Okay. This is my novellization of Shadow Hearts, the first (and best) one. I will upload it one chapter at a time. I will improvise, and try not to go exactly as the script goes. I love being creative… PLEASE REVIEW. If you read, you review. You hear me!???
Chapter I
Journey by Night
Between the travelers of the eastern plains and marshlands of China, nothing was considered more fearfully unsettling than a journey by night. In this area, the night was unmercifully dark and lonely. Those who wandered the cold dark valleys between the towering hills and mountains never detached their minds from a certain feeling of discomfort. Old stories of ghosts and the dead wandering the plain circulated through ancient Chinese legends, and told of disquieting occurrences on plains such as these, where strange and disturbing events led to the birth of a new kind of fear that was powerful enough to seep into ones mind, regardless their bravery.
At this point and time, it was the year 1913. The dark and foggy field refused the bright light that the full moon poured so generously upon it. The waving grass crawled along the land, rushing here and there, wherever the wind carried, like waves on a calm sea. A wolf or two could be heard howling in the distance, their calls echoing eerily through the air. It was one of those not-so-beautiful nights that come every now and then, along with a sense of insecurity. A night when you can feel something is missing, as if hospitality had been consumed by a feeling of black nothingness, which now laid cold and dead amongst the sleeping earth's breast.
This wicked emptiness had consumed most of the night's beauty, and together, the elements of the time and place swirled together into a hodge-podge of dark, blurry colours, like runny paint. But amidst all the darkness, and the ugly, seemingly dead scenery the lay beneath its gaseous veil, you perceive after a moment, a silhouetted and isolated black figure. As you approach, it takes a shape; that of a train station, seemingly in quiet isolation, along with a wet and rotting track that parallels it. It was positioned upon the camouflaged background, to look as if it was suspended in a void of some sort. Only the large and watchful moon proved otherwise.
It was now nearly midnight. Traveling across the plains of China on a small, isolated railway, a large, black freight train rushed by in the quiet night. The black smoke of the steam engine seemed to add to the isolated feeling, disappearing in swirling puffs, into the abyssal sky. And all the while, the roar of the train's engine, echoing throughout the eerily silent night, and the light that it shed amongst the barren lands was the most energetic activity amongst that one could see. A lonely wanderer would feel a sudden feeling of salvation just from hearing something reminiscent of his old civilization; a feeling of hospitality.
The train was nearly vacant. There were five Japanese soldiers, a major, and a sergeant, who had not a single hair on his small, doll-like head. In the front guest car, a young, Caucasian girl sat, with her chin planted firmly in her hand, as she watched the plains rush by the train as it sped off for the city of Fengtian, to the west. She wore a dark blue blouse, and her long hair was tied around in a bun at the back. Around her neck, was an expensive looking crucifix, made of a substantial amount of gold. Other than that, there were only two more passengers. The first was a western English gentleman. He wore a fancy black suit, and a large top hat. His face was one of the kindest faces you'd ever see. His eyes depicted an unnatural bliss. The second was a mysterious person, who had boarded the train at the same stop as the English gentleman. He sat, covered in a blanket, listening closely to things around him, as if suspicious of a coming event. Most likely a homeless youth, who had dropped miserably out of school.
Ahead, in the first car, the Japanese sergeant looked out the window of the car door, and at the girl. Her beauty and innocence was almost mystifying. She stood out over every other passenger within the dimly lit train. Her eyes… blue as the bright sky (contrasting vividly from the sky that hung overhead at this moment), gave the soldier a sense of calm soothing, like the waves of a soft, motherly ocean. As he turned to his fellow soldier, his mind returned to that of a working soldier in the Japanese military, and the burdens seeped back into his conscience, sadly. "…It's already past 2300, and it's still a long way to Fengtian…" he muttered, most to himself, before yawning.
The soldier looked at her, too. She was a beautiful youth. Maybe twenty years old, she had sparkling blue eyes and hair so light blonde, it was nearly silver. "Major Tsuji, what is this about?" the soldier asked. "Why have this special train in the middle of the night to escort this girl to Japan? She looks pretty ordinary to me…"
Major Tsuji came up next to the two men. He thought about it for a while. "Hmm… well, hell if I know. There's not telling what the big shots in Tokyo were thinking…" he laughed slightly. "Next time I see you-know-who, I'll ask her, okay?" he said, clapping his hand on the soldier's shoulder.
They sat there in silence for a while. The low hum of the train accompanied the silence as if it were a part of the ominous silence as well. But just as the first soldier nearly nodded off to sleep, a sudden sound tore its way their ears. A piercing scream was heard, flowing back through the cars like a wave of terror. "What the hell…" Tsuji said to himself, looking through the car door window. He quickly opened it to see what was going on. The girl's eyes were small and full of shock. She took off towards the soldiers, who had their guns ready.
The car door slid open, and the western gentleman that boarded at the last stop was there. Behind him, were two bodies of the two soldiers who had been posted there. Both had deep gashes into their heads, and brain matter had spilt over the entire floor, and soaked into the wood. From the second body, a small, bony, gray creature with a long scythe yanked its blade out of the soldier's head, pulling out a dangling piece of the cerebrum. It had two tiny beady eyes embedded in its shrunken skull, and sharp nail like teeth. The small creature began to devour the piece of meat, as the western gentleman stepped forward, with a kind grin on his face. The kind of grin that can either be too nice for such a gruesome act, or sarcastically accompany it.
The man brought with each step, an unholy dark feeling. The sergeant could hardly believe what had happened. He'd never seen such a creature in his life. "Wh-what's going on!?" he said. The small creature seemed to vaporize into a small, clear flame and circle around the western gentleman, who stepped forward, still with that grin on his face.
The sergeant panicked for a while. A feeling of upwelling fear nearly took over his body, until he regained his control. "Shoot the bastard!" he commanded in his quivering voice.
The two remaining soldiers shot and shot with their powerful rifles. But none of the bullets ever made contact with the grinning old man. The small creature had used its scythe, still bloody from the other two soldiers, to deflect the offending bullets with superhuman speed. The old man walked casually toward the three men and the girl. He pointed with his right hand to the soldier on his right, and the creature sliced his stomach open. The man fell, his stomach acid leaking on the floor. The gentleman pointed to the guy on his left, and he was slaughtered like a pig, just as the others had been.
The only people in the car now were the old man, the Caucasian girl, and the sergeant. He quickly reached for his handgun. "Don't come any closer!" he shouted. The man stepped forward, seemingly to just provoke the sergeant. The Sergeant wrinkled his nose in both odium, and fear. "What does it take to kill this European bastard!??" he though. He began to shoot his small handgun. Yet again, all of the shots were deflected by the strange creature's scythe. "Die! Die! DIE!" he shouted, firing continuously.
His gun suddenly ran out of bullets. He backed away in a panic, throwing the handgun at the gentleman's face. With a slight head movement, the man dodged it. As the major found panic seizing control of his rational though, he turned tail and ran, but was slain in the same way the others had. He dropped to the western man's feet, his scalp rolling off. The man kicked it aside.
There was a silence. He approached the girl. She had been filled with so much fear that she had been paralyzed, and lost control of her body. She couldn't move, save for the shivering she got from the man's ghostly presence. This wasn't the first time she'd seen him. She bore witness to her father's death, on the steps of a small church back in Rouen, France. Only these men were given a break. The western gentleman had torn her father to pieces and left a mass of organic matter all over the church steps.
