"Ugh!" Mei said as she got up from the floor. "That was insane!"
"Sis!" Kai shouted, rushing toward her.
"Bro!" Mei cried out, running to meet him.
They collided in a powerful hug.
"I missed you!" she whispered, squeezing him even tighter.
"I missed you too," he replied, gently patting her head.
They slowly stepped back from each other.
"You made it?" Kai asked, a bit uncertain.
"Somehow..." she shrugged. "And you?"
"Um... I made it too," he mumbled, avoiding her gaze. He couldn't tell her the truth—about the contract.
"So... Come on... Let's go find that owl... My eyes are already hurting from all this white," Mei said, confidently stepping forward.
Kai followed one step behind her, staring at her back, thinking about the contract he had signed.
They walked like that for a while… a few minutes… or maybe hours.
Time flowed differently here, so it was hard to tell.
But then—
WHOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOO!
The silence was pierced by a sharp sound.
A loud hoot, echoing from every direction.
The brother and sister looked left, then right, then left again...
But they saw nothing.
They had no idea where the hooting was coming from.
"Those who enter my kingdom may ask me three questions..." hooted the Owl.
Her voice echoed from all directions, yet she remained unseen.
"Okay... First question is—" Kai began, but the Owl cut him off.
"If..."
A long pause.
"...you solve my riddle."
The siblings exchanged a glance.
"Alright!" Mei shouted.
"Excellent... The riddle is:
You can't see me, yet you feel me all around,
You can't touch me, but I can warm you.
What am I?"
"What a stupid riddle!" Mei scoffed, dropping down onto the white floor and crossing her arms.
"What??? I don't get it!" Kai yelled, looking at his sister, confused.
"Can't you ask something easier!" Mei snapped.
"What?! You already know the answer?" the Owl hooted again, surprised—almost offended.
"Yes!" Mei replied, short and confident.
Silence.
The voice fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, in a soft whisper, it returned:
"What has a neck but no head?"
"A bottle," Mei replied without hesitation.
"What always comes but never arrives?"
"Tomorrow."
"What belongs to you but is used more by others?"
"Your name."
Kai stood quietly, observing.
In his eyes — a mix of confusion and awe.
The Owl was testing...
But Mei answered quickly, coldly, and with certainty.
Then the Owl's voice changed.
That calm, deep tone was gone.
Now it was... tense.
Irritated.
"You won't know this one…"
the Owl screeched, now sharper.
"This riddle comes from another world…
What has four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"
Mei rolled her eyes.
"That one's the easiest yet!" she said.
"Then I challenge you… answer!"
Now the Owl screamed. Or maybe hooted. It was hard to tell.
"A human... A baby crawls on all fours, an adult walks on two legs, and an old man uses a cane... I think that riddle's been overused," Mei said with a shrug.
"How…? T-That's not possible…"
The Owl's voice trembled — for the first time.
"That riddle is from another world… How did you know the answer?!"
Mei smiled faintly.
"Well, we're from another world too."
This time, there was no reply.
Suddenly, the loud flapping of wings echoed through the air.
From the sky, she descended — the Whispering Owl.
The Whispering Owl was a massive, nocturnal creature, with wide wings and dark golden feathers.
Her most terrifying feature were her six cold, star-like eyes, arranged in three perfect rows.
They say her eyes can see every sin you've committed, every memory you've buried, and every hidden intention you've ever had.
The Owl measured them with a sharp, thoughtful gaze from above.
"So..." the Owl spoke. "What are your questions?"
The brother and sister looked at each other.
Their eyes exchanged silent thoughts — as if they were speaking.
Kai asked the first question:
"How do we get out of here?"
The Owl tilted her head.
"Just say the word, and I will lead you outside..."
"Who stole the diary?" Mei asked.
Silence fell.
The Owl said nothing.
She didn't blink, nor did she move.
Kai cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Well...?" Mei asked, leaning forward slightly.
"I cannot answer that question," the Owl said calmly.
"Why not?" Mei insisted.
"Because... the diary wasn't stolen," she replied — soft, yet clear.
The siblings exchanged a confused look.
"You have one question left," the Owl reminded them.
"Well... how—" Mei began.
"Wait, wait! We've got one question left, don't just throw it away like that!" Kai interrupted, raising his hand.
"You're right!" Mei stepped closer and whispered,
"What should we ask her?"
Kai's eyes sparkled.
"I have an idea! Let's ask her: 'Who is Rem?'"
Mei shot him a disapproving look.
"Don't joke around, this isn't the time!"
"Well… maybe we should just ask her for the next clue?" he suggested, this time more seriously.
Mei immediately turned toward the Owl.
"What is the next clue… the one that will lead us closer to the journal?" Mei asked firmly.
The Owl was silent for a moment, then said:
"Ask Gojo. He hasn't given you everything he has…"
"Well, technically… he hasn't given us anything," Kai added, shrugging. "That little piece of paper just fell out of his pocket."
They looked at each other.
One short, quiet glance was enough to understand each other.
They nodded simultaneously.
"We're ready to go!" Mei said.
The Owl looked at them once more, this time with a serious tone in her voice.
"Good… but before our paths part… I will tell you one more thing."
She paused.
"Do not trust Vorenhart."
She flapped her wings fiercely —
the wind rose, and the world around them froze for a moment.
At that instant, Kai and Mei began to crumble into grains of golden sand.
Their bodies scattered through the air... and vanished.
The owl was left alone, silence once again took hold of that white emptiness. She lowered her gaze to where the brother and sister had just been standing.
"When they return…" she whispered. "...I'll have to ask them."
She paused for a moment, then continued.
"...What their world is like."