by Yusuke Kishi
I yelled as loud as I could, “Stop! I’m human!”
The trees thudded to the ground. So I was right. Whoever it was had attacked because they mistook me for a queerat.
“Wait, I’m coming out now!”
I emerged from the forest, waving my hands above my head. A person stood about fifty or sixty meters away, looking dumbstruck. A boy, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. He came running over when he saw me.
“I’m sorry, I thought you were a queerat…”
“Be more careful! If I had died, death feedback would’ve killed you too.”
“Death feedback?”
He looked like a good kid.
“Oh right, you wouldn’t know about that. Anyway, always make sure what you’re using cantus on.”
“Okay. …but the queerats will jump at you out of nowhere.”
His name was Susumu Sakai, a fourth year student at Sage Academy. I asked Susumu about what happened in the district last night and was surprised by what he told me. Even though he was still a kid, he volunteered to join the fight against the queerats and thus had firsthand knowledge of some of the things that occurred.
After the attack at the square, people were eager to take revenge on the queerats and broke up into groups of five to hunt them down. Around the time we arrived at the hospital and fought the queerats inside, the town too was embroiled in a furious battle.
Since they could not fight cantus users head on, the queerats waged an all-out guerrilla war.
Its great success was attributed to Yakomaru’s tactic of ruthlessly sacrificing his solders as well as our complete lack of preparation. The queerats broke into empty houses to wait for the fight to start. We should have destroyed the buildings along with the queerats right from the beginning, but no one thought that kind of sacrifice was necessary.
Also, even though we were told that each person in a team of five is to keep watch in a different direction, we lacked proper training and forgot everything in the heat of battle. The queerats set up decoys to focus our attention in one area and shot us from behind. Many lives were lost in this way.
Surprised by this turn of events, many groups decided to band together. But this too was part of Yakomaru’s strategy.
Teams of false humans distributed themselves among real human groups under the cover of darkness. They would then look for an opportunity to attack a human and cause absolute mayhem. It wasn’t just people who were mistaken for false humans that were killed, the ones who killed them also died of death feedback.
Over three hundred people died in that nightmare of a battle. Although the number of queerats killed was double or triple that, it wasn’t nearly enough to make up for the human lives lost.
As dawn arrived, Yakomaru’s other troops began to appear. The queerats had kept up their attack on and off throughout the night, but stopped as the night ended and we killed the last of the false humans. As it turned out, this too was part of the plan and was designed to deprive us of sleep.
So as the queerats drew back, people started to relax. That’s when the powder-spewing monsters appeared.
These creatures had swum upstream during the night and infiltrated the district. Even though they were as large as fin whales, everyone was too distracted by the fighting to notice them, and the queerats deliberately avoided fighting near the canals in order to keep us from seeing them.
As the battle slowed, seven or eight of the monsters rose above the water and spewed black powder all over town. The locations they covered were carefully calculated to cause maximum damage upon detonation. Then the explosions were set off before anyone even realized what was going on.
The blast waves and flying debris did massive damage to the population. The ensuing chain of explosions sucked up all the oxygen in the air and killed even more people.
“We would have died if Shisei Kaburagi hadn’t protected us. …but my teacher died in the explosion. And I don’t know where my parents are, I’ve been looking for them all by myself,” Susumu said in a choked voice.
“Then why did you attack me all of a sudden? It could have been your parents.”
“Because you were in the forest. We were all warned not to go in there. They said that the queerats might be hiding inside, or that you might be attacked by another person on accident.”
“Oh. I didn’t know.”
I was worried sick about my parents, but it didn’t seem like Susumu had any news about them. There was only one other question I had to ask.
“Susumu, have you heard or seen anything…worse?”
He pursed his lips. “Worse? Isn’t this bad enough? All this happened in just one night.”
“Yeah. Sorry for the weird question.”
So it seemed the fiend hadn’t appeared yet. That only made it even more important for me to warn everyone about him. It would be even better if I could find Tomiko or Shisei Kaburagi.
Susumu and I started walking, doing our best to keep our backs to each other so we could keep better watch on our surroundings.
We came to the canal. It was completely dry, just as I’d seen in from the air.
“Why isn’t there any water?”
Susumu’s answer was exactly as I expected.
“The leaders ordered people to close the dams and drain the canals as a precaution.”
“Because queerats were hiding in them?”
“Yeah. And I think because that’s how the powder-spewing monsters got in. They also said that there are some queerats that are amphibious.”
The network of canals and waterways wound through Kamisu 66 like a web. It was hard to run surveillance on all of it, so draining it was the obvious thing to do. But Yakomaru had been one step ahead of the humans this entire time, so we were once again playing right into his hands.