The girl winced. "It's… you! How did you find me??" she said, remembering that horrible incident. She remembered his evil façade emerging from the darkness of the alleyway with that same smile, and how her father had died protecting her. Echoes of distant, dormant memories surfaced, and her heart sped to an unhealthy rate.
"Yes! My name is Roger Bacon. And I am honoured that you remember me so well," he said. "I've come to take you away…" he said, still with that ironically polite grin on his face. She tried to run around him, but his small, companion was there. Staring into its eyes, shrunken into the dead skull, overwhelming horror appeared on her body, in the form of gooseflesh.
"You can't escape…" said Roger Bacon, chuckling. "Come along quietly… sister."
Suddenly, the back door of the car opened. The mysterious person underneath the blanket from before had emerged, revealing a young face. The face was that of a rebellious youth. A great dark aura seemed to radiate from his body and consume the once peaceful air inside the car. He wore a long, brown trench coat, black pants, and a red shirt, all fastened to his body by several large belts. His hair was spiky and dark brown. A grotesque talisman hung around his neck, with a small jewel that glowed a cool blue embedded in a hook shaped stone. He stepped forward with a serious look on his face, cracking his knuckles, which were concealed beneath white, leather gloves.
Roger Bacon smiled at this young man, acting so tough. He supposed he was going to play, hero, wasn't he? Irony arises in one's mind when they consider how Bacon's profile is polite and kind, despite his evil intentions, when this young man seemed, by appearance, more fearful than Bacon. And yet he was her to save her?
Bacon laughed. "Heh, heh! Ah, a new actor in our play…" he said. The grin got wider, as Bacon pointed to the young man, and the small creature raced toward him, scythe in hand.
The youth seemed pretty confident. He held out his left arm as bait. He knew the nature of these small creatures, for he had fought them many times before. Wind Shear Demons. Evil, given form from the mist of a stagnant pond, and sentience by tormented souls that wandered endlessly the plains. The beast sliced his arm clean off. However, the youth showed no signs of injury. No blood dripped from the amputated wound. He smiled. With quick reflexes, he grabbed the small creature tightly around the head with his right hand. He began to increase the pressure of his fingers, as the small creature, wailing and squealing in pain, flailed and floundered around. Until finally, the pressure became so great, that his fingers broke though the creature's skull and its head came apart in his clenched fist.
The youth was surprised when he saw that the old man showed no signs of surprise or worry. The grin had vanished, though. "Oh, that's a shame. I was fond of him, really…" he said, simply. "I made him myself, you see."
Grinning, the youth picked the amputated arm up off the ground, and put it near the bloody stump that hung there from before. And suddenly they beheld! The tissues and muscles began to come back together! The cells seemed to regenerate quickly, until the wound had closed up completely. The youth now had full control of the arm that had just fallen off. The only sign left, was a small slice though his coat sleeve. The girl watched in amazement, as this strange, miraculous act continued.
The gentleman just grinned again, and chuckled slightly. This youth wasn't as weak as he'd expected. He was obviously not a normal human being. Just then, he noticed that the girl was trying to get away, now that his wind shear demon had just died. He quickly grabbed her hand. "Uh uh!" he said as if speaking to a small child. He held his hand in front of her face, and suddenly, without any pain, she lost consciousness, and fell into his arms. "Not yet… I have better plans for you. You wouldn't want your father's death to be all for naught, would you?"
The youth began to run toward them. But suddenly, the old man turned around. He waved his freehand, and in his eyes flashed its confident gaze towards him. The youth suddenly found himself being propelled back through three cars at around 40 miles per hour, tumbling though a hodge-podge of various parts of the train. The warlock grinned, and laughed slightly. "Looks like today's not the day to play hero, punk!" he said. He then carried the girl off, and kicked the door out, releasing a gust of wind, as he climbed up the ladder on the side of the train car.
In the second to last car, the youth finally tumbled to a stop near a broken seat. The pain went away quickly, and he got up as if nothing happened. Brushing off the dust, the young man surveyed the surroundings. Looking around, he began to walk back to where the warlock old man had been. He walked past the broken windows and benches, and squished over the remains of the four soldiers as if he was walking on normal soil. He thought to himself for a minute. The old man may have jumped off the train with the girl. In that case, he had to be quick, before they got too far away.
He began to run back to where Bacon had blasted him from before, only to find no living person. He was about to jump off from the car door, when suddenly, he heard footsteps on top of him. He must've climbed up onto the roof! The young man suddenly gathered his strange unnatural strength, and forcibly burst through the roof of the train, as if it was cardboard.
On the top of the train, the old man, who had been running toward the front with the girl, stopped. He was planning to hijack the train and take it to Shanghai, but he decided to have a little fun, first. He spoke, still facing the same way. "…You're a persistent little rat, aren't you?" he said, his voice flowing back to the youth along with the wind.
The young man stepped forward. "…You ain't getting' away, pops!" the youth spoke for the first time. His young eyes shown with a fiery yet calm stare that would send a chill down any person's spine.
The grin returned to Bacon's face. He said nothing, but he dropped the unconscious girl gently on the train. It seemed like he wanted to test the youth's might. He stepped forward, and bowed with his hand in front of his abdomen, while the youth put up his dukes.
"Well boy?" Bacon shouted over the wind. "Show me what you've got!" He beckoned to him, and the youth ran forward, ready to knock him out cold. He aimed a powerful roundhouse kick toward the old man's head. But suddenly, he found that Bacon had disappeared. He hadn't expected that, and lost his balance, and almost fell off of the train.
He heard Bacon's laughter come from behind him. He turned to see that he was standing there, still in the same position as he had been at the beginning, with his hands behind his back. The youth became agitated with the old geezer's laughter, so he pushed forward and aimed a punch at his face.
Once again, Bacon disappeared. However, this time, the youth anticipated it, and braced himself so he wouldn't lose balance. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around furiously, and grunted as he tried to hit him again, but the pattern repeated itself "Argh!" he said, in his frustration.
"Ha ha ha!" Bacon laughed, from far behind him, still in the same position. The youth ran toward him, ready to punch, but suddenly, he was pushed back by an unseen force as Roger Bacon put his hand forward, with his palm toward the youth. The youth landed on his back, with a metallic cling on the roof.
The youth growled, and got to his feet. "That's it. You're asking for it, mister!" he said. And suddenly, there was a bright light around him. For once, the grin left the old man's face, and he shielded his eyes. The youth screamed, as if in pain, and there was a feeling of darkness, as if it was rising to the surface from within his soul.
A strange event was occurring in the youth's physical body. The very genetic structure of his body was rapidly changing! His skin stretched across, and became brown and bony. His fingernails grew into long, malicious claws, and his face became like a helletic creature's. Feet became devilish hooves, and two fleshy structures jutted their way out of his back. And suddenly, in a flash, his body had been replaced with what looked to be a demonic winged creature. Being stood up from its knelt position on the train, and stretched out its leathery wings, with a mighty roar.
Roger Bacon chuckled. "Ahh…A Harmonixer. A master of fusion. One who calls upon the demons inside his soul for aid. I've heard of your kind, but I've never actually seen a full blooded, purebred one… However, that will not be of any help to you…"
The demonic winged creature flew back toward Bacon, ready to strike. As expected, the warlock disappeared, and the creature was able to get a hit out of it, from behind.
