Ben Shaw was a pragmatist. There was no other word he saw fit to describe himself. He had been taught his entire life to always pour his efforts into what was best for society, because if society prospered, then his survival was assured. Looking back at the essence of said teachings, no matter how sugar-coated they were by his parents, teachers and professors, ultimately there was a primitive notion underlying beneath: Serve the tribe and it protects you. Neglect the tribe and it leaves you at the mercy of the wilderness. Countless millennia of biological evolution and a few more of human history, and his species still held tight to those primal group instincts. While it was true that like lions, wolves and most of their primate relatives, humans were social mammals; most would have expected that man, as the smartest animal, would have eventually found a way to grow past his instincts and become a far more rational being. Perhaps true objectivity was not something mankind would be able to achieve in the upcoming centuries since they were still dragged down by material selfishness and, thanks to the recent appearance of Shishima, an ever-increasing herd-like mentality born out of a need of feeling safe.
Ben recalled the first time he had seen Shishima five years ago when his image and voice had been projected in the minds of all humans. He had been afraid like all of his peers. But where the other MI6 workers had been scared of the fiend because he represented another great threat to global peace, Ben's fears were more based in the rational thinking he had been raised to have: Shishima's mere existence was proof that the supernatural existed. Science could not explain this creature's existence, and with such solid evidence, the possibility of an afterlife and, worse, monsters similar to him was also strong. Words could hardly describe the great impact which Shishima's revelation had upon humanity. A great number of books and documentaries had been written on him, pro and anti movements spread all over the globe, and the once obscure Spawns of Shishima cult had spread in the undergrounds of all countries. And yet, despite the never-ending debate spurned by this historic event, there was a truth that most humans had agreed upon: Shishima was a danger to them all.
Although he tried many times to convince his superiors to let him embark on a mission to Japan, Ben had always been denied. The honor of investigating the country from which humanity's terror arose went to their field agents who ultimately either came to dead ends or had leads to the Spawns of Shishima - raving cultists who knew as little as the rest of the public. Working behind a computer screen for the MI6 would have gotten him nowhere, so he began searching the internet for any possible job offers in his field that could enable him to move to Japan. Either the world's greatest coincidence must have happened, or perhaps there was some truth to the concept of fate, for one night he had stumbled upon an advertisement on the deep web for a full-time job as a computer hacker in Japan. A part of him believed it to be a hoax, but he still took his chances and answered it. A month later, he would find himself moving in with none other than Hajime Shirayama, the wealthy young man who had confronted Shishima face to face! Working with him was no greater honor, especially when it meant he had the closest lead to solving the case. Using his own past of substance abuse as an excuse that he needed to return to rehab and get his life in check, Ben quit the MI6 and, with the help of his own parents' money, began a new life on the other side of the planet.
The main advantage of their work relationship was that they were both the same age and thus their mentalities, while not entirely similar, were flexible around one another. Besides offering him shelter and a hefty income, Hajime also was more willing to cooperate with Ben and take his theories and hypotheses into account, unlike his previous bosses who tended to dismiss him and treat him like an overrated computer boy. Just during his first year in Japan, the two of them managed to expose and arrest one of the largest groups of Shishima worshipers, who while not affiliated with the cult's leader Shinobu Matsuda, still held great influence over Tokyo's underground. With Hajime doing the field work and Ben covering him from home on a PC, they truly were the world's unstoppable duo when it came to fighting back against the unhinged death cult.
In many ways he was living the dream: a well-paid job which made a difference at the end of the day, a new home in a modern foreign country and a work partner with whom he got along wonderfully. When all was said and done, there was no way he would ever return to the United Kingdom. The cold streets of London, the long nights spent away at bars, the depraved sensations of alcohol, ecstasy and cocaine which took his mind away as unspeakable carnal acts happened in a small bathroom stall, those were all behind him now. Yes, Ben Shaw had begun a new life, clean and healthy, as a productive member of society. Nobody would ever have to bail him, clear his name or cover up for him again. For the first time in his life, the future seemed bright, especially with an amazing man like Hajime by his side...
