A bond lost in the forest

Chapter three_^• •^

Giyuu's POV:

In Giyuu's dream, a thick fog cloaked the forest, wrapping around the trees like a suffocating shroud. The forest looked familiar-too familiar-like the one near his home, but there was something wrong. The trees were twisted, their branches sharp like claws, and the ground beneath him felt strange, almost like flesh, cold and damp.

He wandered deeper, his heart pounding in his chest. "Nee-san?" His voice trembled as it echoed through the suffocating silence, but no one answered. The quiet pressed down on him like a weight.

Then, through the mist, he saw her.

Tsutako stood between the trees, her back turned to him. His heart surged with hope, and he rushed forward. "Nee-san!" he called, desperate. She was still wearing her wedding kimono, the same one she'd worn that day-but it was soaked in blood, torn and ruined. Her long, dark hair was matted and twisted, and her head hung at an unnatural angle, as if her neck had been snapped.

When she turned to face him, Giyuu stopped dead in his tracks. His breath caught in his throat. Her face-her beautiful, gentle face-was distorted in agony, her skin pale and gray, pieces of flesh missing where the demon had torn into her. Blood poured from a gaping wound in her stomach, dripping onto the forest floor in thick, dark pools.

Her eyes, once full of love and warmth, were now cold and full of accusation.

"You left me," she whispered, her voice hollow, echoing in the dark air around them. "Why didn't you save me, Giyuu?"

"I-I tried!" Giyuu stammered, his voice breaking as tears blurred his vision. "I couldn't... I couldn't do anything!"

Tsutako's twisted form lurched toward him, her body moving in jerky, unnatural motions. "You watched," she hissed, her voice rising. "You stood there and watched while I died! It's your fault, Giyuu. You let me die."

"No!" Giyuu cried, backing away in terror, his legs shaking beneath him. "I didn't want to leave! I couldn't save you... I couldn't..."

"You could have saved me," she growled, her face contorting with fury. "But you ran. You ran away and left me to die!"

The forest around them seemed to warp and shift, the trees bending and stretching like monsters coming to life. The ground trembled beneath his feet as the darkness grew, swallowing everything in its path.

Tsutako's decayed body continued to move closer, her hands reaching for him, her fingers twisted and broken. "You're a murderer," she whispered, her voice venomous and cold. "You killed me."

Giyuu fell to his knees, sobbing. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

She knelt beside him, her cold, blood-stained fingers brushing against his cheek. Her touch was icy, sending chills down his spine. "Sorry won't bring me back," she said, her voice barely a whisper now. "You'll be alone. Forever."

Suddenly, the forest began to collapse around him. The trees crumbled into ash, the ground dissolved beneath him, and everything turned to darkness. Tsutako's decaying form vanished, her face swallowed by the void, but her voice remained, echoing through the empty space.

"Live with this guilt, Giyuu. Live with the pain."

And then, everything went black.

"Nee-san!" Giyuu screamed, bolting upright in bed, his arm outstretched, trying to grab hold of her. His chest heaved, his body drenched in sweat as his frantic eyes searched the room, still caught between the nightmare and reality.

But there was no forest. No demon. Only the flickering firelight and the quiet stillness of the room and surprised gazes.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Hello, it's the author (again). I hope you all enjoyed it. It turned out really amazing. Have a nice day or sweet dreams (if it's night). Thanks to the people who are reading my story, ⭐️ to support.