The warlock wiped a small trickle of blood from his mouth. "Fine… if that's how you'd like to play…" he said. He spread his hands out, and began to chant strange words. Words from the blackest of magic. Strange symbols appeared around him, and suddenly, it felt like the youth was in another dimension. The train had disappeared: he was sure of that for the rest of his life. The tree of Kabbalah was visible, behind Bacon, and it began to glow. He felt was if his heart had been pierced by the darkness. All that was, was the warlock and him, standing in a field of dead ebony fog. He felt something being pulled from inside his soul. He began to screaming mercifully. His pupils shrank, and he lost his balance.
The tension released, and the physical realm appeared once again. When the spell had seceded, the youth found that he had transformed back to human, and sat low to the ground, panting. The old man chuckled once again. "You're stronger than I expected!" he said. "But not strong enough… heh heh. Now, foul monster, you shall cease to be!"
A strange reddish light surrounded Bacon's hand. But suddenly, before he fired, a shining light from the holiest source came from behind him.
He turned around, and saw that it was coming from the girl's golden crucifix. The light was so bright, that. It seemed to cause the old man pain. "Wh-what on earth…" he said, shielding his eyes.
Like a reflex, the youth ran toward him with a great punch. Bacon was caught off guard. The punch plunged into his left eye, and almost through the other side of his head. A great bloody hole was left. Stunned, the old man staggered backwards as the youth yanked his fist out of his eye. "W-well, damn…" he said, holding his hand up to his wound. The white glove had become stained red. Bacon grunted, and regained his ground. But when he looked back, he noticed that the youth, and the girl were gone…
The young man held the girl in his arms, and watched as the train went by, and disappeared over the dark and misty horizon. With a deep breath, he laid the gentle beauty down on the ground.
In ten or fifteen minutes, the girl finally opened her eyes. As she did so, a handsome, young man came into view. He stood above, grinning down at her. She watched as he knelt down beside her, and his face got uncomfortably close to her own. "Yo, there! Finally comin' to, huh?" he said. "If you're looking for the train, it's long gone."
The girl stood up, startled, and slowly backed away from him. The young man laughed. "Pretty exciting, eh?" he said. "You getting a tingly feeling? Right about here?" he said, reaching for her breast, rudely. The girl jumped back away from him with a surprised expression.
"N-no! Stay away!" she said.
"What? Stay away!? I haven't even done anything yet!" said the rude hero.
The fact that he said he hadn't done anything yet sort of frightened her. "Stay…stay back. Please, I…I can't. No… I can't do anything, I…" she said. The young man had no idea what she was talking about. Suddenly, she backed off again, and ran away, off into a small trail in the plains. The plains were covered with small trails and tall grass, and there was a river that ran along the centre. In a few seconds, the fog that crept along the ground obscured her form from view.
"Huh? Hey, where do you think you're going? I'm telling you, it's not safe that way!" he called out to her. He sighed. I guess I just have to go after her…he thought to himself. He began to run after her, but suddenly, a great pain filled his head. It was like someone was hammering his head each time his heart beat. It was way worse than any headache.
And suddenly, a strange voice pervaded his head. "Dark… and ligh… reunited… prote… …d find your reason for living…" it said. And after the voice stopped, the pain faded away. The young man sighed. "God, that hurts! Not that damn voice again!" he said. "Stupid voices! Okay… got it, I'm supposed to protect her, right?" He walked onward, and followed the path that the girl had run though.
He was walking around, in the darkness, when suddenly, a high-pitched scream filled the air. Recognizing the high pitched, damsel-in-distress scream, he rushed over to a small clearing in the tall grass. There, in the middle of the clearing, the girl had fainted, and was about to become the victim of a gigantic spider. Occurrences such as this led to the strange beliefs that haunted these plains, as I had said before. The spider was as big as camel spiders in the desert, and it was very hairy. The legs were as big as a torso, and it made a quiet hissing sound as it came towards the girl. Strange green goo dripped from its hungry looking mouth.
"Huh!? Jesus!" he shouted, running over to protect the girl. Standing in front of her, he put up his dukes. The spider saw him, and quickly rushed to him, with its poisonous fangs ready for his throat. However, when it jumped at him, he reflexively ducked with superhuman speed, and performed a very strong uppercut, punching the spider in its soft underbelly. The spider fell onto its back, and before it could get up, the young man brought his leg up to his shoulder, and his foot came down onto the spider's head, crushing it into pieces of hairy, green goo.
…Whew…" he said, heaving the headless body into the bushes. 'We'd better get a move on. Lots of hungry monsters will probably be there feeding on that dead spider soon…' he thought. He stood over the girl, thinking about how weak she was. It made him laugh. Just lying there, the innocence, and the vulnerability just tied together.
"Hey, what're you doing? Wake up!" he said. "You were attacked, weren't you? I told you it was dangerous, didn't I?"
The only response he received with the quiet breathing sounds escaping her. Feeling a strange lust, he knelt down at her side. She was still unconscious. '…Wow, what a beauty…' he thought. She was so beautiful, and vulnerable. There was something about her. He laughed. "…Looks like I'm the one who's all tingly inside. …Maybe I should make a move…" he said to himself, his mind being overridden by his instinctive reaction to such beauty. "Um, Hello?" he said. She still remained motionless, lying unconscious on the ground. "Wonder if she'd mind if I… 3" he said aloud. But soon, he snapped out of it.
The young man stood up. "Hey girl! Don't just lie there like a dead fish! Get up!" he shouted. Who knew what the voice would say if he did such a deed?
A quiet moan was heard escaping her lips. Then, her eyes slowly opened, and focused, as if to obey the young man's request. She stood up weakly, but when she turned around to see the young man, she quickly backed off, with a freaked out look on her face.
The young man didn't know what to say. He was quite annoyed at her reaction. "Hey! I bust my hump savin' you, and then you take one look and run off… Then you faint? You got no manners, y'know that?" he said, trying to make it sound humorous.
"A…a monster just suddenly…" she managed to say in a shaky voice.
"Yeah… There are lots of hungry wolves and bloodsucking bats around here. You're most likely attracting them. You smell pretty good, y'know."
The girl wasn't sure if she should take that as a complement or not.
After a short, awkward silence, the young man turned around. "Anyway, don't run off like that, okay? Cause if I don't do what the voice says, my head'll split open!
The girl looked puzzled. "…Huh!?" she asked. What voice could he be talking about? Perhaps he was totally nuts?
And that was exactly the reaction the young man expected. He chuckled. "Don't 'huh!?' me. Someone or something is pretty damn insistent that I protect you," he said.
The girl was deep in thought. After a short silence, she said, "…Protect me?"
"That's right. It's always, 'Go protect this person!' or 'Go to that town!" he said, looking off into the distance. "Stupid voice jumps into my head all the time. And now it's ordering me to protect you."
The girl approached his side to listen closer.
"It has been guiding me, I guess… To where, I don't know. Oh well… it's not like it matters. What's this life to anyone but myself?"
There was a short pause. "…Anyway, at least I'm never bored. Wherever it tells me to go, there are always plenty of messed up freaks to kill. I just… don't see the purpose."
