They didn't stop running.
Not immediately.
Not even after the pressure began to fade.
Because none of them trusted it.
The forest stretched endlessly behind them—
Distorted.
Watching.
Waiting.
Haruki's breathing was uneven.
Not just from movement—
But from everything else.
The visions.
The presence.
That thing beyond the fracture.
"…Keep moving," Raizen said.
His voice was steady—
But faster than usual.
Karin glanced back once.
"…I think we're far enough."
"…There is no 'far enough' if it's a gate."
That word again.
Gate.
Haruki clenched his hand slightly.
"…It didn't fully come through."
Raizen nodded.
"…Which means it will try again."
Silence followed.
Because they all understood what that meant.
Eventually—
They slowed.
The forest here was different.
Still cold.
Still quiet.
But stable.
No distortions.
No fractures.
Just—
Silence.
Karin exhaled deeply.
"…Okay… now we stop."
Raizen didn't argue this time.
Haruki bent forward slightly, hands on his knees.
"…That wasn't normal…"
"…No," Raizen said.
"…And it won't be the last."
That didn't help.
Karin dropped onto a nearby fallen log.
"…So what now? We just pretend that thing isn't trying to break into our world?"
Raizen's gaze shifted toward the horizon.
"…No."
A pause.
"…We find out where it's happening next."
Haruki looked up.
"…Next?"
Raizen nodded.
"…If one gate is forming, others will follow."
That felt worse somehow.
Karin frowned.
"…You're saying this is just the beginning?"
"…Yes."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Haruki straightened slowly.
"…Then we need to get stronger."
Karin smirked faintly.
"…Took you long enough to say it."
Raizen didn't react.
"…Strength alone won't be enough."
Haruki's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Then what will?"
Raizen looked at him.
"…Understanding."
They moved again.
This time—
Slower.
More cautious.
The forest began to thin.
Trees spaced farther apart.
The ground less dense with snow.
Eventually—
They saw it.
Not from far away.
But not close either.
A village.
Or what remained of one.
Karin stopped first.
"…Is that…?"
Haruki didn't answer.
Because he already knew.
Even before they reached it—
He could feel it.
The absence.
No sound.
No movement.
No life.
"…Stay alert," Raizen said quietly.
They approached carefully.
Step by step.
The closer they got—
The clearer it became.
The buildings—
Destroyed.
Not burned.
Not collapsed.
Torn.
As if something had ripped through them—
Without resistance.
Karin's expression hardened.
"…This wasn't normal."
Haruki stepped forward slowly.
The ground beneath his feet—
Felt wrong.
Not unstable.
Just—
Empty.
"…A Rift?" he asked.
Raizen crouched slightly, examining the ground.
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…But not like the ones you've seen."
That made Haruki's chest tighten.
"…What's different?"
Raizen stood.
"…This one didn't just open."
"…It stayed."
Silence.
Heavy.
Karin looked around.
"…So whatever came out… had time."
"…Yes."
Haruki swallowed slightly.
"…Time to do this."
They moved deeper into the village.
Each step—
Heavier than the last.
Doors torn from hinges.
Walls split apart.
But no bodies.
Not even traces.
That was the worst part.
"…Where is everyone…?" Karin asked quietly.
No one answered.
Because no one had an answer they wanted to say out loud.
Haruki's vision flickered.
A sudden flash—
The village.
Whole.
People moving.
Talking.
Living.
Then—
Darkness.
A shape descending.
Fast.
Silent.
Everything—
Gone.
Haruki stumbled slightly.
"…Haruki!"
"I'm fine…" he said quickly.
But he wasn't.
"…What did you see?" Raizen asked.
Haruki hesitated.
"…It happened fast."
"…Too fast."
Karin's expression tightened.
"…So they didn't even have time to run?"
Haruki shook his head slowly.
"…No."
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It was heavier.
Because now—
They understood.
This wasn't destruction.
It was erasure.
Raizen stepped forward.
"…Stay close."
Haruki and Karin followed.
At the center of the village—
They found it.
A mark.
Not large.
Not obvious.
But wrong.
The ground—
Perfectly circular.
Dark.
Not burned.
Not frozen.
Just—
Gone.
"…That's where it opened," Raizen said.
Haruki stepped closer.
His eyes pulsed faintly.
Without warning—
Another vision.
Stronger.
The circle—
Expanding.
The air tearing apart.
Something emerging—
Not fully seen—
But felt.
A presence—
Cold.
Empty.
Hungry.
Haruki gasped.
"…It's still connected."
Raizen's eyes sharpened.
"…What do you mean?"
Haruki stepped back slightly.
"…This place…"
"…It's not fully closed."
The air shifted.
Subtle.
But undeniable.
Karin immediately tensed.
"…I don't like that."
Neither did Haruki.
Because now—
He could feel it too.
Not just the absence—
But something else.
Watching.
From nowhere.
"…We need to leave," Karin said.
"…No," Raizen replied.
That word again.
"…We need to understand."
Haruki's gaze remained fixed on the circle.
"…It's not done."
Raizen looked at him.
"…Explain."
Haruki swallowed.
"…Something is still trying to come through."
The silence that followed—
Was immediate.
And absolute.
Karin took a step back.
"…You're joking."
Haruki didn't respond.
Because he couldn't.
The ground beneath them trembled slightly.
Not enough to shake them.
But enough—
To confirm it.
Raizen stepped forward.
Directly toward the circle.
"…If it's still active…"
"…Then we don't have much time."
Haruki's eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait—"
Too late.
Raizen reached the edge of the circle.
And the moment he did—
The air broke.
A sharp crack—
Louder than before.
The ground pulsed.
The circle—
Shifted.
And from within—
Something moved.
Not fully formed.
Not fully present.
But enough.
Karin's voice dropped.
"…It's happening again."
Haruki stepped forward.
Not out of courage—
But instinct.
"…Raizen—move!"
But Raizen didn't.
Because he was already watching it.
"…So this is what remains…"
The air grew heavier.
The shape within the circle twisted.
Trying—
Forcing—
Breaking—
Into their world.
Haruki's vision flickered violently.
Multiple outcomes.
Multiple paths.
None of them good.
"…We can't fight that…" Karin said.
"…Not like this."
Haruki clenched his fists.
"…Then we don't fight it."
Raizen didn't look back.
"…Then what do we do?"
Haruki stepped forward.
Eyes burning.
"…We stop it before it fully comes through."
The circle pulsed again.
Stronger.
Closer.
The thing within it—
Almost visible now.
And for a brief moment—
Haruki saw its eyes.
Not human.
Not alive.
But aware.
And it saw him.