— At the Edge of the Village, at Sunset —
(As Hikaru and Kyoji wandered the village paths after an emotional moment of clarity, they both noticed a shadow standing still in the corner of the street… a shadow that did not seem to belong to the scene around it.)
(He was a slender man, his face hidden beneath a dark green robe speckled with black, resembling a tattered cloak that concealed his features from the world. Despite his ragged appearance, his eyes glimmered with something else… something unseen.)
(The man stepped forward slowly, then pointed at them with his finger, his voice emerging like a profane whisper from deep within the earth.)
Mysterious Man (in a low but sharp voice):"You two… yes, you… you carry unseen shadows, threads of fate tightly knotted… will you allow me to look? To see what cannot be seen?"
(Kyoji looks at Hikaru, then smiles slyly.)
Kyoji:"What do you think? Let's give it a try… we've got nothing to lose, right?"
Hikaru(with feigned indifference but hidden curiosity):"Alright… let's see what this back-alley seer has in store."
(Just then, a passerby walks by, laughing mockingly as he waves dismissively.)
Passing Man (mocking):"Fools! Do you really think a street-corner fraud can read destinies? You're good for a laugh, nothing more!"
(Hikaru and Kyoji say nothing. They exchange a silent look, then approach the mysterious man.)
(As they near, the man lifts his gaze to them, his voice now a mix of caution and excitement.)
Mysterious Man:"You're not from here… your faces are new, foreign to this land…"
Kyoji (lightly chuckling):"A sharp observation, dear fortune-teller… so? Can you read our fate like you claimed?"
Mysterious Man (more serious now):"Perhaps… but I don't read words. I read souls. Give me your hand."
(Kyoji extends his hand without hesitation. The man takes it in both of his, closing his eyes. A few silent moments pass.)
(Suddenly… his brow furrows. His eyelids twitch. He opens his eyes abruptly, a look of unease in them.)
Mysterious Man (in a hushed, hoarse whisper):"You… I cannot see."
Kyoji (puzzled):"What do you mean?"
Mysterious Man (disturbed):"It's as if a wall of darkness stands between me and your future… I cannot penetrate it. Something is shielding you… no, someone. Someone is veiling your fate from me… as if you're cloaked in a seal, or a curse… or protection."
(Kyoji shivers briefly but hides it behind a smile.)
Kyoji:"Strange words… but amusing. Thanks for trying."
(The man turns to Hikaru, extending his hand toward him, this time with a note of fear in his voice.)
Mysterious Man:"And now… you. The one with the black eyes. Let me see what lies within you."
(Hikaru hesitates for a moment, then gives him his hand.)
(The man clasps his palm, closes his eyes… but this time, only seconds pass before his body starts to tremble! His face pales, and blood trickles from the corner of his mouth, as if stabbed from within.)
(He opens his eyes and screams, his voice tearing through the silence like a cry from another world.)
Mysterious Man (screaming in terror):"No! Not this! This… this must not be seen! It must not…!"
(He collapses suddenly, his body hitting the ground unconscious. Hikaru rushes to catch him before he fully falls, eyes wide, chest heaving.)
Kyoji (shocked):"What… just happened?!"
Hikaru (softly, holding the man's limp body):"I don't know… but whatever he saw… it broke him."
(They hurry him back to the inn where they're staying, as the night grows darker… and within that room, the man remains unconscious, as if he saw something within Hikaru that should never be seen.)
Back in the Room
(Hikaru stood at the doorway, shoulders slumped, eyes wide, staring into space as if he had lost the way back to himself. The hallway light cast a pale glow on his face, highlighting the grief, regret, and despair etched into his features as if they were branded there since birth. His hands trembled, his chest rose and fell like he was about to explode.)
(Kyoji approached slowly, silent at first, but upon seeing his friend's expression crack, he knew he couldn't stay silent.)