"So that's why you were on the train…" she said.
"Yup!" he said with a smile. "But thanks to that voice, I'm changing from an ordinary bad boy type into a real psycho!" he paused to laugh a bit. The girl's emotion stayed the same. "What about you? Hey are you psycho, too? Do you see weird things?"
The girl's eyes opened wide. In fact, she did see some things. And hear them, too. "…Maybe…" she said, quietly.
The youth chuckled once again. "Well… you don't seem quite like me, but… whatever. We can't just chat all day. First, we gotta find a place to rest. And I'm getting hungry," he said, walking down the path slowly. "Oh, almost forgot. My name's Yuri Hyuga, okay? And what is your name, miss?"
"Um… I'm Alice Elliot. Please just call me Alice," she said.
"Alice, huh? Even your name's cute."
Alice showed signs of discomfort in her eyes.
"Oh, all right already! I got it! I won't touch you! Sheesh!" he said, suppressing his romantic feelings. "Right! We're off!" Yuri said, walking down the path with Alice following nervously behind.
This new hero… she thought to herself. What kind of person was he? In one glance, he was rude, perverted, and a complete scoundrel. One of the people her father had told her to stay away from in her youth. But on the other hand… she found salvation within this man, and felt quite safe with him. In a way, she knew that he'd die for her. Alice smiled lightly, and stayed close to his side. Had Yuri seen that smile, he would've boasted about it proudly, until the end of his days.
The path through the tall grass soon led to a small place by the river. The river was far too cold to traverse through, but there was nothing back the way they had come from. They decided to head for Fengtian, the closest major city to them. But for now, they decided to make camp at a small area by the river, covered with a canopy of trees, and the remains of an old campfire. With the help of some flint and steel Yuri had found, he rekindled the remains of the campfire, and spread its warmth and light around them. The dancing warm light was certain out of place in the cold and dark environment, but the salvation and warmth it offered gave it a wonderful sense of security.
"So, what do you think we should do now?" Yuri asked, sitting with his arms around his knees, up against the gnarled and ugly tree.
Alice looked around. In the distance, she saw a sluice gate for the small river. "Um…Maybe if we do something with the sluice gate, we'll be able to cross the river," she said, pointing.
"Huh!?" Yuri said, looking at the sluice gates. "Ah, of course! I was thinking the same thing!"
Alice laughed on the inside. She could tell he had had no clue how to cross the river.
"Um… right. Let's have a search then!" he said.
Yuri got up, followed by Alice. They left the campfire to fend for itself while they climbed over the wet mushy hills of mud and tall grass.
An extreme feeling of discomfort came to Alice when her shoes filled with muddy water. Alice carefully picked her way around the muddy holes of glistening, icy water, while Yuri sloshed his way through them, without a second thought.
The gate was an old, wet piece of wood, with a rusty handle. It was something that one would not want to touch.
"Alright, here goes!" Yuri said, grabbing the wooden handle. He put all of his weight into his arms, and spun as hard as he could. The thing reeked with a terrible smell, and there were centipedes and other insects crawling all over it. Yuri grunted as he let go of the sluice gate handle.
"Hmm. No good. Damn thing's rotten," he said.
"There's another one over there," Alice said, pointing a decameter away.
Yuri and Alice approached, but to no avail. Three gates and all but one were rotten. And the only one still in fair shape was missing its handle. "Shit…" Yuri said.
Alice was silent for a moment. Yuri seemed lost in thought for a while. Alice wondered what he was thinking, when her mind began to wander off, back to Rouen, France, when her father had died. Roger Bacon had just emerged from the darkness yet again. Alice's heart began to pound, as she remembered. The warlock lifted his hand with a Satanic smile, and…
"Hmm. This one could work if I had a handle…" Yuri said. "I know! We can use the handles from before! The gates themselves were rotten, but the handle might work!" he said. Alice stayed put, while Yuri jogged over to an old gate, some meters away. He tried to pull the handle off of one of them. "Hah, no problem. Watch and learn, little girl," he said. He pulled as hard as he could. "Urr…" he said, grunting. The handle stuck stubbornly to the rotten gate. Finally, he let go to rest his arms.
Panting, he said, "Okay, this time I'll get it!" Once again, he tried, but failed. Alice stood in silence. "This… fucking… HANDLE!" he shouted in a sudden burst of anger. He grabbed a large branch from the ground nearby, and attacked the gate with it. Alice was startled by Yuri's sudden loss of temper, but she approached to see if she could help out. Yuri watched her walk up to it. She grabbed the branch from the ground, and used it as a lever, against the handle. With one foot upon the rotten gate, she finally popped the gate handle off, and it landed heavily on Yuri's foot.
"Ow! Damn…" Yuri said. There was a short silence. "Hah! Finally got it off!" Yuri said, back to cheerfulness. Alice laughed to herself.
The two of them headed back to the only sluice gate that worked, and put in the handle. Yuri began to turn it, and the gate opened. Soon, water from the small river began to rush through. "Hah! Good. It's a little rusty, but I ain't complaining!" he said.
Built in the early 1800s, it was a miracle that one of them still worked. It was originally used by farmers who crossed the rivers for trade. As they sloshed their way back to the campfires, Yuri glanced at the water flow with a smile. "Well, looks like it'll take a while for the water to drain. I say we take a rest for now," Yuri said.
"Right," Alice agreed.
It had been an hour before Alice drifted into a peaceful and innocent slumber. Yuri remained awake, sitting by the fire. He glanced at Alice. "She's asleep," he said to himself. "What was that all about? She's got some nerve," he said. Alice's cherubic body was getting progressively more beautiful in his eyes. She was an angel, he was sure of it. Suddenly, the feeling came back. "Yeah, to hell with it. I'm just gonna… 3" he said.
Just then, Alice muttered something. "Uh…uhh…Father…" the words crawled out of her mouth weakly.
Yuri was startled. "Oh, you're just talking in your sleep!" he said, his heart calming down. "Jeez! Don't scare me like that!" he said. "…Boy, why am I stuck protecting this damn girl?" He laid himself down and gazed up at the stars. And at that moment, he thought to himself… why am I here?
It was the voice of course. It had always been. It had governed his entire life since his parents were murdered 13 years ago. But then again, where the hell would he be alone? He'd probably be some homeless guy, starving on the streets, begging for his rice. In a way, he was a bit thankful of that voice… but who in the world did it belong to? It was this one question that drove him mad.
Alice stirred uncomfortably. Yuri forgot about his thoughts and laid his eyes on her vulnerable form. "Daddy… no." she whispered, and shuddered.
"Oh, please. Don't tell me she's dreaming about her dad." He said, yawning. "I'm getting sleepy myself…" he said. He laid back, and soon, he was dozing off.
He felt like he was asleep for some time…
And then, he awoke suddenly with a start. A strange feeling of vulnerability overcame his mind. Something was not right here…
The fire flared and flickered in a strange way. It was suddenly freezing cold, and a gray fog crept in from the river. It was strangely quiet. The moon had been blocked out by dark clouds, and all the bugs and wildlife of the plains had suddenly come to an eerie silence. A strange moan seemed to drift along the river, with the wind, and get louder and louder as it approached. Yuri was startled when he heard a familiar laughter dancing across the wind, at times seeming distant, at others right behind his back.
