Horror Between a Wall and a Fireplace

X

After several flight of careful climbing over rickety, unsteady stairs, Nikoru felt like chopping off her legs. There was an intense ache in her chest from the constant fear of looking down or crashing through a board. To add to her misery, it had started drizzling.

Normally, Nikoru would enjoy the rain. But right now was a terrible time between the determined climbing, the suspicion that the monster might be standing down below her, and now being soaked to death through a blood stained T-shirt. Why had she decided to wear her favorite Offspring shirt?

When she finally reached the landing, Nikoru rose her palms to the sky, screaming, "Halle-frickin'-lujah! Jeez…"

The old battered door was rotted like the cabin, but there was a firm sturdiness about it that kept it in place. Bronze enveloped the doorknob like a second skin, but had peeled from age like leprosy. Hand trembling uneasily, Nikoru grasped the knob tenderly as if it would break and twisted it. A click resonated through the wall.

The door pulled back from the knob, revealing a shadowed corridor leading to a dimly lit room emanating a strange breeze. There didn't' seem to be anything peculiar or menacing, but Nikoru kept to the walls, closing the door behind her and scanning ahead anxiously.

The room was too small to be anything important. The white walls were yellowed with age and scathed with long claw marks. To the right, there was a large window that caved outward like a bubble. To the left, a stone-framed fireplace. A small fire lapped at the ashes of charcoaled wood that had burned away long ago. A square with three internal triangles had been chiseled onto the mantle like an emblem. It appeared to be removable, too.

"Well," Nikoru sighed, "there's no way out this way. But why the hell is there a window in here?"

She couldn't see much past the glazed, hazy surface, but she was aware of a bookcase across a carpeted floor. Nikoru gaped; the window was looking into the library. She hadn't actually visited the library earlier, but the massive stacks of books and the giant, looming bookshelves were a definite giveaway. She could even make out a few of the labels on the spines: The Spiritual Possession of Lord Byrom, Spiritual Scholarly, and Phenomenon of the Sixth Kind. She couldn't tell if they were historical or non-fiction, but the titles were very ironic considering the location.

Abruptly, a bright light flooded the room. After having her eyes adjust to the darkness, Nikoru covered her eyes with her hand, squinting through her fingers against the burning light. Several seconds passed before Nikoru could remove her hand—and a tall, foreboding figure passed before the glass. Dark hair, pale skin, awkward behavior with the whole twirl around and around, expecting someone to be there.

It was Naoki.

Nikoru tapped the window; what did she have to lose? Immediately she regretted it; Naoki whirled around, ominous blue eyes wide like a trapped animal's. His pupils nearly completely covered his irises like an infectious darkness.

Slowly, Nikoru backed away from the window, watching Naoki steadily, expecting him to burst through and jump her. He didn't move for the longest time, just stared rigidly in her direction. An uneasy chill wracked Nikoru's spine. Why had she done that? Who here was the cat and who was the mouse? She felt awfully like a cornered mouse.

Finally, Naoki continued past the window and stormed down another isle. Nikoru blinked twice. Had he seriously not noticed the gigantic window hovering several inches over the library floor? He'd almost run into it the minute before.

"Oh, I get it," she grumbled sourly, scowling. "This is another way to screw with me, isn't it? Or I found a secret room. Either way, you're screwing with me, you blue bastards."

"Ugh, this dust. I can hardly breathe!"

Nikoru gasped and pivoted. The sooty fireplace's chimney towered over her like a predator. The determined flames licked at the inner walls as if they were just as desperate to escape their forgotten enclosure. But if Nikoru hadn't known any better, that recognizable voice had come from within the fireplace.

It would have been more disconcerting if Nikoru hadn't recognized the voice as Hiroshi's. She could identify those impatient complains from planets away.

"What the hell," she shrugged, "at this point, anything is possible. Hey! HiroshiPEN, you dig me?"

Gasping, then scuffling. "Ah, this fireplace...I could have sworn, but…it couldn't be."

"Hey!" Nikoru boomed theatrically. "Don't touch that!"

A powerful clonk rumbled the wall. Nikoru shoved a knuckle into her mouth and bit down, snorting with laughter. The rustling of feet drew nearer until Nikoru could imagine Hiroshi's apprehensive figure on the other side of the wall, leering suspiciously at the fireplace in some other room.

"What?" He whispered. "Ni—Nikoru, please tell me that's you."

