Author's Note: Welcome to your little post-Halloween treat. This is the first time that I've done something like this. I got the idea for this halo from an episode of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. I have been sitting on this idea since. Now, here it is. Think of this as that one little push before we go into that full force of the storm. There is going to be a new halo on Wednesday as usual. Look out for that. For now, enjoy this little bonus.
Halo 13.5: Artemis:
The following is an audio recording found uploaded to the Dollars chatroom.
File Name: Message 1
"Okay, I don't normally do this. It's not my place to get involved. But I have stayed in the shadows for too long. This game has to stop. I'm going to have to step up and stop this before everything is ruined.
"I probably should back up some. My story begins as a love story. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Artemis. Yes, I am that Artemis. I am the goddess of the hunt in Greece. I know you have more questions, but I will answer them as I go along.
"This all started back in the 80s. When you are immortal, things can get boring. So I took a vacation to Japan in 1984. Or was it 85? It doesn't matter, it's been so long. Anyway, I took a vacation to Japan. Why would a Greek goddess want to go there? Well for the long and short of it, I wanted a change in scenery. Plus, the other gods and goddesses were fond of it. So I decided to go there. I won't bore you with the details that don't matter to the story. I made my way to Tokyo. The city was nice, but I liked the more rural parts better. So on the third day of my vacation, I made a trip out to the countryside.
"That's when I went her.
"She wasn't anyone special. But when I saw her out in her backyard, I found myself attracted to her. At the time I couldn't explain it and I still can't. When I sat her, my heart started pounding. No, it was more like a soft murmur. Now, I know what it's like for a deity to fall in love with a human. I've seen my father and brother do it. I've never had an interest in romance and sex. I still don't. No, my love is pure.
"Like I said, I met her while she was in her garden. From what I remember, it was just a small corner behind the house. She hummed to herself as she watered the plants. At the time, I was wandering around, looking at a Japanese countryside neighborhood. I got tired of the city really quickly. It didn't take me too long to fall in love with the scenery. Hey, what can I say? I am the goddess of the hunt after all. There was still wildlife in Japan. Eventually, I came to a house that stood in the middle of nowhere. When I first saw it, I thought it looked cute. Not my thing, but still cute. I wondered who lived there. I walked up the dirt path to the house.
"No one answered the front door at first. It didn't look like anyone was home. I couldn't see anybody in the house either. Now, now. I was invisible at the time. I could make myself be seen if I wanted to. So, it was okay. I was about to leave when I heard somebody humming. Of course, I had to go and look.
"That's when I saw her.
"From a distance, she wasn't that glamourous. She had on what looked like a brown housecoat with her hair up in a messy bun. She looked so happy with her plants. I couldn't make out what I was thinking at the time. This woman… This beautiful woman looked so happy in her little world with her budding plants. She knelt down to one as if to whisper a little secret to it. My heart quickened in my chest. I had never felt like this before. I vowed to keep myself a virgin. I still am to this day, by the way.
"I watched from the fence; you know? Her with her plants in early August. Her with her plants under the hot sun. I don't know how I long stayed there, watching her. Apparently, long enough because I noticed her staring at me. At first, I wasn't sure.
"'Hello?' she asked. I didn't speak. I didn't move. Maybe this woman would assume that she was hearing things and go back to what she was doing. Instead, she walked closer to the fence. Closer to me. I didn't get time to react. The woman tilted her head.
"'Who are you?' she asked. By now, I got a better look at the woman. Her face looked round and soft. I could see her cheekbones. Was it possible for eyes to be that brown? That looked so deep and calming, inviting even. Her eyes matched my dark hair. My own eyes trailed down her slender nose, down to her small, plump lips. I had to admit, she looked so cute back then. Even her messy bangs made her that much perfect.
"'Um… I'm lost,' I said in my best Japanese. 'I can't find the bus stop.' We stared at each other for a long moment. My accent was so thick that I doubted that she could understand what I was saying. Just as I feared, she looked confused.
"'Bus stop?' she asked. I slowly nodded. She gave me directions for the bus stop. What all she said doesn't matter to this story. What mattered was that I had to see her again.
