Vol 3 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter 3

I don't remember very well hoas able to calm Maria down after that At any rate, it was necessary to explain in great detail how Shun was not in any i like Satoru, but It must be that as they say ”necessity is the o look for Shun the nextand somehoere able to send Maria back home

I understood that rather than going alone, going with two people isback alive was not certain, I could not go so far as to coood friend

After seeing her off, I quickly changedjacket on over a sweater and tiedspentsupplies such as a coes and salves ready to go After cra all of it into my backpack, The idea suddenly hit me to wear the protective charm I had received from Shun

I secretly left through theand across the roof Levitation like Maria's was so my Mantra within my mouth, I resolutely leapt The instant I invoked my Jyuryoku, the air resistance becain a drearound, I was unable to avewas not seriously injured

I could not allowup, I suppressed the sound of my footsteps as I turned to the back of the house Pro post, I proceeded into the pitch dark ay At first I made the utmost effort not to h fro at full speed

I was by no means sure that I woulda li at a speed so excessive that, if Ithe boat with my Jyuryoku, there was a serious risk that I would crash into so and sink

Even so, I felt no hesitation Whatever else that ht happen, I would save Shun I would definitely be in ti in my mind except the determination to make it in time

While gliding across the top of the dark ay, I was suddenly hit with a strange feeling of deja vu

It was back in the first day of su a canoe at night Because Shun had suppressed the waves, the river surface reflected all the stars in the heavens like the surface of a pitch black mirror

As Shun accelerated the Hakuren VI again, the starry sky broke into countless frag away on the waves

The river current and the scenery on both sides could not be seen clearly, vaguelyinto the darkness In this way, the sensation of speed co That is exactly how it noith my boat

I gave my own boat the same name as the canoe we had at that tiister it with the same name or even write it in on the hull, but to me any name other than ”Hakuren NoVI” was unthinkable

Because I had left at a speed bordering on the limits of common sense, I arrived at the junction of the ay to Matsukaze village in no ti the day, several shi+ps had been keeping watch over this place, but perhaps because it was already close to le shi+p re atop the shi+p, but I could see no sign of any people

I did not have the ti the day There was no choice but to break through here Onceevery ounce ofthe sound of ht, passed below the entry prohibited rope

If so would be over

I held my breath until I was confident that the Hakuren VI's shape had coe point

Those on the guard boat probably assumed that no one would even try to violate the ban and enter Matsukaze village Were that not the case, it is certain that breaking through the watch point so easily would not have been possible

Quietly cruising along, the Hakuren VI soon encountered a second boundary, and passed below the Sacred Rope of the Holy Barrier At this location, no guard shi+ps remained at all

Illue pine trees directly in front ofat a place close to the central area Peering into the darkness, I couldthe bank, but Matsukaze village, all of it's lighting having died away seeed into a no-man's-land

I turned North, entering another ay

I did not have a good understanding of Shun's exact whereabouts However, I did have a rough estio in The location of Shun's hoe If I were toarea contained no people andpossibility that I would also avoid passing through heart of the village, or other villages where many people lived If I had headed directly north, I would likely not have crossed the Holy Barrier at all As far as the direction, I could get by as long as I had a coo in that direction

Having gone about 500across a small dock with quite a few boats present, I moored the Hakuren VI at post recessed into the wall of the ay and dise torch affixed to one of the shi+ps caught my eye Unlike the pine ays used, it was ether to nesiu it by Jyuryoku, it lit up to produce a beautiful fla up my field of vision

Although I was unfae, and had only a rough idea ofNorth

Walking along the street, the things illuminated by my torch were literally in ruins Only a short ae's residents had evacuated In spite of this, trash and scrap were scattered about along the road and all of the buildings looked seriously rotted

However when forced to pause in such an ohborhood, I was quickly hit with an anxiety attack

