(Author's Note: As of starting this chapter, the one-year anniversary of Not This Time has just passed yesterday. Because of this, I'd like to thank everyone who's taken interest in Not This Time and supported it all this time. It really means a lot to me that so many people enjoy this series, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of it. I absolutely love developing this story and reading your guys' reviews. Anyway, enough sentimentality, and I'll get on with the chapter.)
Chapter 13: The Kamines (Part 1)
Saturday, April 13
13:07
"O-Okane?!"
I couldn't believe my eyes. Neither could anyone else, if the murmurs of confusion were anything to go by.
Okane, the person who started out as an enemy and changed to a supposed ally, was now bleeding out on our floor. My mind was flooded with question that seemed to have no answer. Why was he here? Why was he injured? Who shot him? What's in the satchel he's holding?
I wasn't going to get any of these questions answered by just standing around, so I knelt down and picked up his body.
"Ishi, do you think you could help him?" I asked quickly. Ishi took a moment to process what I said before nodding.
"I could probably seal the wound, but it'd take a while for his bone marrow to refill his blood." She explained. "Get him into the living room."
Without waiting for a response, Ishi turned around and bolted up the nearby stairs. By now, everyone had somewhat shaken out of their stupor. As I ran past them, I bumped Mc's shoulder.
"Grab the satchel." I told him.
Not wasting any time, I marched into the living room, Okane in hand, and laid him down on one of the couches. I brought my hand over and pushed down on the wound, trying to lessen the bleeding. The location of the bullet hole was lower in the abdomen, a little bit off to the right.
Ishi eventually arrived with a full medical kit and began working on Okane. She carefully lifted up his white-and-blue flannel shirt and disinfected the wound. Then she steadily rotated a bandage around his midsection, coating the wound in multiple layers of fabric.
Finally, after multiple minutes of stressful silence, Ishi rolled his shirt back down and stepped back, signifying that she was done. A sigh of relief exited everyone's mouth, including mine. Although we couldn't be absolutely sure he was on our side yet, it wouldn't be a good thing to just let him die like that.
"What... happened to him?" I heard Tiffany ask. I thought for a moment.
"Let's see what we can figure out." I answered. "Mc, could you bring that satchel over here?"
Everyone crowded around as Mc carefully placed the satchel on the coffee table. It was a bit small, but big enough for one or two large books to fit inside. However, it was clear just from looking at it that it wasn't filled up all the way. Much of the satchel hung loosely upon its contents.
I reached a hand towards it, but my arm was held back by Natsuki.
"What is it?" I asked.
"You don't know what'll happen if you grab it! It could be dangerous!" She replied. I gave her a confused look.
"What, do you think it'll blow up or something? If it was rigged to explode, it would've done so when Mc picked it up." I explained.
I lightly shook Natsuki off and once again reached for the satchel. I grabbed the flap and lifted it up, hearing a quiet intake of breath from Natsuki. I stopped moving for a few seconds, just in case.
"It seems... fine." Yuri said. "Perhaps it is harmless?"
I leaned in close and peered inside at the interior of the satchel. What I saw confused me quite a lot. It was completely random, nothing like what I'd expected.
"What's in there?" Mc asked.
Instead of answering, I picked up the satchel and turned it over, spilling the contents out onto the coffee table. When everyone laid eyes on what fell out, they seemed just as confused as I was. Because, what had just fallen out of the satchel was...
Five cassette tapes.
"Cassette tapes?" Monika put her hand to her chin. "Why was he carrying cassette tapes?"
"Well... only one way to find out." I said, turning to Mc. "Is there a cassette player around here?"
"My parents have one in their room." He responded.
"I'll go get it." Ishi turned around and left the room.
As Ishi was getting the cassette player, the rest of us arranged the sitting positions. Mc, Yuri, and Tiffany moved the unconscious Okane into a sitting position on the further couch, then sat down in that order. Meanwhile, Natsuki, I, Monika, and Sayori sat on the closer couch.
Looking at Okane sit in the spot that Shiro used to sit in filled me with a faint sadness, but I knew it couldn't be helped. We would get through this, and we'd avenge Shiro's death. No matter what, we would win this.
We sat in silence, the only sound being Okane's deep breathing. I watched as his sleeping form slowly slumped over to the side, his head landing on Tiffany's shoulder. With a slightly annoyed look on her face, Tiffany brought her hand up and forced Okane back to the other side, creating an oddly comedic scene.
'Okane... who are you?' I wondered.
"Okay, I'm back." Ishi's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I turned around and saw Ishi rushing into the room, carrying an old-looking cassette player. It looked like something you'd see in an interrogation scene in a 90s cop show. However, despite this, it was still in pretty much perfect condition. The only sign of wear being a couple of scratches on the surface of the lid.
"Alright, which one do we listen to first?" Mc inquired as soon as his mother put it down.
I grabbed one of the tapes at random and studied it closely. Too closely, in fact, as I immediately found what I was looking for.
On the tape, written in large, black lettering: 11/4/22.
"April 11, 2022." I read. "That was two days ago..."
"So these tapes were made recently?" Monika asked.
"Seems like it." I nodded. "Now, where is the first one?"
I sorted through the tapes before selecting one labeled as '8/4/22'. Five days ago... I held it up for the others to see.
