It's all started, when Fourth and Gemini transfers to their new High School. However, his life takes an eerie turn upon meeting Gemini, a quiet, enigmatic classmate. Gemini's life has been marred by tragedy-he was orphaned at a young age and raised...
I opened my eyes slowly, feeling a wetness on my cheek. My fingertips brushed against it-tears. I wiped them away with trembling hands.
"This is the reason why those spirits never allowed him to speak with anyone," Master said quietly, his voice heavy with meaning. He sat cross-legged in front of me, his sharp gaze filled with something I couldn't read-pity, maybe, or worry.
"Can I go to the spirits' world?" I asked suddenly, my voice rough, almost desperate.
Master tilted his head slightly. "Yes," he said, "but it's dangerous."
"I've been there before," I replied softly, almost mechanically, as though the words no longer belonged to me. "I just... I just want to see something. For the last time."
"Very well," he said after a pause.
I sat in front of him and closed my eyes. Dunk and Satang moved around us. Master began to chant, his voice deep and rhythmic. Drops of cold water splashed against my skin as he threw them over me.
And then it began-my body no longer felt like mine. It was as though something else had taken hold. My breathing slowed.
Suddenly, my eyes opened.
I was there.
The spirits' world.
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I pushed myself to my feet, my legs weak but steadying with each breath. A thin, pale red fog curled around me, lighter than before, whispering along the ground like a living thing. I started walking, step by step, making my way toward Prim's place-at least that was the plan-until my eyes froze on a silhouette ahead.
A man.
He stood with his arms crossed, walking slowly among what seemed like a... garden. I moved closer, my breath catching in my throat.
The garden was black. Completely black. Black flowers with crimson-tipped petals swayed like they were breathing. Black and red grass stretched endlessly beneath my feet.
And then he turned.
He bent slightly, bringing a flower to his nose, inhaling its scent as if it were the most natural thing in the world. My heart skipped a beat.
I stumbled, my knees giving way, collapsing onto the black-red grass. My lips parted soundlessly. My chest felt tight.
I crawled backward, my eyes wide with disbelief.
"G-Gemini..." I whispered, my voice breaking.
Why? Why was he here? Why was he in the spirits' world?
Is he even okay in the real world?
The panic rose too quickly, clawing at my chest, until my heart physically hurt. My breath became shallow, erratic. I had to remind myself-this is the spirits' world. I can't panic. I can't lose control here.
