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Chapter 3 - Blood Haze

The memory of the man in black lingered like smoke in their minds—subtle, choking, and impossible to forget. Even the sky seemed dimmer the next morning, as Kai, Ren, and Toma made their way to school in silence.

But something was off.

Hachi was absent.

The boy who always showed up, even if just to nap on his desk or crack jokes during math class, was nowhere to be seen.

Toma tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe he overslept dreaming about that weird guy."

Nobody laughed.

After school, the three boys walked straight to Hachi's house. The sunset painted the streets in quiet orange, but unease grew with every step.

Hachi answered the door with a weak smile.

"Sick," he said.

His voice was calm, his body relaxed. But his eyes were tense—restless.

Kai saw it immediately.

The lie sat there, trembling behind every word.

They hung out like usual. Shared snacks. Talked nonsense. Toma even tried pulling a dumb prank. But for Kai, every second felt rehearsed. Off-beat. Hollow.

Something had happened.

» » »...

The next day was a holiday.

The wind was slow. The sea was calm. Kai sat at their fishing spot—an old rocky ledge that looked out into the wide, endless blue. It had always been a place of comfort.

Today, it felt like a waiting room for something unknown.

Then—footsteps.

Hachi.

He froze, surprised to see Kai already there.

"I knew you'd come," Kai said.

They sat together. Quiet at first. The waves rolled like whispers from another world.

Then Hachi spoke.

"I need to tell you something... The night before last—I heard a voice."

Kai turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"It kept repeating something. Whispering from behind me… telling me to go somewhere. To find something."

"Was it a dream?"

"No. I wasn't even asleep. It felt real. Heavy. Like... like a curse."

Kai's expression changed. Concern crept into his voice. "Is it still happening?"

"The voice is quieter now. I can function. I can eat. But at night... it comes back. Louder. Closer."

Kai stared at the sea. Then stood up. "Then let's go. Show me."

» » »…

By mid-afternoon, they arrived at the edge of a hidden forest, nestled within the thick green trees near the village—The Blood Haze.

Locals rarely spoke of it. Those who did called it cursed.

Towering trees stood tall like sentinels. Their bark was deep crimson, and thick red sap oozed from the trunks like wounds that never healed. The scent was faintly sweet—rotting flowers with a sharp edge of iron.

"They say it's haunted," Hachi whispered. "But people still come here in summer. For the colors. The stories."

Kai didn't answer. He stepped forward.

The deeper they walked, the darker it became. Sunlight fractured through the canopy like dying embers. Even the birds were silent. It felt like stepping into a memory not their own.

Then they found it.

An ancient tree, older than any around it. Its bark was darker—almost black—and its twisted shape leaned toward the earth, as if bowing in grief.

"This is it," Hachi said softly. "It's under here."

They began to dig, hands scraping through the dirt. Red sap clung to their fingers, sticky and warm like blood. It didn't wash away. It soaked into their skin.

Then—

Clink.

A box.

Old. Rusted. Locked tight.

Inside: a key, and a small, folded piece of paper.

They unfolded it carefully. Yellowed with age, thin as skin.

Coordinates.

A strange silence fell between them. The forest watched.

Kai checked the sky.

Night.

Already?

"How did time go so fast?" he whispered.

Hachi looked around. "Yeah… sure does."

Kai turned to Hachi—and froze.

Behind him, something stirred.

A figure.

Tall. Shadowy. Wrong.

Its body pulsed like smoke, constantly shifting. Its face was hidden beneath a dark hood. But its voice—

"You did well."

Hachi spun, his heart pounding.

"Who... who are you?"

The figure stepped forward. Not a step made sound.

"A guide. Or a warning. Depends on who's listening."

It paused, then looked toward the box.

"If you ever get lost... remember the numbers."

Its voice deepened, almost trembling.

"They're the only reason you haven't ended up like him."

"Like who?" Hachi asked, voice barely a whisper.

But the figure was already gone—melted into the trees like he had never existed.

» » »…

The next day, they met in their hideout.

A forgotten room above the school gym—dusty shelves, broken windows, the perfect place to be young and wild.

But now, it felt like a war room.

Hachi told them everything.

Toma tried to laugh it off at first. "C'mon man, sounds like a dream from a horror manga."

But then he looked at Kai.

Kai didn't say a word. Just nodded.

Ren, quiet as ever, looked at the floor. Then at Hachi.

"…This island," he said, "has always felt like it's hiding something."

No one disagreed.

» » ★

That evening, they returned to the Blood Haze.

But the ancient tree—

Was gone.

No twisted trunk. No bleeding sap. No disturbed soil. Just an empty clearing, still and silent.

Like the forest had healed itself.

Or like the tree had never been there to begin with.

Ren stepped forward. Pressed his hand to the ground.

"It's cold," he murmured. "Too cold."

Kai looked around. Something inside him shivered.

They weren't just being watched.

They were being measured.

And somewhere out there—those coordinates were waiting.

Waiting for them to decide if they had the courage to follow.

 .....★★★★★...…

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