The Forest That Devours
Renji and Kaito ran.
The twisted trees blurred past them, their gnarled branches stretching unnaturally, as if trying to grab them.
The whispers in the mist grew into distorted, inhuman screeches.
Renji risked a glance behind him—
Something was moving.
Not just the Watchers.
The forest itself was alive.
The ground shifted beneath their feet, roots curling like fingers, trying to pull them down.
Kaito cursed. "What the hell is this place?!"
Renji gritted his teeth. "Not real."
Kaito shot him a confused look. "What?"
"This place. It's another illusion. Another damn trap."
The moment he said it, the forest reacted.
The trees shuddered, their spiraled bark warping. The mist thickened, swallowing the sky, plunging everything into a gray void.
Renji's chest tightened. This illusion was stronger than the city.
More dangerous.
And if they didn't break out soon—
They might never leave.
---
The Whispering Roots
The ground beneath them cracked open.
Black roots slithered out, twisting toward them like living creatures.
Kaito barely dodged as a root shot up, piercing the air where his chest had been seconds ago.
He swore. "Okay—fake or not, I'd rather not get impaled!"
Renji's mind raced. If this was an illusion, then it had to have a weak point.
A way out.
A way to break it.
He scanned the endless trees, the swirling mist, the moving shadows—
And then—
A flicker of something different.
A small clearing up ahead.
A patch of ground untouched by spirals. By illusions.
A way out.
Renji grabbed Kaito's wrist. "That way! Move!"
They pushed forward, dodging roots, ducking under low-hanging branches.
The whispers screamed now, furious.
> "You must stay."
> "You are part of the cycle."
> "You cannot leave."
Renji ignored them.
Not this time.
---
Breaking the Illusion
As they reached the clearing, the forest trembled.
The trees twisted violently, their spirals distorting, trying to close in.
Renji's left eye burned.
He knew what he had to do.
This illusion—like the city before—was built from spirals.
And spirals could be broken.
He clenched his fists, summoning the power deep within him.
The moment his hand touched the edge of the clearing—
The spirals reacted.
The world shook.
The mist rippled.
And then—
Everything shattered.
---
Waking Up in Another Reality
A rush of cold air hit Renji's face.
His body collapsed onto solid ground.
He gasped, sucking in air, his lungs burning.
For a moment, he just lay there, dazed, his heart pounding.
Then—
A groan beside him.
Kaito.
They had made it.
Renji pushed himself up, his head spinning. Where were they now?
It was still a forest, but—
The trees were different.
No spirals. No mist. No whispers.
And most importantly—
Aoi was there.
She was lying a few feet away, unconscious.
Renji's stomach twisted. "Aoi!"
He crawled toward her, shaking her lightly. "Hey, wake up!"
Aoi's eyes fluttered open.
She blinked at him—then froze.
Her gaze locked onto Kaito.
Renji saw it—the way her face drained of color.
The way her body tensed.
"…No," Aoi whispered, her voice trembling.
Her hands clutched at Renji's jacket.
"Renji, this isn't right. Kaito is dead."
Renji exhaled sharply. "I know."
Kaito frowned. "Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on? Why do both of you keep saying that? I'm right here."
Aoi shook her head violently. "No. You're not. I saw you die, Kaito. You can't be here."
Kaito's face darkened. "…Then why am I?"
Silence.
The forest stayed still.
And Renji realized—they had escaped one illusion…
But they still weren't safe.
Because Kaito was proof that something was still very, very wrong.
---
End of Chapter 18
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To Be Continue