The Void

Darkness.

That was the only thing Kai could feel in this void of space. He seemed to be drifting through nothingness, with only the silence keeping his company... yet despite the lonely space, he felt calm, peaceful, and happy - almost. Surrounded by this quiet darkness, it felt as if he was enveloped in a safe space with nothing in the world being able to touch him. But despite the blissful feeling that Kai drifted through, he couldn't help but remember Haru and his sister, who had struggled with the notion that she was adopted and left forgotten by her parents 10 years ago. As if on cue, Haru's voice cut through the silence; ripping away the dark space of nothingness.

"Kai!" Haru's voice shouted, somewhere in the distance.

Whipping his head around towards the noise, he saw Haru approaching him in the distance, surrounded by black walls trapping him in, and keeping him away from Kai. Pounding on the dark walls, Haru seemed to shout something at Kai, but his voice was inaudible. Kai took a step towards his step-father, trying to get a closer look at the walls trapping him, but he was forcefully dragged down, as the floor beneath his feet started to crumble.

As the ground beneath him caved in, he found himself falling through a space of darkness once more, however, as he fell farther and farther down, the darkness seemed to crack. Little shards of light broke through, streaking through the space around him, and sending penetratingly bright light into the darkness of the tunnel which he was falling through.

'What is this?' He managed to ask himself, before hitting the ground in a giant crash.

Expecting to have broken several bones or even have died from the impact, Kai opened his eyes in surprise, to see himself standing upright without a scratch on him. However, that wasn't the only amazing thing that surprised him. Taking a look at the surrounding area, he found himself standing in a seemingly impossible forest. The grass around him was a lush green color, with white leaves and smooth trunks on the trees around him. Flowers of all shapes and sizes dotted the land around him, with some sort of golden light emitting from their center. Fireflies danced lazily through the air, glowing in the dim light of the flowers. The forest was teeming with life, and glowing with what seemed to be magic, almost.

It was ethereal.

Still gazing awestruck at the beauty of the plants around him, Kai didn't notice when something brushed past him lightly. Spinning around to see what had just passed him, the figure was gone; leaving only three little fireflies in its wake. Kai stared through the dense undergrowth of the forest, catching the glimpse of something small and white, running gracefully between the tree trunks. He couldn't make out what it was, but... whatever it was, it knew the forest like the back of its hand.

"I'd better follow it if I want to get out of here," Kai whispered to nobody in particular. The fireflies buzzed around his arms in response.

Taking a deep breath, Kai ran into the forest, hoping to find the little white figure, who was slowly slipping out of his field of vision. He ran a little faster, doing his best to keep up; but the leaves and branches around him surely didn't make it easy. Following nothing but the faint white tip of the figure as it dashed through the forest, Kai found himself slowly getting better at maneuvering through the tree trunks and branches around him.

'You're mine.' He thought triumphantly, as he broke through the dense forest.

He found himself in front of a large fallen tree, with branches and vines woven together to form something that almost seemed like a throne. Roses and wildflowers were lined along the branches, their petals scattered across the forest floor. Dense white leaves surrounded the throne, making a sort of cozy, protective barrier around it. It looked pretty comfortable actually.

However, he wouldn't have the chance to sit upon it, as it was already occupied. Staring at the figure on the throne, he saw that it was a fox. A white one, at that; with red markings covering its head, the area under its eyes, as well as its legs. Its fur was as white as snow, with not a single speck of dirt or imperfection anywhere. Kai, on the other hand, was covered with leaves and bits of branches.

Staring at the fox, he instinctively lowered his head in a bow, unsure how else to act. The creature looked at him with approval, dipping its head in response. Kai stared at it, fixated by its appearance. It was so small, yet felt so... otherwordly. Strangely enough, though, Kai didn't feel any fear.

Wait a second... is this fox...

a spirit?

When the realization hit him, the fox noticed his reaction and folded its tail over its little paws; staring at him expectantly. Did it want him to do something? He stared back at the fox, confused. What did it expect from him?

"I don't have anything to give you..." Kai told it hesitantly.

The fox tipped its head at him, flicking its ears. Still keeping its eyes fixed on Kai, it stared back at him, continuing to wait.

'What is this nonsense? I don't have anything to give... I just need your help to get me out of this forest, so just help me dammit.' He said to the spirit... in his head.

Wait a second, he remembered a story that Haru once told him long ago about the spirits. He had said that they wished to receive offerings of essence from the humans because they survived off it. Well, spirits don't rely on human essence, but they absorb essence from the world around them. However, apparently, human essence is greatly adored in the land of the spirits - that must be what this fox is waiting for. His essence.

His life form.

Taking a step back, Kai's eyes filled with fear. 'When they say essence, do they mean... they thrive off human life...?'

'Am I going to die here?'

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the fox's markings started to glow. A faint white light started to glow from the markings, creating an aura of light around the fox. Kai stared at the light in fear and wonder, debating on whether he should run, fight, or stand his ground. He chose the third option, and waited to see what the spirit would do. The light grew blindingly white, as it enveloped the forest around them; erasing everything in its path.

As the world around Kai faded away, he let himself drift into a sea of white; surrounded by nothing but silence once more. However, the emptiness did not last long, as Haru's voice returned. It started out very faint at first, simply an echo that could've been mistaken for a trick of the ear, until it grew into a shout, becoming more and more clear through the vast space.

"Kai!" He heard Haru's voice call.

"Kai!" He heard him again, but louder this time.

"KAI!"

He awoke to find Haru shaking him, clutching his shoulders. His face was a mess of fear and pain. Little specks of sweat could be seen lining the edges of Haru's face, which was normally a canvas of calm. Something was definitely wrong.

"Haru? What's gotten into you?" He asked, trying to shrug off Haru's grasp, but to no avail.

The step-father let out a shaky breath, staring into Kai's questioning eyes.

"It's Rin."

"She's gone."