Curse of Ignorance Ch 1
Reincarnation. It is a term describing the concept of being born again in a new body after death. It features prominently in the Hindu and Buddhist religions, but in these modern times, it is used most often as a cheap way to begin a story. The main character suddenly dies, ripping them from their boring, normal life to a world full of magic and adventure. Just like those cheap, dime a dozen stories that I read so much, my story also begins with reincarnation.
I died. It wasn't a spectacular death. I didn't save a child at the cost of my life or anything dramatic like that. It was a car crash. It was a death as common as you can get. And after that death, came an unexpected new life.
The transition to my second life wasn't instant. I lived my life as a normal child for around two years before the memories from my past life came filtering back.
Despite the miraculous situation, though, I was disappointed by the fact that the circumstances of my new life were hardly anything special. I was reborn as Gosho Kei, the first child of my father, Gosho Toshio, and my mother, Gosho Aiko, in Tokyo, Japan. I wasn't reborn into a fantasy world with swords and magic. It was the same old Earth that I knew. The only thing remotely special about the situation was that I was born in 1994, which is before my date of birth in my first life. Or at least, I thought that was the only thing that was special.
Three years passed after the return of my past life's memories without any incident. During these three years, I came to terms with the fact that my reincarnation wasn't the prelude to some grand, epic adventure like in the stories that I read. I wasn't anybody special before my death. Heck, beyond the fact that I have the memories of my past life, I'm not anyone special right now. The world I was reborn in wasn't anything special. I just had to content myself with the fact that against all odds, I had a second chance. Instead of spending my time uselessly hoping to be a protagonist of a story, I spent my days enjoying normal life, particularly going to the library and reading books. Some things just don't change, even after death.
After three years without incident, I had my first encounter with the supernatural.
It was a busy Saturday afternoon. My parents and I were walking back home from a day spent outside, weaving through the crowds of people in the streets of Tokyo. I was holding mom's hand, making sure that I wouldn't get separated by the press of the crowd. That was when I saw the monster.
It was an ugly thing, a monster that was only humanoid in the vaguest sense. It was grotesquely tall, standing head and shoulders above the crowd it was sitting in due to an absurdly long neck. Bluish-purple skin that was reminiscent of bruises covered its unclothed body from head to toe. It cried out in a distorted, wavering voice.
"Excuse me… excuse me…"
No one turned around to look for the source of the voice. No one was shocked at the fact that there was a monster in their presence. It was a monster that, as far as I could tell, only I could see. That is, until someone drop kicked it in the neck with the force of a speeding train.
The monster was flung into a nearby building, causing an explosion of dust and debris to erupt from the impact site. That, at least, got people's attention. Panic quickly spread through the crowd. I could hear screams and questions coming from all directions.
"What was that!?"
"An explosion?"
"Let's get out of here!"
I felt a tug on my hand. It was mom. Her face seemed worried, but she tried to hide it from me with a smile.
"Kei, come on, let's go home."
I followed her, feeling numb inside. What was that? Who was that? What do I do, now that my world has been turned upside down?
Three days later, I was still reeling from the events from that day. My thoughts were constantly swirling with questions that had no answer. I knew that I should just stop thinking about it, but it was easier said than done. Every time I had an idle moment, my thoughts invariably went back to the monster. I was in this state again this evening, sitting on the couch of our living room, when a knock came at the door.
That's strange, I thought. Who could that be? The possibilities ran through my mind.
It can't be Mrs. Fujita from next door, she rings the doorbell instead of knocking. Could it be the NHK guy? He just came by recently, so it can't be him. An Amazon delivery guy? Amazon doesn't even do delivery yet, so it can't be that.
I had no idea who could be at the door. While these thoughts ran through my head, dad opened the door, revealing a handsome blonde man in a suit. He gave us a perfectly attractive smile, yet I was put off by it. Looking at mom and dad, it doesn't seem like they got the same vibe as I did.
"Hello, is this Gosho? My name is Amano Ken, and I would like to offer a great opportunity to you and your son."
As soon as he started talking, that disturbing feeling was replaced by interest in what he was saying.
