Shijo train station, Kyoto 1998
Deep winter night, only a few hours away from dawn. Stacked snow occupied both sides of the main roads near the train station, continuous drill sounds repeated while this ancient city sleep. "Gring Gring Gring Gring…" The streetlight brightened roads lay empty, save for the monotonous clang of metal on metal. Behind the cloud of breaths and sweat, veiled the early shift workers repairing underground cables and pipelines. The crews hammered away above the pavements, struggling to complete their repairs before the morning rush hour.
Then something changed, as though the incisive rumpus inside the construction site became the hidden signal of an insidious ploy to the nether world, and the roadblocks fenced the streets around the train station were turned into a labyrinthine like snare. A sense of unease conflicted the air. The clamor of the nocturnal street then abruptly fell into a dead silence, all movement ceased as though being preyed, and the long pause seemed as long as eternity.
"Bang!" An immense, fast-moving mass sprinted through the small alleys next to the station, it shattered the glass window of a tobacco shop on the street corner as it made a sharp right turn toward the nearby main street. It thundered with speed, moving with an energy that was unretainable by any walls or barriers. Its formidable presence could be heard blocks away, its pure destructive might pulverized everything stood in its path. It was unimaginable who or what could arise such creature to behave with such fierce panic, something or someone frightened it to its most primal core of existence. It had to hasten to flee so desperately.
It ran past the restaurants, shops that were about to open for business, and through the overnight parking lot that was fully occupied by vehicles. Impaired articles scattered everywhere along roadside like a scene of a savage train crash.
Miraculously after the barbarous wrecking, there were no pedestrians nor personnel near the sabotaged site, no one were injured in the early hour. In the hidden corners of the streets, a glimmer of hope seemed to be responsible for plotting this intricate arrangement to protect those harmless.
Few dozen feet across the parking lot, a lone silhouette slightly moved. Its gloom stretched out from the far corner of the block and merged with the road sign into a unity. Its owner stood beneath a sparse walkway, hidden as he leaned on a paint peeled brick wall behind him, his only trusted comrade. But, from his relax posture, the man must had drafted then rehearsed for this hunt diligently for months. Or this hunt simply was not his first, and he was amply proficient at it.
For time like years, he remained motionless under the wall shade. This was his usual tactic to avoid the detection of the passersby, and most importantly, he knew by staying at this very coordinate, he could just wait for his prey at its only exit route instead of chasing after it. The cold weather piled on top of the road embedded with heating system under neath, formed a cloud of evaporated air few feet above eye level, no one noticed that the streetlights had started to flicker, hinting of warning. Then when a peculiar odor permeated the entire sealed repair site, the man in shade finally resumed from stillness and began to move swiftly to make his way toward the train station. With the flashing streetlamp cast dancing shadows onto his face, his figure unfolded. A young man looked of late teens whose movements were with agility and experience. Even his footsteps were extremely quiet above the squeaky wooden plank walkway outside the station's entrance.
The man waited for few minutes, a beast emerged along with deafening sound of collisions and storming hurtle of dusts from the deepest streets. Its form stretched to warp the dim light along with its jagged hulk of razor claws and fang in hooks. The man swift footed behind a shielding fence, watching as his target extended its eel like neck to recess in front the station's west wing. Him and the monster were both in tune of each other's presence.
As the minute hand of the large antique clock that hung on the train station's 2 stories high wall moved closer to the hour of morning commute, time was of essence, a second of delay would cause lives— The man sprang from his cover, his spirit and muscles drove him toward his mark with perfect execution of accuracy.
"There is nowhere to go, meet your end, Sourlor, Disruptor of the South."
With no response, the creature swayed towards him, snarling with savage fury. Its gargantuan claws tearing through the air while the man was quicker still and stepped back by 3 feet to avoid the abomination's outstretched arms. When he realized his chest was only inches away from being wounded by the monster's grasp, he did not cower. He stood proud like a fearless mountain and meet the creature's yellow eyes with his own, undaunted by its demonic form.
The man remained firm as the basilisk's black carapace-like skin scratched on the polished marble floor, producing high-pitched screeches that grated on the ears. It swept its tail to fill the air with an acrid smell, then fluorescent lights inside the lobby dimmed into a darker shade. 'Honor my intention here - fiend of the South,' he declared. The man's words hung heavily above the commute lobby, imbued with a force that seemed to pulse throughout the station like heartbeat.
The beast snarled. Its heated body vaporized the cold air into a thick fog that spiraled uncontrollably around it, its razor-sharp claws and fangs glinted menacingly in the low light before sunrise.
