It is storming outside, all I can do, a man in the twilight of his days, ready to welcome Death and be judged on whether or not I ascend to eternal bliss for all my good deeds or be cast down into eternal damnation for the blood on my hands, is watch. The storm reminds me of my greatest battle I ever fought, the first I ever lost. The day, I fought... him.
I was but a young samurai serving under Lord Tanaka in Nippon. In those days, I was known asDansei no Nikuya, the Butcher of Men, a title I wore with pride. On the fields of battle, I was a monster. Every soldier foolish enough to challenge me met a swift and bloody end by my blade, blood I would use to make fertile the land as I cleaned it. Over time, I rose among the ranks, from mere soldier to respected commander of my own armies. For a time, it seemed as though I was unmatched, that any and all challenges I met would be cut down as quickly as they came.
Until that day... Until that very day. The day he appeared.
I remember that day as though it happened not too long ago. My memory has since faded, I have forgotten many of my battles in the past... but not that one.
The day he arrived began as a day of beauty, not one cloud in the sky, the sea calm and complacent, a soft, cooling breeze to combat the otherwise sweltering heat and the sun warming the people below, children laughed in the streets as people carried out their daily lives and I, a shogun; married to Nariko, the beauty of my life and the proud father of three beautiful daughters greeted the day with rejoice. It was a moment of peace.
Sadly, that peace was broken. The breeze turned violent and roaring, storm clouds gathered far beyond the horizon and billowed toward the mainland, swallowing the sun and the sea turned angry with waves reaching toward the sky. I could see what looked like a reef not too far away. A bolt of lightning revealed the truth. Silhouetted under the waves, spiked back breaching the surface while the tides struck them in vain, was a dragon. After all, dragons bring rain, sometimes storms if they were offended, but this one was coming for land, something no dragon ever did. Then, it stopped... and began to rise.
Even far away, the dragon might as well have been the size of a small mountain. He stood upright like a man. On his back, booming in the distance, were great spikes of white bone shaped into flames. His skin was as gray as the storm clouds above him. His eyes, by Kami himself, his eyes were embers. Then he roared. It was as though a demon of hell had delivered a challenge to the heavens and Earth, daring them to be answered. I knew what had to be done, this beast would not be allowed to step onto shore. God or not. Demon or not. Dragon or not, I would not not sit by and let him set foot.
As I kissed my family goodbye, I rode into battle, wearing my armor for the first time since my days as a samurai, my finest warriors riding behind me or on ships. We armed ourselves with bo-hiya and cannons as normal arrows and swords would not even be noticed by a beast of this size. The barges went first as we set up our artillery. I stood at the shoreline, truly given a much clearer sight of the dragon's size. The ships let their weapons fly, striking the dragon's hide. The beast let out his roar and, with a single whip of his tail, downed every one of my ships. He then turned his gaze upon me and let his cry of challenge be heard. I gave the order to fire. The cannons erupted with the sound of thunder, battering the beast. Yet he still stood, as though mocking us for our futility.
It was there, the dragon revealed his true strength. His spikes began to flash like lightning with blue sparks. He breathed in with a heavy sound and as he breathed out, a plume of fire, the color of the sky, erupted out of his jaws. My horse had knocked me from its saddle in fear and I could only watch as the flames reduced every last one of my men to ashes. My legs were broken and I watched helplessly as the dragon headed toward town, unopposed, unchallenged, unstoppable. My pain was so great, I drifted into unconsciousness.
After what seemed like days, I reawakened and saw the dragon had long gone, my horse having returned to me. Using my still developing strength, I climbed onto her back and rode back to town, had it still remained. When we arrived, I saw what little remained. Houses lay crushed like twigs underfoot or burning. Ashes filled the air, either from the houses or burned folk. And my castle, once towering and mighty, toppled like a downed tree. I could see the villagers, or who was left, bleeding and broken. They pointed at me and shouted.
"You weren't here to save us! It destroyed our villages, burned all in its path and you let it happen! Our children are dead because you were weak!"
Part of me was angered, offended by their words, I tried, by Kami above, I tried to stop him. But another part of me agreed with them, I was helpless to stop the beast. Then I remembered Nariko and my daughters. Fear in my heart, I ushered my steed to what little remained of my palace. I looked everywhere for them, crying their names. I feared my four great treasures were gone. That was, until my calls were answered and Nariko, our three daughters in her arms, ran toward me, bleeding, covered in ashes and dust but alive. By Kami they were alive.
It has been years since that passed, my daughters have now married to lords of their own, leaving me in Nariko's care, for how much longer I cannot say. He's still out there. I can feel it in my bones. I fear he may return one day and lay waste to all that stand against him. I do not know for certain when he will return; maybe the next day or maybe when my generation has long since passed but he is out there and I fear for the poor soul who challenges him for it will end as it ended for me. The people of Odojima have a legend regarding this beast. For them, he is a god who, when angered, causes misery and destruction to those who offended him and he can only be satiated by the offering of a young maiden sent out to sea on a raft. They have a name for this god as well.
They call him...
Gojira.
- From the Journals of Shogun Tomoyuki Honda, translated by Thomas Edwards.