Nestled quietly in the mountains, the village held an old legend:
“Those who gaze into the mirror at the shrine on the village outskirts may glimpse their future. But beware—their eyes will bear an eternal scar.”
Twin sisters Hana and Aoi grew up in this village. Though identical in appearance, their personalities were polar opposites. Hana was lively and curious, while Aoi was reserved, preferring the solace of books. From a young age, the legend of the shrine intrigued and frightened them, a story they spoke of in hushed tones but couldn’t entirely ignore.
One day, while playing in the mountain trails, Hana slipped and nearly fell from a steep ledge. Aoi instinctively grabbed her hand, but the effort caused them both to tumble down. Aoi escaped unharmed, but Hana struck her head, gravely injuring her eye.
The doctor delivered the devastating news: Hana would never regain her sight. Overcome with guilt, Aoi whispered, “I’m so sorry, Hana. If only I had been stronger…”
“Don’t say that,” Hana replied with a fragile smile. But the emptiness in her gaze was unmistakable.
A few weeks later, Hana began speaking of strange experiences.
“Aoi, I can see… something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Behind people’s faces, there’s this… shadow. Sometimes I hear whispers, too.”
At first, Aoi dismissed it as a coping mechanism born from Hana’s trauma. But as unsettling rumors spread through the village, she couldn’t ignore her sister’s words any longer. Whenever Hana mentioned seeing a shadow behind someone, that person would inevitably meet with misfortune the next day.
“Hana, what’s happening?”
“I don’t know. But… I think it started after I looked into the shrine’s mirror.”
Hana confessed that just before their accident, her curiosity had led her to the shrine, where she had briefly gazed into its mysterious mirror.
Determined to uncover the truth, Aoi decided to visit the shrine herself. She ventured deep into the woods until she reached the decrepit building. Inside, she found an old, tarnished mirror, its surface clouded and eerie. Trembling, she touched its frame and peered into it—but nothing happened.
That night, Aoi dreamed vividly. In the darkness, she saw Hana standing before her, her eyes glowing with a strange, radiant light.
“Hana, what’s going on?”
“Look for me,” Hana said cryptically. “The mirror shows everything, but you must have the courage to see it.”
When Aoi awoke, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her sister’s words held a deeper meaning. The following day, she returned to the shrine. This time, she steadied her breathing and gazed into the mirror with renewed determination.
As her eyes met its surface, images began to form. A vision of the village appeared, engulfed in thick black mist. One by one, its people collapsed, their faces frozen in fear.
“This… is the future?” Aoi gasped.
But then the vision shifted, showing a glimmer of hope. A figure—blurred yet unmistakably familiar—stood against the mist, driving it away.
Rushing home, Aoi told Hana everything she had seen.
“Hana, the mirror showed me a calamity that will befall the village. But it also showed a way to stop it.”
“What way?”
“Someone has to face the source of the calamity. And… it has to be one of us.”
Hana was silent for a moment before nodding. “If there’s something we can do, then we must.”
The sisters returned to the shrine together, their resolve firm. As they reached out to the mirror, it began to glow, enveloping them in a brilliant light before pulling them into its depths.
When the light faded, they found themselves standing in the very future Aoi had seen—a village consumed by shadows. The black mist coiled and writhed, a sentient darkness that enveloped everything. From within the shadows, a voice emerged.
“Do you have the courage to face me?”
Though trembling, Aoi gripped Hana’s hand tightly.
“We’re here to change this future,” she declared.
The sisters’ eyes glowed with an unearthly brilliance, the same light Aoi had seen in her dream. Together, they directed their gaze into the heart of the shadows. The light in their eyes pierced through the darkness, unraveling it strand by strand.
As the mist dissolved, the village slowly reappeared, its people stirring as though waking from a long nightmare.
The calamity had been averted.
From that day forward, the sisters’ tale became a new legend in the village—a story of courage, sacrifice, and the bond that defied even fate.
