Chapter 3: Lost Memories

Mikoto spent the next few days in a state of confusion and fear, the photograph of Yukiko Tsukiyama never leaving her side. The name haunted her thoughts, filling her with a deep sense of unease. Who was Yukiko? Why did she share Mikoto’s family name? And why did the woman seem so familiar, as if she had known her all her life?

The memories of Shizukawa, of the curse, were still fresh in Mikoto’s mind, but now they were mixed with the strange visions of Yukiko. The woman’s sad, haunted eyes, her ghostly presence, the old photograph—it was all too much for Mikoto to process.

She tried to find information about Yukiko Tsukiyama, but there was nothing in her family records, nothing in the few belongings she had brought with her from Shizukawa. It was as if Yukiko had never existed, as if she were a ghost, a figment of Mikoto’s imagination.

But Mikoto knew better. The photograph was real, the woman was real, and she was connected to the curse in a way that Mikoto couldn’t yet understand.

One evening, as the sun set and the city was bathed in the soft, orange glow of twilight, Mikoto sat on her bed, staring at the photograph. The image of Yukiko’s sad, distant expression filled her with a deep sense of loss, a grief that she couldn’t explain.

She knew she couldn’t ignore this any longer. The curse had followed her from Shizukawa, and now it was pulling her back, deeper into a mystery that threatened to consume her. She needed answers, and she knew she couldn’t find them on her own.

Mikoto picked up her phone and dialed the number Haruka had left her. The phone rang several times before Haruka answered, her voice calm and composed, as if she had been expecting Mikoto’s call.

“Mikoto,” Haruka said, her tone gentle. “I was wondering when you would call.”

Mikoto’s heart pounded in her chest. “Haruka… I need your help. I’ve been having these… visions. And I found something—a photograph. There’s a name on it, Yukiko Tsukiyama. Do you know who she is?”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, and Mikoto could hear the faint sound of papers rustling.

“Yukiko Tsukiyama…” Haruka repeated, her voice thoughtful. “I’ve heard that name before. She was a resident of Shizukawa, many years ago. But her story… it’s a tragic one.”

Mikoto’s breath caught in her throat. “What happened to her?”

Haruka’s voice took on a somber tone. “Yukiko Tsukiyama was a young woman who lived in Shizukawa over a hundred years ago. She was known for her beauty and her kindness, but her life was marked by tragedy. According to the records, she fell in love with a man from the village, but their relationship was forbidden. Her family disapproved, and there were rumors that the man was involved in dark rituals—rituals that were linked to the curse that plagued Shizukawa.”

Mikoto’s heart raced as she listened, her mind spinning with the implications. “What happened to her?”

“Yukiko disappeared one night,” Haruka continued, her voice heavy with sadness. “No one knows what happened to her, but the villagers believed that she was taken by the curse. Her body was never found, but her spirit was said to haunt the village, her sorrowful cries echoing through the night.”

Mikoto’s blood ran cold as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Yukiko Tsukiyama was connected to the curse, to the dark rituals that had consumed Shizukawa. But there was more to it—something deeper, something that tied Mikoto to this forgotten woman.

“Haruka,” Mikoto said, her voice trembling. “Yukiko… she was a Tsukiyama. Could she be… related to me?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and Mikoto could hear Haruka’s breath catch.

“It’s possible,” Haruka finally said, her voice cautious. “The Tsukiyama family has a long history in Shizukawa, a history that is deeply intertwined with the village’s curse. If Yukiko is your ancestor, then the curse may have been passed down through your bloodline.”

Mikoto’s heart pounded in her chest, her fear rising. “What does that mean for me?”

Haruka’s voice was firm, but there was a note of concern in her tone. “It means that the curse is more than just a ghost story, Mikoto. It’s something that has been passed down through your family for generations. And now, it’s come for you.”

Mikoto felt a cold shiver run down her spine, the weight of Haruka’s words sinking in. The curse wasn’t just about Shizukawa—it was about her, about her family, about a past that she had no memory of.

“What do I do?” Mikoto whispered, her voice barely audible.

Haruka’s voice was calm, but there was an urgency in her tone. “You need to come with me, Mikoto. We need to dig deeper into your family’s past, into the history of Shizukawa, if we’re going to find a way to break the curse. It won’t be easy, and it won’t be safe, but it’s the only way.”

Mikoto’s mind raced as she considered Haruka’s offer. The thought of facing the curse again, of diving back into the darkness, terrified her. But she knew she couldn’t run from it any longer. The shadows of the lost were reaching out to her, pulling her deeper into the mystery, and she couldn’t escape.

“Okay,” Mikoto said, her voice steady. “I’ll do it. I’ll help you.”

Haruka’s voice softened slightly, a note of relief in her tone. “Thank you, Mikoto. I’ll come to your apartment tomorrow, and we’ll begin. Be ready.”

Mikoto nodded, even though Haruka couldn’t see her. “I will.”

After hanging up the phone, Mikoto sat in silence, her thoughts a jumbled mess of fear and determination. She didn’t know what she would find, what horrors awaited her, but she knew she had to face them.

The curse was part of her now, part of her blood, and she couldn’t escape it. The shadows of the lost had claimed her, and there was no turning back.

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