Lucaroji opened the carriage door, raising an eyebrow as he saw "Adom" leaning inside, one leg crossed over the other as if the trial had been mere side entertainment.
Lucaroji: "I see you've preceded me as usual... It hasn't even been three minutes since the session adjourned."
Adom looked at him without changing his posture, his tone lazy yet saturated with his usual sarcasm:
Adom:"Oh, I merely wanted to see your face when you discovered the judge had outpaced the caravan."
Lucaroji sat opposite him, placing the file on the small table inside the carriage.
Lucaroji:"I admit you overturned the scales swiftly. I didn't expect the prosecutor to fall so easily."
Adom: He laughed softly, raising a hand as if to correct his statement: "Don't misunderstand—I didn't topple him... He merely tripped over his own lies. All I did was illuminate the shadow he was hiding in."
Lucaroji poured him some tea, observing him for a long moment before saying: "Sometimes I forget whether you seek justice... or mere amusement."
Adom took the cup, spinning it between his fingers without drinking: "The difference is simple, my friend... Justice removes masks, while amusement is watching them fall."
Lucaroji fell silent for a moment, then smiled sideways: "Your words could open a book on chaos."
Adom laughed genuinely this time, his gaze slipping through the carriage window to the crowded street: "No—a book on truth... for it is always chaos disguised in order's robes."
Lucaroji continued the conversation: "Tell me, Adom, did you know Karnel was involved from the beginning?"
Adom raised his eyes to him, his smile widening slowly like a wound opening deliberately: "From the beginning? Heh, no, Your Honor. I merely listened... to the silence his fear created. Some need no paper evidence to be condemned; it suffices for them to misarrange their own breaths."
He then reached toward the carriage window, watching the rain begin to fall lightly: "By the way, the three ledgers? They weren't truly under the storage... I just wanted to see who would fear first."
Lucaroji stared at him intently, then let out a short, muffled laugh: "Sometimes I think you'd make a fine judge in my place."
Adom replied, turning his gaze outward with the same coldness that precedes a poisonous joke: "And sometimes I think you'd make a fine demon in mine."
The carriage moved, and the twilight light reflected in his eyes, gleaming with a faint thread of familiar sarcasm.
After these lengthy judicial events, we return to Togashi, who left the hospital that day to be received by his family. Everything proceeded peacefully. Togashi's life returned to normal, and he established a new routine. The unsettling dreams that haunted him had lessened, visiting him only rarely since that day.
His usual routine was: going to the capital for his lessons, wandering with Takuma and Zentaro occasionally, and his school grades had improved. Zentaro noticed this, attributing it to the reduced frequency of those dreams. The calm, vibrant Togashi had returned. But: nothing lasts forever...
After several days:
The night choked the village, the cold biting the walls as if trying to steal something from them.
In the dim room,Togashi stared at the cursed compass on the table, its needle shaking and spinning north as if an invisible hand from another world gripped and pulled it forcefully.
He reached for it… then recoiled as if touching an ember.
The whispers returned,not as memories, but as a blow to the back of his head.
But... the voice of the little girl echoed in Togashi's ear again, saying: "You led yourself to that temple, and entering it is not like leaving it."
The phrase froze him.
Togashi couldn't even raise his hand to cover his ears before another voice intertwined—heavier than iron,closer to the breath of something that had lived thousands of years, crawling inside his skull: "Ignore us… and the dreams will return. And you know what that means."
His eyes widened, black memories flooding like mud.
He didn't want those nights to return.
He didn't want to hear that scream again…nor see the darkness that devoured itself from within.
The same dark, suffocating feeling weighed on his chest.
He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself:
"Today…I break this filthy current. The temple, the dreams, the curse… it all ends tonight."
Togashi dressed in the finest clothes he owned and left the room like a thief sneaking through his own house.
The door hit the edge of the cabinet,creating an annoying sound, and he froze in place, anticipating his mother's shout or a sibling's snore.
Nothing.
As if the entire house had been injected with a sedative.
He relaxed slightly, then went to his parents' room stealthily and stole his father's armor, which had been stored for years in the closet—no one dared take it because it was too precious.
Thus, Togashi added it to his gear, hung it over his shoulder, and left the house as if discarding his old life behind him.
