A Personal and Supernatural War

I can still remember it… this day that I have never ever forgotten when I was still called Miyazaki Hiro.

"What do you think, Ephraim?"

"…I'm not someone qualified to give you any kind of advice… after all, I have never experienced how it feels to fall in love."

At the roof area of Miyazono Old Tokyo Academy, I and my best friend were talking to each other as we are spending the lunch time after we finished eating.

"It's 2071 already… Arata knew you her entire life, I know that you're afraid of confessing to her since it may ruin your current relationship, but I highly suggest that you do it now than never. Why are you asking me this anyway? You're a man, have some balls and try to be more confident about yourself."

"I-I know that… It's just that… It's embarrassing and as you did say, it may ruin our friendship…"

"Well then, you have two choices that leads to four outcomes… One: You confess, and she accepts, which is the best-case scenario. Two: You confess, and things become weird, but at least you tried, not that bad of an outcome since you can still prove yourself later and try again."

"W-when you say it like that… I-"

Suddenly, he hit the back of my head lightly before scolding me and continuing.

"Let me finish, damn it…"

"S-sorry…"

"Ahem… Three: You don't confess, and she takes the initiative by actually liking you. Another best-case but you'll definitely lose some respect from me for making the girl confess first."

"O-Oi! Don't degrade my manliness just for that!"

"And lastly, Four: You don't confess and she really didn't like you. Both of you grow up and you suddenly get an invitation to her wedding. You attend and bring a box of tissues for your tears that are either from happiness or sorrow. Worst outcome."

As he said that line, he looked at me with his usual stiff yet calm expression devoid of any emotions. His words… hurt me.

"I…"

"You don't like it?"

I nodded which made him sigh as he looked down at me because of our slight height difference even when we are sitting on the floor.

"You're a sharp guy, Hiro… But you are also quite childish, naïve and stupid…"

"Urk!"

"But I guess that is something that isn't bad at all…"

Hearing that, I looked up at him while he is looking to afar the distance… He had this calm expression that he always wears… yet it also feels like he is carrying something heavy in his mind.

"I've seen people trying so hard to be someone likeable for the people that they love that they end up losing what makes them who they are which other people love about them."

"Rai…"

"At this age where humans are so sensitive about falling in line with what the majority agrees is right and be agreeable, people like you are a rarity…"

He chuckled for a moment before jokingly speaking.

"Hehe… Don't be gay now, I'm just saying that you're still a normal person."

"I'm straight, dude! And what kind of person did you think I am before this?!"

"Ahahahaha!!!"

After he laughed at my response, he returned his expression into a neutral one and told me his last verdict about my concern.

"Whether you confess and you two end up together or you get rejected, or you don't confess and still get her or regret it later when it's too late, it's all in your hands…"

"…"

"Here."

"Huh? Ita-!"

He flicked my forehead lightly before standing up with his lunchbox strung on his hand.

"Just like what was said to me once… Each and every decision that we make will more or less be the same in the end… In short, just choose the hell that you are most comfortable with."

"…"

Choose your own hell… Those words stuck to me for a long time after that. Whether I get scared of being rejected or I regret it when it's too late, those are all chances… those are all things that may or may not happen.

In the end, that advice paid off and with all that I am at that moment, I approached her, told her what I am feeling, and after she cried and told me everything that happened before we met again at Miyazono New Tokyo academy, I vowed to love and protect her with all of my ability.

"What do you think, Ephraim?"

"…I am happy for you two…"

Since I left Miyazono Old Tokyo academy, I and Ephraim met up at an arcade where we used to play at before I transferred. We played a game called Space Crisis, a sci-fi first-person shooter game machine.

"…Are you still angry about what I did?"

"I am."

"It was a mistake on my own part. I already talked to Mio and Yukari about this…"

After my reply, he suddenly switched to a laser machine gun and started shooting at me until my character died which killed him in the game as well.

"…"

"I already said that I am sorry."

"You shouldn't apologize to me… Your sisters are the ones who was harmed by your stupidity…"

"…"

A month ago, I transferred from the Old Tokyo academy to New Tokyo academy. After our parents' untimely death through arson, I have done all necessary things to save up the money they left, one of them is to live in the cheap housing of Sunogahara-cho in Old Tokyo.

