Lil' Ed: This chapter was due for editing too. Sly! Stop stealing my stuff!
Sly: Caught red handed again!
Lil' Ed: Yes! Now leave before I get Carmelita!
Sly: Ah! The lovely and ever so fair Inspector!
Lil' Ed: ... (Hits a red button) Carmelita! I have Cooper!
Sly: ... That's so wrong.
oOoOoOo
Chapter 4: Possessed Pair
oOoOoOo
Genis tugged furiously
at the door. Some odd force was keeping him away from his sister
from him and now a door
was jammed. "Genis, there's some force keeping the door shut,"
Colette said. Everyone
looked at her. "A force?" Lloyd finally voiced after a few
second.
"Yeah. I think
you can take a picture of it," she replied. Lloyd shrugged but
took a picture
anyway. The film
developed and showed a brazier. "I guess exploring the house in
pair's
works?" Regal
suggested. Colette grabbed Lloyd's hand in an instant. Genis stood
next to
Presea with Regal
hovering overhead. Sheena gave up but smacked Zelos who laughed and
rubbed his cheek.
"Before we split, Lloyd, attach this to the camera," Zelos
grinned and
held out a lens and a
note with a gear attached to it.
(I'm not mentioning
hidden or vanishing ghosts unless they're of importance and also
the
film types.)
"Measure function.
Shows strength of attacking ghosts. Yeah, this should come in handy,"
Lloyd said, equipping
it to the camera. "Ok, Zelos and Sheena, check the room down the
hall and to the left.
Genis, Presea, and Regal, check the room straight down the hall.
Colette and I will
check this room." Lloyd slid the door he was talking about and it
opened
to a room full of
decaying Kimonos hanging around and a lit lantern. Everyone split to
explore.
(Sheena and Zelos)
"My voluptuous hunny,
maybe this is the brazier bud was talking about," Zelos said.
Sheena looked at the
ancient brazier within the room and examined it. She stood, holding a
key in her hand.
"Well, lets…. Zelos, what are you reading?" she asked, her
curiosity
getting the better of
her. "Village Reports. Here," he said, and handed the notes over.
Village Report #1
For some reason, one
of the statues is in the form of twins. I have also found a
description
of a "Twin
Deities Statue" in the writings lying around the house...
In this region,
twins serve an unusual purpose. Twins sisters and brothers perform a
special ritual
here. Each time a ritual is completed, a new Twin Deities Statue is
placed
somewhere in the
village.
The ritual occurs
every few decades, and judging by the number of Twin Deities Statues,
this tradition is
very old. For some reason, one of the twins always has its head
broken off.
Sometimes they are
sculpted without a head from the start.
Maybe it doesn't
mean anything, but something here doesn't feel right. I'm beginning
to
think that I was
wrong to leave Miyako behind alone.
Unfortunately, I was
unable to find any detailed information about the twin ritual. I have
to
find a way to get
out of here fast...
Village Report #2
I looked down into
the old well but it was pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing. If
you
listen closely, you
can only hear wind blowing, and it seems that the water has all been
dried up. I can't
tell which was here first, the house or the well. Neither has been
used in a
while.
According to the
records, this house used to belong to the powerful Tsuchihara family.
In
the village, the
Osaka, Kiryu, and Tachibana families were also influential. Each
house
had its own crest,
and held power in the village. As a group they were also in charge of
a
special ritual.
Each was a branch of
the Kurosawa family, who administered to the ceremony. They
performed the role
of priests. The Kurosawa name is scattered throughout the literature,
but no concrete
information is written. I have no doubt that they held absolute power
though.
Where in the world
did the villagers go? And how do you get out of this village? The
answers to these
questions lie within the Kurosawa house. I'm not sure how I know, but
I
have a strong
feeling about this.
Village Report #3
I found a small shrine at the top of a long set of stairs, shrouded in mist.
It seems very old, but it is well-made, and has not fallen into disrepair.
