Thick curtains of a dark crimson tone blocked any light from outside. Ancient Greek busts and golden Egyptian statues were displayed near each wall onto which papyri and ancient Japanese scrolls were hung. There were no Renaissance paintings in the living room, those were reserved solely for the mansion's corridors. A large plush sofa stretched from one wall to another, a worktable filled with scattered notes, books and pens lay in front of it, and opposite to it hung an almost-as-large flat TV screen. The curtained windows lay by the couch's left and a bookshelf opposite to them, completing this cultured claustrophobic cage. Sayo did not take a liking to the heavy air nor the lingering scent of naphthalene, yet she stepped in after her beloved. Count Kage headed to the table and shoved aside all objects, making way for a chessboard which he placed in its center. Searching his tuxedo's pockets, he pulled out four pieces - three white and one black. He placed the single black piece by the couch's side and Sayo was quick to notice that it was not a regular chess piece, but a small figurine resembling Shinobu Matsuda. On the opposite side of the board he placed the three white pieces, one depicting Hajime Shirayama in the center and facing Shinobu, while the ones shaped after Jack Thornton and Lori Hansen were placed on Hajime's side, but together and in a corner of the board, apart from him.
"Alright, Shishima, I am waiting for an explanation," Sayo broke the silence between them, making no effort to hide how unnerved she was by the little scene.
"This is the compromise I was talking about, Nekohana," he began as he sat down on the couch, allowing himself for once to enjoy the comforts of luxury. "For your sake, I will not directly harm the mortals, nor will I offer any magical aid to my cult. However, I will not put an end to the Spawns of Shishima, for it is their worship that feeds me so well. Besides, a normal human life on Earth would be boring."
"Can't you find other ways of entertaining yourself? Why must you have humans kill each other for your sake?" the aggravated Sayo asked, a part of her in disbelief that there were still humans who worshiped Shishima as a godly figure.
"Think of it as me granting humanity one last chance to save itself. I will not use my powers to offer any direct aid to the Spawns. In exchange I want you to not help Hajime and his friends with your powers either. You are allowed to interact with them, if you so choose. At the end of the day, we will both move these pieces on the chessboard in order to showcase how the mortals' conflict is evolving. This is the new game I wish to play with you, my beloved - chess with human lives." Count Kage set his cane aside and took off his top hat, relaxing his head against the couch. "If mankind is worthy of survival, then its 'hero' will find a way to put an end to my cult. Otherwise it will descend into the self-destructive animal desires it proudly claimed to have abandoned thousands of years ago."
Sayo's expression warmed once his explanation finished. At last, the light of hope that she had clung onto had shown itself. "Just you wait, Shishima. Hajime will prove to you that humanity deserves to be spared!"
Count Kage got up from the couch and embraced her, playfully whispering in her ear, "I certainly hope so. Whenever Hajime gives his best, he never fails to entertain me." He kissed her passionately, relieved that at long last they could share their eternities together without there being conflict among themselves. Sayo also felt relief that her beloved would no longer descend into madness and relish in the pleasures of murder. If Hajime managed to prove himself, then she was certain humanity would be spared of Shishima's terror forevermore and then the two of them could live peacefully in that safe world. Not wasting any time, he began undoing her kimono while she also undid his belt and buttoned tuxedo.
Hajime stepped into one of his mansion's bedrooms while drying his hair with a towel. The long bath he took after a hard night's work was the best reward he could ask for. Now dressed only in a turquoise bathrobe and a pair of matching plush slippers, he was almost ready for sleep. But before he could finally allow himself to rest, he had to speak with his new collaborator one more time. The latter sat crouched on his chair in front of a desk with three large computer screens. Its setup may have tricked many into thinking that he was a really professional gamer, but Hajime knew all too well that he was actually an expert hacker.
"Is it just me, or have the Spawns started to focus their murders around Sagakin lately?" he asked casually while leaning against his ally's chair.
"It is true. There have been seven murders in Sagakin just this weekend, way over the national average. Usually the police reports a newfound mutilated body in a different Japanese city once every two days," the young Englishman reasoned, not taking his eyes off the screens once as he kept typing like a machine. "Let us not forget that message they left on their websites."
"It's been on my mind since I came home..."
"Do you think it's one big joke to instill fear in the masses, or do you believe it's actually true?"
Hajime rubbed his chin pensively while staring at the screens with data and various news articles. After a few seconds of silence he responded, "I lean more towards the latter. Keep in mind, we didn't see Shishima die. He simply took Nekohana and headed back home in the afterlife. What's to stop him from ever returning to Earth?"
"If that is the case, I suggest you prepare a bunker for the two of us in case that monster has indeed returned. I need not stress how important it is that we need a safe place from which we can work on this case."
"Good idea, I'll make a few calls in the morning to make the preparations for a construction site. Until then, please keep on eye on the activity of all Spawns websites. If there's any information we can gain about Shishima, it will come from his followers."
"I agree. However, Hajime, I fear some field work may be required as well," the other young man reasoned as he opened a new VPN connection to log in on the fake accounts he made for the few forums hosted by the Spawns websites.
