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The wooden floor creaked as Haruka tried collecting the remaining dust under the table, an annoyed grunt escaping her throat. Careful so the dust bunnies wouldn't fly away, she let the detritus along with the shovel fall in the bin.
”Alright, everything’s clean now.” she said with relief.
”Thank you so much for helping me, Satomi-chan, I think I would've been here all night if I had to do the cleaning by myself!”
Haruka threw a flustered glance at Mr Yujiro. She was never bothered by others referring to her by her family name, but still felt strange every time someone did, especially with how accustomed she became with being referred to as an Ito. Nevertheless, she gave a thumbs up, her expression changing into one of utmost confidence.
”Although….” Mr Yujiro pondered.
Her cool expression began melting into one of terror.
”Hmm, no I think I can leave that to my grandson for tomorrow.”
Haruka fell back on a chair, exhaling with absolute relief.
”I will say.” Mr Yujiro continued, “You didn't need to come in that uniform just to help me with cleaning the floor and tables.”
Haruka looked at herself, remembering that she was in a maid's outfit.
”It was Ao- I MEAN! I guess I just really wanted to commit to the act since there was just sooo much dust to clean h-haha. Especially since barely anyone comes around here…”
”True, true.” Mr Yujiro said as he rubbed the bottom of his chin.
“Most prefer the outside seats. My grandson suggested renovating the place into a cafeteria so the interior wouldn't be so empty all the time, but I am still a bit reluctant to go with that idea. After all, my shop is the greatest tea shop in all of Takamagahara and such drastic change would-”
Haruka rolled her eyes as she knew Mr Yujiro was beginning another one of his long ramblings, so to ease the incoming boredom she switched her view outside. While she would've preferred to head home as soon as she was done, she knew her plans had to be cut short due to the ominous weather outside. As far as the eye could see, the entire town was engulfed in a thick gray fog, the sky a dark blue abyss signaling the beginning of night time. While an eerie sight, fog was a harmless phenomena, simple water particles hanging in the air thanks to two temperature extremes meeting with each other. But it wasn't the event itself that instilled a sense of danger. In the age of man, fog was an inconvenience at best. In the age of machines, fog is a harbinger of doom. And an inconvenience at best. Such a benign event carrying whispers of horrors that traveled wherever the fog was carried across the land. Tales from outsiders of how the Inugami would use the cover of mist to hunt, the ghastly shroud foretelling their arrival, engulfing everything in its path and leaving a trail of death and decay. Such stories may have sounded outlandish, but the people of Takamagahara knew better, as those foolish enough to brave the rest of the Sengoku Badlands beyond the habitable zone returned to their motherland with similar tales, how on windless nights a creeping fog would appear out of nowhere, followed by horrific howls in the distance. How no one ever saw the Inugami until their burning amber eyes came rushing towards them. While the times where the demon dogs made their way into Takamagahara were never accompanied by thick fog, far too many similar stories and eye witness accounts began forming into myth and superstitions and slowly, foggy days became periods where everyone barricaded themselves into their homes, pulling the curtains and locking all doors, praying that the demon dogs wouldn't come barreling through the walls.
But it's not just the Inugami that many have started gossiping about in hushed tones. Tales of spider-like monsters with human faces, eyes as red as ripened cherries, creatures that resembled ice worms, but much bigger with mouths running down the length of their bodies, silent stalkers grasping at prey with mantis-like limbs before vanishing in the mist. Then there were the rumors of ghost towns appearing and then vanishing as soon as the fog cleared, strange locations that seemed to have been abandoned for no apparent reason, only for the sounds of tornado sirens to begin blaring in the distance, their wails halting once the weather cleared. Despite only a few villages falling to such mass hysteria, it was still undeniable that the mist now felt much more sinister every time it made its entrance onto the mortal plain.
A sudden burst of movement interrupted Haruka’s train of thoughts, causing her to flinch back and point the tip of the broom handle at the window.
”...and that's how my son met his wife.”, Mr Yujiro’s attention was directed back to Haruka now that he had finally finished his story, but all he saw was the drone taking on a defensive stance against an invisible enemy, holding her broom like she was ready to thrust it forward like a spear. And then he noticed the impenetrably thick fog outside.
”My, it's been a while since we've had weather like this.” his words snapping Haruka back to reality as she relaxed, lowering her guard down.
”Sorry, I thought I saw something outside.”
A new burst of movement was once more picked up by Haruka’s sensors, but this time the mysterious silhouette made its form much clearer as it approached the window. One more lazy hop and it was in full view. It was a shelled frog, its deep crimson eyes scanning the environment individually like a chameleon.
”Hm hm, seems like a lonely frog caught you in a chokehold, huh?” Mr Yujiro’s tone was a clearly playful one, but Haruka still felt a little embarrassed.
”Yeah, I understand that many of you are worried about the Inugami, but it's not a good reason to become this tense every time we get some foggy weather.”
