Strange Feeling

Lay got startled and scared by the sudden appearance of an entity unbeknownst to her. She stood behind Shawn, feeling the atmosphere around them has become a little intense.

Frightened of what might happen, she prepared herself to escape in case she might get involved in what was happening with them, until Shawn lowered his head, showing respect as he greeted her "Lady Sylvanea, how have you been?"

Sylvanea smiled at him and then smacked him on his head with the fan she was holding.

"Why does everyone keep smacking me today?" He mumbled as he rubbed his head.

"Why? Because you did not keep your promise!" was what she yelled as she continued to smack him. She stopped and sighed for a moment, and then hugged him very tightly. "Oh, I've just missed you so much, my baby reaper."

He tapped out while saying "Too tight, too tight." "Oh, sorry" And she loosen the hug. Shawn added "You do remember that you're stronger than you seemed, right?" "Huh?! Got a problem with that?" as she tightened the hug again. He gave up, saying "No ma'am."

Then, Sylvanea noticed Lay, who was shocked and confused at the same time by the unexpected closeness of the two entities who, earlier, had an intense stare down. "Oh? Who might this be?" She asked.

"Oh, that? That's another living who accidentally crossed-" Before he could finish, he got smacked. "I know that already. What I meant was why did you bring her to me?" Sylvanea said, expecting an explanation from Shawn.

"I thought it was weird didn't know..." He mumbled before continuing "Anyways, I brought her here because of this." He grabbed Lay's hand to show her the tooth-like tattoo.

"This..." Sylvanea's expression became serious "Grinveil."

Seeing the expression of the two entities in front of her, Lay realized the seriousness of the matter and asked "What's Grinveil? And what is this tattoo on my hand?"

Sylvanea glanced at Lay before proceeding with a deep sigh. "Grinveil is a shadowy, humanoid figure with a twisted, predatory grin that reveals sharp, glinting teeth. It marks its chosen prey with a tooth-shaped tattoo, which appears after a brief touch or sometimes even just a gaze." Then she pointed at her while saying "And you, my darling, have just been marked."

"What will happen to me now? Am I gonna die?" She worriedly continued "Just when I realized I'm not dead yet, and now I'm gonna die?!" "You really love jumping in to conclusions, don't you? Can't you just listen first?" was what Shawn coldly told her. "Sorry." Lay quitely responded, then she pursed her mouth.

Sylvanea looked at her weirdly and then shook her head "Well, victims often experience vivid nightmares of being hunted, slowly losing their energy and will to fight. Once marked, the prey cannot evade the yokai for long, as it can sense the mark no matter where they hide. So, you can either break the curse or let the Grinveil hunt you. Which will it be?"

"Of course, breaking the curse! So, what should I do?!" She yelled in panicked.

Sylvanea explained to her how to break the mark. There are two ways of breaking the mark that has been placed by the Grinveil. First, the mark can be broken by directly confronting Grinveil and presenting a token of courage or defiance, such as a symbol of light or truth. The second one is killing the Grinveil. However, only few survive such encounters.

After hearing the conditions of breaking the mark, Lay's mind went blank. She thought that the second option is impossible for her to do, and even if she pick the first option, not only she was not sure whether she has the courage to face the yokai, let alone presenting something to it.

Seeing the worried Lay, Shawn reassured her with his gentle voice "I will help you. So, you need not to worry." Hearing those words, Lay looked at him and their eyes met. They gazed at each other's eyes for a moment until — badumb — their hearts started to race. Then Shawn looked away, and excused himself after saying "You better make up your mind soon."

After leaving the scene, Shawn grasped his chest, wondering about the strange feeling he had just experienced, and so did Lay.

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