"I ended up staying in Japan longer than I should have. To be honest, I didn't leave. I will get into that later. Not like it mattered anyway. Humans had long stopped worshipping us. They rely on science and technology now. It's not like the old days anymore. My father missed the old days. I understand where he's coming from. I'm going off on a tangent here. Let me get back to my story.
"The woman and I became closer. She was nicknamed Hyacinth Girl, but he called her Hya-chan. Both of which sounded rather cute. Though to me, she smelt like wisteria and jasmines. Anyway, I would be at her fence every morning. She'd be out in her garden. We would just talk and talk until somebody came by the house to check on her. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she was three months pregnant when I first met her. She was so excited to be a mother. Her hand rested on her belly. She'd talk about the baby non-stop. I knew it was going to be a boy. Over time, I grew to love her.
"We were never going to have a relationship for two reasons. One, she was happily married to a man. And two, she loves that stupid little sky fairy. The husband didn't bother me. He was just man after all. But her little sky fairy? I couldn't compete with that. "He" was part of the modern gods those humans worshipped. She was in deep with that religion. It's kind of ironic, actually. Humans traded up one religion for another one. You would think her religion would be a turn-off for a goddess like me. But in a strange way, I found it enduring. I would just smile and nod when she talked about that sky fairy. So annoying. Him, not her. What's so great about him anyway? We're just as good as him.
"I digress.
"When that baby was born, Hya-chan was the happiest woman in the world. That baby was her whole world. She loved him as much as she loved her husband. She said that the child smelt like sunflowers. I've seen the baby myself. He looked cute. Sometimes, I wondered if the baby could see me. It seemed like it at some points. Sometimes, I would catch that child looking up at me. At least I think he was looking at me. One time, he seemed to reach out to me. I was tempted to reach down and touch him back, but something held me back.
"In the beginning, I would be by at her fence and talk to her. It was her that took our relationship further. Not in the way that you are thinking. I told you that my love for her is pure. Anyway, she was the one who took it further.
"'Do you want to come in?' she asked in the middle of August. I about fell over the fence.
"'Are you okay?' Hya-chan asked.
"'Yeah!' I was quick to say. 'Yeah, I'm fine.' I hopped over the fence and landed in front of her.
"'My neighbor brought over some sweets the other day. I could brew us some tea to go with them.' She kind of frowned a bit.
"'That's if you want to,' Hya-chan said.
"'Sure, I would love that!' I said. She led me into the house. We had wagashi and green tea that afternoon. Now, I have been used to ambrosia and other rich Greek foods. I had the best Japanese food the country could offer. But there's something about eating more simple dishes with somebody you care about. I was happy when she invited me just to talk and maybe grab a bite to eat. I missed that feeling. It felt like being worshipped in a way. I never asked Hya-chan for anything in return. I always left before her husband came home.
"It was never about sex. I just wanted to be by her side. I say all of this to get to the main part of the story. This is where everything takes a turn for the worse."
Sigh
"It all happened after her baby died. Something inside of Hya-chan died with her son that day. She sank into what you humans would call depression. Her husband, Makoto, didn't know what to do. I wanted to reach out to her, but my father wouldn't let me. He thought that I was getting too close to a human. The nerve of him! He's had several affairs with human women. My brother does the same thing. And I am not allowed to try and save my beloved Hya-chan from her downward spiral? The nerve! Such hypocrisy! All I could do was stay by and watch her break down. She couldn't eat or sleep. She stopped going to church and tending to her small garden. Hya-chan wasn't even playing her radio anymore. I don't blame her husband for being at his wit's end. Her church couldn't help my dear Hya-chan. But what he did next was unforgivable.
"I couldn't reach out to Hya-chan when she was that awful place. There's something evil surrounding Chou Mori. I wouldn't even go into Aokigahara just down the road. She was there from January to August of 87. I couldn't take her being in that hell anymore. I would whisper in Makoto's ears at night while he slept to bring her home. I didn't care what my father would say. I couldn't stand that place killing her soul anymore. It took a while but Makoto finally did it. Unfortunately, he couldn't have picked a worse time. The vile girl and her sister were looking for revenge for their murders. My dear Hya-chan and her husband got caught up in this mess of game you are all familiar with today.