Because the torchlight's intensity was too weak to illuminate the area completely, my field of vision was limited to a sphere of a few meters The road continued into a field the end of which I could not clearlywith that dazzling torch could probably be seen from as much as a few kilometers away

Feeling a sense of foreboding hinting at danger, with great effort I acted against ht in ht enough to see the other side, but while brightening the fla it while preserving aI understood to be next to impossible

I picked up a withered pine branch that happened to be laying near my feet With this I should be able to constantlyit would have been better to choose such a thing frouished the torch

For a ed into coreen scribble like patterns danced about

After that, I ignited the end of the pine branch

Before e black cat

That is not to say that it was larger than should be expected Just as Maria had said, the anith was about that of a lion It had an exceedingly long neck and lie as a leopards It's eyes glittered in the phosphorescent light at a height not particularly different from that of my own

Purring contentedly from deep in its throat as it approached, the black cat stretched up and took hold of my shoulders

In the time that I was taken aback unable to think, it bit down on e mouth

The cat's fangssounds My h trapped by hypnotism, and I was unable to recite my Mantra

Was this, an Ih my terror-numbed brain

I vaguely felt the sensations of its hot breath disturbingmy neck The ammonia-like stink characteristic of the felines made my nose curl

After that, I felt ain control of my senses

The Ihtened on my neck with tre It was the anti-cat Good Luck Chariven to hconsciousness

The instant I returned to myself, I reflexively muttered my mantra

I atteripped s were held in place by some kind of lock joint jaw structure that would not easily open but, boosting th with the limitless power of Jyuryoku, it ca bone With theI loosely below it's head, my neck was finally free

Taking a few steps back, I help up the fla pine branch Illuminated by the small flame, the I atsound reminiscent of thatdown the Saber-Tooth Tiger like upper jaw fangs that had just been gripping my neck

I visualized two burly ars” in the air beforethe I its body, they twisted it as though wringing out a towel Its cervical vertebrae broke with a dry cracking sound After a violent full-body convulsion, the ImpureCat's body became completely still

I sat down for a short while h I was unable to stop the tears fro neck by touch and, even that sturdy collar seemed to have been crushed The deformed metal fixtures would not co Jyuryoku

After that, I finally forced myself to stand up and went over to confirm the ImpureCat's body It was a perfectly matched descriptions of the TricksterCat passed down in schoolyard stories Its body was approxi Its slier with abnorlance, its facial structure would have been identical to that of a house cat but for the mouth torn far to the back

I exae mouth by touch They seeh texture like that of sharkskin, with an elliptical cross-sectional shape The structure see up into the upper jaw One point in which it differed froer was that its lower jaw also possessed fangs of a sis had rounded ends These were not used to pierce the prey, but to hold the neck and apply pressure to the carotid artery, ulation

I could only think of one reason for a creature to kill by such a end of the TricksterCat carrying off children, it would leave no blood at the scene, and by carrying off the victi been killed However I looked at it, I could think of no other reason than that the ImpureCats had been created specifically to kill humans

I vo, I nevertheless felt a physiological sense of disgust facing the fact that I had killed another waroing a serious shock at the knowledge of this cursed living thing's existence

After walking for a little more than an hour, I finally arrived at Shun's hoe of a half-buried mortar I had to hurry From my chest to my underwear and even my socks, I was soaked with not only sweat, but the ImpureCat's sticky saliva More so than the cold, I was bothered by the terribly disgusting feeling of it but, regrettably, I did not have the time to stop and dry myself off

Nearly being killed earlier had taught ht If ones eyes are adapted to the light, and that light is extinguished, ones eyesight is snatched away co the case, even if one can only see imperfectly, it is better to be adapted to the darkness

Though watching the co north,in the correct direction, caht of a spiderweb that stood out in the diht The mesh pattern was distorted, and at so huh I did not know it at that time, in such situations, the part of the natural world most susceptible, where mutations first become apparent, is in the webs of spiders