"I know, I know, but I can't infiltrate their circles since everyone knows my face. I'd probably have a 'stab me' sign on my back as soon as I took off my hood."
"That's true, but I believe I may have a plan..."
Later that night, Hajime finally collapsed into the comfort of his two person bed. Having inherited the Shirayama mansion from his late grandmother Tsugumi, he had converted her bedroom into his own. Now the bedroom in which he used to sleep five years ago belonged to his computer wiz partner. As he tried drifting into sleep's warm embrace, he realized that he barely found any reason to keep moving on in life. It seemed that the threat of Shishima lingered forever above humanity's head like a sword of Damocles, and no matter what he did, it would never truly go away. With his immense family wealth he could never buy the happiness or peace of mind that he constantly craved. Even if he were to disappear off the face of the Earth and retreat somewhere safe, in the end it would have been for naught if Shishima truly returned, as there would be no place to hide once he took over. A part of Hajime wished that he could just get a lobotomy as a last resort of being happy. But would he have been the same ever again if he went through with such a major decision? In the end, suffering was a huge part of Hajime Shirayama's existence, despite his privileged status in society. As he felt his mind finally succumb to sleep, he prayed that he would not have a dream; for in the past five years whenever he would dream, he always saw Shishima's glowing red pupils in the darkness fixating him, biding their time, always assuring him that his mortal enemy would one day return.
The sun shone brightly on that early October morning. Having traveled most of the night by train from Sagakin to Tokyo, Sayo should have been tired, but the fresh air coming from the surrounding nature at her Shinto shrine reinvigorated her. As per her usual tradition of respect, once she reached the top of the stairs, she washed her hands and cleansed her mouth with water from the fountain. Such purification rituals would have repelled if not outright harmed youkai, especially on sacred ground. But she had served the deities of this particular religion the longest out of all her lifetimes masquerading as a human. Deep inside, Nekohana knew she had been accepted by whatever main divinity ruled the Nippon religion as one of its devoted followers. It was the main reason why she was permitted to have spiritual powers and could use them effectively for exorcisms and other cleansing rituals. As such, all she felt was inner relief while strolling down the lantern-decorated path which led to the shrine's main entrance.
"Lady Sayo!" shouted a priest in his early forties who wore a joue garment typically associated with his religious position.
"It's been a long time," she reciprocated his joy as she stopped in front of the building. The two regarded each other and bowed to their waists as a formal greeting. "After what happened the last time I visited this place, I must confess that I am happy to see you alive and well, Yoichi."
"The feeling is definitely mutual, both Mikio and I are overjoyed to have you back. You haven't given us any sign in five years, we were worried that this absence of yours may have had tragic implications."
"My apologies that I could not get back to you. I have been wandering the globe ever since Shishima left and I've been dealing with the Spawns of Shishima in my own way. Unfortunately, there is a reason for my return, and that is the premonitions I've been having in my sleep these past weeks..."
Yoichi gasped and took a step closer to Sayo, asking in a worried voice, "What premonitions?"
"Bad omens which heralded the return of Shishima. That is the reason for my own return, I've decided to keep my promise and finally settle down at the shrine where the three of us grew up under Master Shin. That is, of course, if I am still welcome," Sayo paused for a moment and expectantly regarded Yoichi, who could do nothing but smile warmly and nod. "Thank you, we need to be ready for anything. We are dealing with a death cult which seeks to invoke a very dangerous daiyoukai."
"First things first, come inside and let's have breakfast!" Yoichi stretched his hand and gently pushed Sayo ahead with him as they both stepped inside the shrine building. "Mikio is busy with our two new priestesses. They're still rookies, and they're young college students, so unfortunately they're not taking their part time job very seriously."
"We're finally getting some new girls at the shrine? That is great news! If you don't mind, Yoichi, I would like to relieve Mikio of his duties and personally oversee their training."
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind either. The two of us have been busy with maintaining the shrine's finances and organizing ceremonies. Ever since Master Shin passed away, things have gotten more complicated. But now with you once again among our ranks, I'm more than certain that the Musashi Shrine will be prosperous once more!" Yoichi spoke with an optimistic tone which made Sayo giggle.
"You haven't changed much since our teenage years. That's a relief!"
"Just like your looks haven't changed one bit since the day you first left our shrine on your journeys. For a woman in her forties, you still look like a college freshman. Truly the gods must've blessed you!"
"Thank you for the compliment. Speaking of college freshmen, who are these two new priestesses?"
"Their names are Aiko and Minako. You will meet them in the dining room when we have breakfast. Until then..." Yoichi opened a door to reveal a bedroom filled with plants which ranged from bonsai to lilies. "We've watered their pots every day since we knew how much you loved your plants. Welcome home, Lady Sayo!"
Moved by the gesture, she could do nothing but nod and smile at her host. Upon being left alone in what had once been her bedroom twenty years ago, she set aside her travel bag which she would unpack later. Sayo sat on her bed and looked at the opposite wall which had an ancient painting of the sun goddess Amaterasu. If there was any hope of her finding a solution to help Hajime, perhaps it lay in the hands of the Shinto deities she so loyally served.