Chapter 3 - Carnival of Shadows
Dale Arthur Knight woke up promptly at five in the morning, as he had done every day. This routine was instilled by an old esoteric master who taught him the art of mandala meditation to greet the dawn. The bald man sat naked on the floor, with a board in front of him displaying a large circle radiating all the colors of the rainbow. The mandala allowed him to connect with his spiritual core, tapping into an intuition that enabled him to sense every energy permeating the physical world. It also helped him to draw upon the aid of benevolent entities in his vicinity and shield himself from demons and other manifestations of dark energy. However, this morning, just like the previous night at the hotel, the meditation failed. The aura of the demon that controlled the area was too oppressive for the gentle light of Knight's soul to penetrate, preventing him from entering a positive state of mind. He knew that he would have to act quickly and decisively to prevent the city from being irreversibly tainted. His thoughts were pulled back to reality by the memory of Rei Hino, the girl he had met the day before. He was curious to see if she had recovered and how she was feeling. He decided to meet with her as soon as possible to talk further, uncover the cause of her amnesia, and deduce where she might have contracted the magical virus. Knight rose from the floor, walked over to the mandala, and carefully covered it with a cloth. He paused for a moment by the open window, gazing out at the street where he had dealt with one of the strange participants in the colorful procession the night before.
After his morning meditation, Dale Knight checked the weapon he never parted with. The gun, made from a metal alloy found in a meteorite that had landed in the heart of the Sahara centuries ago, was in perfect condition. The hunter would never allow even a single scratch to mar its surface. Each bullet in the magazine bore an inscription in a forgotten language, a spell directly linked to it, capable of piercing through magical illusions and destroying what didn't belong to the material world. Dale was deeply dissatisfied with himself. The previous night, he had lost control of his emotions, wasting one of his precious bullets on an insignificant pawn in the hands of the dark force he was up against.
The weather outside was nice, so the bald man decided to step out of the building. Taking his loaded gun, he left the cramped confines of his hotel room and found himself in the garden just outside the dining hall. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees and shrubs, and somewhere in the distance, the soothing sound of a mountain stream could be heard. Dale put on his dark glasses to shield his eyes from the irritating rays of the sun breaking through the clouds. The place where he rested looked painfully ordinary, giving no indication of the strange events he had witnessed since crossing the town's borders. However, he knew that the black-haired girl was the key to unraveling the mystery surrounding him.
Arthur Knight spent nearly an hour in thoughts. The sleepy figures of hotel residents moved around him, heading from the dining hall toward the hills—the only tourist attraction in the area. At some point, he noticed a girl approaching him. Dale looked up as Rei approached, noting the pallor of her skin and the tiredness etched into her features. Despite her obvious weakness, she managed a small smile.
"Good morning," she greeted him softly, her voice a little strained. "You're up early."
"Good morning," Dale replied, watching her closely. "I could say the same about you."
"Sit down here," he suggested, pointing to an empty chair. Rei gladly obliged.
"Thank you for helping me yesterday," she said, eyeing his dark glasses.
"No problem. How are you feeling?" Dale asked smiling.
"What you gave me to drink really worked. The fever's gone, and the pain too. I still feel very weak, and I have no appetite at all, but… thank you again." Rei answered.
"Don't thank me. You're the key to defeating my enemy, so I have to protect you," Knight replied, taking off his sunglasses.
"I still don't understand my role in all this, but I think I can trust you. I'll listen to what you have to say and help you figure out what's really going on here."
"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. Want something to drink or eat?"
"I told you, I have no appetite. I'll pass for now." Rei waved hand declining his offer.
"As you wish."
"Listen... Did what you gave me destroy the virus? Am I cured?" she asked, clutching her transformation pen.
"You're not cured! The virus is just dormant! I told you that last night! Weren't you listening?" Dale seemed to be irritated.
"I had a fever of forty degrees. Some details might've slipped by me, don't you think?" Rei told angrily.
"Fair enough… The virus can only be removed by its creator, if they choose to, or it will disappear with the creator's death. Otherwise, it can't be destroyed by any means. So forget about using your powers and avoid any contact with the demon's physical manifestations like the plague. Unless you want to lose your mind." Dale explained the situation she was in.
Rei was curious even more. "How do you know so much about this virus? And how are you so sure that it's what attacked me?"
"I've seen many similar cases in my travels. I saw a man destroyed by this virus — it wasn't a pretty sight. I'm certain because I can feel the energy building up inside you, just like in that poor soul all those years ago."
"What happened to him?" Rei asked, intrigued.
"You don't want to know," Dale replied reluctantly, slipping his dark glasses back on.
"And you don't want to tell me," Rei countered, realizing she wasn't going to get much more out of him. She didn't really want to hear about the terrible fates that might await her. She glanced over at the heavyset woman opening the dining hall windows. The heat, as it did every day, was slowly creeping closer to the hotel.
"If you want me to work with you, you need to tell me more. Preferably everything you know. Start with how you knew my secret and how you were able to communicate with me through that vision. I hate being in situations where someone knows all the cards, and I don't even know what game we're playing." Rei was stubborn.
"Your memory must've been a bit foggy last night. I told you how I reached out to you. I looked into the demon's memories and saw the faces of those he had glimpsed just after his awakening. This demon has the ability to see the truth, which is why he noticed the ancient energy surrounding you, even though you hadn't yet awakened. Am I right?"
"Yes. But how exactly did you contact me? Are you telepathic?"
"No... nothing like that. Does a bald guy always have to be telepathic?" he replied with a grin, gesturing to his shiny scalp.
"I possess a spark of the Living Flame from Mars, a fragment from a mighty temple that once stood in the red sands during the era of the Golden Millennium. I connected with another spark of that entity that resides within you."