He snapped out of his thoughts as he reached the top of the Musashi Shrine's stairs. The guise of his visit was coming to pay respect to the Shinto gods, but in actuality he, like many others, had come to see and talk to the legendary priestess Sayo. But unlike them, he knew of the terrible secret which she hid thanks to Hajime telling him the entire truth of what had happened five years ago. In actuality she was just like Shishima, a demon in disguise. This was the reason why she had disappeared off the face of the Earth alongside him. It just so happened that he had seen her in the news a few days ago and his suspicions immediately rose. Usually he would have informed Hajime of the unexpected development, but this was something Ben decided he had to investigate on his own.
Finding Sayo was thankfully not a difficult task at all. She stood at the front entrance of the shrine's main building, talking to a crowd who had come to see her, taking pictures with them and offering autographs. She seemed taller than the average Japanese woman, in fact she had the height of an average Japanese man. Ben decided to wait and not draw any suspicion, so he walked past the crowd and went to the souvenir stand where he pretended to check the lucky charms that were for sale. Taking a better look at them, he noticed the omamori were all for quite basic in their functions according to their advertising papers: protecting drivers, keeping evil at bay, bringing good fortune, passing exams, gaining success in business, good luck in love or marriage, family's safety. His younger self would have scoffed at such superstitious beliefs, but now he began to suspect that perhaps there was some truth to them. After all, it was Sayo who managed to keep Shishima at bay, according to Hajime.
"May I help you?" a melodious voice asked and he turned to see Sayo walk up to him, a welcoming smile on her face. "Are you interested in buying any particular charm?"
Ben turned to face her with his head lowered as to have his face hidden by his long collar as much as possible and answered, "Perhaps later, I must confess that I primarily came here to have a discussion with you."
"You wouldn't be the first!" Sayo laughed lightheartedly. "What is it that you wish to discuss with me then?"
Ben took off his glasses and eyed her coldly. "I know your secret."
Sayo's smile was gone in the very next moment. Confused and scared, she blinked and, trying to keep her composure, she asked, "I don't think I understand what you mean. Can you be clearer?"
"Cat-flower." Those two words had sent his message loud and clear. "We need to talk, preferably somewhere in private."
"If you wish, we can go into the backyard gardens."
"No thank you, I won't let you use your plants to threaten me. I'm well aware of your powers over them."
"How do you know?"
"I have my ways of finding out anything I need. But if you wish to discover the true extent of my knowledge, I would suggest we go into a safe place, away from the crowd and with no plant life around."
Sayo nodded in defeat and turned to one of the priests. "Yoichi, please take over for me, I need to take a break!" she called and once she got the reassuring nod, she motioned for the guest to follow her into the main shrine.
The interior took Ben by surprise, as it was one large empty room lit by four chandeliers, its walls painted beige, a single painting covering the wall opposing the entrance depicting the sun goddess Amaterasu's emerging from the Ama-no-Iwato cave. Perhaps if he had been the slightest bit religious, he would have had some reverence for the way the radiant goddess was represented. But he found the painting so old and crude, having never been a fan of any kind of ancient or medieval art.
"For a shrine, it is fairly empty, wouldn't you agree?" Ben remarked in his typical passive-aggressive demeanor.
"There are no celebrations yet, so we keep our sacred items of worship in the back," Sayo humbly explained.
"I suppose that makes sense. Anyway, let me cut to the chase - I know Hajime Shirayama. That is because we are currently working together on the Shishima case."
"That's a relief to hear. I was hoping that Hajime would find more reliable people."
"You were once part of his group of 'reliable people'. But that was before your true nature was revealed."
"It was an unfortunate event, but ultimately my goal was to help Hajime defeat Shishima."
"Not necessarily, I would argue your goal was to reunite with Shishima."
"Even so, a power-mad Shishima is not something any of us wants to see. Hajime helped push him down a better path and for that I am grateful."
Ben raised an eyebrow at that statement. "How are you so sure he is on a better path?"
"We had both spent the past five Earth years confronting our past and now we've turned over a new leaf," Sayo calmly explained, deep inside hopeful that she could get past his overly-skeptical attitude somehow.
"Forgive me if I doubt your claim. If that were indeed the case, then the Spawns of Shishima would be no more and we wouldn't still be living in constant fear."
"It's not as easy as it seems! We youkai feed off belief to survive, that is the main reason Shishima is still keeping that cult of his."
"Whose side are you really on? Mankind's or Shishima's?" the increasingly frustrated Ben asked while running his gloved hand through his black hair, realizing he had forgotten to comb it properly yet again before leaving Sagakin.