The entrance has a
large butterfly crest painted on it. It's the same as the one on the
building beyond the
large bridge.
Butterflies seem to
have a special meaning, just like twins. They are frequently
mentioned
in the ritual
literature. "Butterfly" means something else to the
villagers too. I notice that
the word always
appears in writings about the ritual.
I may not know its
exact meaning, but the fact that the butterfly crest is on a shrine
indicates that it
is very special indeed. I should investigate further.
Village Report #4
I came to this hill
to take a look at the gate I passed through when I entered the
village. But
when I tried to
find it, the ruined gate was buried under trees and other flora. I
can't find
the path that we
used to come here...
This hill is called
"Misono Hill". According to literature, this location plays
a key role in
the ceremony. Right
in the middle lays a massive rock, known as the "Offering
Stone", and
the surrounding
area is protected by wards. This "Offering Stone" also
seems to be a
"Cover"
for sealing some kind of hole. What sort of hole needs a gigantic
stone like this
for a cover? Why
does it need to be covered at all?
What if this is the
very thing I've been searching for, the way out of the village? I
have to
check this out
thoroughly.
"This still doesn't
explain what's happened to Kratos and Raine," Sheena muttered.
She
flipped through the
pages and dropped it abruptly. Zelos picked it up. The man appeared
dead in the picture.
No emotions were within his white eyes and his face was covered in
various cuts and
slashes upon his face. "I feel somewhat sick now," Zelos gagged.
(Genis, Presea, and Regal)
They explored the room
thoroughly, the cabinets, the boxes, and examined the blanketed
form finding that even
the blanket couldn't be lifted. "All we found is an Herbal
Medicine
right?" Genis asked.
Regal and Presea nodded. Very uneventful for the unfortunate group.
They left to meet up
with Sheena and Zelos.
(Lloyd and Colette)
"Doesn't seem like
anything's in here," Lloyd mumbled and continued exploring the
small
Kimono Room. "Lloyd!
I found another Herbal Medicine!" Colette exclaimed excitedly
from the small closet
and grabbed it. Within that same closet, a box lid slid off. A
ghastly
grey hand reached over
the edge. Colette retreated back and stumbled next to the now unlit
lantern. Another hand
emerged. Both hands lifted there owner out. Slick, long black hair
fell over its owner's
face. The ghostly figure crumbled on the floor before standing up.
The figure took a
step, swaying with the movement, small blood stains on its kimono. It
came closer and closer
towards the two teens. (Looks like Sumara from The Ring)
"Lloyd! Colette! Open
the door!" came a muffled yelled. The sliding door rattled in an
attempt to open.
"Genis! Something's keeping the door shut! We can't get out!"
Colette
cried. The ghost had
paused but started craning its head towards Colette. Some strains of
hair fell to the side
showing the sunken face of a woman. Lloyd pulled out the camera and
the new gear worked as
soon as he aimed it at the woman. "The door must be jammed
because of a ghost!
Hurry! Beat the ghost!" Sheena yelled through the door. The ghostly
woman was now confused
by Sheena's voice but soon continued its slow progress to
Colette. The woman
stood up and ran at Colette, Lloyd took that chance.
The woman proved to be
weak as she collapsed, the echoing cries of a baby ringing within
the room as she
disappeared. The door clicked open and everyone fell in, Genis
getting
crushed. "Found some
notes!" Zelos said happily in a sing song voice. "It looks like
this
village held a special
ritual that was unmentionable to outsiders," Sheena said as
everyone
scanned the notes.
"That's not exactly explaining what's happened to Raine and
Kratos,"
Presea said, frowning.
"But, we can go into the rest of the village and find out,"
Sheena
winked, twirling the
key on her index finger. They all walked out of the Kimono Room
after getting Genis up
and opened the door into the entrance corridor. Lying in the dim
light was the exsphere
that remained on a bracelet that Raine wore. Holding the Spirit
Stone Radio out, he
popped it in before anyone could stop him.
