Synopsis:
Trapped in a cursed village forced to relive a night of unspeakable horror, can Touma and Index solve the mystery to escape, or will they become it's next victims? Elsewhere, the insane laughter of a woman echoed throughout the darkness...
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
{Didn't we promise...}
{That we will always be together...}
{No matter what...}
{So why...}
{Why must we kill...?}
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
THE FIRST HOUR: Welcome to Nightmare
============================
"Index! OiiI! Index! Where are you?"
That darn sister…
Kamijo Touma, age seventeen, finds himself alone in a dark mysterious and downright creepy forest. What started out as a simple road trip with Index from the beach back to academy city ended with a broken down vehicle in the middle of nowhere with no food and no reception on his cell phone. To top it all off, sunlight is fading quickly.
Truly, his bad luck knows no boundaries.
And to make matters worse... That darn sister with no sense of the situation at hand just ran off into the forest leaving Touma behind with no other choice than to follow her path into said dark mysterious and downright creepy forest.
Not that he was afraid off anything.
"After all, there's no such thing as-"
That's what you said about magic… Whispered the voice at the back of his head.
"…Fukoda" He sighed.
Up ahead, Touma saw an opening that leads to a path going through the forest. Positive that Index would have gone that way, he exited the forest and followed the path ahead of him. Looking up into the sky, Touma saw that the sun had completely vanished under a veil of darkness. Even if he did find Index, they would now need to look for a place to pass the night.
Trying to find their way back to the bus through this darkness is just crazy.
"Index! Oi Index!"
Eventually, the boy reached the end of the path. A bright glow appear over a hill was just a stone's throw away from where he was standing.
"Index!"
"Huh? Oh, it's you Touma..."
As usual, this sister has no sense of the world around her. It took a lot of effort, but Touma was able to convince her to wear something else than her usual habit. A thin yellow ribbon was used to tie her hair into a ponytail. A white blouse with the skirt length reaching her thighs, thick dark warm stockings covers her legs with a pair of plain brown shoes. Touma himself was wearing something outside of his usual wardrobe. A hooded navy blue windbreaker covers his average clean shirt, with the letters 'I' and 'B' in white on the front, a light brown set of cargo pants, and a pair of sneakers.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Index blinked.
"I'm sorry Touma, it's just that..."
There in the center of the hill laid a large stone table, surrounding the sides are three very large boulders, each constricted by sacred ropes, like the ones they used in a shrine. There was also a stone statue; upon closer observation it looks like twin idols were carved into its face. The surroundings area were being illuminated by torches and a small camp fire. To the untrained eyes of Kamijou Touma, it seemed like this hill was used as some sort of ritual ground.
"This place... 'Misono Hill'..."
"How did you know the name of-?"
Index point to the sign behind him that says 'Misono Hill' in Japanese.
"I guess it's supposed to be for a ritual spell... But there's something odd about it..."
Touma, a man of science, couldn't care less about it and so decides to focus on the more important things.
"Well, the fire's lit, that means someone was here very recently..."
Looking over the hills, they could see a village just at the other foot of the hill, there was a dim glow surrounding the entire place, which means there must be people there to light those torches as well. In another situation, this view would have made a great photo, but Touma isn't here for sightseeing.
"We should head for that village, see if there's anyone there that can help us..."
Touma started walking down the slop.
"Oi! Index! Are you coming?"
Giving the stones one last look, Index shook her head and ran after Touma.
"Nei Touma! Ask them if they have any food to eat as well!"
"YOU STILL HAVEN'T EATEN ENOUGH?-!"
They turned right and followed the path towards the village. The route was flanked by dark trees on both sides, creating a sense of uneasiness. It didn't take long for Index to notice something.
"Wait Touma, what's that?"
There in the middle of their path lies a simple black hand bag.
The duo stopped to pick it up. Touma opened the bag and found nothing except two old newspaper cuttings. The yellow colour alone was testament to its age. Attached to them was an old picture of a young man and woman standing side by side.
"What does it say?" asked Index.
The headlines on one of them says "Land Surveyor Missing", Touma read it out loud.
"...With the start of construction for the Minakami Dam approaches. Masumi Makimura (26), a geological surveyor dispatched to the area, has gone missing. Mr Makimura went to the area to investigate the site that would be submerged once the dam was built, but hasn't been heard from for five days."
