Prologue
It was a densely foggy day, and I was near a cliff sitting on a boulder with an aloof gaze into a dense fog of ocean water. The sound of waves crashing against the foot of the drop off was prominent, as birds sounded off in the distance.
'Is… Is this a dream?' I thought to myself.
I heard some bouncing off in the distance behind me, so I turned to see a person who had animal like ears and a tail chasing a ball, to which said ball had stopped where I was… I turned to see the person who was chasing the ball stop a few meters way from me. I got up to give them back their ball, but for some apparent reason, that character is more of a blur… I couldn't see what they look like despite them being just a few meters away from me. I had picked the ball up to find that other figures soon followed behind the first character in front with similar features, but they were also obscured by a blur… What is going on?
"Master, ready to go?" They all called out to me.
'Master? Go where?' I thought in my head.
Before they could answer, a harsh wind blown as they tried to utter a word before the sun from afar began to blind me with its intense rays.
[GASP!]
I woke up gasping as much air I tried to see where I was.
'Damn… that was one hell of a dream… what was that about?' I thought to myself as I got up from the light that was shining onto my eyes.
As I did, I saw that there was a notification on my phone. A message from my sister.
{Sis} 9:34PM, yesterday.
-Isaiah, we are invited to a costume party at Aunt Sonia's this Saturday, so bring your weebish trench coat and one of your stupid masks, and Mom said to SOCIALIZE with your other cousins! You still need to work on your stuttering that you have been complaining about nonstop about. You won't get a girlfriend at the rate you are going and complaining about it will get you nowhere. The party is at 5PM at South Pine Road. You know where she lives. See you there bro.
I stared at the message and realized that it was around 8… On a Saturday morning!
'God damn, I could have slept more… shame that I am already wide awake…' I grimaced to myself.
I got up and dressed to go out, and I searched my closet for my usual costume for any costume event parties, an Akasaki cloak that was given to me by one of my aunts. A black zip-up cloak with large red clouds being a reoccurring theme for the cloak. I added a few tweaks to the design and changed it up a bit for a more eerie and 'secretive' feel to it by adding an interchangeable hood, steel chains around the wide collar of the cloak, and inner pockets around the chest area because I like to carry stuff around. I also had a unique mask. A mask that was decorated in a unique shade of green and white that was made by one of my good friends, one of my prized possessions since we had parted, but to my surprise and disappointment, I had found that it broke straight in half…
'Of all things to be broken… It had to be my favorite mask…' I thought in annoyance to myself.
(Sigh…) Looks like I have to get a temporary replacement for the party, the other masks that I do have won't do. Knowing my aunt, she always has these costume contests for older adults, and I have yet to win one. So, I will have to go to the shopping market to get a new one… hopefully one that is pretty decent.
My name is Isaiah, and this was my life up to a certain point. I am an introvert who has a love for MANY RPGs games, anime, and masks… but one of my downsides is that I have a stuttering problem that I just can't seem to get rid of… and mainly because of the stuttering, I am sort of shy when I am speaking to others who I don't really know which is why I usually have a mask on me to hide my insecurities.
As I made my way out of my neighborhood, I went to the shopping district to see if they had any masks for sale. The store I usually go to is the only one that ever has masks on sale, and I am a regular, so many of the employees knew me well.
"Oh? Guys! The Mask Lover is here! No mask this time either!" The cashier called out to everyone in the store.
I flushed in embarrassment at the call out.
"H-Hey, cut that out! You know I don't like a-attention." I stuttered out mentally cursing at my speech.
"Isaiah? Been a while, what made you come in today? I see you don't have a mask on, did something happen?" Before I knew it, the store owner appeared behind a shelf and came towards me.
"Oh, John, nice to see you again. And y-yes, one of m-my favorite masks split r-right in half this morning, and I have a costume party to attend to."
"Ah, that is what you came here for? Alright. But I don't think you would find anything good; they have been getting bought out for the recent Halloween event coming in soon. Sorry man, but you still want to look?" John explained to me.
