Chapter 33 | Crimson Visions

A palace of shadows reveals a chilling truth.

Misa

I feel myself falling, my body plunging into the cool gray-blue of Mark’s eyes. They’re like windows, pulling me in, yet I’m still here, beside him on the couch in his study. My heart races, caught between worlds.

“Breathe, Misa, I’m here,” Mark says, his voice steady but distant, like it’s coming from the other side of a dream.

His words fade as I sink into open water. I kick upward, breaking the surface, and the familiar crimson-tipped peaks of Cherry Mountain greet me, glinting in the sunlight. I’m at Black Cherry Beach... The sky stretches above, wispy clouds drifting lazily. I squint, searching for the hourglass, but it’s gone.

The water recedes, leaving me standing on the shore, dry and dressed in my sleeveless fuchsia dress. My hair, now styled in loose curls, cascades down my back, not a trace of dampness. Words appear in the black sand at my feet, carved deep: find me. An arrow points forward, urging me on.

“Mark?” I call, my voice swallowed by the breeze.

No answer.