In her opulent bedchamber, Empress Cheng huddled beneath layers of silk and furs, her body trembling despite the summer heat.
The chant of "Ghosts aren't real" grew hoarse as she pulled the covers tighter around her ears, as if physical barriers could block out the supernatural threats invading her personal space.
The message on Cheng's wardrobe then slowly vanished, leaving no trace except the lingering chill in the air.
Meanwhile, miles away in a modest home bordering the capital's markets, Akemi's aunt sat cross-legged on the floor beside her niece's portrait. Tears streamed down her face as she traced the painted features with trembling fingertips.
"Sora," she whispered hoarsely to the empty room. "Where are you, my sweet girl?" she whispered to the painting. "Did they find your body yet? Or are you still wandering alone somewhere cold and dark?"
Her gaze drifted toward the small shrine dedicated to her missing daughter and murdered niece. Incense smoke curled lazily upward alongside prayers written on scrolls hanging from wooden beams. Her grief-stricken gaze shifted to Sora's image next to Akemi's - two beautiful young women stolen from their family too soon.
After some moments of crying, Mrs. Soma walked to her room and lay on the bed as exhaustion was willing to take over her body.
Mrs. Soma collapsed onto the worn mattress, her body heavy with grief and physical fatigue. The room felt cold despite the summer heat outside, and shadows danced across the walls from flickering candlelight. She pulled a thin blanket over herself but didn't truly expect to find sleep easily.
Instead, her mind replayed memories - Akemi's bright smile when she visited last, Sora's laughter echoing through their home during happier days before tragedy struck. "Where are my girls?" she whispered hoarsely into the empty room. "Why did fate punish this family so cruelly?"
Sleep refused to come easily despite physical fatigue; each time eyelids drooped images flashed behind them - Akemi smiling during their last tea time and Sora' excited chatter as she tried new recipes taught by the palace head chef.
Tears welled up again but she blinked them back stubbornly; crying wouldn't bring either girl back.
Finally, sleep hugged her in it's warm embrace. She slept peacefully until. The silence was shattered by a sharp rattle-clap, followed by a heavosly thumping that sounded like boulders being dropped in a metal dumpster on top her roof.
The peaceful silence shattered abruptly as Mrs. Soma's slumber was interrupted violently.
A series of sharp rattles echoed from directly above her bedroom ceiling followed by heavy thuds that vibrated through the floorboards like boulders crashing against metal.
She bolted upright instantly, heart pounding as fear surged through every nerve ending. "What in the god's name?" she gasped aloud while fumbling for the oil lamp beside her bed.