"Actually, I represent a technical school located in Tokyo, and we noticed that your son has a great talent. We wanted to offer your son a place in our elementary school in the coming academic year."
He pulled out a map from his pocket and unfolded it.
"If you look over here," he pointed at the map. "This is where our school is located. I know it is quite far from your home, being on the outskirts of Tokyo, but for families like yourself who would face an hour or more of commute time, we have dorms that your child can stay at, free of charge."
From there, he continued to spew out all the benefits that this school had. I began to tune him out, but I still heard a lot of attractive things.
"Our school also has a middle and high school section, passing in the highest grade of one section means automatic admittance to the next… We have a lot of connections to the industry, if your son graduates from our high school, we can guarantee a job in the future… We have in-house martial arts instructors, and we also have people that teach kendo and archery… Here are some statistics on our students' exam scores… "
Eventually, he stopped talking. Even though he talked almost non-stop, he didn't seem out of breath at all. He fished a business card out of his pocket and handed it to dad.
"This is my business card. Once you have made a decision, you can contact me through this phone number. Even if you haven't made a decision, you can call me and we can arrange a tour of the school, if you would like to."
With that, the door closed and we were left to contemplate this sudden offer.
The household was split.
Dad was in favor of sending me to this school. He was drawn in by the promise of all the benefits that this school offered and the allure of a guaranteed future for me. I was too, so I can't blame him.
Mom didn't want me to go, instead wanting me to go to some nice, local school that didn't require me to dorm. Because if I was going, I was definitely going to have to dorm. Spending more than an hour each way commuting just wasn't safe for a child.
I… didn't get a say in this. Because, again, I am just a five year old child to my parents. Definitely not someone you would trust to be able to make good decisions about their future.
We were all sitting in the living room in silence. Both sides of the argument have made their case. Now, it was just a matter of who would change their mind first.
Dad broke the silence first.
"How about this: Let's call the number on this card and arrange for a tour of the school. Maybe if we see it, one of us will change our minds."
Mom thought it over, but eventually agreed.
"Alright, I don't see any harm in it."
One phone call later, and our course was set. We would be touring the school the next weekend.
One week later, we made the journey to the school. Together, we walked to the station, rode the train, transferred to another train, and then walked the rest of the way to the school. This trip reaffirmed in all of our minds that if I was to go to this school, I would have to dorm there.
The school itself was located at the base of a mountain that had a winding set of stone steps going up its side. Instead of a singular building like I expected, it was more like a particularly small village, a walled-off set of traditional looking buildings. The scene was picturesque. Seeing the surrounding forest, smelling the fresh air, and hearing the sounds of nature convinced me that if I were to go to this school, it wouldn't be so bad.
The same guy who came to our doorstep to advertise this school to us, Mister Amano, was waiting at the gate that led inside the walls. Upon seeing us, he bowed.
"Greetings and welcome to our school. I am very glad that you have come here for a tour."
He led us inside and got on with the tour immediately, leading us along the cobblestone paths and pointing out various buildings to us.
"Let's head over to the student dorms so you can see where your child will be living if he decides to go here. On the way, I'll point out some buildings to you all."
We saw the cafeteria, which was a large building full of tables and chairs. The tables were normal sizes and shapes, not those long, folding rectangular tables from my past life's school. We saw the student dorms and looked at what my living situation would be like. It wasn't too bad. There was a good amount of space and places to store things. It even had a personal bathroom! We saw some classrooms. They were very typical: wooden desks and chairs, facing forward towards a chalkboard. Other buildings were only pointed out to us. The library. The gymnasium. The teacher's dorms.
All in all, the tour took around an hour and a half to complete. Whoever built this place really liked their open space, which this school makes use of as training fields for sports practice for the students. There was a lot of walking back and forth along cobblestone paths, listening to our tour guide talk our ear off about the history of this place and how beneficial it would be to go there.
Eventually, we made it back to the entrance. Our guide bowed and sent us off with a smile.
"Goodbye. I hope to see you again."
