The Spirit of the Lantern Bridge

In the bustling city of Hoshikawa, the heart of Midori-Iro’s Hikari Kōzō culture, there is an urban legend that has persisted for generations. The story, whispered among the city’s night owls and young thrill-seekers, is known as The Spirit of the Lantern Bridge.

Hoshikawa, famed for its light-based architecture, is home to the magnificent Lantern Bridge, a structure that glows with an ethereal light from thousands of hand-crafted lanterns strung along its length. The bridge connects two major districts across the serene Kage River, and by day, it is a popular path for commuters and tourists. But at night, the Lantern Bridge takes on a different aura—one that is steeped in mystery and fear.

The legend dates back to the days when Hoshikawa was still developing into the advanced metropolis it is today. In the early days of the Lantern Bridge’s construction, there was a brilliant engineer named Fumiko Yoshida, a visionary who had been entrusted with designing the city’s lighting system and the intricate lanterns that would illuminate the bridge. She was known for her meticulous attention to detail and her deep belief that light was not just a practical necessity but a living force that connected the world of the living with the spirits of the past.

Fumiko worked tirelessly to ensure that every lantern on the bridge was perfectly crafted, but as the project neared completion, tragedy struck. One night, while making her final adjustments to the lanterns, a terrible storm rolled in. The Kage River, usually calm and still, became violent and unforgiving. In the midst of the storm, Fumiko disappeared, swept away by the raging waters. Her body was never found, and the city mourned the loss of their beloved engineer.

After her disappearance, strange things began to happen on the Lantern Bridge. It started with flickering lights—lanterns that would suddenly dim or brighten as if being tampered with by invisible hands. Then, late at night, people crossing the bridge would report hearing faint footsteps behind them, though no one else would be there. Some claimed to see a shadowy figure at the far end of the bridge, standing just at the edge of the light, watching but never approaching.

The most chilling part of the legend came from those who dared to walk the bridge alone after midnight. They said that if you crossed the bridge at this time, carrying no light of your own, the lanterns would slowly begin to go out one by one, following you as you walked, until you were enveloped in total darkness. And in that darkness, you would feel a cold, gentle hand on your shoulder—Fumiko’s hand, some believed—guiding you back toward the river’s edge. Those who felt her touch claimed they heard her soft voice in the wind, whispering a warning: “Beware the light that burns too bright.”

As the years passed, the legend grew. Some said Fumiko’s spirit lingered on the Lantern Bridge, not out of malice, but because she was still tethered to her life’s work, ensuring the lanterns continued to shine as they were meant to. Others believed her spirit was trapped, forever seeking a way back to the world of the living, but unable to leave the bridge.

Many residents now avoid the bridge late at night, particularly on stormy evenings, fearing the ghostly presence of Fumiko Yoshida. Yet there are still those who venture across, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure, to hear the whispered warning, or to feel the gentle hand of the engineer who gave her life to the city of light.

In recent years, some of the city’s youth have turned the legend into a dare—cross the Lantern Bridge at midnight with no light, and see if you can make it to the other side before the darkness catches you. But even the bravest among them admit that when the lanterns start to dim, and the wind picks up, there’s an undeniable feeling that someone—or something—is watching.

To this day, no one knows if Fumiko’s spirit truly haunts the Lantern Bridge or if the stories are just the product of an overactive imagination. But one thing is certain: when the night is quiet and the lanterns flicker in the breeze, it’s hard not to feel a presence lingering just beyond the edge of the light.