Rin, the man in a long black nylon windbreaker looked out of the station at the brightening sky. Its shades of pink and blue seemed to promise coming of a beautiful day. Then he formed a circular gesture with his fingers and began to chant an ancient spell into the frozen air. 'May you fear the light you seek."' his voice was low as a whisper, but it echoed throughout the interior of this massive structure.
The sun punctually crested the horizon and penetrated through every possible opening into the station, as summited by the Rin's calling. The creature lumbered forward with its maw opens wide, howled in rage as its tough hide began to melt under the rising temperature. Its crimson blood spilled across the marble floor, and the reflection of the morning sun made it shimmer in gold. The monster's broken body lay paralyzed and motionless in the middle of the glowing ample lobby, the light casted upon it was the witness to this epic battle.
The man vanished without a trace. This exhibition of his skill and power was a just a warning to those who thought his soul had been compromised. This brutal battle was only the prequal to the cruel war that was about to begin between the living and the dead. New horizon lay in wait, beneath the shadows of this world.
☆☆☆
Hida, hidden from the eyes of the modern cities, the peaceful village basked in its seclusion, hundreds of miles away from Kyoto. For decades, the valley remained unhindered by outsiders, content in its own isolated beauty.
A snowstorm had poured over the town for the entire night, blotting out all traffics in and out of town. It brought an uncommon emptiness to the usually busy marketplace, daring all but a few brave souls to leave their home.
The wind howled through the alleys as if in warning, bringing a chill to the two maids whose gossip were random and dreary in the old complex, built for times now forgotten.
"I've told my family to give me extra layers for winter," Aiko, the older maid muttered to the young maid beside her, a hint of pride in her voice as if her family had bestowed her a grand honor. She was always boasting about her loved ones, though no one was fooled by her stories.
The younger one Niomi shrugged her shoulder, a cold reaction to the cold wind that had infiltrated her entirely. She kept quiet and polite, though chatting with her older companion was anything but delightful.
"It's odd that the weather has been so warm before the storm, it changed all of the sudden." she replied from her chattering teeth.
"Hmph, these days everything seems so strange and off," the older woman in attempt to elaborate her recent finding as she glanced around the barren lobby. With her experience, it was her talent to detect anything fishy or out of place. "Did you hear the strange sounds that came from Room 308 last night? It sounded like animal howling…all night long!"
The younger woman's eyes widened as a flurry of memories cascaded through her mind. She had thought she was alone in hearing the odd noises. "Yes…I heard it too." It seemed that she wasn't as crazy as she had initially thought.
"Is that room occupied?" Curiosity peaked, a common trait of the old maid that often got her into trouble. They stared ahead at the long narrow hallway stretch to its end; shuddering muted lights pulsed and hung on the cracked ceiling above it. The howling wind seemed to wail in agony, as if the apartment building itself was carrying the weight of past sadness searching for a way to escape.
The young maid contemplated to display her knowledge; it was a rare opportunity in which her opinion could be valued. "Well, you know, a married couple lives there with their infant not more than six months old." For a moment, a look of suspicion showed on the older woman's face. "It's peculiar though, I've never seen the husband around…just the young wife and baby have come out from time to time."
The old maid clenched her jaw and averted the young maid's gaze. She was annoyed that she had never seen the couple that the young maid claimed to have seen. She moved her lips as though she wanted to say something, but then she shook her head and concluded. ' Whoever resides in that unit must be some kind of outcasts. Don't go near there,' the older woman warned. The young maid was surprised to hear her co-worker speak this way, as the older maid was known to fear nothing and no one.
The odd couple reminded the old maid of the new housekeeper. 'Who is the new girl? I've never seen her before,' she asked.
'Me neither. I tried to talk to her, but she seemed extremely quiet. I didn't find out much,' the younger maid answered, watching as the old maid behaved anxiously as though they were being watched.
'She must be the temporary help for the heavy snow,' the old maid speculated. 'It took me an entire morning just to clear the snow on the driveway last week all by myself, they have no reason to be dissatisfied with my work.'" She worried the new girl could be her replacement.
With no warning, the couple's words were drowned out by the thunderous cry of 'Fire! Fire!' from the third-floor window.
The sky erupted in yellow and orange flames, black smoke curling ever upwards in plumes like hungry serpents. In minutes, the building was completely engulfed, the heat radiating from inside the structure. The old wooden beams within quickly caught alight, causing the entire edifice to crumble into ash.
Once the authorities had arrived, it became clear that there were no injured occupants or workers–but the new maid, the young couple and their baby were nowhere to be found. The villagers whispered stories of their strange disappearance - some claimed that an eerie energy had emanated from there ever since. Some even said they had seen the husband at the site after the fire, but none of them had hard evidence.