Chapter 30: A Second Opinion
One could say that manikins didn't make much noise because they weren't much at all. However, this place deserved such reverence and respect that anyone should keep its quiet untouched. There was a crowd to meet with Futomimi with no more noise than usual. It was that way even with a few demons in their midst. Although, the gentle light of one of Naoki's companions embraced this holy place. It was good that they were there.
However, this address was for his people. "I have called you here to announce that I have begun the path to Creation," Futomimi told them, putting a hand on his chest. "I do this for the sake of a world where we can live in peace and prosperity; our Reason is named Jiyuu. As Creation will be a difficult task, I must focus my attention entirely on getting the rituals correct. There are those who don't want us to succeed; I sense an evil force rising in Yoyogi Park even as we speak that will be a great threat to us. But keep brave; hope and pray for the success of our own world where we will not have to be in fear and suffering every day. When I know the name of the god who will support us, I will let you all know. For now, continue your work in restoring Asakusa. The two most dangerous groups to us are in disarray from fighting each other, but you should still be careful."
Yes, of course. Can we really do this? The uncertainty and hopes could be heard in their murmurs even if the individual words were hushed. Futomimi expected that. While they wanted the dream he presented, they had suffered a lot and expected more suffering to come. They were even keeping clear of Naoki despite him having come to their aide several times already. But they could find happiness. They should be able to.
There was one thing that he needed to be sure of. "That is all for now, but I would like to speak with our ally here. Naoki?" He waved him towards the door.
"Sure," he said, waiting for the manikins there to step aside before coming through. His demons stayed behind as they went just past the sealed door for privacy.
"Thanks for keeping your followers in the entrance," Futomimi said, bowing to him. Although he knew this was an ally, he couldn't help but feel nervous over having him here. "I trust you have good authority over them, but I am wary of letting demons, even yourself, too far into this holy place. It means a lot to us manikins."
"I heard it was where you all were born, so I understand," Naoki said, looking off to the side. The horn on his neck briefly glimmered and he licked his lips. That was a sign of curiosity or focus, wasn't it?
"Good." It was a reassurance, although he had to hold back on a feeling this should be dealt with quickly. "We don't have much to offer, but I would like to ask another favor of you. It's about the evil I sense in Yoyogi Park. I don't like to admit this, but some of my visions aren't very clear. For this one, I know that a manikin named Sakahagi is involved, but beyond what you've already heard, there's not much more."
"I've heard his name," he said looking to him now. "I was a little surprised to hear of another named manikin."
Futomimi nodded slightly. "Yes, but do not mistake him for one of us. His is a cruel soul that murders others in painful ways; he even wears their faces as trophies. When we first saw each other, he tried to kill me. If he comes back to Asakusa now, he would kill off many more of us. Would you look into what's going on in Yoyogi Park and stop him?"
"Sure thing," he said without hesitation. "But first, I'd like to hear more about your Reason for Creation. I've heard about the other three and have no desire to see them come about."
The Demifiend was the judge that Kagutsuchi had no control over. But if Naoki would offer help to the manikins, he was more likely to accept Jiyuu. "Of course. I don't want my people to be abused just for being weak anymore. We've been called clay dolls, accidental creations, walking batteries, and insignificant incomplete wretches. But we have not done anything wrong for being reborn as we are. We should get a chance to live and be happy. I want to make a world where people can live in a fair society of equals, without hurting each other."
"That's..." his gray eyes closed, his mind drifting off. As Futomimi wondered what he was seeing, he heard a woman's voice speaking faintly. And something came through…
...future may hold…
"I am perfectly impartial, so if I say that you clay byproducts are not worthy of Creation, there is..."
"No, I won't," Futomimi said softly, his body quivering.
"...there is no way that you can be worthy of Creation."
"No, I won't believe it!" Futomimi shouted, defiant against the pure radiance of this arrogant star. "I have made it here in accordance to your rules, I will claim my rights as a bearer of Reason!"
…
Children clad in striped gray clothes played in the town center, carefree and laughing. The adult manikins were glad to hear them, for the most part. While they focused on building instead of rebuilding, a couple of them worked slower than the rest. "You're holding everyone else up," someone told them. "Come on, this will be someone's home. We'll make it great and we'll make it fast! That is, if you cooperate."