"This one is dated as the first. It was recorded five days ago, and judging by the dates on the other tapes, we can assume they he recorded one each day." I explained. "Let's listen to this one."
Everyone nodded in agreement as I opened up the player. I placed the tape inside and closed the lid. Pressing the 'play' button, I leaned back and listened to the tape alongside everyone else. It sounded like a collection of people conversing, and I recognized all the voices:
"Have they awoken, yet?"
That one was definitely Majo, Okane's mother.
"No, not yet."
That one was unmistakably Heishi, Okane's father.
"I don't see how this guy'll help our plans. I mean, what do we even know about him?"
I did a double take at that last voice. It was clearly Okane, making everyone turn towards him sleeping on the couch. I paused the recording.
"This was on Monday, so it occurred sometime after the festival." I said. "A lot could've happened between then and now, so let's not jump to any conclusions. Got it?"
I continued the tape without waiting for a response.
Majo: We know he has the same beliefs as us about the aliens.
Okane: Why do we have to call them aliens? That's a stupid name-
The next part in the recording was slightly corrupted, but a loud bang was clearly heard. It sounded like someone's head hit a hard object, which was so loud it probably disrupted the recording. With this in mind, it was likely that the hard object was the table that the recorder they were using was on.
Okane: AH, FUCK! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!
Majo: Don't disrespect the decision of The Great Kami. They are our protector, and we are their subjects. We must cleanse this world of the aliens for them...
A silence followed, timed at about five to ten seconds.
Okane: My apologies. Long live the Kamines.
All three: Long live the Kamines.
Another short silence followed, this one no longer than five seconds.
Majo: What is it?
Heishi: Oh? Um... nothing, dear.
Another loud bang sounded out, corrupting the recording a bit. This one was a bit louder, signifying a heavier collision. Then a loud scream was heard, most likely coming from Heishi.
Majo: Do NOT refer to me as "dear". You know what happened to HER, don't you?!
Heishi: O-of course. M-my apologies, milady.
The next few seconds was filled with the sound of footsteps slowly fading into the distance. I estimated two people leaving.
Okane: Welp, there they go.
He sighed deeply.
Okane: Long live the Kamines. Long live Kami... but... why must it be her?
The recording stopped there, leaving us with barely any new information, but also confirmation on something we already knew.
"So, with this, we can confirm that Okane was at some point a member of the cult group." I said. "Furthermore, we now know the name of said cult group."
"'The Kamines'." Monika recalled. "It also seems like they follow a god by the name of 'Kami', judging by the context clues."
"But that doesn't really give us much to go off of, does it?" Mc pointed out.
"We still have four more tapes to go through." I told him. "There's a lot of potential for more information."
I ejected the current tape and picked up the next, this one dated as '9/4/22'. One day after the previous tape and the day everyone was moved to Mc's house temporarily. Putting in the new tape, I pressed play and listened. It started out with the sound of footsteps quickly approaching, followed by a door being thrown open. An unrecognizable voice was the next thing to be heard:
Frantic Man: M-Milady!
Majo: What is it?
Frantic Man: We've just gotten confirmation on the status of the assassin we sent!
Majo: And? What of them?
Frantic Man: They're... dead. We believe they were cornered, and had to-
Majo: I don't care what you believe!
Footsteps were heard next, estimated to be three people. They fast approached and soon stopped.
Okane: What's with all the yelling?
Frantic Man: The assassin failed to kill them, and died.
Heishi: Oh, god...
I froze as I heard the next voice:
Chad: I told you they wouldn't succeed.
Majo: *sigh* Leave us.
Frantic Man: O-of course, Milady.
More footsteps suggested his leaving.
Majo: Tell me, has our friend awoken yet?
Heishi: No, unfortunately. Although we've stabilized his condition, there's no signs of him waking up any time soon.
Majo: *grumbling*
Okane: I-I am not questioning the decision of the Great Kami, but... why is he such an important target?
Chad: ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?! DO YOU NOT REMEMBER ALL THE SHIT HE'S BEEN DOING TO OUR WORLD?!
Majo: Both of you, calm down. Both of you have told me that this boy is a danger to our success. Killing him is the only option.
Okane: Understood, M-Milady.
What came next sounded like a muffled voice speaking from a walkie talkie.
Majo: What?! Bring me there! We CANNOT let him die!
*Rapid footsteps leaving*
Chad: Don't you ever question the Great Kami again. I will NOT identify with a traitor! You will end up just like "her"!
*Footsteps leaving*
Okane: But... she's innocent...
The recording ended once again. I looked among everyone and saw they all had the same expression of confusion and deep thought. I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling the same.
"We can assume that the 'assassin' they're talking about was that person who attacked Keisatsu and I on Tuesday." I theorized. "This also proves that Chad is working with this cult."
"But who is this person they keep talking about?" Yuri inquired. "They keep mentioning someone who appears to be in critical health. Who could that be?"
"I have an idea, but let's listen to the rest of the tapes before coming to any conclusions." I said as I played the next tape, this one labelled as 10/4/22, the day I mysteriously was poisoned.
The tape started out with a series of loud bangs and cracks, with a few screams of pain mixed in there:
Majo: You failure!
