After the joyful reunion and an emotional dinner filled with nostalgia, Aldric and Rafiki decided to take a walk outside to unwind and catch up. The cool night air of Kisiriku was refreshing as they strolled through the village, talking about everything from their travels to village politics.

Meanwhile, Vaba, Celine, and Komura retreated to the guest room, eager to indulge in a night of light-hearted banter and the comfort of each other’s company. The room was warm and inviting, lit by the soft glow of a few lanterns, casting a cozy ambiance over the space.

“Well, it’s been too long since we’ve had a night like this,” Vaba remarked as she poured tea for everyone, settling onto the plush cushions.

Komura chuckled as she accepted her cup. “I’ve missed this, truly. There’s nothing quite like being home and just talking without the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

Celine smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Speaking of weight, how do you handle Rafiki’s presence? I imagine he’s quite the… demanding husband.”

Komura blushed slightly, a smirk playing on her lips. “Oh, you have no idea. He’s very… particular about things. Let’s just say he knows what he wants, and he doesn’t hesitate to make it known.”

Vaba laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “That sounds like Rafiki alright. Aldric, on the other hand, is more of the silent type. You have to coax things out of him sometimes, but once you do, he’s quite… attentive.”

Celine giggled, a teasing lilt to her voice. “Attentive, huh? I’d say Aldric has the same intensity as Rafiki but in his own way. And we all know how intense that can be.”

Komura rolled her eyes playfully. “Oh, believe me, I know. But you know, for all his arrogance and seriousness, Rafiki has a soft spot—especially for Alicia.”

At the mention of the name, Vaba and Celine perked up. “Alicia?” Vaba asked, curiosity piqued.

“Yes, Rafiki’s daughter from his first marriage,” Komura explained, her voice softening. “She was born just before we were married, but her mother didn’t survive the birth. She’s five now… such a sweet little girl, with her father’s eyes and her mother’s smile.”

Celine leaned in, her tone empathetic. “That must have been difficult for Rafiki, losing his first wife like that.”

“It was,” Komura nodded, her gaze distant as she thought of the little girl. “But Alicia is a joy, really. I adore her. She’s with her nurse back in Yakumo right now, but I think about her all the time. She’s a reminder of the fragility of life.”

As the conversation drifted from light-hearted banter to more personal matters, Komura’s smile faltered slightly, her gaze becoming more introspective. She toyed with her teacup, her movements slowing as if lost in thought. After a moment, she spoke, her voice tinged with something more than just concern. "There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you both... something that’s been on my mind for a while."

Vaba and Celine exchanged curious glances, sensing a shift in the atmosphere. Vaba leaned in, her voice gentle. "What is it, dear?"

Komura hesitated, her lips curling into a faint, almost secretive smile. "I’ve been hearing a voice. It’s not just a passing thought; it’s more like a presence that’s always there, whispering to me. Telling me things I’ve never considered before."

Celine raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "A voice? What does it say?"

Komura’s eyes seemed to glow with a strange light, a flush of color rising to her cheeks as she spoke. "It tells me I’m special, that there’s something out there meant just for me. It’s almost like… like it understands me in a way no one else does. It makes me feel alive, desired, in a way that’s hard to explain."

Vaba frowned, her maternal instincts on high alert. "Komura, what do you mean by ‘desired’? This voice... how does it make you feel?"

Komura’s gaze turned distant, almost dreamy, as if she were recalling a forbidden memory. "It’s like... it’s calling to a part of me that’s been asleep for so long. The voice tells me I’m the chosen one, that I have a purpose beyond what I’ve been living. Sometimes, it feels like... like it’s seducing me, pulling me into something I shouldn’t want, but I can’t resist."

Celine glanced at Vaba, her concern deepening. "Komura, are you sure this isn’t just... maybe stress or loneliness playing tricks on you?"

Komura shook her head slowly, a soft, wistful smile playing on her lips. "I don’t know, but it feels so real, so powerful. It’s like there’s something—or someone—waiting for me, and I can’t help but be drawn to it. It’s intoxicating."

Vaba felt a chill run down her spine as she watched her daughter’s expression shift from uncertainty to something more akin to longing. "Komura, this isn’t like you. You’ve always been so strong, so grounded. What’s happening to you?"

Komura blinked, her eyes snapping back to the present as if she’d been caught in a trance. "I don’t know, Mother. I feel like I’m being pulled in two different directions, and I don’t know which one is right."

Vaba and Celine exchanged another worried glance, both women now fully aware that something was very wrong. The Komura they knew was slipping away, replaced by this infatuated, almost delirious version of herself.

Vaba’s heart raced as she searched for the right words. “Komura, maybe you’re just tired… all the traveling, the stress of managing a new life. Perhaps you need to rest, clear your mind.”

But Komura shook her head, a wild light in her eyes. “No, Mother, you don’t understand. This is real. The voice… it’s real.”

Celine reached out, placing a hand on Komura’s arm in an attempt to calm her. “Komura, we’re worried about you. This doesn’t sound like you.”

Komura’s gaze snapped to Celine, and for a moment, the intensity in her eyes made Celine’s breath catch. But then, as quickly as it had come, the moment passed. Komura’s expression softened slightly, and she forced a smile. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to worry you both. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I just need some sleep.”

Vaba seized the opportunity, standing up and gently guiding Komura toward the bed. “Yes, rest. We can talk more in the morning. Everything will feel clearer after a good night’s sleep.”

