Chapter Twelve
Japan
Dwight opened his eyes again. He sighed, slightly annoyed at the repeated process of waking up anywhere else but his bed. He saw Claudette, already awoke, and looking at a massive temple ahead of them. She held onto the book, and their crow flew around in the sky.
"Don't worry. You get used to it eventually, Dwight." Claudette said. She smiled.
"Yeah..." Dwight said. "So where exactly are we?"
"The books say we are at the Yama-Yamaoka Estate. Well, a few hundred years before the Estate." Claudette said uncertainty.
"A few hundred years?!" Dwight responded.
"Oh... Did I forget to mention Vigo, The Observer, and The Alchemist have been traveling through time to find a solution to stopping the Entity?" Claudette asked.
"No, Claudette," Dwight said. "No, you didn't... What year is it now then?"
"Best not to ask," Claudette answered with a smile.
"Right," Dwight said. "Yamaoka? That name sounds familiar..."
"Yes! The Spirit's real name... Rin Yamaoka. The killer here... Kazan Yamaoka, The Oni, is her great-great-great-great-great grandfather. That's interesting. The Entity picked two people in the same bloodline to serve it..."
"I'm sorry, did you say 'The killer here' as if there's a killer where we are?" Dwight asked.
"Yes! The Oni... A tall man wearing armor with the appearance of a demon and the same ancestral sword the Spirit used... As well as a large K-Kanabo... a spiked or studded two-handed war club-"
"Claudette, please stop reading the book," Dwight begged. "Now how do we find Jake and this Observer guy?"
Before Claudette could answer, a roar echoed through the area causing the trees to shake slightly. Dwight took Claudette's hand and they hid behind a wall.
"Was that the killer? The Oni?" Dwight asked.
"Yes."
Dwight and Claudette turned their heads to see a young Japanese woman with long blonde hair and a pink and purple outfit that exposed her stomach.
"Who are you?!" Dwight yelled.
"Yui, and you should be quiet. There's a killer around here." Yui said.
"We know!" Dwight whispered.
"I heard what you both were talking about. I was the one who took Jake to the Observer." Yui said.
"You know where Jake is? And the Observer? Can you take us to them?" Dwight asked.
"I can but the killer you called the Oni is patrolling the area for us. If we're quiet, and you do everything I said, I can take you to them." Yui said.
"Okay, deal," Dwight said.
Dwight and Claudette followed Yui through the woods, heading towards the temple. Yui stopped, and they did too.
"The entrance to the basement-" Yui began.
"Another basement..." Dwight sighed.
"To the basement. Is on the side of the temple." Yui finished.
Dwight and Claudette looked to see the large brute moving around. He carried his sword and club, searching.
"He's right next to it..." Dwight said.
"He can't see it. No killer can. The Observer used the same book your friend has to create a room hidden from them. Not even the Entity can find it. But another took the book and now the Entity is close to finding him." Yui said.
"Benedict," Dwight said.
"You know him?" Yui asked.
"We did. He's dead." Dwight said.
"Then this will be a piece of cake," Yui said smiling.
Dwight, Claudette, and Yui slowly crawled closer to the large door. Dwight crawled over a branch, and it cracked. The trio stopped. The Oni looked around, and spotted them. In an instant, he was enraged, and emitted some kind of fire around him. Yui quickly got up and ran. Dwight and Claudette followed. The Oni rushed to them and before he could swing his club, the trio passed through the door.
They were now in the dark. Yui began to walk downstairs. Dwight and Claudette gave each other a knowing look and followed. Downstairs was a room, completely different from the basement Benedict had imprisoned them in. One filled with books, a carpet, a single desk and chair. Yui and Claudette reached the bottom of the stairs. Dwight followed them, until he was punched in the face.
He fell to the floor and looked up. A young man with a ponytail, wearing goggles, a black bandana over his mouth, and similar clothing with an apron like Claudette. He lowered the bandana and raised his goggles. It was Jake. He held out his hand.
"Dwight? I'm sorry." Jake said.
"Yeah, it's really me..." Dwight said.
Jake gave him a quick hug. Jake also saw Claudette, and the two shared a kiss. Dwight smiled a bit.
"It's good to see that you're both okay. And thank you Yui for finding them." Jake said.
"Yes, thank you Yui." A man said from the shadows. Yui walked closer to him and turned to Dwight and Claudette.
"Dwight. Claudette. Meet the Observer." Yui said.
An older man with cold blue eyes, graying black hair and beard. He wore a black vest, a blue shirt, and jeans.
"Dwight," The Observer said.
"The second time someone knows my name... And me. The first time that someone tried to kill me and my friends." Dwight said.
"Benedict... Baker was once like you. All of you. Survivors in a game of survival against killers taken from different points in time... and from different universes." The Observer said.
"You knew him?" Claudette asked.
"Yes. Benedict, Vigo, the Alchemist, and me were all pulled from different points in time. And universes. This is Vigo's universe. After trying to survive in the realm the Entity created, we manage to find a way back home. Benedict wanted to stay behind... learn more about the Entity. He stole the book and tried an experiment on all of us. But it just sent us across time and space. Vigo found me and the Alchemist. We've spent years traveling through time on our own... To find a way to stop what's coming. And we've been waiting for you, Dwight. You and your friends." The Observer explained.
"Me? What can I do?" Dwight asked.
"You can start by finding the Alchemist. The... Talbot Grimes stole a device from me. It's called The Auris. It can show you memories older than time itself. It might be the key to stopping the Entity." The Observer said.
"Why did he steal it?" Claudette asked.
"I have other associates like Yui. All where they need to be. When they need to be. From one contact, we learned Grimes has switch sides on this conflict. My old friend believes the Entity will spare him if he stops us. Before you can confront Talbot, I need you all to rescue another contact. The last we heard, she's in Arizona, 1899. Same year as Vigo." The Observer said.
"Okay. Save your contact. Confront Grimes. Anything else?" Dwight asked.
The group heard what sounded like an explosion coming from upstairs. The Oni had found them. Claudette opened the book and began reading a passage. Dwight, Jake, Yui, and their crow were now beside her. The Oni appeared and confronted the Observer, who stood still.
"Quick!" Yui yelled. "Come with us!"
The Observer shook his head. He looked at the group.
"You've been a great help, Yui. It was nice meeting you, Claudette and Jake. And Dwight?"
Dwight looked at him. The familiar green portal opened behind them.
"You'll know what to do when the time comes. Farewell." The Observer said.
Dwight, Claudette, Jake, and Yui, along with their crow, disappeared from the temple. The Oni raised its sword over the Observer. He closed his eyes peacefully. With one swing, the Observer was gone.