*Another bang and scream of pain*
Okane: I did nothing wrong!
Majo: LIES!
*One last bang and scream of pain*
Majo: You were meant to end him, so why is he still alive?!
Okane: *Crying in pain* I don't know!
Unknown voice: That is enough.
This new voice I didn't recognize. They were clearly using a voice changer, as they sounded several octaves deeper than should be possible for any human being.
Majo: *-*&$(! I-I did not know that you were-
For some reason, the audio was corrupted at that exact moment. Of course, it corrupted at the most important part!
Unknown voice: Silence! I have just gotten word that our friend has awoken. Go... introduce him...
Majo: Yes, my lord.
What came next sounded like a series of small clicks. They sounded quite close, but I had no idea what the source could be. However, it seemed like that would be cleared up quite quickly when Mc paused the recording.
"That sounds to me like the recording mechanism was rigged to be disconnected." He explained. "It would have a much shorter battery time than the recorder itself, but it would reach up to ten minutes probably."
"How do you know this?" I asked. Mc shrugged.
"You learn things from your father being the police chief." He answered simply.
I resumed the recording:
Majo: You! Come with me.
Okane: Y-yes, milady.
*Continuous footsteps*
Okane: H-he is through here?
Majo: Yes, now be respectful. He is above you.
*Door creaking open, followed by more footsteps*
Nothing could have prepared me, or Natsuki for that matter, for what came next. The voice we heard:
Hiran: Who the fuck are you people?!
I paused the recording as soon as I could, not letting it even start his second sentence. Everything suddenly made sense, but that only made it more terrifying. The man whom we almost killed was seemingly with the Kamines. A truth that made Monika, Tiffany, Natsuki, and I freeze in fear.
I turned to Natsuki, who was violently shivering with a terrified look on her face. Even just hearing her father's name put her into this state, so hearing his voice speaking must've been even worse for her.
I brought my arm around and pulled her close to calm her down. Natsuki hugged herself close to me as Mc, Sayori, Yuri, and Ishi looked at us strangely.
"Who was that?" Sayori asked.
'Of course.' I thought. 'They never heard his voice before.'
"That was... Natsuki's dad." I answered as Natsuki's grip slightly tightened. Their eyes all went wide as they realised the same as I did.
I was worried about Natsuki, so I held off on resuming the recording.
"Just do it." Natsuki said.
"What?" I responded.
"Just play the tape. I can handle it." She seemed like she was just barely holding on, but I abided by her wishes. Keeping my arm around her, I resumed the tape:
Hiran: Who the fuck are you people?! And where is-
Majo: At ease, Mr. Kurushimi. We are not your enemies. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Hiran: What the fuck is going on?
Majo: We are an organization devoted to ridding the world of those who are unworthy. I do believe you have had an encounter with one of these people before?
Hiran: So... you're a cult, is what you're saying.
Majo: I prefer the term... protectors.
Hiran: Why did you help me?
Majo: Getting right to the point, I see. Well, Mr. Kurushimi, I believe that we can work together in a way that benefits us both.
Hiran: Okay... I'm listening.
Majo: I'll cut right to the chase here. We have been having trouble with the same person you have. If we work together to... "disappear" him, then both of us will profit. What do you say?
Hiran: ...You're talking about that fucking Canadian kid, aren't you?!
Majo: Mr. Kurushimi, please calm down.
Hiran: I will tear him limb from limb, even worse than what he did to me! I will take back what I own!
Majo: Securi-
Hiran: Stop!
A long, tense pause followed, giving me time to process what he'd just said. His threats of what he wanted to do to me scared me, but him saying he owned Natsuki pissed me off more.
Hiran: You have yourself a deal, lady. However, I want one other thing in return.
Majo: What is it?
Hiran: I want that little whore back.
I heard some quiet whimpering, supposedly from Okane.
Majo: You may go, now. Me and this man have much to talk about.
Okane: O-of course, milady.
*Footsteps*
Boy: *Whispering* What do I do?
The tape stopped right there. In this one tape, so much was revealed to us. Hiran was clearly working with the Kamines, they were coming for us, and they had a definitive leader. While it didn't clear up ALL the mysteries, it still gave us some answers we didn't have prior.
We skipped discussing that tape and immediately played the next one, this one labelled 11/4/22:
Majo: Report?
Chad: Nothing to report, milady. We had no encounters nor attempts on his life.
Majo: I wasn't talking to you. You, what is YOUR report?
Just like the last tape, a new person was talking that shocked us. However, unlike the previous tape, the voice wasn't of someone we feared. It was of one we considered a close friend up until recently:
Shiro: They still suspect nothing. Soon, we will have what is owed to us.
I paused the recording without even noticing it. Everyone had the same look of shock and fear in their eyes. Mouths gaped open past the gasps and muscles tensed all throughout the body. Of all the people... of all the fucking people.
"W-why is S-Shiro talking to t-them?" Natsuki stuttered. "H-he can't be..."
"H-he was." I confirmed reluctantly. "Shiro was... working with the Kamines..."
An incredibly long silence permeated the air. Each one of us was trying our best to process this, but we just couldn't accept it as fact. The idea that Shiro, someone we thought was our close friend, turned out to be working with the enemy. The concept that the clumsy, socially awkward, enthusiastic otaku we'd grown so close to was the enemy was just absurd.