Celine nodded, helping Vaba settle Komura under the blankets. “We’ll be right here if you need anything, Komura. Just call for us.”

Vaba and Celine exchanged one last worried glance before they quietly left the room, closing the door behind them.

As they walked down the dimly lit corridor, Vaba’s mind raced with concern. “Something’s not right, Celine. We need to talk to Rafiki about this. He needs to know what’s going on with Komura.”

Celine nodded, her face pale with worry. “Yes, I agree. But we need to be careful… Rafiki might not take this well.”

Vaba’s jaw tightened as she steeled herself for what was to come. “We’ll find the right moment. But whatever’s happening to Komura, we can’t ignore it.” and went off to find Aldric and Rafiki.

*

“He is a man of stature. Instead of staying in this old bore of a town, it would be so much better for him to be with us. What a waste of such talent,” Rafiki mused as he walked toward the guest room. After a lengthy conversation with Aldric, he looked satisfied enough, but a shadow of doubt still lingered in his mind.

As Rafiki reached for the door handle, he heard faint noises from within. Curious, he opened it slightly and peered inside. His heart skipped a beat at the sight before him.

Komura stood in the center of the room, naked, her clothes discarded on the floor.

But it wasn’t just her nudity that shocked him—it was the way she was behaving. She was hugging the empty air, her arms wrapped around something that wasn’t there, her body swaying slightly as if she were lost in a trance.

“Ko-” Rafiki began, but he was cut off by Komura’s voice, soft and almost sing-song, laced with a strange, unsettling undertone.

“Ahh… this is my fate,” she murmured, her eyes unfocused, a strange smile curving her lips. “Don’t you think so too, Rafiki?”

Her eyes, now a terrifying shade of red, locked onto his, and Rafiki felt a shiver run down his spine. That smile, that expression—it was as if she wasn’t herself anymore.

Without thinking, Rafiki strode toward her and slapped her across the face, the sound echoing through the room. The force of the blow sent her sprawling to the floor, but she didn’t cry out. Instead, she looked up at him, still smiling, as if mocking his efforts to bring her back to reality.

“You’re doing it again!” Rafiki’s voice trembled with rage and fear. “Even when I told you not to. Do you enjoy living like this, like a disgraceful…?” His words caught in his throat, his anger making it hard to breathe.

But Komura only laughed softly, a wet cough interrupting her mirth as she spat out blood-tinged saliva. “Disgraceful? No, this… this is the purest form of loyalty. You wouldn’t understand, Rafiki. You’re blind to what’s really happening.”

Rafiki’s heart pounded in his chest as a voice that wasn’t Komura’s seemed to drift into the room, so faint he wasn’t sure if he heard it at all.

“Yes, Komura… you understand. You are chosen, destined for greatness.”

Komura’s eyes glazed over, her smile widening as she stood up slowly, her movements almost mechanical. “I have a role to play,” she whispered, her voice distant, as if speaking to someone only she could hear. “This is my destiny.”

“Destiny this, destiny that!” Rafiki shouted, desperation creeping into his tone. “What has happened to you, Komura? You weren’t like this—this isn’t you!”

But Komura didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, the voice grew stronger, more insistent, wrapping itself around her mind like a serpent.

“This man, Komura… he stands in the way of the future we’re building together.”

Komura hesitated, a flicker of resistance passing through her eyes. “But… he’s my—”

“Temporary emotions, Komura. Such things are fleeting, insignificant. You must look beyond them, see the grand scheme of things. His death is necessary… for everything to begin.”

Rafiki watched in horror as Komura’s expression changed, her eyes darkening, her smile twisting into something more sinister. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice eerily calm, “I see now. It’s all temporary.”

Before Rafiki could react, Komura approached him slowly, her hand reaching out to touch his face with a strange tenderness. “Rafiki,” she whispered, her voice low and almost regretful, “just one last look… before I fulfill my destiny.”

But Rafiki wasn’t fooled by her gentle tone. He slapped her hand away, his anger boiling over. “Komura, stop this madness!” he shouted, but the words fell on deaf ears.

In a flash, Komura lunged at him, her movements erratic and filled with a desperate energy. Rafiki grabbed her arms, trying to hold her back, but she was stronger than she appeared, her strength fueled by a force he couldn’t comprehend.

They struggled, hands grappling, bodies colliding in a brutal, primal dance. Komura’s eyes were wild, her breath ragged as she fought with a ferocity Rafiki had never seen before. In the chaos, a glass vase shattered, and Komura’s hand closed around a jagged shard.

With a swift, desperate motion, she drove the glass into Rafiki’s neck, the jagged edge slicing through flesh and muscle. His eyes widened in shock and pain, blood pouring from the wound as he staggered backward, his hands clutching at his throat.

Komura watched him with an eerie calmness as he collapsed to the floor, his life draining away in front of her. She stood over him, breathing heavily, her hand still gripping the bloody shard of glass.

As Rafiki’s life ebbed away, Komura’s mind drifted back to the voice that had guided her every step. She smiled, dropping the shard and moving to the bed, her body trembling as she imagined herself growing closer and closer to the voice in her head, the warmth of its presence wrapping around her like a comforting embrace.

“Yes,” she whispered, curling up on the bed as she closed her eyes, “I’m coming… I’m yours…” and left her breath.

Rafiki’s breaths grew shallower, the blood pooling around him as his vision faded. In his final moments, he saw only Komura, lost to him, lost to everything.