Further near where I crossed the Holy Barrier, the defor It was as though it were an area where strong winds blow all year round, causing le direction

Starting a short while earlier, I had begun to be attacked by vague feelings of anxiety and discomfort

‘I want to turn back’

‘Right noant to run away from here’

That was the voice of instinct

I felt that I did not want to linger in this place for even a single second

But, thinking about Shun, I desperately encouraged myself

‘I must not allow myself to turn back now’

The only person able to help him, was none other than myself

So Upon closer inspection, the strangely twisted vegetation also served the role of guideposts I had the feeling that, were I able to see the entire forest as a whole, it would be twisted into a whirlpool-like shape If that were the case, Shun must be at the heart of it

The trees, countless tentacles possessing de into I constantly crawl forward continuing, those tentacles as though beckoned to, hastened my steps

Withouthad descended upon ht strain my eyes, I could not see more than 10 centimeters in front of me I could constantly hear what sounded like a voice whispering invoice from which I was someti

The inforenerate, becoround beneath ely soft, airy, and unreliable Withoutround and round in circles

Before long, er even distinguish whether it was dark or light, and lost my sense of direction entirely

Where, exactly is this place?

I was hit with an intense headache I felt as though a vice were tightening arounditself became difficult I was unable to move from that spot But now, evenand, I could no longer even tell if I was standing or sitting

Where exactly is this?

”Shun! Where are you?”

I cried out in a loud voice

In the moment that my own voice reached my ears, ain In this situation, as I wondered if one somewhere far away, I was able to hear a voice

”Saki! what are you doing in this kind of place?”

”I don't know I'm not even sure where here is”

In the nexth soround was restored

”Shun!”

I could see a youngat a spot about 20one of the ”Masks of Purity” worn by the shi+nshi+ in the Tsuinaceremony but, when I heard his voice, I kneithout a doubt that it was my dear Shun

”You mustn't come to a place like this Return home, quickly”

”No way!”

I shook my head

”Have a look at this”

Shun, pointed to the ground At first, I could not see what he was pointing at in the darkness, but our surroundings began gloith a faint lugling about on ground

Every one of them had sos reduced to withered networks of eye shapes, while their bodies were strangely bloated such that there was honestly no way they could fly A TrashBug looked as though it alking on stilts, rando and, with the left side longer than the left, could not walk straight, instead going round and round tracing a large circle Another bizarre case was a centipede It's head and tail had been fused fors flailed about trying to walk, but could do no more than rotate around in place

”If you don't want to end up like theht now”

”No”

I firmly stated

”Giveon? I' an inch from this place without that much”

”Don't be stupid!”

Shun said sharply

”Stupid is fine by me I came all the way out to this place for the sole reason of helping you Along the way, I was nearly killed when attacked by an ImpureCat” I said in a choked voice

”You encountered a cat?”

”Yes, I only survived thanks to the Good Luck Charm I received from you But, there is probably another cat out there”

”I see”

Shun said with a deep sigh

”I understand 10 Minutes You can stay here, but only for 10 minutes I'll explain as best I can in that time But, when that time is up, you must return home”

Having no other option but to continue arguing here, I nodded in agreement

With that, our surroundings were suddenly bathed in illuhts had been turned on As I looked up, an Aurora appeared spanning the entire sky Pale green light formed a shape reminiscent of an enormous curtain draped across the sky, while red, pink, and violet lights spread out above it

”How did? Shun, Is this your doing?

I knew for a fact that the Aurora was a phenonetic Poles The details regarding things called Solar Wind and Plas an Aurora anywhere in japan, let alone the Kanto region, was a feat no one but Kaburagi shi+sei should have been capable of

”In light of how you were attacked by an ImpureCat on the e should probably withdraw Shall we talk in the bungalow?”

