The night fog of Yamato was beginning to thin, but the air still hung heavy with the scent of death over the battlefield, which had just transformed into a massive grave. Behind the ruins of an ancient temple, Marina walked slowly, her steps light as if she barely touched the ground. Her eyes glowed a bluish-green, piercing through the boundary between the living world and one that was nearly erased.

  “How many this time?” Marina murmured, her voice half-lazy, half-amused, yet there was an emptiness behind her smile. She sat on a large stone, pulling out a small cloth bag filled with charms and spell papers. “It seems like the power of Izanami and Izanagi is starting to gather. I’m not sure if that’s good news or bad.”

  “Zero… ten… two thousand… ugh, why do numbers always make my head spin?” Marina grimaced, ruffling her own hair. “Wow! Marina really can’t count. Fitran would be smirking if he knew I still can’t count to a million…” She paused for a moment, gazing up at the sky. “Digital statements or ancient spells, this place is filled with unspoken conflicts.”

  She looked down, noticing the remnants of fallen soldiers scattered around. Some of them were still warm, remnants of Fitran’s ultimate magic that had just obliterated two million Qihuang Shin troops. A thin mist rose, mingling with the scent of blood and damp earth. “But… does all of this have to happen? Where is the line between power and emptiness?”

  “So many souls. This world is truly wasteful.” Marina sighed softly, opening her palms and beginning to chant an incantation in an ancient tongue. “The power flowing between us seems to create a reality—one that doesn’t align with modern logic. The energy we ignore becomes a channel for Izanami and Izanagi.” The air around her vibrated, blue spiral lines appearing on the ground, lifting like strands of invisible thread.

  “Come forth, lost souls. Return, those whose names have faded from memory,” Marina gripped her rope tightly, her eyes darting around. Her voice was soft, but each word vibrated the air, piercing through the dimension where death and life were separated by a mere breath. “You have no idea how hard it is to maintain this balance. Izanami and Izanagi, they are wise… but me? Who among you can understand?”

  One by one, the souls began to flow toward the circle at Marina’s feet. Some whispered softly, some begged for forgiveness, and others laughed bitterly. “Oh come on,” she muttered, tilting her head. “Begging won’t change fate. We live in the era of smartphones, not the age of gods.” She looked at them without sympathy or hatred, even though her heart was filled with unease.

  “If only Fitran were here, he’d probably say, ‘Don’t take too much, Marina, or the balance of the world will be ruined!’” She mimicked Fitran’s voice in a teasing tone, then laughed to herself, “But… who cares about a world that’s already cracked? Technology is getting more advanced, but these souls are still trapped between two worlds, unlike Snapchat or other apps.”

  Suddenly, the ground beneath the spiral circle began to tremble, a strange cracking sound echoing. Marina raised an eyebrow, waiting for something unspoken, feeling the dark aura thickening. “Hmm, it seems we’re inviting some serious trouble, huh?” She moved her fingers, creating a wave of energy that drew the souls closer. Fragments of deadly energy danced in the air, twisting like hungry snakes searching for prey. With a curious smile, she said, “Izanami and Izanagi, are you really going to rise again, or is this just an illusion in another app?”

  Marina’s eyes widened. Something had changed in the flow of souls tonight. An ancient energy, far older than the Yamato dragons, was rising from the ground. A cold laughter echoed from the corner of death—laughter that shook the heart, toppling tranquility.

  “Hah? This… isn’t just an ordinary soldier’s soul.” Marina stood, her back tense. “Not just victims of war. This—this is their voice…”

  A voice whispered in her mind:

  Izanami… Izanagi…

  Flashes of red and blue light split the night. The spiral lines on the ground transformed into ancient symbols, forming a locking circle—Sigil of Izanami and Izanagi. Marina bit her lip, her body trembling from a surge of power she had never encountered before.

  “Alright, don’t panic. This is just some kind of bug in the system, right?” she tried to calm herself. “But if Izanami and Izanagi are awake…”

  “I was just about to collect the remnants of their souls, and now this spiral is reacting?” she muttered, frustrated. “Don’t tell me—Fitran awakened something that was supposed to stay buried?”

  Marina turned, sharpening her magical senses. In the distance, she could still hear Fitran and Wu Xianying echoing across the battlefield. “Ninja technology vs ancient power—this seems like a blockbuster movie I never wanted,” she said, extending her hand to feel the vibrations in the air.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “But am I ready to face them? Izanami and Izanagi—am I just stirring up trouble?” she whispered with doubt, her heart racing. “My smartphone should be able to detect threats like this.”

  Her hands trembled, and she frowned. “If they return, what will happen to me? Will this power change me? I don’t want to be a puppet in their game.”

  Marina took a deep breath, feeling her heartbeat. “If they rise, like the gods in myths, there will surely be consequences. But… can I control it, or will they control me?”

  Beneath the ground of Yamato, a darker world began to stir, spewing forth names forgotten by history.

