Immortal Mythos: Bound by Void-Chapter 15: Carried by Shadows, Touched by Light

Ren stood silently, wind rustling his feathers as he looked down at the unconscious kitsune.

Yuki's face was pale, his chest rising and falling steadily but slowly. Void energy still flickered faintly beneath his skin, like dying embers refusing to go out.

Ren crouched beside him, examining the boy's aura. It was unstable—fractured from pushing past his limits—but still intact.

"Stubborn fox," he muttered under his breath. "You weren't supposed to go that deep yet."

A soft groan beside him caught his attention. Aiko stirred weakly, her eyelashes fluttering as she clutched the grass beneath her.

"She's waking up," Himari said from behind him, her voice calm but tense.

Ren nodded once, then lifted Yuki gently in his arms.

"He needs rest. Somewhere quiet."

"And her?" Himari asked.

Ren's eyes lingered on Aiko for a moment.

"She saw something in there. We'll need to know what."

---

Aiko awoke in a small shrine tucked in the heart of the mountain—one of the spiritual safe zones that still held ancient power. Incense hung in the air, and paper charms lined the walls like silent guardians.

She sat up slowly, a sharp pain pulsing behind her eyes.

Memories of the void flickered behind her vision—fragmented images: Yuki reaching for her in the dark, something vast lurking in the shadows... and a pair of glowing red eyes that didn't belong to anyone she'd seen before.

She gasped, clutching her chest.

"I remember now..."

The void hadn't just been emptiness—it had been watching her. Studying her.

There was something in there. Something old.

---

Ren entered the room, ducking beneath the low frame. His eyes immediately locked on Aiko, who was now fully awake, sweat clinging to her skin.

"You're awake," he said plainly.

Aiko nodded. "Yuki...?"

"He's alive. Barely."

Relief passed through her face like a breeze, but she didn't smile. Her voice trembled. "There was something else in there. Not just the void. It saw me."

Ren's brow twitched. "Describe it."

"Eyes. Red. Endless. It didn't move, but it... knew me. Knew us. It said nothing, but it was waiting. Watching."

Ren's silence deepened.

"That place wasn't made just from Yuki's powers," Aiko continued, "Something ancient was anchored in that space. And it's still there."

Ren turned slightly toward the door, thoughtful.

"So the storm's coming faster than we thought."

He glanced back at her. "Rest. Your part's not over yet."

Aiko lay back down, her thoughts spinning.

What was that thing? Why did it feel like it knew my name—even though it never spoke?

And as her eyes closed, one final whisper from the void echoed in her mind.

"Not yet, little seer."

---

Yuki's eyes fluttered open slowly.

Light filtered through the paper walls of the shrine. He blinked, trying to sit up—but his body refused. A dull ache rippled through his limbs, as if the void had wrung out every ounce of energy he had.

He exhaled shakily. "Where...?"

"You're safe," a familiar voice said.

Ren stood in the doorway, arms folded. His usually sharp gaze was softened, just slightly.

"You pushed too far. Again."

Yuki looked down at his hands. The void energy—what once felt like a storm—was now a quiet hum beneath his skin.

"It's different now," he said. "I don't feel like I'm drowning."

Ren nodded. "You broke through the first threshold. But it came at a cost."

Yuki's breath hitched. "Aiko?"

"She's fine," Ren reassured, though his voice held weight. "But she saw something. Something that concerns us all."

Yuki sat upright slowly. "The red eyes... I saw them too. Just for a second. But they felt... old."

Ren didn't answer right away.

"You're not the only one searching for answers," he finally said, glancing out the window. "Himari's already moving."

---

Somewhere deeper in the forest...

Himari walked alone.

The trees whispered around her, sensing the energy she carried. Her steps were deliberate, her aura faint but precise. She wasn't tracking a person. She was following a feeling—a fracture left behind by the void.

She stopped at an old torii gate, half-buried in vines. Her eyes narrowed. This place wasn't on any map. It shouldn't exist.

She touched the base of the gate, her fingers pulsing with energy.

A flash—like static in the air.

She saw it again.

The red eyes.

But this time... they blinked.

It's awake now.

Himari clenched her jaw. "So it wasn't just Yuki's power bleeding into the void..."

She drew a small charm from her sleeve, whispering an incantation under her breath. The charm burst into light, revealing ancient symbols burned into the trees around her—warnings. Seals.

Something had been imprisoned here.

And now, it was stirring.

---

Back at the shrine, Yuki stood slowly, stepping toward the open window. The wind rustled gently, and for the first time, he didn't feel overwhelmed by it.

"I need to know what I am," he whispered. "Before something else decides for me."

Ren's voice behind him was low. "You're not ready yet."

"I'll never be ready," Yuki said, turning. "But that thing in the void? It's already waiting."

Ren frowned, but said nothing.

Outside, the wind shifted.

And somewhere far beyond the mountains, the red eyes opened fully.

---

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