He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something wasn’t right. The trees rustled in the wind like normal - it was dead silent, but here, it always was. Not a bird chirped, never this close to her. And yet, Hisoka couldn’t help but feel something unpleasant in the pit of his stomach. Somethings changed, he thought as he continued forward, down the same path he took nearly every day. Every day, and nothing had seemed amiss. Every day for nearly two centuries Hisoka walked this path to the shrine deep in the woods…
Today, something changed.
A large gust of wind stopped Hisoka in his tracks, throwing his arm up to shield his eyes. The cold air bit through his skin like sharp, knawing teeth and that dreadful feeling only grew. It grew so much that it went from his stomach up to his throat and he felt it hard to breathe for a moment. Then, as soon as it hit, it was gone, and the air was still once more. Quiet settled over the forest again, and Hisoka was alone, with that dreadful, dreadful feeling.
His mind raced, almost as fast as his feet as he ran, the trees passed him nothing more than a blur. After all this time, it can’t be. His brow furrowed. Who would have opened it? No one in their right mind would have even gone near this place. Two centuries of walking the same path and Hisoka had never come across another person within miles of the shrine. No human or demon who wished to keep their head would touch it… If they did, he thought, may whatever divine being have mercy on the poor fools soul.
Hisoka’s gait slowed as he reached the tree line. Had someone really been there he wasn’t about to dart out unannounced and scare them off. He wanted to see the fool who decided to disturb this shrine….
His eyes narrowed as his gaze rested upon the backs of two figures. He didn’t recognize their clothes- in fact, he’d never seen such a fashion in the first place. It confused him. Perhaps, however, that would explain their foolishness to step upon this land. They may have been from a region where the stories of this place hadn’t yet reached. He doubted it, though. However, all thoughts of them were tossed aside when he saw it- the dark, gaping maw of the shrine wide open. Hisoka stepped forward, eyes wide as he gazed into the void, that dreadful feeling taking hold all over his body.
The two nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard the voice and turned quickly to see who it was. Their confusion only grew when they saw the man. He was handsome, but his clothes were so odd, Luka wondered if maybe it was cosplay.
“I… I don’t know….” Luka confessed, looking down at the paper in her hands. It had come off the door so easily, Luka was sure that the wind would have taken it off the door if she hadn’t done so first. Something like that couldnt have been keeping the door shut. Ever since they had entered that cave, things had felt very off. A chill ran down her spine as she glanced back to the shrine. “Can you please tell us whats going on? Something doesn’t feel right…”
Yukito glanced at the paper in Luka’s hand. “Let me see that.” He took the paper, turning it over to read it. “It’s… A prayer?” As he read the words, a feeling of dread settled over the two. “What the hell is going on here?” A chill ran down Luka’s spine, and she glanced back towards the shrine.
“Can you please tell us what’s going on?” She asked the stranger. “Something doen’t feel right…“ With that, she grabbed Yukito’s arm, pulling him away from the shrine, and closer to the other man - Though they still kept their distance. Luka didn’t know who this stranger was, didn’t know if he was dangerous or not, but something told her that it was safer to be near him than the shrine, at least for now.