"Oh no, I won't be pushed in the same position that Hajime, Jack and Lori put me five years ago!" Sayo stood her ground with clenched fists. "I care about both and I will do whatever it takes to ensure they can coexist in peace!"
"That will never happen. Shishima cannot be trusted after everything he's done."
"Everything he's done is indeed horrendous, but he is willing to give humanity a second chance!"
"A second chance? What do you mean by that?"
"He is currently hiding in the shadows and refusing to use his powers to help the Spawns of Shishima. In exchange, I agreed to not use my powers to help Hajime. He wishes to see if Hajime can defeat Shinobu and bring an end to the Spawns of Shishima, and only then will he leave mankind alone."
"How bloody disgusting! Human lives are at stake here, they shouldn't be part of this 'game'!"
"I agree with you, I really do, but our hands are tied at the moment. The best thing we can do is play along and work to bring down that cult. It's the only way we can change Shishima's mind and bring it to our way of thinking!"
"How can I trust you? You're still just like him, how can I be sure that you're not just lying on his behalf?"
"Are you a spy or detective just like Hajime?" a suspicious Sayo asked and Ben remained silent, eyeing her with a neutral expression. "I got the message loud and clear. Listen, I know you may not be too trusting because of your job, but if you wish to finish this case, we will need to cooperate."
"Hajime, Jack and Lori had cooperated with you and all paid dearly for it. For all intents and purposes, I have no reason to do the same." Ben began to wander off, looking for a backdoor where he could find the shrine's objects. "From those ancient writings discussing the Twilight Kingdom's history, yours and Shishima's first visit in our world was a negative one since a group of monks had tried exorcising you with sacred salt. I recall even Hajime telling me that you used it to keep Shishima and his forces at bay, is that right?"
"If you think you can find our sacred salt, you are sadly mistaken. I will beat you to the door and hide the container before you can even lay a finger on it, so don't think that threat will work on me!" Sayo's calm yet stern threat was enough to send chills down his spine. "And let's say you somehow miraculously manage to outrun me and get your hands on the salt. You don't strike me as the most devout believer, nor do I feel an ounce of spiritual power coming from you. You wouldn't be able to exorcise me no matter how hard you wanted, so let us be respectful of this sacred place and not cause any pointless ruckus."
"I see this is indeed a game of one-upping each other. In that case, I suppose the best way to settle this would be through a duel. What do you say, 'Lady Sayo'?"
She did not take a liking at all to the way he seemed to mock and question everything about her. Although Ben's heart seemed to be in the right place, unfortunately he was trying to antagonize her, no doubt to get the answers he sought. As patient as Sayo was, deep inside she had her limits, and covert disrespect was one of them. She motioned for him to follow her, both walking out of the shrine, going past the gathered crowd towards two dueling tables left long forgotten by a fence. After setting up their cards, five blue rectangular shields materialized above each player and Sayo did her best to block out the crowd's gasps of awe and her colleagues' protests. As much as she hated disrespecting the sanctity of her new home, unfortunately there was no other way of dealing with the nosy guest.
"I cast Dark Life," Sayo said and checked the top two cards of her deck. "Belladonna, Demon Faerie goes to my mana zone and Gigandydanos, Big Tree King to my graveyard."
"I cast Hakumai Danshaku," Ben said and put the top card of his deck into his mana zone.
"I summon Rymer Druid." A green-skinned humanoid appeared in the battle zone, wearing an orange loincloth, a necklace with painted eyes, golden bracelets and earrings and a witch hat, and wielding a wooden staff with a skull on its top. "I check the top four cards of my deck, add Spiner, Shock Doctor to my mana zone and send Rymer Druid, Brachiodrange and Dakliedrange to my graveyard. Then the Rymer Druid I summoned gets destroyed." The creature vanished in a small explosion as soon as it appeared.