"You're misinformed," Rei laughed lightly. "I think you meant the Silver Millennium. You're supposed to know who I am, but you're making basic mistakes."
"You're the one who's misinformed. Have you ever wondered where the power in your magic, and your friends' magic, comes from? Haven't you questioned why your past lives always knew about things like endless sources of energy and corridors that transcend time and space? The Silver Millennium was just a shadow of a greater era, an echo of an interdimensional kingdom that mastered time, space, energy, and life itself. Don't you ever dream of a power calling to you from a long-forgotten world? The Martian Flame is one of the wonders born in those ancient times. It's a living entity, a cosmic consciousness that transcends the limits of space and time. It burns in what no longer exists and what is yet to come. Unfortunately, only sparks of its former glory have survived to our era. You're fortunate to carry one of those sparks within you."
"I find it hard to believe any of this. It sounds like you're making it up as you go. Fancy words and a vivid imagination." Rei did not believe in his explanation.
Dale stood up from his chair, circling it until he was close to Rei, then leaned down over her. She turned to face him directly.
"You've seen so much, yet you still refuse to believe in your own past," he whispered, his voice low and intense. "When you're alone in a dark room, ask the flame in your mind to tell you about those ancient times. You'll see that I'm telling the truth," Dale added.
He returned to his seat, his gaze stern as he looked at Rei's face. "And have a serious talk with one of you. She hasn't been telling you the whole truth. She never has."
Rei didn't want to continue discussing her past lives or her current friends with a man she had only met a few hours earlier. She knew he was an extraordinary person — he had helped her using means she didn't fully understand — but ancient history of dubious authenticity wasn't her top priority. What mattered now was the recent past — her amnesia, the strange procession haunting the town, and the demon that Dale claimed was responsible for it all. Stopping that demon was crucial, as Rei saw herself as a guardian, responsible for protecting the planet from such threats.
"Alright. Let's put that aside for now. We have more urgent matters. What are we dealing with? What do you know about this demon?"
"Not much," Dale admitted. "Honestly, I've never met him in person. I'm not even sure he has a physical form. I only encountered one of his manifestations — a man named Matheus. I came across him in Europe. He was traveling with a small circus troupe — you know, bearded lady, strongman, a few animals — nothing special. It turned out he was kidnapping children from the town for reasons only he knew. I defeated him easily, but what happened afterward truly shocked me. His troupe wasn't real; they vanished into thin air as soon as that bastard lost consciousness. To my horror, I discovered that the children and everyone else who had been in contact with them had lost touch with reality. They looked like someone had switched off their minds."
"Or stolen their souls," Rei interjected.
"Exactly. And Matheus was in the same state. The exorcisms I learned in the Vatican revealed something even more extraordinary. The guy was under the influence of a very dangerous demon, an entity from an ancient world. And at that moment, I had a brief glimpse into that entity's mind — I saw the moment of its reawakening and its attempt to take control of three children. Including you, Rei."
"First of all, I don't remember that event at all. And second, you said earlier that everyone touched by that monster lost their personality. I feel and think just fine, so something doesn't add up."
"Maybe you've been protected by the Martian Flame since childhood? Maybe that demon couldn't take control over you?" The bald man speculated.
"Maybe it was just like you said." Rei sighed. Dale prepared his own questions.
"Tell me, what's happened since you arrived in this town?"
"Strange things, really. At first, everything seemed normal — I was walking through the pouring rain to the hotel and passed a house where an old woman was waiting for her granddaughter. But the next day, everything started to take a weird turn. I met a guy who claimed that we knew each other as kids and spent a lot of time together. He ran into me on my second day here. And that house I saw? It turned out to be abandoned — no old woman living there. Later that night, I saw a strange procession and heard someone calling my name. And then you know what I did after that, since you were following me the whole time." Rei concluded with a grin on her face.
The bald man was interested. "The guy you're talking about, is he the same one you were running away with yesterday?"
"Yeah, that's him. Back then, I thought you were some kind of creep." Rei confirmed, which made Dale even more suspicious.
"He showed up at just the right place and time to meet you. Don't you think that's a bit strange?"
"Coincidences happen," she replied, watching the clouds drift across the sky.
"I don't believe in them," Dale said. "Don't you think he might be connected to what's going on?"
"I'm not sure… He seems completely normal. But on the other hand, the day before the procession, he insisted I close my window and take a sleeping pill. Like he knew what I might see if I stayed awake. Like he wanted to protect me from something. Plus, on the first day, he took me to an abandoned amusement park. A funfair and a parade of circus freaks on the same day can't be just a coincidence, right?"
"Like I said, I don't believe in coincidences. You should be careful with him until you know who he really is. What are you planning to do now?" Dale asked.
"I'm going to check out that old woman's house, look around, maybe find a clue."
"And if I say it's dangerous? Will you listen to me and not go?"
"No. You know that," she answered with a smile. "Then I'll meet up with Masanori and push him to tell me more about the past." Rei knew what to do, however Dale was still worried.
"Alright. But I'm going with you to that old house. I've saved you once; better if I stay close this time."
"Suit yourself." Rei got up from the table, throwing a glance back at Dale before disappearing behind the hotel doors. "See you in half an hour," she called back as she headed towards the stairs.
Rei, prepared to face the unknown and armed with a box of ofuda, approached the old house alongside Dale Arthur Knight. It was the same house where Rei had taken shelter from the rain a few days earlier and met the mysterious old woman. The sun hung high in the sky, casting an oppressive heat over the town. Dale stopped under a tree, letting the shade protect his bald head from the scorching rays.
"This is the place? Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes, I've been here twice."
"It doesn't look like anyone's lived here for years. We need to take a look around."
"How do you plan to get inside?" Rei asked, eyeing the old, vine-covered walls.
