Chapter Thirteen: Ritsuki Is Alive
"I was the one who wrote you the notes. I planned everything; you don't exist, at least not anymore. Namie was daughter, not your sister. She died because of your family's ritual; you did let me in though, to see her before she died. I thank you for that," Ritsuki said coming into the room.
"What do you mean I don't exist?" Maru asked.
Ritsuki smiled, "This is where your story ends. You escaped the darkness, but you were already dead. I brought you back here, so you could stop Namie from killing. I needed your help."
Maru looked around her, "Wait what about the party, it felt like me when I was younger."
Ritsuki replied, "That was you, your dad killed your mom, you were the one blindfolded, it was you. You were supposed to be the chosen one, but then you fell in love. Your mom helped with that, that's why they killed her, and then you had a child. Namie was to be the new chosen one for the ritual, your dad marked her for death the moment he found out you were pregnant."
Maru just kept shaking her head; she couldn't believe what Ritsuki was telling her, "They killed me when I let you see Namie, and Namie…"
"Namie was mad, she was so angry that the ritual didn't work. They wrapped the thorns around her body, gouged her eyes, and gave her lifeless body to the gates of hell. Because Namie was mad before she died, the ritual didn't work; the girl has to be pure with no emotion. She fell in love and she was furious," Ritsuki continued.
Maru now understood, everyone died the night of the ritual. Maru had died before the ritual, and it's her fault that the ritual failed. Maru had one question left for Ritsuki, "How did I live with my other family, in the village?"
"Because, your soul took over this girl's body. Namie has been waiting for her mother to come back, and help her. Now you can, I brought you here, and here you must stay when this is all over," Ritsuki answered.
"What about my grandma, I saw her, she was here," Maru said.
Ritsuki shook his head, "No, she was not. That was my doing as well, I wrote the notes your grandma left, but you saw her spirit. Now please, help Namie."
Maru agreed and left to find Namie, but before she did Ritsuki grabbed her arm. He said, "Give me your bag, I can use the camera obscura, the notes you found, and everything else. That way this ritual won't be unknown, people need to know that this went on in our village."
Maru gave Ritsuki her bag, and left for the door. She looked back once more, and saw Ritsuki wave goodbye. She knew that as soon as she found her daughter her life would be done.