The Binding Vow of Lazarus

Chapter 91

“I know what it looks like,” she said quickly, before he could speak. “But it’s like… Tamamo and I kind of merged or something?” She drew in a breath, voice shaking just slightly at the edges. “Can you see anything, Satoru?”

“It’s like a storm,” he said softly, his eyes on her, “The positive energy is clashing with the cursed energy that came from Tamamo-no-Mae. It's like she's trying to merge, but every time she gets close, it’s like the system collapses in on itself and starts all over again.” He shifted slightly, his voice lower, “She’s rebuilding and unraveling over and over — your body’s trying to resolve a paradox.”

"Shit," she hissed, looking at her hands as Rin and Boe stepped back — their guard lowering slightly. "I don't understand, but I promise it's me and—"

Satoru had his arms wrapped tightly around her, that big, ridiculous grin lighting up his entire face. With a soft laugh of pure relief, he nuzzled the top of her head and gave her a squeeze that lifted her clean off the ground. She let out a startled breath, clinging to him instinctively. By the time her feet found the floor again, she was still trying to process the whiplash of being yanked into orbit by sheer affection.

“I’m so happy to see you,” he said softly, bending just enough to cradle her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed gently over her cheeks as he searched her expression like he still couldn’t believe she was real.

She blushed hard, cleared her throat — subtly trying to pull him back to reality. He ignored her completely and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head like it was the most natural thing in the world. So she gave up and let him have his moment, letting him soak in the comfort while she turned her attention to the others. His arms were still loosely around her, but at least her feet were on the ground this time.

“Did everything work?” she asked, glancing over his shoulder at Rin, Boe, and Nanami.

“Seems like it,” Rin replied, giving a small, crooked smile. “Though instead of a return portal, we got… you.”

“Good enough for me,” Boe added with a shrug. “Just glad you didn’t die.”

“This does pose a problem for getting back,” Nanami said, frowning. “We’d need the ashes from the future to perform the ritual, correct?”

“Oh— true,” Satoru blurted, suddenly perking up like someone had just reminded him his coffee was ready. He gently set Sarah back down, already shifting back into discussion mode like he hadn’t just tried to smother her with joy.

“Well,” he said, casually adjusting his sleeves, “I guess we’ll have to figure some way to tell the others to send some back for us.”

"Oh like a message they'll see in the future?" Boe said, "What if we leave a message and they find it—"

"Why not just tell Tengen?" Sarah blurted out, "I mean they're literally in the future right now?"

"Two problems with that," Satoru said, holding up two fingers, "One is that we can't guarantee that Tengen will help us since Tengen is neutral on literally everything — including very unhelpful shit. Two is… I'm not sure they'll want to help you when you reek of special grade curse."

"If I'm hearing this correctly," Suguru called from above, "Sarah? Are you really down there?"

"Yes!" She called back up, "It's me!"

"Wonderful news, but let's talk more about what's going on after we deal with them outside."

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The morning frost still clung to the grass as Yaga stood at the edge of the field, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. The cold wind tugged at his long coat, fluttering the hem and sending leaves skittering across the flattened frozen grass. The portal shimmered faintly behind him — barely the size of a manhole now, encased in a shimmering hexagonal barrier that pulsed with light at regular intervals, like the beat of a cautious heart.