"This… this aura… it's…" he said to himself. And suddenly, the laughter was very close.
"Heh, heh… at last we meet…"
Yuri jolted around. Behind him, a few feet away, shaded by the darkness of the whispering trees, was a figure in a Japanese military uniform, and wearing a familiar fox mask. It was a child's mask, but it looked very ominous on the dark figure, as he stepped forward. Yuri had seen the fox mask before, but he didn't remember where. But he knew who it was. He knew because this figure had appeared in his dreams time and time again.
"F-father!? What… what are you doing here?" he asked. Yuri's father had disappeared when he was around ten years old. He had promised to come back that winter, from his mission, but never did. Nowadays, Yuri's father only existed in his dreams and his mind, as the fox-faced man. But now… the figure had jumped straight out of his thoughts, and had come to speak with him!
The fox face laughed. "I've come to visit, boy."
There was something about the fox face that struck extreme terror in Yuri. He could face up to the most demented and messed up monsters on the planet, but there was something about the man, that was beyond his appearance. Something that Yuri's soul knew of, and hated. He hated it. It struck his heart with complete horror each time he dreamt it. He knew… he was aware that he was being driven mad by this reoccurring phantom… and yet he allowed it to do so.
The fox masked man stepped even closer. "The souls of the monsters you've killed are quite lonely, you see…"
Yuri was puzzled and intimidated. "…Souls of the… monsters…!?" he asked. He imagined all the strange and disturbing creatures he'd disposed of (and they were many) all staring at him, wanting his blood. His question remained unanswered. Instead, the fox face approached Alice.
The man let out a wicked chuckle. He bent down. Yuri was surprised to see the fox face's fingers pass though her face, as if he was just an illusion. "What a lovely face…" he said. "And yet, I must show proper courtesy… it is thanks to this woman's power that I am even here."
"Her power? What?" Yuri said, not as intimidated anymore, but more confused.
"Haven't you noticed?" the fox said. Yuri could see his wily smile behind the fox mask. "This world overflows with the ghosts of the monsters you've slain. The gate of Eternal Darkness was closed until now. You see… this woman is causing it to open!"
Yuri wanted to say something, but found he couldn't. "The ghosts sealed inside the darkest depths of your heart…they call to me, boy! And they demand that I devour your very soul!"
Yuri's vision began to blur. It seemed as if the fox was everywhere, now. All around him, getting closer, hungry for his fear. "Stay away…" Yuri said. But the foxes continued to approach. And then, one fox came closer than all the rest and the rest seemed to vanish. A wicked laughter echoed all around, and visions of wraiths and ghosts of wicked monsters crawling out of bloody graves, and angry fiends swirled, all followed by the fox face. A sudden loud groaning sound entered his ears, and wicked laughter followed. There were eyes… bloody eyes. And gleaming teeth. And amidst the strange visions, was the worst sound of all. Alice's piercing scream. Her face shone suddenly, her eyes melting into an angry fire. The skin tore its way off of her skull, and the scream filled Yuri's ears until the pain of agony hung heavy in his head.
Suddenly, the fox face held out his hand, and he felt as if he slipped out of consciousness. Everything vanished, but the sound of the fox's hateful laughter remained with him. And suddenly, everything was black…
It was really cold, when he regained consciousness. The coldness came from all around. Yuri was quite alarmed to find that he could not breathe. He was beneath the surface of some dark body of water. The water around him seemed to pull him down even further. He couldn't see a thing around, and it didn't matter if his eyes were opened, or closed.
He struggled, releasing scores of tiny bubbles, that seemed to have much easier of a time floating upwards than he did. He wasn't in the same place as before.
And finally, he floated down to a strange and unknown place, and could suddenly breathe. Moaning sounds filled the air. A gray mist crept over the ground, soiled by the spirits of dead demons. It was a large graveyard, enclosed in a small fenced area. The fence looked as if it was made of bones, painted black. The trees that surrounded seemed to breathe, and watch, and cast shadows that resembled skeletal hands reaching out around as the ghastly wind made them shift. Beyond the fence, was an eternal plain of black emptiness, a huge dark void on all sides. It was as if he was in some dark realm, in a small floating island, littered with graves. The only light came from a ghastly blue glow the rose from the ground. Above, a cloudless black sky hung, with not a single star in it. And the real frightening thing, was that Yuri recognized this graveyard perfectly.
"…What's going on… where am I…" he said to himself. "This is just like in my dreams!" then, he suddenly remembered he was fighting the fox face. He looked around, frightened for a minute. "Huh!? Where's… Where is he!?" he said.
He surveyed the place. Dark and disquieting, the graveyard was a place that only the souls of the damned could find. Yuri knew that for sure. "Heh heh… so he didn't come with me, eh? Damn! I can't believe this. Honestly, this is a pretty lame illusion," he said, to himself. "…If this is an illusion…" He suddenly realized that he could feel and see everything clearly, which frightened him.
He entered the graveyard, and walked up to one of the tombstones. He surveyed his surroundings. "…Yup, this is it alright. The graveyard from my dreams. Aw, man, I don't want to be remembering this! Now's the part where I get lost, then wake up in a cold sweat just as a monster's about to eat me…" he said. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't afraid, though one could see it in his eyes. "No, no, NO! Nothin' but trouble ever since that freakin' voice showed up!" he said. "Maybe I've lost it completely… first dad jumps out of my nightmare, and shows up right before my eyes… and now I'm the one in the dream. I save that girl, and don't get so much as a smile. I mean, come on! Aren't they supposed to get all dewy eyed? 'Ooh, Mr. Yuri! Thank you ever so much! SMOOCH!' ain't that how it's s'posed to go?" he sighed. "Aw man, now I'm all depressed."
Yuri suddenly, felt very heavy, and took a seat on some cold stone steps beside him, thinking about all that had happened, about Alice, and about where he was now. He decided to stop talking to himself, and explore around. At the very back of the graveyard, there was a large door, with two giant trees with branches reaching out like twisted arms.
"That door…" Yuri said to himself. And as he walked up to it, suddenly, four masks appeared. The first was golden, and had the face of a bird with a crown of feathers. The second was red, and had a square face, with two small eyes and a straight mouth. The third was greenish gold, and had the face of a great lion. And the fourth was silverish blue, and had the face of a fish, with a grail on its head. They were the four masks, sword, staff, gold, and grail, in that order. Fear, envy, anger, and hate. They each appeared with a wicked, cackling laughter, and grinning faces.
Trying not to show his fear, Yuri stood up to them. "…Now I see. So it was you all along, pullin' the strings, eh?"
The sword mask spoke with a high, wicked voice. "We are pleased to see you, boy… the detestable young Harmonixer who damned us to eternal hell…"
"Heh heh… no need to thank me, but to be honest, I really haven't missed you guys at all.
The staff mask spoke with a low, whispering voice. "Ho ho ho… your pathetic bravado can't hide your fear.
Yuri became agitated. He constantly tried to convince himself that he wasn't afraid of anything. And in most cases, that was true. "Keep laughing!" he said, threateningly. "I'll slice that stupid mask in two!"
The gold mask spoke in a deep, demonic voice. "Ha ha ha! Your mind may not comprehend this place, but your heart understands it full well. Yes. This world is a reflection of your own mind's darkness. Darkness you have created yourself."