However, since I will be studying in New Tokyo after my transfer, I left my sisters to a nearby acquaintance. An old lady pensioner who was the only person I can turn to back then when I was in a rush to follow Chikako in New Tokyo.

It was only during summer break when I tried to visit them did I come across Ephraim who brought me to a back alley to beat me up. At first, I didn't understand why, but after he told me that I am an irresponsible asshole who didn't think about the welfare of his siblings, I knew that it was my fault.

"Any explanations why you suddenly told me that your parents are still alive and the two are with them?"

"Nothing… I just… lost some memories or something…"

"…Did you sign the papers?"

"Yes. I'll be at the court hearing, don't worry."

After dragging me back to the hospital, he placed a document on my bedside table. It was a request of guardianship. With the reason of "the legal guardian being unable to financially and socially support the children", I and Rai agreed to have Mio and Yukari taken under his care.

"This is not for your sake. The moment you ceded them to just some random acquaintance, you've lost much of your credibility to me."

"You really didn't enter my mind at the time. You have a mother and sister to support back at your home country. I didn't want to add up to-"

"That's not your real reason."

"…"

Ephraim looked at me as he stood up to leave the arcade.

"You're too enamored with your obsession with chasing and caring for Arata that you forgot to care for those who are supposed to be the most important to you."

"This thing is not about-"

"Don't misunderstand me, Hiro. I have no reason to call the love between you and her as something stupid or unnecessary. The fact that she loved you as well and your willingness to accept and slowly heal the mental wounds that she sustained after being away from you is something that I really admire…"

"Rai…"

"But at the same time… is your heart that small for you to let go of the people depending on you at this hard and painful time when their hearts are broken beyond repair?"

As he said that, I saw that his neck and face have some scratch marks and bruises… that was enough for me to know how much Mio's trauma has worsened and how Rai has been enduring the pain as he hugs her as she goes through nightmare after nightmare just so she won't injure herself.

"I don't want to be sarcastic since you are also someone who just lost his parents and is going through a sense of insufficiency as a brother and guardian…"

Rai paused for a moment as he looked towards me over his shoulder.

"…but I can say with great certainty… You have chosen your own hell poorly, Hiro."

He left me with those words that deeply hurt me. I invited him over to tell him that I was happy with how my relationship is going with Chikako… but in the end, I just felt more guilty and lonely…

I really am naïve and stupid. I keep on doing things that I shouldn't do just because I am in the nick of the moment. This is something that I should have changed long ago… but in the end, it let me see her for one last time… before a bullet took her life, and I died while going against this world's hedonistic evil.

It was a stupid thing to do… but for me, it was the best that I can do before I die.

What do you think, Ephraim?

"You stupid brat… you can't hear them since you're dead, but Mio and Yukari are crying outside and can't even come in since they haven't processed everything yet…"

I can still hear him… even my sisters outside of the morgue room where my corpse is staying at before the cremation process.

"I don't know why you went to Mt. Fuji that night… even Chikako can't be contacted anymore…"

Of course, you can't contact her. She's also dead… It's just that I made Maya take her corpse somewhere and bury her peacefully instead of being used by the people who killed me.

"I made a promise to you and to them… I will take care of Mio and Yukari like they are my own children… and I will look for the ones responsible for this…"

Rai… you don't really have to-

"That promise… I will fulfill it… Then, I will avenge you."

Ephraim once told me that in his family, a promise is something that they etch not in their minds but also in their own souls.

I don't understand what that meant. It sounded like something that you can read in a manga or light novel… but the fact that he said those words and are that dedicated to fulfilling it…

Aren't I lucky to have a friend like you…?

Suddenly, things around me dimmed and when I looked for the light, I saw it behind me… but it wasn't an exit or something that made me escape from the darkness.

["Welcome to the Sumeragi Syndicate. I am Furuta Renjiro, Kanbu-Aniki and a Ferrokinetic Psychic."]