"Crimson... Butterfly...
It's calling me...
Calling me deep into the village...
No... it's not us..."
"Crimson Butterfly?"
Colette asked. Lloyd shrugged and Genis became deep in thought.
Presea turned her head
confused, Sheena stood and Zelos had a 'What the hell?' plastered
on his face. Regal
finally spoke. "The butterfly Colette chased wasn't that Crimson?
And
those other ones from
Misono Hill, the ones that surrounded Raine, they were Crimson
too." They looked at
him, shocked, knowing he was right. "Let's get to the bottom of
this
please," Genis
grumbled and opened the door, leading into the crisp village air.
Sheena
whipped her head
around and saw a fleeting shadow. As she raced off, everyone
followed,
seeing the person
disappear after turning the corner too. The person joined another in
front
of a set of giant
doors. It was Raine and Kratos.
"Sis! Where are you
going?" Genis yelled but she didn't hear. They disappeared beyond
the door which slowly
closed. Lloyd and Zelos ran forward and attempted to catch the
door but slammed shut,
throwing the two away. Two keys were needed. A force that
Lloyd took a picture
of showed a cluster of Butterflies.
The atmosphere changed
once more. Three ghosts appeared once more carrying a sickle, a
torch, and a long
pole. The group split to end the fight quickly.
oOoOoOo
The last ghost fell to
the ground. "Hey, Raine's exsphere is glowing," Colette said
and took
the charm out. It
glowed brightly. Genis grabbed it and stuck it in the Radio again to
see if
it was something new.
It was.
"Pass through a large gate,
over a bridge,
inside a big house...
There are many...
many dead...
Upstairs, there are dolls...
the head..."
Butterflies started
appearing in small groups, beckoning for the weary group to follow.
Colette's curiosity
got the better of her once more as she followed the clusters forcing
the
rest to follow suite.
oOoOoOo
Everyone made there way
under the crawl space. The area seemed, peaceful, unlike the rest
of the village.
Crimson Butterflies flew threw the fences and walls of a bared
building.
"Yae? Sae?" a
young, silver haired boy asked. "Did Sae go to the Mansion? You
must find
the keys within the
statues around the village. Hurry! It's the only way if the next
Kusabi
fails!" The group
was confused. Who were Sae and Yae? What the hell is a Kusabi? It
didn't matter much
right now to wonder, so out the group went for the keys.
(Collected the keys, more ghost battles, blah)
Everyone stood,
anticipation hung thick in the air as Lloyd placed the two Twin
Statue
Keys in there places.
The lock clicked and with Zelos' help, the door was opened. A
bridge stretched far
to a Mansion sitting on top a large island. The group walked
carefully
across the rotting
boards and planks. A hole appeared every now and then but they made
there way across. (I
skipped the ghost encounter. It's not very important )
They climbed the
stairs, entering the old courtyard. They strolled to the door and
enter the
Mansion. The inside
was large and roomy but had anger, fear and other such emotions
hanging the air.
"Lloyd! The flashlight!" Colette exclaimed quietly. Turning to
the
flashlight, they
watched it flicker and die as the fleeing image of a girl wearing a
white
kimono stained with
blood down the front going down the hall.
oOoOoOo
Lil' Ed: (Snickers)
This chapter is... light in violence compared to later. (Breaks out
laughing)
Sly: ... This is not funny.
Lil' Ed: Yes it is. (Laughing even more)
Carmelita: I have to agree with Ringtail. Not funny.
Lil' Ed: When two
people who like each other and don't admit it get tied together by
a
crazed teen
matchmaker? No... It's hilarious!
oOoOoOo
Preview for the Next Chapter:
oOoOoOo
Bodies lay bleeding
as a bound man stands
before. Enter the
Kusabi, the tortured
sacrifice left as
food for the dead.
Chapter 5: The Repentance Part. 1