"Sorry, it's just," the manikin rubbed his head, "you don't hold any sadness. You wouldn't understand."
"Is it really going to stand for long?" the other asked. "There's storms and earthquakes, many things that could destroy a home. And fire, fire's very dangerous."
"Well you can learn optimism, can't you?" He pointed to the house. "It'll stand because we made it ourselves! But we've got to keep moving, come on, get motivated!"
"I'm not really motivated for anything; I don't have motivation, or optimism."
And the house did get damaged a few months later. The manikins worked to rebuild it. They worked as hard as they could. But as hard as they tried, they first had to overcome the trials of working together when everyone had missing pieces. Lacking sadness, lacking motivation: everyone tried to find their proper place. Their town remained small. The children remained children and the incomplete souls remained incomplete.
It is a picture of peace, safe and never changing until the forces of angels and demons appeared to drag the world back to Amala so they could reassert their hold over it.
"Manikins do not deserve the rights of Creation."
...world come about?
"That's nice, but," he hesitated on saying it was bad.
Futomimi's right hand jittered; he clasped it to hold still. "It's flawed, I see. Because we're incomplete, the world we would create would also be incomplete."
"You saw that too?" Naoki asked.
"Yes." He sighed and gripped his ear. "What should I do? I don't want to tell them we can't do this. Everyone's counting on me."
"Even as it's flawed, it's better than the others simply because you're trying to help others be happy too," he said, looking like he was deep in thought as well.
"It was difficult to name an unselfish Reason," Futomimi said. A thought sent that quiver up his spine. The words nearly came out, but he wasn't sure he should say them. "It's..."
"What's the matter?" Naoki asked gently. It was at odds with his demonic appearance, but it seemed he was a naturally kind soul.
They were underground. There was a chance they wouldn't be overheard. Putting his hand down, Futomimi paced to the opposite wall. "It's a disconcerting thought I've been having lately. I'm not sure why, but sometimes my thoughts slip and seem like they're from someone different from me. And yet, the same too. I want to know what it is to be loved." He turned and took the couple paces to the other wall. "When I start thinking like that, I have this chilling idea that love is absent from something central to the world."
"From what I just saw, it seems Kagutsuchi holds no love for anything," he said, his face grim.
He nodded again. "It is perfectly impartial, or at least it thinks it is. That's what gives me a chance at Creation, I believe. But is it something deeper in the scheme of things that has an absence of love? The admiration I get from other manikins as their leader feels like a cool drink in a dry desert, even though I can't explain why. And I do love them; I want the power of Creation for them. But if we're doomed to fail like that..." he covered his face. "I can't tell them that. I will fight for them, but how do I make sure our peace lasts? And, that love would be a strong presence to keep everyone happy."
"Can you use the power of Creation to make sure they are reborn with complete souls?" Naoki asked. "They might not be manikins anymore like that, but then they might not remember all their suffering here in the Vortex World. You just need to insist on that with Kagutsuchi somehow."
"That might work," Futomimi said. He'd always seen his vision of the manikins' ideal world with the manikins as themselves. It wasn't hard for him to adjust it to being with humans. "It would, but then the obstacle is Kagutsuchi itself. I had to get support from another ally just to get Jiyuu named and official. To correct our fatal flaws, I really will need to support of all those who follow me."
"I would support you as well," Naoki said.
"Truly?" he asked, looking him in the eyes.
He nodded. "Yes. If your Reason changes to something that allows humans, that means my family will be able to return. We've always been close, so I'm sure they'll come back still a family. I don't know how I'd fit in with them anymore, but if they can live in peace and safety too, I'll support you through anything."
"Yes, that would be ideal," Futomimi said, his uncertainties slipping away. He'd acted confidant around other manikins to keep them strong; now he felt it. If Naoki would support him too, then…
...what could be…
Something subtle had changed across the world. No one was quire sure what, but a noticeable percentage of people reported having lucid dreams of a world with demons and a blue sun. Later, scholars would notice that people worldwide had shifted the way they thought to be more mindful of others. It was a positive shift that, although it had no obvious trigger, would be an immense boon a year later when demons invaded.
