DREAM: RESTLESS NIGHTS

CHAPTER 4-YUME KUROKI

"What do you mean?" Yume questioned.

"Tell me more about your nightmares over the time span of three years. Did any creature tell you anything or just say a sentence that isn't directed towards you?" Haruto said.

"Why not, I'll start where it started, when I was thirteen. There was a mirror I had always kept in my room, my parents told me it was a reflection of the soul, and to never break it or I'll get bad luck for the next seven years. My parents died when I was eight, and I went to go live with my adult cousin. Everyday had felt like a living hell without my parents, I was angry and sad all the time. I didn't know how to express myself properly. Four years of anger and sadness, I came to my breaking point. I destroyed everything in my room, including the mirror." Yume explained with a sad tone.

"Wait, you broke the mirror when you were.. thirteen, correct?" Haruto asked her. Yume nodded in agreement.

"I thought it was a normal mirror. I thought it wouldn't have consequences. The mirror turned out to be an ancient relic that if broken, something terrible would happen to different realms and realities. I still find any of that hard to believe, but the nightmares may have convinced me a little bit. When the nightmares began, I almost got my arm ripped off. It was terrifying." Yume continued.

"So you're telling me your arm almost got ripped off? By who?" Haruto questioned.

"Remember the puppet-like monster? That one. Its mask only made it worse, a smile with no eyes. I don't know if it's blind or if there's a reason for no eye holes in the mask." Yume paused as she took a bite from her lunch. Haruto became puzzled about the pause from the nightmares after listening to what she said.

"About the ancient relic, is there some more history behind it? Like a book?"

"There should be. I believe there's five of those kinds of mirrors, only two of them intact I believe?" Yume said, unsure.

"And you broke one? Who broke the others?" Haruto immediately questioned.

"Ancient gods, though it was probably just some humans. I don't really believe in gods." Yume said in response.

"If these nightmares were able to hurt us, you never know what else could happen." Haruto added.

"After school, why don't we research these gods?" Haruto asked.

"..sure. Why not." Yume said, not long after she spoke, the bell rang.

"See you after school." Haruto said to Yume right before departing from her.

Haruto began looking for Yukio in the halls, yet no sign of him. Haruto made it to class, but he didn't see Yukio for the rest of the day, just like the day before. 'He's not here, again? Where has he been? Skipping classes?' he wondered. Before he knew it, it was already time to leave.

Haruto made his way over to the library, waiting for Yume.

"Bushida, right here." It turned out, Yume had already been waiting for Haruto in the library.

"How did you get here so fast..?" Haruto said, staring blankly at Yume.

"My final class is right around the corner, it's really easy to get here quickly." Yume answered.

"That's convenient."

"Yeah, but we should look for the books about these mirrors." Yume told Haruto.

"Right." They began searching for the books that relate to the topic of the mirrors, hoping to find out more about the origin of the ancient relics.

"Hey Kuroki, I think I found one about the five mirrors." Haruto said quietly.

"You think or you know?"