Ever since the last mission, I haven’t been the same.

I haven’t told the others—not even Sensei Wu. But something followed me back.

It’s not physical. Not something I can fight with a katana or burn away with a burst of energy. It’s deeper than that. I see it in the corners of my room. I hear it when everything else goes quiet. Whispers that don’t belong. A shape that disappears when I turn my head.

Sleep doesn’t come easily anymore. When it does, it’s shallow. Cold. I wake up gasping for air, my skin clammy, heart pounding like I’ve just gone ten rounds with a ghost. Maybe I have.

I thought I was just tired. Maybe overreacting. I told myself it would pass. That it was stress, adrenaline, leftover fear clinging to my mind like fog. But it’s not fading. If anything, it’s getting worse.

And she notices.

She always does.

She’s been watching me, in that quiet, thoughtful way of hers. Not the way someone stares when they’re curious—but like she’s already figured out something’s wrong. Like she’s waiting for me to admit it.

I avoid her eyes when she asks if I’m okay. I force a smile. I lie through my teeth. Because I don’t want her dragged into this.

She doesn’t deserve to carry my ghosts.

But I think part of me wishes she would.

There’s something steady about her. Like no matter how dark it gets, she wouldn’t flinch. Like if I told her everything—the dreams, the shadows, the way I feel like I’m being watched even when I’m alone—she wouldn’t run. She’d stay.

And that terrifies me.

Because I don’t know what’s real anymore.

I keep seeing things. Figures in the mirror. Reflections that move when I don’t. Whispers that sound like my name, warped and distant. The energy around me feels… wrong. Off-balance. Like something is circling me, waiting for the right moment to strike.

I thought I left the dark behind me. I thought I buried my father’s legacy. But it’s clawing back up through the cracks.

And every time she looks at me like she knows, like she sees me—not the mask, not the role, not the Green Ninja—I feel the weight of it all pressing harder.

I don’t want her caught in my mess. I don’t want the shadows that follow me to reach her.

But I also don’t want to face this alone.

Not again.