Renji's breath was still unsteady as he scanned their surroundings.
The dense forest was gone.
In its place was something far stranger.
Aoi was the first to speak. "Where… are we?"
Kaito groaned, stirring from unconsciousness. He pressed a hand to his forehead, blinking up at the sky—an unnatural shade of gray. "Did we… escape?"
Renji wasn't sure.
Because before them, stretching into the distance, was a town.
An old, abandoned town.
Buildings stood weathered and broken, their windows either shattered or covered in dust. The streets were cracked, overgrown with weeds. Streetlights flickered weakly, as if powered by something not meant to be alive.
It felt familiar—but not in a good way.
Aoi stepped forward cautiously. "It looks like… an old village."
Kaito struggled to his feet. His face was pale, and he still clutched his arm, where the spiral mark had burned. "This place…" His voice was hoarse. "It feels wrong."
Renji's eyes narrowed. "No. It feels…" He hesitated.
"Like we've been here before."
---
The Town with No Name
They walked further in, their footsteps echoing too loudly in the eerie silence.
Renji glanced at the buildings. Most had faded signs, their lettering too worn to read. Some doors were slightly ajar, creaking in the unnatural breeze.
But what unsettled him most—
There were no signs of life.
Not just no people. No animals. No insects. Not even the sound of the wind.
It was as if this town had been frozen in time.
Aoi hugged her arms. "This place is giving me chills."
Kaito frowned, glancing around. "We should find shelter. Figure out where we are."
Renji nodded, but something nagged at his mind.
This place…
It felt like something buried deep in his memories.
Something he shouldn't remember.
And then—
Aoi stopped abruptly. "Wait."
Renji turned to her. "What is it?"
She pointed at something ahead.
Renji followed her gaze—
And his blood ran cold.
Because in the middle of the street, partially buried in the dirt, was a familiar object.
A signpost.
And the words carved into it were clear:
"Welcome to Fujikawa."
Renji's breath caught.
Kaito's voice was barely above a whisper. "That's… not possible."
Aoi's hands trembled. "Fujikawa was… our home."
She turned to Renji, her voice cracking.
"But Fujikawa was destroyed ten years ago."
---
A Town That Shouldn't Exist
Renji's mind spun.
Fujikawa had been their hometown—a quiet village before the incident. Before the spirals. Before everything fell apart.
But it had been erased.
It had burned to the ground.
They had all seen it happen.
And yet—it was here.
Perfectly preserved.
Renji's fists clenched. "This isn't real."
Kaito swallowed hard. "Then what the hell is it?"
Aoi's voice shook. "A memory? An illusion?"
Renji didn't have an answer.
But something deep inside him whispered the truth.
This town wasn't just a copy.
It was waiting for them.
And as they stood frozen in fear—
Somewhere, in the distance, a door creaked open.
Something else was here.
---
End of Chapter 24
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To Be Continue