by Unknown
"No," I said. "I guess a guy like you would figure out how to break out eventually, but I just need you to stay still for just one moment."
I pulled the metal disk which I had taken from Akito's display case out from my pocket. I casually tossed it into the barrier. It was an exorcist artefact designed to pass through most barriers, so it went through and landed on the grass with a soft thud. Ratmuncher tried his best to appear calm, but I saw him anxiously glance at it. "Your little toy is useless," he laughed. "A brat like you can never defeat th-"
"Release," I said, and the metal disk exploded from within the barrier and blew Ratmuncher into a thousand pieces.
His remains slowly floated to the ground like white flakes in a snow globe and I couldn’t look away.
I couldn't explain why, but I had a flashback of an elderly exorcist using a similar artefact from the moment I saw it in Akito's glass case. I could remember the exorcist throwing it towards me, but I dodged and it exploded near my shoulder and left my arm limp and unusable. I could remember the pain and fear as I struggled to fight for my life, but I couldn't remember anything else beyond that. My mind was still a fog where random visions would jump out when they felt like it.
I know I should have felt more uneasy about remembering something creepy from my past, but I could feel the adrenaline running through my veins and I couldn’t believe that we actually defeated the Raccoon King. I felt like I could do anything, I felt like I could take on the world.
Kurumi finally stopped chanting her barrier charm and collapsed face first to the ground. The last few remaining raccoon monsters quickly reverted into their animal forms and fled into the forest. I had a feeling that they wouldn’t return now that their leader was gone.
"Taisei!" Nina cried and instantly ran to his side.
"Nina," said Taisei weakly. "I see it, I see the light."
"It's okay Taisei," cried Nina as she reached out and gripped his hand. "I'm here for you."
"I'm here for you too," said Kurumi who suddenly appeared at Taisei's other side and gripped his free hand.
"But I'm here for you more!" Cried Nina.
“But I’m actually here for you,” said Kurumi. “And not just saying it to look good like a certain someone.”
"And so it starts," said Kiyori as we all stood back and watched the two girls fight.
“Please...stop..fighting…” said Taisei weakly, but Nina and Kurumi didn’t seem to hear him. Souta managed to stop Taisei's bleeding, and despite his weak appearance it looked like Taisei might pull through. Arashi also groaned and rolled over which meant he was probably fine.
The rest of my friends also looked in decent shape except for Itsuki who was nursing a large cut on his leg. He was so calm and collected during the battle that I didn’t even realize that he was injured.
I opened my mouth to congratulate my friends on our success, but that was when the sound of laughter began to echo around me. The voice was low, unfamiliar, and I couldn’t help but think that they seemed mentally unwell.
I turned to see which of my friends had snapped, but there were all busy trying to help Arashi and Taisei. I spun around and scanned my surroundings in case a rogue raccoon was still on the loose, but I could see nothing, and no one noticed the strange laughter but me.
It grew louder and louder until I covered my ears with my hands, but it did nothing to block the noise.
It was like the laughter was coming from within my head.
"Daisuke is there something wrong?" Asked Souta, but his voice was muffled and distant.
Everyone was looking at me. I opened my mouth to tell them about the strange voice, but they all began to fade away from before my very eyes. Gradually everything went dark like someone had dimmed the lights to the world.
All of a sudden I was back inside my dream from that afternoon. I could see the blood splashed amongst the trees and the exorcist bodies in the background. The same shrine was there with the phrase we are the shadows that move within the darkness written on a flag that was blowing in the wind. The heat, the smell, the breeze on my face, all felt far more intense than when I dreamed them before.
Once again the now deceased Ratmuncher was dashing towards me. “You’ll pay for that!” His younger self screamed as he raised his hand to shove it through my chest. But this time instead of waking up my dream continued. He dived towards me with his face contorted in rage and his claws extended to rip me apart.
I couldn't run, I couldn't move, I could do nothing but powerlessly stand there as he moved in for the finishing blow. I could see his claws before my nose and I was certain that he would kill me.
But at that moment I dodged to my left.
Ratmuncher missed my face and went diving towards the ground. I grabbed his wrist in mid air and yanked his arm upwards so that his torso was exposed. I then punched him in the stomach with enough force to send him flying halfway across the clearing, and he landed before the corpses with a thud. He quickly tried to get up and stand, but the pain must have been overwhelming because he collapsed and hugged his stomach. I thought nothing could ever scare the Raccoon King, but he looked up at me with his eyes wide in terror.
“Ratmuncher,” my mouth said on its own without my control. “If you ever show your face in front of me again, I will rip you to pieces!”
My voice was low and terrifying. I could barely recognize myself. It was like I was in another person’s body and they were in control. I thought Ratmuncher might retaliate, but instead he covered his face with his hands and began to sob uncontrollably.
I turned and left him to cry alone. The sound of my laughter echoed throughout the trees as my surroundings slowly darkened until I could see nothing but black.
I should have known from that moment that an Obake's past is far darker than I could have possibly imagined.
To be continued……..
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