Chapter 262: 260
Yukino sat in the corner of the room with her legs drawn up, her arms wrapped around her knees, and her chin resting on them.
Her long hair hung in disarray over her shoulders. She wore no makeup, her eyes were red and swollen, and her lips were dry and cracked. She looked so haggard that she seemed to have aged ten years.
Sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains, casting several bright patches across her body, but none of that light could penetrate the darkness in her eyes.
She had been confined to this room for several days.
Other than eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom, she did nothing. She said nothing and tried not to think about anything.
She merely sat in the corner and stared at the sliver of sky visible beyond the curtains, like a flower on the verge of withering.
The Yukinoshita family's servants delivered her meals at the same time every day. Sometimes she ate a few bites. Other times she didn't touch the food at all.
One untouched tray would be carried away, only to be replaced later by another. It was both a silent protest and an act of helpless resignation.
This was what Haruno saw when she opened the door.
Her heart clenched painfully.
This was her younger sister, the girl she had watched grow up. The stubborn, proud Yukino who had never bowed her head to anyone.
Now she resembled a bird trapped in a cage, its feathers disheveled and its eyes empty, without even the strength to struggle.
Haruno walked over and crouched beside her.
She reached out and gently stroked her sister's hair, running her fingers through the dry strands that had once been so smooth.
"Yukino, stop punishing yourself like this. You've already done enough. You did the best you could."
Yukino raised her head and glanced at her sister.
Her once cool and piercing eyes were now covered by a layer of gray, concealing everything beneath it.
She said nothing. After looking at Haruno for a moment, she lowered her head and resumed staring at a spot on the floor.
The movement was slow and faint, as though she barely had the strength to lift her head.
Haruno's eyes stung, and tears nearly spilled from them. She drew a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm.
She was the elder sister.
She was the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, the woman at Genichi's side, and one of the driving forces behind the Law of Cycles.
She couldn't cry or show weakness in front of Yukino.
She had to remain strong.
She had to find a way to pull her sister out of this dark abyss.
"Yukino."
Haruno's voice became firmer.
"Look at me."
Yukino didn't move.
"Look at me!"
Haruno raised her voice, filling it with an authority that allowed no argument.
Yukino finally lifted her head.
Her eyes contained exhaustion, despair, confusion, and one faint spark of light that seemed ready to disappear at any moment.
Looking into those eyes, Haruno felt an overwhelming determination.
She would reignite that spark, even if it took every ounce of strength she possessed.
"Yukino, if I told you that we were trying to save the world, would you believe me?"
Yukino's eyes shifted slightly.
She stared at her sister with a complicated expression. It wasn't belief or disbelief, but bewilderment at what she was hearing.
She didn't say anything, but her gaze conveyed her response clearly.
Do you honestly expect me to believe that?
Haruno sighed. The sound carried helplessness, heartache, and the determination to continue even though she knew Yukino wouldn't believe her.
"I'm not lying to you. You know that even if I wanted to deceive you, I wouldn't choose such an absurd lie."
Yukino's expression changed slightly.
She knew her sister wouldn't try to deceive her with a story like this.
If Haruno had wanted to lie, she could have invented something more reasonable, believable, and easier to accept.
She could have claimed that Genichi was developing a new medicine capable of curing terminal illnesses.
She could have said all the volunteers had willingly participated and that no one had forced them.
She could even have claimed the victims died from preexisting health problems rather than failed experiments.
Any one of those explanations would have sounded more credible than saving the world.
But Haruno hadn't offered any of them.
Instead, she had chosen the most unbelievable explanation possible.
A strange feeling arose within Yukino.
It wasn't belief.
It was curiosity.
She wanted to know what her sister was trying to tell her.
Haruno noticed the subtle change in her expression, and a faint spark of hope ignited within her.
She drew a deep breath before continuing.
"Do you remember the contract Genichi and I formed, and how I drank the blood wine?"
Yukino nodded.
Of course she remembered.
That night, Haruno had rushed over to tell her that Genichi was willing to grant her power and allow her to gain supernatural abilities.
Yukino had refused.
She had believed Genichi was selfish and unworthy of possessing such power. She had believed she couldn't entrust her life to a selfish man.
Looking back now, her refusal seemed so childish, foolish, and self-righteous.
"Supernatural powers exist in this world."
Haruno spoke quietly, but every word struck Yukino's heart like a hammer.
"So let me ask you something. If supernatural powers are real, don't you think things like vengeful spirits might exist as well?"
Yukino's expression froze.
Her pupils contracted, and her lips parted slightly. She wanted to respond, but no words came out.
Vengeful spirits?
Things that only appeared in horror movies and supernatural novels?
Creatures she had never believed in and had certainly never seen?
What was Haruno talking about?
Was this a joke?
Or was she telling the truth?
Countless thoughts raced through Yukino's mind.
She remembered how Haruno had recently begun returning home late at night, always exhausted and burdened by unspoken worries.
She remembered the way their mother looked at Genichi, with reverence, dependence, and another emotion Yukino couldn't understand.
She remembered the bodies in the laboratory, the people sealed inside black bags who would never return home.
If vengeful spirits truly existed, and if they genuinely threatened humanity, then perhaps what Genichi was doing…
Yukino didn't dare finish the thought.
"The purpose of Genichi's experiments is to seal those vengeful spirits inside human bodies."
Haruno's voice became more serious.
"Those humans become Ghost Wielders, gaining the power to confront vengeful spirits on equal terms."
Yukino's brow moved slightly.
Ghost Wielders?
Humans who controlled the power of vengeful spirits?
She remembered reading similar ideas in supernatural novels. Humans would form contracts with spirits or harness their abilities, becoming warriors who could fight against the darkness.
She had always assumed those things were pure fantasy, stories invented by authors as simple entertainment.
Now her sister was telling her they were real.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]