Humans first tried peaceful negotiations with the demons, which clearly confused the latter to the point that they backed off their hostility until they figured the world out better. When the demons tried to splinter humanity, humanity stood strong instead, working together to limit the damage done. It helped that a number of demons were firmly on humanity's side, led by one of the strongest demons to arrive. He was based in Tokyo, but readily responded to calls from around the world with the recently unveiled terminal network. He led the global defense against other demons.
The group of new recruits to the force hadn't expected to see Demifiend so soon. Or that he would look like a teenaged boy with strange glowing markings and slightly disturbing habits. But there he was, sitting at the sides during one of their training exercises and watching them without quite looking at them. The rumor went that making direct eye contact with him was terrifying, so he was mindful not to do that with most people.
(And one of those recruits was oddly sketchy in the vision, like there wasn't a solid grasp on what she looked like.)
Demifiend gestured to one of them (the sketchy one) once they were dismissed. She went over, trying not to be nervous in front of someone so important. "Yes sir? What is it?"
"You can relax near me as long as you're not on duty," he said. "I know your family from some time ago. I thought you might come; I'm glad you joined."
"Oh?" she asked. "I wasn't aware that my family knew you."
"It's complicated. How are they doing?"
"We're doing fine. My younger sister and brother are both in high school now, and my aunt and uncle are finally going to have a child of their own. We're all excited for them; it's like a miracle because of their age now."
"That's good," he said. For a moment, he seemed like he was smiling. "The ones who fought for this rebirth of the world are thriving as well, although the task of keeping them safe when the world is connected to Amala may be a task of centuries. But this is what I chose."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"If you do well, I may tell you that," Demifiend said.
Elsewhere in Japan, there was a community that seemed to be thriving on an alliance between humans and demons. Strangers had wandered in from all over the world, drawn there by strange dreams and a feeling of being something other than human. It was whispered that a holy man or some kind of prophet lived there, directing the town and even advising people of higher authority like Demifiend. While it was indeed a peaceful and joyous place, only a few people felt like they belonged there. Anyone else would move back away, trying to spread the ideals of that little town elsewhere.
Against all odds, with more obstacles than anyone else would have faced, the manikins had managed to become true beings and thrive together.
...allow it?
"That actually sounds like a good future," Naoki said, somehow impressed at that. "You've done well."
"I've only just begun my work," Futomimi said. It would be a struggle the whole way. But he had his people backing him, and now the best support he could get. "While you check out Yoyogi Park, I can find out where the keys to advancing the stages of Creation are. But first, I need to find a god who will back me. It's already proven difficult."
"Do you know much about gods and mythology?" he asked.
He shook his head. "No, but I can sense much about a god when I make contact with them. There's actually been nearly a dozen that have already tried to help. However, they would be of no help. There was a powerless goddess with only hope, lying deities who tried earning my trust, even nameless and formless gods who barely exist. They were forgotten or even unborn. Yet they're still drifting out in the Amala Universe, hoping for someone to listen to them and grant them access to a new world with new believers."
"I see." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I have run into a few true beings in the Vortex World; most of the demons who would be called gods, like Amaterasu with me, are just shades of those gods. A shade wouldn't help. However, a few of the true beings wouldn't help you either. Definitely not Gozu-Tennoh, Baphomet's here, but I don't think he qualifies. But I've run into Anubis; he might be able to help."
"Who is Anubis?" he asked. He could see something in his mind, a silhouette that wasn't entirely human.
"An Egyptian god of the underworld," Naoki said. "He judges all equally. Although, he is a god of death, so perhaps not. But getting in contact with him might lead to contact with another god who would back you. Or, I know Amaterasu with me is a shade, but if you could call on the true Amaterasu, she'd be great for you. She's the goddess of the sun with influence over light, nature, and life itself. She'd want you to agree to bringing in the other Japanese gods, but then Anubis too would probably want his pantheon involved if you were to ask him."
"That makes sense," Futomimi said. Something about the name Amaterasu was familiar, like she was a goddess he should know. By the light of her shade alone, she seemed promising. "Thank you, it's good to have some names to start with. Is there anything I can look into to help you? Just speaking with you has made my path much clearer."
