"Heh heh, if my tongue is cut out, I can no longer sing, but it's fine—I can still dance."
An ethereal maiden's voice echoed, its plaintive and desolate melody making one's skin crawl.
"If my eyes are gouged out, I can no longer see, but it's fine—I can still dance."
In the crimson moonlight, the girl's song accompanied the swirling dance of countless petals, creating a unique sense of tragic beauty.
But Kenmyo Isayama, surrounded by this eerie singing, felt only absurdity. If the girl's tongue was cut out, who exactly was singing this song?
Previously, out of concern for a classmate, Kenmyo had used his Psionic power to veil his eyes, never expecting it would lead him here. He had become a pathetic onlooker; he could move nothing.
Before him, illuminated by countless burning torches, stood a cherry blossom tree so massive it would take fifty people holding hands to encircle it. Its enormous trunk was wrapped tightly in red and white shimenawa (sacred ropes). These symbols of holiness and blessing seemed tainted by filth; their vivid colors were fading over time, turning ominous.
Beneath the giant tree stood a tall, blood-colored altar, and in its center, a pure white figure was dancing.
Dressed in a snow-white wedding kimono, the girl—who bore a striking resemblance to Eru Chitanda—wore exquisite makeup. She was beautiful to the point of appearing non-human. Her eyes were tightly shut as if she were in a deep slumber, and despite her petite frame, she exuded an undeniable aura of noble sanctity. Her white, moon-bright hair and long sleeves fluttered in the wind. In her hand, she held dark-gold kagura bells that emitted a melodious, crisp chime with every movement of her dance.
Everything was so aesthetic and sacred.
However, as the girl continued her dance, the giant cherry blossom tree behind the blood altar began to change. It became voluptuous, almost as if it were coming alive.
From beneath the earth, countless thick vines and roots, resembling dragons or serpents, burst through the shattered ground. These vines looked horrific—like flayed flesh with pulses still throbbing inside.
What shocked Kenmyo even more was that as the vines rampaged, they unearthed things buried deep underground. Only then did Kenmyo realize that this cherry blossom tree was no sacred tree of worship, but a monster of unknown horror that had been sealed away.
Attached to every inch of the massive vines were white skulls. The tree grew through holes in their heads. There were countless vines, and the white skulls clung to them like eggs, packed densely together.
The sight made Kenmyo's skin crawl. How many living beings had this gargantuan tree devoured to grow this large?
Cracks spread across the blood-colored altar, but the pure white girl seemed oblivious, continuing her dance. Suddenly, a twisted vine shot out from the broken surface of the altar, instantly skewering her shoulder. Her white shrine maiden outfit was immediately stained with a vivid red mark.
The girl's expression was one of extreme agony. Yet, even with her shoulder pierced, she still tried to continue the dance, as if stopping the ritual would lead to a catastrophic consequence.
The girl's blood flowed slowly down the vine. This served as a violent stimulant for the other roots; more and more vines burst from the ground. At first, she could struggle, but eventually, she was pinned down, unable to move. The altar was torn asunder by the vines, forming a massive maw. The vines wrapped around the girl and began pulling her down, intending to swallow her whole.
Though he didn't know her, Kenmyo found it impossible to remain indifferent to such a tragic fate. He wanted to do something, but he could only watch helplessly, paralyzed.
In her final moments, the girl slowly opened her eyes. Kenmyo's face twisted in pity as he realized why she had been dancing with her eyes closed. Her eyes had long since been gouged out, leaving only empty sockets.
Furthermore, a blood-soaked vine had sprouted from the girl's right eye socket. Nourished by her flesh and blood, a bewitching pink cherry blossom bloomed at the tip of the vine, occupying the socket—a stark, haunting contrast to the void of her left eye.
The stunning maiden seemed to feel no pain. Instead, she lifted her head and offered Kenmyo a radiant smile. Kenmyo saw her lips move as if she were trying to say something, but no sound came out. Recalling the earlier nursery rhyme, her tongue had likely been cut out by someone long ago.
"Soon..."
Kenmyo could only vaguely read her lips.
"Soon... I will come to find you..."
As he realized what the girl was saying, Kenmyo felt a sharp, violent throb in his heart. The world before him, including the trunk of the terrifying tree, suddenly became covered in cracks like shattered glass, then violently burst apart.
Kenmyo plunged into absolute darkness. His head throbbed with pain. After an unknown amount of time, light reappeared.
Kenmyo opened his eyes and found himself back in the classroom. The cherry blossom tree, the girl eaten by the tree, and that smile—they all hammered at his nerves like fragmented memories.
"What was that?"
"Why do I want to cry?"
Kenmyo looked at the blood-colored tears dripping onto his palm, feeling lost in the face of the inexplicable sadness rising in his heart.
Maintaining his reason, Kenmyo noticed that no one around him had detected his abnormality. Only a very short time must have passed. Asagi-ane had just placed her books on the lectern; the class meeting was about to begin.
This won't do. I'm going to lose my composure.
Sensing that his emotions were being influenced by some unknown force—that he was suffering from severe mental pollution—Kenmyo took a deep breath and activated an ancient incantation.
Mana Deducted: 20 Points.
As the Psionic energy washed over him, Kenmyo felt his consciousness gradually returning to normal and the strange emotions dissipating. Psykers are constantly peering into the Warp; mental pollution is inevitable. As a competent Psyker, one must monitor their mental state at all times.
In his heart, Kenmyo once again thanked his mentor whom he had never met. The inheritance naturally included Psionic spells to mitigate mental pollution. There was no name written for it, so Kenmyo simply called it the [Calm Mind Incantation].
Having regained his sanity, Kenmyo let out a long sigh, his face exceptionally grim.
"This world is far more dangerous than I imagined..."
Without a guide, the fledgling Kenmyo lacked a sense of reverence for the use of Psionic power. He had focused Psionic energy into his eyes—effectively creating a "Gaze of Truth." The secret hidden within Eru Chitanda was not something his current self could handle.
At that same moment, far away in Kamiyama City, within the territory of the Chitanda clan, a massive cherry blossom tree stood tall in the depths of an ancient mountain range. If Kenmyo saw it, he would be shocked, for it was identical to the tree in his vision.
Having endured through untold ages, the tree remained beautiful and full of vigorous life, with countless petals drifting in the wind. In stark contrast, beneath the tree lay a vast black mire formed by evil Cursed Energy as deep as an abyss. Inside, countless blood-colored humanoid Cursed Spirits with horrific faces drifted up and down, resembling a literal hell.
At the very top of the tree canopy, a girl in a snow-white shrine maiden outfit was firmly imprisoned within the branches. Her pure white hair was adorned with fallen cherry blossom petals. The girl, who had a peaceful sleeping face, slowly opened her eyes—eyes as blood-red as amber.