Gatekeeper’s Call

The forest's whispers followed us back to Grandma's village, clinging to my skin like damp fog. The pendant around my neck felt heavier, its pulse unsteady after sealing the river gate. I'd closed it—I'd done that—but the victory felt hollow. The spirit's words, The Feast demands entry, echoed in my mind, and the air tasted wrong, like ash and longing.

Something was coming, and it wasn't just another rogue spirit. Haruto walked beside me, his shinai tapping his shoulder, his usual chatter replaced by a tense silence. Hana Fujimoto led the way, her flute tucked into her belt, her moss-green hair dulled by the moonless night. Aiko floated at the rear, uncharacteristically quiet, her red eyes scanning the shadows.

The forest nexus had shaken us all, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we'd only brushed the surface of something vast and ravenous. We reached Grandma's house, its sagging roof a faint outline against the stars. I wanted to collapse, to pretend this was just a visit to a childhood memory, but the pendant's pulse said otherwise.

"We need to talk," I said, my voice sharper than I meant.

"That spirit wasn't random. It knew me." Hana nodded, leaning against the gate.

"No kidding. The nature spirits are freaking out—saying the Hollow Feast isn't just waking, it's being called. Someone's stirring the pot, and it's not you two."Haruto frowned, rubbing his neck.

"Called? Like, on purpose? Who'd be dumb enough to mess with hungry spirits?" Aiko's smirk was gone, her voice low.

"Someone who knows the old pacts. The Hollow Feast isn't just a ritual—it's a trap. Feed the right spirits, and you can control them. Feed the wrong ones, and…" She trailed off, her eyes distant.I clutched the pendant, its warmth flickering.

"And what?" Aiko met my gaze, and for the first time, she looked almost… scared.

"You get eaten. Body, soul, memories—gone." The words hung heavy, and a cold wind swept through the yard.

The ground pulsed, not like the gate's glow but something deeper, like a heartbeat from below. My vision blurred, and I saw it—a shadow, not in the yard but in my mind, with eyes like voids and a smile that promised oblivion. Gatekeeper, it whispered. Feed us.I staggered, and Haruto caught me.

"Yuna! What's wrong?"I shook my head, the vision fading.

"Something's watching. It's… hungry." Hana's flute hummed, unprompted, and she cursed.

"The nexus is still active. Whatever's calling the Feast, it's close."

Okay, I'm not gonna lie: I was freaking out. Yuna's face was pale, her eyes wide like she'd seen a ghost—well, worse than a ghost. Aiko was acting weird, Hana's flute was going rogue, and the whole forest felt like it wanted to eat us. My pact was supposed to be about snacks, not some cosmic horror show.

But Yuna needed me, so I gripped my shinai and tried to look like I had a clue."Let's get inside," I said, nudging Yuna toward the house.

"We'll figure this out. Right, Aiko?" Aiko didn't answer, just floated to the door, her twin tails drooping.

That scared me more than anything—she was never quiet. Inside, we huddled in Grandma's dusty living room, the tatami mats creaking under us. Hana lit a candle, its flicker casting shadows that moved too much for my liking.

"Yuna," Hana said, her usual grin replaced by a grim line."

What did you see?" I watched Yuna, her hands trembling as she held the pendant.

"A shadow," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. " It called me gatekeeper.

Said to feed it. "Hana's eyes narrowed.

"That's not a spirit. That's a Devourer. Old, nasty things tied to the Hollow Feast. My family's songs can't touch them—they're beyond nature." Aiko finally spoke, her voice flat.

"She's right. Devourers don't serve pacts. They break them. If one's sniffing around, someone's feeding it power. And they're using your gate, Yuna." I slammed my hand on the floor.

"Who? Kaito? His Mizuno family's all about control, right?" Aiko shook her head.

"Kaito's a jerk, but he's small-time. This is bigger. Older." The candle flickered, and a new voice cut through the room—smooth, cold, like oil sliding over glass.

"Perceptive, little spirit. But you're late to the table." We spun toward the door. A figure stood there, cloaked in black, their face hidden by a hood.

Their hands were pale, clutching a staff topped with a cracked bell that rang softly, each chime making my skin crawl. The air grew thick, and my stomach twisted—not with hunger, but with a void, like everything good was being sucked away.

"Who are you?" Yuna demanded, standing, her pendant glowing faintly.

The figure tilted their head, and I glimpsed eyes under the hood—silver, unblinking, like coins.

"Call me the Herald," they said.