"Like this," Knight replied, approaching the door. With a strong hand, he tore off the rusted padlock, which shattered into pieces as it hit the pavement. He quickly entered the house, drawing his gun. Rei cautiously followed him inside. The house smelled of decay, and the rooms were dark, with the windows boarded up. Cobwebs, thick with dust, covered everything.
"What a mess. Nature takes back what it's owed when people leave," Arthur remarked.
"Exactly. But why do you need a gun?" Rei asked, pointing to the weapon.
"You never know what to expect," the bald man replied.
"But a gun, against a demon?"
"The bullets are engraved with spells. They won't kill it, but they can cause some pain." The demon hunter answered her worries.
Rei nudged open the door to the next room. It was even darker and dirtier than the one they had just left. She approached a desk by the wall, pushing aside clumps of dust and cobwebs. She noticed a photo frame with a picture of a little blonde girl. She examined it closely, her eyes widening in shock.
"I know her… I remember her… I don't know how, but I do remember her…" she said, looking at her companion. The photo showed a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair, smiling brightly.
"Leave it where it is. We still don't know what we're dealing with," Dale advised.
"Look at this," he said, pointing to a wall covered in newspaper clippings. The black-haired girl began reading the headlines: "Tragedy at the Amusement Park. Child's Death at the Playground." "Children's Accident. One Loses Life." – All were similar in tone, and they all reported on the same incident. Rei looked around and realized they were in a child's room. On the bed sat a doll the size of a small child, with curly golden hair and blue eyes identical to the girl in the photograph. It was dressed in the same blue dress. Rei leaned against the dusty desk.
"Let's get out of here. This place fills me with fear and sadness," she said.
"A terrible tragedy happened here. Maybe even more than one. These walls have soaked up tears," Dale added, his voice heavy with the weight of sorrow that seemed to permeate the entire place.
Each of rooms in the house bore signs of long-term abandonment. The kitchen, once the heart of family life, was now inhabited only by spiders weaving their intricate webs between forgotten, dust-covered dishes. Old metal pots were rusted, and the table that might have once held family meals was now coated with a thick layer of dust and small crumbs. The bathroom housed a rusty tub with shards of glass at the bottom, as if the mirror above the sink had shattered years ago, and no one had bothered to clean up the mess. Stains on the walls and mold spreading across the tiles revealed how long this place had been forgotten. Every room they visited felt more like a museum of neglect and sadness than a home. In one room, they found an old bed strewn with yellowed newspapers from decades ago, with headlines describing local events. They also passed through a room that might once have been a study. An old desk, with a dusty globe perched on it, and books haphazardly stacked on shelves — all looked as if they had been abandoned in a hurry, with no care for what was left behind. Finally, they reached the largest room in the house. As soon as they opened the door, Knight instinctively tightened his grip on his gun and pulled Rei behind him to shield her with his body. In the center of the room lay old, burnt-out candles and books whose pages were nearly completely charred. On the floor, a circle was drawn, surrounding other geometric symbols. It was immediately clear that some dark, forbidden ritual had been performed there.
"What happened here? Is this where someone invited a demon into this world?" Rei asked, preparing her charm papers.
"Probably not. This looks like a transformation zone, not a gateway. Someone was transformed here. It might not even be related to the one we're looking for. And put away those ofuda. I told you, you shouldn't use them yet."
"Alright, alright…" Rei agreed reluctantly. "Did you find anything that could explain the encounter with the ghost?" she asked.
"No, but we know for sure that a girl died here, and someone couldn't accept it. Maybe that drove the woman to contact a demon and bring it into this world. It's also possible that the demon was responsible for the child's death, and the woman used magic, turned into something monstrous, just to get revenge."
"So, more questions, no answers," Rei summed up.
"Exactly. Let's get out of here. Like you said earlier, this place is soaked in sorrow and tears, and maybe even a deep, seething hatred."
As they stepped out of the ruins, the midday sun greeted them, reigning over the city.
"Now, I'm going to try to meet with Masanori and ask him everything he knows. I hope this time he'll be honest with me." Rei announced.
"Do you want me to cover you?" Dale asked seriously.
"Come on, he's just one guy."
"Appearances can be deceiving; you might be in danger."
"No, I don't want him to see you. He thinks you're some creep who was following me. It's better if I meet him alone." Rei was stubborn again.
"Alright, if that's what you want. But be careful. You need to get back to the hotel before dark, or I won't be able to protect you."
"Got it." Rei waved goodbye as she walked away from him. She pulled out her phone and tried calling the number Masanori had given her the day before.
"Masanori? Is that you?" she asked when someone answered on the other end. "Listen, could we meet up today?"
Masanori smiled widely. "Rei, I'm glad you called. When?"
"I'm not sure, but the sooner the better. I need to talk to you about something very important."
"Alright, could you come to my place?"
"And how would I know where you live? I've never been there," Rei said aloud, catching the attention of a woman passing by.
"Rei… Oh, right, you wouldn't know. Where are you now?" Masanori could not gather his thoughts for some reason.
"Outside that old woman's house, near the café where we met last time."
"Get on the bus. There's only one line, so you won't get lost. Ride for three stops and get off at the fourth. I'll be waiting for you. Thanks for calling."
"Okay, see you soon." Rei replied, ending the call. She walked over to the bus stop, just as Masanori had instructed. She waited for the bus for several minutes, seeking shelter from the blazing sun under the small wooden canopy. Her thoughts drifted back to what she had seen in the abandoned house, trying to recall the face of the golden-haired child she had encountered in her dream the previous night.
The bus pulled up, and the doors opened immediately. The driver leaned out of the window, urging Rei to snap out of her thoughts.
"Are you getting on or not?" he said, waving his hand.
