CHAPTER 28: INSTINCT AND INTRIGUE

Maldie was still in shock, but also impressed by Gari for saving Haru. Haru couldn’t move.

The maid clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.

"I can’t believe this. I’ll gut that son of a bitch who tried to hurt your child," she said, squeezing her hand until it nearly bled.

"Wow, I’ve never seen you that mad," Gari added.

"G‑Gari," Haru stammered, frightened, "thank you for saving our child. I should’ve been more careful."

Ayame made herself comfortable.

"Haru, take my hand. You’ll shield my mind from unwanted intruders while I travel through others’ dreams and memories. I need to find out who tried to do this to you. Gari will help watch over us, too."

"Huh? You can do that? That’s amazing!" Haru replied, surprised.

Ayame looked at him with sympathy.

"I helped you once like this before, but it’s both my blessing and my curse to remember."

"Yes," she said softly with a small smile. "I gained psychic powers — and with them came the mental pain of the curse. Never mind. Just hold my hand when I close my eyes."

"O‑okay."

Ayame slowly closed her eyes, her consciousness drifting into the unknown...

*

"We need to work together," said a familiar female voice.

The voice she hated.

Ayame opened her eyes to find herself in a black void. Her ankles were wading in clear water. She stood before the physical manifestation of the curse.

The curse smiled at her.

"Someone tried to harm the child born from my wish. That has angered me."

Confusion spread across Ayame’s face.

"And what do you intend to do? What the hell exactly are you, anyway?"

"Not so many questions at once, young lady," the curse replied with a half‑malicious, half‑patronizing smile. "You wander because the path you follow leads to a dead end, Ayame. You took the wrong road at the very start of your journey."

"You’re saying all my efforts were for nothing? That my knowledge, my notes, what I’m teaching Haru now..."

"Unfortunately. You humans love drowning in vain knowledge," it added with a sigh. "In any case, I propose a deal."

"A deal?! You’re not in a position to–"

"Without me, you’ll accomplish nothing, Ayame. You know perfectly well my help is invaluable, and you can’t accept that, that’s why you’re so frustrated."

Ayame sighed. The curse was right.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply.

"Do not trust the one who will arrive today. Expel him as quickly as possible; he will bring ill omens."

"Who’s supposed to come to the palace? Anyone could do that."

"No, Ayame. You know very well who it will be, or rather, who will send him."

"Hoshizuma..." she replied, anger flashing across her face.

"When he arrives, reach toward him, thinking of me. I will take over his body."

"And you’ll just walk among people like that? Forget it."

"Unfortunately, no. It will only be a temporary possession. I want to kill the one who tried to poison Haru with my own hands."

"Fine. Now let me travel through–"

"I can’t, Ayame. I’m here to protect you from it."

"Get out of my way," Ayame spat through clenched teeth, furious.

"No. There’s too much paranoia lurking in this palace. Your mind, given the price you promised Hoshizuma, would shatter before it ever truly blossomed. Hurry, Ayame, you have little time left to discover what I am. If you do, you’ll free us both."

"What? What do you mean?" she said in disbelief.

The vision shattered like glass, and the curse’s words – "you will free us both" – echoed in Ayame’s mind like a distant memory.

An echo that seemed to go on forever...

*

When Ayame opened her eyes, she found Shien, in his muscular form, kneeling before Haru.

"My lady," he said, taking Haru’s hand, "I have come to serve you."

"Should I... you know?" Gari asked Maldie.

"Wait. Let him make a fool of himself a little longer," Maldie replied, staring at him with fury.

"T‑thanks for the effort, but I feel a little awkward," Haru admitted. "Remind me please... who are you again?"

"Oh, beautiful Haru, how can you cause me such pain?!" Shien cried, acting as if struck by a strong, unexpected blow. "And yet, in such a sweet way you tell me you disdain me! How charming!"

"No, I... I really don’t remember you, I’m sorry..." Haru turned his head away. He felt Ayame release his hand and then rise.

"Enough of this clowning," she said, reaching out toward Shien. "Despite everything, you’ll be of use to us."

"I will gladly help beautiful Haru, who..." Shien spoke up again, but he didn’t finish. A red light struck him, Shien began to scream.

His body was wrapped in a silver‑red aura that transformed into a maw full of sharp teeth of a eyeless creature, a mouth made of red stars. The projection vanished after a moment, and in place of Shien knelt the manifestation of the curse before Haru.

"Don’t worry, I will protect you," it said.

"Ayame, what was that?" Maldie asked in surprise.

"This is...", before Ayame could say "a curse," the manifestation fixed her with a cold, warning stare. "...my new spell. It’s one of the guardian spirits watching over me, Egri. When I closed my eyes, she asked me to use Shien for her host."

Egri... I like this name, even if you made it up in haste, Ayame heard the curse’s voice in her head.

"Oh, I see. I didn’t know you could do something like that," Haru said, surprised.

"Well, I couldn’t before. Now, after my vision... eh, it’s a long story. The important thing is that it works."

Egri stood up, then approached Gari and took her hand in her fragile grasp.

"Thank you for protecting an innocent life. I will be grateful for you to all of eternity."

"Umm... th‑thanks," the embarrassed, compliment‑unfamiliar Gari replied.

"I thank you as well for keeping Haru looking so beautiful," Egri repeated the same gesture with Maldie.

"Can we trust you to be on our side?" the suspicious maid asked.

"I am – to protect this child. I have... certain ties to it," Egri answered calmly. "Now–" she turned to Ayame, "let me set them up a bit differently."

"What do you mean?"

"Let these two servants stay with you. I will protect Haru alone."

"No way! That’s my job!" Gari snapped.

"I’m not convinced you can be trusted," Maldie continued to question the decision of Ayame.

Egri sighed.

"I don’t need sleep. I can watch him constantly, and it’s possible the same person will attempt an attack at night."

Gari and Maldie looked at Ayame, still confused.

I swear if you hurt Haru...

Don’t worry. I’ve told you already, the one who tried to kill the child born from my wish angered me. I will have my revenge.

Ayame let out a heavy sigh.

"Do as she says. She truly means it when it comes to protecting Haru," she declared, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Eh, if the boss agrees to it, then I’m fine," Gari replied.

"Are you sure about this, Ayame?!" Maldie pressed on, still doubtful.

"For now we have no better option. We should return to our chambers, it’s getting late."

"Haru, how do you feel about all this?" Egri asked, looking at him with respect.

"I‑if your intentions are true and Ayame says so too, then I‑I guess it’s okay," he stammered, then laughed nervously.

"Then it’s settled! Good luck on the investigation," Egri said to Ayame.

*

Haru lay on his bed. Through the parted curtains he could see the moon in the night sky.

He rolled from his side onto his back.

He looked at Egri, who was suspended from the canopy. Her body vanished from the waist down into a black void of magical energy, from which two red tentacles emerged.

"Thanks for watching so closely, but... could you be a little less scary? I can’t sleep with you hanging right above my head."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot how sensitive humans are when they sleep," she replied in a gentle tone.

Her tentacles retracted, and her whole body gently settled onto the mattress; the black void closed.

"Is that better? I won’t sleep, I’ll just lie next to you."

"O-okay" he said, feeling a little awkward, turning onto his side with his back to her.

After a while he fell asleep. Her presence calmed him.

Not long after, Egri heard quiet, stealthy footsteps outside the door.

With a cold smile, her body faded, absorbed into the black void that had opened beneath her on the bed.

Egri slipped out through the same rift, standing before Haru’s door.

With icy calm and murder written in her eyes, she opened it...