"Who—who's there?" my voice cracked, echoing into the nothingness.
"I said, shut up."
I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs. Standing amidst the void was a girl. No—calling her a girl felt like an understatement. She wore a dress of blinding white, her calm demeanor clashing with the chaos of this strange place.
"Is there... a funeral going on?" I blurted out.
She fixed me with a look of mild annoyance, her eyes sharp and cold.
"It was a joke, my lady," I muttered, the silence making my awkwardness feel twice as heavy.
"Don't call me that," she snapped.
I took a cautious step back. "Then... may I ask who you are?"
"Ai Kurohana."
"Xiao Yan," I replied, though the introduction felt surreal given the circumstances. "But where exactly is here?"
She glanced at the horizon where the world seemed to fray at the edges. "I suppose you could call this your spiritual space. A realm born from your own mind and mana, though you created it without even realizing it."
"Fine, I get that," I said, trying to process the logic of a world inside my head. "But why are you here?"
"I live here."
I frowned, looking at the barren expanse. "How? There's nothing here. No food, no water—nothing."
Her gaze leveled with mine, unreadable. "You don't need to know that. Some things are better left as secrets."
The mystery was unsettling, but my priority was clear. "Then tell me how to leave."
She fell silent, the air around us shimmering. "I'll help you," she said softly, almost to herself. "But everything has a price. I'm tired of this stillness. I want to go back, too."
I clenched my fists. If this was the only way out, I didn't have much of a choice. "Alright. How do we do it?"
"We share," she said, stepping closer until I could feel the cold hum of her presence. "You give me your mana."
"I can't even control it!" I protested.
"A contract will fix that. I'll handle the flow; you just provide the source." She held out a pale hand. "Give me your hand."
I hesitated, staring at her palm, then reached out. As our skin met, a searing heat erupted. A glowing, intricate pattern etched itself into my flesh, spreading like wildfire as my mana surged outward. The entire space began to tremble, the sky cracking like glass.
"It's done," Ai said, her voice steady despite the world falling apart around us. "We're going back."
I took a deep breath, the light swallowing my vision. "I'm ready."