I nodded as he led me to the masks in stock, but to my disappoint, they were too plain, or too 'halloweeny' for me. I was aiming for a more mysterious look for a mask, not gory or plain looking for a cheap look. I sadly shook my head and apologize to the owner. He promised to have a better stock just for me next time I visit. But he did tell me to try to find a friend of his. He has set up shop nearby but will be leaving at the day's end.
I left the store and wandered around the rest of the shopping district to hopefully find anything that may lead me to this shop owner. After my 10th store, I was about to give up and walk home to use one of my other masks.
"Hey, you…" Until I stopped at the voice that called from a shady alley.
Wait… has there always been an alley way there? I could have sworn that I have always passed through here…
"I got what you are looking for, come over here." He was gesturing to me with a wave of his hand.
I looked at the shady man who was covered in dark clothing and even had an ominous face mask with his eyes and mouth exposed.
"I-I'm sorry, I don't do d-drugs, I really have to be going n-now." I stuttered in not knowing how to talk to shady people.
"No drugs, or any shady assortment like that. I have heard about you and your love for masks from the store owner, John. He is a good friend of mine, and he just so happen to ask me to help you out. Perhaps I have what you are looking for. If you're interested, follow me." He turned to walk deeper into the alley seemingly disappearing within the shadows.
I would be lying if I said that I had no interest in what he had, He said he was a friend of John, and he knows of what I am in need of… which I don't think John would tell random shady people… Right?
Well, I don't have anything to lose, and if things go south, I do have a bit of self-protection experience.
I wandered into the alleyway as I soon saw a door at the end of the alleyway. I took a deep breath and opened it to see the shady man behind a counter with a few displays of masks behind him. As I entered the room, I looked cautiously around the door to see any ambush around the room. Only to see a large set up of masks behind the counter, and the shady man.
"It is only the 2 of us here. And I don't have any intentions of kidnaping you or selling your organs in the black market if that is what you are worried about." He chuckled a bit at the end of the sentence which still didn't make me feel any better about this encounter, but I was relieved that I won't be killed by a stupid decision.
"So, welcome to my humble shop. I am (%^*$%) and I will be selling you a mask or 2 that you won't regret buying." His name was blurred by an inaudible noise that I couldn't make out.
"Uh… w-what was your n-name again? I think I m-misheard you." I asked the store owner.
The store owner smiled and replied. "(%^*&%)"
I stood there dumbstruck at the response.
"We are not here to get names, my valued costumer. We are here to make businesses and strike deals. Besides, I doubt that you could understand my… language of origin, one would speak." Answering my unspoken question.
"But on to the lingering question I have in mind, what is the occasion for you purchasing a mask, my boy?" He went to look through a few masks.
"Oh, I-I'm going to a costume party soon, and my f-favorite mask that I was going to take split right in half." I answered.
"A party… eh? That is not where I see you going soon… and your mask? How did it end up that way? Did you do something to make it split that way? As a matter of fact, John spoke plenty about you and your love for masks. If you don't mind me asking, how did you find your appreciation for masks?" He asked.
His first words made me look at him funny, but I ignored the comment and I told him little about how I came to love masks, but not the personal stuff, I continued to tell him my habits of caring for the masks. Cleaning, displaying, and my uses for my masks. With that being said, I got a bit more comfortable talking with him.
"-…Overall, I love and take really good care of all of my masks, but I can't find out why my favorite split straight down the middle." I concluded without stuttering.
"Hmm… that split may be an omen for the future, something… disastrous… but that is just my guess." He spoke while having 2 masks in hand but was debating of which of the 2 he should put back.
"Umm… what are you doing, if I m-may ask?" I asked the store owner of his actions.
"Picking out a mask for you my boy, usually it's the person who picks the mask, but your love and appreciation for masks lights a fire in my soul, which I haven't felt in quite some time, however, these masks I have are no ordinary masks. You could say that they are the embodiment of who or what they represent." He spoke while glancing to me while putting back the 2 masks he had before taking one more mask with an eerie grin engraved into it.