There is another smaller clipping in the bag, it looks like a continuation from the first article, but this one is titled "Search for Surveyor called off".
"...The search for Masumi Makimura (26), the surveyor missing since the fourth of this month, came to a close yesterday. Mr. Makimura had been helping to conduct a geological survey for the Minakami Dam. As of yesterday, he has been missing for ten days."
A rather grim piece of finding, thought Touma.
"I wonder who it belongs to... And that picture... Is that Makimura?" Index pondered.
"Probably, that woman might be his girlfriend."
"Do you think this belongs to her?"
"It's hard to say, lets just get to the village first."
Putting the newspapers back in the bag, Touma passed it to Index to carry before continuing down the path. More trees blocked any alternate routes from the main road, and the moon in the sky was their only source of light, that is until they reached a clearing where they could see the village in front of them.
"Now what do we do Touma?"
"That first house is the only one we can see that has a lamp on, so I'm guessing we'll start from there."
The boy proceed towards the door.
The sign beside it was labeled, [Osaka House].
"Hello? Anyone? We're coming in...!"
The door wasn't locked; when nobody responded for the third time, Touma decides to open and walk in.
"Oh damn..."
"Touma, I don't think anybody's in here."
It was a mess. The furniture was all over the place, the smell of dust filled the air, the wood supporting the stairs is practically rotting, and in the middle of the room sat a sunken fireplace.
"Hey Touma, you know... You really suck at guessing."
"I don't want to hear that from the person who got us into this mess in the first place!"
They walked to middle of the room, where the fireplace was. There amidst the broken wood was a notebook. A brief look inside reveals only a single page is any readable.
"Looks like it belongs to a woman, 'Miyako Sudo'"
"Wait a minute Touma, that's the name of that woman in the picture!" exclaimed Index.
She pulled out the newspaper clipping and pointed to the name.
"But what is she doing here? Oh wait, she must have been looking for the Surveyor!" Touma concluded.
The silver-haired nun lean over to read the notebook.
"...I've heard rumors about this lost village before. Long ago, a massacre occurred on the day of a ceremony, and the village was wiped from the map. Twin Deities Statues in the forest lead lost people to the village entrance. Once you passed the gate however, you cannot go back..."
"Wait, what lost village... THIS lost village? This is a lost village?"
"...Probably."
"And not only is it some lost village, but it has to have a massacre too?"
Index nodded.
"And on top of everything, we supposedly can't leave the place?"
"Touma wait, there's more..."
Index continued.
"...The village eternally relives that night of death. The insane laughter of a woman is said to echo throughout the village. The only survivor of the massacre at the village was a lone woman."
At the end of her sentence, the room became unnervingly cold.
"...WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS HORROE MOVIE SETTING?-!"
Index calmly placed the notebook into the handbag.
"The belief in ghosts and spirits is something that humans, not only magicians, had embraced since the very beginning of recorded history. In almost every single culture in the world, there exist many different folklore about the afterlife..."
Index enters her history-magic lecturing mode.
"Belief in ghosts in European folklore is characterized by the recurring fear of 'returning' or revenant deceased which may harm the living. This includes the Scandinavian Gjenganger, the Romanian Strigoi, Serbian Vampir, the Greek Vrykolakas, and so on. English folklore is particularly notable for its numerous haunted locations."
Touma took a look at his surroundings; as much as he finds it quite absurd he took in every word she said nonetheless. Not too long ago he would probably just dismiss one of these superstitious lessons from the silver-haired Nun, but after many incidents with the magic world he quickly learn that the difference between life and death might just be one hint away.
"Popular folklore has always been dismissed as superstition by the educated elite, but belief in the soul and an afterlife remained near universal until the emergence of atheism in the 18th century "Age of Enlightenment". In the 19th century, spiritism resurrected "belief in ghosts" as the object of systematic inquiry, and popular opinion in western culture remains divided."
The high school student sighed.
"Index, you know I don't believe in those kinds of things." Said Touma firmly. "In the science world, the appears of ghosts and other things is nothing but a hallucination. It is the result of the brain being confused by chemical drugs, electromagnetic waves, hypnosis, or any other form of hallucinogen... That is what causes us to see things that aren't really there."
