The Ritual Commences
You kneel over the fallen man. Gently, as if cradling a baby, you take his head in your arms from behind, stretching his spine upwards. “I’m sorry,” you say. "I have to kill you to save Maeda."
His fingers fumble for the sword. “Michiru…” he mumbles the name again. That is the last word that passes his lips. You tighten your hold. With a swift twist, you break his neck. There is a rather satisfying snap, and then his head hangs limply, the darkness passing from his eyes. You let go of the man, allowing him to slump to the floor of his mansion. He lies there, still. Unmoving. Dead.
You wonder if you should take his clothes. You probably should.
Stripping him of his clothes, you find that they somehow fit you perfectly. You feel warm. Comfortable. Really, going naked all this while was a pretty silly thing to do.
You should probably take the sword too. You need to defend yourself after all. Who knows what other madmen may be lurking in these halls, trying to stop you from finding Nami.
That’s right. Nami. You came here for her. You remember that… you definitely remember that. You came to save her. To protect her. She is in danger from… well, the person you just murdered, but is he the only danger left in these halls?
“Of course not.”
A cynical laughter rings out across the great hall. You look up towards the source of the laughter. There, at the spot where you had threw the man over. A woman stands there now. A beautiful woman that looks like Nami but is clearly not Nami, attired in an ornate Western gown, with a cruel yet gleeful look on her exquisite face.
“The Witch of Yomiki, I presume?” you say coldly. Yes, those are the right words to say.
“That I am. So, you are the latest challenger to my realm?” she smirks.
“That I am.”
“And the prize of your challenge would be… her?” She stretches her arm out to the side, palm upwards, as if presenting said prize. From the shadows, Nami emerges, bound and gagged and naked. Her eyes are blank. Unsightly drool leaks from the corners of her gagged mouth.
“I demand that you return her to me, witch, or I will have your head!” you shout.
“You? You are a powerless worm, with no authority to demand anything of me,” taunts the witch, safe on her high perch. Oh, if only she would come down here.
“But he does have the authority... or rather, he will have the authority.” Upon hearing another voice, you realize that there is a woman standing behind you. how did she sneak up on you? Or has she always been there, watching? You turn and see a face identical to the witch’s in beauty, except that this face is as gentle as hers is cruel.
“The Maiden,” you murmur, and you go to one knee in obeisance.
“It is good that you recognize me, my chosen,” smiles the Maiden that looks like Nami. It is a wonderful smile that warms your soul through and through, making you feel that all is right in the world. “You cannot reach the Witch, not with your mortal hands. But with my power, I can assist you.”
“Thank you, my Maiden!”
Her smile becomes sad, and upon seeing her sorrow you begin to feel like there is a storm in your own heart. “However, the evil witch has sealed my powers away. It is a seal that can be undone only by you. That is what this trial is about. Together, we can perform the ritual to break the seal, revive me, defeat the witch, and rescue your heart’s true desire.” She stretches out her hand, beckoning for you to take it.
That is right. This is your trial. You will revive the Maiden, and the Maiden will assist you in getting Nami back. And once you do that, you can…
And once you do that…
You can…
What can you do?
“Complete the ritual, of course. That is what you can do,” says the Maiden.
“Is that… so?”
“That is so.”
That is right. You have to complete the ritual first, or else you will not get what you want. You need to open the gate. It is shut but not locked, and every now and then it comes ajar slightly before closing again soon after, and so you need to open it wide. Open it all the way. When you do that, yes, piece by piece, the Maiden will become the Witch will become the Maiden will become Nami and come back to life and she will return to you.
“Is that… so?” you ask again.
There is no response. The hall of the hospital is empty. There is no Witch and no Maiden, not even the dead body of the man you just killed. Yet you are clothed, and there is a sword in your hand. You look down the long corridor of the shrine, and wonder if the mansion’s dining room at its end will have anything to help you accomplish the ritual.
The leaves of the Juunimon rustle as the wind picks up. You lean against the large tree, looking up at the full moon. It was on a night like this that you first came to Ikei, wasn't it?
“Is that… so?” you wonder a third time.
Is this right?
Nothing is right. It is wrong. All of it, Shinoseki Adachi.
A sudden burst of pain wracks the inside of your skull. Clutching the side of your head, you stagger, shouting. Your knees give way and you sink to the marble floor of the great hall. You are in the Sakaguchi mansion. That is where you are.
Wet footsteps approach you. “Shinoseki-sama. Are you all right?” You see the Maiden approaching you, this time wearing Yukina’s face. Or is it Yukina herself? You cannot tell.
You blink.
“Shinoseki-san. Are you all right?” Sawada looks at you with concern, silhouetted against the harsh white lights of the hospital. “Hey, are you okay? The cops just opened the doors for us, we’re free to go. Man, what a night, huh?”
“Are you… okay?” she asks, approaching you nervously.
“Can’t believe we got locked in with a serial killer… but you did good stopping him, man,” laughs Sawada, visibly relieved.
“Shinoseki-sama?”
“Shinoseki-san?”
***
A. “I’m alright,” you say to the maiden that looks like Yukina. “I’m… okay.”
B. “Nah, I didn’t do much,” you say to Sawada. “In the end it was a team effort.”
C. This is not right. None of this is real. You will tear the world apart to find out what lies beneath… starting with the phantoms in front of you.