Kogorō floated in silence next to Jiro, seemingly indifferent. But in his mind, twisted thoughts began to form.
— "Wait a minute... If this kid plans to go to that Spirit Kingdom to save the world from fragmentation... then that means I'll be with him all the time."
— "Hmm... Maybe I can find a way to devour his soul... Yes, and that way I can recover my power! It's perfect!"
A macabre smile crossed his imagination as he concluded his evil plan.
— "It's a good plaaaan."
With a surprisingly sincere expression, Kogorō turned to Jiro:
— "Excellent, Jiro. I'll give you all the help you need to fulfill your mission." While saying this with a kind voice, his mind was still scheming.
"You're done for, you dumb kid... When I get the chance, you'll be dead." Kogorō let out an evil laugh in his mind, though on the outside, he maintained his friendly demeanor.
— "Thanks, Kogorō!" —Jiro replied kindly—. "It will be really helpful to have the help of a spirit on the team." Kogorō snorted.
— "Whatever, but don't think that means we'll be super best friends, okay? We'll just be teammates, nothing more."
— "Siiiii, as you say, Kogorō" —Jiro responded with an easy-going smile.
Five days later, both were next to a crystal-clear waterfall. Time had passed quickly while traveling, but the destination still seemed far.
— "Hey" —Kogorō asked, floating near Jiro—. "Where's that Oni called Milena? It's been five days and still nothing."
Jiro scratched his head, embarrassed. — "I don't know... The truth is, when I sent her flying with my spear, I didn't pay attention to where she fell exactly." Kogorō brought his hand to his face, clearly frustrated.
— "This can't be... How did I end up being your partner?"
The sound of the waterfall filled the air while Jiro bathed in the river, distracted. But suddenly, a crackling sound echoed from the spot where the water fell with force.
— "Huh?" —Kogorō perked up his ears. Without warning, a figure fell from the sky directly into the water. Splashing everywhere, and Jiro's eyes widened in surprise as he saw who it was.
— "Hey, Kogorō!" —he shouted, pointing—. "It's Milena!"
The Oni emerged from the water slowly, dirty, covered in scratches, and with pieces of branches tangled in her disheveled hair. She had deep dark circles, evidence of a long and complicated journey. Seeing Jiro, Milena sighed in exasperation.
— "Oh no... It's the half-breed kid... Today is not my lucky day..."
Before she could say anything else, her eyes closed, and her body collapsed into the water, completely unconscious.
Night had already fallen upon us. The four moons hung in the sky, casting a soft and mysterious light over the world.
The night breeze stirred the leaves while the campfire crackled by the river, sending warm sparks that danced across the water's surface. In front of the fire, seven branches held fish slowly cooking, releasing a delicious aroma into the air.
Milena was still lying on the makeshift bed she had prepared: a pile of leaves carefully stacked and a block of wood serving as a pillow.
She looked peaceful, almost fragile, as she slept deeply.
Kogorō and I spoke in hushed tones, our murmurs barely audible over the crackling of the fire.
—"Do you really plan to trust her?" —Kogorō asked, his tone filled with skepticism.
—"I don't fully trust her, but I think she can help us," —I replied, keeping my gaze on the flames.
—"Hmpf. Please, stop getting attached to the enemy, Jiro."
Before I could reply, a slight movement caught my attention. Milena slowly opened her eyes, with a delicacy that was almost hypnotic.
Her gaze wandered across the surroundings before locking on us. She immediately got up, her body tensing as she assumed a combat stance.
—"You..." —she said, her eyes burning with distrust as she pointed at me.
—"Calm down, Milena," —I said in a serene voice. —"I don't want to fight. We can talk, what do you say?"
—"Talk, you say!" —she huffed angrily. —"Because of you, I've been going through hell for eight days! And you have the nerve to say you just want to talk?"
Kogorō interrupted with his cold and sarcastic tone. —"Oh, please, stop the drama. You're not the only one suffering here. We're just trying to be more 'peaceful' with you."
Milena glared at him.
—"That 'peaceful' sounded like sarcasm..."
—"Of course, because it is," —Kogorō replied bluntly.
—"Please, just drop it," —I interjected, trying to calm the situation.
Then, a growl broke the silence. It came from Milena's stomach.
—"Well, what a great start," —I said with a smile. —"You must be hungry. Come and eat with us, Milena."
—"As if I'd fall for such a cheap trick," —she spat. —"That food is poisoned."
—"Yeah, sure," —Kogorō said, rolling his eyes. —"If it's poisoned, how do you explain that Jiro is already eating one? Tsk... women, always complicating their lives."
Reluctantly, Milena agreed and sat near the fire. For a while, the only sound was the crunching of the fish being eaten.
—"Well, Milena," —I said after a moment. —"Can I ask you a few questions?"
She sighed, resigned.
—"Fine... I know you're the enemy, but I don't even care anymore. The thing is, kid, you need a talisman to travel to the Spirit Realm. But since you broke my talisman, I can't go back."
I felt guilty hearing that.
—"Isn't there another way to travel to the Spirit Realm?" —I asked, hopeful.
—"Yes, there is a way," —she replied, —"but you didn't even realize it."
—"What do you mean, 'realize'?" —Kogorō interrupted sarcastically. —"If you're the one who knows about it..."
—"Shut up, spirit!" —Milena snapped before turning back to me. —"There are temples called 'loom temples' in each world. These temples contain dimensional maps that allow travel to other worlds."
—"Dimensional maps?" —I asked, intrigued. —"What do you mean by 'not so easy'?"
—"Those maps vanish once you use them," —she explained. —"And the journey is long. You have to find a loom temple in each world you visit, and trust me, they're hard to locate."
Kogorō interrupted impatiently.
—"And how are we supposed to access the Spirit Realm?"
—"To be honest, I've never known how to do it with loom temples," —Milena admitted.
"The maps don't take you to a fixed place, they only recognize the world you want to go to, but not the exact location. Each world has its own laws and behaves differently."
—"And that's it?" —Kogorō said disdainfully. —"What a useless thing..."
Milena became furious.
—"You're ungrateful! Isn't the information I gave you enough?"
I stood up, determined.
—"It's okay," —I said firmly. —"If time is running out and my world is in danger, I'll find those loom temples. I'll travel from world to world, no matter how many it takes. I'll find a way to access the Spirit Realm."
Milena let out a mocking laugh.
—"A talisman? That's almost impossible. Talismans are linked to the fissures of the void. You can't get one easily, unless you steal it from a subordinate of the Spirit Realm... or the very maker himself."
Her warning wouldn't stop me. I had made up my mind: nothing would stop me from saving my world.