"No, it's John Candy," she replied emphatically.

Hiroshi's relieved sigh rattled through. "You idiot, how can you be so infantile at a time like this?"

"Don't tell me it wasn't funny!" Nikoru exclaimed in a burst of laughter. "You, like, freaked out and everything!"

His sigh was exasperated this time. "You idiot. How did you—where are you? On the other side of the wall?"

"No, I'm in Canada—of course I'm on the other side of the wall!" Nikoru knocked for emphasis.

"How did you get over there? Did you find an alternate route here?"

Nikoru glanced thoughtfully around the tiny room, not realizing he meant the basement. "I guess. Hiroshi, I was outside. I was literally outside! It was really horrible—"

"You idiot!" Hiroshi shouted lividly. "Why didn't you leave this place? What are you doing back inside?!"

"What, you wanted me to leave you here?" Nikoru scoffed caustically. "Now who's the idiot?"

"Nikoru, dammit!"

His uproar was a little insulting to Nikoru's ego. "Hey, what else was there to do? I decided I had to man up and help you. I love you to death, HiroshiPEN, you and the others." Especially you. "I couldn't just sit outside and wait. Besides, it was either in here with you guys or out there with a freakishly freaky monster man who wanted my blood. He almost nailed me with a sledgehammer!"

"What! You—that's—you—that's another reason why you should have left!" Hiroshi stammered furiously. "Now I have another person to worry about saving."

"What the hell, don't tell me that!" Nikoru snapped, stomping her foot irritably. "That's really horrible to say to someone who came back for you!"

"Mika's dead."

A numbing cold froze Nikoru's body. The air seemed to leave her lungs in one short exhale. She swallowed past a lump in her throat and raked her nails through her hair distressingly. "Oh my…holy shit."

"That shriek earlier, Takuro and I thought it was you. But an oni had discovered Mika in the kids' room." Hiroshi slugged the wall with his fist helplessly. "That's why I wish you would have left. Takeshi's gone, Satō's possessed, Takuro won't even leave the room because he's so distraught, and I…I think there's something wrong with Naoki."

What else is new? Nikoru almost spat. "So you're saying we're the only two…with those oni…" She leaned back against the mantle, eyes searching through the window for Naoki's dark, wandering head. This was just too much. "Why the hell did you tell me that? Why did you tell me any of that? Outside was already a nightmare, I didn't want to know any of that right now." She wanted to cry; things just kept piling, one thing after another.

"I want to be honest, Nikoru." Hiroshi's voice was dangerously soft. "I don't know how much longer I can keep running. I'm so tired, but I can't relax knowing something's watching me. They're stalking me. Us. All of us. They could attack at any moment, and I can't ignore it. It's just…sickening. And it's a really terrible feeling."

"Well, I know that," Nikoru muttered. She felt dizzy with grief. Her eyes stung threateningly. "How could things go so wrong?" Her voice quivered. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have insisted that we come here. I don't know—it was the weekend, and I thought, hey, why not do something daring, something different from window shopping at the mall? The other week, some people from the Ghost Hunter's Club told me about all the crazy things going on here at Fau Manor, and it was fascinating, so I thought, why not? It couldn't hurt. And now, look where that's gotten us." She sighed miserably. "I screwed us all. I did."

A long silence stretched between them. Nikoru pushed off of the wall and turned, brows furrowed. "You're not even going to deny it?"

"Hmm?" Hiroshi hummed. "Oh, I thought I might let you vent for a while. And you were being honest with yourself; who am I to come between an epiphany?"

"You son of a bitch!" Nikoru yelled, temper snapping like a toothpick. Rage and grief clouded her entirely. "I shoulda left your ass when I had the chance!"

"Who was the one who had the great idea to leave?" Hiroshi countered petulantly. "I did! If you would have just listened to me—"

"You're a horrible friend!"

"—then none of this—"

"I hate you!"

"—would have happened!"

"Fine then!" Nikoru yelled, banging her fists on the mantle. "I could just leave now if I wanted to! The door's right behind me—"

"There's a way out through the basement?!" Hiroshi exclaimed incredulously.

Nikoru face-palmed. "No, you idiot! I found a way through from outside! I can see the library through a window behind me!"