He nodded. "I found Yuko, the person I was searching for last time we met. But she called upon a goddess named Aradia who took off with her again."
Clasping his ear on impulse, he felt worried. "That can't be good. I met Aradia while I was still imprisoned. She's the goddess I spoke of, one who has hope and can give hope, but one who cannot ever fulfill hope. When I saw her, she was little more than a cluster of glowing butterflies. Considering what gods should be, that is what she is among them, nothing more than a pretty butterfly. She can't have the power to fuel Creation." Something flickered through his mind. "Perhaps she could restore the world to what it once was..."
"But then it'd be even more vulnerable to the invasions of demons and angels," Naoki said, narrowing his eyes at some thought. "That must be what he did."
"That sounds right," Futomimi said.
"Then I really need to speak with her again, hopefully without Aradia's influence," he said. "Can you locate her?"
Locating people by name was simple. Futomimi closed his eyes and searched. Symbols like those on the Amala drums shifted through his mind until he found the human. "She's in Yoyogi Park as well."
"She is?" he asked in concern.
"A great conflict has taken place there, but Yuko appears to have kept out of it so far," he said. "If you go back to the shop area of our town, there's an underground tunnel that leads to Yoyogi Park. That should be a quicker route than navigating the cliffs and gaps of the sands."
"I have even quicker means than that," Naoki said. "I'll head over and see what's going on."
"Good luck; I hope to see you back." They shook hands and then parted ways. Naoki even made sure that the door resealed behind him.
Good, then no one should be able to get to him unless he undid the seal from within. Futomimi headed back to the deepest chamber of this cave. The cascading waterfalls filled the space with a serene sound, making it easy to tune out everything but his prophetic powers. This time, it filled his being entirely. Doubts and worries had plagued him, but their sharp voices had no volume now. He could sort out the voices of the false gods and find the true god that would accept the manikins' cause.
"Do you realize the force that you will be fighting against for your Reason?" an old woman asked him.
Futomimi stopped in his tracks. He'd not sensed her, nor the boy with her. When he turned, he saw the pair there, holding hands in front of one of the tall waterfalls. No, that wasn't quite right. He was looking at one being here, one of immense power and darkness. Perhaps this being would help them, but it would come at a steep price.
"I know Kagutsuchi will not like it," Futomimi said, not sure what to say. He didn't want to say a lot to this being.
"Yes," the old woman said. The boy watched him with an unsettling gaze, like he was a small push away from jealous hatred. "More importantly, the being behind that face will be disgusted with your world and try to remake it into something that pleases Him. Unless you have an unbreakable will to stand against one who toys with universes, you will need as much help as you can muster to fulfill your dreams."
"I do have help with this," he said. "How did you get in here?"
"Those who follow the rules will find it difficult to reach this place, and you in it," she answered. "Those of us who can disregard such rules can find other ways."
In that case, he was safe from other Reason bearers. This being, whoever it was, was a danger. "I see. What is your purpose here? I would rather be alone for my meditations."
"We've noticed that you've discovered a truth that few humans find," the woman said. "The problems within the Amala universe, and all those connected to it, come from a corrupted core god. You are not someone we'd normally contact, but as you know where your adversity lies, we are willing to assist you in fighting against that God."
"I'm not seeking that kind of conflict," Futomimi said. But if it did come down to it, they certainly had the power for it.
"It will come to you nevertheless," she said. Meanwhile, the boy materialized a thin coin in his free hand and tossed it over to him. "If you wish for our assistance, simply snap that coin and we will be there. We'll give you some time to think it over before asking again."
Then they were gone like they'd never been there at all. No footprints were in the sand, no disturbance in the air. Only the coin was left, made of a sliver of wood that would be easy to break. The cavern was back to its holy silence.
Was that the power behind Naoki's transformation from a human? It would make sense since he had agreed to help Jiyuu succeed. But while Futomimi was glad for Naoki as an ally, he was uneasy about accepting the offer of that being. It was a darkness that eclipsed the power of Mifunashiro; it was a devil that would transform a boy against his will and throw him out into a conflict over the fate of the world. That wasn't a being Futomimi wanted to have strong influence in the coming world.
