66 One Missing Heart, One Banquet - Part 4

While Emika encountered the mysterious black figure, another scene was unfolding in the palatial residence of Empress Dowager Yū Miko.

The Empress had awakened five more times willing the nightmare to be over. But another… thing… had escaped her nightmare that night and entered in her bedchamber…

She found an unfamiliar small wooden box sitting on her dresser. As she held it and examine it closer, striking markings into the soft wood caught her attention.

The sides of the box were engraved with a series of sibylline written characters she could not decipher. Upon the tattered lid were carved naked figures—whether men or demons she could not tell as the carvings were worn and faded.

She wondered which one of her maids brought such a curiosity, and ugly at that!

When upon opening the lid, it was the moment she realised her nightmare was still ongoing!