["Ephraim Seliah Chronia. Hemokinetic Psychic. I was brought here to learn more about how to control my powers and be of use to the Agency."]

I heard it from the orb of light. The voice of Rai as he talked to an adult man about something weird.

That light disappeared and reappeared at another direction and position.

["You will pay… You will pay, you low-born insect! I am a Gardener of the Miyazono Group! My comrades will not let you live after this-!"]

["Go to hell."]

Again, I heard that voice… Rai spoke as if he silenced the other person on the end of the conversation.

That light disappeared and reappeared at another direction and position again.

["I am Law. In my presence there shall be Order. In my sight, there shall be Justice. In my words, there shall be Fairness. In my philosophies, there shall be Morality…"]

["I'm sorry… Lady Himari… I have been defeated…"]

That light disappeared and reappeared at another direction and position again.

["You are Law, and I am Freedom. You seek control while I seek liberty. You believe in your outdated and unfair rules that you push onto humanity regardless of how it will make them feel… But I… I believe that humanity is the only one who has the right to define what is right and wrong…"]

["…"]

["Therefore, there is no need for comparison or speaking of ethics and philosophies… You are my enemy, and I will protect all of the humans that you called selfish and evil for doing what makes them happy."]

["Indeed. There is no need for comparison… Especially when it is clear who is protecting what is truly evil and not just what I state as evil…"]

That light disappeared and reappeared at another direction and position again.

["Why… why do you hate humanity this much…? I… I simply wanted to make them happy! I just wanted to give them the power and longevity that will free them from their limitations-"]

["That is your mistake… This isn't about me hating them. It is about me knowing what will happen once these creatures who have misaligned wills and instincts gain absolute power and immortality… Look around you… Look at what makes them happy…"]

["No… This is impossible… I did not-"]

["Humanity exists to extinguish itself. In the end, this is what they are… They find happiness in the suffering of others. They find loneliness in tranquility because they cannot escape from the clutches of chaos. They find joy in breaking virtues and perpetuating their vices. The very reason that they exist is to break the rules that they are given… The reason why I chose this young man as my vessel is because he is more aware of this fact than other people."]

That light disappeared and reappeared at another direction and position again.

["This world cannot be saved. This world has chosen to accept its doom just to enjoy its freedom until they extinguish each other's desire to live."]

["What will happen now, Law?"]

This time, there are two people with Rai's voices that are talking to each other.

["You and your loved ones has suffered through the evil of this world. It's because all of you knew that doing evil is wrong that it saved you from the corruption that it brought."]

["This power and the conversation I had with Lady Cecilia… Are you telling me to-"]

["This is a part of my promise with your ancestor who has watched over this world since its beginning… to find the people that can carry on the story of this ruined reality and prove that she was right after all."]

["Law…"]

["Go on. You have avenged your friend, righted the wrongs of this world and found out who you really are… I believe that if he can see this, he will be at peace and live a joyful life in wherever he is now."]

["…Thank you. As for this world…"]

["My job is not yet done. It may take a century or even a millennium… but once humanity has been numbed of all its desires and wishes nothing more but to end its immortality, it is time for me to tell Cecilia's remaining will as an observer to end this reality… and that will be the end of me as well… just like how it has been destined."]

That light disappeared… never to reappear again.

What… what was that?

What did I just hear and witness…? What have I just seen?

Is Ephraim… in our original world… did he end that world?

The clues left from that conversation felt like it came from a whole other reality… What was that? What did they mean? Why is it appearing now?

Suddenly, a flash of light shined on my eyes and after I regained my vision, I saw a city… a city being eaten by flames, poisonous gas and the stench of blood and smoke.

"This is…"

The roads of the city were filled with dead bodies. Many of them were stacked so high that when an army of soldiers walked over them, the blood and grime from the dead bodies leaked out to paint the surrounding area in crimson.

"That castle… isn't that from…"

I looked at where the soldiers are marching towards to and saw a castle atop a mountain that is continuously being bombarded with bombs and artillery shells. It chipped the building down, tearing it apart slowly as from even where I was standing, I can see people desperately clinging onto the walls for protection.