"…How is that even possible?" Hiroshi's voice echoed absently. "You're communicating with me through a fireplace, yet you can see the library…"

Nikoru turned and grimaced. "Naoki's out there, too."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I just saw him pass." Wait, I'm supposed to be angry, dammit! She whirled around and banged the mantle again. Her mind was still working to conceive and absorb everything that was happening. "Stop talking to me—I hate you! You're a horrible friend!"

"Listen, Nikoru, it's important," Hiroshi hissed urgently. "Don't talk to Naoki. Don't go near him—he's dangerous."

"Tell me what's new!" Nikoru cried, beating the wall numbly as an outlet of mounting emotions. "And who was his bestest friend in the entire world, huh? You!"

"Nikoru, stop being a child and listen to me! None of that is important right now—"

When Nikoru glanced over her shoulder again, she was horrified to find Naoki's face hovering right before the glass.

"—what's important is being cautious. He's deadly, and I don't want you—"

"I see you," Naoki's pale lips mouthed.

Nikoru's eyes bugged from her head. "Uh, HiroshiPEN?"

"—going anywhere near him!"

"HiroshiPE-E-EN," Nikoru whispered urgently, pressing her back against the mantle. The hall back to the door seemed too far from her now, in the other half of the room

"I can't lose another friend, Nikoru—especially not you!" Hiroshi shouted vehemently. "I won't lose you, Nikoru, I couldn't." He took a deep, rattling breath. "Nikoru, I can't continue lying to you any longer. I—I have something I must tell you."

"Hiroshi, seriously!" Nikoru exclaimed desperately. Naoki's hand was suddenly pressed firmly against the window. A sickening crunch and the glass under his palm cracked ever so slightly. Bile rose toward Nikoru's dry mouth. Her tongue has swollen. "Holy shit, Hiroshi!"

"I—What? What's wrong?" Hiroshi scrambled against the wall, frantic to reach her. "Nikoru!"

The glass shattered into his soft skin. Nikoru gasped and searched the room for a weapon. "Holy shit, he's trying to get me! He's trying to get through the window!"

"What?!" Hiroshi shrieked. "Who—no, Naoki!"

"He's trying to break through the window!" Nikoru's hand skimmed over the emblem and paused on the outer border. "There's a thing on the mantle!" She shouted as she curled her chewed nails around the rim, trying to pry it from the stone. "It might be a puzzle—like a way to get out!"

"There's no time. "Go out the way you got in. Hurry!"

"No, I've got it!" Nikoru persisted with the emblem, scratching for her life. Naoki's palm slammed the window again, this time harder. The glass shuddered. "It's coming out!"

Sure enough, the emblem slid out from the barrier, hefty in her hands. The small, despairing flames burned out and the stone frame of the fireplace shifted and twisted like a turning door, revealing a narrow hall. Hiroshi stood at the end, eyes wide and bewildered.

"What?!" He gasped.

Immediately, Nikoru started running, her fingers still coiled around the weighted emblem. The rumble of Naoki's laughter vibrated through the walls, chasing her mercilessly, leaking through every pore in the rough stones.

"You can't escape me for long, Miss Perfect. He belongs to me, you slut!"

The fireplace started to turn again. A protruding board from the opposite face of the fireplace came within inches of Hiroshi's head before he turned in dismay. If she didn't get out now, she'd be crushed. With the last ounce of strength in her buckling legs, Nikoru lunged forward, arms stretched beyond her head. She managed to glide through the narrow slit between the stones and collided against Hiroshi's chest, bringing them both to the ground.

Naoki's frustrated shriek resonated after them before being sealed away behind the wall.

Flustered and trembling, Hiroshi slowly pushed himself up. Nikoru was lying sideways in his lap, one arm limp around his waist. He stared down at her, making no motion to push her away. Grumbling about her bruised knees, Nikoru rolled off Hiroshi's legs and sat up, rubbing her kneecaps.

The emblem was lying by her by an abandoned candle wick, the mountainous imprints of the triangles glistening a light blue in the light of the eccentric lamp above the crumbling archway behind Hiroshi. The hallway was visible, constructed of the same wide planks the cabin was built from. For a moment, Nikoru wondered if she had been warped there.

"Are you all right?" Hiroshi wondered, voice tender. His gloved hand hovered before her, hesitant to reach any closer.

She smiled grimly and wrapped her fingers around his, shaking in greeting. "It's nice to see you again, HiroshiPEN. Yes, I'm fine. Are you?"

