Long ago, when Tsukikkage Yue had lived in the village for exactly a decade, she gave birth to three children — two sons and one daughter. As you may have heard, there was an ancient curse tied to the Yue bloodline, one that originated from the Shién Flower. This curse forbade descendants of the Yue family from bearing more than one child. Typically, the firstborn was always a girl.
But Tsukikkage Yue's firstborn… was a boy.
Because of this anomaly, the Tatsuki family — who were connected to her by marriage — began to believe that the curse had faded with time. Yue had three children, and all of them were strikingly beautiful. For a while, it seemed like peace had truly settled over the family.
But then, one night, a mysterious illness struck Kokushibu Village.
All the women — mothers, wives, and grandmothers — were suddenly afflicted. Their skin turned bluish and violet. They began vomiting delicate flower petals. No one had ever seen anything like it.
And so… the villagers blamed Tsukikkage Yue.
Mireyna's eyes widened in disbelief at the story, but Yumeko's mother bowed her head and continued with calm solemnity.
"Yue was nearly sentenced to death," she said. "But at the time, the Tatsuki family was the most powerful clan after the Tokushiro family. The villagers couldn't act out their hatred so easily."
"Still, Tsukikkage Yue couldn't bear watching the villagers suffer. She began studying medicinal arts in secret. She collected the flower petals the sick women had thrown up and started crafting remedies from them."
Then Yumeko's mother lifted her gaze toward Mireyna and said softly:
"What she discovered was horrifying. The petals… they came from the Shién Flower."
Mireyna's expression froze. Her lips parted slightly as she whispered, "That's not possible…"
Her heart pounded — the same flower that was only supposed to be myth… was real. And worse, it was inside people.
Yumeko's mother continued softly, her tone more somber now.
"Tsukikkage Yue eventually realized that the petals the women were vomiting… were not fresh. They were wilted, decayed flowers — already dying inside their bodies. She tried everything she could. Herbal remedies, rituals, purifying waters… but none of it worked."
She paused and looked at Mireyna with a serious expression.
"This illness… it wasn't physical. It wasn't a virus or a bacteria. It was spiritual. A curse."
Mireyna clenched her fists, eyes wide. Then she asked, "Obaasan… then how did they cure it?"
Yumeko's mother gave a sad smile. She turned a few more pages in the old book, its pages fragile with time, and spoke with a heavy heart.
"Day by day, women died. Those who couldn't be saved… passed away. And eventually, Tsukikkage Yue proposed something radical — someone needed to find the original Shién Flower."
"The villagers, desperate to save their mothers and grandmothers, began preparing to climb the mountain where the flower was said to bloom. But it wasn't that simple."
She closed the book gently with a soft thud.
"Not everyone can enter that mountain. Some say only the pure of heart are accepted by the spirit of the mountain. Others believe only descendants of those who once lived there can find the path. No matter the theory… that mountain holds the key."
Then Isao, sitting quietly until now, finally spoke. "But… Obaasan, didn't that illness disappear a long time ago? How is it back now?"
Yumeko's mother's face turned serious. She nodded slowly. "Yes… we thought it was gone. For over a hundred years, no one had seen even a single symptom. After the first Shién Flower was found, the curse went silent."
She looked away toward the moonlit koi pond. Her voice dropped.
"But we were wrong."
"The Shién Flower cannot survive in normal climates..we thought we could plant it so it would be useful for the future sickness but the flower couldn't live. dry nor wet, not hot or cold. It only grows at the very peak of the mountain, in a place untouched by humans. No one knows how to keep the flowers like a normal plant..and some people said its a cursed wild flower that's why it's do not grow easily. Back then, Tsukikkage Yue remembered the path and guided brave villagers to find it. And they succeeded."
Yumeko added quietly, "But now… she's no longer here. And this time, we face a greater challenge."
Her mother's expression darkened.
"No one remembers the path. Even the ancient records in the Yue family history, not a single map, not a single clue tells us where the Shién Flower truly lies."
Mireyna went silent for a moment, her brows furrowed in deep thought. Then suddenly, she spoke up.
"Then… is it okay if I try to find it?"
Her voice rang out clearly, catching everyone by surprise.
Yumeko, Shion, Mio, and Isao all turned to her, eyes wide in disbelief.
Mireyna looked at each of them, confused. "What? Is that… wrong?"
For a moment, there was only silence. Then Yumeko's mother gently smiled.
"…It might be possible," she said softly. "But before anything, we'll have to check something. At the Mountain Soul Entrance."
Mireyna tilted her head. "Mountain… Soul Entrance?"
Just before Yumeko's mother could explain further, Isao suddenly stood up.
"Forgive me, Obaasan," he said with a firm tone. "But I need to speak with you and Yumeko. Alone."
Yumeko's mother looked at him with calm understanding and nodded. "Of course."
Yumeko also stood, giving a polite bow to the others. "Excuse us".
The two of them followed Yumeko's mother to another room — the Yue Family Archive Room, a hidden chamber lined with ancient books and scrolls passed down through generations.
As the door slid shut behind them, the rest remained seated in silence, Mireyna still processing the words Mountain Soul Entrance, her heart beating with a mix of curiosity… and something deeper. As if something inside her was beginning to stir.
Isao spoke up, his voice tinged with unease. "Obasan… what is this?"
The woman lowered her head slightly, a calm smile on her lips. "Why are you so worried, Isao?"
He stepped forward, frustration building. "Obasan?! Do you even understand what you're saying right now? Mireyna is an outsider. We can't just risk her life like this — we don't even know what's really up there on that mountain!"
She raised her eyes, her voice soft but firm. "Isao… you need to trust fate."
She glanced at Yumeko briefly before continuing. "If she truly has no connection to the mountain, then tell me… why is she so drawn to the Shién? Why is it her, of all people, asking about it?"
Isao and Yumeko exchanged a glance. Confusion and fear flickered in their eyes.
"What do you mean, Okāsan?" Yumeko asked.
"She came here for a reason," the woman said. "There is a purpose behind her desire to understand the Shién… and a reason her path led her to this village… now."
Her voice darkened, almost as if something ancient was speaking through her. Her gaze was steady, calm — but behind it, there was something unreadable, something deep.
"Maybe… she is the key to the secret of the Shién that's been hidden all along."
Isao and Yumeko looked at each other again, but this time they didn't speak.
Outside, the moon hung unnaturally bright over the mountains. And in that stillness, not even the wind dared to move.