Index smirked as she shook her head.
"As expected of Touma... Mah~ It doesn't matter, with that right hand of yours, no ghost would ever be a match for you."
Imagine Breaker.
The power to destroy any supernatural effects or entity.
"That's true, if there's anything that would constitute as supernatural, that would be it."
Given the condition of the house, it's not like they can stay here for the night.
But still...
"We should still search the house; The lamp outside was lit, that means someone might still be in here." Touma changed the subject.
"Agreed, though unlikely, the owner of this bag and notebook might still be here... And even if she's not..."
"Even if she's not...?" Touma raised an eye brow.
"...WE STILL NEED TO LOOK FOR FOOD! MY STOMACH IS HUNGRY!"
"THAT IS YOUR TRUE PURPOSE?-!"
They decided to take a left turn and enter into the first room they saw and was greeted by a haunting sight. Several dozen Kimonos hanging from rotting bamboo poles and stands littering the entire room. The air was thick with dust and the lighting was horrible, and the Kimonos wasn't doing anything to help by blocking their view. As the two of them make a quick walk around the Kimono room, Index spotted a back room of sort in one of the corners.
When they investigated it, Touma couldn't see anything inside as the room was just too dark.
"Touma, Touma! There's something on the table!"
Index grabbed what she saw and they left the room to get a better lighting.
Only then did they realize what it was; Another scrap of paper.
"Wait, let me see that..."
Touma took the papers.
"Index... I think these are from that notebook! Quick, check the handwriting!"
The Nun finished out the item from the handbag and flipped to the worn out pages.
"I was right, this belongs to that Miyako Sudo woman ... And look,"
The torn edges of the scraps fit into the next segment of the book.
"It's something about a 'presence' outside the house... Oh great, more of that stuff..." Touma groaned.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Sometimes I sense someone passing by the window.
He carries a torch, and mutter things.
He seems to be searching for somebody.
But it is not Masumi.
In the distance, I can hear some kind of sad ceremonial song being sung.
They say that this village vanished on the day of a ceremony...
And that day is repeated over and over again.
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"...Come on, let's search the other rooms... Maybe we'll find more of her notes."
Back in the sunken fireplace room this time they walk straight down a hallway with several blinds hanging from the ceiling, soon they reached a junction. The path splits into three way.
Touma suggests that they split up.
"TOUMA! You're breaking up with me?"
Index gasped with horror.
"...I meant, we should go separate ways."
The high schooler quickly rethink that phrase and added.
"...As in I'll go straight, and you take the one on the left."
"I KNEW IT! Touma just wants to be alone with a girl when he finds her!"
Touma facepalmed.
"Then you go straight, and I'll take the one on the right!"
After 5 minutes of arguing, Touma took the path straight ahead while Index went in the right side.
"...Damnit, when did she learn words like that...?"
Touma turned at the corner and head through the door at the end, which leads to the back of the house. The room is relatively empty, save for a dirty brazier in the center as well as...
"More notes." Touma sigh as he picked them up to read.
The contents were Miyako's longing for her boyfriend, the Surveyor from the news article.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Masumi... It's me, Miyako.
I came to look for you.
Let's go home together.
Together, we can make it.
Call for me if you find this.
I'll be nearby.
Miss You!
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Touma kept the notes and took one last look at the room before leaving.
"Touma that bastard..." Index mumbled bitterly.
There was nothing worth noting to find here, just a candle in the corner, something that every other room already has. Nevertheless, her instincts told her to take a closer look, upon further inspection, she found a small trigger mechanism against the wall facing the candle stick. A simple tap on the wall revealed it to be hollow.
A secret room? Index press against the hidden door. It didn't take much effort for it to give way to a passage into another room.
Index walked in cautiously.
The first thing she saw was a very large and obvious Altar at the opposite end of the room, everything else about the place is no different from the previous gloomy, dark, and creepy ones.
"This is...?" Index picked up another scrap paper which caught her eye on the large wooden table. Most of the writings are impossible to make out, but what she can tell is that it's about noises coming from an altar.
"Sometimes I hear an eerie song-like sound coming from the family altar. It sounds like it's coming from deep below. Maybe it's just the wind? Or maybe there really is something behind that wall..." Index read the words out loud. "Another of Miyako's writings... Better keep it first."
