You find some weird stuff lying in your backyard sometimes. Today while I was doing some yard work I found this journal hidden deep beneath the dirt. Don't know how it got here in America of all places, since it's all written in Japanese. I'll post what's written inside this thing as I translate it to English.
Date illegible
Well, I'm not quite sure what to think right now. I found this journal lying at the hospital bed I'm sitting in, and I can't find anyone else around me at all. I wonder if I'll go crazy if I don't have something like this to keep track of my thoughts. But whatever, let's start at the beginning of this terrible day.
My name is Naoki Kashima. I am a third-year high school student and am about to get ready for college. Or at least I was, before everything, well, happened. I was on a train today to visit my psychology teacher Yuko Takao when I fell asleep and had this weird dream. It might have been a vision, I guess? I don't know, I've only heard of those things happening in books and stuff. But I remember it vividly. Ms. Takao was standing with her back to me, almost solemnly, and I heard her speak these words:
"...A world that loses its power will fade away into nothingness. If such is the fate of this world, then I shall return it to its mother's womb. The world must first die, for it to be born again...
"That is the only way to salvation, as recorded in an ancient prophecy."
She turned around, and I saw a flicker of...something.
"The world will fall for its sins, and humans will all disappear. But, I don't want you to meet the same fate. I want to help you hold on to your life. To do so, I need to know your name. Will you tell me who you are...?"
I was a little confused at how my own teacher didn't know my name by now, but I told her anyway.
"...I see, so your name is Naoki Kashima...As of now, you will live to be sustained. Believe in it...and live."
I told her that I will. I didn't quite understand that at the time, but I didn't want to disappoint her. She's my teacher, can't get on her bad side.
"I'm glad that you understand. The time is near...It will take place very soon."
Another flicker. I think it was Tokyo, but I can't be entirely sure.
"I am the nurturer of the next world. It is my duty to create the world that is to come...Now, I want you to say my name out loud."
I had no idea why she was asking me this, but I said her name anyway.
"That's right...My name is Yuko Takao."
"...Naoki. I won't shed another tear, not even at the world's end. I'd like to see you in the next world, though...Go ahead and wake up. It's time..."
I saw white, and the next thing I knew I was at the Yoyogi Park station. As soon as I left the train, I got a text from my rather enthusiatic friend Isamu Nitta.
"You're late...You're way late, Naoki Kashima! You haven't forgotten that we're going to visit Ms. Takao, have you? Hurry up and get over to Yoyogi Park. You're wasting my quality time! I don't care if you come or not, but Ms. Takao's nice to me when you're around..."
Not sure if the person who will eventually read this has caught on yet, but Isamu's a bit Hot for Teacher. I don't have the heart to tell him that he's got absolutely no chance with her. Especially if he keeps that hat of his...
"Oh yeah, you better make sure you look nice for her. How about that jacket you bought the other day...Y'know, the one with a demon graphic on it? You're just the mood maker. Don't forget that."
Sure, sure. Unfortunately for him, I left my demon jacket at home today. Maybe things might have gone differently today if I had gotten that text before I put my clothes on. I doubt it would be much, but there might be something different.
Anyway, I decided to take a walk around the station a bit. Didn't take too long since the place was surprisingly empty today. Did something happen? I decided to ask the employee at the front desk to see if there was anything up.
"Are you heading to Yoyogi park, too? After the incident, we've had a lot of lookie-loos, but not so many customers. Man, I've had a lot of free time on my hands..."
I was a bit confused, and the employee must've picked up on that.
"...Huh? Are you saying that you haven't heard the news???"
"No, I haven't. What's going on?"
"Hmmm...How should I put this? Yesterday, there was a riot at Yoyogi Park."
"A riot?!"
"If you want the details, you can check the giant screen. A buncha people were killed. You could hear the sirens wailing all night long."
"That doesn't sound fun."
"No it wasn't. I couldn't get any sleep last night. I guess it's a good thing there aren't many customers around today, otherwise I'd be a dead man. Wait, I'm sorry...I shouldn't be talking on the job, even if I'm not busy..."