Still, he picked up the coin. It might be useful. At the very least, it would keep that hatred from triggering. That would surely doom the manikins and all their efforts.
But Futomimi wanted to see how much he and his people could accomplish on their own, beyond the expectations of everyone else.
Jiyuu is still an option with a great risk of me losing Naoki to it. But since that manikin is considering defiance to YHVH, I'll at least give him the option of an alliance. They don't stand a chance even if I back them personally. Yet, if the prophet allies with me and Naoki agrees to my plans, the manikins would be an extra string to direct my Demifiend. As long as I get results, the methods don't fully matter.
Naoki could be challenging Harlot soon, which will certainly be entertaining. But that could take some time still. In the meanwhile, there is this book… it should be a trick of some sort. Black Rider says that it came from Naoki, who apparently got it from a version of myself in the future. It seems that the Divine Trumpeter is the one who enables that for him and she is named Elzbieta. The mere fact that she has a personal name is peculiar. She's either extremely ancient or crazy.
However, the trumpeter means little. This book, on the other hand, it must be a masterful fake. The handwriting seems like my own. Not only that, but it's written in Hebrew of such an age that only myself and a handful of others would use it for personal writing. The plans are familiar too, what I'm doing with Naoki. However, it claims that there is a fatal flaw in it all and if I do everything as planned, it will surely fail.
Preposterous! I've been working at this for centuries, relatively speaking. There have been many experiments, many failures, many case studies, proofs that individual parts are working as they should… yes, I've not gotten a single Demifiend through to full mastery, but once I do, it should all work as I desire. This book claims to follow through a successful creation of the Demifiend, but that he proved no more effective than any other powerful demon or human against YHVH's forces. Obviously some mistake must have been made, but it can't be within my work itself.
This ancient form of Hebrew is something that the Riders are capable of using; it is a part of their heritage as much as mine. While Black, White, and Red have all accepted Naoki, I know Pale has his reservations still. Mother Harlot might be familiar with it, but she'd be more inclined to use a Babylonian language and she seemed eager to test him. My Trumpeter might also have done something like this. He too hasn't been enthusiastic about this. But why would they conspire to put this together now?
There must be some mistake in thinking there is a flaw. It should be obvious to me once I read it more. There's no way it could be right. When I find out how they used Naoki to pass it to me, they will suffer for that deception and this flagrant counterfeit.
Yoyogi Park was burning. Huge billows of acrid smoke braided upwards towards Kagutsuchi; a bright metallic glow lay underneath that. Had Yuko gotten out of that in time? That didn't seem like something a human could live through.
As Naoki approached the blazing construction zone, he sensed the presence of a magatama within a nearby shrine. It tugged hard at his thoughts, but no. He had to find out if Yuko was safe. And, he should also find out what came of Sakahagi for Futomimi's sake. Various fairies like pixies and jacks, even a couple trolls, were keeping back and watching the fire in tears or bewilderment.
Among them was a familiar person. "Yuko!" Naoki called as he shut off the bike and got off.
"Naoki?" she asked, confused. She turned and smiled at him. With her were a tiny skull with rainbow butterfly wings and a demon who looked like a young man with a spear and a very oversized scarf. "Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me. And I'm sorry about leaving so suddenly last time. Aradia did that."
"I'm glad you're safe," he said. "What happened?"
"Someone invaded the park after a key artifact," Yuko said, looking back to the inferno. "I've been resting here to recover from being a part of the Nightmare System. I had just started negotiations with Sentata here when Bitterfly, my guardian from Kagutsuchi, suddenly reappeared and told us that we had to leave."
"I could not stay away when my ward was in immediate danger," the bitterfly said softly. It seemed to be watching him carefully.
"I don't know what happened myself," Sentata said, shaking his head. "It was a number of small fires when we initially set out, so I stayed with them to guard the lady. But not that long ago, there was a number of explosions and everything lit up."
"The small fires probably found paint or other flammable chemicals that would have been around," Yuko said. "We got out at a good time, but I'm not sure of the fairies."
"There's not many here," Sentata said regretfully, then pointed out a larger pair discussing things. "Our king and queen escaped, thankfully. They may know more. But our clan had taken up this place as a fortress outside of the conflicts over Creation. It won't be easy to find a new place of safety."
