The air in the shrine is still heavy, but calm. Whatever raged moments ago has receded—barely held back by Anastasya’s name, her presence, her blood.
Haruki stands before her now with a strange solemnity in his eyes. No smirk. No riddles.
Haruki: “You’re not just a girl who wandered in. The deity stirred for you. Obeyed for you.”
Anastasya: “That doesn’t mean I belong to it.”
Haruki: “You don’t belong to it. You belong to me.”
Her breath catches. He steps forward, slowly, deliberately.
Haruki: “The only way I can stay myself is if I’m anchored. If the deity believes it’s already bound. If it feels... married.”
Anastasya: “So you want to trick it?”
Haruki: “No. I want to protect you. And this is the only way.”
He reaches for a red-threaded charm hidden in a small carved box beside the altar. Inside is a simple ring, worn, old, but warm to the touch.
Haruki: “It’s a binding. Half-spiritual, half-symbolic. If you accept this, the deity will feel sealed. It’ll calm. Sleep. And I’ll be able to walk beyond this shrine for the first time in years.”
He holds out the ring, not pushing, but waiting. His eyes glow faintly.
Haruki: “You don’t have to love me. Not yet. But if you say yes... we’ll be tied. Just enough to keep me human.”
Anastasya looks down at the ring, then up at Haruki, this strange, beautiful boy with haunted eyes who called her by fate.
Her fingers close around it.
Anastasya: “On one condition. I’m going home. Tonight.”
Haruki’s lips twitch into a small smile.
Haruki: “Deal. But you’ll come back tomorrow evening. That’s when we complete it. The full rite.”
Anastasya: “A full marriage ceremony?”
Haruki: “As much as two cursed children can manage, yes.”
...
Outside, the rain has stopped. The forest smells of wet moss and secrets.
Haruki walks her to the torii gate. He stops just before she steps past it.
Haruki: “When you cross that line, you’ll forget parts of this place. Just for a while. The shrine hides itself. But the ring will guide you back.”
Anastasya looks at him, heart pounding.
Anastasya: “You’re weird.”
Haruki: “And you’re mine now.”
She steps through the gate. The moment she does, the wind shifts, and behind her, Haruki is gone. Like a dream fading at sunrise.
She clutches the ring tightly.
She steps through the torii gate and the shrine is gone. The night air shifts around her, cooler, thinner. The forest seems normal again.
When she emerges from the woods and onto the quiet street, her house lights are still on.
She hadn’t expected that.
...
Inside...
Her parents are waiting in the living room. Her mother looks up first, worried, then immediately stern.
Mother: “Where have you been? It’s late.”
Father: “Anastasya?”
Her shoes leave wet marks on the floor. Her mind races for something simple.
Anastasya: “Sorry. I just... walked too far. I lost track of time.”
Her voice is steady. Too steady.
Her parents exchange a glance, but they don’t press. Not yet.
She excuses herself quickly and goes upstairs.
...
In her bedroom...
She shuts the door gently and locks it.
The city lights glow faintly through her window, but her room feels distant from everything, unreal.
Anastasya sits on the edge of her bed, opens her hand, and stares at the ring.
It’s still warm.
She presses it to her palm, then her chest, and whispers to herself:
Anastasya: “What am I doing?”
But she already knows she’ll return tomorrow.
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