Demon

It's hard to say exactly what happened. I was riding the subway train, and the next second I wasn't. If this isn't a dream, then I don't know what it is.

I was blinded by the rays of the sun at first. All I could make out was the figure of a woman. Her back was to me, but there was something familiar about the way she stood.

When she spoke to me I couldn't help but listen. I couldn't recognize her voice; there was an odd sound in the background, like running water.

"The world must first die in order for it to be reborn," she said calmly. "That is the only path to salvation, as told in an ancient prophecy."

What on earth was she talking about?

The woman barely turned her head, and I saw a glimpse of a face outlined with black hair. She continued on.

"You may not understand now, but do not forget what you will hear." There was a brief pause where I expected her to cough or sneeze. She didn't.

"This world will fall for its sins and all humans will disappear."

She turned around completely. Just when I thought I'd be able to see her face, the sun glared even brighter. All I saw were her folded arms. There wasn't much to see above her shoulders. Light constantly dazzled my eyes.

"I don't want you to meet the same fate, Tyro. I want to help you hold onto your life."

It was kind of creepy to hear someone talk about your life that way. As if everyone else was going to die.

"But for now, go ahead and wake up…"

There was a quick flash and I was back on the train. The announcer's voice swept through the speakers above.

"Yoyogi Park Station! Yoyogi Park Station! Please do not rush off or onto the train. The door is now opening."

I left the train, surprised to find the station empty. The announcer's warning had been futile. I started for the stairs that led to the surface. Before I had the chance to push my way through the bars at the entrance booth, my phone rang.

It was my classmate Isamu.

"Tyro! You're way late man! Did you forget about visiting Ms. Takao today?"

I answered truthfully, "No."

"Then what happened? You're never late."

"Whatever," I replied.

I figured it wouldn't be wise to say I'd spaced out and had a vision. I still didn't know what had happened, but it'd felt real.

"Anyway, Ty, hurry up and get over here. You're wasting my quality time. Chiaki's not too happy. You know her. Shinjuku Medical Hospital remember?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Oh, you better make sure to look nice for Ms. Takao. How about that jacket you bought the other day? The one with a demon on it."

"I'm already wearing it."

Even if I wasn't, I couldn't just go home and change my clothes. Hm. Isamu didn't know I'd already left home. Oh, well. It didn't really matter.

"Good. She'll like that. You're just the mood setter anyway."

"Sure thing," I retorted.

I blatantly said goodbye and hung up. Sometimes I wondered about the sanity of my friends. Did Ms. Takao really like demons? I never knew that. On the other hand, my friend Chiaki was as sane as you could possibly be. Girls are like that.

I eventually went up the stairs and saw the sun was just as bright as it was in my 'dream.' I could have sworn it was a little cloudy before I entered the subway. Who knows. Perhaps it's just my bad memory.

I found my way northeast of the park where the hospital was located. My hand went for the door handle, but I stopped within a few inches from it. My fingers twitched. Something didn't feel right. It was as if the hospital didn't want me to enter.

I went inside anyway.

I could hear my heart thumping. That's how silent it was. The building was vacant. Not a single soul was around. Even the reception desk was empty. That's strange; the lights are still on. Somebody must be here, whoever left the hospital unlocked and the lights on. Ms. Takao and my friends also had to be here, right?

Now I was starting to doubt my own sanity. First that strange vision and now a deserted hospital. Yesterday, when I'd wished for something eventful to happen in my life, I didn't mean something like this. Anyway, all I can do now is look for Ms. Takao's room. Isamu and Chiaki are probably with her.

The patients were kept on the second floor, so that's where I headed. I pressed the up arrow and waited for the elevator to arrive. The doors opened immediately and I stepped into the elevator. The instant the doors closed, it happened again.

I was in the same place as before and I now knew where that was—the roof of the hospital. I had been here once before, when I was younger. After the death of my parents I'd run away from the nurses with tears in my eyes. Then I'd somehow found myself up here.

I realized that I could move this time instead of envisioning it. Also, the sun was no longer impairing my vision. That was a plus.

I looked around me. A tall fence bordered the entire roof. I remembered a grand view of the city skyscrapers while looking through the fence, but there was more today. Raised levels with water ponds and extensive greenery stood to my left. It was a nice spot for relaxation, with the sun's warmth beaming down upon you.

There was movement behind me. I spun around, only to be shocked. It was the same woman, but she wasn't just anybody.

It was Ms. Takao.

There were things that I wanted to ask, but I decided to let my teacher do the talking. What was she doing here anyway? She was supposed to be an injured patient in the hospital. But she looked perfectly fine to me.

Ms. Takao said nothing for a few seconds. I watched her short hair sway in the wind.

"Hello, Tyro." The silence I experienced before was now broken.

All I could mutter back was a simple 'hey.' She looked away from me, toward the city.

