The air in the Prime Minister's secure conference room was thick with tension, far heavier than any miasma. Maps of Japan, splashed with alarming purple overlays centered on Tochigi Prefecture, covered a large screen. Around the polished table, the Prime Minister and several high-ranking officials sat.
"Let's review the current situation," a stern-faced Cabinet Secretary began, tapping a stylus on the screen. "As of this morning, the primary pillar of what we're now calling 'miasma' continues to emanate from Nasu. The affected area now covers over half of Honshu, with reports of widespread illness. While the illness itself is not life-threatening, at least not yet, according to our medical teams. However, the economic impact is catastrophic. Fear and widespread sickness have effectively shut down commerce, public services, and daily life in the affected prefectures. Our GDP projections are already plummeting."
"Based on the epicenter of the miasma and its concentration, we hypothesize that the Killing Stone in Nasu is undeniably the cause," another Advisor added, his voice clipped with urgency. "We've also brought in a cultural expert to shed some light on this... unprecedented phenomenon."
A nervous-looking Cultural Expert, dressed in traditional attire, cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping across the grim faces at the table. "Right. The legend of the Sessho-seki, is deeply intertwined with the tale of Tamamo no Mae. Lore suggests she was a beautiful court lady, a favorite of Emperor Konoe, captivating all with her grace and intellect. But she was, in fact, a powerful nine-tailed fox spirit, or kitsune, disguised in human form. Her true nature was one of immense magical power and cunning malevolence. Some texts say her origins trace back even further, to China, where she was known as Daji, a wicked consort whose influence brought down entire dynasties through corruption and cruelty, before making her way to Japan."
He paused, taking a breath. "In Japan, she continued her insidious work, causing widespread illness and turmoil, subtly draining the Emperor's life force and sowing discord throughout the court. She was eventually revealed as a fox spirit by the renowned onmyoji, either Abe no Seimei or his descendant Abe no Yasuchika, depending on the story, who saw through her disguise. She was then pursued by great warriors, in a prolonged and devastating hunt. Ultimately, she was defeated, and her body transformed into this very Killing Stone. The stone itself was said to continuously emanate a poisonous gas, killing anything that dared to touch it, embodying her undying resentment and spiritual power."
A skeptical Minister interjected, "Didn't they say a monk purified that resentful gas and broke the stone into many pieces, scattering it all over Japan?"
The Cultural Expert visibly sweated under the intense gazes of the high-ranking officials. "I'm not sure, Minister. History only recorded this much, and what's left is largely up to interpretation. The details of that purification are vague."
Just then, the door to the conference room burst open. A breathless Aide, unannounced, rushed in. "Mr. Prime Minister! Generals! Multiple smaller pillars of purple miasma have just erupted across Japan! They are smaller in size, but they appear to be converging, slowly, toward the Killing Stone in Nasu!"
Panic erupted around the table. "What do we do?!" one Minister shouted, his voice cracking.
"Call the Americans!" a calmer, but equally desperate, Defense Official urged. "We have a military treaty with them! They clearly know something about the supernatural."
"If we invite them, what if they cause a bigger mess?!" another Minister countered, clinging to a shred of national pride.
"We are already in the biggest mess, you fool!" the Defense Official retorted, slamming his hand on the table. "Stop thinking about your national pride and think about those who are suffering!"
As the members devolved into a chaotic argument, their voices rising in panicked desperation, the Prime Minister remained silent, his face grim. His hand slowly reached for his private phone. He picked it up, his finger hovering over a number he somewhat dreaded to call, knowing the immense implications of that one decision.
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CIA Director Thompson sat in his office, the quiet hum of the air conditioning doing little to dispel the tension in the air. A CIA agent entered, knocking once discreetly before stepping fully into the room.
"Sir," the agent began, "the President just received a call asking for assistance with the events occurring in Japan."
Thompson leaned back in his chair, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Already? I expected them to hesitate a bit longer. Well, it's fine. We already moved more troops to surrounding bases at the first sign of something up with that stone."
"If I may ask, sir," the agent ventured, a note of apprehension in his voice, "how would we deal with this kind of situation?"
"The paranormal department is on the case, don't worry about it so much," Thompson replied, waving a dismissive hand. He paused, a darker glint in his eye. "If all else fails, they also suggested dropping a few nukes on it to solve it."
"It's a last resort kind of situation, of course," Thompson clarified, though his voice remained flat. "Only when authorized by both nations."
The agent, visibly shaken, nodded and quickly left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Left alone, Thompson's thoughts drifted back to the classified briefing he'd received. The central point was stark: the seal on an ancient monster, identified as Tamamo no Mae, was breaking. The magic experts in their paranormal department had stated unequivocally that it was sealed using an ancient magical method, one that was impossible for them to repair with current knowledge or resources. There was a brief mention of seeking assistance from the Veiled Circle in Europe, an ancient magical order, but it was deemed unlikely they would help, even if they possessed the ability to do so.
Despite the grim nature of the situation, the CIA Director had been somewhat assured when his paranormal specialists asserted it was a situation they could handle. They had, however, leveraged the crisis to ask for more funding to train new members for their department. The Hell Gates situation, while currently under control, could flare up again, and they severely lacked personnel to handle a sudden, major crisis if something else were to emerge. Thompson grimaced. The world was growing stranger by the minute, perhaps the nature of warfare was about to change once again."
Thompson leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. He muttered to himself, "I'm sure the President will be onboard with siphoning some military funds for this endeavor."