However, as I thought about it more, I realised that a part of the puzzle had fallen out.
'But... if he was with the Kamines, then why was he killed?' I wondered.
Before I could think about it any further, Natsuki nudged my arm.
"What is it?" I asked. Natsuki gave me a pained look.
"Play the tape." She said, looking away. "Let's just get this over with."
I opened my mouth to protest but decided against it. Everyone knew what had to be done. We had to listen to each of these tapes in order to figure out what the hell was going on. If we didn't, we stood no chance.
With shaking hands, I reached over and pressed the play button:
Heishi: I am not questioning you, milady, but I'm not completely sure this is of our best interest. Isn't the boy's death our main goal?
Majo: Hmm. So you DO have some semblance of a brain in that head of yours. To answer your question, yes. The boy's death is our main goal. However, this object is of equal value.
Hiran: What did you say this thing was for?
Majo: It will allow us to bring him back to us, and our mission shall finally come to fruition.
She put on some emphasis when she said 'him'. I didn't know why, but my blood chilled when I heard her say it.
Shiro: Back to the task at hand... the plan commences tomorrow, yes?
Majo: Precisely. You know what to do. Kill him. And if the others try to stop you, kill them too. I trust the weapon I sent you will be sufficient?
Shiro: Leave it to me. Over and out.
*Clicking of keyboard keys*
Okane: M-milady?
Majo: What is it?
Okane: Um... never mind.
*Short pause*
Majo: Very well. Let us go. You stay here and clean up. It's all you're good for anyway.
*Footsteps leaving*
*Long pause*
Okane: I can't let this continue... Alex... Monika... Natsuki... please look out.
The recording stopped once again. This time, I immediately took it out and picked up the final one. As I did so, Mc spoke up.
"It sounds like Shiro was talking through a speaker." He theorized. "They had to have been in a call or video message with him, so I think it's safe to say they had this call while Shiro was living here."
"Mmm." I acknowledged. I didn't have the energy to respond, so I just put the fifth and final tape in, labelled 13/4/22, just earlier today:
*Door slamming open*
Okane: Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck
We heard metal grinding against stone, sounding like a large, metal object was being dragged along a stone floor.
*Loud bangs*
Majo: *Muffled* You fucking traitor! I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE!
Okane: Yeah, I'll pass on that!
*Rapid footsteps*
Okane: Goddammit, I need to get out of here.
*Several small clicks*
Okane: These recordings should be enough to convince them. I knew I was right to hide it here.
*Bangs become more numerous*
Chad: You bastard! I thought I could trust you!
Okane: Same to you, Chad.
*Bangs get louder*
Hiran: Get the fuck out here so I can kill you! How DARE you side with the Canadian!
Okane: He was brought to this world to save people! I will not side with those who want to kill an innocent person!
*Several small clicks*
*Bangs suddenly stop*
Heishi: Please, son. Is this truly what you want?
*Short pause*
Okane: Yes. This is what I want. And it's clearly what you want. You were just too scared to act.
*Several small clicks*
*One big click*
Okane: Yes! Now, to get out of here-
*Door breaks down*
*Gunshot*
*Audio cuts out*
The final tape cut out, leaving us with all the answers they could give us. However, I was only just barely listening past the halfway point. What Okane said... how could he say that? A look around the room suggested everyone was thinking the same as me.
"Okane... did he just..." Monika muttered.
"'He was brought to this world to save people'." I recited. "Yeah, he just said that."
"But that means..." Natsuki trailed off.
"He knows." Mc concluded. "He knows that Alex isn't from this world."
Everyone grew silent, including myself.
'Okane...' I thought, looking at said person. 'Who are you...?'
*Thirty minutes later*
After all that shock, the eight of us didn't know what to do. For a full thirty minutes, we all just sat there in silence. A few of us tried to make conversation, but they all quickly died out into more silence.
Ishi had carried Okane upstairs, into what used to be Shiro's room. I couldn't tell whether or not I was happy with that. A week ago, I would've disregarded that concept entirely. But, now that we knew about what Shiro's true nature was, I didn't know what to think anymore.
Time passed as we sat there, unknown to all of us how long. It wasn't until my stomach grumbled that I took a look at my watch.
"It's 4 pm." I stated to no expected response.
'Keisatsu still isn't back yet...' I thought. 'What could be happening?'
I suddenly had a realisation, making me stand up in a bolt.
"They got him..." I muttered to myself, causing everyone to look at me. "The Kamines... they got a hold of Keisatsu!"
Everyone's eyes went wide at this proclamation.
"What makes you say that?" Monika asked. I shuddered as I connected the dots.
"Keisatsu said he was going to Kuro's house to break the news about Shiro's death." I explained. "If Shiro was actually with the Kamines... then could that mean..."
"K-Kuro is also with the Kamines?!" Mc exclaimed.
A feeling of tension filled the air between us. The theory was too obvious to dispute. It all fit together. There was always something off about Kuro, but I just assumed it was his natural attitude. But if he was really a part of all this...
"I need to go." I said before frantically bolting towards the front door.
A few people called after me to stop, but I drowned them out in my worry. I threw open the door and ran out into the cold night, sprinting down the street at full speed. I remembered where Kuro's house was by memorizing the route. I followed my mental directions, leaving everyone behind...
