"I'd prefer to have them on and I believe it's none of your business."

"Geez! You've become quite rude over the years," Zach giggled. "Anyhow, if you're not familiar with that, then you may go."

"Cool," Takumi stood up right away and walked towards the door, leading outside. He's about to turn the knob open when Zach spoke again, almost in a whisper.

"But, I still have my eyes on you, boy."

"Do whatever pleases you," Takumi left and by the time he reached the ground floor, his fist had come in contact with the wall. "Curse you!" He groaned. "Curse you, Zach!"

Tall, green grasses thrash at his legs as dews, left on shrubs, scintillated, sweeping pass his peripheral vision. Shadows keep on emerging one after another and swiftly vanishes before being seen. Takumi knew there were souls watching him ever since he's born, but today, things had gotten clearer.

"Ugh!" He groaned, pressing his eyes with one hand in sudden intense pain. Little by little, the vibrant grasses turned red as the blue skies turned yellow to green. "W-What's going on?!" He stuttered, batting his eyes in panic—hopeful that his vision will turn back to normal if he kept on doing so. He moved and then ran back to where his parents had set the mats for their picnic.
"Honey?! What's wrong?" Takumi's mother immediately met him in the meadows, halfway from their spot, when she heard her son screaming. She knelt down in attempt to check on him, but he's covering his face with both hands and refuses to remove them.

"Honey, it's okay, mom's here. Did something get into your eyes? I told you not to get too far, didn't I?" Charlotte's voice is as gentle as her touch which never fails to calm him. "Now, let mom see."

Takumi shook his head. He's scared; he knows he'll see something even more terrifying once he removed his hands and he doesn't want that.

"What's going on?"

He flinched when he heard his father's voice approaching. While his mother is a benign woman, his father, on the other hand, is quite a contrary. Takuya Takahashi is extremely strict and refuses to accept nor see any weakness within his family and showing fear is no different, even from a child. Charlotte stood straight and moved in front of Takumi to cover him up. "Nothing, dear. Takumi only saw a wild animal over there. It must be really huge."

"Stop covering for him, Charlotte, and move aside," Takuya forcefully yet carefully pulled her beside him. "Remove your hands at once, son," he commanded. "Let me see," even though his voice sounded authoritative, Takumi could feel his father's concern this time and it overwhelms him. Slowly, he did what was told.

"Oh god! It's happening!" Takumi's forehead creased when he saw his mother's eyes well up, but what confuses him the most are the numbers hovering above his parents' heads. He wasn't able to say anything when his father placed his hand son his eyes, forcing him to close them back. "Don't be scared," Takuya whispered, securing him with an embrace.

"Thirteen hours?" Arms tremblingly wrapping around his father's waist, Takumi whispered. "What does it mean?"

Most immediately, men in black suits came and escorted the family back to their home and the entire time, Takumi was instructed to keep his eyes close. He didn't question it either as he doesn't want to see anything himself.

"Keep it on, honey," Charlotte spoke as she carefully wrapped a red cloth around Takumi's eyes and led him on the red mat placed in the middle of their house where a protection circle, perhaps, a ritual circle, has been drawn. It's made of unknown elements used to counter evil entities. Although he couldn't see anything, Takumi's senses started creating images in his mind as though he could see through his blindfolded eyes.

He caressed the ground with his little hands once he sat down the soft mat and much to his astonishment, he could distinguish its color, its size, its shape... everything. He didn't have any idea to what's going on and it's starting to scare him. '

'Twas just a good thing that his mother stayed by his side. A moment later, unfamiliar voices started circulating their spacious house and they're talking in a language he's familiar yet not fluent with: Russian.

"You know this day will eventually come," a voice of a woman in thick Russian accent rose from his left. Takumi, indeed, saw her coming and it wasn't a surprise to the woman at all.
"Who are you?" Takumi asked and she tittered.

"You can see me child," her words drew confusion to Charlotte, but she wasn't given the chance to ask when the woman looked at her.
"Please step out of the circle."

"What? No! Don't leave me, mom," Takumi sniveled, clutching his hands on his mother's clothes, refusing to let go. Nevertheless, with a little more explanation, he was forced to do so.
The moment Charlotte let go of him, everything went silent; he felt as if he lost his hearing that he started to freak out. "Calm down," the woman's voice echoed out of nowhere. He's certain he didn't hear it; it only reechoed in his mind.

"M-Mom! Dad! Where are you? What's happening?"

"You don't have to think about it," the woman's voice flowed in the air, crossing eight dimensions that he couldn't tell where it's coming from. "Let go of your thoughts. Clear your mind. Fall in deep slumber."