Kaiden

挨拶

Night had already swallowed the forest when the barrier finally cracked. At the edge of the old shrine grounds, shadows rippled like liquid ink between the trees, and the paper seals hanging from the torii gate fluttered once, twice, then tore in half as if something had exhaled against them. The air turned cold enough to sting. Somewhere beyond the dark, a bell rang—soft, warped, and far too low to belong to any human temple.