Maddening

The witch stood up and took Seishiro’s hand; this time, she made no attempt at communication. She preferred to walk in silence and guide him, believing whatever she was going to show him would be enough to deliver answers to the questions he had.

The shrine stood tall at the far end of the village, far enough from the closest building for a good walk to find itself in between. The closer they got to the shrine, the less mossy and more vibrant the green got. Near its entrance were even some flowers blooming and declaring peace. They showcased how that shrine and its magic were different from any form of man-killing ugly magic Seishiro had encountered so far. The two stepped a foot inside to find the shrine—to her—exactly like she left it, whereas to him, it was unlike anything he ever experienced. The shrine’s scenery was not unfamiliar or new a sight; it looked like any other mystical shrine found across the land. But the feeling, the experience, the warmth it filled one’s chest with—almost addictively—was one of a kind.

The walls were old and granular, and the lights were dim but well-positioned to guide any visitor’s path. Little glowing dust filled the air, the smell of the muck was gone, now replaced with a maddening hypnotic euphoric scent, Seishiro’s thoughts poured out from his mind like water through sand.

“So… what d-do… you know ab-about magic?” her pauses were to suppress the urge to laugh.

“Not much… it…” he coughed “I think that… it puts some sor-” and coughed again more violently, “sort of mental or physical pressure on the user.” Needless to say, for whatever reason, he seemed to have a problem breathing, but was as mindful of it as one would be of a mosquito sting.

The one lane that stretched from the entry kept its straightness and reached a staircase leading downwards. As they descended, flickering light from the lower floor gave away the presence of lit torches.

Downstairs was a single room with an altar old as history itself.

“Is this?” asked Seishiro after seeing the motionless perfectly preserved body of a baby.

“This is the seal your dear master is trying to destroy.”

He looked at her to see her barely holding her laugh, her pupils were dilated, but that was only the second weirdest thing about the way she looked. “You’re making a funny face” he laughed, practically snorted.

“You should see yourself,” she matched with an even louder laugh carrying a hint of mockery.

They were too intoxicated to realise how bright the room had gotten, but also too focused on each other to miss how pale they were. “W-where’s… your blood?” he asked, his laugh growing hysterical, and hers no less so.

“You silly! It’s everywhere!! I am EVERYWHERE!” she was right about the first part.

“What about me?” he asked with childish disappointment, as if everyone got Christmas gifts except for him.

She drew closer and took his hand once more, she guided it right underneath his nose. Wet, he thought. “It’s here!” he was filled with the joy of finally finding what he missed. “Can I be everywhere as well?” he asked.

“No! of course not, only me okay!” she huffed.

He got angry, but his face no less pale than before—more if anything. Suddenly, a pair of soft arms wrapped around him from the back. Seishiro felt a pull from behind, but it was different than what it would have been, were the arms pulling him back. Instead, it felt like whoever stood behind him was being pulled themselves and only trying to cling desperately to the teenager.

The witch froze and watched with a grin as Seishiro looked slowly in the direction to which he was being pulled. Stuck to his back was a figure with long white hair. He knew what that was, though his consciousness was so absent that he cared very little about it at first. There were shackles attached to ITs feet which seemed the be where it was pulled from.

The other end of the chain was pulled by someone, who was the only colourful thing in that domain at that point. Not only did that make catching his presence an easy task for Seishiro, but it also helped make his features better recognisable. That face, those eyes, that hair… I know you.

“Do you know what all of this means?” Said the witch with a wide smile.

“I must kill Hayato Akihiko?” he answered quickly, as if everything he just witnessed points naturally at that one conclusion, and no other.

She nodded, well… that would be an understatement. In reality, she shook her head vertically repeatedly in affirmation. It might sound like a nod, but it looked nothing like one because of the speed and intensity at which she did it. “Yes, yes yes yes YES! Exactly.”

The pull on the chain got gradually stronger causing it to move away from Seishiro and the Witch. The former tried to follow, “Hey! Don’t leave, please.” He begged; there was an ache in his chest that yearned for the feeling he had felt when IT was nearby. These emotions kept intensifying, Seishiro screamed to his heart’s content, eventually his voice broke into meaningless gibberish. Then it was all blank.

“Seishiro you scumbag, you’re gonna kill me,” said Inori. The young man’s vision progressively returned for him to find his own grip tightened on her neck.

“I c-can’t…” he cried, “You’re gonna kill me.”

“Seishiro, let her go or I’m cutting your hand.”

He looked at the source of that voice, “Sensei?”

“Now!”

Startled, he loosened his grip around the girl and jumped back repeating “I’m sorry.”

Yuusuke held him to the ground; not the kindest approach, but a necessary one.

“Please tell me what happened.”