"…From what I can see that you have a kind soul, one that will go through hardships throughout your next steps in life. You wear a mask to hide your true emotions and smile through the pain while looking on the brighter side of a dark world as twisted as it will be. Marching through hardships one after the other, triumphing through each trial laid out before you with increasing struggle…" He spoke while slowly turning revealing more of the mask that he held in his hand.
At first look, the mask looked like something a jester would wear with the checkered color scheme of black and white with a face that looks like it is thinking about something funny.
"I offer unto you this Jester's Mask, to help you through your struggles as you progress through your next journey… This mask will bring up your self-confidence and bring smiles to your close ones. However, there is a corruption within that mask that you must control. Otherwise, it just might take over, driving you to the point of insanity. If the wrong locks are unlocked at the wrong time, the consequences will be dire..." The store owner placed the mask on the counter.
I looked at the mask for a good while, and it looked really promising. The mysterious story drew me into it as I looked more into the eyes of the mask. for a brief moment, i could have sworn that i could hear it laughing in my mind.
"…All for a small price of 25$, this special mask right here, could be yours!" The store owner had a voice of an entrepreneur who was from the 1900's carnival.
"Aaaand the mood is ruined, but the mask looks really good. I love the detail work put into here. M-Mind if I ask who or which company made it before I make my p-purchase?" I asked the store owner.
"All these masks you see before you… I... I handmade them myself. Go ahead, try it on. There is a mirror to the right of you." He spoke with a cocky grin on his face from praising himself.
I took him up on the offer and had the jester's mask in hand, as I made my way to the mirror as I just noticed that there is no strap to the mask… looks like I would have to make some additions…
I tried it on while holding onto the bottom of the mask to see that it was a perfect fit, but on a detailed note, there was glowing white eyes of the mask, which startled me. Taking the mask off of my face to look at the front to see that there is no bright eyes or electronics to make it appear that way. I looked into the mirror to see that as I placed the mask on, the glowing eyes appeared as it was placed onto my face as if they were my eyes. I was in amazement as I used the same hand to touch below the eye of the mask-wait-
"OH SHIT! …Eh?" I panicked as I tried to catch the mask that would have fallen from my face… only to see that the mask stayed on my face.
"Surprised that the mask stood on your face? Don't worry too much about it. I could tell you, but I don't think you would understand. But the only way that it will forcibly come off, is by a strong gust of wind, or a well-placed punch…" The store owner answered.
"…This…is really impressive… n-not only was I looking for a mask like this, but it's even strapless?" I replied while pulling out my wallet, handing him 25 dollars. "Honestly, I would have gladly paid 60 to 80 dollars for this, especially the cool 'glowing eyes' feature."
"Thank you for your patronage! And keep in mind, it's the mask that makes the person. (And no refunds…)" He whispered the last part that was inaudible to me to hear as I closed the door. But as I stepped outside to the roaming crowds of the marketplace. I was looking at the details inside of the mask just to see an engravement on the side of the mask.
[Made in China]
"What the fuck!?"
I turn back with anger of being lied to…
'…what the fuck?'
Only to see that I was facing a brick wall that barred off the entry way of the alley way, which I came out of…
I looked back to the mask in suspicion to see that the place where I saw the engravement of the 'Made in China' seemingly gone as if it wasn't there in the first place…
'I… I think I am feeling tired…' I thought to myself as I feel my thoughts going mad thinking if any of the past events were real…
My only proof was the mask in my hand, but anything else wasn't there… I decided to head home to take a small nap to shake off the encounter.
Once I got home, I placed the mask next to my bed on the computer table and fell face first onto the bed.
[THUD]
Surprisingly I faceplanted on something hard.
"Ouch! What the hell?!" I cursed aloud while flipping over my blankets to find a hardcover book beneath...
"I thought I put all of my light novels up-wait; I don't recognize this one…" I spoke aloud while realizing that this book in my bed is new.