Maybe the enemy wasn’t predicting our actions, but controlling them.
Once the canals were drained, transporting a large amount of people would be nearly impossible. They had anticipated this, and more.
After a while, we began seeing people here and there. At first I was relieved, but my heart soon sank from what I saw.
A young woman crying over a dead body. A man with a terrible gunshot wound moaning in pain. Lost children searching desperately for their parents.
Everyone looked beseechingly at us as we walked past, as if begging us to save them. I wanted to help, but there was no time. If the fiend made its way here, the situation would become even more hellish than it already was. I had to find the town leaders before then so they could come up with a solid plan.
“Please…help.”
A middle-aged woman lying in the middle of the road stretched her hand out toward us. Her clothes were charred black, and the exposed parts of her face and arms were horribly burned. She probably wouldn’t survive for long.
“Water. I need water.”
I bit my lip. I couldn’t stand leaving her here to die. But if I didn’t make it back in time, there would be no saving anyone.
“I’ll help her,” Susumu said, starting toward her. “Hurry and go! You said you had to get to the leaders, right?”
“Yeah…thank you.”
I shook Susumu’s hand and turned to go.
“Wait,” the woman called to me. “Who…are you looking for so urgently?”
“I have to go find Tomiko-sama or Shisei Kaburagi and give them some information. If I don’t, something even more terrible is going to happen…”
I stopped. It was beyond insensitive for me to say “something even more terrible” to someone who was on the brink of death.
“Tomiko is…at school. Taking shelter at Sage Academy. The buildings there are still standing,” she said, coughing painfully.
A wave of relief washed over me. This woman was probably a member of the Ethics Committee. I might have been able to recognize her if not for the burns on her face.
“Thank you.” I bowed to her and left at a quick jog.
It was a huge help knowing where to g
o. Now I just had to get there as fast as possible.
I increased my pace and broke into a run. The exhaustion I had felt just a second ago was completely gone.
It was my first time visiting Sage Academy since graduation. Our town was so small that I could’ve visited at any time, but I didn’t have great memories of my time there so naturally I avoided it. As I got closer, the surrounding streets started bringing up memories of the past. Although the destruction here was considerably less than the town center, a good number of the buildings were partially ruined. The sight of it made my chest ache.
It started raining, even though the sky was as blue as before. Just as I thought that we were going to have a sunshower, the clouds started drifting in.
Just as I got to Sage Academy, the rain started pouring down. I was stopped at the door by someone who looked to be a member of the Committee.
“Due to the emergency situation, the Ethics Committee has appropriated this building for its uses. You may not enter,” said the short, middle-aged man.
I remembered meeting him before. He worked for Tomiko, and I think his name was Niimi.
“I’m Saki Watanabe from the Exospecies Division of the Department of Health. I have urgent news that I must tell Tomiko-sama.”
“…please wait here,” he said, and went inside.
I stepped under the eaves to shelter myself from the rain and waited for him to come back.
“This way, please.”
I followed Niimi through the familiar halls. The school building was sturdily built and in no danger of collapsing, but the blasts had knocked things off the wall and broken the glass windows. The floor was such a mess there was almost no place for me to put my feet. I thought Tomiko would be in the principal’s office, but instead Niimi led me to the infirmary.
“Excuse me,” he said.
“Come in.”
The voice that answered was undoubtedly Tomiko’s. I felt instantly relieved knowing she was alright.
“Saki?”
“Yes…”
I was shocked to see Tomiko lying on one of the infirmary beds. Her head was wrapped in bandages that covered both her eyes, one arm was in a sling, and she was covered in cuts and bruises.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“You’re wounded…”
“It’s not as bad as it looks. They’re mostly cuts from broken glass. I never thought that powder-spewing monster would appear once morning came.”
She smiled, but soon her expression became serious.
“But more importantly, what did you need to tell me?”
“Right…the worst has happened.”
I summarized what we saw at the hospital.
“I’m absolutely sure it’s a fiend. If we don’t come up with a plan right now, we’re all doomed.”
Tomiko was quiet for a few moments.
“…I can’t believe it. I trust you, but I just can’t believe it.”
“I’m not lying! I saw it with my own eyes! Not the fiend himself, but I saw him murder two people!”
“But it doesn’t make sense. Why would a fiend appear now? The Board of Education has been keeping a tight hold on all the children. There shouldn’t be any children that show even the slightest hint of Raman-Klogius syndrome.”