He returned her smile hesitantly. "Yes, I believe so. My heart feels like it's about to burst from my chest, but I'm relieved. I'm not alone anymore."

A surge of joy rushed through Nikoru's singing veins. She hadn't expected him to say something like that with such sincerity. Who was this emotional, reverent boy sitting before her? He had changed since they'd last met, which seemed like an eternity ago. Mika's death probably sparked something in him. Too many things are left unsaid after someone close dies so suddenly during horrible circumstances.

Mika. Nikoru's heart descended again into the depths of her feet.

"I'm glad," she replied gravely. "Really. But we've gotta go before he scouts us out—"

She had started to stand when Hiroshi snatched her wrist. "Wait, I—I have to be honest with you."

Nikoru frowned. "I don't wanna talk about what we were saying before."

"It's not about that," Hiroshi snapped, his voice faint. "I just…after we were parted, I…I decided I couldn't leave things to chance anymore. If something happens to you, I won't forgive myself for not telling you how I feel."

Nikoru stilled, blush creeping into her cheeks, her dark eyes averting his awkwardly. "What do you mean, how you feel?"

Watching her intently, Hiroshi rose to his feet, heart pounding in his skull. "We've known each other since…well, the beginning. Even when you harassed me relentlessly, I found the strength to forgive you." She grinned smugly. "And that still matters. Meeting you will always be a favorite memory of mine."

Shifting restlessly, Nikoru mustered up her courage to steal a peek at him. His eyes caught hers solemnly. Stunned with the intense blazing within them, Nikoru bent down to grab the emblem and shove it into her pocket, grateful for a reason to break away. She'd never been in this sort of situation.

There were people she'd had crushes on, but she was always one of the boys; no guy had ever tried asking her out before, if that's what Hiroshi was doing. Maybe she just wasn't the dating type, she'd once thought. She'd seen her other girlfriends with a new guy every other month, but she never seemed to score like they did. There had only been two guys in her life: Matthew the American Grease Lover, and Kyo the Clingy Monkey who couldn't bear to let her go even when she needed to use the bathroom, but she had been the one to ask them out. It wasn't until her sophomore year that Nikoru stopped to ponder why she'd never had a relationship last more than two weeks.

She had to be destined for someone—that had to be it. Her true love, as her romantic mind liked to recognize him as. She needed to wait until she found them or they found her. But there was really only one guy she would ever want to be something more significant with. It was then that she realized she'd been waiting forever for one guy in particular to ask for her hand.

HiroshiPEN.

"So, what are you saying, Hiroshi?" She asked, unable to bear the tense silence any longer. "How do you feel, Hiroshi? I'm listening."

His lips parted, but no sound emerged. That sparkle in his eyes gave way to something deeper, something restless and nervous. He wanted to reach her with something more than words. She could sense his mind working to comprehend a way to make her understand something crucial to him, something he held closely to his heart. It was like band camp all over again, when the students sat in that tight, small circle late one night outside the cabins, on the grassy ground under the old maple tree, sharing secrets they'd never before spoken aloud, things they were embarrassed or proud of, their eyes glimmering in the soft, mysterious moonlight.

If Hiroshi was really going to confess something wonderful here, Nikoru would wait all night. She could easily find the will to maintain patience if it meant meaning something more than just an old friend to him. It was what she'd wanted for the longest time, something she'd wished on a myriad of stars for, something she'd hoped more than anything. She'd snap Old Bluey, her favorite guitar, in half if it meant she could have what she'd always wanted, even for a moment. It would be the longest moment of her life.

Finally, Hiroshi licked his dry lips and said: "You're my best friend. My very best friend. And you are extremely important."

Nikoru's heart fell past her feet. That's what he wanted her to know? That was his confession? Dammit, it just wasn't fair! There she'd been sweating about whether or not she should hug him, jump into his arms, or kiss him, or all three together, and he was telling her she was his best friend?!

It's not fair! Her mind wailed.

"Hey, there you are!"

The two whirled around to discover Takuro leaning in the doorway, weary eyes bright with excitement. He'd trailed Hiroshi all the way to the basement and into the second door on the left. He smiled wondrously, immensely relieved both his friends were safe.

"Takuro!" Hiroshi and Nikoru exclaimed simultaneously. Nikoru lunged at him, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. Hiroshi followed behind her. "You're okay! I'm so frickin' happy right now, you've got no idea!"

