Fractal Plane: Heartful Cry

Chapter 15 - Kurashiki Resolution

1

Sana's eyes opened weakly. They stared at a ceiling before shifting to the side and seeing the walls.

"...."

She was in the exact same place she was when that shadowy apparition appeared. Looking at her hands and body, she found the miracle unbelievable.

She was completely unharmed, and when she got up, she felt as if nothing had happened.

Was it all an illusion? A dream like the recurring ones she had?

However, she found out that she was wrong. One thing was different.

She cannot explain it, but something heavy bore down on her heart. It was as if she was missing something inside. Before passing out, she had been consumed by fear, looking for a way out or a way to find comfort in the arms of her Big Bro. Now, such longing continued to dig deep into her heart, but compared to before, things felt... different in a way she herself cannot describe.

She got up, took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down, and stared down the path that stood in front of her.

Before she can take another step, more questions surfaced. What happened to the foul air and the sensation of dread?

Something happened when she fell unconscious, but as far as she knew, it was to her benefit. Those annoying sensations were mostly gone, and she felt her body responding to something unknown, something that continued to call on her.

Thanks to renewed strength, she moved onward.

While she let the gut feel of hers lead the way, the shadowy monsters had stopped appearing. She once dreaded turning every corner, but after she had recognized her renewed strength, those screeching sounds were no more.

She had no time to sit down and think about what happened, however. Her mind was more preoccupied with finding a way back home. Everything that happened was just a minor convenience that she'd be thankful for.

Instinct seemed to be guiding her to her destination, but it was more than that. In fact, like a beacon, the signal of an ominous yet entrancing presence beckoned her.

Ever since she arrived, there was nothing but the ominous feeling of loneliness eating away at her, and she felt as if reaching that beacon, that finish line, would lead to her salvation.

Now unhampered by the environment, she moved through the halls.

2

Asuka felt like she lost five years of her lifespan with the fall she had. She gathered herself, weakened body and all, before pulling herself up. With lethargic arms, she dusted the dirt from her clothes before staring blankly at the tunnel in front of her.

Looking at her still ankle that's still in the process of full recovery, she thanked the heavens she did not land on it when falling down the hole. How could she miss it? It nearly cost her so much more than a couple of new bruises.

She then turned her gaze upwards, eyeing the hole that she slipped through.

Her heart pounded with each step, as if her entire body was telling her to turn back.

If there's one sense of comfort for her, it was that the sense of dread she had was being amplified, ironic as it may sound.

It can only mean one thing: that she's getting closer to the epicenter of this mess... and closer to Hikari.

Trudging into the tunnel, she observed the walls, walls filled with lights in weird shapes. All the while, she fought the urge to touch the glyphs even as they invitingly shone in a way that enticed her to hold onto them.