Immortal Mythos: Bound by Void

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The stars were soft overhead, scattered across the night sky like forgotten memories. Yuki sat alone on the rooftop of a quiet inn nestled deep in a forested valley. The group had settled in for a few days, finally able to breathe after everything. Himari was meditating. Ren had passed out from exhaustion. Haru was snoring with his arms crossed. And Aiko… was quietly watching Yuki from the doorway.

Nogitsune stepped onto the roof beside Yuki without a sound, carrying two cups of tea. He handed one to Yuki, who gave a small nod.

"I never figured you for the tea type," Yuki said quietly.

Nogitsune chuckled. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

There was a long silence. Then Yuki asked the question he hadn't dared speak for years.

"Back when I was a kid… when my aunt raised me… She always knew what to say. She always showed up right when I needed her. But I never saw her bleed. Never saw her tired. It felt… fake."

Nogitsune's smirk faded.

Yuki turned to him, eyes hard but uncertain. "Was she even real?"

Nogitsune didn't answer right away. He looked out toward the trees.

"She was real… in the way that mattered. But she wasn't… human."

Yuki froze.

"I made her," Nogitsune said quietly. "A clone. Formed from clear spiritual energy. I needed someone to protect you when I couldn't be there myself. Someone who wouldn't question orders. Someone you could love, without ever knowing what you were."

Yuki's breath caught in his throat. "Why?"

"Because," Nogitsune said, voice barely a whisper, "the world wasn't ready for you. And you weren't ready for the world."

Another long silence.

Yuki looked down at his cup. "So everything I knew was fake?"

Nogitsune shook his head. "No. Her care for you was real. She was real enough to hold you when you cried. Real enough to teach you to be kind… even when the world wasn't. I made her with one purpose: to protect the best part of you."

Yuki didn't know whether to be angry, or grateful.

Maybe both.

He looked up at the stars again, letting the silence stretch. "...She made the best ramen."

Nogitsune gave a small, tired smile. "Yeah. I gave her that memory."

Yuki laughed bitterly. "Of course you did."

And for a moment, just a moment, the two brothers sat under the stars, the weight of truths and unspoken feelings drifting between them like wind through leaves.

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