*Ten minutes later*
I turned a corner and continued my run, feeling myself getting closer.
'Come on... just a little farther...'
I glanced at the houses next to me as I ran, trying to find Kuro's.
'I know it's somewhere around here... now where...' I mentally celebrated as I laid eyes upon a specific house. 'There!'
The house was just as I remembered it. It looked like a cutaway art piece. One side was perfectly sustained, maintained to the ideal appearance of a property. Meanwhile, the other side looked like it had been left alone for years.
'Why is it like this?' Was a question lingering in the back of my mind. However, I had more important things to worry about.
It was as I was running up the property to the front door that I realised something: I was completely unarmed. I hadn't brought the two swords with me, so I would have to rely entirely on hand-to-hand combat if need be.
I reached the porch and busted in the door, reducing it to mostly splinters. I prioritized speed over stealth, so I didn't care how much noise I made.
"Keisatsu!" I called out. "Where are you?!"
I listened to my voice echoing throughout the house, eventually fading into just silence.
No... not just silence.
It was faint, so faint that I could barely hear it in perfect silence. Like a vertical pin dropping into the ocean, I heard quiet banging from upstairs. It was weak, but clearly tangible.
"Hang on, I'm coming!" My mouth outran my thoughts as my legs carried me up the nearby stairs.
Nothing stopped me as I rose up the stairs. I didn't hear or see anything at the top, so it had to be clear. However, that deduction, unlike the one from earlier, was in vain.
As soon as my foot hit the top step, something smacked into me from around the corner, making me see stars and sending me flying backwards down the stairs. I hit stair after stair, trying to protect my torso and head with my arms. I eventually collapsed in a heap onto the floor, bruised but otherwise uninjured.
"You know, you've always pissed me off, Alex." A voice called from the top step. "Being the 'good guy' and protecting those who 'deserve it'. If I hadn't been given other orders, I would've killed you LONG ago!"
"I know that voice..." I muttered, looking up the stairs. "Chad..."
"Ding ding ding! You got it!" Chad mockingly called as he sauntered down the stairs.
He was wearing a plain black t-shirt and black jeans. He held what looked like a metal baseball bat, but it was clearly designed exclusively for fighting. The tip of it was larger than a normal baseball bat, and the grip was more like the hilt of a sword. It looked a bit ridiculous, but it was definitely deadly.
"I knew it." I said, standing up. "You're with the Kamines."
"How'd you figure it out?" He asked sarcastically. "Was it the fact that I nearly broke skull just a moment ago? Or did you learn it from that goddamn traitor, Okane?"
I backed away slowly, going away from the door.
"Why are you doing this? What would you gain?" I interrogated.
"I don't really gain anything, to be honest." He shrugged, but then pointed his weapon at me. "Except for being able to enjoy killing YOU."
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he rushed at me with his weapon raised above his head. I dodged to the right as he swung it downward, then ducked as he made a return-swing to the side.
"What? That's the only reason?!" I exclaimed, leaning to the side to dodge another blow.
"Oh, like I'd tell you!" Chad laughed. "I'm not stupid enough to give away our secrets!"
I continued to dodge Chad, slowly backing away down the hall. My aim was to lure him into an area where I could find a weapon of my own.
I took another step back, passing by a closet. Chad rose his weapon above his head for another blow but didn't attack immediately. I found it strange, as he'd attacked immediately every time before that.
Suddenly, I realised, but it was already too late.
The closet next to me burst open, and a large figure flew out. They slammed into me and pressed me against the wall, leaving me open to attack. It took me a moment to see their face.
"Heishi?!"
"Sorry, kid." Heishi reared a fist back to punch me at the same time Chad swung down with his bat.
Quickly thinking, I leaned my head down to dodge the punch, removing myself from the area between Chad's bat and Heishi's fist. The bat struck his fist, making him reel back in pain, clutching his arm.
Taking advantage of this momentary diversion, I bolted a bit further down the hall, running into the adjacent room: The kitchen.
'A kitchen. Perfect.' I thought.
That though was short-lived, however, as I suddenly felt a stabbing pain in my right eye. I caught a glimpse of movement around the corner, but that area of vision quickly went blind.
I screamed out in pain and grabbed at the air, somehow grabbing the assailant's arm. I instinctually pushed them away, knocking them back, but bringing even more pain to my eye. I closed my eye and pressed my palm to that area, then pulled it away. However, the right side of my vision didn't return.
'What the...' My thoughts were interrupted by a strong blow to the back of my head.
The blow knocked me to the ground, landing on my face. A moment of thought later, I turned around onto my back and looked up at the two, no, THREE people staring down at me.
There was Chad, his bat slightly red from my blood. There was Heishi, an unreadable expression on his face. And finally... there was Majo. She held a bloody knife, a round object on the end of it. It was this round object that terrified me with its presence on the knife.
Now I knew why I couldn't see everything I was looking at. It was because Ishi STABBED OUT MY EYEBALL.
"W-w-wha-" I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. I was so filled with fear. For the first time in a while, I felt like I might actually die.
"Stop." A professional-sounding voice ordered from behind them. "That's enough. We'll bring him back to our base. Torture is a much more... fitting punishment. Wouldn't you say?"
