The box shattered.
A deep, guttural screech tore through the shrine.
The spirals on the walls began unraveling, twisting apart like smoke caught in the wind.
Renji staggered back, his heart pounding.
Aoi clutched his sleeve. "Did we—"
The ground trembled.
The shrine cracked.
A voice shrieked from the splintered remains of the altar—
> "YOU CANNOT ERASE US."
Kaito pulled them both back. "It's collapsing—move!"
The shrine's walls buckled inward.
Darkness spilled from the cracks, stretching toward them like hungry fingers.
Renji felt it—the town's dying breath.
Something ancient. Writhing. Furious.
But it was losing.
The spirals on his palm began to fade.
The mark was breaking.
Aoi gasped. "It's working!"
Renji's chest ached.
His mother's voice—faint.
> "…Renji… don't forget me…"
His hands trembled, his throat tight.
But he couldn't stop now.
He forced himself forward, dragging Aoi and Kaito toward the shrine doors.
---
The Town Unraveling
They burst outside.
The sky was wrong.
The entire town was twisting.
Buildings warped, spirals breaking apart like torn paper.
The streets cracked open, revealing black voids beneath.
Kaito swore. "It's all coming down."
Renji's breathing was ragged.
Everything was disintegrating—
But beyond the destruction—
He saw something new.
The path out.
The town's edges were fading.
Beyond them—a horizon untouched by spirals.
Freedom.
Renji's pulse thundered. "We have to run!"
Aoi grabbed his hand. "Go!"
They ran.
The town howled, trying to pull them back—
But it was too late.
The spirals were breaking.
And with one final step—
They crossed the threshold.
And Fujikawa disappeared.
---
The Aftermath
Silence.
Renji collapsed onto solid ground.
The sky above them was clear. Blue. Real.
Aoi sat up, eyes wide. "We made it…"
Kaito let out a rough breath. "It's over."
Renji's fingers dug into the grass beneath him.
It felt real.
The town—was gone.
The spirals. The whispers. The replacements.
All of it had vanished.
Renji stared at his empty palm.
The mark was completely erased.
But his mother's voice…
> "…don't forget me…"
His chest ached.
Aoi touched his shoulder. "Renji?"
He swallowed hard and nodded. "Let's go home."
And for the first time in years—
He knew where home was.
---
End of Chapter 32
---
To Be Continue