Outside the window, the evening sky was slowly bruising into shades of violet and crimson. Sima stood as still as a statue before the mirror. Behind the transparent glass, her own reflection felt hauntingly unfamiliar today. In the dim light of the room, her left pupil would occasionally flicker with a strange, unnatural glow. She was still reeling from the memory of that sword from earlier today—was it merely a vivid hallucination? Or was it an ancient, cursed truth lying dormant within her?
Suddenly, she felt a bone-chilling touch on her left shoulder!
"Ah!" Sima shrieked, leaping forward in a panic. Her heart felt as if it had momentarily stopped, only to thud violently against her throat.
Behind her stood Kima, brows furrowed and arms crossed. "Geez! I've been shouting your name from outside for forever, and you're just standing here like a mannequin! No answer, no sound. What kind of space research were you doing, staring at the mirror like a ghost?"
Sima took a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady her trembling hands. "It's... it's nothing, Kima. I just got lost in thought thinking about what happened this afternoon. I don't even know where I drifted off to. Anyway, what were you saying?"
Kima's expression turned solemn as she dragged her school bag across the floor. "I was talking about our school exams. The teacher announced today that the finals start on the 28th. There's no time left, and here you are, wasting it by daydreaming."
"What?! Exams?" It felt as if a catastrophe had suddenly struck Sima's world. She began pacing frantically around her cluttered room, her legs shaking and beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "I haven't even opened my books yet, Kima! Not math, not English—I haven't even touched the other subjects. If they hold exams now, I'll definitely fail and ruin everything!"
Kima remained utterly unfazed by her sister's dramatic outburst. She calmly took a spoonful of ice cream and said, "That's your problem. It's your own failure that you haven't studied. My throat hurts from talking to you; now please, stop the drama and go study."
Sima flared up in rage, her anxiety burning like a localized fire. "I'm on the verge of a heart attack over these exams, and you're complaining about a sore throat? Are you really my sister or just a heartless human?"
Kima chuckled and let out a yawn. "Look, silly, there are still a few days left before the exams. If you stop being crazy and start studying with all your heart now, you can finish the syllabus. Don't you use your brain at all?"
Sima narrowed her eyes at Kima, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "If everyone was born with such an overflowing treasury of intellect like yours, Kima, the world would have reached another galaxy by now!"
Saying this, Sima gripped the window bars and stared out into the darkness. That strange, melancholic flute melody seemed to drift back to her on the light breeze. Fragments of a memory from 4,500 years ago flickered in her mind—a ruined yet massive palace whose arches touched the clouds. She was walking there alone, and in her right hand, she gripped a colossal, intricately carved, cold sword. She could almost feel the metallic chill of the blade. But with a sharp jerk of her head, she swept the thoughts away.
Standing by the door to leave, Kima said, "Alright Sima, I'm heading out. Big sister is alone at the hospital, so I have to be there. Do try to focus on your studies."
Sima nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, okay, go. I have a lot of homework to do too."
Kima peeked back from the doorway, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Hey, I have a secret to tell you!"
Sima was just arranging her notebooks when Kima's voice made her nearly tip over her chair. "Ugh! Can't you let me be in peace for one second? Fine, what is it now?"
"Where's that childhood friend of yours? The one you were always glued to?" Kima asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
Sima sighed deeply. "I've told you a thousand times, he went to Australia on a scholarship a few months ago."
"Oh right! I forgot. Well, when is 'Mr. Handsome' coming back?"
"It's been three months since he left for that big trip. He might be back in the next few days. But why are you suddenly bringing up that ghost?" Sima asked, her suspicion rising.
Kima suppressed a giggle. "Oh, no reason. It's just that your friend is actually quite handsome and smart, so I thought..."
"What!" Sima nearly fell out of her skin. "You think that clumsy ghost is handsome? To me, he looks like the younger brother of some ancient demon!"
Kima burst into laughter. "Anyway, remember that pen-fight day? When the teacher caught you pen-fighting in class and chased you out with a cane? I almost burst my stomach laughing while watching your miserable faces through the window!"
Sima feigned annoyance, but a small smile played at the corner of her lips. Those days were truly vibrant. Yet, hidden behind that smile was a deep-seated dread—the exams on the 28th and the blurry, haunting echoes of her memories.
****
A dark, musty room. Several bright bulbs were lit inside, but their harsh light seemed to intensify the mystery rather than illuminate the space. From every corner of the ceiling hung silver threads like spiderwebs, attached to small triangular slips of paper. Each paper bore a forbidden word inscribed in blood-red ink: 'Kaisuma.'