"Don't worry about that, thanks for the info. I'll look out."
And with that, against my better judgement, I was off to Yoyogi Park.
The city was bustling as usual. I tried to enter Yoyogi Park from the front, but the place was locked up. Likely a result of the riot, I assumed. I noticed from the walk back that a large crowd had gathered around the giant screen, so I decided to take that employee's advice and check it out.
"A riot broke out yesterday at Yoyogi Park, regarding the construction of a communications tower. The demonstration got out of hand, and there have been several deaths and injuries reported. Also, Hikawa, the top executive of Cybers Communication, is still missing."
A picture of Hikawa was on the screen. He was wearing a jacket with a rather odd print, and had a widow's peak all the way down to his eyebrows. I didn't even think such a hairstyle was even physically possible.
"Now, for the latest in entertainment, we move over to Ashimoto!"
"Entertainment" news almost never interests me, so I stepped away. I spotted one of my classmates near the screen on my way out.
"Oh hey, Naoki."
"Hey."
"You said you were going to visit Ms. Takao today, right?"
"I am. That's actually what I'm going to do right now."
"Just because she's beautiful, don't go doing weird things to her, okay?!"
Sheesh, what kind of guy does this girl take me for? Maybe I've been hanging around Isamu too much, his reputation has been rubbing off on me...
I walked a bit further down the street and saw a couple more classmates of mine. I overheard their conversation.
"...Don'tcha think that Hikawa guy's cool?"
"As if! He's got all those bad rumors about him floating around!"
"Oh, gawd! That's what makes him so cool!"
I was immediately reminded why I don't hang out with those two often.
A bit further down I heard a guy and a girl talking.
"Did you hear about the riot?! Three people died, right??? Eeek! I'm so scared!!"
"You're such a scaredy-cat! C'mon, baby, every night we start our own 'riot of love'!"
"You're such a pervert! But, I love that about you!! *giggle*"
I'm so glad I'm single. I don't think this whole romance thing is for me if that's what happens.
After walking a bit further down the road I saw the back entrance to Yoyogi Park. I doubt they left it open, but I wanted to check just to make sure my friends weren't there.
Well, they weren't, but I did find a strange man with long black hair near the entrance.
"Great, the entire park is closed. I won't be able to get a single picture of the scene...Just my luck. ...?"
He turned around and saw me.
"...What's up, kid?"
"What happened here?"
"Well, this is what they said on TV: 'The clash between a well-known company and a civic organization results in deaths'...
"But, those who live on the fringe say that it was a struggle between two opposing cults."
"Uh, cults?"
Before the guy could answer me, I got a call from my friend.
"Huh, isn't that your phone ringing?"
I picked up
"...Hi, Naoki? It's me." A female voice. It was my other friend, Chiaki Hayasaka.
"Hey."
"*sigh*, I finally got a hold of you. What have you been doing all this time? I could see if it was Isamu, but you're never late. Did something happen?"
"Train got delayed. Probably because of what happened at Yoyogi Park."
"Oh, yeah, that. I heard about that when I got there to meet you. Are you there now?"
"Yeah."
"Well, since you didn't show up on time, Isamu and I left without you. We're almost there. So yeah, I'm sorry, but can you come directly to the hospital?"
"Sure, I can find my way around the city."
"You know which hospital it is?"
"Shinjuku Medical Center, right?"
"Yeah, that one. Just go east from Shinjuku Station, and you can't miss it. Oh, well. I wanted to talk to Ms. Takao about what I should do after graduation anyway."
"Do you even need to worry about after you graduate? You're sitting on a pile of money from your parents."
"Hardy har har. Just get here so we can talk about it."
"I'll be there ASAP."
"Thanks, I'm not planning on staying long. Okay then, see you later."
"See ya."
The long-haired man seemed to overhear my call.
"Hey, wait a minute...You're going to Shinjuku Medical Center?.......That's where I'm headed, too. What a coincidence."