"Just in time…"

From around me, I heard a familiar voice… it was from a man that I personally know, but the tone of his voice sounds pained and filled with grief.

"With this… We have corrected what was wrong and avenged those that we lost."

Suddenly, the dark clouds over the city were parted as something fell from the sky. A semi-round metal shell that looked eerily familiar.

"For the Peace of Kiko… Even absolute carnage is not prohibited."

After hearing that, I knew it… I knew who it was who was speaking.

"If you cannot bow down and follow me… Burn down and don't be a hindrance to me."

It was me.

Before I can even manage to process what was happening, I felt a pressure in my chest and shoulders as if… someone was pushing me down.

"Hiroshi! Calm down! Calm down!"

"Kurumi! Hold his toes! He's regaining his consciousness!"

"Make it quick, master Rei! I can't hold this stance for too long!"

Suddenly, I regained my senses towards my body parts and when my vision cleared up, I saw a dark miasma covering my body as Reiha was holding my head, Kurumi and some Kitsune spirits are holding down my body and Kyo-san was holding his katana, seemingly ready to slash at something in an instant.

"It's here! The Mazoku is here!"

I felt something in my throat bulging out. It made breathing very difficult as I tried to vomit it out.

"Blaurgh!"

As soon as I opened my mouth, a something like a ball of human hair came out. But that ball of hair had an eye and a row of fangs that made it look like some kind of demonic spirit.

"Kyo!"

"I know!"

After it came out and seemingly wanted to re-enter my still open mouth, Kurumi shouted at Kyo-san who immediately drew out his sword and slashed the monster in half just inches away from my face.

"KYIIIIIII!!!!"

"Kurumi! Your foxfire-mujina!"

"I know!"

The hairball monster attempted to regenerate itself, but Kurumi quickly summoned her fox fires and burned the monster into nothingness.

"Hah…hah…hah…"

"Are you alright, Hiroshi?"

"Y-yes… what was that…?"

Reiha opened her eyes while her expression looked tired. It seems like my head was resting on her lap while she was doing the spell.

"First things first… Rest up. You almost turned into a monster-mujina…"

"A monster… wait, that hairball thing earlier is-"

"A Kedama mazoku, a hairball demon tried to possess you."

It was Kurumi who explained it to me as she sat on the ground, looking tired and sore from holding me down.

I looked around and save for some Yokai spirits, most of the seemingly thousands of kinds of them were no longer here.

"If you're looking for them, they volunteered to check the surroundings for any leaks to the realm of Yomi. If a Mazoku came out and specifically targeted you, it only means that the dangerous spirits from Yomi has taken an interest in you-mujina."

Yomi, the Japanese version of the underworld. I wasn't that knowledgeable but I know at least that much.

"So, what exactly happened? I wanted to continue my speech earlier but I suddenly blacked out and lost the feeling in my entire body…"

"As we said, you were possessed. We don't know since the Yokai spirits aren't here yet, but there's a huge possibility that someone wanted to use your body for something."

Hearing that, I felt somewhat strange… I looked around and finally found what was it that can prove my doubts.

"This fox mask… I thought this can protect me?"

"It did-mujina. If not for Kurumi's precaution, you'd already be a demon and we'll be performing a cleansing ritual already-mujina."

I held the broken fox mask and Reiha answered my question briefly.

"The spell that I used in that thing is the strongest that I have… The thing about a Kedama Mazoku specifically targeting you is what concerns me…"

"Yeah… Kedama monsters usually don't go after those above their weight class… the fact that it attacked you even though it knows that it may fail in the end… It only points out to one thing-mujina."

Suddenly, Reiha looked at Kurumi with a serious expression and after the fox priestess nodded towards her, the tanuki priestess looked at Kyo-san and gave her an order.

"Kyo! I am borrowing the authority of Momiji Kurumi. As the keeper of Mujina Mori shrine and the one who looks over Gensokyo, I order you to lead a force to the possible passages to Yomi and whittle down their numbers-mujina!"

"Yes!"

Kyo-san stood in attention and ran out of the forest to assemble his force.