Yuri was puzzled, but remained silent.
The grail mask spoke with an evil, cackling voice. "Ho ho ho… the more of our brethren roaming about the world you strike down, the more you shall become saturated with venomous Malice, born of their bitter vengeance… and when the limit is passed…"
"What?" Yuri said, acting tough.
"SO then shall He be reborn into the world of the living."
"Who?" Yuri said. The masks laughed, together, and suddenly, the fox face appeared. Yuri's heart froze once again, and gooseflesh appeared all over his body. Yuri got ready to fight, but the fox just let out a laugh, along with the masks and disappeared.
"Ho ho ho… the man, the very thought of whom makes you shrink in terror…"
"Enough! Shut your stinkin' mask face! That's enough!" Yuri shouted.
The masks halted their laughter, but smiled, and watched him, as if trying to see what he thought he could do. "You think I'm scared? Don't make me laugh! I've been huntin' monsters for over ten years. I can handle one or two of you guys with the flick of my finger! You got that, you bodiless freaks?"
The sword mask spoke. "Ha ha ha… you loved your father so much that now you're wandering aimlessly in search of him."
"Stay out of this!" Yuri shouted, getting real annoyed. "Look, I'm just out for revenge for my parents. It's none of your concern!"
The staff mask spoke. "Heh… strange words for someone who still desperately wants to believe that his father is alive somewhere…" it said, grinning.
"You… Now you're really starting to piss me off! Say another word and I'll smash your smirking faces in!" Yuri said, clenching his fists.
The gold mask spoke. "Ha ha ha, slow down, boy! Worry not. We have a proper opponent for you. To sweep away the accumulation of Malice, you must do battle!"
"You wanna fight?" said, smiling. "Okay. Come on! All of you against me! I dare you, motherfuckers!"
The grail mask spoke. "Heh heh heh… no, boy. You must face your own consequences…"
"Consequences?" Yuri asked.
"Defeat this opponent, and the souls of those you've slain will be at ease."
And suddenly, a strange mist rose from the graves, and swirled in front of the four masks. They soon took form, into four skulls attached to each other, wailing a loud, grieving sound.
"What the?" Yuri said.
"This is the evil from the monsters' hate, formed into a being. Only by defeating it, shall the vengeful souls of those you've slaughtered rest."
The skulls rushed into him, and bit him tight on the arm. With a disquietingly loud wail that echoed throughout the whole void of darkness, its teeth sank deep into his flesh. "Ow! Damn…" Yuri said to himself. His left arm came up and pulled the skulls off of his arm. Their teeth ran red with his blood. The skulls began to wail and struggle to get free, until Yuri smashed them against the ground furiously. A painful cracking sound came from the skulls, along with a moaning. But, the skulls held out.
Yuri aimed a hard kick, and finally broke the skulls, shattering with a screaming sound that filled the entire area. Slowly, the skulls dropped to the ground and disappeared.
"Hah! Come on, at least give me some sort of challenge! Who's next you guys?" Yuri said, laughing at how weak the thing was.
The sword mask spoke. "It was easy for you now. But the more monsters you kill, the stronger it will get."
The Grail mask spoke. "Hohoho… well done. Your victory has swept aside the vengeance of our brethren. And it appears that the reactions of that cursed talisman you hold have vanished as well…"
"My talisman?" Yuri asked. He glanced down at the small talisman. It had been a memento from his father, who carved it with his own hands.
"That talisman is a special one. It reacts to the malice of the spirits of the dead."
And just then, Yuri noticed that it had turned green from blue since he'd escaped off of the train with Alice. The ghastly colour had mesmerized him for a moment, before it went dark again.
The sword mask spoke. "Heh heh heh… it's too early to get cocky, boy. This purification is only temporary."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Yuri said, now confused.
The staff mask spoke. "Ho ho ho… when you return to your world, killing or compatriots will only result in increased Malice. Then, you will come back here to lower it. No matter how many you slaughter, this hell will continue."
The gold mask spoke. "Hahaha! Then, in due time, HE will be resurrected… the man you fear more than death itself!
The grail mask spoke. "Tee hee he… do you intend to keep running forever…?"
The staff mask spoke. "Hohoho! How much easier it would be for you if you'd simply come here in death…"
"Enough!" Yuri interrupted their wicked laughter. "Shut up!" He began to turn around and walk away.
The sword mask spoke. "Hahaha… Be gone with you, boy! Return to the world of the living!"
Yuri walked away with a cold shoulder, as the four masks continued to laugh their wicked laugh behind his back before vanishing completely once again.
He walked back to the graves, and away from the strange door. And he couldn't help but notice that one of the graves was glowing with an eerie green glow. "Yeowch! Aren't these tombstone thingies freaky?" he said to himself. "It's almost like they're alive. Haha! Wouldn't it be hilarious if all the monsters I've killed started crawling out of these?" he said, though the thought was not funny to him at all. "Hmm… this one's glowing… Seal of Earth, huh?" he said, looking at the earth symbol engraved on the tombstone.
Suddenly, a low growling could be heard. It sounded like some sort of Tiger was hiding somewhere, waiting to attack. "What the…" Yuri said to himself. And suddenly, a very long, hair arm broke though from below the soil, at the foot of the tombstone. And slowly, a monster rose out of the soil. It was some sort of fearsome tiger monster. It stood on its hind legs, and had very long arms, almost like a human's, only with lots of green and brown fur.
The tiger stared at Yuri with fierce, red eyes, and Yuri found that he couldn't move. Then, without a second though, he brought forth, the soul of the dark demon within him. With a very bright light, the death emperor heeded Yuri's call.
The tiger raised its arms, and suddenly, the ground came apart around them. Large stones in the shape of sharp spikes arose, and then, they came toward him like needles. However, the death emperor used his leather-like wings to defend itself. Then, the wings spread, and Yuri sent a sort of dark mist toward the tiger. A strange evil came with this poison mist. The monster hesitated for a minute, perhaps from pain, and Yuri took this chance to attack. With his vicious claws, he sliced, and the tiger suddenly let out a roar, and fell down to the ground. Yuri looked down, as its body was reduced to its constituent atoms, in a strange blue light, until nothing was left at all.
Yuri returned to his human form in a flash of light. "Heh heh! Yeah. I knew you'd show up! But it didn't quite go as planned, eh?" Yuri said. But ironically, the smile on his face disappeared very quickly. "Huh? What the…? Suddenly I feel, awful…!!" he said, kneeling on the ground. A violent impulse welled up inside of him. He felt like the tiger was inside of him, now. As if it was ready to come out. And suddenly, he realized what had happened.
"So… I have a new spirit to fuse with, huh? Is this… my power?" he said to himself. Indeed, it was the power of the Harmonixer.
Harmonixers were granted several genetic traits from their ancestors. In general, many passed off the shape shifters as mere legend. Rather, an old story went back long ago. While the stories were so old that all records of the exact genesis of the Harmonixer line had begun, old eastern legends of malevolent, nine tailed foxes shape shifting into human beings, had stemmed from the original Harmonixer legend.
