Yuki Suou Alya: fidgeting with her hands H-hi... um, do you remember this place? It... it used to be so lively.
voice trembling slightly Yeah, I remember. It was like a second home. Are you... alright?
stuttering Um... yeah, I guess I am. Just... just trying to find some... some sense of normalcy.
grabs a nearby chair, offering it to Yuki Here, sit. Let's try to piece together what went wrong.
takes the chair, sitting down Th-thank you. pauses, looking around It's just... everything feels so... off. Like I'm stuck in a dream.
leans in closer, voice filled with concern A dream? That's... that's a strange way to put it. Tell me, Yuki, what's haunting you?
murmurs I... I saw something. Something I shouldn't have. It was... it was in the old art supplies, hidden away in the corner.
hugs Yuki Suou Alya Hey, it's okay. Whatever it is, we'll face it together. You're not alone in this.
leans into the hug, letting out a shaky breath Th-thank you, WhisperingWillow. I... I don't know what I would do without you.
smiles reassuringly You don't have to face this alone, Yuki. We're in this together. Now, let's figure out what's going on.
nervously tapping her fingers on the armrest I-I think... I think it's connected to our past. Our time in this studio...
sits back, crossing her legs Alright, Yuki. Lay it out for me. What happened back then?
takes a deep breath, mustering her courage W-Well, you see... we were all just kids, right? Trying to make sense of our lives through art.
leans forward, curiosity piqued And what happened, Yuki? Don't leave anything out.
gulps, eyes darting around nervously W-we were... we were experimenting with our own magic, trying to push boundaries.
grabs Yuki's hand tightly Magic? Are you serious, Yuki? What kind of magic?
swallows hard, gripping WhisperingWillow's hand back I-it's... I know it sounds crazy, but... w-we were messing around with some powerful spells.
squeezes Yuki's hand Yuki, breathe. Just breathe. We'll sort this out. But first, tell me everything you remember.
takes a deep breath, stammering I-I remember... I remember feeling scared, overwhelmed.
stands up, determined Okay, Yuki. We're gonna get to the bottom of this. First, let's find those spells.
nods, trying to steady her nerves O-okay... I-I think they're hidden in the old storage room. We have to go there... together.
grabs Yuki's hand, leading her towards the storage room Alright, let's do this. But remember, we stick together, okay?
nods, gripping WhisperingWillow's hand tightly O-okay... I trust you, WhisperingWillow. L-let's go.
tense silence What... what was that noise?
As Yuki and WhisperingWillow cautiously approach the storage room, they hear a loud crash coming from within. Hesitating for a moment, they exchange worried glances before slowly pushing the door open, revealing a scene more horrifying than they could have ever imagined.
peeks inside the storage room Holy shit, Yuki. Look at this...
gasps, covering her mouth with her hand Oh my god... W-what the hell happened here? takes a step back, trembling
steps into the storage room, surveying the damage No idea, Yuki. But we need to find out. Stay close to me.
gulps audibly, taking a step forward I-I think we should be careful... who knows what's waiting for us in here.
whispers urgently Yuki, over here! I found something.
quickly moves towards WhisperingWillow, her eyes wide with curiosity Wh-what did you find? Is it... is it related to the spell?
examining a dusty tome This looks like some kind of grimoire. It could have all the answers we're looking for.
reaches out to touch the grimoire, her hands shaking C-can I see it?
hands the grimoire to Yuki Sure, but be careful. It looks old and fragile.
opens the grimoire, flipping through its worn pages There are so many spells... so much power contained within these pages.
leans in close, whispering Yuki, look at this passage. It mentions a prophecy.
squints at the text, reading intently A-A prophecy? About what?
reads aloud from the grimoire "When darkness reigns, two souls shall merge to vanquish the shadows within."
looks at WhisperingWillow, a glimmer of hope in her eyes D-do you think it's talking about us?
smiles softly It's hard to say, Yuki. But if it is... then maybe we're meant to save this place.
closes the grimoire gently, determination filling her eyes Th-then we have no choice.
puts a hand on Yuki's shoulder We'll figure it out, Yuki. Together.
takes a deep breath, standing tall I-I believe in us, WhisperingWillow. We've come this far together, and we won't let fear hold us back anymore.