Chapter 1: A Beginning?
April 13th, 2017
I slightly adjust my position in the seat while shuffling around the textbook and nearly empty notebook on my desk as I put in a vague effort to at least look like I was paying attention, despite my head idly resting in one palm. The teacher probably knows that I'm not actually paying much attention, but they also probably know there is not much point in hassling me about it after the past few weeks of us getting to know each other.
While I may not actually need to listen to the lecture on "the proper use of contractions in English", given my being an American immigrant, it would be rude of me to not at least pretend.
It still didn't change my desire to just huddle down and read a book like I used to do back in Middle School, but I could restrain myself at least that much.
Grudgingly.
Unfortunately, my heroic efforts soon failed, and I once more turned my head slightly in the vague direction of the Victorian-Gothic windows. My gaze briefly skittered over the students seated in front of me, and I lightly grimaced for a moment before reschooling my face to neutrality.
A well-manicured courtyard lightly dotted with trees and flowerbeds around a wide, circular stone path was visible beyond the glass. Two more stone paths split off like spokes, leading to the main entrance of the school, and the gate of the enclosing wall.
Honestly, the fact that such a spread-out walled campus like this exists in the middle of one of the most land starved countries on the planet almost beggars belief. I suppose whoever owns the place must be obscenely rich.
The classroom windows were conveniently facing the interior space near the front of the school, and gave a perfect view of the central fountain and pathways, as well as the clubrooms situated directly across in the opposite wing. It would make for a nice visual background as I once more retreated into my brooding.
When my father first announced that we were moving to a town in Japan for his work, I was actually somewhat excited. I had been what one might consider a mild otaku, verging on weeaboo, for several years at that point; furthermore, I was slightly regretting my decision to move to online schooling in my second year of middle school.
While I had been enjoying the greater difficulty of the lessons, and the lack of enforced time wastage, not only had I underestimated the effect the move would have on my social life; I had not taken into account the idea that I might actually care about any such effect.
So, in my naivety, I had thought that going to a Japanese private school may be a good way to have at least a portion of the best of both worlds.
It turns out this was not entirely the case.
While the work was certainly a bit harder than what I was used to at an American public school, it was actually a slight step down from my online academy in some subjects. They also had seemingly turned rote memorization and pointless busy work into an artform, each subject trying to one-up the others.
On the social side, while there were many more opportunities to make friends, I had two slight issues in taking advantage of that.
The first was the general atrophying of my social skills that had been allowed to languor for just over two years.
The second was the slightly awkward nature of going to a school where over 90% of the students were female.
Now, I had actually always found it slightly easier to interact with my female peers than my male ones early in life. However, having such a skewed potential social circle had me dearly missing the handful of guys I had actually been friends with way back when.
This wasn't helped by how out of the few guys in my age group, three of them were incorrigible perverts, and the last looked and acted like some kind of European princeling. It made it a bit hard to approach them and form a relationship of some kind.
The final nail in the coffin being that I couldn't even truly enjoy the novelty of going to a traditional Japanese high-school, given that the entire campus was built like an old-style Victorian-Gothic mansion with attached wings and facilities. While it did look pretty damn cool in my estimation, it was still something of a disappointment.
The purpose of this long-winded monologue, other than to kill time and entertain myself until class was closer to being over, is to say that this combination of factors led to me not taking very good advantage of the new opportunities afforded to me, and instead slipping into old habits.
Habits such as secluding myself indoors, and procrastinating the choice of a club until the last possible moment. It also included things like broodily staring outside of windows while ranting to myself, and trying to ignore the gnawing feeling of wrongness that had plagued the back corners of my mind for as long as I could remember. Like I had been missing something of stupendous importance by a simple lack of paying sufficient attention, and could be doing so much more if I just applied myself.
Before I could get into another long-winded rant about my strange neuroses, I glanced back and noticed that class was quickly approaching the last five minutes, and I really should start actually paying attention in case of important announcements.