I checked my phone to see the time, which was around 3:30 P.M.
'Oh, I guess I can't take a nap yet. I should probably get everything packed for the costume party. I'll bring the book as a past time on the way over to my aunt's.' I began to pack my Akasaki cloak, the Jester's mask, and a phone charger into a backpack for the party and after party.
As I went out of the apartment, I took out the book, and started to read the mysterious light novel.
So apparently, the book isn't bad, actually, it is quite up my alley as a genre of adventure with knights and magic. 4 Heroes are summoned to save the land from these waves of catastrophe. The interesting part of the heroes are their Cardinal weapons, which are the Lance, Sword, Bow, and a Shield.
A shield… huh? I would imagine a hammer, scythe, or even a brawler type of hero. But a tank class would be versatile in its own rights. They can be abused to the point of bloody murder, and they will still be defending like crazy, and even then some. But as for defensive options, there are plenty ways to outlast your opponent like healing and having high defenses. Or even have devastating counters if that option is available.
But that is beside the point. I read about the other 3 heroes who they all seem unique in their own rights with the spear being the generic 'play-boy' type, the sword with an aloof attitude, and the bow being a chivalrous robin hood like character… though, there is this one extra character, a red headed princess, who seems… well, like a 'bitch'… The derogatory term of a bitch, not actual meaning, or the slutty version. I honestly don't think that I would enjoy hanging out with a person who would be running around and manipulating the heroes.
But that aside, I am really hoping to see what the shield hero is like. Is he going to be the head strong type of person, or even the comedy relief? Heh… it would be a bit funny to have a shy type of hero, who is relatable to me, HA! Guess I'll find out-
Its blank…
I skimmed through the pages of the book to see that the rest of the book is missing, no words, no page numbers… MAN, I was really hoping to see what was next! But why is the book finished like this?
'I guess I will never know how the hero of the shield starts, or ends… wait, is it me, or did the book just get brighter?' I thought to myself as the book began to glow.
The pages began flipping to the part of the shield where the glowing intensified, blinded me as I felt all ground break loose as I began to fall through the ground below through a portal like area which seemed like a bottomless pit of golden light.
As I fell, I could hear an echoing laughter as I felt my possessions slowly fade from my back other than my clothes.
'Well now, isn't this an interesting point of development my 'Jailer' put me into… Don't disappoint me in the near future, my future vessel…Heh-heh-heh, HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…'
The laughing voice came and went as it laughed itself away as I continued to fall through the seemingly bottomless pit of golden light.
{To be continued}
[Author's Notes]
Rising of the shield hero… this was the beginning of my life as a fanfiction lover back in 2018… ahh… good times… its been a long road for me to the path of self-made greatness and appreciation of others hard work, and I am proud to say that I am now one of them.
I have a great love for shield hero, and it made my top 3 anime for my personal list. But I doubt that anyone gives a shit about what I like, SO-LETS-MOVE-ON!
Question 1, why have a person who stutters?
Answer-Well... I stutter, while not as bad as I used to have it, I have a stuttering that I absolutely detest, but every now and then, I wonder how a person who stutters would do in an anime show, or game. So… why not do what I would have done and possibly fuck up my conversations in a cosmetical way in major parts on the show?
Question 2, Who was that mask salesman?
Answer- I'll let you figure that out, where is the fun in giving that piece of the puzzle?
Question 3, Why a Jester's mask? What is my reasoning behind this?
Answer- For those who have been following my shitty stories, you should already know the answer by now. For those who are new, I have always had the theme of comedy in all of my stories up to this point. Coming from my first story, A Jester for Fate, I had always kept in mind that there will always be a character who will take the act of a 'fool'.
It is just my love for comedy that is the driving reason for writing these stories out the way that they are intended… or in some cases, unintended.
But that will be all for now, most of you probably don't care for my ramblings about bullshit that you already know or don't care about, so I'll end this off with this. This is RedTokyo95, signing off.
{Transmission End}