Gaussian Distribution

Chapter 3 – Part 1: Disjunction in Numbers

April 4th, Amatsu Grand Shrine – Restricted Area, 09:11AM

Everyone's here.

Amidst the darkness that enveloped this section of the shrine, several people have gathered in pursuit of the truth. Each had their own unique reasons for joining, but what mattered most to them would be the results of the journey they'll all be taking up ahead.

Surrounding them was a dense forest of oak, pine and mahogany, lined with small lamps that flickered with a white-orange glow, created long ago as a guide for everyone who wished to traverse the area. Above were thick branches and leaves of the said trees, meshed by nature to form a cave-like environment. Light that entered this space was minimal, similar to the Shrine's entrance. Located below their roots were beds of dried leaves that gave off a scent enough to give a weary traveler a good rest, as well as dead logs that became the homes of unobserved flora and fauna of Amatsu.

What existed beyond these people's sights was simply considered a void.

Among these people was an old man who appeared to be around seventy. He wore a distinctive silken robe, fitted with lightweight metal armor marked with an insignia representing the sun and the moon. His presence alone made the people with him feel secure. He was the second symbol of power of the land, next to the Emperor himself. To the ordinary citizens of Amatsu, he was simply referred to as the 'Commander'.

The Commander– known as Ichiro to his close friends and acquaintances– looked sternly at the assembly before him, and scanned the faces of the citizens he had personally invited to volunteer in locating Jintetsu– a Shrine Guard under his command who mysteriously went missing in action a few months ago. While there were numerous speculations surrounding the reported disappearance, only a few people he trusted knew the truth. We saw, heard, and felt what actually did happen.

Ichiro took out a piece of parchment, scanned the contents, and motioned the rest to come closer. "I'm going to divide all ten of us here, into four separate groups."

The citizens quietly listened to his instructions, and waited until the planned groupings were completed and realized. One of them however, asserted himself to the front in order to get everyone's attention. "If I may speak, ladies and gentlemen. I mean no disrespect… but I sincerely do not want to be grouped with my family members."

The commander looked at the rest of the citizens accompanying him, looking for any possible objections. "Let me guess, Eiji. I believe you want your daughter and your grandson to learn independently, correct?"

The man named Eiji quickly responded with a nod. Finding no one objecting his request, Ichiro made some quick changes and declared that the new groupings will be final. He gave each of the remaining nine a copy of the parchment, making sure that everyone knows 'who's-who' and whom to coordinate with just in case something dire happens. We are risking our lives in finding another.

"Taro will be traveling with me." Ichiro declared to the groups. If you have noticed, I have grouped you according to the range of your capabilities. In order to find Jintetsu, we must coordinate with each other and use our skills properly. Only those who have known the events two months ago knew of the terrible power that possessed him."

The Commander then patted another boy on the forehead. The boy appeared to be the same age as Taro, and stood out due to his red hair. "This is going to be a great learning experience for you, Redschtly," he assured the boy.

"And before we actually start our search in this forsaken location… allow me to introduce our guest…" the Commander went on, pulling a young man carrying an ornate dagger with him. "He actually heeded my summons a few days ago and agreed to volunteer in this search. I bet this will give you more stuff to write about, good Sir. Ladies and gentlemen, accompanying us will be none other than the author of 'White Dryad'. We all know him simply as Kei, so we'll go with that."

Everyone clapped their hands in recognition of the playwright's volunteerism, and cheered him on as he went back to his designated groupmates.

"Stay with your group as much as possible. We don't want any casualties to occur! Am I clear? Now then, take your respective positions at the entrance of the forest. Again:"

Team 1

Ichiro – Taro

Team 2

Eiji – Itsuki

Team 3

Gin – Hanabi – Hikari

Team 4

Redschtly – Kei – Sora

"The instructions are printed clearly at the back of the parchments. You will absolutely need proper lighting inside the forest, so make sure you carry your lamps with you at all costs. We'll meet at a clearing located at the far end of the forest after two hours. There should be a map inscribed at the parchment as well." Ichiro delivered his final set of orders. "Move out!"