Chad, Heishi, and Majo stepped aside and a fourth figure emerged.
"Yes, Master Kami." They all said in unison.
This new arrival combined with the way they referred to him seemed impossible. There's no way he was the leader. He COULDN'T be. The person standing in front of me was only-
"Knock him out."
SMACK
.
.
.
{Monika POV}
*Ten minutes earlier*
The seven of us stood near the doorway, calling after Alex into the night. There was a short time where we could see him running down the street, but he quickly turned a corner out of sight.
We continued to call after him desperately, not daring to take even a single step outside. My voice eventually just gave up, and only air came out the next time I opened my mouth. Soon, other voices died down one by one. Eventually, silence consumed us all.
After giving up on yelling out the front door, we merely waited there. And waited. And waited. Waiting for him to come back. A minute passed, then three, then five. Still no sign of Alex, so our worry intensified.
"Do... do you think he's okay?" Sayori asked me.
"He has to be." I answered, conjuring the rest of my remaining courage. "The Alex I know wouldn't just die like this."
"You've never seen the power of the Kamines." A familiar voice suddenly said behind us.
We all turned around to see Okane, up and well at the bottom of the stairs. He was leaning heavily against the stair railing, clutching his stomach where the bullet wound was. He had a slightly pained expression, but impressively hid it behind a grim façade.
I was surprised to see him up so soon, considering that he fainted of blood loss not even an hour ago. However, while I was surprised, I also felt conflicted. Okane was an enemy in the past, but there was nothing to say he was our friend. The others clearly felt the same. Seeing the look in their eyes, Okane sighed.
"I know you don't trust me, but-"
"Don't even start!" Tiffany snapped unexpectedly. "I don't want to hear any excuses!" She marched up to Okane angrily and stared him in the face, waiting for a response. Okane merely looked down, casting a shadow over his face.
"If not for me, you would already be dead." Okane said.
Without missing a beat, Tiffany suddenly picked him up and slammed him against the wall to her right, holding him up by the throat. The sound of his body hitting the wall resonated through the air. This added to the surprise of the scene before us.
Instead of doing anything about it, Okane just went limp. He accepted the abuse and hung there. I surged forward to interfere.
"Wait." Okane ordered. I stopped, not because I was following his order, but because it surprised me that he would say such a thing.
"I only want to talk." Okane explained. "I'll tell you everything you want to know. All I ask in return is that you help me."
"What is it that you want?" I asked before Tiffany could. Okane stayed silent for a few moments before responding.
"I want you to help me save my sister." He answered, a barely visible tear rolling down his cheek.
There was confusion among us. We all knew his sister, Iine, was quite different from what we believed the Burondos to be. She was a shy girl, not appearing to be the type to get caught up in something like this. If Okane wanted our help to save her, it must've been a pretty serious situation.
"Save her from what?" Tiffany asked condescendingly. Okane put on a grim expression.
"The Kamines." He answered grimly.
*Five minutes later*
After a bit of convincing, we were able to get Tiffany to let Okane go. We had the tensest walk to the living room ever, suspicion and uncertainty flowing between our group.
Everyone sat down in their respective spots, Tiffany a bit miffed that she had to sit next to Okane again. Eventually, she gave up and sat down, staring daggers at Okane. He didn't respond, staring down at his lap as he told the full story:
"The Kamines are an ancient cult group that has existed ever since the middle ages, when two nobles from opposing kingdoms were married. These nobles were Prince Oji Shiroi and Princess Ojo Burondo. The two kingdoms were united, but the religious teachings of both were incompatible. To fix this, the prince and princess, now king and queen, deconstructed the two religions and created a new one: The Kamines."
"However, this religion was more than just a way to sooth the masses. When Oji and Ojo were married, many of their people cursed them for their love. They hated them so much that they stormed the castle where they lived. Most of them were quickly killed, but there was one person who was able to get through the lines and into the castle."
"This person dual-wielded two swords he claimed came from a god. One sword was gold, while the other was silver. He introduced himself as 'Kami', and demanded the king and queen leave the kingdoms alone. The leaders didn't listen, of course, and they summoned their most elite fighters to execute him on the spot."
"After all the assailants were dead, the gold and silver swords were taken and kept by the king and queen. They continued their lives peacefully for a couple of weeks, but they soon found something strange: They were unable to have children."
"Immediately after noticing this, Oji had a dream where he was confronted by a strange figure holding the golden sword. The figure introduced himself as 'Kami' and told Oji: 'You cannot create that of your own, but you can take that of others.'"
"These dreams continued for the next three days, Kami giving Oji more and more information. Eventually, Kami told Oji exactly what he needed to do. He told him 'offer up the blood of the innocent with this sword. Their soul shall become your child.' Oji never heard from him again after that."
"Trusting in this mysterious creature, Oji formed the Kamines. Without telling his wife, he forced the church to offer up a girl to the god Kami. With everything in place, he raped the girl and killed her with the golden sword, condemning her soul to it. He then stabbed himself with the sword, and a month later, his wife was pregnant."
"This repeated three times, and the king and queen ended up with four beautiful children. Two boys and two girls. They were all happy, but the king couldn't run from what he'd done. Despite having killed four innocent girls, he felt no remorse. He focused on what he had gained from other people's losses, and that's what would eventually lead to his downfall..."