Smiling softly, Takuro wrapped his arms around her waist. Mika was still fresh in his mind, but feeling his friends so close by comforted him more than words could describe. He looked up at Hiroshi, anxious to see his reaction. He was smiling reassuringly, his eyes lazy and warm. Takuro returned the smile.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay," he murmured reverently. "I'm so glad." He sniffed. "Jeez, Nikoru, you look like something blew you up."

"I'm glad you decided to join us," Hiroshi whispered back, nodding approvingly. "I knew you I could count on you." His hand rested on Takuro's shoulder, warming not only his skin, but his heart as well. "Welcome back to the Three Musketeers, Takuro."

That title. So old, so many unforgettable memories. It was like a spell that, when uttered, bound them together.

"I'm going to avenge Mika," Takuro declared as Nikoru stepped back. "Those blue bastards won't know what hit them!"

"What's the plan, Iron Man?" Nikoru asked enthusiastically.

"Simple," Hiroshi interrupted, pushing his glasses up his nose studiously. "We're going to follow the basement path and search for the access ladder."

Takuro and Nikoru gaped. "There's an access ladder?" Takuro scoffed doubtfully. "How would you know?"

Hiroshi's grin was mysteriously clever.

Outside in the hallway, long pipes lined the corners of the ceiling, roaming into darkness until they disappeared further down. Takuro and Nikoru exchanged puzzled glances while Hiroshi stood triumphantly in a doorway, arms folded.

"Okay." Takuro shrugged. "Pipes."

"I don't get it," Nikoru said.

Hiroshi's arms snapped to his sides. "You idiots!" Exasperated, he pointed at the pipes above his head. "These are sewer pipes. The first room by the stairs is the pump room."

"And that means…?" Nikoru urged much to Hiroshi's frustration.

"Sewage means access ladder," he said as dumbly as he could.

His friend's faces lit up. "Oh!" Takuro chuckled. "Of course, why didn't I think of that?"

Hiroshi wanted to scream he was so frustrated. "You're both idiots! Let me explain: My mother's brother is a maintenance plumber who works the area. His company has been maintaining sewer pumps in our vicinity, dealing mostly with the more expansive, older homes, much like this one. Their method for constructing an exit relies on the pipes they install; they function as sorts of arrows that are placed to lead to a single location, which is the access ladder or stairs, whichever."

Hope soared in Nikoru's heart. "Really? I didn't know that—that's awesome!" She jumped lightly on her feet. "You hear that, Takuro? We can get out of here!"

"Not without Takeshi," Takuro proclaimed.

"Right!" Nikoru agreed, a fist in the air. "Death to Satō the bastard! And let's forget about Naoki right now—he just almost killed me."

Takuro blinked. "What? When?"

X

There were Twix wrappers in the bathroom trashcan. There was only one person in the group who could stand them: Nikoru.

Naoki's face darkened furiously. "That slut," he hissed vindictively. "She has him. Has Hiroshi…"

The emblem she'd removed as she'd raced through the corridor. It was a pendant from his very great grandmother, a safeguard she'd always worn on her cloak.

"Whose work was it? That emblem…" A growl tore from his throat. "I can't touch her as long's she's got it. Who put it there? They knew she'd find it—"

His eyes narrowed into malicious slits. His fingers coiled tightly around the plastic wrapper in his hands. When he opened them, there were ashes in his cupped palms.

"Eve."

X

Nikoru had found her secret treasure on the mantle, the one switched with the lantern rod, but that couldn't be helped. She'd escaped Naoki, so mission complete.

Eve had trailed Naoki to the library, observing him. She still wasn't sure how he had lived through the years. His blood was still as cold as ever, but Eve could sense the magic bubbling in his veins.

As she passed a peculiar groove in the library wall, Eve remembered the old, forgotten study that had been connected there, when the groove had once been a secret bookshelf door. The magic of the house had covered it up after the last group of people had perished there, at the mercy of the residual raging fire from fifty years ago, the one that had swallowed both Eve and her brother up.

It was also the only place that had offered solace to Eve's poor soul for all these lonely years. It was quiet and protected. The oni never usually traveled there. Eve had been piling her treasures in that room since she learned of it. There was one item in particular that she liked most of all: Umber's Emblem.

