Tai didn't remember much about his past. Every time he tried to delve into his memories, it felt like stepping into a dense, impenetrable fog. Everything was dark—like shards of a broken mirror that could never be pieced together. All he felt was that something important and painful was hidden in his past, something that weighed heavier on his chest every time he tried to uncover it.
One rainy night, standing in the cemetery again, listening to the sound of raindrops falling on the cracked tombstones, a thought sparked in his mind. If the dark dimension could lead him to the answers he sought, perhaps he needed to dive deeper into it. He no longer feared the darkness; it had become a part of him now.
The old mirror in the corner of the cemetery gleamed brighter than ever under the rain. Tai placed his hand on its rusted surface and closed his eyes for a moment. The familiar whispers reached his ears—the voices of shadows calling his name. But this time, something was different. A fleeting, blurry image appeared: himself as a small child, in the arms of a woman with long hair and a smile that carried hidden sorrow.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet trembled, and everything around him changed. He found himself in a space between reality and illusion, where his memories floated like fragments of a movie screen suspended in the air. He could see parts of his past: an old cabin deep within a dark forest, the sound of laughter coming from inside, and then a scream that shattered the joy.
Tai ran toward the image, but the closer he got, the more the darkness enveloped everything. Suddenly, a rough and deep voice echoed from the depths of the shadows:
"This is not something you should know. Your past will destroy you, just as it destroyed them."
Tai shouted, "Who are they? What do you mean?"
But the only response was an icy silence. A moment later, the scene shifted. He saw a young boy running through the dark forest. The boy was himself, with a face full of fear and tears. But what shook him more was the massive shadow chasing the boy. A shapeless entity with glowing red eyes, seemingly born from the very essence of darkness itself.
Tai took a hesitant step back, whispering to himself, "I… I don't remember this."
The voice spoke again:
"You chose to forget. The pain of your past was too heavy for your heart to bear. But each time you return to this darkness, the truth draws closer to you. Be ready, Tai, because the truth always demands a sacrifice."
He pulled away from the mirror, collapsing onto the ground, gasping for air. The rain was still falling, but heavier than before. Tai felt the darkness within him growing, alive, as if a part of him could no longer separate from it. A whisper echoed in his mind:
"You can never escape the shadow, because it's part of you."
With wide, terrified eyes, Tai looked up at the gray, stormy sky.