuki felt herself pulled forward, forced to watch.
---
Flashback — The Night Sakura Died
Sakura was laughing, leaning against Kai's chest. He held her hand tightly, but something in his eyes was wrong—too bright, too hungry.
"Kai?" Sakura asked, pulling back. "Why are you shaking?"
Kai's smile twitched. "I'm fine. I just… I want us to grow stronger together."
Sakura giggled. "We already are strong."
"No," Kai whispered. "Not strong enough to survive the city."
He stepped back.
Sakura frowned. "Kai? What's going on?"
Then Yuki saw it—his shadow stretching unnaturally, shifting like black smoke. His pupils thinned. His teeth sharpened.
"No…" Yuki whispered, but her voice didn't exist in this memory. She was only a witness.
Kai's voice was hollow. "To evolve… a ghoul must consume the one they love most."
Sakura froze.
"Kai… what are you saying?"
"I'm sorry," he said, tears forming but not falling. "You'll be my sacrifice."
He lunged.
Sakura screamed.
Yuki screamed too—but only Sakura heard her.
Kai grabbed Sakura by the throat and lifted her off the ground. She kicked, clawed, sobbed. Her tears fell like rain.
"Kai! Stop! You're hurting me!"
"I have to do this," he whispered, his voice breaking. "You'll live inside me forever."
He plunged his claws into Sakura's chest.
Her eyes widened. Her body shook violently.
Blood slid down her dress.
Yuki sobbed, trembling in the dark, forced to feel every bit of Sakura's pain.
Kai's shadow swallowed Sakura whole, consuming her screaming soul until nothing remained but darkness.
---
Flashback End — The Birth of the Monster
The scene shattered like broken glass.
Sakura now stood in front of Yuki with empty eyes.
"That was the night I died," she said quietly. "The night love betrayed me."
Yuki shook violently. "I—I'm so sorry—"
"Don't apologize," Sakura said. "Understand."
The petals shifted again, showing a new scene.
Sakura, alive but hollow, sitting in a classroom. Students whispered about her hair, her shaking hands. Professors asked if she needed help. But Sakura stared blankly at her textbooks, not hearing a word.
The next scene:
Sakura leaving school, backpack half-zipped, ignoring everyone calling her name. Her eyes were dead.
Then:
Sakura sitting alone at home while her family knocked at her door asking what was wrong.
"Sakura, sweetie, talk to us."
"Dinner's ready."
"Are you okay?"
She said nothing.
She shut herself away from the world.
And eventually—
She disappeared from school entirely.
Dropped out.
Stopped visiting family.
Stopped smiling.
Stopped being Sakura.
The petals dissolved.
Sakura looked at Yuki, her face softening for the first time.
"Now you understand why I protected you," she whispered. "Why I never told you. Why I stayed in your shadow."
Yuki reached toward her. "Sakura… I'm still here. You're not alone."
Sakura shook her head slowly.
"You can't be friends with humans anymore," Sakura said. "Because losing them the way I lost everything… would destroy you."
Yuki's chest tightened. She thought of Zero. Her classmates. Her memories. Her old life. All of it slipping away.
"So, Yuki…" Sakura whispered as the petals wrapped around them like a cocoon.
"Are you ready to give up your human past—
to survive your ghoul future?"
Yuki closed her eyes.
And the Loyalty Test began