The morning light filtered weakly through the curtains, casting pale beams across the room. Nyx sat on the floor, her body stiff and motionless, while Mika, with a wild grin on her face, nibbled on her tail.

Nyx could feel the pressure, the tickling sensation, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Not for this. Not for anything.

Mika giggled, completely unaware of Nyx's internal turmoil. She pulled at Nyx's hair, poking at her body, cuddling up to her with childish affection. Nyx barely reacted.

The silence was heavy.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Hifumi's voice sliced through the air like a blade. She stood in the doorway, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Nyx didn't even look up. Her voice was dull, devoid of energy. "I'm playing with Mika."

Hifumi's gaze flickered to Mika, who was continuing her odd game, laughing and messing with Nyx's body like it was her personal plaything. The sight was... bizarre.

"Well, that's nice." Hifumi's voice softened, though it still held a hint of unease. "At least Mika's trying to be herself again."

Nyx shook her head, her eyes still distant. "She's still not sane. She can't even speak normal sentences." She called out to Mika, her tone laced with a resigned sigh. "Mika, how do you feel about Nagisa?"

Mika didn't even seem to register the question.

"Nagi-chan... Tea time!" She cheered, her voice high-pitched with childlike excitement.

Nyx sighed deeply. She didn't know how much longer she could do this.

As if to punctuate the absurdity of it all, Koharu stumbled into the room, mumbling Hanako's name under her breath.

Hifumi shot Nyx a concerned glance before walking over to Koharu, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Koharu?" she asked softly. "What's wrong?"

Koharu barely registered the touch. She was lost in her thoughts, murmuring frantically. "Hanako... Hanako... She'll come back, right?"

Nyx exchanged a look with Hifumi, both of them silent for a moment.

"How are we going to make them act normal?" Nyx muttered, more to herself than to Hifumi.

Hifumi shook her head. "We're going to have to be patient. They're both... broken."

Koharu's eyes darted around the room before she suddenly turned and ran. Her footsteps echoed through the house, growing fainter and fainter as she disappeared down the hall.

Nyx glanced at Hifumi. "Where is she going?"

But Hifumi didn't answer. She was already moving, her instincts sensing that something was wrong.

The basement door slammed open with a force that made the house shake.

Koharu had descended into the darkness, her mind spiraling out of control, trapped in her own internal void.

In the darkness of the basement, Koharu's world shifted. She was no longer in a physical space.

She was inside her own mind.

A void.

Empty.

Lonely.

And there, she saw herself.

The other Koharu.

The version of her that clung desperately to the belief that Hanako would return.

She whispered to herself, her voice cracking. "Hanako... you'll come back. You'll come back, won't you?"

But the other Koharu just stood there, staring at her with hollow eyes. "You know that's not true, don't you?" she asked, her voice echoing in the emptiness.

Koharu's eyes widened in horror. "No! No, Hanako will come back! She has to!"

But the figure only laughed, a dark, distorted sound that made Koharu's heart twist.

Back upstairs, Hifumi was already on her way down to the basement. She knew something was wrong. The air had shifted. The temperature had dropped.

Suddenly, she felt a pressure.

SLAM.

Before she could take another step, Koharu had thrown her against the wall with a violent force.

Hifumi gasped, dazed, but managed to stand. "Koharu...?"

Koharu's eyes were cold-dead, almost. Her gaze was filled with a strange, twisted desire.

"Do you want to hold my severed rose?" she asked, her voice filled with something far too dark for the girl they once knew.

Hifumi froze. Her heart pounded in her chest as she processed the words. There was something off about Koharu. Something wrong.

Koharu's form was distorted. Her clothing had become a black dress, dark as night, and her eyes were now filled with a strange emptiness. Her halo was cracked and twisted, and a withered rose sat in her hair. Her once innocent appearance had been consumed by corruption.

Hifumi took a step back, her hands shaking. "Koharu... you're-"

Koharu let out a soft, broken apology. "Sorry... Sorry..."

But her voice wavered, slipping back into that dark, corrupted self. "I... I can't handle this... I can't...!"

Nyx rushed down the stairs, her face pale as she saw Koharu's corrupted form. "What the hell happened to her?!" she shouted, her heart racing.

Koharu's gaze flickered back to Nyx. Her eyes were wild. "I... I could be like Hanako... couldn't I? If I were like her, then maybe... maybe I could be the same. Maybe I could bring her back..."

A twisted grin spread across her face, her eyes gleaming with a sick, desperate hope.

Nyx shook her head, stepping forward. "No. Koharu, no."

But Koharu only laughed, her voice low and disturbing.

"You really think I'm going to listen?" she sneered. "You really think I'm going to stay here and just be broken? No, I'll show you. I'll show you what happens when you believe in something that doesn't exist."

With a dark laugh, Koharu slowly walked toward Nyx and Hifumi, her presence suffocating, like a storm on the horizon.

"You're going to die screaming," she whispered, her voice low and malicious.

Nyx and Hifumi both backed away, fear gripping their hearts.

OST PLAYING - DIE SCREAMING BY DYSMN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nVBdu_wMFw

Koharu God of III