"Time passed, and the children grew into teenagers, then into adults. They lived relatively calm lives, but two of them held suspicions towards their father. One of the boys and one of the girls noticed he had a strange look on his face whenever he saw the golden sword. They suspected some kind of sorcery, so they looked deeper into the Kamines."
"It didn't take long for the two of them to figure out what he'd done to bring them into this world. Despite the shock of knowing they were born from bloodshed, they told their mother about it. At first Ojo couldn't believe it, but that disbelief soon turned into anger. Then rage."
"Ojo took the silver sword and gave it to her two children. She told them to run away from the kingdom with it. As far as they could go. They complied, fleeing the kingdom with shed tears. Meanwhile, Oji found out about the reveal and promptly murdered his wife with the golden sword."
"He turned his two remaining children to his side, making them undergo the same ritual he did to have them. He gave his son the golden sword with his wife's soul inside and had him stab himself with it. The siblings were forced into incest to have their mother reborn into the world. Oji had been corrupted by Kami."
"Meanwhile, the two children who escaped took their mother's maiden name, 'Burondo'. They traveled the world, trying to find some way to stop their father. They went to countless kingdoms, searching for someone to help them, but came up empty. Eventually, they were found and captured by their father's men, and promptly taken back to the castle."
"The girl was raped and murdered by her father, while the boy was just murdered. Their souls trapped inside the golden sword, they took a gamble. They sacrificed their souls to the sword, leaving only their beliefs behind. When the king remarried and had children, one child was evil, while the other was good."
"The family tree continued on for generations like this. Within every group of four children, one was always against the ritual. Every generation, they'd pass down the knowledge of what Oji did in hopes that eventually, someone would be able to stop the cycle. The families of Shiroi and Burondo were enemies, but very close. The Shirois were always evil, while the Burondos were half good."
"However, recently in the tree, the Burondos took a heavy hit. The one good child of the Burondos rejected her good parent and sided with the Shirois. The next generation, only a speck of good remained in a Burondo child."
Okane stopped speaking, finishing his absurd story. I couldn't say anything in response. It didn't make any sense. Ancient cults? Souls in swords? You've got to be crazy in order to believe it. But, despite this, I knew that he was telling the truth deep down.
"Y-you expect us to believe something like that?!" Tiffany exclaimed. "You'd have to be crazy to think that!"
"I'm not so sure about that..." Mc put his hand to his chin. "It's not much crazier than Alex being from another world."
Tiffany looked at him as if he were crazy but couldn't come up with a rebuttal.
"For the time being, let's just assume he's telling the truth." I said. "Now Okane, if you could continue?"
Okane gave me a small, thankful smile.
"Now, this is where you all come in." He told us. "Or more specifically, where Monika comes in."
It took a few seconds for what he said to sink in, and another few for me to be surprised by it. I was involved in this cult? Since when? How was I a part of it?
"What are you talking about?" I asked, barely able to keep my voice level. Okane waited before telling me.
"You're a Shiroi." He revealed.
"W-what?" I stuttered. It was unlike me to do so.
I couldn't believe it. What Okane said didn't seem real. Everyone else had the same expression as me. The shock was immense, and I just outright couldn't process it.
"T-there's no way that Moni is Shiro's sister!" Sayori exclaimed. "She's Monika Kontororu!"
"Last names don't really mean much when it comes to the modern Burondos and Shirois." Okane lamented. "Monika, tell me. How much of your childhood do you remember?"
I opened my mouth to respond, trying to deny the possibility, but found myself unable to answer. No matter what, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember. When I tried, I found an entire section of my life missing from my memory. I didn't know why I had no recollection of my childhood, until I thought of something.
"H-how long...?" I shuddered. "H-how long have I been alive...?"
My eyes widened at the realisation that I didn't even know how old I was. My physical age was 18, but my mind didn't stop aging throughout all the resets. I knew I grew up normally like anyone else, but I couldn't remember anything about it. It was as if my memory just cut off and I couldn't remember anything prior to the Literature Club.
"It's been so long that you've forgotten." Okane said. I looked over at him.
"You don't mean..." I trailed off, terrified of this new discovery. Okane nodded depressively.
"W-what do you mean?" Sayori looked between Okane and I concernedly. "W-what did Moni forget?" Okane sighed.
"The human mind, while expansive, can hold a limit of a few thousand years-worth of memories." Okane explained. "While it isn't scientifically confirmed, it's believed that the brain will delete older memories to make up room for new ones if this limit is reached."
"So, you are saying that... Monika is over one thousand years old?!" Yuri exclaimed.
"And possibly even older." Okane confirmed grimly. "After resetting so many times, she's lost count. Sometime along the way, she changed her name and severed all ties with the Kamines without her even knowing it."
I buried my head in my hands and hunched over, going catatonic. I breathed heavily as tears fell down my chin. Gasping for air, my mind went into overdrive to comprehend the news. I could faintly hear Sayori calling my name, but none of it I could understand.
'Calm down, calm down, calm down...' I repeated this phrase in my head over and over whenever it allowed me some space.