"Yeah, that's not weird or anything." This man was starting to give me creeper vibes.
He took out an odd magazine called Ayakashi Monthly.
"Here, take this. The issue isn't out yet."
"What's this thing?"
"You don't know what happened here, right? Then, you probably don't know what kind of place that hospital is, either."
"Oh, what, am I going to start seeing actual angels doing the healing over there or something stupid like that?"
"Just read the magazine. The report on the Gaea cult and the scripture of Miroku...It's an interesting read."
Gaea cult...I had heard very nasty things about that group. I don't know who'd be crazy enough to try and find out stuff about them.
He spoke again. "You wouldn't normally associate a hospital with the occult, but...That place is different."
"Sure..."
"..Heheh. False info is pretty common in the occult industry. If it does turn out to be wrong, just laugh it off, okay?"
Yes, false info is very common in tabloid journalism, I thought to myself. Thanks for the fun fact.
"Well, I'd better get going. My name's Hijiri. If we ever meet again, let me know what you thought about my article."
"Okay. My name's Naoki, I guess. I'll see you around."
And with that, I headed off to Shinjuku. On the way I decided to talk with some people around the streets that I knew. I came across this guy I take the train with often.
"I just saw this foreign guy in red. He had a giant sword on his back, and looked dangerous! But, I swear I've seen him before...Hmmm..."
I don't know who would be brave enough to run around a crowded city with a sword on his back in plain sight. Sounds like someone you would only find in a video game or something. I figured he probably just was seeing things.
I came across this tourist girl. "Wowie! What's up with everyone here? Everyone's so dang crabby, even after the riot!"
Crabby is my default state of being, miss, I thought. Just get used to it.
"By the way...Do you wanna have a good time with me???"
WHOA, whoa whoa whoa, I'm okay. Like I said, single, proud of it. Don't want any crazy girls close to me like that. I decided to book it in the other direction, and lucky me, I found the hospital.
As soon as I entered I started thinking that maybe Hijiri's ideas might not be too far off. The hospital was completely empty aside from me and another girl inside. It was Chiaki. She was wearing her usual blue dress and boots, and was standing right next to one of the benches in the lounge.
"Naoki, you finally made it."
"Did you miss me?"
"Hardly. You know, this hospital...It's a little strange."
"Yeah, I'd be worried too if the hospital I was going to get treated in had no actual personnel."
"It's not just that, there's nobody here. No patients, doctors, nothing. Even the reception desk is empty. Isn't it creepy here? I don't like it..."
"Isn't Ms. Takao here, though?"
"Isamu's looking for her right now."
"Why am I not surprised."
"You shouldn't be. But he hasn't come back yet. I hope he's alright..."
She noticed the Ayakashi monthly issue I was holding.
"Hey, what's that magazine?"
"Do you want to read it?"
"Knowing your taste, it probably wouldn't interest me."
"Hey, what's so wrong with Famitsu? I like getting hyped up for video games."
She took the magazine anyway.
"Ayakashi Monthly...I've never heard of it before."
It didn't take her long to figure out what the magazine actually was.
"What?! It's an occult magazine! Why would you bring something like THAT here?!"
"Because I knew it would creep you out, obviously."
"Oh shut up. Well, I guess it might help me kill some time. Do you think you could go look for Isamu?"
"You were just looking for a reason to not go into those creepy hallways, weren't you."
"I wasn't! I'm just...curious what the deal is with these Messy-yan and Gay-an cults."
"It's Mes-SIGH-an and GUY-an."
"Whatever. Just go find Isamu, please. If we can't find Ms. Takao, then I don't want to stay here for another minute. He should be on the second floor, where the patients' rooms are. I'll wait here and read this magazine in the meantime."
"Alright, but you owe me one after this."
"Thanks!"
I took the elevator to the second floor of the building and started exploring. There were files on the floor everywhere as soon as I stepped out. I walked over to the left, and as soon as I did, I saw Isamu in the other hallway. I ran in his direction, but didn't see him. I walked into the first unlocked door I saw, and sure enough...