The thing she'd apparently always worn over her chest in all the ancient paintings stored in a forgotten basement room, holding her cloak together. The dog had dug it up out back the manor and brought it to Eve. It was buried way down deep, hidden away from all walks of life. But Eve had noticed the comforting aura that wafted around it in spiraling wisps. Comfort was a sensation Eve had not felt in what seemed like forever. She was desperate for warmth. She kept it and hid it away from her family so that only she could look upon it.

However, during the first week in the manor, Eve noticed a mysterious presence outside the window, standing outside the manor, over the place Maxwell had unburied the emblem, shrouded by amorphous shadows. It wasn't until later that Eve recognized him.

Naoki had visited the house many times, claiming to be the previous occupant of Fau Manor. Fau Naoki, that was what he called himself. He said his great grandmother owned the mansion long ago, and it belonged under his heritage. Eve's mother was also a Fau, and Naoki pleasantly allowed her to live in the house.

Eve considered why he might have been in the basement that evening, before the boxes were completely unpacked, but she didn't feel right in asking him. Not because it was rude, but because she felt his intimidating aura, something that rocked her to her core. He was so cold…It shouldn't have been possible to be that cold.

He'd suspected someone had gained access to that small study after he'd heard Nikoru tapping on the glass, but he hadn't known how. The mansion was supposed to have consumed it like some of the other less important rooms, but Umber's Emblem had rescued it with its protective charm.

Eve materialized on the second floor of the manor and called for Takeshi. He emerged from the kid's room, looking crestfallen.

"Eve," he whispered, "I don't know what I'm looking for."

"That's because you didn't wait to listen to what I was saying," she snapped.

Takeshi flinched. "Well—well you didn't tell me after! I've been wandering around, wondering what I should do!"

"I was sidetracked," Eve lied. Technically, it wasn't really lying, she was sidetracked by Naoki for a few minutes, but there was more to the reason why. "But I know what to look for. As I was saying before you raced up the stairs, we are searching for a portal."

Takeshi blinked, confused. "A portal? Like, to another part of the house or something? Or like one where I—like the one I fell through? Like, one to another dimension?"

"Yes." Eve glanced over the railing. "Let's not talk here. Naoki's volume is one that can track living beings, and its sight can fail because it has not yet merged with the other volumes, but it's still dangerous to talk in the open."

She floated through a wall and stood inside. When Takeshi didn't follow, she stretched an arm through the plaster and beckoned for him to come. Reluctantly, Takeshi joined her inside the wall, fidgeting uncomfortably. Eve grabbed his arm and they rose up through the wall on the third level.

"The door at the end of this hall holds a portal behind it," Eve explained hurriedly. "It's an effect that can act instantaneously or it can be delayed. Whoever touches that knob will, at some point in time, be transferred somewhere else, be it another section of the grounds as it was for Nikoru, or a different dimension, like the one we're in. I still haven't quite deciphered what their rotation means, but I do know three swirls means a location on the grounds, two sends you to another dimension, and I'll return to one in a moment. When three swirls are contacted by life, a sort of mechanism is activated that can create a connection to a separate realm. When two swirls are contacted by life, then someone in the manor usually falls through a wormhole of sorts and is transported into a separate realm."

"That's like when Nikoru blew on the swirls and Takuro fell back into the mansion," Takeshi gasped in awe. "And she touched the knob when it had three swirls, so she was transported outside." His face fell in horror. "Hiroshi has the knob now. What's gonna happen to him?"

Eve shook her head. "I don't know. It's not connected to the portal door anymore and I don't know whether or not it has power. We'll have to wait and see. I'm positive Hiroshi is capable enough to protect himself."

"But then what happened to me?" Takeshi searched Eve's eyes anxiously. "What about me? I didn't touch the door or the knob."

"I fear that was Naoki's interference," Eve answered darkly. "He thinks it amusing to trap people in their own personal hell. Takuro could not reach Mika from where he was. Neither could you. And you were both very alone there. While I don't truly understand why Naoki decided to murder Mika"—Takeshi cringed—"I have a feeling it was either because it would destroy Takuro, or because she discovered something she ought not to have."

"Like what?" Takeshi held his breath.

"Something like evidence about his true character." Even through the wall, Takeshi could see the worried glow of Eve's red fish eyes. "Or a little black book."

"You think she found a volume of the Black Velvet, or whatever?" Takeshi whispered.

"She might have. And if she did, Naoki would not have wanted her to keep it."

"But then he'd have it with him, wouldn't he?"