In the center of the room sat a large wooden chair. Bound tightly to the chair with glowing blue ring-shaped ropes was a strange and hideous creature. Though humanoid in structure, it was actually a bloodthirsty 'Kimon.' Its name was Khankoza. The most terrifying thing about it was its head—split perfectly down the middle from the neck up. The right face had one bloodshot eye and mouth, while the left face had another, as if two restless souls were trapped in one body. Sparks of blue electricity occasionally flickered from the rings, neutralizing Khankoza's Kimon power.
The heavy iron door creaked open. A tall, mysterious man entered. His hair was silver-grey, and everything from his shirt and pants to his shoes was a deep shade of brown. Every step he took radiated an aura of dominance. He walked slowly and stood before Khankoza, a sinister, cold smile touching his lips.
Khankoza stared at the man with his two pairs of eyes, moaning in blue-tinged agony. "Moko... please, let me go. It's enough! Set me free, or the consequences won't be pleasant for anyone."
The man named Moko stood with his hands calmly in his pockets. "Let you go, Khankoza? I will... but you know nothing comes for free with me. You must fulfill one condition."
Khankoza shook his split head in despair. "What... what condition?"
Moko's voice instantly became as cold and sharp as ice. "Give me the current address of the present heir of your lineage. I want to send them a very special 'gift' they could never imagine."
Khankoza screamed with both mouths in unison, "No! That's impossible! They will cut you into atoms the moment they see you, Moko! You still don't realize the extent of their true, cataclysmic power!"
Moko remained completely unbothered. He leaned down and gripped Khankoza's chin firmly. "Hah! Do you still crave being a slave to your masters? If you don't follow my orders, I will make you suffer in ways your Kimon life could never have envisioned."
Khankoza hissed in rage and pain. "Moko, let me go for your own good! Or the whole city will be in turmoil tonight. If my kin find out, you won't survive!"
Moko let out a booming laugh. "Stupid Kimon! You can do nothing inside this room. With my special 'Kuhutsu' power, I have laid a 'Kaisuma' web here. Your ancient strength is zero in this place. You can neither move nor send telepathic signals."
Khankoza roared with all his fading strength, "You don't know who you're messing with, Moko! If I ever break these bonds..."
Moko looked into his pupils and threw down a challenge with supreme arrogance. "Oh, really? Are you challenging me while trapped in this cage, Khankoza? You know very well how powerful I am. Tell me, do you know how much damage your so-called 'power' has caused this beautiful world?"
Khankoza fixed his four-eyed gaze on Moko. "Damage? We can cause a catastrophe far greater than whatever has happened. You still haven't recognized Gyotano. You have no idea how powerful a Kimon he is!"
A dark glint flickered in Moko's eyes. He said gravely, "Gyotano? Are you threatening me? The enmity between Gyotano's lineage and mine isn't new; it's thousands of years old. I know the history of the Kimons' origin better than you. Thousands of years ago, when the war between the 'Benin' and 'Gamadao' clans reached the heavens, that was when the Kimons first came into existence."
He paused, as if seeing that ancient history before his eyes. "Gyotano was an ambitious warrior of the Benin clan. Back then, when humans began to misuse high-level powers like 'Flimota' and 'Jupannoten,' the balance of nature began to shatter. A special sorcerer named 'Isaac' from the Benin clan created a curse, or 'Amass,' which turned anyone who died with unfulfilled desires directly into a violent Kimon. And today, that curse has become the cancer of our world."
Moko flicked Khankoza's nose in mockery. "But remember one thing, Khankoza. Since the root of all this destruction is Gyotano's high-climb power, if I can kill Gyotano once and for all, every trace of Kimons will be wiped from this earth."
Khankoza could no longer restrain himself against this insult. An inhuman shriek erupted from within him. Suddenly, the blue rings binding his body flared with an intense light and snapped with a deafening crack! With a strike from a heavy mace-like staff in Khankoza's hand, Moko was thrown several feet back, crashing into the wall. Dust filled the room as the bricks shattered.
From behind the veil of dust, Moko slowly stood up. Though his clothes were covered in debris, he hadn't sustained any major injuries. He adjusted his shirt sleeves and stood before Khankoza once more.
With a hellish grin across both his mouths, Khankoza said, "You've babbled quite a bit, Hakamuji Moko! Now, let the real game begin."
Moko clenched both his fists. The air around him began to vibrate. He said in a chilling tone, "Fine! This should be fun. A 'V-Grade' Kimon wants to fight me directly? Come then, let's see how much strength is left in that blood of Gyotano!"
The bulbs in the room began to flicker in unison, and within that darkness, a cataclysmic war began.