Chapter 31: Unfinished Business
Dr. Ozaki had just left the shrine office when he encountered Natsuno outside the clinic.
Natsuno, "Dr. Ozaki...there's something you need to know..."
Ozaki, while taking out a cigarette, "What is it, Natsuno?"
"Do you still think that Megumi Shimizu is dead?"
"Wait...You can move even after you died?"
"It was actually just a comatose state; I became a daywalker. But I need to tell you about something else."
"What is it?"
"There's a monster knight armed with a giant sword on the loose, called Nightmare. Keep an eye out for him."
Natsuno turned around and walked away.
"Only you and Connor can save this village. Plus, you're not alone. I'm here, too."
Ozaki:
My body's trembling...shivering with delight.
There's a comrade within the enemies.
I understand, Natsuno. I will turn this village red with shiki's blood.
Elsewhere:
Nightmare had brutally slaughtered all the adults in the Maeda family - except Matoko and her father-in-law(who was already a shiki) - and kidnapped the children.
Abyss, "My lord, why do we still have these children?"
Nightmare, "Their parents and older siblings will do ANYTHING to get them back; even murder their neighbors if they have to."
"Oh, of course...the new Lord Nightmare always has a brilliantly, sadistic plan!"
"Mmnn..."
"Oh, but...what if they die?"
"It's a matter of probability...they are weak, pathetic mortals...nothing more...nothing less!"
Nightmare:
Your end is growing near, Sotoba...
Show me...your madness! Offer your souls! Taste fear! This place...shall be...your grave!
I want to see...your demise.
Ozaki Clinic:
Dr. Ozaki, Connor, and Natsuno were discussing the shiki problem, as well as the presence of Nightmare.
Ozaki, "Looks like the rehearsal for Shimotsuki Kagura has started."
Connor, "Shimotsuki Kagura?"
"It's a festival held annually. The event itself is scheduled to take place on November, Fifth, in the evening."
Natsuno, "Doctor, did you know that shiki are starting to live in the vacant houses in the village?"
"Vacant houses?"
"Their headquarters is, of course, in the mountains, but apparently there's not enough room there for everybody. So they have their eyes on the houses inside the village left empty due to death or moving out of their occupants. Those, who had moved out of the village earlier all of the sudden, now returned straight to their former homes. They casually say they moved back in and stared living like nothing happened. Gradually shiki and the living villagers are switching places."
"You're quite knowledgeable about shiki, huh...you must know that I intend on exterminating them, all of them. Now onto problem number two. Connor?"
Connor, "We can't just straight out kill them; Soul Edge will devour their souls for nourishment. From what was seen, many would rather be killed by a shiki than have their soul, forcefully, sucked out. Sure, shiki take longer, but at least they inject something that numbs the pain. From the looks of things, due to those who didn't rise, Nightmare might be less straight-forward."
"How so?"
"Each soul he devours doubles his current power; with no defined limit."
Natsuno, "We might only have one shot to reverse the situation; though it seems Nightmare might pop up to try and stop it. This is not going to be easy."
"Nobody said it was gonna be easy...and, as if to attest to the truth of those words, those close to us continue to die one after another..."
Mountain pass:
Megumi was disappointed in herself - Not only had Yoshikazu become a shiki, but she couldn't get Kaori to leave the village with her remaining family. Her only real friend was in grave danger.
"Kaori...I'm sorry."
On the other side,
Nightmare was giving commands to Yoshikazu, claiming they were from the Kirishikis.
Yoshikazu, "What have you done!"
Nightmare, "You're talking about me drinking your blood? You think you have the right to lecture me? You, too, drained someone's blood, didn't you? It's the first thing you do, once you revive, you know. Killing two to three humans by drinking their blood is a type of hazing"
"So you've killed someone too, right?"
To Yoshikazu's surprise, Masao's voice started speaking into his mind.
"Because they wouldn't have let you outside otherwise!"
"I was...so hungry...Who was the one I attacked?"
Nightmare, "They throw nameless residents of a city to beginners."
Masao, "Because it's unlikely that beginners would attack, out of the blue, someone from the village who they know. So, what are you going to do, Oji?" Nightmare's eyes started to glow, "Starting tomorrow, you're expected to become self-reliant when it comes to sustenance. I think...you should start with your family."
Yoshikazu, "Wh-What?"
"Since you rose, the probability of your blood relatives rising is high. It's lonely all by yourself, isn't it? Don't you think it would have been nice to have your wife and your children back by your side?"
"How can you say that?!"
Nightmare, "If you don't attack them, then someone else will. Most likely, me; if I do it, then it will be far more brutal, to the point that they don't rise."
"So, you attacked your own family...?!"
Masao, "When the time comes, I will leave no survivors."
Nightmare had left the man emotionally broken.
Ozaki Clinic:
Connor had told the other two about the shards.
Ozaki, "So, what would happen if he obtains the final shard?"
Connor, "It is said that, if that happens, Soul Edge and Nightmare would merge into the living incarnation of catastrophe."
Natsuno, "What would it be called?"
"It was never given a name; all previous attempts to obtain the final shard ended in defeat. It's not even shown what it actually looks like."
"True, but the way you described it as Catastrophe incarnate, it must be unstoppable."
Connor sighed, "Yeah, I suppose...maybe it might be referred to as a 'night terror.'"
Next day, Tanaka Residence:
Yoshikazu was at the entrance of his house, and started imagining the ways his family would react.
Yoshikazu's POV:
My home...The place where my family lives...
My home is right before my eyes, yet I can't enter...
My wife cooking dinner while she waited for me to come home...My children gathered around the table...I want to go back there...
I'm here. I'm not dead. I'm still alive. Somebody, call out to me! Usher me inside and say how wonderful it is to have me back!
I want a glimpse of my wife's face at least. I want her to know I'm alive. I want her to understand my anguish and comfort me.
But...I can't knock...the sight of the house fills me with terror. My own house rejects me.
This is what they call a "locked place", I guess? I'm no longer a member of the family here, and I can't enter until I'm invited.
I wonder how my wife and children will live from now on...Sachiko's a housewife, she never had to work. It will be a real pity if my children will have to give up on entering a college because the family has no money. If I were to bring them with me to the mansion in the mountains, they'll have a life free of such worries.
The family dog, Love, ran towards Yoshikazu—not in a loving manner, but an aggressive one.
Yoshikazu:
Love...even you're rejecting me?
Sachiko...you won't reject me, right?
Sachiko came outside as Love was barking and snarling, forcing Yoshikazu to hide.
"Is it you, Akira?! What's with the commotion, Love?!"
Yoshikazu:
Sachiko! Sachiko will be glad that I rose from the dead. Sachiko will, won't she...?
No, she's not such a woman.
"Monster! Came to attack me, huh?!"
She will...chew me out and...go off into a bout of hysteria yelling her guts at me.
"We're in this difficult situation because you went and died on us! All because of you!"
"Just what is it, Love?! You're disturbing the neighbors, so would you..."
Before she could finish, Yoshikazu attacked her from behind—covering her mouth so she wouldn't scream out.
Yoshikazu:
For the first time I'm able to see the truth clearly.
And the truth is I hate this woman's guts.
Hopefully, you can see what the new Nightmare's personality is like; Cold, Sadistic, and Insane.
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