-eng- The Shell — Part Iii- Paradiso -v1.0.0h-

His throat closed. He knew this was a dream. He knew it was a trap. But knowing did nothing. The warmth of the kitchen pressed against him like a hand on his back, guiding him toward the table where a bowl of rice waited, steam rising in perfect spirals.

She held out her hand.

One wore a detective’s coat, but his eyes were empty sockets. Another held a woman’s hand—a woman whose face Reiji could not recognize, because it kept shifting between Toko, his mother, and someone else. Someone he had never met but felt he had mourned for centuries. -ENG- The Shell Part III- Paradiso -V1.0.0H-

“That is not salvation,” Toko whispered. His throat closed