It was cold.
A chill swept through the city like never before. In the midst of this icy darkness, a white-haired man wandered the streets. Dried, crimson blood clung to his coat. With a sinister grin, he roamed the gloomy alleys of Soraishi.
Someone noticed him—and the blood on his coat. The young man, mistakenly worried about the stranger, received only an intimidating reply from the white-haired figure: "Enjoy life as a ghost!"
It was in that moment that the observer realized the blood was not the man's own.
Morning broke.
In her messy apartment, Mei lay on the floor. The alarm clock rang relentlessly, yet she didn't move. Get up? She simply couldn't. Her body felt like lead.
"Just… one more hour…" she murmured.
But her sluggishness didn't stem from fatigue. It was something deeper that weighed her down. Her soul felt almost empty, devoid of tangible emotion. Everything was burdensome.
Despite Sidd's support, Mei felt abandoned, as if no one stood by her side anymore. Her emotions were fading rapidly, and she could no longer even cry.
About half an hour later, the young woman found the strength to sit up. The wooden floor creaked quietly beneath her as she slowly tried to rise. Only when she reached the alarm clock and turned it off did the noise finally stop—but she felt nothing.
"Another hopeless day," she muttered flatly, her gaze lingering lifelessly on the ceiling. Her thoughts were hard to focus. A faint beam of morning sunlight slipped through the slightly opened blinds. With a tired and empty expression, she walked to the window she had kept shut for hours and opened it.
While Mei slowly eased into her morning routine, Sidd was already hard at work.
He sped through the suburban streets of Soraishi at high speed, sealing a spirit every few hundred meters.
"There's a lot going on today…" he remarked after eliminating the latest entity.
Shortly after, the young man took a break.
"Too bad Mei declined. I could really use some backup. And those capitalist pigs at headquarters won't send anyone either."
Thoughtfully, the young Seiho sat down on the ground and set his backpack aside. He pulled a clear sports bottle from the side netting and took a sip of water.
"Ahhh, that hits the spot! Mei's soul is extremely restless. There must be something weighing heavily on her. I planted a bit of soul energy on her to monitor how she's doing over the next few days. Wouldn't want her becoming a target for a spirit…"
In one fluid motion, the young man jumped to his feet.
"There are still a few more spirits to free. My morning workout isn't over yet!" he called out before setting off again, determined to destroy every spirit in sight.
Fast as the wind, free as a bird, the Seiho swept through the city—unaware of what the day would bring.
At the same time, Mei left her house.
"Damn, with all the chaos I forgot my bag at the train station."
Worried about her small handbag, she headed toward the city center.
The crowds weighed heavily on her.
But since Mei was only in the city for a short time, she managed to ignore the surrounding pedestrians and pushed her way toward the station with unusually fast steps.
When she arrived, she was astonished: there was no sign of the destruction that had raged the day before. It was as if the previous day had never happened.
Quickly and with growing anxiety, she stepped onto the platform where she had stood before—but there was no trace of her bag.
"Damn!"
Worry about her wallet and other personal documents inside the bag overwhelmed her. There was only one option left.
Her last hope rested on the station's lost and found office, which, luckily, was located right next to the entrance and on her way.
As she rushed to the counter in a panic, two men in black suits were already there. Mei overheard their conversation:
The taller one, about 190 centimeters, looked up with a scowl.
"Goddammit," he grumbled. "Why do I have to wear this disgusting suit?!"
The other, much shorter, with medium-length brown hair and round glasses, snapped back:
"You classless idiot. Yumi already scolded you last time. With all that skin you're always showing, people are going to think you're a porn actor!"
The tall man with long hair responded loudly and angrily:
"IT'S FOR MY ABILITY, YOU MORON!" he yelled, raising his fists threateningly.
The shorter man replied, unimpressed:
"We're not here to clean up the mess and investigate the spirit again. We already did that yesterday! We're here to recover a lost sealing artifact. You're the idiot here."
The two clearly didn't get along—and they were obviously Seiho.
Mei kept to the background, said little, and couldn't glean much else from their exchange, which was filled with heated and sharp insults.
"IDIOT!"
"Ignorant."
"IDIOT!"
"Ignorant."
"IDIOT!"
"Ignorant."
"IDIOT!"
"Ignorant."
The ongoing bickering was soon interrupted by the head of the lost and found.
"Uh, excuse me…" he began hesitantly in a quiet voice.
But the one with the glasses cut him off, bowed deeply, and shouted:
"PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES!"
His voice echoed so loudly through the room that the young clerk visibly flinched. Hastily, he handed them a brown talisman.
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" the polite one replied, and then the two went on their way.
"Weird guys…" murmured Mei as she finally reached the counter.
A few minutes later, Mei left the station, gripping her bag tightly.
"Guess I got lucky," she thought. "I was sure it had been stolen…"
With a faint smile on her lips, she walked briskly through the city center toward a quieter district of Soraishi where she lived. Lost in thought, she weaved through the crowd. As she crossed the last street, her eyes landed on a man who looked oddly familiar.