"Yes... sorry," she replied quickly, stepping inside. The interior was just as hot as outside, with the added discomfort of stale air. Rei noticed that besides her and the driver, there was only one other passenger, an elderly woman. She chose a seat at the opposite end of the bus, preferring to keep her distance and avoid any conversation. Rei sighed, recalling her long and uncomfortable journey to the town. Counting down the stops, she awaited the one that mattered. She peered out the window, searching for the familiar face of the boy. After several minutes, she finally saw him, signaling that she had reached her destination. She swiftly exited the bus, escaping the stifling heat inside. Outside, she was greeted by a gentle breeze that brought much-needed relief from the summer heat.
"Hey, Rei! You got here quickly," Masanori said as he approached her with a noticeable smile.
"It wasn't hard," she replied, returning the smile.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, with a hint of concern in his voice.
"Much better than yesterday. I think I'll be fully recovered soon."
"That's great," he said with relief.
"Masanori, we need to talk. It's really important."
"Alright, you mentioned that earlier. Let's go to my place, and you can tell me everything, okay?"
"Agreed. Do you live far from here?"
"No, it's close by. Just a few minutes' walk. Come on, I'll show you the way."
Masanori and Rei quickly reached his apartment. She glanced around inside, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. The room was furnished typically with a table, chairs, a bed, and a small bookshelf. Masanori asked her to sit on the couch while he went to the kitchen to get something to drink. When he returned, he sat down next to her.
"Thanks for deciding to visit," he said.
"You're probably going to say I should know this place because we used to meet here when we were kids?"
"No, not really. You've never been here before. At least, not that I can remember."
Rei smiled slightly at his comment, but her expression soon turned serious. "Masanori, I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I need to know. Please answer my questions."
"Of course. What do you want to know?" Masanori asked, not expecting what she might be getting at.
"The fact that I ran into you on my first day here — that wasn't just a coincidence, was it?"
"What are you talking about? Of course it was a coincidence. How could I have known you'd show up in our town?" he replied, laughing, though his laughter seemed uneasy.
"But I don't really believe in coincidences. Why did you tell me to sleep and shut the window that night? Why did you react so strangely when I told you about my dream? What's going on here, Masanori? What are you hiding from me? Please, answer me. There's no time for games."
The dark-haired guy stood up from the couch, as if trying to distance himself from the uncomfortable questions. "Rei! Are you sure you're feeling okay? What are you even talking about?"
"You knew what could happen that night. You knew about that bizarre procession haunting this town. Who are they? Where did they come from?" Rei stood up too, her voice growing more tense.
"Rei, what's happening to you?" Masanori looked genuinely concerned.
"Who was the little girl who played with us? What happened to her? Did she live in that abandoned house? What happened when we were kids?"
"Rei, I like you because I have great childhood memories of you. But this time, you've really crossed the line. Let's change the subject, please."
"I won't! Yesterday, I went through hell because of that procession. Last night, I was sick — terribly sick — and who knows what would've happened if someone hadn't helped me. And you warned me about the cold at night. You wanted to tell me something more, didn't you?"
"This is too much. I didn't know you had problems with your head. I'm not going to let you talk this nonsense in my home, especially not directed at me. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Really. Rei, leave my house. Please." Masanori's voice was firm, but Rei noticed the unease in it.
"Fine, if that's what you want. I'll find out what's going on here, with or without your help. Goodbye, and thanks for meeting me at the café yesterday. I thought we could be friends, but I guess… sometimes I misjudge people." She moved toward the door.
"Don't come back here again," Masanori said as a parting shot.
"I don't plan to." Rei added, ending the conversation as she walked out of his apartment. Masanori leaned against the door.
"I tried to protect you, you fool..." he muttered through clenched teeth.
In the evening, Rei lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Once again, she couldn't fall asleep. The reasons for her insomnia were manifold: the oppressive heat of a summer night, the lingering stress from everything that had happened recently — especially the less-than-successful conversation with her old acquaintance — or perhaps something more elusive, like the influence of a demon lurking nearby, or the illness that still might be lying dormant, waiting for the right moment to strike. She tried to occupy her mind by focusing on the shadows of trees dancing on the walls and ceiling in time with the wind. She gave them names and hidden meanings, trying to distract herself from the fear creeping in. She didn't want to see the strange lights outside her window again, to hear the blood-chilling rhymes and the whispers repeating her name. She hoped those bizarre phenomena wouldn't return tonight. Her thoughts drifted back to the morning conversation with Arthur, who had spoken of the Golden Millennium and the Martian Living Flame. She smiled at the thought of his wild theories, but quickly reminded herself that Arthur knew details about her abilities and past. Maybe there was more to his stories than just fantasy? He had mentioned a fragment of the Martian flame that was supposedly inside her, a fire that was a living entity, transcending the boundaries of time and space. Was it because of this flame that she had possessed supernatural abilities since childhood? Visions of future events, prophetic dreams? Was it why she could see things invisible to others, even before her first transformation? Arthur had said that through meditation, she could reach this flame, communicate with it, and get to know it better. Rei had meditated many times before, but she had never thought of her inner fire as a living being. She had never tried to engage with it. She closed her eyes, trying to slip into a trance, to delve deep within herself, to reach the spark that was said to exist somewhere in the depths of her soul.
She quieted her mind, shutting out the sounds coming from outside the window and from other rooms in the hotel. She imagined herself floating naked in a boundless void filled with a cold that contrasted sharply with the warmth surrounding her physical body. She focused all her attention on one goal: to bring forth the spark of the Flame and make contact with it. Time seemed to stretch into infinity, and nothing happened. But Rei was stubborn; she didn't break her meditation. Finally, her persistence paid off. Under her clasped hands, at the place of her heart, a light began to glow. At first small and shapeless, it quickly took on the form of a vivid, red flame. Rei clearly felt a presence — a closeness to some bodiless, yet conscious entity. The girl blinked, trying to navigate through the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in her mind. She felt the flame within her flicker gently, illuminating the space around her like a warm lantern in the dark. She knew this wasn't just ordinary warmth — it was something more, something that seemed alive.