Ding-Dong Dong-Ding. Dong-Ding Ding-Dong. The sound of the end of school bell is a more than welcome reprieve from the mind-numbing tedium that has been my day. Given I am already at least a week ahead in everything except Traditional Japanese Literature and History of Japan, my classes have been less than interesting. Compounded with my lack of close relations with my peers, and the inability to read a novel during class, it makes getting through the day a highly taxing affair.
I slump to my feet, collect my bag, and begin my walk through the filled halls on the way to the shoe lockers, with barely a word askance to those around me. The entire way I am mentally kicking myself for not putting more effort into at least trying to maintain friendly relations with those around me. I had a perfect opportunity too, as the new "tall, dark, and mysterious foreigner from the mystic lands of America".
Although this was admittedly made slightly less effective by the presence of several Europeans attending this school as well.
Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I have ever heard where exactly they are from.
Well, not important right now.
Getting back to the point, I managed to blow this opportunity because my generally awkward interactions while getting my social graces back in order, and my somewhat disinterested approach to the world around me, led to a wall forming between me and the other students that makes it hard to have more than surface level interactions with any of them.
I pause in my mental self-flagellation as I arrive at the shoe lockers, stow my school dress shoes, and collect my tennis shoes. They are not as nice as my old hiking boots, but they match the school uniform better, and are apparently more socially acceptable to wear while trouncing about the big city.
"Sigh. I guess I am going to have to take a metaphorical sledgehammer to it at some point, if I want to make any progress." I mumble to myself in English as I finally manage to push through the crowd of students milling about the main entrance and make my way outside. "But, that's something for future Alex to worry about!"
For now, I think I might just take a walk around the city. I still need to familiarize myself with what's what. It may not be a particularly large place, but I've only been here for a few weeks, and I'm still not really used to living in such an urbanized region. Even if it's technically called a "town", it's much denser than the "town" I used to live in.
Plus I still have at least a few hours to kill before my parents start worrying about where I am.
Several hours and much walking later sees me strolling through a place I really probably shouldn't be in after nightfall, just as the sun is fully setting and bathing the sky in reflected oranges and reds. I am slightly surprised that a town as relatively small and seemingly well-off as Kuoh would even have a "bad part of town", but I suppose such things must be intrinsic to any place humans set up shop en-masse.
Compared to the clean and well-maintained mixture of Western-style skyscrapers, individual family homes, and traditional Japanese architecture on display elsewhere, this looks more like my mental image of a seedy New York back alley. Not even taking into account the actual seedy back alleys intermittently scattered around the region.
I am looking into the rapidly dimming sky with its crescent moon and what few stars show through the light pollution, contemplating whether I should admit defeat and use my phone's map to find my way home, when I notice something strange just on the edge of my perception.
Now rationally, when one notices something weird near a shady back alley in the bad part of town, one should probably GTFO with all due haste if they value their wallet and organs. At least, that was my understanding of the situation. However, just as I am about to follow through with this no doubt valuable advice, something stops me.
Not as in some horrible dark force gripping me in its claws and preventing my movement, but in the mental sense.
That ever-present nagging hollowness in the back of my mind was "pinging me" for lack of a better word. It wasn't truly a voice, more a feeling, yet the meaning seemed clear. I could almost audibly hear it insidiously whispering in my ear, "Go on. Do it. Do you really want to keep missing the Truth by scant inches? If you don't take the plunge eventually, you will never awaken your true potential. Your life will continue to be empty, devoid of true meaning."
If I was in a better state of mind, perhaps I would have continued ignoring it, as I always had in the past. After all, its just an urge, an impulse driving me to do something stupid against my better judgement. I ignored those quite often, and this one was only a little more insistent than the others.
However, my previous thoughts throughout the day, combined with my irrational fear of every day from now on being the same as this one, weakened that resolve just a bit. Enough so, that for once I decided to give in.
So, I cautiously began to approach the alley. At first, it didn't seem all that unusual in actuality. It was narrow, perhaps 6 feet across. It lay between two building near the corner of an intersection of streets; one a tall but seemingly abandoned apartment complex, and the other a two-story corner store with a sign stating it was closed for renovation. Presumably it was meant to supply the local apartments with convenient goods and services. Although I noticed that the date on the sign was almost six months old at this point.
