Renji stared at his trembling hands under the flickering motel bathroom light.
His left hand—the one marked by the spiral—looked foreign now. The skin around the mark had begun to twist ever so slightly, as if pulled inward. Like it was sinking into itself.
> This isn't just a scar anymore. It's a doorway.
---
The Mirror Lies
He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face.
When he looked up—his reflection was gone.
He blinked, wiped his eyes. Nothing.
The mirror showed the bathroom. The walls. The door. The counter.
But no Renji.
Just empty space where he should be.
Panic tightened his chest. "No. No. No."
Behind him, he heard a familiar voice—his own—whisper:
> "You've already started unraveling. They just don't see it yet."
Renji spun around. Nothing.
Just silence.
---
Fractures in Reality
Back in the motel room, Aoi and Kaito noticed it immediately.
Renji's eyes looked glassy. Detached. Like he was watching everything from just outside his body.
"You okay?" Kaito asked cautiously.
Renji nodded too quickly. "Yeah. Just tired."
Aoi narrowed her eyes. "Did something happen?"
Renji hesitated. If he told them… would they believe him? Would they try to stop him from continuing the search?
"I think I'm slipping," he admitted. "Like, from this world. The mirror… stopped showing me."
Aoi's hand gripped his. "Then we have to act fast."
She pulled out her phone. "There's a temple nearby. An old one. It predates Fujikawa by centuries. If any place holds answers—maybe it's there."
---
The Temple of Echoes
The trio arrived at dusk.
The temple stood at the edge of a forest, partially swallowed by nature, its stone pillars cracked and vines crawling up the walls. A heavy silence surrounded it.
Renji felt a sharp pulse in his palm the moment they stepped onto the temple grounds.
Kaito winced. "Is it just me or does it feel like the air is... vibrating?"
They moved inside.
The temple was empty.
But not lifeless.
Spiral carvings lined the walls. Ancient ones—much older than Fujikawa's shrine.
And at the center: a mirror. Tall, black-framed, and untouched by dust or time.
Renji approached slowly. The spiral mark on his hand was now burning.
The mirror reflected nothing.
Not even the room.
Just darkness.
Then—a flash.
His reflection flickered into view. But it was twisted. His eyes were spirals. His skin unraveling into coils.
It reached toward him through the glass.
> "You belong to me now."
Renji staggered back. Aoi shouted, "Renji, step away from it!"
But it was too late.
The mark on his palm flared—and the glass shattered inward.
Not out. Inward. Like it had been a window all along.
A swirling black wind poured out, pulling Renji forward.
---
End of Chapter 40
---
To Be Continue