"I serve the Feast's true host. The gates are opening, gatekeeper. Your blood will light the way." Hana played a sharp note on her flute, and vines shot from the floor, but the Herald raised their staff, and the vines withered, crumbling to ash.

"Your Fujimoto tricks are quaint," they said.

"Nature bends to hunger." I grabbed my shinai, heart pounding.

"Back off, creep! You're not touching Yuna!" The Herald laughed, a sound that made my teeth ache.

"The pact boy. Your little food games woke the Feast. You're as much to blame as she." Aiko snarled, her form flickering with red light.

"Enough talk. Haruto, salt circle, now!" I scrambled, pouring salt from my bag (yeah, I'd started carrying it everywhere).

Yuna joined me, her pendant flaring as she traced symbols in the air, her eyes fierce despite the fear. Hana played a frantic melody, summoning glowing motes that swirled around us.

"Fujimoto technique: spirit ward!" she shouted, her voice strained.

"It'll buy time!" The Herald raised their staff, and the bell's chime grew deafening.

The shadows in the room twisted, coalescing into a new spirit—a Devourer, just as Hana described. It was humanoid but wrong, its body a patchwork of bone and shadow, its mouth a gaping maw lined with teeth like broken glass. It didn't speak, but its presence screamed hunger, pulling at my memories—Sparkle-chan's song, Mom's oyakodon, Yuna's smile.

"Yuna!" I shouted, finishing the circle.

"Do your gate thing!" She nodded, raising the pendant.

"This is my gate," she said, her voice trembling but strong.

"You're not welcome!" The pendant's light clashed with the Devourer's darkness, and the room shook.

Hana's motes flared, forming a barrier, but the Devourer's maw widened, swallowing the light. Aiko dove in, her form glowing.

"Pact power, don't fail me!" she yelled, channeling energy into Yuna's barrier.

The Herald watched, unmoving.

"You delay the inevitable," they said.

"The Feast's host rises. The Takahashis' blades, the Fujimotos' songs, the Mizunos' bindings—none will stop it.

Feed the Devourer, or it takes all." I felt it then—the pact's magic, not warm like before, but cold, desperate.

I grabbed Yuna's hand, ignoring the sparks between us.

"We're a team," I said, pouring my will into the circle. " Kick its butt, gatekeeper.

"Yuna's eyes met mine, and something clicked. Her pendant blazed, and the gate's light surged, pushing the Devourer back. Hana's flute hit a piercing note, and the ward tightened, cracking the spirit's form. With a final scream, the Devourer shattered, its fragments dissolving into the floor.The Herald clapped slowly, their bell silent.

 "Impressive. But the Feast grows. Find the river gate, gatekeeper. Your host awaits." They vanished, leaving only the stench of decay.

The candle went out, and we collapsed, panting.

My hands shook as I clutched the pendant, its glow gone. The Devourer's hunger lingered in my mind, a void that wanted everything—my memories of Grandma, my lunch with Haruto, even the cookies I'd baked.

Haruto's hand was still on mine, warm and steady, and I didn't pull away.

"What was that?" I whispered, my voice raw.

Hana slumped against the wall, her flute cracked.

"A Devourer's just the appetizer. The Herald's working for someone—something—bigger. My family's songs can ward off spirits, but that thing… it's beyond us."Aiko flickered, her form dimmer.

"The Herald's right. The Feast's got a host—a real player. Not a spirit, but someone who knows the old pacts. They're using your gate, Yuna, to open the others." Haruto squeezed my hand, his face grim.

"Then we find the river gate and stop them. Right?" I nodded, but fear gnawed at me. Grandma had guarded the gate alone, but I wasn't her.

I was just Yuna, the girl who hid in books, who'd run from her past. Yet the pendant's pulse said I couldn't run anymore.Hana stood, wincing.

"My family's got one more trick—spirit messengers. I'll send word to the Fujimotos, see if they know about this host. But we're on borrowed time." Aiko's eyes met mine, and I saw something new—respect.

"You're not just a gatekeeper, Yuna. You're the Feast's target. Stay sharp." I swallowed, standing.

"I will. For Grandma. For us."Haruto grinned, though his eyes were tired.

"Team Snack Summoner, ready to roll. But, uh, maybe we grab some ramen first?" I laughed, the sound fragile but real.

The darkness was coming, but with Haruto, Hana, and Aiko, I'd face it. The Herald and their host could wait. The gatekeeper's blood was awake, and it wasn't hungry—it was angry.