It was a cold, dark night, and rain was gently tapping against the cracked, dusty windows of Tai's old house. This house, old and forgotten, sat on the edge of a colorless, joyless town, at the end of a narrow, misty alley where silent shadows seemed to drift and wander. Tai was a quiet, lonely 15-year-old who spent most of his time in solitude, and he lived alone in this house—no memories attached to it, as if he'd just always been here, living in the same darkness.
One night, unable to sleep, he decided to visit the cemetery where he'd always found a strange sense of peace. It was at the edge of a forest, and a heavy mist lay over the ground. The old, cracked gravestones looked like sleeping shadows under the pale moonlight. Among the tombstones, in a forgotten corner, stood a rusty, old mirror—an object that had always given Tai an odd feeling. But on this night, it felt like something was calling him, pulling him toward it, almost like a whisper urging him to touch it.
Hesitantly and with a hint of fear, Tai reached out. As soon as his fingers touched the cold surface, everything went dark, and he was pulled into a shadowy realm. Everything was black, yet sharp—shadows formed mysterious beings that came at him from all directions, and whispers echoed in his mind. In this place, he could feel unknown powers, an untamed force rising from the darkness around him.
As he walked deeper into this world, he heard a soft, almost musical voice. He turned to see a girl—she had long black hair, eyes as deep and mysterious as the night, and skin as pale as the evening mist.
"Hey," she said softly, a sadness in her voice. "I'm Ai. What're you doing here?"
Tai didn't know what to say or why this girl was even here in this shadowy realm. Ai continued, "I've been stuck here for a while... ever since…" Her voice trailed off, like she was carrying some deep, painful memory. Tai could tell this girl was somehow separated from the world, like a lost soul trapped in this place.
After that night, Tai and Ai started meeting in the same cemetery. Every time Tai returned from the shadowy realm, he felt himself being pulled back toward Ai. She was the only one who understood his loneliness and hidden fears. She was the most beautiful face he'd ever seen, with eyes as deep as the ocean and a smile that never quite reached her lips.
They met by the old mirror every night, and Tai would listen to Ai's stories—stories about days she could never go back to. For Tai, Ai was like a light in the dark, a reminder that even in the blackest places, something beautiful and precious could be found.
Over time, their bond grew. Tai began to understand his feelings for Ai, realizing his heart was bound to her. But one night, while they were in the shadowy realm, Ai turned to him and said, "You have to let me go… I belong to this place, and every time you come here, you leave a part of yourself in the darkness."
Tai stared at her, heartbroken. "I can't let you go… you're the only one who understands me."
Ai gave a sad smile, her eyes filled with sorrow. She held Tai's hand and said, "I'll always be with you… even if I'm not here." And with that, she disappeared, leaving Tai alone in the darkness.
He stood up and touched the mirror again, but nothing happened.
Tai walked home slowly, thinking about Ai. Could he see her again, or was she gone forever? He whispered to himself, "I'll be back, Ai… just wait for me."
From that day on, he spent all his time in the cemetery, looking for a way to return. After two months, though, he was starting to feel hopeless, wondering if he'd ever get back to that place.
One day, he tried touching the mirror again, running his fingers over the cold, cracked glass, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he turned to leave, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through his head. Everything went dark, and he couldn't move.
Dark shapes started shifting around him, and an old man appeared. The man gave Tai a mocking look, his wrinkled lips curling into a smirk as he muttered, "What do you want?"
Tai tried to speak, but he couldn't move his lips.
The old man looked at him and spoke again, saying, "I know what you want. Fine, I'll give it to you, but I don't care about what consequences you'll face."
The man's voice was cold, empty, echoing in Tai's mind, sending chills through him. His body felt numb, his lips frozen. As he struggled to breathe, the old man's voice sounded in his head again: "This is a path you can't turn back from. Each time you go deeper, the shadows will pull you further in… but I know what you want. I'll give it to you…"
A freezing sensation spread through Tai's body, like some dark, unseen force was flowing through his veins. It burned and consumed him from within, filling him with a powerful, almost violent energy. It was like a fire that kept him warm but also threatened to tear him apart. He could feel this power, this darkness, becoming a part of him.
When he came to, the old man was gone, and he was back in the misty cemetery. But something was different—now he could see what hid in the darkness. Shadows were watching him from every corner of the graveyard. Beings from the shadowy realm stared at him, waiting.
With shaky hands, he reached out to the mirror again. This time, shadows surged toward him, but he no longer feared them. He wasn't just Tai anymore; a part of the darkness was alive within him, letting him connect with this strange realm, even control it.
He whispered, "Ai… I'll be back."
With a newfound power, he pushed the shadows aside and stepped back into the dark realm. This time, the world appeared differently; shadows surrounded him, sharp and clear, the whispers echoing louder than ever in his ears.
As he went deeper, he could feel the shadows trying to consume him, but he was no longer afraid. Every step he took awakened a greater power within him, and he felt the darkness as a part of himself. The shadows circled him, as if they wanted to bring him down, but Tai stood firm.
Slowly, he realized that the whispers had turned into ancient words, like they held some hidden meaning, filling him with even more power.
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed in his mind: "You're one of us now, kid… now that the darkness is awake in you, you belong to the realm of shadows. The more you fight it, the deeper the darkness will take root…"
Tai stood still, trying to resist, but the shadows wrapped around him tighter, merging with him. His mind filled with memories he'd never lived, visions of places and times forgotten, as if he'd always been part of this shadowy world.
He whispered to himself, "If I'm going to drown in this darkness, then why not use it for something greater?"
With that thought, he accepted the darkness as part of himself, feeling a new control over the shadows. He raised his hands, and the shadows responded, shaping themselves as he willed, forming dark creatures ready to serve him.
Tai, now completely enveloped in darkness, gave a bitter smile. He knew he couldn't go back to his old life, but he'd accepted it. He'd found his place among the shadows, ready to embrace his fate in the shadowy realm.