April 4th, Grand Shrine Entrance – Lookout Post, 09:25AM

Comfortably seated under the shade of a mahogany tree were two shrine guards on morning duty. They wore the insignia depicting a rising sun, which was neatly tucked on their breastplates. Since the shrine was closed for the day due to their commander's search and rescue mission, they absolutely had nothing to do but watch over the shrine until their commander's group comes back.

One of them appeared to be thoroughly annoyed of the situation. For this male shrine guard, the situation they were in right now was totally uncalled for. He heaved out another sigh, making sure that his expression would actually breach his female partner's barrier of obliviousness. "I should be sleeping in my room right now, Sayori… but here we are… working, guarding, and watching over nothing!" said the male guard who was known as Shinji.

"Stop acting like you're the protagonist of some work of fiction, Shinji." answered the female shrine guard. She appeared to be bored with the situation as well, but was still able to maintain a good mood. Noticing that her partner was no longer responding to her bickering, she decided to stand up and get some extra exercise to freshen herself up.

"Shinji… you must not forget to take responsibility for any of your actions." Sayori reminded her partner after she regained her balance. The male kept to himself, for in his mind were a stream of thoughts regarding an event that happened a few nights ago at a certain restaurant in the business district.

The male could only gulp in response to the course of action he had done back then. After a few minutes in contemplating his 'reaction', he simply asked Sayori regarding her thoughts on sexual harassment. "Where did that topic come from Shinji? Don't tell me you're into those kinds of things… gross."

Before the man could give an answer, they were interrupted by a familiar voice coming from behind the lookout post. "Excuse me, but I need some help…"

After heading to the location of the voice, the two found a familiar person whom they visited a few days ago. "I'm really sorry to interrupt…" the woman named Yuu said to the guards. Beside her lay two stacks of bundled parchment that reached to her knees. Shinji immediately picked them up, after revealing that she wanted them to be delivered at the city's Records Section.

"It's quite a surprise to see you here, Ma'am..." Shinji remarked. "How come you didn't join the Commander's search?"

Yuu shrugged the question off, saying that she only accompanied him on the way inside the Shrine. She then patted the guards by their shoulders and asked why their lookout post was eerily quiet. "Are you two making out back there?"

April 3rd, Amatsu Central Police Station - Cell No. 404, 06:59AM

"Did you have a good rest?"

The voice that travelled within Subaru's ears chilled him to the very bone. It was terrifyingly close, as if he was hearing voices in his head. He could feel the person's breath coming from behind him, making the situation all too similar to the torture he subjects his 'patients' into. How long have I been in this prison?

The deranged veterinarian looked around him. Layers upon layers of brick and mortar lined with heavy iron bars blocked his view of the outside world. His freedom. If he was to close his eyes and forget, he wouldn't even be able to tell what was up or down. The atmosphere within the cell was heavy enough to make him pass out for a few good hours. The inhospitable environment reminded him of some of his private rooms back in his clinic. While he did like making other people feel suffering, he never wanted to be on the receiving end. Just wait till I get out of this place.

The voice spoke once more, getting closer to his location. "Do you know what I call people like you, Subaru?"

Subaru tried to ignore the voice by looking for any possible gap between the bricks on his cell. Any hole can be easily fiddled with until he can manage to make it bigger and escape. However, the voice didn't seem to stop from tormenting him.

"People like you, are losers."

That was the last straw for Subaru's temper. He then turned back and charged towards the entrance of his cell, meeting the person on the other side of the iron bars who had been mocking his demise the moment he woke up. "Take that back, you arrogant piece of–"

"I expected this to happen, though… I can't believe you actually fell for it…"

Expected? The words registered immediately on Subaru's head. "What are you talking about? There's no way in hell you actually planned any of MY decisions, or any of MY actions that ultimately led to my prison sentence!"

"Subaru, you must know of a single truth about me. Never forget. I know everything."

The veterinarian smirked. That's totally impossible. He laughed so hard that his laughter echoed across the hallway where his cell was located.

"Laugh all you want, Subaru. Ignore me as much as you can. Soon, you shall see the moon itself bleed like a severed vein on the neck. Well, if you get out here, that is…"