Her heart began to race as he met her gaze.
Instinctively, she whispered, "Papa?"
The man paused and turned around. That moment triggered a flight response in her. She bolted, running as fast as she could.
As Mei ran away from her father, her thoughts drifted back to her childhood.
She had grown up in another city, on another island.
At first, it had been a loving family.
Her parents, both healers, ran their own pharmacy and were the only doctors in town.
But that wasn't the whole truth.
Her family belonged to a large sect—made up entirely of relatives. They called themselves Spiritus, which was also their family name.
The Spiritus sect was infamous for their goal: to summon a being known as "The Waiting One", a force said to one day bring chaos upon the world.
Mei's entire family was deeply devoted to The Waiting One and fully entrenched in the sect's beliefs.
Everyone, except Mei.
Even as a child, she had voiced doubts and criticism—everything changed after that. From that moment on, she was never treated with love again.
She became the black sheep of the family, daily scorned as an "unbeliever" or a "disgrace to the family."
Her own parents were the harshest.
Not a day passed without her being beaten or humiliated by them.
The suffering was unbearable.
But back then, 17-year-old Mei was close to adulthood—which would give her the chance to escape:
From the sect, from The Waiting One, and from her own parents.
It had been more complicated than Mei had ever imagined.
One evening, as she was bringing something to her parents, she accidentally overheard a conversation between them.
"It's finally time," said her father, Takao. "She'll be eighteen soon..."
The woman who called herself her mother smiled and replied, "Yes, that unbelieving brat will be the perfect sacrifice for 'The Waiting One.' If she's nothing but a faithless pig, she deserves to die for us."
Mei froze.
Had she heard that correctly?
Her own parents were planning to sacrifice her?
She had only ever existed as an offering?
The realization was shocking. In that moment, all her emotions shut down. With a blank, expressionless gaze, she walked into the room.
"Mei?!" her father called out, but she ignored him and walked right past him into the kitchen.
Her mother exhaled in relief. "Thank goodness she didn't notice..."
But Mei saw things very differently.
Just seconds later, she stood once more before her parents—clutching a large kitchen knife tightly in her hand.
Her mother backed away in horror. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't overreact!"
But Mei didn't respond. She advanced on them with determination.
Her father tried to run toward her—but the girl drove the blade into his forehead, causing him to collapse in pain.
Her mother tried to flee, but Mei had already locked the door.
Crying and sobbing, her mother cowered in the corner—helpless like a worm awaiting death. Mei plunged the knife into the woman's chest without mercy.
With each stab, memories of her agonizing childhood surged through her, and her rage exploded into merciless movements of her hand.
Consumed by fury and hatred, Mei stabbed her mother again and again.
Her own screaming drowned out the woman's cries of agony.
Sixty-six times, the blade pierced her mother's body.
When it was over, she left the crime scene—one solitary tear sliding down her cheek.
Mei made the decision to vanish forever and have nothing more to do with the sect.
Aimless and emotionless, she wandered—until she eventually arrived in Soraishi, a city where she finally hoped to find peace.
But suddenly, the panic and pain of her past overwhelmed her again.
It felt as though all her efforts had been for nothing.
She couldn't allow that to happen!
Desperately, she tried to flee, but it seemed hopeless. Her father was right behind her.
Eventually, they reached a street along the river, where Mei stumbled—and her father caught up.
"Tell me, Mei…" he said, breathless, "What are you even trying to do?"
Tears streamed down Mei's face once again. The old wounds throbbed with pain.
"What… What do you want from me?! You and Mom never cared about me!"
When the man heard that, a tear rolled down his cheek as well.
Softly, he replied, "So that's how you see me... I always tried to take care of you."
Upon hearing those words, a fury ignited in Mei—too intense to contain.
She stood up and glared at her father with hatred and contempt.
"You seriously dare to say something like that? After everything that happened...? What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Overwhelmed by emotion, her father broke into tears and fell to his knees.
"I'm so sorry for everything that happened! But think, Mei—your mother was the one who always treated you terribly.
That night, when everything spiraled out of control, I was only afraid for you—while she eagerly awaited your sacrifice.
I always wanted to protect you… somehow save you. But I couldn't. Don't you understand?"
Mei turned her head to the side in disbelief. She didn't want to—couldn't—believe it.
Her father reached into his pocket and pulled out a torn emblem—the symbol of the sect's membership, once a sacred item for its bearers.
"I left the sect a long time ago," he said. "I set out to find you—and I finally did, here in Soraishi.
All I want is a peaceful life with my wonderful daughter—far away from the sect."
When Mei heard those words, she could no longer hold back her emotions.
Overwhelmed, she began to run toward her father. In that moment, she realized he truly was a good person—someone she had wrongly lumped in with the rest of her family.