”I suppose…” Haruka’s eyes trailed off as she tried to keep shame hidden.
”Although I will say, I would've preferred if you hadn't turned my broom into an improvised spear.” Mr Yujiro said as he looked at the tip of the broom with a raised eyebrow, taking in how Haruka managed to sharpen it to such a degree, he was able to punch a hole in a drawer with it.
”I uh, grew a bit bored while I was waiting for Megumi a few days ago, hehe..”
Still, Mr Yujiro was more impressed than upset by such craftsmanship. Turning his gaze back at the fog outside, he spoke once more, the soft tone returning to his voice.
”If you want to, you could sleep here since I doubt the weather's clearing any time soon, and it's getting pretty late.”, the digital clock on his HUD indicating 10:05 PM.
Haruka felt somewhat conflicted, she never gave any credence to the rumors that didn't involve the Inugami, and yet for some reason she still didn't feel like she wanted to test her luck.
”Fine. I suppose I'm gonna crash here tonight. But can I sleep on the sofa?”
”Go right ahead, young one. Make yourself at home.”
With Mr Yujiro heading for the kitchen, Haruka threw herself into the sofa she had spent countless times watching shows or playing video games, sinking into it like a cloud of cotton, the piece of furniture being one of the main reasons she even visited the tea shop. While preparing his signature tea, Mr. Yujiro could help but feel a sense of warmth in his digital heart. It felt nice to have someone else in this lonely place even for one night. While his son and his family visited him frequently, they eventually had to return to their home and he'd soon be left with that irreplaceable longing for wanting to spend the night with someone dear.
He missed the days when he woke up and would find two cups of green tea on their porch.
He missed the times where he'd play his favorite music and dance the night away.
He missed….
Her….
“Yujiro-san!” Haruka’s voice cut through the nebulous cloud that was engulfing his mind as Mr Yujiro responded back.
”Yes?”
”Do you have any more DVDs? I'm pretty sure I've powered through all the ones that are here.”
Chuckling to himself, he lifted the plate with the tea as he was heading back to the restroom.
Inoshima Town, bird's eye view
The entirety of Inoshima was visible from this point, showing how vast the veil of mist was, the Inoshima Tower being the only structure tall enough to break free from the phantom blanket. All around the tower wisps of mist danced, dissipating into nothingness as the fog below kept its stagnant routine. It was a calm night, barely any sign of commotion anywhere. And yet, something still chose to make its presence known and defile this eerie quietness, a specter moving forward like a giant four legged spider, only a vague silhouette being discernible through and above the mist. Its movements were as unnatural as they were graceful, like a billion smaller beings moving as one singular titan, each stride disintegrating it before reforming itself, absolutely no sound following what should've been titanic steps.
They say the mist harbors many terrors, but it also harbors just as many wonders. Life on Copper-9 should've died a long time ago, and yet there are still those that linger on in this strange, strange land.
Terminator Zone, Arakashi Path, South edge of the Habitable Zone
The brutal winds howled across the land, blood freezing chills riding onto them as faint flakes of snow drifted from the frozen hell several kilometers away. Night time on the edge of paradise was a living nightmare, but daytime wasn't so different. In a land where black clouds perpetually swallowed more than half of the sky while the other side was bathed in a pale blue followed by an orange haze, the sun only making itself known whenever it went back to sleep, life wasn't easy. Plants barely grew on the surface, many preferring the comfort of deep underground or shielded by deep crevasse in stone, only the trees that could stand the cold braved this barren world and even they were scatered and far between each other. Yet, despite all of these, many species still called this place home, living off the scraps they could find as they went on never ending migrations. A lumbering Akaishi dug through the hard ground with its tough claws, unearthing large tubercles that it just as greedily devoured. Its herd had stopped for a refill, countless generations engraving in their instinct that this path was where their favorite food was the most abundant. This particular individual left the safety of its family to find a better feeding spot, but its not like they were in any real danger. Predators were few around these parts and even fewer were nocturnal, so these giant rodents didn't have much to worry at this time. Looking far into the distance, the Akaishi could see the land stretching further, but it did not dare go down this path. Every creature knew that certain death awaited anyone that headed for the perpetual blizzards, the air suddenly becoming unbreathable as they slowly suffocated to death, piles of snow swallowing them whole. The edge of the Habitable Zone wasn't a line that created a clear distinction between the inner and outer world, being more like a gradual transition, yet nothing dared to venture beyond a certain point, where the air suddenly became almost painful to inhale and where faint snowflakes rode on chilling winds.
But as the Akaishi was staring long into the distance, a powerful gust of wind broke it out of its trance, making it look behind and realize….that its herd moved on without them. They weren't too far away, so a quick run would bring them back to safety, but a low growl made them freeze in place. The rodent had heard this sound before, a horrid, gurgling noise followed by a flash of yellow in the darkness, forcing them all to run for it, but one of them would always vanish before realizing what had just happened, their death squills audible for just a moment in the distance before going silent. And now, it seemed like it was their turn.
