Stepping through the veil into the Yokai Spirit Court felt exactly like walking through a solid wall of frozen molasses.
The mortal world vanished entirely. There was no snow, no pine trees, and no sky. Instead, we were standing at the entrance of a massive, floating palace suspended in an endless ocean of swirling purple clouds. The architecture was breathtaking, black wood, silver roof tiles, and glowing paper lanterns floating in mid-air.
But I didn't care about the architecture. I was waiting to die.
Yuki had warned me that the spiritual pressure here was enough to crush a mortal's lungs. I squeezed Akira's hand, bracing myself for the agonizing weight, preparing to fight for every single breath.
The pressure hit.
And then... it completely bounced off me.