"That's where it gets confusing. I believe he first sent the oni to terrify her or to kill her, to put on a show for Takuro. Perhaps it sensed the book's aura and lost control. I've seen it happen three times now—the oni cannot stand being in the presence of something much more powerful than them, and they are compelled to escape it. However, Umber cannot be escaped, and, instead of running, they have the desire to destroy whoever holds a volume because they believe that person is responsible for the omnipotence."

Takeshi was silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. "Okay. I think I understand."

"She must have hidden it and the oni was too ignorant to realize what it was, so maybe Naoki has no idea it's there. Prepare yourself; there's more. I have wondered for ages why Naoki insists on luring people to this mansion. He used to visit us, my family, when I was still alive. He said his great grandmother owned the property, but since my mother was also a Fau, he allowed us to live here."

"Naoki is a Fau?"

"So he claimed…I believe it now, though. The only way any of this could possibly make sense is if he is related to Umber."

Takeshi's eyes widened in horror. "Umber is Naoki's grandma—that makes so much sense! She was a witch and now he's got all these freakish powers. And, he's been around for more than fifty years! How old was he when you met him?"

"He looked the same way he is now, actually, just with a younger face."

Takeshi shivered. "Wow. I don't like this."

"It was said Umber had one true love, but he never returned her passion," Eve continued cryptically. "He was a human, a very intelligent one, and he had known from the first that Umber was a witch. He could not bring himself to reveal her, though; his most tremendous fault was his compassion. He could not bear to let someone burn because of him. It would forever haunt his conscious. Eventually, however, as Umber continued to pursue him, the human decided to take on a more evasive action: he traveled to the southern tip of Honshu to create space between them, to allow her time to ponder and, hopefully, find another man—"

"Lemme guess," Takeshi growled indignantly, "she stalked him all the way there."

Eve blinked, taken aback by Takeshi's sudden retort. He sounded offended. "Precisely, she followed him there. Finally, the human's patience wore thin and he directly and bluntly explained the depths of his feelings for her: he had none. He didn't love her, nor would he ever. Umber returned to the village bitterly, her skin withered with grief. She took to her manor for the longest time, preferring to be a recluse than be in the company of people."

"That can't be it, right?" Takeshi murmured.

"Far from it. Several months later, there was news that the human had finally found his soulmate, and they were engaged."

"Oh, God," Takeshi muttered turbulently.

"Yes. You can imagine what happened next: Umber snapped. She couldn't stand the thought of losing her man to another, one that was nowhere near as powerful or as beautiful or as privileged as Umber. She stormed into town and began her assault upon the human race. She slaughtered several of the villagers, who had known nothing of her magical prowess, and the rest were encaged within the town by a barrier. Umber sent one of the human's nephews to warn him that, should he marry his human love, his family and the rest of the villagers would suffer a terrible demise. The nephew rushed to the southern tip of Honshu and found his uncle, where he then went on to describe what Umber's wrath had done.

The human returned to the village with his nephew. The moment they set foot on village soil, the nephew succumbed to an eternal sleep and died slowly in a nightmarish coma. Umber threatened the human again, warning him against marriage to his sweetheart. Devastated, the human complied, unwilling to let his people perish. Umber sealed him away inside her manor until the wedding date. She would prepare amazing dinners for him in the large, gothic banquet hall—of course, it's gone now—but the human would not eat or drink more than he needed to, and each night, he implored the witch politely to let him return to his fiancée. This infuriated Umber, but she continued to try different tactics to win his heart. Alas, nothing worked; he was wretchedly heartbroken and missed his family dearly, but he never once rose to aggressively challenge Umber or assault her. Though she accosted him regularly for his tenacious faith and love for his people and for his fiancée, he never once returned a word in kind.

Later, his fiancée discovered the village and began to plot with the villagers. After one of them attacked Umber in desperation to escape, the witch obliterated him with a gruesome power and boasted triumphantly about the emblem she always wore upon her cloak. It was a protection charm, something she had crafted herself."

"I bet that sparked some ideas," Takeshi grumbled.

"On the night of the human's forced wedding to the witch, the villagers attacked Umber, striking her with a gold-tipped sword through the back, wedged deep between her shoulders. The gold could strike her, but it would not kill her, not with the charm still in effect, even flowing through her veins, but it was enough to distract her for a few short moments while she tried to recover from the stunning pain. Before Umber could fully react, the human's fiancée charged forward and lunged for the emblem."