Just both she was about to leave the room, she spots an old camera lying untouched on the dusty floor.
Almost instinctively, her brain has already kicked into overdrive and a surge of information overwhelms her senses as it searching through the 103 000 grimoires that resided in her memories. Putting together a complete analysis of the subject within a fraction of a second, everything there was to know was made known to her.
"Origins – Oriental, likely Japanese 19th century. Basic principle - Shintoism complimented with Buddhist teachings. Applied nature detected, ritual inscription within appears to be complete. Mode of trigger manual, no linguistic system found. No external compliment required. Limitations – Restrict to similar foundation. Purpose –"
Index picked up the camera.
"-forced dispersal of dominion spell, commonly known as 'Exorcism'."
The floor creaked.
"!"
Slowly but surely, the sound of footsteps could be heard just on the other side of the wall, in the room that she was just in.
"T-Touma?" Index trembled.
No reply.
A low grunt, heavy breathing, and inaudible mumbles.
The temperature of the room drastically drops, Index could see her breath forming as she tried to steady her racing heart.
"Is someone here...?"
Suddenly, the creaking stopped just outside the door, for the next few seconds nothing happened. No walking, no mumbling, no sound.
Her instincts screamed at her not to open the door, but there was no other way out of the room. Praying that whatever was outside has somehow just left, Index mustered what little courage she had left to approach the door.
"Please be nothing... Please be nothing..."
She placed her small, shaking hands on the wooden sliding door, and pushed-
Cold, empty eyes stared back.
Index grasped as she stumbled back in horror, not able to even scream. Standing there behind the half opened door was a woman... A woman with pale green, unearthly skin, long dark hair flows unevenly down her face, and a pair of unblinking, lifeless eyes stared right through her.
Bony fingers reached out to her...
In a moment of panic, Index blindly clicked the camera, resulting in a bright flash and a mechanical buzz.
Slowly, the girl opened her eyes and saw that the pale woman was now gone. The temperature of the room was back to normal; the presence she was felt in front of the door had completely vanish.
With the danger gone, Index felt her legs gone soft as the effects of the adrenaline vanish.
"So it does exist..." The girl whispered as she held on to the camera in hands.
"A machine that can reach out into the world of magic... The first successful hybridization of Science and Magic... The Camera Obscura..."
Not willing to stay any longer, Index quickly exit the room and back onto the first floor sunken fireplace where both Touma and her split up.
"Gaah!" Index gasped.
It was that same woman, though this time it doesn't seem like she notice Index at all.
Index quickly took a snap shot of the ghost before it vanishes at the door behind. Just like before, the cold presence immediately disappeared. A quick test on the doors revealed that it was locked, held shut by some powerful force with an eerie blue glow seem to be illuminating from it. Without hesitation, Index took a picture of the door. But something unusual happened, the presence that is keeping the door shut did not vanish, but instead a different image was shown through the camera.
"Does this mean... The core is somewhere else?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice called her.
"Oi! Index! What are you doing there?"
It was Touma.
"TOUMA!"
The small girl quickly jumped into his arms.
"Woah! Hey, cut it out In-" It was then Touma realized that she was shaking as she held him tight. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"IT WAS SO SCARY!" She bawled.
Not knowing what to do, the boy gently stroked her head in an attempt to calm her down.
A few minutes had passed before Index was ready to talk.
"So... You saw a ghost?" Touma sighed in disbelief. "Just my luck..."
"Yes, but not like the ones we talked about earlier..." Index place her hand on her chin.
"How so?" He raised his brows.
"If my speculations are correct, that 'ghost' is not really a 'spirit' or a 'soul', but a memory being encrypted into a large magic array, left behind when the original died."
"Huh?" Touma tilt his head in confusion, trying to sort out what Index had said.
"Well to put it simply, there are many ways to create the phenomenon known as a 'ghost'. This particular method is called [Death Echo]. It's when the memories of the decease was recorded like a video and then replayed over and over again. When a magician cast a spell, a part of his lifeforce gets imprinted onto it like a signature. It's the same with this, with a big enough spell, one can imprint someone else's lifeforce or memories along the way."
Touma slowly begins to understand the nun, but something is still bothering him.
"Wait Index, if these 'ghosts' are just memories, doesn't that mean they can't see us?"
