Chapter 1: The Glittering Trap (1525)

The sun is absolutely brutal today. You know that kind of heat that makes the air wobble? Yeah, that is what hits Masagojima village right now. But honestly, we don’t care. We are just kids, running through the tall grass like absolute maniacs, trying to outrun our shadows.

"Wait up, slowpokes!" Yoshi yells. He is way ahead of us, his long black hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. Even back then, he acts like he owns the place.

"Stop running so fast! My sandals are going to break!" Inoe shouts back. She is huffing, clutching the side of her kimono, her black-orange-white hair already messy from the wind.

I, Haruka, am just trying to keep up without tripping over my own feet. Muji is right beside me, looking grumpy because he hates the heat, and Kenuji is bringing up the rear, scanning the forest line like he expects a demon to jump out. Classic Kenuji.

"There’s a cave up there!" Yoshi points to a dark jagged opening in the cliff face. "I bet it’s cooler inside."

We stop at the entrance. It looks spooky, honestly. Like a giant mouth waiting to snap shut. But the cool air drifting out hits our sweaty faces, and it feels like heaven.

"We shouldn't go in there," Kenuji adjusts his glasses—well, he doesn't have glasses yet, just squinting his eyes, but you get the vibe. "Elder says the mountain spirit gets angry if we disturb his sleep."

"Elder says eating watermelon seeds makes a melon grow in your stomach," Muji scoffs, kicking a stone into the darkness. Clack, clack, clack. "I'm going in. I'm melting out here."

Muji marches in, and Yoshi follows immediately, laughing. Inoe looks at Kenuji, shrugs, and grabs my hand. "Come on, Haruka. Don't be scared."

We step inside. The temperature drops instantly. It smells like wet stone and moss, but not in a gross way. In a crisp, clean way. We walk deeper, the light from the entrance fading until we are stumbling in the dark.

"Ouch! Yoshi, stop stepping on me!" Muji growls.

"I can't see anything! It’s not my fault your feet are huge!"

Suddenly, the cave opens up. And I mean opens up.

We all stop dead in our tracks.

In the center of this massive cavern is a pond. But it isn't water. It’s... light. Liquid light. It glows with this soft, blue-white luminescence that lights up the stalactites hanging above like chandeliers. And at the bottom?

"Is that... gold?" Yoshi’s eyes go wide.

It is. Gold coins, diamonds the size of fists, rubies that look like bleeding hearts. It is a treasure hoard, but it’s submerged in this glowing, swirling liquid.

"We’re rich," Inoe whispers, her voice echoing. "We could buy the whole village."

"Forget buying the village," Yoshi grins, already stripping off his outer robe. "I’m taking a bath. That water looks amazing."

"Yoshi, wait!" Kenuji warns, but it is too late.

Yoshi cannonballs into the glowing pool. SPLASH!

Droplets of light scatter everywhere. Yoshi surfaces, shaking his hair like a dog. "Guys! It’s not cold! It feels... tingly! Like thousands of tiny bubbles! Come on!"

The temptation is too much. One by one, we jump in. Muji dives, Inoe slips in gracefully, and Kenuji sighs before wading in carefully. I jump in last, squeezing my eyes shut.

The moment I hit the water, the sensation is electric. It doesn't feel wet. It feels like power. Pure, raw energy soaking into my skin. We are laughing, splashing each other with liquid light, diving down to touch the diamonds that feel warm against our fingertips.

Then, the water stops moving.

The surface becomes glass. We freeze. A low hum starts from the bottom of the pool, vibrating through our bones. The water begins to spin. Slowly at first, then faster. A vortex.

"Guys?" I squeak.

"Get out! Get out now!" Kenuji screams, scrambling for the edge.

But the current is too strong. It grabs our ankles. It feels like hands—hundreds of invisible hands pulling us down.

"Help!" Inoe cries, slipping under.

"Inoe!" Muji lunges for her, but he gets sucked down too.

I look at Yoshi. He is fighting it, his face twisted in panic, but the glowing water swallows him whole. Then Kenuji. Then me.

The world turns into blinding white light. We are drowning, but we can breathe. We are sinking, but we are floating.

And then, a voice. It isn't loud, but it echoes inside my skull.

“You possess the spirits of warriors, yet the hearts of children. The balance of the world is shifting. The darkness is rising. I require guardians.”

A giant pair of golden eyes opens in the void. A cat. A goddess.

“Five souls. Five pillars. You will sleep for a century. You will wake when the world needs you. You will walk as humans, but hunt as beasts. You are mine now.”

Pain shoots through my body. My bones shift. My skin burns. I want to scream, but only a meow comes out.

We drift into the darkness, the diamonds and gold forgotten. The year 1525 fades away. The long sleep begins.