Wednesday, May 25, 2016
In the lonely Service Club room, Hikigaya Hachiman drank his iced coffee while reading a small book on cartomancy.
The wind coming through the window gently stirred his black-and-white school uniform, which he had left partially unbuttoned, giving him a somewhat rebellious appearance. His black hair also swayed softly with every gust.
The day before, he had decided to investigate divination.
He bought a small, inexpensive book about card reading, along with a deck of seventy-eight cards.
Since he had some savings, as well as the allowance his parents gave him, he had no trouble paying for them.
Although...
He did feel a little guilty about spending some of his money.
He was seriously starting to consider getting a part-time job to earn some extra money.
After all, that was how the world worked.
If he wanted to buy more things for Komachi, as well as obtain whatever he needed for his own investigations, he would need money.
As for the book, he was understanding it much faster than expected.
Far too fast, even.
The Major and Minor Arcana.
Their meanings.
The different ways to interpret them.
The combinations between cards.
Everything seemed to enter his mind with absurd ease.
Apparently, when it came to this, the Seer potion could afford to show off a little.
Everything related to divination was being absorbed with an almost unnatural ease.
"I feel like divination isn't the only thing..."
I lowered my gaze slightly toward my chest.
"Right?"
My spirituality did not answer with words.
It never did.
But I could feel it.
Like an extension of myself.
"Still, I don't know what else there is."
Maybe I would find out later.
For now, I had other things to worry about.
As for the matter of volunteers or people who might need help...
I hadn't received anyone yesterday.
No one had shown up.
At one point, I had even considered changing the name of the club.
But Hiratsuka-sensei wouldn't allow it.
Instead, she said she would have notices distributed and, if possible, send some students to the club so they could receive help.
She even mentioned that, if they wanted, I could offer them a divination.
So far, however, no one had appeared.
It wasn't a problem.
I was calm.
Once the school day was over, I would simply go home.
I had practiced a little on my own.
Small divinations.
Simple questions.
For example:
"Is my sister safe at school?"
"Is someone bullying her?"
And other things like that.
Fortunately, the pendulum swung counterclockwise, indicating a negative answer.
Although it wasn't as if I trusted it blindly.
It was better to hear it directly from my sister than to completely rely on a simple pendulum.
You should never settle for a single answer.
I checked the time.
5:45 p.m.
It was already time to get ready to leave.
The room was clean, so there was nothing else I needed to do.
I packed my things and prepared to leave the school.
...
As I walked through the streets, I watched the sky gradually darken.
A deep black slowly covered the heavens, accompanied by the countless lights of the city and the stars that were beginning to appear.
I walked calmly.
Classes had been normal.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
But over the past few days, I had continued noticing the same pattern.
The shadows kept appearing.
And they were becoming clearer.
I had even started glimpsing some that already possessed a complete presence.
The first time it happened, my spirituality had warned me not to keep looking.
At the time, I simply deactivated my Spirit Vision and walked away without showing any reaction.
Now, whenever I was near those things, my spirituality let me know.
And if one of them posed a danger...
It warned me to stay away.
It was another ability I had discovered.
Some kind of danger sense connected to my spirituality.
But instead of reassuring me, it only increased my feeling of helplessness.
More and more of them were appearing.
Normal people couldn't see them.
But I could.
And I had absolutely no idea what they were.
Were they the typical ghosts from horror movies?
Poltergeists?
Or something much worse?
Something I couldn't even comprehend.
I tapped the back of my hand twice.
The scene before me changed.
An avalanche of colors flooded the streets.
Lights.
Auras.
Human shadows.
Deformed shadows.
Some no longer had any recognizable shape.
They were amorphous masses of flesh and clusters of grotesque forms moving among the crowd without anyone seeming to notice.
My breathing stopped for an instant.
I quickly deactivated my Spirit Vision.
Every time I saw those things, a sense of terror and fear took hold of me.
And I didn't want to show it.
I continued walking.
I passed several stores.
Then I felt it.
My spirituality was guiding me.
I didn't know exactly where.
I simply followed the sensation.
Eventually, I reached a quieter area.
In front of me stood a fairly modern, two-story public library.
I entered.
I registered my name and the approximate amount of time I planned to stay.
Then I walked inside.
Without knowing exactly why, I went up to the second floor.
I continued walking until I reached a secluded section.
Several shelves filled with old books stood there.
I ran my fingers over some of the spines.
Until I stopped.
One of them caught my attention.
Volume 1: Basic Ritual Magic.
"Huh...?"
I looked at the title.
Then I understood.
This was what my spirituality had been pointing toward.
It was like an extension of myself.
So, somehow, it had already sensed my fear.
The fear I had been accumulating over the past few days.
Not knowing what those things were.
Not knowing when they might attack.
And, above all...
Being unable to defend myself if one of them decided to do so.
That was why it had brought me here.
To this book.
I slowly exhaled.
Sometimes, living in ignorance was the greatest blessing.
Now I had Spirit Vision.
I could see things that should not be seen.
I could even hear things that should not be heard.
And the more I learned...
The deeper the fear became.
What were they waiting for?
I was just a fifteen-year-old high school student.
Not an adult who knew everything.
Not someone who had all the answers.
And certainly not someone who knew how to guide his own life.
I was simply...
Hikigaya Hachiman.
A boy who had just discovered that the world was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
I sighed.
Holding the book, I headed toward a secluded table beside a window.
The place was quiet. The only sound was the occasional rustling of pages.
I sat down and began reading the book from the beginning.
Ritual magic.