"Who are you? Have you been with me all this time? Have you been by my side my whole life?" she asked, feeling the heat of the fire wrap around her heart. The flame responded with a soft glow, and in that moment, visions began to flood her mind —I mages from the past, as vivid as if they were happening all over again. She saw herself hurling a fireball, watching a flaming bird soar towards an enemy. She felt fiery discs forming in her hands, and her arm muscles tensed as if drawing a flaming bow. Each of these scenes returned to her with stunning clarity, reminding her of the magic she wielded. In this sudden rush of memories, she realized she had always known that the fire she commanded was more than just a tool of battle. It was part of some ancient, forgotten knowledge that had survived eons, transcending time and space.
"Now I understand," she said, smiling to herself. Dale Knight hadn't lied to her. If the fire was real, perhaps the story of the Golden Millennium held a grain of truth as well. "Do you really see beyond time and space?" she asked, delving into her subconscious, searching for answers that might have been hidden there for years. "If so, please show me what happened when I was a little girl. What did I do in this town all those years ago? I need to know the truth," she murmured, as she reached out and let her hands immerse in the flame dancing before her.
Then she heard it. A strange, electronic sound, as if coming from another world, began to grow louder until it reached the flame and dispersed it, like a powerful wind snuffing out a candle. Rei was abruptly pulled back to reality, her heart pounding as she realized the sound had a very mundane source. Her cell phone was ringing on the desk. Still dazed, she picked it up and answered. It turned out Masanori was trying to reach her.
„It's the middle of the night!" Rei's irritation was palpable as her meditative trance was abruptly shattered.
"Rei, you have to listen to me! You're in grave danger! I didn't tell you the whole truth — I didn't tell you what really happened in the park that day! That woman… that woman wants revenge on you! She orchestrated everything… and I was part of it… Rei, please, forgive me!"
"What woman? What are you talking about? Speak slower, I can't understand anything you're saying!"
"There's no time! Rei, they're already here! Your arrival has set everything in motion, and there's no stopping it now! Rei, you have to run while you still can! Rei!" The call abruptly cut off, leaving Rei in a whirlpool of confusion and fear.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she stood frozen, the phone still clutched in her hand. Masanori's panicked words echoed in her mind, and a chill ran down her spine. She didn't know what to do, but one thing was clear — Masanori was in trouble. Despite everything that had happened between them, she couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt. Rei was a warrior; she couldn't back down from a fight, even if it meant facing the dark magic that threatened to awaken the virus dormant within her. Determined, she grabbed her backpack filled with magical charms and bolted out of the room, not bothering to lock the door behind her.
It was just before eleven at night, and Rei hoped she could catch a bus in time to reach Masanori's apartment. She sprinted through the shadowy streets, where streetlights cast cold beams onto the pavement, and puddles reflected the neon glow of nearby cafés. The area was eerily deserted, with only two cars passing her as she ran. The urgency in her steps grew with every second, the fear gnawing at her that she might be too late.
At the same time, Dale Knight, driven by an ancient instinct, decided to check on his new companion. When he reached the floor where her room was located, he clenched his fists in anger. The open door was a clear sign — Rei hadn't heeded his warnings and had ventured out into the night, leaving nothing behind but an unsettling emptiness.
"Fuck! You fool!" he cursed through gritted teeth, heading back to grab his weapon. He knew there was no time to waste now.
Meanwhile, a large bus pulled up to the stop, and Rei quickly took a seat at the very back of the vehicle. She was the only passenger, which only deepened her unease. She stared out the dirty window, where the light from the street lamps flickered in irregular patterns, casting the surroundings in an eerie light. Time seemed to stretch, each second feeling like a minute, each minute like an hour. Yet something inside her whispered that it wasn't time but the space around her that was shifting. As she gazed out the window, Rei realized that the landscape passing before her eyes was nothing like what she remembered from the day before. It was growing darker, as if the bus was heading into the heart of some unknown, alien place. The trees grew thicker, their shadows forming dark shapes that seemed to watch her with unsettling attention. Her heart began to race, a cold shiver running down her spine. Fear started to creep into her mind, but she struggled to maintain some semblance of composure. She rose from her seat, feeling as if the air in the bus had suddenly thickened, each step she took becoming heavier. Unable to bear the rising panic any longer, she rushed to the driver, desperately seeking answers.
"Excuse me, but I thought this bus was headed into the city. Did something change?" Rei asked, trying to keep the rising tension out of her voice.
The driver slowly turned to face her, revealing a horrifying truth: instead of a human face, a rooster's beak and comb adorned his head. Rei instinctively stepped back, her heart pounding faster. "Damn it! I've walked straight into a trap," she thought.
The rooster-headed driver let out a loud crow, the sound echoing through the empty bus, and the vehicle's doors abruptly swung open. In an instant, Rei found herself outside, not sure if it was instinct or the force of his voice that had driven her to flee. She hesitated, considering her options. She could either return to the bus and face the bizarre creature behind the wheel or take her chances by venturing into the dark, unknown forest. She chose the latter, knowing that a confrontation with the rooster-man could lead to an unpredictable magical battle she wasn't prepared for.
As she walked along the narrow, unlit path, Rei began to notice something strangely familiar about the surrounding landscape. After a moment, it dawned on her – this place resembled one of the nightmares that had haunted her in the past. In the dream, she had chased a little girl running through a dense thicket of dark underbrush. Everything had felt so real, as if it wasn't just a mere nightmare, but something more – a distant, forgotten memory now surfacing in this eerie reality. To her astonishment, the path she was following looked exactly like the one from her dream. Could it be that the dream had been prophetic? Despite her uncertainty, Rei pressed on until she reached the entrance to an abandoned amusement park.