The Harmonixers genetic traits, which they inherited from their ancestors, include rapid tissue recovery, superhuman strength, red pigmentation in the iris of their eyes, and of course, the ability to shape shift. Contrary to popular belief of shape shifters, Harmonixers do not just transform into anything. They take the shape of demons, whose souls in the mental realm come in contact with their brainwaves during sleep. For a Harmonixer, it was a battle of the minds. During a transformation, it was literally allowing the monster's body to replace one's own, while fighting desperately to retain their own thoughts. This often caused severe pain in the cranium area of the brain, which eventually might weaken in age. Indeed, if one with a weak heart attempted it, their mind would lose the battle, and the demon would find its way into their body, and assume full control. In this way, some Harmonixers in legends have gone mad and terrorized village all over Europe, and parts of Asia. The results were legends of the werewolf, and other such stories.
And indeed, most Harmonixers were targeted by malicious, vengeful spirits of the dead: for they were always in contact with the supernatural dimension beyond the realms of death. Nightmares wandered into their heads in this way.
And how did a Harmonixer deal with this? Well, during the REM stage of sleep, the conscious mind of a typical Harmonixer transcended the barriers of normal human beings, and entered this new dimension. For our hero, Yuri, this existed, in the form of a graveyard. From here, it was vulnerable to malice. A strange energy that focused upon hatred. Killing things in the real world would eventually lead their negative energy to condensate into sentient beings, which attacked the person in their dreams. Being able to overcome this demon that formed gave the Harmonixer the ability to "borrow" its body, and bring it out of the realm of darkness, and into the physical world. It was a result of the sorrowful cycle of hatred, death, and malice that Harmonixers endured daily.
Yuri dragged himself to the gate where he had appeared from before. And when he began to walk out, he heard something strange. A familiar voice. "…ease! Wa… up!" it came, in pieces.
"Huh? That voice…?" he said to himself.
Then he recognized it. It was Alice. "Yuri! Please open your eyes!" came her voice. His head suddenly seared with pain, and the graveyard seemed to vanish. "Aargh… my head again!" he aid.
"Wake up! Wake up, please! Yuri…! Please open your eyes!" came Alice's voice.
Yuri suddenly woke with a start. He was relieved to find that he was back at the campsite, with Alice. "Are you alright?" she said, with a worried look on her face. "You were having a nightmare… Mumbling about masks… and "Malice," she said.
"A nightmare…?" Yuri said, mostly to himself. "…None of your business," Yuri grunted, sitting up. "My head's just really starting to hurt. That's all. Whew… how long was I out?"
"Only two or three minutes since I found you," Alice said. "But you seemed in such pain!"
"There's nothing to worry about," Yuri said. "I've always had nightmares. Ever since I was a little kid." And then, jumping to his feet, he said, "C'mon, let's go. The water should be drained a decent amount by now."
The odd couple approached the banks. Indeed the water had drained mostly. The river had not been more than 4 feet deep. It was only the temperature that kept them from crossing it. Currently, it was just above freezing. And the wind child would probably cause it to turn to ice later on.
Across the river, the field stretched on and on in a sea of tall grass, but there did happen to be a path that led to a dark forest in the distance. On the way, Yuri was lost in thought. So, it was all just a dream… he had seemed to feel the pain and fear almost as if he was really there. And he remembered it full well, unlike most other dreams, where there's usually a part that's foggy and hard to remember. But he just thought, "Fuck it, there's nothing to worry about…" and continued.
They walked down the small path, in between the walls of tall grass that surrounded them. Alice was shivering against the rushing wind. It was moaning, and blowing across her face. Her discomfort was obvious.
"Here," Yuri said, unbuckling some belts, and handing over his long leather jacket.
"Oh… why thank you." Alice said, smiling. "But aren't you cold?
"It's okay…" Yuri said. "I have my own way of warming myself up."
"How?" Alice asked.
"Well… I have my ways," Yuri smiled, as he started into the skies, lost in thought. Above, Alice's naked form floated toward him, and buried his face in her bouncing bosom. Indeed a great warmth arose in his pants.
"Yuri?" Alice said, puzzled. Snapping back to reality, Yuri felt disappointed that Alice now had clothes.
"Oh… right, on we go," he said with a smile. They began their pace once again "So, pretty lady…" Yuri said. "Why is this old fart after you? Is he some perv?"
Alice's eyes seemed to be mesmerized. "I don't know why he's after me…" she said.
"Well, you knew his name!" Yuri said. "Did you meet before or something?"
Alice let out a painful breath. "I had met him once before. Only once. My father, Morris Elliot, and I were waiting for someone to arrive, on the back steps of a church in Rouen, France…We were waiting for someone, but before they could show up, that man… Roger Bacon… he appeared, out of the darkness, it seemed. He did not hesitate to deal with my father."
"Why didn't he kill you?"
"I don't know… I think he needed me for something…"
"I knew it!" Yuri said. "He's a perv!"
"No, it's not that!" Alice said, seeming a little annoyed.
"Well jeez… if he doesn't desire a beauty like you, I'd say he's gay!" Yuri chuckled.
"Stop it!" Alice snapped.
"Oh all right, sorry. …Then you still don't know why?"
"Nope," she said. "Wherever I go, he follows, bringing death to the people around me… first my father, then those soldiers on the Trans-Siberian express…"
"Don't worry. He'll never get through me!" Yuri said, cracking his knuckles. Alice smiled gently. Although she'd only known Yuri for a couple hours, she already felt safe by his side. Well, except for his overzealous attempts to pleasure himself with her. But she knew he wasn't going to go that far.
Another half-hour passed by. It was about 13:00, when they emerged from the sea of tall grass. The path went on, along the side of the river that they had crossed a while back. Beyond the path, there was a dark wood. It stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions.
"Do we have to walk through that?" Alice said, intimidated. If gigantic spiders wandered these plains at night, what kind of hideous creatures lived in the forest?
"Seems so…" Yuri said, with a laugh. "Alright! More monsters!"
Alice didn't seem to have the same excitement that Yuri possessed after hearing about something like that.
As they entered, Alice stuck close to Yuri. Shadows of large trees covered them up like dark veils. They had no means of light, other than the full moon that hung above them. And that periodically was obscured by clouds, leaving them in a pitch-black void.
Walking though the forest, sometimes Alice could swear she saw moving shapes in the darkness. She heard strange sounds, also. Sounds of things that were not animals. Strange sounds, in the night. In fact, one time, she heard a growling, snarling sound. It was not loud, but it sounded very near. Yuri heard it, but didn't seem to pay much attention.
The sounds of animals screeching, and crickets chirping surrounded the two wanderers. Soon, the moon came out. Though she wasn't as frightened now that she could see, she still felt uneasy.
"Yuri, do you ever get the feeling that someone or something's following us?"
"Hm? Yeah, but I'll kick his ass. It's probably just some sex pervert stalking you. As I said before, you smell pretty good, you know?" said Yuri. "Too bad, buddy! She's all mine!" he shouted, obnoxiously.
"Hmph!" Alice scoffed.
"Oh, come on, I was just kidding!" Yuri said.
They walked on, oblivious of the path, now. They had wandered off of it accidentally while the moon was covered up by clouds. It was about fifteen more minutes, when the moon was covered once again.
THUD! Alice let out a squeak from the sudden noise.
"Ow!" said Yuri, who had just bumped headfirst into a tree. "Damn clouds…" he said. Alice was relieved that it was only the sound of Yuri hitting a tree. She actually giggled silently.
