stolen time

Ch107 dr

Pml

His eyes shot open wide to a cold night as he sat up in a hurry, he was covered in cold sweat and an uncontrollable anxious beating in his heart. Clenching the fabric covering his chest, he panted trying to catch his breath as if he had just ran for days.

Once his heart calmed down his narrowing eyes caught sight of something glowing, turning his gaze to the side where a cupboard stood he realized the red glow was coming from one of the shelves where he kept ayame's objects. He steadily stood up with concerned eyes, slowly creeping up on the strange phenomenon.

With a gasp escaping his lips his eyes locked on the source of the glowing, it belonged to the hair tie ayame had gifted to him the one where she had imbedded a spell. Countless times over the course of a year, he prayed and prayed for the spell to give him a response with no prevail, seeing the sad flickering glow struggle to give him a message made him wonder if he was still in a dream.

He gently held it in the palm of his hands like holding a small injured bird, he felt a small warmth like a candle radiate from it."this isn't a dream...right?" He whispered in disbelief, lightly giggling a tear traced down his cheek.

"Please, if you can hear me, bring me to her"

A small droplet of blood started to form from the string, like a fragile bubble it raised itself into the air with Kyojuro's gaze following it. His eyes brightened up with hope as his request was finally answered, without a second of hesitation he grabbed his katana by the corner of his room and bolted out from the engawa.

With no conscious of his surroundings he kept his sights bolted on the tiny drop, trying its best to lead him to where he wanted with its renaming life span. Almost tripping multiple times due to his poorly slipped on geta sandals, it still didn't stop him in his sprint thinking that he may finally be able locate her.

He could feel the sore pierces in his chest and stomach from anticipation, driving his feet even faster than before he soon started to recognize the path it led him.

"This is!"

It was as if his past self was replaying with the same rhythm of footsteps, on the same path leading to the same place that everything started. The droplet of blood blended in with the barely thriving maple leaves, squinting his eyes he tried not to loose sight of it before it completely faded away and he was at his destination.

The cold air slicing through his skin like an icicle, it felt numb to the point he could no longer feel anything other than his warm breath brushing at his lower cheek. He made it out of the last trail of trees, plastering his hand on his knees he caught his breath with his face facing his feet.

He raised his head up and immediately his skin went pale with a dark shadow over his eyes, what he saw was truly a horrific scene. Bodies of unconscious slayers layed everywhere like dead flies, and on top of a grand stone stood a woman with an arm pierced through the shoulder of another.

"A...yame..."

Pm

He whispered with a despondent expression, one you wouldn't think he would have when meeting someone he had yearned to see again.

"Haha! Oh my it seems we have a visitor~"

She said in a honeyed voice, releasing her bloodied arm from the body she watched as it dropped to the floor. Turning around to face kyojuro, she brought up the same hand with a bilious look and licked the blood off a finger.