[CONTENT WARNING: Violence .]
Nathan leaned in closer, his voice a whisper. "You know what happens when he talks, don't you? You know how your followers will turn on you when they find out what you did....using them, sacrificing them. You're nothing to them once you're exposed."
Satoru's mask cracked. "He won't talk," he snarled, but his voice trembled. "He wouldn't dare."
Nathan chuckled softly. "He already has. And unless you start talking too, you're going down alone."
Silence stretched, thick and heavy. Satoru's eyes darted around, his mind racing. Finally, his shoulders sagged, his defiance crumbling. "Alright," he whispered, his voice thin. "I'll tell you."
Nathan straightened, his face a mask of calm. "Go on."
Satoru spoke, each word dripping with bitterness. He told them how the boy had attacked Mime in a jealous rage when he saw her with another boy. He told them how the boy had come to him, terrified of what he'd done, and how Satoru, seeing an opportunity, had decided to use it. They took Mime to the shrine, burying her as part of some twisted ritual....a lesson in obedience, a demonstration of power. But then, they discovered she was still alive. As Satoru pulled her out of the coffin, the boy stopped him and said, "Let her stay there for some time as punishment." Satoru continued, saying he didn't think the boy's love was this twisted and that he didn't want to get more involved in whatever this was.
When Satoru finished, Nathan's face was hard. "You just signed your own death warrant, Satoru."
Nathan stepped out of the room, his eyes fierce. "Get the team ready," he ordered. "We're going to that shrine. Now."
They reached the shrine just as the sun began to dip behind the peaks, casting long shadows that stretched like fingers over the ground. Nathan didn't waste a second. "Spread out!" he shouted to the officers. "Search every inch. She's here somewhere."
Hana felt a strange pull toward the shrine itself. It stood ancient and broken, its stones blackened by fire, its wooden beams splintered and scarred. She stepped forward, a sense of déjà vu washing over her, a memory she couldn't grasp.
She moved deeper into the ruins, her footsteps light on the cracked floor. The air was thick with the scent of burnt wood and something else... something rotten. She turned a corner, and suddenly, a hand clamped over her mouth from behind. She gasped, panic flaring, but the grip tightened, a rough hand pressing against her throat.
She couldn't scream. She felt herself being pulled back, the world tilting. Desperation surged through her veins. She brought her heel down hard on his foot, and the man let out a hiss of pain. She didn't hesitate. She slammed her head back, feeling the crunch of his nose breaking. He released her with a grunt, stumbling away.
Outside, she heard Nathan's voice rising above the chaos. "She's alive! They found her!"
Heart pounding, Hana turned to run, but the man was on her again, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her down. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs. Pain shot through her chest, and her vision blurred. She struggled, but he was strong, driven by madness.
"Mime, you're mine!" he snarled, his eyes wide and wild. Hana realized with horror....it was the boy, the one who hadHis hands closed around her throat, squeezing, and suddenly, her vision began to twist. The boy's face warped, morphing into that of a man...a man with blond hair and a tattoo snaking up his neck. A chill ran down Hana's spine. She didn't know why this face haunted her, but it did.
But she wouldn't die here. Not now. Not like this. Her nails found his eyes, clawing deep. He howled and released her, staggering back. She crawled away, gasping for air, her hand landing on a splintered piece of wood. She gripped it tight and swung, cracking it against his knee. He screamed, crumpling to the ground, cursing her name.
Rage flared in his eyes as he lunged at her again, but Hana was faster. She drove the wood into his neck with every ounce of strength she had left. Blood sprayed from the wound, his screams turning to a sickening gurgle. His eyes dimmed as he crumpled, whispering, "Mime, why?"
But Hana wasn't done. She swung again, and again, her breaths coming out ragged, her mind fracturing under the weight of what she'd seen and done. "Eat that, you bastard!" she shrieked, her voice breaking into manic laughter.
And then, she blinked. The boy lay before her, his body broken and lifeless. Not the man from her vision, but a boy...a boy who had caused so much pain. She stared, her breath hitching in her throat, her hands trembling.
"What have I done?" she whispered, her voice swallowed by the darkness.