The torn emblem in his hand was proof enough for her: things could finally be okay.
Relief washed over her as she ran into the arms of the man she had missed so deeply.
After all this time, they were finally reunited.
"I have so much to tell you," she said. "I want to make so many memories with you, Dad!"
Her words filled her father with such joy that he embraced her even tighter.
Mei felt warm and safe in his arms.
With happiness in his voice, her father replied:
"We have to make up for all the lost time. Mei, I lo—"
Rip.
Their heartfelt reunion was suddenly shattered by a horrifying sound—something tearing.
Blood splattered across Mei's face.
Confused and shocked, it took her several seconds to understand what had just happened.
A massive spike had brutally pierced her father's head.
The blood now clinging to her face was his.
The strength that had held his body against hers faded, and he collapsed to the ground.
Her father was dead in an instant.
Mei staggered back, stunned, and then fell to the ground herself.
"Da…dad?"
It had been a spirit that caused the chaos.
A monstrous entity in the form of a spider—though with a grotesquely distorted human face.
One that Mei found eerily familiar.
Before she could think further, the spirit let out a bone-chilling scream:
"FOOOOOUND… YOOOOUUU, MEEEIII!"
The voice was familiar too.
There was no doubt left—this was the spirit of her mother.
Tears welled up in Mei's eyes once again as the world around her faded into darkness.
There was only one path ahead—forward.
Mei saw no other choice but to run forever from the spirit of her mother.
She ran and ran, driven by despair. There was no other way out.
Her face was once again void of emotion—and this time, it seemed permanent.
Her entire family was gone.
It was an unimaginable fate.
Hard to believe that all her efforts to escape had only led her to this:
to run forever.
Eventually, Mei stumbled, exhausted and hopeless.
The spirit had caught up to her.
She lay motionless on the ground, ready to accept her fate.
But suddenly, a familiar voice broke through.
"So… you want a family. I understand."
A familiar figure leapt at the spirit.
"Kagebore Fūin – Sealing of All Shadows."
Within seconds, the spirit dissolved—as if it had never existed.
Standing before Mei was Sidd, her unexpected savior.
Sidd's words echoed in the silence as he reached out his hand, ready to be more than just a friend to Mei—a family.
"Why are you so focused on blood relatives?
Family isn't just about who you share your blood with.
It's the people who are there when you're in trouble;
who protect you and help you;
who stand by you through thick and thin—
no matter what, no matter which ghosts from the past haunt you."
Mei, overwhelmed by his words, couldn't immediately take his outstretched hand.
Instead, she jumped to her feet, tears pouring down her cheeks—
not just from sorrow, but from a deep, powerful sense of joy.
She ran to Sidd, embraced him tightly, and sobbed:
"Th-Thank you so much!
I pushed you away so hard, and you're still here for me…
You really are the best!"
Her crying grew stronger—an expression of all the tangled emotions from her painful past
and the new hope Sidd had given her.
After a long, heartfelt embrace—during which both of them felt the warmth and closeness they had long been missing—silence fell between them.
They were both relieved that the ordeal was finally over.
It was clear now that Mei had accepted Sidd's offer—not just his help, but him as her new family.
A place of belonging.
A bond built on mutual trust.
The next day marked a new era for Mei.
With a genuine smile on her face, she stepped out of the house—filled with a happiness she hadn't felt since childhood.
Her excitement only grew at the thought of seeing Sidd again soon.
Energetically, she made her way to the city center, where Sidd was already waiting for her by a large fountain.
"Yo, Mei!" he called out as he saw her, waving.
Mei smiled and waved back, walking over to him.
After a bit of lighthearted shopping together, their conversation turned to the future.
"So... what happens next?" Mei asked, curious.
Sidd grinned. "I knew you'd ask! I've got a meeting next week in Tokyo with some Seiho representatives. We'll be discussing our next steps. It should fit around your school schedule just fine."
Mei's smile widened.
"I'm really looking forward to it," she said. "I can't wait to finally meet my new family."
The day passed happily, and while Mei was filled with joy, a small trace of fear still lingered in her heart as she thought about this new life as a Seiho.
But the thought of finally having people around her who supported and valued her gave her hope—and made her look forward to the future with cautious optimism.
--- o ---
Hello! It's me again, Phleg.
Now Sidd and Mei are finally united! This chapter is one of the ones I don't have a lot to say about. It's pretty important for the story, but there's nothing happening in there that's REALLY worth a comment.
Well, except for the two characters in the train station. I don't wanna spoil anything, but they are pretty important for the story and they will appear more often in future arcs.
Now that I don't have anything left to say, I want to use the space to tell you that I'm streaming on twitch pretty often recently. I'm mostly streaming Valorant and Phasmophobia, so if you're interested in that, you're welcome to watch my streams at any time! My Twitch username is phleggaming.
I wish y'all a great day! Have fun reading, gaming or whatever you're doing.
Phleg, out