"Yes, normally those memories would not be able to interact with us."
"Hmm... So it's like that time with the Alchemist huh? With the whole inside and outside coin business?"
Index nodded her head.
"Yes, like the characters in the story are unaware that they are in a story, and that we as the 'audience' don't exist." Index frowned as she continues. "But this spell has corruptions in it's array, and sometimes anomalies would appear in the 'script'."
"Anomalies?"
"Theoretically, the 'script' should play itself out without any external inference. But there are some pockets of error in the array that prevents the 'script' from being carried out, and that some external aid is require to bridge two sets of arrays together. It's like when I encountered that 'ghost' in the family alter room... Normally the 'script' would proceed without my intervention, but at that moment, it definitely felt like she was looking right at me..."
Touma once again thought back to his encounter with the Alchemist, and how the students that weren't suppose to see them, suddenly began to attack them.
"That's where this camera comes in handy."
"Speaking of which, what is it?" Touma gaze at the contraption in her hand.
"It's called the 'Camera Obscura'. It was created by Dr. Kunihiko Asou, a Japanese folklorist with the intend to look beyond the material world and capture "pictures of impossible things.". As the development of "Mystical Science," the field in which Dr. Asou studied, progressed, the Camera Obscura's abilities expanded and gained attention from many occultists and paranormal enthusiasts."
Index smiled at the boy.
"...It is one of the first ever successful attempt to merge science and magic."
"Is that so... But how is it suppose to help us?"
"It's in the description, 'to look beyond the material world', to put it in other words it's like peeling back the layers of cover to reveal the hidden secrets within. To use an analogy, the magic array that is creating the ghost is an 'encrypted world', this camera will reveal the secrets behind the encryption by blasting it open..."
Which would explain why a different image was seen in the camera than what they took off.
"And it should work as a tool to restore any dangerous 'Anomalies' along the way." The sister added.
"Then you should hold on to it, I already have Imagine Breaker, but with that camera you can at least protect yourself. For now, we need to find a way out of this house."
"Huh, what do you mean by that Touma?" Index inquired.
"I was just checking the entrance that we came in from,"Touma indicated the front door. "It's stuck, wouldn't budge an inch. It didn't seem like magic though, otherwise my hand would have dispelled it."
"Not necessarily Touma, it's possible that a core is somewhere else in this building, without destroying it first, it'll be pointless to try to break the seal on the door."
Index lift the camera and pointed it at the locked door.
"If my guess is correct, the image shown in the camera should lead us to the location of the core of the spell."
Index snapped a picture.
Touma couldn't believe his eyes as the image in the camera slowly changes into... A picture of a brazier?
"Hey, I know what this is!" Touma exclaimed. "I saw this in the room I was in before!"
"Really? Then let's go!" Index quickly pushed him along.
At the backroom, a dirty brazier stood in the center.
Touma wanted to use his hand to destroy the core, but Index insist on trying the camera.
Once again, the image shows a different picture. In this case, a more gruesome one.
"It looks like an injured man... And he's... Strangling someone?" Touma whispered quietly as he describes the scene in the picture. The man had multiple deep gashes across his face, the position of his hands indicate a choking motion, but Touma couldn't tell who he was attacking.
Once Index confirmed that the core has been destroyed, the two of them went back to the previous door. The strange presence was now gone.
"Why are we back here again?" Touma asked. "We broke the seal didn't we? Let's get out of here already."
"Touma, we only broke the seal to this door, somewhere else in this house is the core that has sealed shut the main entrance, we need to destroy that too." Index causally replied.
With that, the two of them opened the previously locked door. They entered a large tatami room, cold wind blew in from the atrium, aside from the shelves and boxes along the walls, and a large cloth hung across the center, the room was relatively empty. Touma and Index split up to search the two ends of the room.
On Touma's side, he found yet another notebook of the lost woman, the word 'Help!' was written hurriedly.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Someone! Anyone!
Whoever see this, look for me.
I'm trapped in this village.
HELP ME!
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Miyako Sudo... Just what the hell is going on?" Touma questioned the writings in his hands.
On the other side, Index wasn't having much luck either going through dusty boxes, until she came a crest with a copper key with a ginger design is carved on it.
