'Finding humanity in the lurking shadows'

"I remind myself of the darkness present in me whenever I look at my shadow."***

Another morning, the beginning of another day. I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and yawned as I still laid on my bed, not budging. My alarm went off and I sat up, putting it off. I got off my bed and pulled up my curtains to see the sun giving me a bright smile.

"Yawwn ... It's only 7. I woke up early today." I scratched my hair, folded my sheets, prepared the bath and boiled eggs for breakfast.

I came back after having my bath and ate toast and eggs.

Putting on my sweatshirt and shorts, I took my cap and mask with me as I locked the entrance to my apartment.

"Good morning!" The Landlady greeted.

I bowed and greeted her back, then took off for my work.

My work? I was a monster who hunted for monsters.

I made my way to the station and waited for my meeting with a client of the affiliate. I sat down on a bench on the platform.

After about ten minutes, a woman came up to me and sat next to me. She wore an elegant red dress with a hat and a classy handbag. She handed me a letter which she took out from her bag and then whispered, "The decision you make today will change tomorrow." And she got up and went on her way ahead.

I wondered what she meant while I opened the letter to read the instructions for the quest I was assigned to today.

"A monster at Meiji Shrine. Conquer it. You will have a decision to make."

"What decision awaits for me, I wonder?"

I boarded the train to Tokyo.

After three and half hours or so, I reached Tokyo.

I got off at the station at as I was walking my way out, a boy's shoulder hit mine. I turned back to look at him, and saw that he was wearing a lion coloured hoodie with the words 'SHADOW' and black jeans, but I couldn't make out his face.

I turned back and went my way. I had more important things to look at the moment.

It was afternoon. I was tired with all the traveling I'd done, so I decided to stop for a drink at a nearby Cafe.

I decided to have an Americano and then went my way to the Shrine.

"Such a crowded place." I sighed.

The monsters would come out only at night, from the shadows, so I had ample time of waiting to do, since it was only evening. I went inside to have a look.

A little girl with her mom was there.

"Mom! I think I've seen that guy before." The little girl pointed at me.

I was surprised. I smiled at her and replied, "You must've mistaken me for someone else, little girl."

I looked at her mother and felt chills down my spine. She gave me a cold gaze which made me feel uneasy for some reason.

I felt like I needed to protect this place.

The dark sky inched closer as the sun set. There were no signs of stars. I could sense the presence of the monster. The energy I felt was strong enough to send goosebumps down my back.

I waited in front of the Shrine, taking a defending position.

I could hear tapping noises from behind me. I turned back to find a looming figure looming at me.

A lion head with black horns on its temples, with a man-like body, stood over me, hovering its claws, about to strike me, with its jaws open, as it got ready to make me its prey.

I ducked as it striked at me, falling down by my butt on the ground. I looked at it, and the look it gave me was enough for me to get up and start running.

I tried to find a route to escape or hide temporarily. I needed to buy time to transform.

I quickly hid behind the shrine's sanctuary gate and shouted the spell hurriedly, "Oh great Alchemist, bring the powers within me and transform me into a being capable of destroying this monster. A-L-C-H-E-M-I-Z-E!"

My hands and feet turned into skeleton, and my face into a skull with bony sockets.

"Not this again!" I was surprised at the transformation.

"It was weak the last time. How am I going to destroy this big of a monster with this form?"

My energy had been used up. I couldn't get a spell for my Invisibility cloak.

"Why's this happening?" I said.

The monster roared in anger. It'd found my whereabouts. I got up and pointed my metacarpals at the demon and screamed, "U-N-L-E-A-S-H!"

Nothing happened.

I looked at the monster charging towards me.

I got up and started sprinting, along the corridor towards the gate.

The monster overtook me in a flash of seconds and stood before me, it's claws picking me up and clenching me in its hands.

I looked at it, my teeth gritting.

The look on its face gave me rage, anger surged through me as the memories flashed through me, and how the monsters had taken lots of innocent lives.

I roared at its face as it made its way to swallow me.

A flash of beam emerged through my body as the monster yelped in pain at the sudden attack and dropped it.

It's hands were burned. I ran at it and jumped at it with full force. I could make a chance at winning if I could break one of its horns.

"U-N-L-E-A-S-H!"

It hit the monster's face and it bellowed in a mixed emotion of anger and pain as it covered its face with its claws.

I put all my last amount of power and aimed at one of its horns.

A beam of energy echoed throughout the place. I was lying on the ground, badly bruised.

I could make out the figure of another human lying a few meters across me.

I could see that the figure was of a boy wearing tattered black jeans.

And then, my eyes fluttered shut.