"Augh!"
Isamu turned around.
"Dude! You scared the crap out of me! Why'd you startle me like that?! You come here late, you start trouble...Geez."
"It's not my fault my train ran late or that you're a gigantic wuss."
"Ah, forget it."
He started looking a bit more serious.
"I'm sure you've noticed already, but man, this place is deserted."
"Ms. Takao wanted to meet us here?"
"Yep, I called her again to double check. She definitely said 'Shinjuku Medical Center'."
"Maybe something happened..."
"They could've at least put up a notice or something, so visitors aren't clueless. This place better not be contaminated by some deadly virus..."
"You've been watching way too many horror movies, Isamu."
"Can never be too careful...Anyway, I checked out most of this place. I don't know where else Ms. Takao could be. Oh well. I'll go back to see how Chiaki is doing. She's probably all mad at me 'cuz I've been gone so long...*sigh* It's hard to please a girl with her upbringing."
"It's not so hard, honestly."
"Easy for you to say, you're between us. But oh well. I'll see you in a bit, Naoki. I really hope that this is nothing we should be worried about..."
And with that, he left the room. I followed suit. I decided to explore the second floor a bit more. All those messy papers seemed to be covering the entire hallway. There were torn posters on the walls, empty rooms wherever I walked, and I could not find anyone else besides the three of us. On the bright side, there was a vending machine that had a picture of Jack Frost on it. Seeing that guy always brings a smile to my face, for some reason.
Anyway, after I took that little detour, I rode the elevator back down to the lobby. Chiaki was still sitting in the lounge reading that magazine. I couldn't see Isamu around, so I just assumed he chickened out and went to go talk with Chiaki.
"Oh, you're back. Um, Naoki..."
"Something in that magazine making you nervous?"
"Actually, yeah. You know that special report in the beginning of the magazine? Well, it says some things that are a little disturbing. According to the report, there's a group of demon worshippers who call themselves the Gaea cult..."
So that's what they are, demon worshippers. I knew they were a bad crowd.
"Anyway, they believe in this book of prophecy called the Scripture of Miroku."
That's the thing Hijiri told me about. Okay.
"In that book, it says that chaos will befall the world, and these people are actually trying to make that happen."
"So...what does 'chaos' mean in this context?"
"I don't know. The reporter was unable to learn what they meant. It could be worldwide terrorism, or some other tragedy. But..."
"No luck finding Ms. Takao." Isamu walked into the room right as Chiaki was getting to the good part.
"I even checked the men's room."
Chiaki sighed. "I don't think we needed to know that. We're in the middle of a conversation, so please save the details for later. Now, where were we? ...Oh yeah, read this part."
I looked and read aloud. "'A hospital on the east side of Shinjuku is closely linked to their plan...'" My heart sank as soon as I read those words.
Isamu chimed in. "Let me guess...it ends with, 'More to come in our next issue', right?"
"That's not the problem, Isamu," I said. "We're in a hospital called the Shinjuku Medical Center"
"Oh...you mean this could be the hospital they're referring to."
"Exactly."
"You know, I've heard weird storied about this place. Things like they experiment on patients, and how a psychic got scared and ran outta here...There was also one about the hospital being under the influence of some cult..."
"Really?" Chiaki said. She must've thought the same thing I did. "I haven't heard those things before. Maybe we shouldn't have come...I don't normally take this kind of magazine too seriously, but...there's definitely something wrong with this hospital."
Isamu looked at the floor.
"I'm worried about Ms. Takao."
He looked at me.
"Hey, let's look around some more. If we don't find anything, then at least we'll know that there's nothing bad here. It looks like you can access the annex from the second floor. I'll go take a look."
He took out a card from his pocket.
"Here you go, Naoki. You can use this to search the basement."
Chiaki spoke up. "Why don't you search the basement yourself? You're not scared, are you?"
"O-of course not! I'm sure she's not down there, that's why I'm having Naoki go!"
Chiaki and I both glared at him.
