Beyond The Eternity

Chapter 10: Uncharted Terrains

Immediately, she scoured the area with heightened anxiety, inspecting walls and tiles that rang oddly familiar. Seated at the end of a nondescript dining table, Karin's eyes met with those around her.

"...you guys...?"

Wide-eyed, she gasped at the presence of her family. Yuzu, Ichigo, and Dad -- they were all right in front of her. Live and well in the flesh, and chatting as if nothing happened. She couldn't even begin to make a sound. Like the tender touch of a dream, in this very moment, her fond forsaken past felt so real.

From the corner of her eye, though, she saw Yuzu's gentle hands reach for hers. To her surprise, her grip was firm, tightening down as if she was tying a knot, and verged on being concerning.

Confused, Karin looked up in immediate horror. Her sister stared at her with soulless eyes and blood pooling in her mouth.

" Karin...why did you come back?"

" Wha—what?!" She screamed and rushed to hold Yuzu in her arms. However, her outstretched limbs morphed into grotesque claws stained in a deep red.

Yuzu's limp body collapsed to the floor, and Karin's voice was reduced to a monstrous wailing. Her father and brother faded into the background, nowhere to be seen. The more she backed away, the more her home seemed to crumble.

A piece of shattered glass landed just below her feet. Karin dropped to her knees, configuring bits and pieces of her appearance from the small shard.

A white mask and glowing red eyes. The reflection looking back wasn't of a human,

" Agh!"

A sharp intake of air pierced her lungs, plunging her heart into an erratic mess. Karin lifted her groggy body, feeling worse after a nap at one of the courtyard's benches.

Through shadowy trees and in between gaps of rustling leaves, spots of sunlight shone. Its obnoxious radiance blinded her eyes, all the while a soft breeze danced with her ink hair.

" Jeez...." She rubbed the back of her stiff neck, hanging her head low with a grim expression.

If it weren't for her restless mind, she wouldn't be like this. Instead, Karin was haunted by nightmares like this one that deterred her from any chance of good sleep.

Now that she thought about it, when was the last time she had a normal dream? It seemed like it was impossible nowadays. Not only were they frequent, but also unnecessarily cryptic or downright frightening.

Karin began heading to her class reluctantly, her feet dragging behind with dwindling motivation. Ever since yesterday, she couldn't shake off this feeling of dejection, as she continuously mulled over her bleak predicament.

The issue wasn't if she could leave the Soul Society, but should she? Knowing what she knew now, the very act of returning came with dire consequences. The last thing she wanted to do was come as a Hollow and terrorise her family.

Then there was the traditional path set out by the Shin'O Academy — one that guaranteed both her and her family's safety. Yet, the average graduation rate for a student was 6 years. A prodigy was reportedly 3. In both cases, they were too long.

She sighed, taking a seat alone all the way in the back of the classroom. There had to be another way.

" Good morning, everyone. My name is Professor Teruhashi. Pleasure to have you here."

A middle-aged woman approached the board, fixating her gaze on a certain individual. She pointed.

" You — the one with black hair all in the back, how well can you hear me from here? " The professor asked, which startled Karin. It was as if someone had brought a speaker-phone right up to her ear and yelled at it.