Chapter 1

"No matter what, I will protect you."

Those were the first thing Yuuki heard before he woke up and found himself laying on the dirt ground that was littered with dead leaves. Rolling onto his back, he saw the verdant foliage and the crescent moon looming on the clear night sky above him.

A forest...Why was he in a forest?

It was then that he recalled partially what had happened earlier.

He was chasing after someone before he lost his footing and fell off a cliff. Fortunately, the cliff wasn't high. If not, he wouldn't have survived the fall with merely a scraped arm and a sore body.

As he sat up and skimmed over himself, he found that he still had his messenger bag with him. Reaching into his jean pocket, he took out his smartphone. The screen of his smartphone was cracked at the top right corner, but it was still functioning as it should be. Even though there was no reception in the forest, it was still reassuring to have his phone with him. Perhaps, the thought of having a line of communication with the outside world made him felt less isolated.

Still clueless and confused, he pressed the home button of his phone with hopes that there will be some information in his phone that could enlighten him about his current situation. The smartphone's screen had lighted up to display his lockscreen, an image of him and a man of similar age standing side-by-side. His outfit in the photo was the same as his current one, which consisted of a red short-sleeved flannel shirt and dark blue jeans, coupled with a pair of navy-blue sneakers. As for his companion, he wore an attire that was an exact opposite to Yuuki's vibrant style, a pair of black jeans, a grey turtleneck sweater and black shoes.

Their attires were not the only thing that were contradictory, though. Yuuki was smiling broadly in the photo, but the other man's lips remained a flat line. If one was to look closely, there was even a hint of uneasiness in the man's eyes. It was as if he didn't want to be in the photo. Still, there wasone thing that was similar between these two young men and it was this similarity that made Yuuki recalled everything.

They shared the same face.

Even with their attires and expressions being as contradicting as the sun and the moon, Yuuki and this man were perfect mirror images of each other. This was to be expected since they were identical twins.

As Yuuki stared intently at the photo in his phone, he recalled a time when he was reading a phone message with trembling hands. The message was short and simple, yet it felt as though he had been punched in the face.

I am sorry. Don't look for me.

Switching off his phone's display screen, Yuuki kept his phone back into his jean pocket and rose to his feet. His left leg ached a little when he stood up, but it was still bearable. The only problem was his dark surrounding. Having fallen to lower ground, the moonlight couldn't fully reach where he was, which made everything he saw as indistinguishable shapes. Luckily, he did bring a flashlight for such an occasion.

While he was taking out his flashlight, an image had suddenly popped up in his mind. Startled, Yuuki gasped and lost hold of the flashlight, which fell back into his bag. The image was gone from his mind by then, leaving him in confusion and with a mild headache. A memory? No, that wasn't right. Then, a vision? But, why would he be able to see one now of all times?

Leaving those thoughts aside, the image had lasted for a second at most and all he could make out about the fleeting image was there were two human figures standing by a pitch-black lake. He couldn't even tell if those people were male or female.

Shaking his head, Yuuki decided to ignore the earlier vision for now. He still had to look for his twin brother. Who knows how long he had been unconscious since falling down the cliff? His brother could be anywhere in this forest by now. If all that Yuuki had heard and read about Mikakiri forest was true, then his brother could even be there.

With the flashlight turned on and back within his grasp, Yuuki walked on by following the wall of the cliff. Since he had last seen his brother running in this way when he was above the cliff, Yuuki believed that this direction had the highest possibility of finding him. At least, that would be better than wandering randomly in the dark woods.

After a long moment of walking, Yuuki noticed his surrounding was gradually surrounded by white fog. Even with the aid of his flashlight, he found it difficult to see several paces ahead of him. Therefore, he groped the wall of the cliff with his left hand and held the flashlight with his right as he walked. However, the sudden appearance of the white fog made him felt certain that he was heading the right way. Once he walked out of this fog, he would be there, where his brother might be as well. With that thought in mind, he tightened his grip on the flashlight and pressed on in silence.

The fog grew thicker and thicker, until eventually he couldn't even see his arms in front of him. All he could see was whiteness around him. Even though his left hand was still groping the wall of the cliff as he walked, he wasn't sure if he was still walking in the same direction or if he was actually walking in circles. Still, he had no choice but to continue on.