According to the book, it was a practice used during medieval and Victorian times, closely associated with religion and witchcraft. Practices that, during those eras, could lead to actual witch hunts and periods of violence that, unfortunately, were not particularly uncommon at the time.
Many of the rituals involved praying to false gods or invented entities to explain phenomena that people's limited understanding prevented them from comprehending.
I also noticed that many rituals required an altar to be prepared beforehand, with the intention of receiving some kind of gift, protection, or blessing from the entity being addressed.
As I continued reading, I gradually became absorbed in the contents of the book.
And before I realized it...
It was already eight-thirty at night.
'Damn it, Komachi!'
I had always promised myself that I would return home before my sister so she wouldn't have to feel lonely while our parents were away.
I closed the book and hurriedly stood up.
I went downstairs carefully so I wouldn't disturb the others and headed toward the reception desk.
I asked the librarian if I could borrow the book.
She explained that I first had to provide my information so it could be registered and I could obtain permission to take it with me.
The registration was completed without any problems.
I thanked her quietly and left the library.
I have to get home quickly.
My sister must be worried.
As I quickened my pace, I felt small spasms running through my body.
A warning.
My spirituality was telling me that those things were nearby...
Or that I was walking through them.
I didn't care.
Right now, I just had to get home.
....
"You idiot, onii-chan! You worried me! You should have told me you were going to be late!"
My sister said that while lightly punching me in the chest.
At least I'm here now.
"Forgive this foolish brother for making such a lovely sister worry."
"Yes. You should always tell me everything. We support each other, remember? I won't forgive you next time."
"Ummh..."
She turned away, though she glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"You must be tired. I already made dinner, so go change and come downstairs so we can eat together. And don't think you're completely forgiven. You'll have to tell me what you were doing. Otherwise, I'm going to bite you."
She showed her adorable teeth like a little cat.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you for allowing this foolish brother to eat beside you."
I gently ruffled her hair and headed toward my room.
"Ummh... Stupid onii-chan."
....
"Emotions, feelings, relationships, material things..."
I was in my room, reading the meanings of the tarot cards.
I had to start acting as a Seer now. I still hadn't tried it with anyone.
So, my first step will be you, Gokou.
I'm not going to put it off anymore.
"Komachi will be in danger tomorrow."
I repeated those words to myself while holding the pendulum.
Those shadows were already making me paranoid.
I didn't want anything bad to happen to her.
As for the ritual magic book, I had discovered a fairly simple practice: the spirituality barrier.
As I had said, I could learn everything related to divination and the mysterious very quickly.
The method was simple. First, a silver knife or a similar object was used. It was purified with distilled water and then cleansed with the help of coarse salt.
After that, the ritual began by naming some entity, demon, or whatever else people had invented to prove that it actually worked.
Practices of black magic from those eras.
Nowadays, all of that was nothing more than myth.
Just like thunder, lightning, tsunamis, or earthquakes.
What did people in those times do when they couldn't understand a phenomenon?
They created their own gods out of ignorance.
Or attributed names and intentions to things such as luck, love, and misfortune.
"Divinity is merely an illusion born from accumulated imperfections."
I couldn't help but dwell on those words.
For some reason, they left me with a strange feeling.
But I couldn't pray to anyone.
The very idea filled me with a sense of disgust that I didn't even understand.
However, I could perform the ritual by using my own spirituality directly and naming myself.
Static.
A spasm ran through my body.
What?
I tapped the back of my hand twice and glimpsed the world of colors.
There was someone there.
Standing directly in front of me.
It was staring straight at me.
Its head was tilted to one side, supported by a completely deformed neck. Its grayish skin was covered in lumps of flesh from which yellowish pus oozed.
It was a creature straight out of a nightmare.
I froze.
I never thought those things could be inside my own home.
Was this place even safe anymore?
"Yooooou seeee meeee..."
"Yooooou seeee meeee..."
"Dooo youuu... waaaant to seeee...?"
It kept repeating the same words over and over while moving its long, deformed neck around me.
Two taps.
The world of colors disappeared.
But I could still feel its presence.
It was above me.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I repeated the process slowly.
I stood up and went to the bathroom to wash my face.
The lights began flickering several times without stopping.
My hand was trembling.
My entire body was in a state of panic, and the shaking wouldn't stop.
I grabbed my books and headed for the living room.
If those things were here anyway, there was nothing I could do.
I was just an ordinary human with some talent for divination and Spirit Vision.
Suddenly, my spirituality warned me not to activate my Spirit Vision again.
There would be danger if I did.
I didn't care too much about what might happen to me.
But I didn't want anything to happen to my sister.
I sighed.
It was 11:58 p.m.
Everyone was asleep.
The living room was completely dark, so I turned on all the lights.
Some of them began flickering.
I sat down calmly.
I put on my headphones, played some music, and began reading the two books I had without stopping.
It was the only thing I could do for the moment.
I really didn't like this feeling of fear.
My spirituality also pulsed in rhythm with my emotions, which were boiling inside me.
Anyone capable of seeing that scene, anyone who possessed some kind of supernatural ability, would probably have been scared out of their wits.
It was absolute terror.
All the lights were flickering.
And in the middle of that living room, there was nothing but a fifteen-year-old boy sitting at a table, silently reading.
With every flicker of the lights, deformed creatures appeared around him.
Some murmured.
Others screamed.
Their lamentations filled the house.
And not just the house.
The surrounding area was completely surrounded as well.
An unprecedented event.
A scene of pure horror.
All of it was happening in the home of a boy who only wanted to understand what was going on.