Hikaru (screaming as if releasing a lifetime of repression):"Why?! Why am I always the reason for everyone's suffering?! I lost my grandfather… my grandmother… my friends… and now? A poor man… a stranger… collapses because of me! Why am I forced into this hell?! Why?!"
(His voice echoed against the walls like a deep scar repeating its pain, a sound no one could hear but his own heart.)
(Kyoji paused, then stepped forward and placed his hand firmly on Hikaru's shoulder.)
Kyoji (with a warm yet firm voice):"You idiot… what are you saying? I've been with you for years… lived with you, fought with you, laughed and cried with you. Did I get hurt? Did you make me worse?"
(Hikaru didn't answer… he simply dropped to his knees, tears flooding from his eyes all at once, like a child locked away inside finally rising to the surface. Kyoji pulled him into a tight embrace. He said nothing… just held him. And after a moment… he too began to cry — silently.)
(Shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart — they shared a pain that words could not hold.)
(Minutes passed, then Kyoji sighed slowly and wiped his face with his sleeve.)
Kyoji:"Hikaru… stay here with him. I'll go get a doctor. Maybe he can help."
(Hikaru nodded without speaking, his eyes still fixed on the unconscious man lying on the bed.)
In the Hotel Corridors
(Kyoji left the room quickly and closed the door behind him quietly, leaving Hikaru sitting beside the mysterious man, still unconscious. His heart was pounding, not from running, but from a worry rising like heavy fog in his chest.)
(He descended the old wooden stairs at a brisk pace, their sounds echoing through the nearly empty inn. The stone walls mirrored his tension. In the lobby, the old innkeeper sat by the fireplace, watching the flickering flames with half-closed eyes, puffing his pipe with the detachment of someone untouched by the rush of the world.)
(Kyoji approached him, trying to compose himself, but his voice came out tinged with urgency.)
Kyoji:"Excuse me, sir… we need a doctor right away. One of the guests collapsed after a strange episode."
(The old man lifted his gaze slowly, frowning slightly as if trying to remember who he was.)
Innkeeper (in a raspy voice):"Doctor? Ah… yes, there's one. Lives nearby, just two streets from here. Blue door, next to the herbalist's shop."
Kyoji:"Can I reach him now?"
Innkeeper (exhales a long breath):"You'll find him awake… he doesn't sleep early. Odd fellow, but he knows how to pull souls back from the edge."
(Kyoji nodded quickly without another word, turned, and rushed out of the inn — leaving the fire's reflection dancing in the old man's eyes.)
In the Village Streets, Toward the Doctor's House
(Kyoji rushed into the cold night, the air slapping his face like an unspoken warning. The streets were dark, lit only by a few lamps swaying with the wind, casting distorted shadows on the ground. He passed a few bystanders who gave him fleeting glances, then pressed on, darting through the stone alleys — as if trying to outrun a haunting thought more than save a man.)
(After minutes of running, he found the blue door as described. He knocked three times in quick succession — and the door opened by itself, as if the house had been waiting.)
(A man in his fifties stepped out, thick grey hair, round thick glasses, wearing a dark coat full of pockets.)
Kyoji:"Please… we have a man who suddenly lost consciousness. His eyes… they were terrifying… as if something shattered his mind."
(The doctor didn't ask much. He just grabbed a small bag and said, "Lead me.")
Back in the Room
(The doctor entered the room and cast a quick glance at the man lying down. He checked his pulse, lifted an eyelid, then gently placed his palm on his forehead.)
Doctor (in a low voice as he examined):"No injury… no poisoning… but his heart is in chaos, his mind struck by something he couldn't withstand. This only happens to those who've seen the unexplainable..."
(He looked at Hikaru, who sat silently by the man's side, his expression stiff.)
Doctor (murmuring):"Did something happen before he collapsed? Did he… see you?"
(Hikaru didn't reply. He simply turned his face toward the window, as moonlight crept into the room… as if the sky itself wanted to know what had happened.)