The entrance of the alley was slightly overhung on one side by a wall mounted machine of some kind protruding from the corner store's second story. Perhaps the external portion of a large air conditioner or refrigeration unit.
The street lights nearest to the alley were either non-functional, or were set to only activate once the darkness had fully set in.
This all led to the alley being coated in shadowy murk, impenetrable to my slightly below average vision from this distance.
Already set on my path by my previous decision, I decide to approach closer and try to determine exactly what actually drew my attention. It is only when I come within a few yards of the entrance that I finally realize what it was. There is a slight odor similar to raw meat or offal emanating from deeper within the alley, accompanied by a quiet organic smacking sound.
Now thoroughly curious, and mildly paranoid, I prepare myself for a hasty retreat by securing my bag more tightly against my side, and then pull out my phone and begin to activate the flashlight function - in hopes of getting a visual of whatever is causing the smell and sound.
Upon the light flickering on and casting its weak glare into the alley, the sound stops completely.
At first, I can't quite tell what I am seeing, as the only obvious things in the alley are a few piles of discarded trash, and a large dark lump on the ground nearly 20 yards in. After a moment the lump languidly unfurls itself from the tight ball it had been drawn into, instantly causing the smell of offal to intensify by an order of magnitude. It then draws itself up to its full height, and I am temporarily frozen as my brain registers what I am seeing.
"What in the fucking hell is that thing!?" I exclaim before I can even fully examine it.
The creature in front of me is nearly 9 feet tall, and what I would guess to be 15 feet long. Its body is lengthy, sinuous, and coated in dark mottled grey scales like a snake, terminating in a wicked point at one end, and a human torso on the other. Attached to the torso are a pair of thick, musclebound arms carrying what looks like the remains of a half-consumed corpse.
Blood coats the front of its body, and drips from a mouth locked in a demented, fanged rictus of pleasure. Its eyes gleam from the front of its hairless head, a sickly yellow tinged with hints of green near its snake-like pupils.
It then speaks, its voice oily and slightly slurring every word with a subtle hiss, "Well, well, fresh meat it looks like! Oh, how wonderful my luck is today. I was just thinking that this little morsel wasn't nearly enough to fill me up, when you come looking in. A little human walking all alone at night." His grin widens even further at this exclamation, and in what could have only been a calculated move he opens his mouth wide enough to swallow the entire remainder of the corpse he had been snacking on in one gulp. I can feel my stomach turn at the cracking, squelching sound produced as his jaw unhinges and the body is messily slurped down.
As my mind catches up to the rest of my body, I turn and evacuate the scene at a dead sprint, desperate to get as far from the creature as possible, as fast as my legs could carry me. The pounding footfalls of my mad dash rebound off the sides of the abandoned buildings surrounding me, as adrenaline fills my veins.
"Shit, Shit, FUCK! What in the fucking hell is going on!" I wheeze out in-between panting gulps of air. "Why the hell did I ever decide to skip cardio! Fuck! Please God, if I make it out of this alive I promise to never skip another day of exercise! I'll even start going to Church again if I can find one out here! Just please let me get out of this alive!"
"Ooooh, how fun. Its always more exciting when they try and run. Good luck little piggy, but you're not going to be escaping. Oh, please do keep trying though. It would be boring if you just gave up now." It's high-pitched, hissing laughter echoed around the empty street around me, setting my hackles even further on edge and making it impossible to tell exactly how far it was from me.
That is, until I feel a searing pain slice across my back, drawing a thin line of agony just above the curve of my hip and knocking me to the ground. "Ah, too bad. I guess the little piggy wasn't fast enough to get away. I'll just have to get my fun playing with my food before I finish it off."
At this I barely manage to turn over in time to see the pointed tip of its tail swing around, and spear me through the leg, as it draws me in close. Its fetid breath washes over my face as it stares me directly in the eyes, before removing the point of its tail and stabbing once again in the same spot, my blood messily spurting out to join what was already caked onto its chest.
"Fuck! Fuck! What the hell even are you!?" I scream out as the pain radiates from my leg in agonizing throbs.