"I cast Now or Never and put King Manifest in the battle zone, then immediately return him to my hand!" A blue lion with frog legs instead of paws and a flowing green mane appeared by Ben's side and immediately got surrounded by a bright aura and vanished. "I use King Manifest's effect and shuffle my deck, then reveal the top card. If it's a creature, I summon it for no cost; if it's a spell, I cast it for no cost!" He immediately shuffled his deck at great speed and revealed the top card. "I summon Sr Spellcyclica, Dragment Symbol!" A blue dragon made of sharp crystals appeared as well. "With his effect I cast Now or Never from my graveyard again and add it to my hand. Now or Never puts King Manifest in the battle zone and immediately returns him, but I use his effect again!" Once more the blue lion appeared and disappeared in an instant as his owner shuffled his deck once more. "I summon another King Manifest and use his effect again!" A second lion appeared, this time remaining in the battle zone. "Then I summon VAN Beethoven, Zenith of "Shura"!" A bipedal white dragon with a flowing blonde mane who wielded a long sharp spear in one hand and a rainbow colored shield shaped after the Sol key appeared by the crystal dragon's side. "While VAN Beethoven is in the battle zone, whenever you put Commands or Dragons in the battle zone, they go into the graveyard instead. And now it's your turn."
"I cast Dark Life," Sayo spoke, seeming undeterred by the surprise lockdown on her creatures. "I send Trap Giant to my mana zone and Piodoro, Dragon Armored Car / Toxic Juice to my graveyard. Then I summon Belladonna, Demon Faerie and destroy her to ramp another mana again." A pink-haired Snow Faerie wearing a blue winter sweater appeared and vanished in an explosion.
"I cast Now or Never and bring out then return King Manifest again." The first lion appeared and disappeared a third time as his owner shuffled his deck once more. "My top card is now... Completely Unidentified whom I summon!" A blue spherical spaceship being piloted by a strange robotic figure hovered above Ben's small army of creatures. "Now whenever you charge mana, play a card or attack with a creature, your turn ends immediately afterwards. VAN Beethoven, triple break her shields!" The dragon rushed ahead and used his long spear to hack away three shields.
"Shield trigger, I summon Jukushite Inai Zombiebanana and destroy Completely Unidentified!" An anthropomorphic rotten green banana wearing a golden necklace appeared and spat a purple smoke upon the UFO, making it vanish in an instant. "Then another shield trigger, I summon Trap Giant and send VAN Beethoven to your mana zone!" A horned giant with a small forest growing all over its mountainous body appeared, a mustached face carved on its head, and it used a dual-bladed sword to cut off the white dragon.
"Eternal Omega, VAN Beethoven returns to my hand. King Manifest, break her final shields!" The blue lion rushed ahead and used his frog legs to pounce the two remaining shields. "Judging from your silence, there are no shield triggers. In that case, Sr Spellcyclica, todomeda!" Ben ordered and the blue crystal dragon charged ahead as well to deliver the final attack.
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja and block the attack!" A small white plane descended by Sayo's side and took in the attack, vanishing but sparing her the loss. "And now I suppose it's my turn. Fushigiverse, I send Zombiebanana to my mana zone and revive Gigandydanos, Big Tree King by paying 5 mana!" The rotten banana got enveloped by a green aura and disappeared, then in his place arose a giant tree creature with moose features, a glowing halo above its head and toxic purple fumes coming outs of its skull face. "With his effect, you must send all the cards from your hand to your mana zone!" She announced and delighted in seeing her opponent uncomfortably charge mana with VAN Beethoven, Zenith of "Shura", Kuromame Danshaku / Hakumai Danshaku and King Manifest. "Then Fushigiverse again, I send Trap Giant to my mana zone and revive Brachiodrange with 4 mana!" The horned and mustached giant also got enveloped by a green aura and disappeared, his place being taken by a slender bipedal dragon whose limbs and tail were leafed tree branches, its body decorated with precious sapphires. "While Gigandydanos is in the battle zone, you can't attack me with any creatures weaker than his 50000 power. While Brachiodrange is in the battle zone, you can't activate any of your creatures' enter the battle zone effects!"
"That's quite the impressive lockdown..." Ben murmured to himself and looked at his two remaining creatures which were King Manifest and Sr Spellcyclica, both way weaker than Gigandydanos. He drew his card and gulped when he saw a dud. "I charge mana and end my turn," he flatly said.
