The group of three gathered in the inn's main hall. There, the employees had lit the large stone fireplace, and the place was pleasantly warm despite the cold outside.
They were not alone.
The inn's owners were also present, along with nearly all the employees, except for two who had gone out to search the surroundings taking advantage of the daylight, hoping to find the missing Rin. Including the three of them, there were thirteen people gathered in the hall.
The reason that had brought them together was obvious: the change that had occurred in the lake.
Conversations overlapped. Some murmured theories; others argued about what to do. The tension was palpable.
Suddenly—
The main door burst open, letting in a gust of icy wind and snow.
One of the employees who had gone out searching rushed into the hall, panting.
"We found her, she's in the lake!"
For a second, no one reacted.
Then, everyone moved at once.
They left the inn and ran toward the lake, their boots sinking into the accumulated snow. The wind lashed at their faces, but no one stopped.
They arrived just in time to see the other employee emerging from the freezing waters.
He was carrying something on his back.
No.
He was carrying someone.
Rin's lifeless body hung limp, her soaked clothes clinging to her form, her dark hair stuck to her pale face.
The red lake seemed even darker around her.
—
Several hours passed after the discovery.
The inn turned into complete chaos.
Ume, Rin's mother, collapsed at the sight of her daughter's body. Between heart-wrenching sobs, she was taken to her room by her husband, who locked himself inside with her and refused to come out. No one saw them again.
The employees, meanwhile, were left without direction. With the owners consumed by grief, fear began to spread quickly.
Some panicked. Others began putting on as many warm clothes as they could find, determined to leave the inn and cross the storm on foot to seek help in the nearest city.
That was when Haruka intervened.
With firmness and an authority that allowed no argument, she stepped into the middle of the hall.
"No one is going out!" she ordered in a clear voice.
Her tone cut through the murmuring immediately.
With speed and confidence, she began giving instructions, reorganizing the employees and containing the chaos. She explained that going out now would be suicidal given the violence of the storm.
Little by little, the agitation began to subside.
But even though she managed to stabilize the situation, Haruka knew the real problem was still out there.
What worried her most was not the panic.
It was the lake.
"Haruka… I have an idea of what might be happening in the lake."
Mochi recounted the local legend Rin had told her: how the deity Mizuchi-sama fought for three days and three nights against the yōkai, staining the waters red with his blood.
Haruka listened in silence.
She couldn't deny that there was an unsettling parallel between the story and what was happening now.
They consulted other people at the inn and heard different versions of the same legend. In some, it was said that Mizuchi-sama summoned a storm to blind his enemies. The details changed depending on who told it.
But there were two elements that never varied:
The lake stained red.
And the duration of three days and three nights.
Haruka crossed her arms, deep in thought.
"What we need to do now is decide on a plan moving forward. We have two options. The first is to stay here and wait three days, trusting that the legend is true and that everything will end once that time has passed."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"The second option is for me to go out and try to leave the area affected by the storm in order to contact headquarters. I would request reinforcements and a team to evacuate everyone."
Mochi felt a chill at those words.
"But both options have drawbacks," Haruka continued. "If we stay, the main issue will be supplies. Food and firewood are limited; the inn was expecting a delivery that was canceled because of the storm. We have enough for three days… but if this goes on any longer, we'll be in trouble."
She looked toward the window, where the blizzard was still raging violently.
"If I choose to leave, that's not ideal either. I don't know the true extent of the storm. Although the cold doesn't affect me much, I'm not particularly fast. It could take me more than a day to get out of the affected area, and by the time reinforcements arrive, nearly three days might have passed in total. In the best-case scenario, the timing would be practically the same."
Her gaze softened.
"And that would leave you alone here."
Miyu spoke up:
"Haruka-san… are there still anomalies outside?"
"Yes. I don't know how many or exactly how far away, but I can sense vague presences in the forest. It's even possible their number has increased. I suppose that leaves us with the option of staying and holding out," Haruka concluded. "Besides, I don't think the storm can expand much further. The amount of ether required to maintain something like this is colossal. Sustaining it for too long should be impossible."
Miyu looked deeply focused.
"Then this storm is, without a doubt, artificial," she said slowly. "Someone is causing it. But… what would be the objective? Why do something this large?"
"I don't know," Haruka replied honestly. "We don't have enough information to deduce that. At best, we'd just be guessing. It's better to set that unknown aside and focus on what matters."
Her expression hardened.
"Making sure everyone gets out of here alive. It's time to get moving. We need to make the most of the time we have. I have a feeling we won't have any free time soon."
Mochi tilted her head, confused.
"Haruka? Where are we going?"
Haruka gave a faint smile.
"To train, of course. We'll repeat the same training from yesterday."
And that was exactly what they did.
Haruka pushed them until the sun began to set.
When the sky started to darken, she ended the session.
Her gaze shifted toward the forest, still shrouded by the storm.
"Prepare yourselves for tonight," she told them calmly. "There's a high chance the anomalies will try something while everyone is asleep."
The wind roared outside, as if confirming her words.