I was completely focused on steadying my breath, slowly calming myself down. Eventually, my senses returned, and I was once again aware of my surroundings. I heard screaming. Panic. Hostility.
I opened my eyes to find Tiffany trying to choke Okane out, screaming at him, demanding he tell her 'what he did to me'. This shocked me awake.
"Tiffany, stop!" I yelled. "He didn't do anything!"
Tiffany froze in place, her hands still around Okane's throat. Okane's expression suggest terror, but that she was no longer putting any pressure on his windpipe. Then, slowly, she let go of his throat, sitting back down with an accusatory expression.
"Moni, are you okay?" Tiffany asked me.
"I'm fine. Just a little surprised." I responded. "Now, Okane... what's your story? Why are you telling us all this?" Okane jumped a bit at the question.
"I... want to help you stop the Kamines." Okane answered, suddenly confident. "As a cult, they have their own prophecies. One was that, one day, a visitor from another world would come along to stop them. Depending on what they did, this visitor would either die from a third family, or destroy all three. I believe that Alex is this visitor."
"Wait, how did you know Alex was from another world?" Natsuki inquired, sounding suspicious. "He never told anyone other than Monika until today."
"After seeing what he was capable of, my mother got suspicious." Okane explained. "It was nothing more than a theory up until recently. If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't even sure if he was the one until you just said it."
"So, you just... came here without any proof that we'd be able to help you?" Mc asked, sounding puzzled.
"I had no choice. I didn't have any other options that didn't involve continuing to support the Kamines." Okane admitted. "The Kamines... they want to use my sister for the next sacrifice."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"T-they want to use Iine?!" I exclaimed. I hadn't known the girl for very long, but I knew she was quite innocent and soft-spoken.
"Yeah..." Okane hung his head, crying lightly. "As part of tradition, our leader will rape and kill her with the golden sword..." Suddenly, he stood up with a panicked expression. "Oh, fuck."
"What is it?" I asked. Okane looked back at me with scared eyes, like a deer caught in headlights.
"T-the gold and silver swords... a-are here, a-aren't they?" He stuttered.
"Yeah..." Mc responded, weirded out. "They're just over there. See?" He pointed towards the two swords propped up against the wall next to the back door. Okane followed his gaze and went wide-eyed.
"We need to get out of here. I just realised something..." Okane told us. "THEY'RE COMING!"
Okane burst off running towards the back door. He grabbed the two swords but froze as he looked out the glass door. He only stayed still for a second, but that second was just enough for something small to come in through the glass and hit Okane square in the chest. He fell over backward immediately and passed out, revealing the object to be a tranquilizer dart.
"Oh, shit!" Mc exclaimed. He rushed over to help Okane but was knocked away as a burly man wearing full black clothes and a smooth, black mast burst in through the glass door, shattering it instantly. Mc was knocked backward to the ground by the man and promptly shot with a tranquilizer dart.
"RUN!" Tiffany yelled, darting towards the front door.
Before she could even get halfway, the door was kicked in and more black-clad people came in. We soon found ourselves surrounded by these people in the living room, pointing real guns at us as opposed to tranquilizer darts. I looked around at these home invaders, then heard Natsuki squeak in fear. I looked down at her and followed her terror-filled gaze to reveal a man emerging from behind the other invaders.
"Why hello there, dear daughter." It was Hiran, looking just as evil as he did the last time.
He strolled over to us, examining each one of us with disturbing interest. It was like he was eyeing a prize he won at an auction. He looked down at Natsuki, fear in her eyes, and reached for her.
Tiffany slapped his hand away, earning every gun pointed at her.
"Don't you fucking touch Natsu." Tiffany said defiantly. Hiran had a flash of anger.
"You little..." Hiran suddenly slapped Tiffany so hard that she flew a couple feet away. "BITCH!"
Before I could react, Hiran grabbed his daughter and lifted her up, slamming her down on the coffee table. Natsuki yelled out in pain, but none deterred Hiran. He raised his arm and slapped Natsuki across the face, punched her in the stomach, kicked her in the head, you name it. It was a horrible sight to see, Natsuki screaming out in pain as her father abused her.
"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET, YOU LITTLE WHORE!" Hiran yelled at Natsuki as he beat her. "Now, for the main event!"
Hiran reached for Natsuki's leggings... closer... closer... the most horrifying sight of all.
"Sir, wait!" One of the masked men called. Hiran turned to the one who spoke up with a scowl.
"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy here?" Hiran angrily asked.
"They want to have them brought in untouched." The man pointed out. "It would be best to not do more until we return."
Hiran looked about ready to explode from rage, but reluctantly complied.
"Take them." He ordered. I felt a heavy blow to the back of my head, and fell over forwards.
My vision darkened...
My senses dulled...
My body shut down...
Until I could no longer take it, and the world around me disappeared...
End of Chapter 13 (Part 2)
(Author's Note: It's been just over a year since I started Not This Time, and I'd like to say how much fun I've had writing this series. Despite what you may think, not even I knew the story would come to this point. I never intended for there to be a cult or anything like that early on, and it feels magical to have gotten this far, even if it's only been a year. I started writing this when I was fifteen, and my seventeenth birthday is coming up this month. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of you who have read and enjoyed this story. I never imagined I'd get this far. Thank you.)