But they wouldn't go down without a fight.
The Scabdog charged forward, splitting jaws wide open, but the Akaishi was faster, dashing to the side and barely avoiding the zombie dog's swiping claws. The rodent flashed its red incisors and puffed out its “mane”, a common display males of their species used to intimidate others, but this act didn't even make the Scabdog flinch as they rushed towards their prey, gurgling howls erupting out of their chasm of a maw. The Akaishi would've been as good as dead had a shadow not sprung from behind one of the massive boulders and hit the Scabdog from the side, causing it to tumble into a pile of rocks nearby. The giant rodent was stunned over what had transpired, but quickly became consumed with fear once again as the Scabdog howled in protest, but before they could do a run for it, the strange shadow appeared before them. A robed figure now stood between them and the raging mutant, holding a long staff adorned with a flower-like symbol made from what appeared to be glass or some kind of gem on its top, encased in coils of branches.
“Leave this poor soul alone, foul beast!” the figure shouted as they pointed their staff at the Scabdog.
The mutant canine responded with another ungodly roar as they charged forward. At that moment, the figure's staff began to glow an iridescent pink light, before a large hologram displaying the same symbol on their staff appeared before them.
“You do not belong to this land! Let the purifying light vanquish your blight!” they said as the hologram changed shape, now resembling a hexagon from which a blinding ray of light shot out like a laser, engulfing the Scabdog.
The beast let out one last howl in protest as its body began glowing pink, its flesh boiling away and its malformed bones turning to dust, flower petals made of pink energy scattering off from its form like some blooming explosion and gently falling down as they too vanished into thin air. A moment of silence was held before the figure turned around to look at the Akaishi.
“You're safe now.” he gently said as he crouched down to look the fuzzy creature in the eyes.
The Akaishi was still stunned over what had just happened, back arching a bit to regain its defensive stance, but a hand on their left ear made them calm down instantly.
“Haha, no need to worry. Everything will be fine.”
A call from far away interrupted the moment as the two looked in the direction from which it came.
“Seems like your herd is waiting for you. Better go now before something else decides to show up.”
The Akaishi didn't waste a moment before heading for the source of the noise, but halfway through it stopped and looked back, giving one final glance to its saviour whose robe gently swayed in the wind before resuming their path back home. The figure stood still as they saw the rodent disappear in the night, a warm smile on their face, but it quickly turned upside down as they gazed far into the horizon, the massive chain of mountains being barely visible. A memory then flashed in their head of four nights prior, where they were traveling the brutal land beyond the Habitable Zone, a toxic storm brewing far behind them before chance made them look up and saw a glowing point in the sky like a comet, streaking across the clouds to the east. The direction it was heading was clear, towards the land he knew the best. Whatever it was, it sure wasn't a comet with how low it was flying and even though he could only catch glimpses of it, he could swear that its shape was a familiar one. A dangerously familiar one. Back to the present, the figure kept staring forward, knowing that whatever he saw that night, it had already made landfall along with the evil it carried. While he still had doubts in his mind over what he saw, a growing sentiment in his heart was now undeniable.
“Takamagahara….” he said as the wind began growing in intensity.
“Maybe it's time I returned….”
“But can I really look everyone in the eyes?”
“After what I've done?”
Sinshei Town
Sinshei, one of the bigger of the southern towns, still buzzing with activity even at this late hour. Lanterns gently swayed from rooftops and warm light emanating from windows brightened the darkened streets. There were those that were returning back home from a day of hard work and then there were the night owls that were only now beginning their activities. Yet, while everyone was going by their usual routine, an air of uncertainty had been hanging over the town lately. A few days ago, some strange pamphlets began appearing across alleyways and on the front doors of houses, announcing the arrival of a band simply known as “The Ebon Sirens” with a frankly disturbing looking logo of a black heart with sharp teeth and yellow X's for eyes. Most dismissed these as just some rebellious group of musicians wanting to start a fuss and drum up attention for their debut, only for barely anyone to show up to their concert. Just a group of rascals thinking they were more important than they really were. And yet, many couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness that accompanied these pamphlets and how everyone seemed to almost feel watched, some going as far as pulling their curtains shut even during the day. It didn't help that a string of disappearances also began shortly after the pamphlets showed up. There were those that voiced their turbulent minds, but those of higher authority assured everyone that there was nothing to worry.
Yet, no one bothered to investigate the disappearances any further than the town's border. If some chose to look beyond the densely packed trees in the south, they'd slowly find discarded pieces of limbs and eventually dark patches of dried up oil on leaves.
And if they investigated even further.
They would've stumbled over the pod that neatly stood in a clearing, surrounded by the bodies of all the Drones that had been abducted.
The clock struck midnight as the pod's door slid open, four yellow X's visible in the menacing darkness.
“It's showtime, girls.” said Laki as she brought her mic close to her mouth.