Isamu gulped. "All Naoki needs to do is confirm that Ms. Takao isn't in the basement. It's my duty to see her in person. If something does happen, just run like hell! Alright?"
"Sure, then you go look at what I was running from in my place."
"I hate you."
Chiaki sighed again. "I can't believe him sometimes. But now, I'm worried about Ms. Takao. We should make sure she's okay."
With that sendoff, I headed down to the basement.
Well, the first thing I noticed when I was down in the basement was all the blood and papers on the floor. I was off to a great start. I walked up to the gate that was in front of me. I used the ID card to get through, then did some more exploring. Once again, the hallways were completely empty, so I took a look inside all the unlocked rooms. One room was definitely occult-looking. It had a cross on one part of the room, two weird looking banners, and a bed on top of what appeared to be a hexagram. I didn't stay in there long.
I walked up to another room in the hallway, and heard an odd sound coming from the door. I mustered up all the strength I could have, and walked in.
I saw a man in a chair, sitting in front of a cylindrical device of some kind. My heart started to race.
"Well, what do we have here?" the man said. "Who dares to disrupt this stillness?" He turned his chair around, and as soon as I saw that widow's peak I recognized the face. It was Hikawa, that man in the news that covered those riots in Yoyogi Park.
"How irritating...A well-known poet once said, 'April is the cruelest month.' Why? Because it is then that one must wake from a long sleep and face the barren world. Looking back on the past, it is evident that the history of mankind is comprised of meaningless events. The worthless overgrowth of a civilization blind to its sins, continuous bloodshed and war, and thousands of years of repeating the same mistakes again and again."
Says the president of a communications company, I thought to myself.
"The world must start over from the beginning. The way to salvation was foretold in the Scripture of Miroku, and today is the day that the prophecy shall be fulfilled."
So this was they meant by "chaos", huh. Starting the world over from the beginning? Are we going to turn into Adam and Eve again or something ridiculous like that?
"The old world will sink like a setting sun, and the new world will rise in its place."
...Oh. He's talking about a global apocalypse. That's swell. I've always wondered what judgement day will look like. Just didn't want it to be quite so early in my life.
"...Who are you? From what I remember, you're not one of our followers who survived the purge at the park."
"Uh...I'm here to see Ms. Takao. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"
"Ms. Takao? Come to think of it, this was a hospital, wasn't it? I see, you came to visit her."
A reasonable man that wants to cause the apocalypse. Okay.
"However, even a pebble creates ripples when cast in water."
...Crap.
"I do feel pity for you, but...your life ends here!"
Electricity surrounded the room, and I saw something appear behind the cylinder. I looked like a goat with wings that was sitting in a meditating position. Great, I thought. Demons are in this room right now. I'm a dead man. I don't want to be a dead man.
"Do not fear. All the inhabitants of this world will follow before long. Your time has come just a bit sooner, is all."
Thanks Hikawa, that makes me feel so much better.
I wasn't sure what to do. I had a feeling he would find a way to lock the door if I tried to run away, so I figured the only option I had was do or die. If I was going to die right here, I might as well do it trying to prevent this whole apocalypse thing.
"Fool..." he said. "No one can overcome their fate."
"Stop!" I heard a familiar voice scream. I looked around, and there she was. Ms. Takao.
"What, can't you let one person go? It should have absolutely no effect on our plan."
"Our" plan? She's collaborating with this psycho?
Hikawa stayed still. "The insignificance of the gesture makes no difference. I will not allow any exceptions."
"If you don't save him...I'll stop cooperating with you."
Uh, I wouldn't mind dying if it means the rest of the world lives, Ms. Takao. Really. Don't put my life on the line for this.
Hikawa sat and pondered. "Such a troublesome Maiden. Well...I'll leave the teaching to the teacher. Please leave the room. I would like to enjoy this blissful end in solitude."
He turned around, and Ms. Takao turned to me. "Naoki, I'll be waiting for you on the roof. We'll have a good view of the city from there. Come, see it with your own eyes. Witness that which will change the world..."