{Even though we could finally meet...}
Without warning the pale woman appeared again and this time she was walking out of the room. Index knows she shouldn't follow but her instincts and natural curiosity to observe magic took over. She knew that woman would lead her to the seal's core somewhere in this house, and it was no coincidence that she appeared the moment Index picked up the [Ginger Key], she couldn't let this chance pass. She ran out without informing Touma who was still on the other side of the room searching.
{Where is he...}
The woman wept softly as she slowly climbed up the stairs. Index quietly follows behind the ghost which lead her to a door with a padlock with the design of a ginger on the top. It doesn't take a genius to know what to do next. Index inserted the key into the lock and unlocked it. The room she had entered looks like a Servant's resting quarter, with mats and blankets all over the floor.
{The Lost Village...}
There were several dishes and pots in the cabinet, nothing unusual about them. Boxes were piled up in a corner of the hallway, they're shut tight and impervious. Index found a page torn from a notebook is on the table.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
How much time has passed since I came here?
How long will this night last? I can't take the darkness.
It's driving me crazy... I have to get out of here!
I have to see Masumi.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
There's a hanging painting here, but it's so faded that no one can even see the colour of the flowers. The sliding door of the closet won't open anymore, upon closer inspection it looks like it's warped. On the opposite corner of the room, she found yet another page...
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
I must be tired. If I start to relax, I pass out. Even in a crazy place like this.
The darkness here is creeping into my dreams.
Slaughter, rivers of blood, fallen people, a woman in a bloodstained kimono, insane laughter,
and twin sisters calling out "Don't kill me!".
That woman's laugh is seared into my mind. I don't want to sleep anymore.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
That cold and dreadful atmosphere returned again. Suddenly, this didnt seem like such a good idea, but Index pushed on, determined to find the core somewhere in this room.
One final corner remains... And there lies another memo...
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Masumi found my note.
He WAS in the village!
I can see him soon.
I can't move...
I'll wait here.
He'll be back
He'll find the way out.
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
If he comes back...
...He's here.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
The last part of the memo ended abruptly.
"She also became trapped here..." Index stood up slowly and turned around.
{...He came back.}
"It's you isn't it? You're Miyako Sudo... You came into this house looking for your boyfriend..."
She should have realized it before the first time she saw her; it was the same woman from the picture in the bag. Her pale skin, dead eyes, dried lips and bruised neck didn't change the fact that she had the same face.
{Why?}
"And then..."
Index recalled the image that they saw when she took the picture of the brazier.
It was a horribly slashed man, strangling a person.
"...He killed you."
{Why?}
"And because of that, you became part of the [Death Echo]. Your lifeforce becomes a part of the array... Slaved forever to this 'Script'."
Miyako lunged at Index, who quickly sidestepped. After the initial few shocks of seeing the ghost, Index had gotten used to it, and wasn't so affected anymore.
{I waited so long...}
"This might hurt abit, but it's the only thing I can do for you now..."
Index raise the camera obscura and point it at Miyako.
{I had searched everywhere...}
Unlike the previous anomalies of Miyako, this Apparition of her was an advance stage of the corrupted array. She was directly trying to attack Index, meaning a more powerful exorcism was require. Index didn't have to apply any magic to it, the Camera Obscura would act as a tool, Index simply had to channel it in the appropriate technique that compliments the camera.
"In this case, the [Nine Syllable Seals] would do just fine..."
Miyako was slow, too slow in fact. She took far too long recover from her failed attempt and gave Index more than enough time to prepared the ritual. By the time Miyako rushed at her, it was too late. At the very last second before she touched her, Index snapped a shot using the camera, the resulting flash had a dramatic effect on Miyako as she gets flung back against the wall. As she slowly climbed to her feet, she never stopped crying.
{...Why?}
"I don't have any cool lines like Touma,"Index confessed to the pitiful creature. "all I can say is, may you rest in peace."
With a second shot, the ghost of Miyako Sudo screamed in agony as she vanished into light.
{Even though we finally met...Why?}
*End of the first hour*
Coming Soon...
SECOND HOUR: Into the Darkness
Touma: "Index has gone missing, AGAIN! The only way to get to her is to find the two keys hidden somewhere in this village, as I ran deeper into the village, a dark presence begins to surround the place, trying to hinder me at every turn. Since when does butterflies glow red? Just what the hell is going on here?"