While Naoki hadn't taken advantage of the path, Futomimi had claimed it to be a relatively safe. "There's a tunnel right over there that leads to Asakusa. The manikins are currently rebuilding. If you help them out and don't fight them, they should agree to share the town."
"It should be worth checking out at least," Sentata said.
Yuko held a hand out to Naoki. "But first, may I ask something of you, Naoki? I was speaking with him about the Yahirono Himorogi. It's important to the process of Creation, plus holding it would give one the authority to command gods. While I have Aradia backing me, she's been evasive on too many things. I'd like to have that artifact to coerce her into cooperation. I believe that the Himorogi was part of what led to this blaze as well. You have powers beyond human capability now, so you should be able to retrieve the artifact even with Yoyogi Park like this. Would you get the Yahirono Himorogi for me?"
Something that would allow one to command gods would be valuable. But then, Naoki was getting that authority with his own power. This artifact wouldn't be that useful to him, but it would help someone like Yuko or Futomimi out greatly. "Sure. There's a shrine nearby that I intend to visit after checking out something else, so I can meet you over there."
"Thank you. And even if you have the ability, be careful in there."
"I believe I know the shrine he means," Sentata said. "I wouldn't mind walking you over there; you are one of the potential Reason bearers still."
"That would help," Yuko said. The two of them then headed off to the shrine.
With a snap of his fingers, Naoki called his followers to him. Both of them were shocked at the sight. "What happened here?" Hanuman asked, staring at the blaze.
"I'm not quite sure, but we're going in there," Naoki said. "You up to it?"
"Even that amount of fire is nothing to me," Amaterasu said, looking down at Hanuman. "Though I'd worry about our monkey friend here."
"Hey, I can handle that kind of thing, no sweat," he insisted. Then he scratched his head. "Well, okay, maybe a lot of sweat, but I can take the heat."
"Sure thing, but let's figure out what exactly we're getting into here," he said. The only magatama he had to resist fire with was Shiranui, but there was a confidence that it would be fine for a few minutes.
And there's something familiar to this fire. If you're quick to find Gehenna in that, we'll have no problems whatsoever in that inferno.
That was a fine first goal for plunging into that fire. Naoki headed over to the leaders of this clan. Oberon and Titania; they had complimentary powers as befitting such a couple. They could be a force to be reckoned with. However, he didn't intend on fighting them now. With them was a troll with a hand on an Amala terminal. "Mm, it was purty," the troll said. Some of his red fur was burned black.
"But did you really have to risk yourself to bring it out?" Titania asked. "We're glad you made it out, but you could have been yet another casualty."
"Got it out, is fine," the troll replied.
"He did, so that should be enough of a scolding," Oberon said, then noticed them approaching. He seemed wary at first, but then took a second look and was surprised. "Wait a moment… are you the one everyone's been talking about? The Demifiend?"
"That's right," he said. "There's a couple things I need to go into that fire for. What happened?"
"If you mean to do that, the one who started all the fires is still in there," Oberon said. "It was a manikin, one of the most hideous creatures I've laid eyes on. Normal manikins are no eye candy, that's true, but this one was miles beyond the others."
"He had some kind of insect that was boosting his powers," Titania said. "I heard something like that from another troll earlier, that he'd given you a strange bug with demonic powers before. Is that one also one of yours?"
Naoki nodded. "Should be."
"Well I saw the hideous manikin get into a fight with a human girl at one point," Oberon said. "You couldn't say either of them won and it wasn't long after that that the little fires he started all erupted into this monster. They were fighting over the Yahirono Himorogi."
"Wait, did you let him steal that?" Titania asked strictly. She leaned over and her green dress ruffled from her power. "We were keeping that for a human who would help us!"
"Err, well I was trailing him to get it back," Oberon said, cowering back a few inches. "And I wasn't the one watching over it at the time; he does have an awful lot of knives too, and a habit of pinning fairies by their wings."
"That shouldn't have stopped you from reclaiming our artifact!" she scolded.
"We'll be going in before the fire gets any worse," Naoki said.
"Oo, what's Demifiend do now?" the troll said, smiling with curiosity and admiration.
"Whatever it takes to get my bug and the artifact back," he said.