"Hmm. I suppose I can let you know since you aren't going to be around much longer anyway. You could call me a Devil." His grin takes on an almost mischievous look as he says this, continuing to idly toy with my body, and send further pulses of pain radiating from my wounded leg and back. "More importantly, I'm the person that's going to kill you tonight."
At this point it would have been so easy to just shut down. To simply accept I had been beaten, and was going to die tonight. Devoured by some monster as a result of my damnable curiosity, and lack of better judgement.
But something in me railed against that. Down in the deepest core of my being I refused to become some Devil-whatever-the-fuck's dinner just as I was finally starting to maybe learn what that aching hollow in me is. Just when life was finally getting so interesting.
No.
No.
"No! Fuck that! I am not letting you eat me you deranged Naga reject! I refuse to die tonight when I still have so much left to do!"
User Request Acknowledged
Initializing…
Running First Time Boot Procedure
Welcome New User
Warning! Hostile Demonic Lifeform Detected
Analyzing…
Immediate Threat to Life of New User Confirmed
Initializing Emergency Combat Protocols
Warning! No Emergency Combat Protocols Defined in System.
Analyzing…
Initiate Unaspected Mana Burst
Warning! Usage of Unaspected Mana Burst Risks Damage to Mana Distribution Systems. Continue?
Emergency Override. Life of New User in Imminent Peril
Unaspected Mana Burst Initiated
Suddenly my vision is partially blocked as a screen spontaneously forms in front of my eyes, anchored by what feels like a half visor and helmet. Lines of blue text scroll across it almost too fast for me to read, when suddenly I can feel a deep thrumming emanate from deep in my chest.
Immediately after, a pulsating wave of blue-purple energy is explosively released from across the entire front of my body, dislodging the Devil's tail spike from my leg and throwing it directly back nearly ten yards. The scales which came into direct contact with the energy are crumbling and discolored.
"What! A Sacred Gear wielder? Here?" It lets out a lengthy hiss of pain and curls in on itself before continuing, "Well. I guess someone up there really is looking out for you little piggy. Fortunately for you, I have no interest in doing battle with one of your kind at this juncture."
It stretches out once more at this, and begins undulating in an almost hypnotic fashion, "Although. I suppose you might be taken care of by them even if I do nothing. Good luck little piggy. You're going to need it."
At this it slowly slithers away into the darkness of the night, quietly laughing to itself the entire way despite the obvious care it takes to not aggravate its new injuries and the obvious painful wheezing of its exhalations. Now fully dark with the setting of the sun, and the streetlights still not active in this area, it disappears from sight within seconds.
Finally relaxing slightly, I drop myself fully to the ground, giving up the slight upwards lean I had taken while watching it go, and try to process exactly what just happened. Of course, this is exactly when my new visor starts scrolling with yet more messages.
Hostile Demonic Lifeform No Longer Detected
Emergency Combat Protocols Suspended
Warning! Unaspected Mana Burst Damaged Spellform Central Processing Unit
ETA for Full System Repair: 6 Hours
Scanning New User for Injuries Sustained During Combat
Warning! Critical Injuries to New User Detected
Deep Gash Detected in Lower Back of New User
Small Femoral Artery Puncture Detected in Left Leg of New User
Danger to Life of New User Without Aid: 87%
Analyzing…
Initialize Creation of Blood Clotting and Tissue Sealing Spellform
Initialize Creation of Blood Replacement Spellform
Error
Spellform Central Processing Unit Inoperable
Analyzing…
Utilize Central Processor of New User as Substitute
Warning! This Will Temporarily Disable Core Functions of New User. Continue?
Emergency Override. Life of New User in Imminent Peril.
Beginning Spellform Creation
"What? What does it mean by-" My tired question is cut off as all conscious thought suddenly ceases. My body is left lying on the side of the street, bleeding out and unconscious, as the visor desperately attempts to keep me alive from the results of my brief scuffle.
ETA to Spellform 1 Completion: 5 Minutes
ETA to Spellform 2 Completion: 15 Minutes
ETA to New User Full Recovery: 83 Minutes