As she crossed the rusty gate, the lights on a distant carousel suddenly flickered to life, followed by the illumination of the Ferris wheel and the decaying ruins of a roller coaster. From deep within the wooden attractions, a strange mix of sounds began to emerge – music, children's laughter, the shouts of carnival workers. The entire place seemed to spring back to life, bathed in the artificial glow of lights in the darkness of the night. But what her senses registered was only an illusion. There was no one around, not a single living soul. All the noises – the laughter, the screams, the music – sounded unnatural, as if they were being played from a hidden tape recorder, creating a terrifying illusion of life in a place that had long been dead.
Soon, Rei realized she was not alone. From every corner of the dilapidated amusement park, strange and unsettling figures began to emerge, each more bizarre than the last. The first to catch her eye was a grotesquely obese woman, her body spilling out of a faded, floral dress that strained at the seams. A thick, dark beard covered her face, contrasting sharply with her smeared, garish makeup. She moved with a surprising grace for her size, her black eyes glinting with a predatory interest as they fixed on Rei. Looming beside her was a hulking brute, his muscular frame covered in faded tattoos. His head was shaved completely bald, except for a jagged scar that ran from his temple to his jawline, twisting his face into a permanent, grotesque sneer. He cracked his knuckles loudly, the sound echoing ominously in the otherwise silent park. A small, hunched figure scuttled forward, drawing Rei's gaze. It was a dwarf, dressed in a white dress that looked like it had been stitched together from old bedsheets. In her hand, she clutched a chain, at the end of which snarled a two-headed dog. The creature's eyes glowed red, saliva dripping from its fanged mouths as it growled lowly at Rei. The dwarf grinned, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth, her eyes glinting with malicious glee.
More figures appeared, stepping out of the shadows like actors in a nightmarish play. A troupe of clowns, their clothes tattered and stained, advanced slowly, their faces painted with exaggerated, sinister smiles. Their eyes, hidden behind fake, round noses, seemed to bore into Rei, unblinking and unnerving. One of them, taller and lankier than the rest, juggled sharp, gleaming knives with a twisted precision, never once breaking eye contact with her. To her left, Rei noticed a woman moving in a strange, disjointed dance. Her body was lean and elongated, but most disturbingly, she had three legs. The third leg, positioned grotesquely from her hip, moved in perfect coordination with the others, giving her an unnatural, hypnotic grace. She took a drag from a cigarette, blowing the smoke towards Rei in thin, curling tendrils, her eyes half-lidded and predatory. Further down the midway, more performers joined the grotesque parade. Fire-breathers, their mouths spewing flames that licked the night air, danced in circles around grotesque mannequins dressed in ragged costumes. Jugglers, their faces painted in ghostly whites and deep blacks, tossed flaming torches high into the air, the light flickering ominously against the decaying structures around them.
As the strange figures closed in, the air grew thick with tension. The laughter from the unseen crowds grew louder, more mocking, until it echoed through the park like a cruel joke played on an unwilling participant. The ruined amusement park, with its once-joyful rides now twisted into grotesque parodies of their former selves, had come alive with a sinister energy. Each of the strange beings bore down on Rei, their eyes gleaming with a malevolent hunger. Her heart raced. She knew these weren't ordinary people; they were something else entirely, something dark and otherworldly. She was surrounded by an eerie circus of horrors, and escape seemed impossible. Rei knew these bizarre individuals had no good intentions toward her.
But Rei was not one to back down easily. She squared her shoulders, tightening her grip on her pack of magical talismans. The chill of fear that had gripped her began to thaw, replaced by a simmering resolve. She had come too far to be defeated by illusions or freakish monstrosities. As the first of the strange figures moved to close the distance between them, Rei's eyes narrowed, and her mind sharpened. Whatever this place was, she would face it head-on, no matter what nightmares awaited her in the heart of this twisted carnival. She quickly pulled an ofuda from her backpack, preparing herself for defense. Her hand trembled slightly, but her gaze remained steady as she focused on the approaching figures. One of the clowns, tall and lanky, moved with an unsettling agility. His long limbs seemed almost boneless, bending in unnatural ways. His twisted face, with an unnervingly large smile painted across a pale canvas, came closer with each step, his eyes gleaming with something otherworldly. The obese woman, whose face was partially hidden behind a curtain of greasy curls, lumbered toward her like a massive shadow. Her multiple chins quivered with each heavy step, and a low, animalistic growl rumbled from her broad chest, as if she was preparing to strike. Her thick fingers, tipped with scarlet nails, reached out, nearly grazing Rei's skin as she moved ever closer. The three-legged dancer twirled closer, her cigarette trailing a thick cloud of smoke that began to envelop Rei like sticky tendrils. The two-headed dog by the dwarf's side snarled and whimpered alternately, one of its drooling mouths dripping saliva onto the ground. The dwarf grinned wickedly, her eyes gleaming with malevolent glee.
Rei hastily whispered her incantation, "Rin, pyou..." – but she couldn't finish. A sudden, excruciating pain exploded in her head, as if someone had driven a searing hot spike into her skull. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her forehead, and the ofuda slipped from her grasp, landing in the mud beside her fallen backpack. The pain was overwhelming, drowning out all her thoughts, as if something was trying to take control of her mind. The figures moved in closer, surrounding her, circling like vultures around a dying prey. They swayed from side to side in a grotesque rhythm, as if inviting her into a twisted dance. There was something hypnotic about their movements, something that slowly drew Rei deeper into this surreal nightmare. The clown, who had been merely a menacing silhouette before, now loomed over her, his painted smile filling Rei's vision. Behind him, more faces appeared – eyes wide and wild, some half-closed in a perverse ecstasy. She heard cackling, a low, beastly roar, and in the background, something else – the eerie sound of children singing, their words forming a nonsensical rhyme that sent chills down her spine. The voices in her head grew louder, her thoughts clashing in a chaotic swirl. She felt as if she was being torn in two – one part of her desperately fighting, the other beginning to succumb to the dark power of this place.
