The Pillow Pathway (Episode 4)

The Pillow Pathway is the fourth episode of the anime series.

Synopsis
Ginko pays a visit to a man named Jin who has premonitions in his dreams as a result of a mushi affliction caused by Imeno no Awai.

Plot
Ginko pays a visit to a man named Jin, who has premonitions in his dreams and tells him its due to a mushi. He gives him medicine and tells him that when his dreams start occurring more often, he should take the medicine, but not overdose himself as he will die. Before leaving, Ginko tells Jin that he will return about the time his medicine runs out.

Almost a year later, Ginko returns to find the village abandoned. He reaches Jin's house and sees Jin waiting there. Jin explains that he had premonitions of things and helped the village numerous times with people always thanking him with food or whatever else they can give him. As his dreams start occurring more often, Jin started to fear they are not just premonitions, but he is causing the events from his dreams. He started taking the medicine, but soon after a tsunami hits them and his daughter Mayu dies with the villagers disappointed he couldn't predict that incident. He then stopped taking the medicine and one day had an awful dream of his wife Kinu and villagers being infected by green moss and crumbling to pieces. As that dream became reality, he realized he is indeed the cause and its not a premonition. Jin asks Ginko if that is indeed true and Ginko explains that you can't severe yourself from that mushi and some people can't handle the truth of what they could due do due to their dreams. Ginko explains that Imeno no Awai lives in the host dreams, but occasionally leaves the dreams and make the dream reality. There is a bridge between the real world and the dreams that only mushi can traverse it, and where the mushi sleep while the host is awake.

Ginko starts studying the Mushi, but in the night, Jin goes and takes all of the medicine, trying to kill himself. As he loses conciousness, he starts dreaming and Ginko manages to talk to him and even see his dream. Jin starts to dream about his family and then his house on fire while he sleeps, which causes fire in the real world. Ginko takes him outside and wakes up. Jin realizes his pillow is where the mushi is and goes and cuts it with his sword, but a slice cut also opens on his chest. Ginko manages to give him first aid and save his live.

Later Jin started working as blade sharpener again and got a bit famous for it. But in time he became disturbed and often would swing his sword around the village and eventually stabbed himself. Jin was afraid to sleep, but ever since he slices the pillow, he never had any more dreams.