Outside, Bangel was approaching the house with a friend.
He noticed the light from Togashi's window flare like a scream…then extinguish like a threat.
Bangel's face changed;he excused himself from his friend and ran toward the house.
Togashi had already left. But Bangel entered the house stealthily over the fence, landed lightly, and made his way through the house's darkness.
But upon entering,he bumped into half-asleep Zentaro and Sana, rubbing her eyes.
Sana, with her sparkling eyes, went to Bangel, saying innocently: "Uncle Bangel? What brings you here at this hour of the night?"
Zentaro began yawning, saying: "Who are you?"
But Bangel ignored their questions and said: "Did you see Togashi just now?"
Zentaro, barely able to distinguish his features, replied: "What's this noise? What's happened to Togashi now?"
Bangel responded: "I don't know. I saw suspicious movement in his room and felt something was happening."
Sana brought him water, walking like a child unaware of the danger, but Zentaro said sarcastically: "So you came here this late just because Togashi got out of bed? Maybe he went to the bathroom. Why so concerned, Uncle?"
Bangel took the water from Sana, thanking her, and drank while thinking hastily.
Zentaro then said: "So, you're telling me Togashi isn't in his room—where would he be then?"
Zentaro received no reply from Bangel; Bangel wasn't listening—he was connecting the dots with disturbing speed.
He walked quickly to Togashi's room and knocked, but no one answered. He opened the door quietly until the entire room was in his view.
But he found only the curtains moving from the wind and the open window. Then he knew Togashi had gone to only one place: the Fringe Cone Forest, located to the north.
"North…" he muttered, his face changing.
"The Fringe Cone."
He said, moving quickly outside: "You must catch up with me quickly, Zentaro. That fool will harm himself."
Meanwhile, Togashi was making his way along the path leading to the forest.
The compass emitted a faint heat…like the heart of a living being.
From within the shadows: eyes watched him—the same yellow eyes that had appeared in the capital alley but momentarily turned violet, the color that precedes ruin. But Togashi didn't notice them; it was as if they'd never existed.
Togashi began thinking aloud, looking at the compass: "In the worst case, I'll have to attack that old man and try to steal anything from him to get me out of that place if I'm forced to repeat those damned tests. All I'll do is ask that old man to find me a solution."
Until the forest stood before him, and he entered, declaring no retreat—only advance... Either death or madness; there was no salvation in that forest.
On the other side: Bangel ran with Zentaro, who carried Sana on his back wearing sleepwear, Sana holding onto Zentaro tightly, closing her eyes from fear and anxiety.
They didn't take long to catch up until the forest nearly appeared before them. Bangel said while running without looking back: "Why did you bring Sana?"
Zentaro replied steadily, also without looking at him: "That's my decision. We either die with him or survive."
Bangel was stunned by Zentaro's desperate yet resolute words, as if Zentaro was exaggerating the situation. He then knew Zentaro wasn't the type to miss things from the start—he just observed them silently.
Shortly after, Bangel noticed Togashi's footprints on the ground and ordered Zentaro to stop immediately. Zentaro did so quickly. Bangel lowered his head and did something strange, illuminating the area around them.
Zentaro was surprised by Bangel's action and said: "Won't these lights draw attention?"
Bangel advanced slowly toward a spot near Togashi's footsteps and said: "Look, Togashi likely didn't go alone, judging by these footsteps. No need to hide ourselves here. We must follow Togashi quickly—I have a bad feeling about this."
Bangel began telling Zentaro about the compass, suspecting it was likely their real father's compass. He started recounting some matters on their way to Togashi, and Bangel's tongue slipped, revealing he knew the truth about their real father. Zentaro noticed but said nothing.
In the forest itself, Togashi noticed the place had changed slightly—it wasn't the same place he and Takuma had visited before. The atmosphere around him grew increasingly foggy, and then he heard the little girl's whispers: "Well done, boy. Now bid farewell to your soul."
But Bangel appeared quickly, running, disrupting this strange girl's plans, and said swiftly: "Where do you think you're going?"
Togashi turned quickly and saw Bangel and his siblings standing beside him—Zentaro standing boldly and calmly, and Sana on his back staring at him fearfully.
Togashi tensed...and hid the compass in his pocket quickly, as if it were a crime.