"They tried to escape, but he let go of her hand in the crowd. Makoto ran away like the coward he was. This made me so angry! He did try to go back for her. By then, it was too late. However, this created the perfect opening for that vile Woman in Red to seep in. She wanted to consume him through that vile girl in black. Desperation can lead people to do terrible things. Still, Makoto wasn't going to make it any easier for them to take him. He made a bargain with that vile woman. Himself for going back in time to save Hya-chan. She agreed to do it.
"Ever since then, it's been an endless cycle. Makoto keeps trying many times, but he's lost the will to fight now. It all just blows up in his face. He isn't the only one still playing this endless game, however. Michiko is the only one who is really holding it all together. She's still fighting no matter how hopeless it looks. I fight myself cheering her on to bring Makoto back to his senses.
"This leads me to the most unfortunate part of the situation. My dear Hya-chan is now a player in this twisted game. She got tired of seeing her husband suffer. It didn't help when she learned the real reason. I wished I could've stopped her then. Maybe this game wouldn't have pulled all of you in as well. Hya-chan. Dear, Hya-chan. Why would you do this? I know you love your husband more than anything in this world, but you didn't have to stoop down this low to save him. You are much stronger than that. You don't even remember anything, do you? This game did this to you.
"Looking at the situation, you didn't have a choice. If you hadn't, that vile woman would've consumed you. You were the one to escape from her by leaving your body. That was all you. I didn't do that part. I only managed to pull you far away from that vile woman.
Pause
"But in doing that, I'm afraid that I've made things much worse. For that, I apologize. I only wanted to save my beloved. But now, I might have pushed this game even further. For that, I am so sorry. I am saying all of this because things have changed. The situation has gotten worse than it has before. The Tandeki Group has advanced further than they have before. The only way to stop this is if Hya-chan got her memories back.
"Yes, my dear Hya-chan is still alive. She has a new face and new life. I know where she is, but I haven't tried to contact her. She wouldn't recognize me if she saw me on the street. Why would she? I look like any other foreigner in my human form. I still looked like I did in the 80s. Long dark brown hair, deep olive skin, and hazel green eyes. I've always had a slender, but muscular build to my frame. I might be short, but I can hold my own in a fight. I looked like I was sixteen. My eternal youthful image has never bothered me. Hya-chan wouldn't know who I was if I approached her. But I can't sit back anymore.
"She slowly starting to get her memories back. It gives her nightmares and trauma. She's in pain because of it. I know that it hurts her, but this has to be done. She has to remember even if she doesn't want to. This is to save them all. I know this will hurt you, Hya-chan. But you have to remember. Time is running out for all of you. I know you don't want to remember the death of your baby boy. I know you don't want to remember your time at Chou Mori. I know you don't want to remember all of the times you died. I know you don't want to remember all of the times Makoto killed you. I know you don't want to remember all of the times you killed him. I know you don't to remember all of the pain. But is it worth forgetting all of the times you were happy? Is it worth forgetting your son? Is it worth forgetting your happy home? Is it worth forgetting about Makoto? Is it forgetting about me?
"That's why I have been helping when she is trapped in the dreamscape maze. Something or someone is trying to trap her in her mind. I have been there to get her out. I understand that she's scared. I would be if I couldn't see who was helping. But this is the only way that I can help her. I still can't physically reach out to her. Not yet anyway. I have to try to get her to remember. I have to try to get her to remember herself.
"I have decided to upload this file here so that she can catch it by chance. The Dollars is the biggest gang in Ikebukuro today. Surely someone knows who Hya-chan is. Maybe they could get her to listen. Maybe she might remember something and come find me. It's going to be a long shot, but I have to try.
"I don't know if this message will reach her or not. I just have to try. This game can't go on anymore! Hya-chan, please remember! You have to be the one to stop this madness! Hya-chan, or should I say, Ishikawa Noriko, please hear my words. Listen to me. Noriko, you are Hino Hya-chan. You are loved by your husband, son, and me. Please remember who you are. Time is running out. I know you remember the Eastern and Western churches. You have to try and remember. Please try. They need you. I need you. Ishikawa Noriko, you are Hya-chan. Please remember that. I love you, Hya-chan. Please remember me.
"Thank you for listening."