Once the clouds had covered up the moon, Alice noticed another thing. All of the animals and cricket noises had stopped. A sudden groaning noise arose in the back of the forest.
"Yuri, what's…"
"Shh!" he said, listening carefully. Alice remained silent. Yuri listened for a while, then said, "Come on. Let's get out of this forest. Quick."
\
"But what was that?" Alice said.
"I have no clue, but I don't want to find out…"
As they walked on, the moon refused to shine on again. Yuri kept stumbling into trees. Soon, everything got silent again. Not even the trees' leaves rustled. Starting out at a low groan, the sound came again, growing into a louder, more intimidating growl. As it grew louder, it felt as if it had come up behind them. Right behind them. Alice turned around, expecting to see a hideous creature with flashing teeth and blood soaked skin, but she saw nothing.
They walked on. For the first time, Yuri showed a slight hint of discomfort. The groaning sound came again it seemed to echo all around. The moon came out again, but did not shed enough light to see anything clearly. Yuri stood there for a moment. "…Alice? Let's get the hell outta here!" he said. "I think there's something out there. Something big."
Alice, of course, was intimidated by the fact that even Yuri felt uneasy. Their walk became a fast paced power walk, as they crunched their way though the leaves and twigs, seemingly put there just to attract large creatures in the night. Yuri bumped into more trees.
They walked very uncomfortably, but soon, the end of the forest slid beneath them. It was suddenly much lighter out, and the moon shown brightly.
Yuri was panting. "Whew!"
"What was that thing?" Alice asked.
"Something big, that's for sure!" said Yuri, still catching his breath. "Perhaps it was a yeti or something… It ain't any bear, that's for sure. Well, there's no time to waste! We've gotta get to civilization…"
They walked on the path once again, and followed the river. Soon, they both saw something that comforted them.
"Hey! Look at those lights! It's a town!" Yuri said. Alice was silent. Yuri didn't know why. "Why the long face? We'll have food and a bed to rest on! Come on!" he grabbed her hand gently, and pulled her toward the village.
Alice followed willingly, but suddenly, Yuri's grip on her hand tightened to the point where her hand hurt. Yuri held his head, then let go of her hand, dropping to his knees.
"Yuri?" Alice said, worried. "Oh my god! Yuri!"
Yuri grunted. A strange voice could be heard. It was a woman's voice, and it seemed to come with the wind. They were only able to make out parts of it.
"Be caref… … … Guar..ian…Purg…tory … Man..eater… Tr.p …wait…you…"
Alice wondered what it was trying to say. She heard something about Purgatory and man eaters, but she still didn't get the entire thing.
Yuri held onto his head, panting. Soon, the pain faded, and he stood up. "It's… gone…?" he said. "Aaaargh!! Leave me alone! Damn you!! Leave me ALONE! I'm not a damn marionette, you hear me?!" he shouted, kicking a large stone into the river. "Ow…" he said, holding his foot.
"Um, Yuri? That voice…" Alice said.
"Yeah, what about it?" said Yuri with an irritated glare.
"…I heard it too…"
The irritation ceased, and was replaced with a puzzled look. "…Really?!" he asked. No one had ever heard it before. Only him. And each time it happened, it caused a great pain in his head. The kind of pain that made the rest of your limbs too weak to support you, and left you panting on the ground.
Alice nodded. "Yes. I don't think it means us any harm. I didn't sense anything evil about it. I think… it feels like it just wants to tell us something…" Alice said.
A smirk appeared on Yuri's face. "… … … …Oh yeah?" he said, holding his hand on his hip, after a short silence. Her know it all mood entertained Yuri for a short while.
"Let's head for the village," Alice said, changing the subject. She began to walk toward the gate of the small village ahead.
Yuri chuckled to himself. "That Alice… She hears the voice, but it doesn't bother her! I wonder why?" He was temporarily in his own little world, when he noticed that Alice was walking on without him. "Huh? Hey, wait up! Don't leave me here!" he shouted out to her, running.
The two of them approached the wooden gate of the village. It was closed and locked tight. "We're here! Looks like we'll be able to get food and a place to rest!"
Alice was silent for a while. She seemed to be investigating the gate. "What's up? Something wrong?" Yuri said, with a smile.
"That voice… it sounded like it was trying to warn us about danger in this village. Something waiting… to devour us… that's what it started to say, anyway. I think we should be extra careful."
Yuri chuckled, seeing her act like this. "Ha ha, how cool'n'collected you are! You talk as if it's happening to someone else!" A frightened look passed Alice face. She grasped both of her hands together in front of her face. "But not to worry. Nothing' can surprise me at this point!" Yuri said.
"Hey, look!" came a high voice suddenly. "Wh-wha?" Yuri said, startled. They turned to see two small children, one with eyes that seemed to glow yellow, like a cat's eyes, the other with blood red eyes. Perhaps 7 or 8 years old, they wore the old rags of farmers' children, with cheap wooden sandals. Their faces looked very pale and delicate. And both were twins. Yuri ran over to the gates. "D-damn brats!! Don't freak me out like that, or I'll kick your scrawny little asses!" he shouted, kicking the gate to try to intimidate them.
"I knew it!" said the red-eyed child.
"You're right! It's true!" shouted the yellow-eyed child. This angered Yuri once again. Yuri kicked the gate once again. But then, he tried to ease up, so he'd be able to get them to open it for them.
"Huh? Look, you brats live here, right? Here in town? Great, open the gate!" he said.
"Um… nobody gets in at night, so you're just gonna hafta stay out there…" the red-eyed child said, innocently.
"Yup. We can't let you in. Sorry!" said the yellow-eyed child.
Yuri sighed. "Run along and get your mommy. Tell her you've got guests!"
"We can't…" the yellow-eyed child began to say, but suddenly, they both noticed Alice standing behind him.
"Hey… that's a woman, right?!" said the red-eyed child.
"Yeah, she's TOTALLY a girl, right?! Nice and soft…" he said. He seemed to be in a state of fantasy.
Yuri was confused. 'What, are these little kids sex perverts?' he said to himself. "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" he said, slowly, but fiercely.
Alice walked up to the gate to talk to them. "I'm sorry to trouble you so late at night, but we're lost. Would you allow us to stay here for the night?" she said, acting courteous, unlike Yuri, who was kicking at the gate and cursing violently.
It seemed like the red-eyed child's mouth was watering. "Ooh, she looks so tender!"
"A nice, juicy girl!" added yellow-eyed child.
Yuri could not say the things that popped into his head aloud, for they would be very inappropriate, especially in front of little kids. Disturbing images swirled in his head. Disturbing… yet somewhat satisfying… Alice was silent for a while, too.
In a hurry, the two little boys quickly opened the gate and rushed toward Alice with affectionate eyes. Alice stepped back, wondering what their deal was.
The red-eyed child laughed. "Eh heh heh! It's okay, you can come in!"
"Tee hee hee. Yeah, you can come inside now!" the yellow-eyed child said, following his brother.
"Thank you," Alice said, bowing.
"Our house is at the very end of the square. We'll be waiting! Bye!" the red-eyed child said, with a smile.
And with that, the two children rushed off into the village. Yuri and Alice flashed glances of confusion at each other, before stepping inside to follow them.
The two didn't notice, but as they stepped inside the village, the two wooden gate doors suddenly slammed shut by themselves.