But he concealed his tension and said firmly: "Instead of asking where I'm going, why not ask how I started going mad? Can't you see I'm now going to seek deliverance from these nightmares and disturbing delusions? Or do you only see the mistake I've made?"
Bangel felt guilty, his eyes widening, and said: "Togashi, you!"
Togashi turned away and said: "I'm going."
But Bangel stepped forward quickly, shouting: "Togashi, wait!"
Suddenly and swiftly, the entity with violet eyes finally appeared and attacked Togashi, giving him no chance to react, but...:
Bangel quickly grabbed Togashi and dodged the creature's strike, but it wounded his shoulder. Bangel felt the wound's pain, turned with hatred, and went swiftly to Zentaro... "You must leave this forest now. I'll handle this."
Zentaro, holding Togashi, replied: "Wait, what's happening? You must explain at least."
But Bangel responded, heading toward the creature: "No time for explanations. You must leave quickly."
Togashi pushed Zentaro, looking at the creature and saying: "You... I've seen you before. You're one of the faces that appeared in one of the mirrors."
Sana began holding Zentaro fearfully and tightly, as if choking him, but Zentaro held her with his hands and told her to calm down...
But Bangel said, attacking the creature: "Zentaro, what are you doing? Hurry up."
But the creature finally spoke: "You cannot leave this forest. A pity for you, but I've already taken my precautions."
Bangel: "Tsk, damn it. But remember—you cannot defeat me, Kado."
Togashi said to Zentaro and Sana, pointing to one of the magical circles: "Look, this is the circle that transported me to that place."
Zentaro replied, grabbing his right hand: "You'll stay here with us so you don't hinder Uncle Bangel, understood? I still don't understand anything, but don't act foolishly, Togashi."
The whispers echoed in Togashi's ears again, and he began hearing an annoying screeching sound. He held his head, slumping to the ground in pain.
Sana freed her hands from Zentaro and went to Togashi, hugging him and saying: "Brother, what's wrong? Return to your senses, brother."
Zentaro stepped in, shaking Togashi slightly and saying: "Oy, Togashi, pull yourself together!"
Togashi began muttering some words: "The circle... I must go to the circle now. Please."
The two were puzzled by his words, but Togashi rose with difficulty and began walking slowly toward the circle. Zentaro stopped him from the front, and Sana held his hand from behind. Togashi felt torn between his siblings—Zentaro's cold, blue-chilled path, or Sana's red, cold flames...
But Togashi pushed them and continued his path, saying: "Don't stand in my way! Can't you feel how much pain I'm in?"
In truth, Togashi was going mad from the whispers and voices around him. He saw what others couldn't, feeling misunderstood and lost between the family he loved and the salvation he desired.
He didn't understand what he wanted—a state akin to losing humanity, but...: a scream from Sana at the top of her lungs brought him back to his senses. All voices disappeared. Even Bangel and the creature Kado stopped fighting and turned toward Togashi and Sana.
Sana began crying, saying in a trembling voice: "Please don't leave us."
Togashi looked at Sana as if regaining his senses and said softly: "What? What am I doing?"
But without any warning, the circle glowed red and emitted a disturbing sound. Kado fled from Bangel, and Bangel shouted, "Stop!" But Kado had only been waiting for the magical circle to activate. He went toward Togashi, who tried to pull away, but Zentaro and Sana tried to hold onto Togashi. However, due to the creature's strength, he pulled all three together.
Bangel attempted to activate an interference technique to disrupt the circle's instantaneous teleportation, succeeding only partially because time wasn't on his side. Togashi and his siblings were transported through the circle, and Bangel screamed: "Togashi!"
The magical circle's light vanished immediately, the fog lifted from the forest, and fireflies began glowing again as birds soared above.
Bangel knelt, losing any hope that Togashi would survive these delusions. He punched the ground, saying: "Damn it! If only I'd been fast enough, none of this would've happened. Damn it! Damn it!"
But he noticed the compass lying on the circle. He picked it up and headed toward the Master of Surprises.
Of course, everything had been planned from the start—from the curse of these delusions to the sudden teleportation that would change much of what Togashi imagined. But that fate remained unknown until everything became clear in the coming time.
The events hadn't ended—they were about to ignite.