"I should have listened to Knight…" – the thought flickered briefly, but it was just an echo, distant and drowned out by the growing cacophony. The grotesque crowd pressed closer, their presence becoming more suffocating by the moment. Rei could feel the ground beneath her feet starting to give way, as if the world around her was slipping into a nightmarish abyss. With the last shred of her consciousness, she realized that this grotesque dance, this twisted game, was their trap, designed to weaken her will and pull her into the darkness.
At the same moment, a bald demon hunter stood outside Masanori's apartment, pounding on the door with increasing force. Each strike echoed through the quiet hallway, growing louder and more insistent. He needed to confront the man and had no intention of leaving until Masanori answered. If it came to it, he was prepared to break down the door to get inside.
After what felt like an eternity, Masanori finally opened the door, his eyes heavy with sleep.
"What's the meaning of this? Who are you? Don't you know what time it is?" he demanded, his voice thick with irritation.
"Where is Rei Hino?" Dale's tone was sharp, brooking no nonsense.
"Who? And how do you know her? How do you know me?" Masanori's confusion was genuine — or at least, it seemed to be.
"I don't have time for this. She's in grave danger! She could die, and it's all because of you!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, man! Leave me alone!" Masanori snapped, trying to close the door and shut out the intruder.
"You called her in the middle of the night, feeding her lies! Don't play innocent with me — I have it all recorded!" Arthur's voice cut through the air like a blade, unyielding. "I know everything," he added. Masanori's face twisted with confusion, and then, something broke inside him. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.
"You don't understand!" Masanori choked out, his voice cracking. "I had to do it... I had to... The cycle had to end, or she wouldn't let me live in peace! I couldn't take it anymore!" He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking.
"Enough talk. You're coming with me, and you're going to show me where she is. Do you understand?" The bald hunter's tone was icy, laced with undisguised contempt.
"No, you don't get it! I can't go back there!" Masanori's voice was tinged with desperation, his eyes wide with fear.
"You misunderstand me. This isn't a request," Knight replied, his voice as cold and hard as steel. He grabbed Masanori by the arm, pulling him out of the apartment and steering him toward the stairwell, leaving no room for argument.
Rei, summoning the last of her strength despite the pounding headache and the cacophony of voices screaming in her mind, managed to stand up. She shoved one of the circus clowns away and bolted for her life. Her legs felt like jelly, and the world around her spun wildly, like a deranged carousel. The music blaring in her ears grew faster, more frenzied, completely devoid of rhythm. She felt the end was near, convinced that the virus the bald man had warned her about had finally invaded her brain. The irony struck her with a cold shiver — she had survived alien invasions, confrontations with beings from both past and future, only to be undone by a group of circus freaks. Despite everything, she allowed herself a small smile, hoping that Arthur Dale Knight would soon avenge her and take down every last one of those twisted creatures.
Dale and Masanori sped through the shadowed forest in the bald man's Jeep, the roar of the engine cutting through the still night air. As they approached the bus parked at the forest's edge, a figure emerged from the darkness—a man with the head of a rooster. He stood in the middle of the road, flapping his arms and crowing wildly, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"Move, you freak," Dale muttered under his breath, pressing his foot harder on the accelerator. But the rooster-headed man remained in place, his crowing growing louder and more desperate, as if he believed he could scare them away. Dale had no intention of stopping. The Jeep hurtled forward, and at the last moment, the man-bird leapt into the bushes, narrowly avoiding a brutal end under the vehicle's tires. As they sped past, more figures began to emerge from the shadows. A grotesquely tall man with limbs that seemed too long for his body appeared on the side of the road, waving his arms like windmills. His face was hidden beneath a featureless, white mask, and he moved with an unnatural, jerky gait. From the other side, a group of three clowns with smeared makeup and ragged clothes stumbled onto the road, their movements disjointed and erratic. One of them juggled broken bottles, the glass shards catching the moonlight as they spun through the air. Another rode a unicycle, wobbling precariously, while the third pulled a tattered banner across the road, as if trying to block their path. Undeterred, Dale swerved around the clowns, the Jeep's tires skidding on the loose gravel. The tall man tried to lunge at the vehicle, his unnaturally long arms reaching out to grab the roof, but Dale expertly maneuvered the Jeep out of his reach. As they closed in on the bus, a final figure emerged — a woman with the body of a contortionist, her limbs twisted into impossible angles. She slithered across the road like a snake, her eyes locked onto the oncoming vehicle. Her mouth stretched into an unnaturally wide grin, revealing rows of sharp, pointed accelerated again, steering the Jeep straight at her. For a moment, it seemed as though she might actually block their way, but at the last second, she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the vehicle. They finally reached the bus, its hulking form looming ahead in the moonlit clearing. Dale skidded the Jeep to a stop, the bizarre figures now a memory in the rearview mirror. Both men jumped out, the air thick with tension as they prepared to face whatever horrors awaited them next.
Rei was kneeling on the cold, damp ground, surrounded by grotesque figures that seemed to have emerged from the deepest corners of nightmares. Their faces shifted before her eyes like images on an old, time-worn film reel — blurred, distorted, almost surreal. The music, laughter, and terrifying voices grew louder, saturating her mind to the point of breaking, pushing out any thoughts she still had left.