  Marina pulled out two dolls from her pocket—both motionless, their alabaster skin covered with red and blue thread over their eyes. “This should work,” Marina murmured, touching the doll with her fingertip, “but in this world, sometimes all the advanced technology can fail. So, Izanami and Izanagi, are you ready to rise or still feeling lazy?”

  “The dolls… still inactive,” Marina whispered, her voice choked. She held her breath, feeling the hot vibrations rising from the sigil circle on the ground. “Not yet. If I force it, these souls will go out of control. This world isn’t ready.” With her jaw clenched, she added, “Don’t you dare come out, you guys. There’s still so much to resolve in this world.”

  Suddenly, that cold laughter returned, louder, more real. Marina felt her breath catch. “All these gadgets and rituals could become useless if they rise. Am I willing to take that risk? It seems this ancient door isn’t as safe as I thought,” she said softly, biting her lip.

  “No, it’s not the time. I mustn’t… No, I won’t challenge primal beings right now. If I force the dolls to rise, I could perish too.” For a moment, she remembered a photo with all her lost friends; “If this becomes a new problem, I swear, nothing will be left.”

  Cold sweat dripped from her temples. She looked westward, toward the battlefield that was starting to quiet down, and southwest, where the two ancient powers awaited each other. “I hope my plane is ready for takeoff, but what if all of that returns to darkness? Izanami and Izanagi, just stay where you are,” she said, trying to calm herself.

  Marina spoke to herself, half-whispering, half-threatening the shadows behind her. “Why now? Why after all this bloodshed do they rise?” she bit her lip. “Fitran must be involved. Whether he did it on purpose or not, the Yamato spiral never sleeps if his name is mentioned…”

  A rumble echoed, as if the subconscious world of Yamato itself was angry. Marina held her breath, stowing the two dolls back into her bag. “Like a drama on repeat, huh? This world, with all its technology and connected wires, seems unable to escape its fate,” she thought, sweeping the remnants of the victim souls into a crystal tube. “And I’m caught in the middle of it all.” She clutched her protective charm tightly. “Look what you’ve done, Fitran! You can challenge anyone, even Wu Xianying. But… you’ll have a hard time once the spiral fully opens the way for the primals,” she said with a bitter smile, the reddish-blue glow from the spiral making her eyes shine with tension.

  Darkness crept in, the glowing blue-red spiral beginning to rise to the surface. “What are they hiding?” she asked herself. “The aura of Izanami and Izanagi is seeping into the air—making the night colder.” The laughter returned, more real, more piercing to the soul. “They’re not afraid. But me? There’s a chill in my head; the cells in this body are responding to the threat.”

  Marina took a long breath, gazing toward the battlefield, then at the two dolls in her pocket. She turned and walked quickly toward the forest.

  “Today is not the day,” she murmured softly, as if speaking to the shadows. “The power of Izanami and Izanagi is starting to swell again. I can’t ignore it, but I also can’t face it.” She bit her lip, feeling the weight on her chest. “Am I strong enough to endure? I hope they don’t truly rise,” she said, glancing back as if ensuring no one was watching.

  “This technology could be a weapon, but not against ancient powers like them,” she continued, her voice growing quieter. “But hey, I have a smartphone. Maybe I can see news of their rise on social media before everything goes chaotic.” She smiled cynically, underestimating the sophistication of her gadget. “I’m more curious if I can tweet about the end of the world before it happens.”

  She paused for a moment, staring at the darkening sky, then smiled bitterly, “Just hoping that a power older than time doesn’t end with a quick ‘game over.’ Fitran, if you survive tonight, I’ll be waiting for you in the in-between world—or in the spirit world. Don’t expect me to intervene if primal beings show up. That’s too risky.”

  “The times have changed, and behind this phone screen, there might be answers, or maybe just illusions,” she said, glancing at her phone for a moment. “But this is my life. I want to live long enough to eat bao buns again, teehee!” she said in a casual tone, even though her heart was racing. With a nimble movement, Marina disappeared behind the trees. Darkness swallowed her steps, leaving only the rustling of leaves and the sighs of the remaining souls as witnesses that the night of Yamato had just crossed the threshold from the old world into a darker one.

  From a distance, Marina’s voice could still be heard faintly, like a spell or a curse cast into the midnight air:

  “The Yamato spiral has begun to move,” she said casually, though her eyes scanned the surrounding darkness. “The dolls of Izanami and Izanagi aren’t usable yet... but somehow, I can feel it. When the time comes, even the advanced technology we rely on won’t save us from the fate of the spiral awakening their primals.”

  Marina paused for a moment, staring at the sky that seemed filled with twinkling digital stars. “You know, there’s something strange about relying on these machines and modern tools. They can’t feel this tension… or the creeping darkness.”

  And the night closed in, leaving Yamato shivering. No more sounds of war, only a vibrating silence waiting for a new era to begin—an era where death, love, and ancient power would blend, testing who was worthy to survive in a world that never sleeps. “Who will come first, Izanami or Izanagi?” she whispered softly, as if asking herself and the world that awaited.