I was really worried about Ms. Takao's mental state at that point, but I decided to go speak with her on the rooftop and figure out what this was about. This rebirth of the world business, this Maiden thing, who Hikawa was, why I had to be dragged into all this...I intended to get those questions answered.
As soon as I got to the gate though, a peculiar sight emerged. I saw a blond child and an old woman in a veil stare at me. The look they gave me was cold, almost piercing my skin, it felt like.
The old woman spoke. "What's wrong, my little master? Are you wondering about that person over there?"
The blond boy whispered. A shy one, I guess, but he didn't seem genuine...
"I see. My, my...But, we're busy at the moment. Let's come back later." A flash of light, and they were gone.
I tried to wipe that image from my mind, but it was tame compared to what I was about to see on the roof.
I stepped outside, and saw Ms. Takao by the gate. "Hi, Naoki. I'm glad I made it in time, back at the basement..."I wouldn't want you to fall prey to a demon."
"Yeah, thanks for saving me. No about the rest of the world..."
"I see you were paying attention. The world is about to be engulfed by chaos. It's called the Conception..."
So THAT'S the actual term. I'll have to remember that.
"The rebirth of the world, an event which no human has ever witnessed. Everyone outside of this hospital will perish. I doubt anyone would approve of such a terrible thing..."
"I certainly wouldn't. Why are you in on this, then?"
"Even if we let this old world continue to exist, it would eventually lose all its power. The world must first die, for it to be born again...And I alone will carry the burden of its sin."
"So you've got a Messiah complex now?"
"Ha, maybe that's what it is. But I don't have any regrets about my choice. You came here, led by fate. And it is your fate that you will live through the Conception. It may actually be more painful than death...But...I believe in you."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Naoki...Please find me."
"What do you mean?"
"No matter how the world changes, I'll be your strength. As the Maiden, I'll take part in the creation of the new world...I'm sure I'll be able to provide you with guidance."
"I still don't get why you would go along with this. Hikawa's nuts, you saw what he was going to do to me downstairs. Why would you go along with his crazy plan?"
"...I know it's difficult for you to understand. But, we're out of time. Naoki...If you can find me on your own, I promise I'll tell you everything...The answers to all your questions, and what my true feelings are..."
The ground started to shake. Actually, I'm not sure it was the ground as much as it was the whole world. It started to distort, then everything faded to black. A white light appeared in the sky, and all the buildings in Tokyo warped around it. Ms. Takao closed her eyes, and she was gone. I looked up, and I saw the light one more time before everything faded.
I woke up, and heard a voice.
"...You, who is about to enter my world, show me your heart...
"...You have nothing in your heart. Not even a hint of Reason. For the one who will shape the world, this cannot be. Go! And discover yourself..."
Everything faded to black. I woke up again, and I saw the blond child and old woman from before. The old woman spoke to me again.
"It is my honor to tell you that my little master has shown an interest in you. Poor human, he wants to give you a special gift. It is vital that you receive this gift."
They laid me down and looked over my head.
"Please, do not move. It will only hurt for an instant."
The child held a bug above my head, and dropped it into my eyes.
I heard a child's voice. "This will make you a demon..."
I felt searing pain throughout my body, and couldn't see anything but veins and flashes of the bug. I fell unconscious, and woke up to the voice of the old woman.
"Magatama, the essence of demonic power...You have now joined the ranks of demons."
I sat up, and found myself in one of the hospital beds. Except I was...different. I had what felt like a horn growing out the back of my neck, which made it really uncomfortable to be laying down. I was also completely shirtless, probably because now I had some kind of glowing green and black tattoos running over the entirety of my body. Not gonna lie, they look pretty cool, but I still don't understand what happened. I heard the old woman speak agian.
"My little master is always watching you, so don't bore him..."
And that's where I'm at right now. A kid who was at the wrong place and the wrong time that got forcibly transformed into a demon by some creepy kid and is sitting in a creepy hospital. I will keep this journal as a log if anything else weird happens, but I am afraid of what's to come if that whole ordeal was just the beginning.