"What is this all about?" she thought, as tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks. She felt helpless, lost, and her body refused to obey, paralyzed by fear and the strange magic that enveloped this place.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine echoed in the distance, and headlights cut through the darkness. A jeep sped into the square, with the bald demon hunter at the wheel. Masanori, sitting beside him, felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he looked at the scene before them. The colorful, flickering lights of the ruined amusement park and the grotesque figures, permanent residents of his worst nightmares, made him want to turn and run.
"This can't be real... this can't be happening..." he repeated to himself, but everything around him only confirmed the terrifying reality they found themselves in.
Dale Knight jumped out of the car without hesitation. The sight of Rei in distress made the blood in his veins boil with rage.
"Get away from her, you motherfuckers!" he shouted, pulling out his weapon, its barrel gleaming in the moonlight. The grotesque figures, momentarily thrown off balance, turned towards him. Their gazes were empty, devoid of any sign of humanity, as if they didn't understand the threat approaching them.
"I said, fuck off!" Dale repeated, aiming at one of the grotesque clowns with a twisted smile, drooling from the mouth. He pulled the trigger, and the sound of the shot tore through the night air. The enchanted bullet cut through the air, striking the clown in the chest. The jester let out a horrifying, inhuman scream before collapsing dead to the ground. Without waiting for the others to react, Dale turned and fired again, this time at the fire-breather. The figure staggered back, clutching his chest, from which smoke immediately began to billow. Moments later, he exploded in a bright, blinding flame that briefly illuminated the entire area. The bizarre figures recoiled in terror, stunned by the brutality of the attack. Their grotesque confidence was shattered. They began to scatter in panic, hiding behind the crumbling buildings and bushes, trying to disappear from sight.
However, not all were ready to flee. New creatures emerged from the darkness — a giant, terrifying mime with a body covered in black latex and a face painted white. His movements were stiff, mechanical, and his eyes glared at Dale with hatred. Beside him, a woman-octopus emerged from the shadows, her tentacles, covered in sharp spikes, moving with incredible agility. Her face was hidden beneath a menacing mask, from which only her glowing green eyes were visible. Though surrounded, Dale took a deep breath and prepared for the next battle, knowing he couldn't allow anything to stand in his way of saving Rei. The gigantic mime, moving like a wind-up toy, raised a hand with fingers ending in long, steel claws. Meanwhile, the octopus-woman was closing in from the other side, her tentacles dancing in the air as if they could smell blood. The mime struck first, his heavy steps shaking the ground. Dale, familiar with his slow, predictable movements, easily dodged the attack. The mime's steel claws sliced through the air where the demon hunter had just been standing, leaving slashes in the air that seemed to vibrate with the force of the blow.
"Is that all you've got?" Dale hissed through his teeth, casting a quick glance at the octopus-woman, who was preparing to strike. The mime turned stiffly, emitting a grating sound as if his internal mechanisms were working at their limit. A deep, almost mechanical laugh emerged from his mouth, echoing through the ruins of the amusement park. At that moment, the octopus-woman attacked, sending her tentacles flying toward Dale. They were fast, flexible, and deadly, each of her movements precisely aimed, as if programmed to kill. The first tentacle whipped toward his legs, attempting to sweep him off his feet by surprise. Dale, however, managed to dodge to the side, simultaneously pulling a second pistol from its holster, which glinted in the darkness.
"Last chance to back off," he warned, though he knew that the creatures he was facing didn't know the meaning of fear. The octopus-woman only hissed in response, revealing razor-sharp teeth that seemed to gleam in the dim light. Her tentacles shot forward again, this time two at once, aiming to grasp his hands and disarm him. But Dale was prepared. He twisted on the spot, dodging one attack, and caught the other tentacle in mid-air, twisting it in a powerful grip. The woman howled in pain, trying to break free, but then Dale pulled the trigger, sending a burst of magical bullets straight into her torso. The force of the impact was crushing. The octopus-woman staggered, her tentacles dropping lifelessly to the ground, and she herself let out a final, agony-filled hiss before collapsing to the ground, melting into a black puddle that quickly seeped into the earth.
Before Dale could catch his breath, the mime attacked again. This time his movements were faster, more aggressive, as if desperation was fueling his mechanical body. The demon hunter raised both pistols, but the mime was already too close. With a single powerful blow, the creature knocked him to the ground, and its steel claws glinted in the air, ready to deliver a fatal strike. Dale reacted in the nick of time. He made a quick move with his hand, pulling out a dagger hidden behind his belt, and with one swift motion, slashed through the mechanical cables connecting the mime's arm to his torso. The steel claws halted a fraction of an inch from the hunter's face as the massive arm fell lifelessly to the ground. Not giving the mime a chance to react, Dale rolled to the side and fired straight at the creature's heart. The bullets struck their target with a thunderous impact, and the mime shuddered as his mechanical innards exploded with sparks before the body collapsed to the ground, emitting a final, grating breath.
"What are you waiting for?!" the bald man shouted at Masanori, who stood frozen, watching the chaos unfold around him.
"Go get her! We're getting out of here!" he yelled again, his voice filled with urgency. Masanori hurried over to Rei, helping her to her feet and guiding her towards the car. Dale glanced briefly at the dark-haired girl.
"Rei, what's happening to you?" Masanori asked, his voice trembling with concern. She didn't respond, not even looking in his direction, hiding her face behind a curtain of black hair. "What happened to her?!" the young guy turned to the demon hunter, his tone desperate.
"Evil magic has reached her mind," the bald man replied, watching as Rei buried her face in her hands, as if trying to escape or hide from the world. "We might have arrived just a moment too late."
The jeep roared to life, heading back down the road, leaving behind the strange lights and sounds of the long-abandoned amusement park, resurrected by some dark, ancient power. Rei still saw the spinning faces of grotesque figures before her eyes, and her mind was overwhelmed by a cacophony of sounds, among which her own name echoed repeatedly.