"I cast Beginning of the End." Sayo sent Dark Life, Tsuruhashi Doji and Dakliedrange from the top of her deck into her graveyard. "I'll recover Hayabusamaru. Then I summon Domanmodrange." A bipedal stone elephant with cherry trees growing out of its shoulders joined her other creatures. "Now it's time to attack as well! Gigandydanos, break all of his shields!" The moose opened its mouth and spat a purple smoke upon all five opposing shields, shattering them in an instant. "And to finish this, Brachiodrange, todo-"
"Shield trigger, I cast Toppa! Wave MAX! Since I have a Water and Nature creature in the battle zone, I use both of its effects, so I ramp a mana and return King Manifest from my mana zone to my hand. Then I return all your creatures which cost more than the number of cards in your mana zone to your hand! You have 10 mana, while Brachiodrange costs 11 and Gigandydanos costs 12." A blue and green wave of lights came from Ben's side upon the two plant dragons, making them both disappear, much to their owner's frustration. "And now it's my turn, I use all my 10 mana and summon a second King Manifest with a Buzzrender 3 paid as well. That means I get to use his effect not once but twice!" He excitedly began to shuffle his deck and revealed the first card. "Stegoro Kaiser, Struggling Battlekind / Purification Sharrup, eh? I'll use the spell side, so I cast Purification Sharrup to ramp again and I shuffle all cards in your graveyard back into your deck! Then I shuffle my deck again and reveal... Emrakul, the Aeons Torn whom I summon!" An eldritch creature shaped after a mushroom with pairs upon pairs of tentacles coming from the bottom of its body appeared as well, ominously hovering over the gathered creatures. "With Emrakul's effect, I gain an extra turn. But before I finish my current one, Sr Spellcyclica, todomeda!"
"Ninja Strike 4, Hayabusamaru blocks again!" Once more the blue crystal dragon's attack was halted by the small plane creature.
"King Manifest, todomeda!" Ben ordered and the blue lion ran towards his opponent and headbutted her, knocking her and her cards away from the dueling table and sealing his victory.
The crowd cheered at the sight of such an exciting duel. As the creatures disappeared, Sayo picked up her cards and got up, dusting her kimono and hakama, then she waved at the visitors to assure them that she was safe. Ben walked up to her and spoke with a lower discreet tone:
"Why are you trying so much to fit in? You and your lover could easily conquer our world if you so choose to."
"Despite what happened five years ago, both him and I have changed," she argued, still keeping her polite smile, mostly for those around them.
"I don't believe you, I'm sorry."
"Come, follow me," she instructed and he did so, the two of them walking down the lamp-decorated path towards the shrine's stairs, away from everyone else. "I've noticed something from Shishima's recent behavior: he is not making a grandiose return like before. He is not giving me any indication that he wishes to pick up his previous plans."
"What makes you so sure of that?"
"I think he is testing Hajime. No, he's not just testing him, he is trying to figure him out and at the same time have Hajime figure him out."
"To me it sounds more like an obsessive fixation with his former victim."
"On some level, both Shishima and Hajime are similar. They are both young wealthy males with traumatized pasts who do not fight for their beliefs or personal goals as one would be led to think. I know that deep down inside the true reason they fight is so they will never feel weak and vulnerable ever again. This is why Shishima wants to be the strongest being and Hajime wants to protect mankind's future - both stances would place them in positions of power and give them a sense of control over their own lives," Sayo explained, leaving her former opponent speechless for a few moments as he was rendered unable to come up with another snide quip.
"That is quite the deduction. If that is true, what do you suggest we do to put an end to this madness?" Ben spoke with no hint of aggression in his voice for the first time since he came to the shrine.
"Like I said before, the best thing we can do now is help Hajime defeat the Spawns of Shishima. This would prove to Shishima that humanity deserves the second chance he is offering. How exactly we will accomplish this goal I don't yet know, I'm afraid." She turned to see that more visitors were coming in their direction. "Listen, I have to go now, I'm sorry. But before I leave, please accept these extra copies of mine as a token of my trust." She searched her pocket and took out four cards which she offered to him. "I hope we meet again soon!" she said with a sickeningly sweet smile and ran off to attend the other guests.
Ben looked at the cards and realized they were all copies of Gigandydanos, Big Tree King, her own trump card. Taken aback by that gift, he regarded her one last time and smiled. Perhaps on some level she could indeed be trusted. But working in the field of spying had taught him to always be on high alert and keep his trust to a minimum. Only time would tell if she indeed was deserving of his trust. Having on some level gotten the answers he sought, Ben climbed down the stairs, ready to go back to the train station and take the next ride to Sagakin. He could only imagine the look on Hajime's face and the questions he would have to answer, and the mere prospect of it all made him feel oddly giddy.