Chapter 5: The Woman of Tears

Yuki stood in the dark forest. Alone. He walked as the moonlight showed him the path. The place was too silent that is deafening. Then— he saw her near the river. She was weeping and washing a blood stained clothes. It was the same woman before.

​As he looked closely on the clothes. He realized the clothes she was washing... is his own clothes. He walked closer to her as her wailing is clearer. When he was near her, he grabbed her wrists.

​The woman stops wailing and stopped washing the clothes. He interrupted. She lifted her face and looked at him. She was not angry or sad like before. She doesn't fight him. The river turned into blood from the washing. Then— she held his wrists.

​Her hands were cold as ice. Then stands and steps closer to him then she whispers to him, her voice is like rushing water "The thread is caught in your hand. It will take a decade to unravel."

​Yuki's eyes widened slightly. "...What—" Before he could react— the blood on the clothes moved. It crawled. Slowly. Like veins. It climbed up his arm into his skin. "—!" His body froze. He couldn't move or breathe. The blood spread inside him.

​The woman pulled back slightly. And for a moment she looked at him... differently. Not with grief or sorrow. But with... recognition? Then— she leaned forward and... passed through him. Like a shadow. Like a soul. Gone.

​Yuki's body jerked. His eyes snapped open. His breath came out uneven and cold sweat clung to his skin. It was a dream? No. That wasn't just a dream. He could still feel it. That voice. That touch. His hand moved to his chest. Something felt... wrong. Different.

​Slowly, he pulled off his shirt. His breath caught. A pattern across his chest. Thin. Thread-like. Violet. Veins branching out like something alive beneath his skin. "...What is this...?" The mark pulsed faintly and then stilled. Yuki's fingers hovered over it but he didn't touch it. He stood up. Quietly. Then he walked over. He stepped out.

​It was midnight. The night air was cold and still. The old man stood there. Still awake. Yuki paused. After that dream something felt... off about the old man. But he didn't know it so he decided to ignore it.

​The old man glanced at him with a calm and knowing look. "Seems like you woke from a nightmare." Yuki nodded slowly and stepped closer. The old man's gaze lingered on him. Sharp yet gentle. "Is the dream about the strange woman you saw before...?"

​Yuki froze and his eyes widened slightly. "...How do you—" The old man chuckled softly. "The woman you saw... is a banshee." Yuki frowned. "...A banshee? What is that...?" The old man turned slightly, looking ahead. As if recalling something old.

​"A banshee is a harbinger of death," he said calmly. "She is neither evil... nor kind. An ancient spirit. One that carries a message of death." Yuki listened silently. "She does not guide you," the old man continued. "She does not speak. She only weeps. The air felt heavier. "If she appears before you," he said quietly, "it means someone's death is near who is close to you. She only warns."

​Yuki's throat tightened slightly. "And if you are alone..." the old man added, "...with nothing left to lose..." a brief pause. "...then she is not warning you about someone else. She is warning you." Yuki stilled. "...That you will die." The words settled heavily.

​Then— the old man spoke again. "In your dream..." His voice lowered slightly. "Did you see her... by a river? Washing a bloodstained cloth?" Yuki's eyes widened. He nodded slowly. "...Yes..."

​The old man turned his gaze toward him. "What did you do, kid?" Yuki hesitated. Then answered quietly. "...I walked toward her and... grabbed her wrist." Silence. Then— the old man laughed softly. "I see..." Yuki frowned slightly. "...Is that... something wrong?" The old man smiled. But there was something deeper behind it.

​"When you stopped her..." He spoke slowly. "you changed your fate." Yuki's expression stilled. "And more than that..." a pause. "You made her yours." Yuki's breath hitched. "...What...?" The old man's eyes rested on him. Calm and certain. "You made her your foster mother."

​Silence. Yuki couldn't speak. "She spared your life," the old man continued. "But in return..." His gaze dropped briefly to Yuki's chest. "...she must have left something behind." Yuki swallowed. "...I think..." a pause. "...she went inside me." The old man chuckled softly. A brief silence.

​"She is part of you now." Yuki's fingers curled slightly. "You will carry her curse... until your death." Yuki looked at him. "And when is that...?" He asked. The old man's gaze met his. Sharp. "You won't die until your fate arrives." A pause. "...And when it does..."

​Silence settled between them. The forest remained still. "...there will be no escape." Yuki stood there. Quiet. Still. His chest felt heavier. That mark— wasn't just a mark. It was a countdown.

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