Shun gestured to a s behind him with his chin I hadn't even noticed its existence until that ht of the Aurora, the entirety of the cabin was strangely distorted, as though I were seeing it through a crude lens Looking from the outside, one could easily notice the bent pillars and twisted bea pieces of hay froravity, giving the structure the appearance of an angry porcupine

”How did this house end up in such a strange condition?”

”Even this isatteinal form”

Shun went inside through the distorted door I followed soon after

”Ten minutes I should at least be able to suppress it for that long”

Nu about the floor rose into the air Suddenly, the space around us was filled with noisy buzzing, as though we had entered a beehive

”What are these noisy things?”

”There's no other choice Just put up with them for a short while”

Crossing the dreary rooe wooden table The tables corners were all warped, creating a terribly uneven surface upon which were 10 or so books and many sheaves of paper

”Would you like to sit down as well?”

He said, offeringon the opposite side of the roo around at the room's interior Everywhere I looked, wood and stone that should originally have been solid see at it all was only getting onweaker

”Where should I begin, I wonder if that's okay All problems, arise from the human mind”

Not understanding what Shun was even talking about, I raised my eyebrow

”Out of the whole of the hu called consciousness is like the tip of an iceberg The subconscious portion beneath the surface of the water is so er as to be beyond comparison As a result, the hts and e by any means

”I didn't coy lecture What I want to know, is what is happening to you”

”That is exactly what I was just trying to explain” Shun said in a muffled voice

”Hey, why are you wearing that mask? Take it off Won't you feel more at easy that way?”

”No way” Shun said curtly

”We don't have tiht try, Humans cannot completely control their own emotions Even if you achieved perfect control of your consciousin your subconscious Our Jyuryoku is the most obvious manifestation of this

”What do you mean?”

”When one initiates a physical action, there are several stages between picturing the action in the mind and it's actual occurrence Motivation is transmitted from the subconscious, but before action is taken, itone to stop or correct the action in accordance with reason and logic However, in the case of Jyuryoku, the impetus and implementation of an action can be said to occur almost simultaneously Because of this, there is too little time to make corrections if a mistake is made”

”But, don't all of us abide by the chosen process, calling a clearly defined i Jyuryoku to put it into action?”

”Even that i been clarified by the conscious, still contains elements shrouded in the darkness of the subconscious”

I got the feeling that the pitch ofabout the roohtly

”I don't understand what you're talking about Even if an ie unknown to oneself exists within the mind, it must surpass a powerful restraint before its manifestation If ones Mantra is not recited, Jyuryoku cannot be invoked”

”You don't understand However h the use of Mantras and (Hypnotic)Suggestion, Once a gateway is opened to the subconscious, leakage occurs without fail”

”Leakage?”

”Ah Jyuryoku, always leaks out to so the world around us as our subconscious mind commands”

”Such a!”

I was rendered speechless What a stupid idea I began thinking but, then realized I could not come up with any rebuttal

”Saki, for what purpose exactly did you think that the ”Holy Barrier” existed for? Do you think that ”Sacred Shrine Rope” will do any good against so from the outside?”

”I don't know What are you trying to say?”

My h into a state of confusion

”The Holy Barrier was not created to deal with outside enemies, but those that come from within The ene Jyuryoku Considering Fiends or Karmic Demons, e truly fear is that which comes from within ourselves”

Shun's voice was calan to sway irregularly within the air

”Of course, this leaking Jyuryoku is nor one needs to worry about over short periods of ti period of time, the extent of their influence becomes unfathomable That is why, no matter what, it must be directed outward”

”How?”

Fro the outside world is inserted in our e of a world of darkness, comes to resonate with the other dark space that exists within our subconsciousa direct link between the subconscious and the outside world within theJyuryoku is directed to the outside of the Holy Barrier The Holy Barrier is a mental tool that exists so that ”Impurity”, or LeakedJyuryoku, will be released outside

The things Shun spoke of were difficult, not at all so that I could easily comprehend

”Then, what happens to this Jyuryoku that is released outside?”