Lucky I snapped out of it at the last second. I dropped low, crouching under those clammy, nauseating hands like slipping beneath a rotten wave. Panic hit first; my thoughts stumbled after.

If I smash the painting, I should get out of this room. That’s how these things are usually set up— No. Not the time to meta. Break the painting first.

I rolled hard, tumbling like a leaf in a gutter current, opening space from those hands punching through canvas. I gathered Sword Aura and slashed it toward the painting on the wall.

Thump! Thump!

The arcs hit an unseen wall. I squinted, and a half-transparent barrier shimmered before the frame, thin as a dragonfly’s wing. My temples throbbed. What now?

"Eyes... where are my eyes...?"

Cold prickles climbed my spine. While I was thinking, those hands came again. I didn’t dodge this time. I met them with Sword Aura.

"My hands... my hands are gone too..."

No surprise. The sickly hands couldn’t withstand a honed edge; they shattered to dust. A girl’s scream ripped from the canvas like torn silk.

The room’s weirdness deepened, a chill fog thickening in my lungs. Floor and walls shuddered like teeth chattering. The painted girl clawed out of the frame, and with her came sloughing blood and rolling eyeballs.

Ugh. Mental static. If I hadn’t clamped a hand over my mouth, I’d have vomited. If I don’t get out now, this’ll tattoo a trauma on my brain.

—So disappear already! Netherflow Rage Flame Slash!!

I shut my eyes to block the not-for-kids mess. I swung with everything, the Shattered Light Sword sheathed in a colossal energy edge, more than ten meters long.

...

Half a minute passed. Nothing moved. I opened my eyes. The room lay neatly split in two, like a log cut on a clean grain. The painting was gone, probably burned to ash.

I wanted to rest, but no. The longer I stay, the closer I fray. I need to find Sakurazuki fast. With my current state, can I beat her?

Probably not. The fifth layer’s a brutal step up from the first four; I’ve felt that in my bones. The guardian here? She’ll be worse.

Don’t overthink. Head to the fourth floor.

I shook my head, slapped my cheeks to clear the haze, and left the room for the fourth floor.

Tap tap tap...

I’m about to meet the Guardian of the Garden of Eternal Sleep. My chest felt tight, like a drumskin stretched too far. Please don’t be nightmare fuel.

For hours it’s been nothing but spirit-type horrors, almost all not safe for kids. As their master, Sakurazuki... No. Don’t think it. I forced myself to breathe, slow and deep.

...

"So this is the fourth floor? Weirdly normal."

It was smaller than the first three. Only one room. Inside, I felt a pulse of life, bright as a candle behind paper. So Sakurazuki really is here. A queen of spirits, huh?

Gulp. I steadied myself and walked straight to the door. I reached out and pushed it open.

Creeeak—

"Welcome, Yumigawa Sumeragi. As expected of a genius born of the Mizumi Clan. You reached here in just a few hours."

The door barely cracked and an empty, affectless voice brushed my ear like a draft through bones. I looked up. Not far ahead, a petite girl in black stood by the window, smiling at me.

!!

Yeah, she startled me. Her skin was an uncanny violet. Her blood-red eyes were disturbingly beautiful. Her face had the flawless stillness of a doll. If she didn’t move, she was a doll.

"Are you the Guardian of the Garden of Eternal Sleep—Sakurazuki?"

Relief trickled in, light as rain on hot stone. My nerves had vanished without a trace, which was odd.

"That’s right. I’m Sakurazuki."

She nodded, then tilted her head, still smiling. "So, Yumigawa Sumeragi, which way do you want to clear this layer? Defeat me? Or satisfy a condition of mine?"

"Uh..."

Before meeting her, all I’d planned was how to beat her. Now, Sword Intent told me her strength—at least the peak of Divine Novice. That was just the surface. I couldn’t see the bottom.

My state wasn’t great. My stamina was only half left. My odds? Paper-thin.

I glanced at her carefully. "Uh, can I ask what your condition is?"

"My condition?..."

She closed her eyes to think for a moment, then said, "I don’t know."

"You don’t know?!"

The shout jumped out of me. So the only option is a fight? I don’t have that kind of confidence. She’s stronger, and I’m not at my best.

"Don’t rush... Ah, right, I remember!"

She tapped her palm, eyes bright with sudden realization.

"You remembered your condition?!"

"More or less. I have a very beloved ‘doll.’ Calling her my most precious thing wouldn’t be wrong. But one day she abandoned me and ran away. So sad, isn’t it?"

Her words were sad, but the smile never left her lips. I couldn’t read her at all. Still, if I can avoid a fight, I will.

"So you want me to find that ‘doll’ for you?"

If it ran away on its own, then it wasn’t a normal doll. Probably alive. Stop. Don’t spiral.

"That’s right. If you find that disobedient child for me, I might let you pass this layer."

"Find her... Any hints? The Garden of Eternal Sleep is huge. I’ll be searching blind."

I asked as meekly as I could. Wandering the entire Garden beats fighting her only if I’m not wasting my life.

"Hints? Well, fine. I remember that child seems to love flowers. So? Which way will you choose?"

As for my answer, of course: "I’ll take your condition. I’ll find that ‘doll.’"

I don’t accept a fight I can’t win—unless I have no choice.