Overall, I would say that my impression was positive. It looked nice. Welcoming, even. Definitely expensive-looking. And I could go for free? Sign me up! Though, as always, my opinion didn't matter. It would all come down to this: Did the tour convince mom, who initially didn't want to let me out of her sight? Or will dad come to the conclusion that this school isn't worth it?
The living room was silent. My parents were contemplating deeply, weighing the possibilities, judging which decision would be best for my future. I fidgeted from my place on the couch, brimming with anticipation.
Unlike the last time that something similar happened, my mom was the one to break the silence.
"Okay, Kei can go to this technical school. I know that this is an opportunity too big to give up. But Kei-" Her attention suddenly turned to me. "- you better keep in touch! If you don't…" Her eyes started tearing up, seemingly from the idea of being separated from her child with no contact. I could only hurriedly respond in the affirmative. Refusing was not an option.
A short phone call later, and it was decided. I was going to the fancy technical school.
A couple of months later, I stood with my parents in front of the same gate as before. While mom was sniffling and trying to hold back tears, dad was as stoic as ever. They handed me off to the same guy as before, Mister Amano, our one-time tour guide, with a few parting words.
"Make me proud."
"Remember to keep in touch!"
And with that, we were off, headed to the student dorms to my room to drop off my stuff. It was just the two of us. Gosho Kei and Amano Ken. Where were the rest of the new students? Before I could ponder on that further, Mister Amano's voice interrupted my train of thought.
"Hey, kiddo! I have an important secret! Want to hear it? If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone unless I say it's okay, understood?"
I was confused. What kind of conversation starter was this? You were speaking so well when advertising this school at our door and on the tour, too! Could it be, you were working off a prewritten script the whole time? And now that you're alone with someone else, you have nothing better to say? How pathetic can you be, man?
And more than that, his tone annoyed me. He pitched his voice way up high and tried to inject forced cheerfulness into his voice. It was like he was trying to talk to a two-year-old instead of the fully mature five years old that I was. But, sure. Whatever. I'll humor you and your social awkwardness.
"Sure!" I replied with my childish voice.
As soon as that word left my mouth, it felt like the world shifted and became a prison. I felt the sensation of chains wrapping around my short body, but when I looked down, there was nothing there. There was a sharp tug, and the chains tightened. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't blink. And suddenly, it was all over. The sensation of chains faded, and in its place, there was knowledge. The terms of the agreement are that I get to hear the secret and in return, I will not divulge the secret unless I am allowed to. Breaching the agreement will result in punishment.
"Oh, you felt that? I guess you are talented, after all. Good to know that I didn't waste all that time for nothing."
My head whipped around to look at the source of the voice. It was Mister Amano, but it looked like his expression became slimy in some indescribable way. And that voice! His tone was completely different from any of the times I had heard him before! He sounded… sinister.
"The secret is that this school isn't any normal school. It's a school for jujutsu sorcerers. Here, we train kids up and teach them to fight monsters called curses, which can't be seen by normal humans."
My mind immediately went back to the scene of a monster sitting in a crowd that was oblivious to its presence. But before I could draw any conclusions, the sensation of chains came back. They felt more real than before, in a way that I knew down to my very soul. Mister Amano's voice continued.
"What you're experiencing right now is a Binding Vow. In this version of it, two parties make an agreement, witnessed and enforced by the Heavens. Even I don't know what will happen if you break it, but I do know that it will be unpleasant."
The chains grew heavier.
"And what I'm doing right now is called Revealing One's Hand. It's a Binding Vow that I made with myself. In return for putting myself at a disadvantage by revealing a part of my abilities that the other party doesn't know about, my abilities grow stronger."
The chains grew even heavier.
"Well, that should be enough. Rest for today. Tomorrow, report to the classrooms by 7:00 AM. Your training will start then."
He left. When the sensation of chains faded, and I felt like I could breathe again, I realized that I was left in front of a door inside a building. The student dorm building? Was this my room? I left my stuff in front of the door and looked out a nearby window. Yep, looks like I'm in the student dorm building.
I opened the door. It looked just like the other room I saw on the tour. Well, I guess it's time to put all my stuff away. Only after that, will I begin to think about all the stuff that Mister Amano said. After that, I will sleep.