What if ... I never get out of here?

That grim thought had crossed the young man's mind. He was aware of the risks when he decided to find his brother in the forest, but that didn't mean that he could be calm and composed when faced with the possibility of those risks becoming a reality.

Just when Yuuki was starting to panic, he heard a klinking sound in front of him. It was a clear and soft sound, which he remembered was the sound of the wind chime in summer. However, it was currently mid-spring and he was in the middle of the forest. Why would there be a wind chime?

"Oniisan."

A boyish voice had come from right in front of him, but Yuuki couldn't see anything due to the fog.

"Follow me."

Before he could respond, he felt something cool tugging at his right hand and pulling him forward. Although he was wary and uneasy, Yuuki didn't resist or yank his hand away from the cool grip. Although he was afraid of his suspicions becoming true, he was more afraid of being trapped in the fog forever. So, he put his trust on this unknown aid being of good-natured, instead of bearing ill intentions towards him.

As he followed the unknown boy's lead, the fog had grown so thick that Yuuki had to close his eyes to prevent it from stinging his eyes. At the same time, the young man noticed that his body was unusually chilly and tired. It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe. Yuuki started to feel lightheaded ... and very sick.

"Just a little further," was what the boy had said all of a sudden, as though he had sensed Yuuki's discomfort. He wasn't sure if the boy was leading him to his intended destination, but, strangely enough, the young man felt slightly better after hearing the boy's words. At least he doesn't feel like throwing up then and there anymore.

A few moments later, Yuuki felt the air around him became lighter. He also didn't feel as unwell and tired as earlier.

"Oniisan, we are here."

The boy's words had confirmed his thoughts and he opened his eyes to the sight of the clear view of the dark sky above and an open area before him. However, the boy that had led him here was nowhere in sight. Looking back, there was only the fog-covered forest that he had just escaped from. It was quite unlikely that the boy had went back into the forest, but even more so for him to have disappeared within the few seconds after speaking and Yuuki opening his eyes. Unless he was...

The young man shook his head, dismissing the thought. Regardless, the boy had helped him by leading him out of the forest. He was grateful to him for that. Now, Yuuki just need to know if he was where he wanted to be.

Walking towards the edge of the open area, Yuuki realized that he was actually on top of a hill with an overlooking view of a small settlement below. A village, to be precise. He could see that there were small yellow glints of light throughout the village, which he assumed were standing torches.

Most people would think that the village was inhabited by people due to those torches, but Yuuki knew better. In fact, his heart was beating rapidly with both excitement and trepidation. While looking down at the village below, his lips curved upwards to form a triumphant grin as a line of cold sweat trailed down to his chin.

"It exists," he said to no one in particular, "The village really exists."

He actually did it.

He had made it to the fabled village that his twin brother had wanted to return to. The village that was claimed to have spirited away many unknowing travelers. The village that was said to have mysteriously vanished more than one hundred years ago.

He had found the missing village.

Taking out his phone, Yuuki thought of taking a photo of the village below as proof of its existence. Even though it was quite dark to take a clear photo, he just had this strong compulsion to do so. It was when he had just snapped a photo of the village with his phone that he heard the chiming of a single bell.

"I love this village."

From the corner of his eyes, Yuuki saw a faintly-glowing silhouette standing right next to him. He didn't dare to move or even glance directly towards the silhouette. While still holding his phone towards the direction of the village, he breathed slowly and prayed that the silhouette will just disappear on its own.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

Yuuki kept chanting the same words over and over in his mind as he tried to alleviate his fear. The silhouette appeared not to notice the fearful young man who was next to him since it continued speaking to itself.

"That's why, I will protect it."

With that said, Yuuki noticed the silhouette walked a few steps away from him before fading away. It was only after a few seconds of serene silence had passed, did the young man let out a sigh of relief and lowered his trembling arms to his side. To have encountered a spirit right after stumbling upon the village, looks like the rumors are true.

The missing village is indeed haunted and cursed.

Even so, that wouldn't stop Yuuki from searching for his twin brother.

If a reason was ever needed, then it was because they only had each other in this world.