Takeshi didn't realize he was holding his breath. "She got it, right? Tell me she got it."

"She did," Eve murmured. Takeshi smiled, relieved, but Eve's frown remained. "But at a terrible price. Umber did react, and she had burned a hole right through the fiancée's chest in retribution, a sort of eye for eye demonstration." Takeshi's face fell. "The gold-tipped sword was still buried deep within Umber's flesh, and, without the emblem, blood began to flow from her. She shrieked with the pain and the knowledge that she was bleeding to death, but she was still desperate to marry her human love."

"No!" Takeshi bellowed ferociously, "that's not love! That's ob—that's obsession!"

"Can you shut up so that I can tell the story?" Eve snapped. "Thank you. Anyway—Umber was still desperate to marry her human love—"

"Obsession," Takeshi interrupted stubbornly.

"Whatever. She crawled up the steps of the house, reaching for him with a bloodied limb, sobbing his name. But the human walked down the steps. He wanted to rescue her from the hurt and humiliation, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She was wretched and evil and he could sense her undying stubbornness inside her soul. She would pursue him forever and many others would succumb to her wrath if she was not removed from the earth. He left her dying on the steps, went toward his fiancée, weeping for her. Again, something snapped inside Umber, something deeper than any rage she had ever known. She turned to blast the human through the heart before he could reach his beloved—"

"No!" Takeshi cried.

"—but a sudden sight stopped her. A villager was standing before her with a torch."

Takeshi's eyes widened, knowing what was coming next.

"Despite her howls, he dropped it on her and stepped back…the only way to kill a witch is to burn her. That was and still is the only method. It was grotesque and malevolently wondrous, but it had to be done."

"I don't like those words together," Takeshi whispered. "Malevolent and wondrous…Nothing about that is wondrous."

"Shut up, I'm telling the story. Umber was burned to death on the front steps of the manor, and the human ordered his people to burn the house with her. He believed that would set her spirit free."

"What the—all that happened and he wanted to set her spirit free?!" Takeshi gaped. "No way! But she—now she's—it would have all been fine if he hadn't done that!"

"Takeshi," Eve growled, "he didn't know. No one knew she would still be restless. He thought that was the only way to ease her suffering, the only way to save her."

"It's still his fault," Takeshi grumbled.

"Well, he didn't know. Anyway, the human buried the emblem deep under the soil and died of a broken heart, unable to face the world without his fiancée. The town was eventually rebuilt. Many years passed, and the whole affair was forgotten."

"That fast?" Takeshi sounded doubtful.

"They preferred not to think of it, not to tell their children."

"But it happened right in their own town! That's, like, history!"

"People refuse to believe that the Holocaust ever happened," Eve pointed out. "The same applies to other events in history, such as the tale of Umber."

"The villagers didn't rebuild the house, too, did they?"

"No." A short pause. "It rebuilt itself."

Takeshi blanched. "No way! No way, I thought that was a joke!"

"No, it's the truth. It simply reappeared one day. And it possessed a deadly aura, one that attracted the villagers, tourists, the sensitive, the rich, everyone."

"So it basically lured us here, too." Takeshi held his head miserably. "Everyone in the club was right…all those urban legends were real…"

"Unfortunately, yes." Eve reached out to touch his shoulder. A spark zipped through her, prickling her ghostly presence. She sucked in a breath and retracted back. Takeshi gazed through the wall, befuddled. "As well as Umber's story…and it's very coincidental, don't you think?"

The gears in Takeshi's mind turned as he tried to comprehend what Eve was saying, what she meant. Coincidental? Did she mean Naoki? She had to. But Umber had been obsessed with a human, probably because of how easily he'd seen through her, because of his intelligence and compassion, but he was destined for another.

Then it hit him like a freight train. "Naoki's obsessing over Hiroshi! It's happening again!"

"I don't know if they're reincarnations or not, but yes, that's what I suspect."

Takeshi leapt out of the wall. "Come on, Eve, we've gotta go! Let's do whatever we can to save him!"

"Wait!" Eve pulled Takeshi back through the wall. "Don't be so impulsive, Naoki could have been there. Besides, there's one last thing. There's a way to save Mika's soul and rescue the other's from Naoki, but we must act quickly. Do you remember, I told you I'd explain the single swirl on the portal door, and it's our next destination. It's our entrance into Umber's Soul Cage."