"The world is about to be engulfed by chaos. This is called the Conception," she explained. "The rebirth of the world. An event which no human has ever witnessed."

The way she said that...I got the impression that Ms. Takao herself wasn't human. What she said next made me gasp. Until now, I really hadn't processed the big idea. It suddenly hit me that all of this was real. Very real.

"Everyone outside of this hospital will perish."

"What? How can you allow something like that happen!" I said enraged. She didn't meet my eye.

"Tyro, even if we did let this old world continue to exist..." It was one of those times when the adult didn't want tell you something because they knew you wouldn't understand and would only ask more questions.

"...It would eventually lose all of its power," she finished. "Besides, I alone will carry the burden of this sin."

I opened my mouth to speak, but she interrupted.

"And no, I don't have any regrets."

Ms. Takao finally decided to look at me. "I believe in you Tyro. You came here by my decision and...you will live through the Conception." A heavy sigh escaped from her.

"It may actually be more painful than death."

The way I saw it, she was indifferent to what was happening. I didn't see how hard her job was for her, nor how lucky I was to have been chosen.

Before I could ponder the situation anymore, the sky suddenly darkened. There was a crack of blue lighting in the sky.

"It is beginning..." she said. A pleasant smile crossed her face.

"No matter how the world changes, I will always be your strength. And I will aid you in the creation of the new world..."

She glanced at the sky. "Time is running out."

"Wait—I don't know what to do!" I pleaded.

"You will go through a phase of change. I can't help you after that. But I promise to tell you everything when the time is right."

I looked through the fence, not knowing what else to do. The city got out of focus, and I saw two of everything. Mysterious black bubbles were floating everywhere, and the lightning collected into a giant blue ball, taking the sun's place. I shielded myself with my arms as wind gushed up from below. Yet I peeked through the spaces that were uncovered.

The world seemed to be stretching higher and higher into the sky, slowly being sucked up. Just as quickly as it had started, it ended. There was no massive explosion or anything. It all just disappeared in a mere nanosecond, as did my consciousness.

My eyes opened and blinked a few times. My body was paralyzed and I could only see what appeared to be blue smoke moving around me. Everything else was pure darkness.

After a few minute of just lying there, two figures materialized from beyond the smoke. My eyesight had gotten better by now, and I made out a small child and the bulk of an old woman holding his hand. The boy cupped his hand and whispered something to the woman. After hearing him, she spoke in a raspy sort of voice.

"It is my honor to tell you that my little master has shown an interest in you. He believes that Yuko Takao has chosen wisely."

...Ms...Takao?

"With my master's approval, I shall start the operation. You are lucky to receive this special gift, poor human."

What operation...? And what...gift?

The woman's head loomed above me. I saw that her face was covered with a mask. The boy merely watched with a gleam in his eyes, eyes that were icy blue. I could do nothing but wait. Wait for my doom it seemed like.

Then my right arm flinched and motion returned to it. I raised it up, ready to swat at whatever was closest to me. The old lady pinned down my arm with strength that I didn't expect from someone as aged as her. She used her free arm to pull down my jaw.

"Please do not move," she told me. "It will only hurt for an instant."

The boy held something, an odd creature in his hands. It was long and wriggled like a caterpillar He held it directly above the gaping hole which was my mouth.

I strained to make my lips move and release small words. I did my best to form a sentence.

"Ugh...wha...'s tha..."

The boy's eerie yet soft voice echoed through my head.

"Magatama," he whispered, stressing every syllable. "The essence of demonic power."

The insect-like being fell straight into my mouth.

My reaction was quite violent. My stomach lurched, and a thundering drum reverberated throughout my head. Red veins covered my eyes and I saw many flashes of bright color. The pain soon stopped and everything became a pale shade of white.

My mind seemed to be the only thing working. It whirled with thoughts about the recent events that I did not understand. I thought my head literally would burst with all the confusion.

What had happened to Isamu and Chiaki? I was positive they were safe. They'd gone to the hospital, and only those outside of it would die. That's what Ms. Takao had said.

Though my mission was to create a new world, finding my friends was also a top priority. But how would I do these things? It's not like I was born with supernatural powers. All I had was the faith that my teacher had placed in me. I would hardly last a day in this new world.

I would soon find out exactly how capable I was, and as time went on, how powerful I could become.

The whiteness surrounding me started to dissipate. Patches of my environment slowly started to fade in. I found myself sitting upon a hospital bed. I no longer felt groggy, but instead felt more energetic than I'd ever been. Something was different about me, very different. That much I knew.

I noticed that I was wearing only my pants and that parts of my hair stood up in spikes. Thick black lines outlined in electric blue wove patterns all over my body. I stared at my hands with wide eyes. There was one question that no one had to answer for me—

I'd become a...demon.