"Kurumi. Send word to Inari-sama that we have a possible breach in the internal barrier in Gensokyo. Tell her to send out all of her fox envoys to protect the village and if Kyo comes back with dire news, completely postpone the Summer festival for the sake of the residents' security-mujina!"

"Got it! I'll be away for a moment!"

Kurumi followed her counterpart's words and teleported away, possibly straight to the main temple.

"And you, Hiroshi…"

"Y-yes…?"

"What did you see when you were being possessed-mujina?"

"I… I…"

I opened my mouth to speak but after trying to think of it, I was shocked that I remembered nothing.

"Hiroshi?"

"I… I forgot…"

"-!"

The moment I said that I forgot it, Reiha looked at me in shock as she took some steps back.

"Hiroshi… let me try it again and see if you still have remnants during the exorcism-mujina."

"O-okay…"

"<Mujinajutsu><Tanuki's Lullaby>"

She touched the temples of my head and I felt warm again at that place.

"…"

"Can you tell me what you can see?"

"I… I see nothing?"

"Hrm…"

Reiha stopped the spell and furrowed her eyebrows for a moment as if she is thinking.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah… Since you are an Otherworlder, I think using such a spell on you has damaged your spiritual self-mujina."

"Spiritual self?"

"It's the part of humans that we interact with when we use spells on them. Considering that you came from another world, you must have a weak spiritual self that ended up being damaged during the exorcism."

"…I see."

Nothing made sense to me, but it nevertheless made me fear for my own safety.

"Nothing bad will happen, trust me. It's just that if the Yokai spirits do find a hole to Yomi, we have to send you straight to the main-"

In just the most wrong of moments, a young Kappa Yokai brought the bad news.

"Lady Tanukichi!!! We have found the hole to Yomi!!!"

"Haah… You heard him, Hiroshi."

"Wait! This is-!"

"You have to be sent straight to the Temple!"

Reiha waved her hand, and I was suddenly covered in a vortex of leaves.

"We will do everything to protect you, Hiroshi… Just sit still and let us handle this."

After I gave up on voicing out my reason, the surrounding whirlwind of leaves disappeared, and I found myself inside the main temple where the tall and still blooming cherry blossom tree spread its flowers around.

"…Tch!"

I wanted to help out. I didn't want to be the one that everyone has to be worried about again… but given that the worst-case scenario has come, I had no choice but to bite my lip and settle down in here.

"If that racoon dog sent you here, it just means that there really was a hole to Yomi…"

"Yeah. A Kappa told the report shortly before she sent me here."

Kurumi came out from inside the temple and after recognizing me, spoke to me about the recent developments.

"I see… This means that the war we dreaded for so long has come…"

"War?"

"This is a realm blessed by a great spirit… If you know about the denizens of Yomi, you know that they are not the kind of people that likes places as clean as Furuya."

There is good in evil and there is evil in good. The balance of the world is a never-ending cycle of blessings and curses… but in this land where there are only blessings and almost no suffering, that balance is absent, and it makes this place just more appealing to those who live in it.

"Inari-sama already received the report earlier than Reiha did. She has decided to lock down the entire Sanctuary before the corruption spreads and the war becomes more chaotic and the people gets affected."

"Why is she so concerned with people getting possessed if they can just be exorcised?"

"It's not that simple, Hiroshi. The fact that we got to fully exorcise you earlier is already a one-in-a-million thing. And that's from a minor demon spirit. Just imagine if the most destructive ones come out of the holes and attack the village?"

"I know… wait, holes?"

"Huh? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

As I let her words echo in my head, my eyes went wide as I knew that something terrible is about to come.

"Kurumi!"

"Y-Yes?!"

I held her by the arms and with a determined expression, asked her for a favor.

"Please! Please bring me to Inari-sama! I have something to ask to her!"

I knew it… everything finally snapped into place and made me connect the events from the very start until now.

People wishing to escape… Vengeful spirits that died thousands of years ago… A night where spirits can corrupt humans and turn them into monsters… and that line… that line that Kyo-san spoke about when he was narrating it to me.

I have to help, or else, everyone in this Sanctuary is doomed to be corrupted and die out!