“I don’t know how or why it happened. But who else other than a fiend could kill another human with cantus?”
She fell silent again.
“Please believe me. If we don’t do something, there will be no way to save the situation.”
“But Saki,” she said hoarsely, “if it really is a fiend, there’s nothing we can do.”
“That can’t be…!”
“I suppose…the fiend must have somehow made his way here from a different district. In that case there really isn’t any way for us to kill him. We can send impure cats after someone before they awaken as a full fiend, but once it’s happened…we can only pray for a miracle. Pray that it accidentally hurts itself, or becomes ill, or something.”
“But two centuries ago the towns managed to recover from the fiend’s attack. Didn’t you live to see it?”
“Yes, I did. That’s why I vowed never to let another fiend appear again. The district will not survive a second attack,” Tomiko said in a low voice. “We were beyond lucky last time. We won’t be this time. Not when the queerats have already caused so much trouble…”
She stopped, as if realizing something.
“It can’t be a coincidence. The queerats’ attack and the fiend’s appearance must be related. But how…?”
There was shouting outside. My heart almost flew out of my chest. The voice was coming closer. It wasn’t just one person. A whole crowd of people were shouting.
“Niimi, why the commotion?” Tomiko asked.
Niimi and I peered out the window. People were running around in a panic in front of the school. I understood instantly what was happening.
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Fiend!”
So he was here… Fear and despair almost brought me to my knees.
“Saki, you have to leave right now,” Tomiko commanded.
“We’ll go together!”
“I’m staying. I’ll only slow you down.”
“But…!”
“Pass through the Holy Barrier and go to the Temple of Purity. The Security Council meets there in times of emergency to recuperate. If your parents survived, they should be there as well.”
I felt my heart begin to beat again. There was still hope, however small it may be.
“Do you remember what I said a long time ago? I meant it when I said you would be my successor. I’m sorry you have to succeed me in such a fashion, but I’m leaving Kamisu 66 in your care.”
“Wait. I can’t…that’s-”
“Niimi, please go with Saki.”
He faltered. “If you will not escape, neither will I.”
“No. You have another task to do. Please tell Shisei what you heard here. If the fiend is really heading this way, broadcast the news from the town hall. Warn as many people as possible that they are to run as far as they can.”
“…understood.” He stood at attention, head bowed.
“What are you waiting for? Go!”
I stood there, unsure of what to do. Niimi grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.
“Wait! Tomiko will…”
“This is her wish,” Niimi said, tears rolling down his cheeks.
I felt myself about to cry as well.
Tomiko Asahina first encountered a fiend when she was around my age. In the two hundred years that have passed since then, she had continued to protect the district. She had stayed, for better or for worse, and now, she would sacrifice herself to keep us safe.
But I couldn’t wallow in sentimentality forever. I was strong. So I had to do everything I could. I kept telling myself that.
If I didn’t, the fear of what lay ahead would have broken me.
The terrified townspeople were running around like a herd of lemmings. They were incapable of following anyone’s orders.
“Watanabe-san, please proceed to the Temple of Purity as Tomiko-sama advised,” Niimi shouted above the din.
“What about you?”
“I will relay Tomiko-sama’s message to Kaburagi Shisei.”
“Then I’ll go with you. I’m the only one who knows there’s really a fiend out there.”
Even if Kaburagi Shisei heard the townspeople panicking about the fiend, he might think they were simply overreacting, or that it was just another of the enemy’s tricks. After Koufuu Hino, he was the only person who could do anything against the fiend, so I had to tell him everything I knew as soon as possible.
We walked along the edge of the road, taking care to avoid being swallowed up by the crowd. In such a packed space, no one could use cantus. The sight of everyone scrambling to save themselves made us seem more like our primitive ancestors than exalted beings with god-like powers. We were regressing, becoming cave-dwelli
ng troglodytes who believed in ghosts and trembled at the sound of howling winds.
The sky was covered with dull, leaden clouds. The rain that had come all of a sudden had trickled to a stop.
“Kaburagi Shisei should be here,” Niimi said. “Earlier, all the uninjured people cleared out an area and set up a first-aid tent. Then they reformed into new patrol groups.”
“But all these people…”
My heart sank looking out at the sea of people. How was I going to find Kaburagi Shisei in this mess?
As I pushed my way to the front of the crowd, the sky above suddenly brightened.
Giant, glowing words appeared in front of the backdrop of clouds.
Please stay calm.
There is nothing to fear.
I will protect everyone.
The words had a dramatic effect. People stopped when they saw it, and slowly managed to regain their senses.
“Terror paralyzes the mind. That is what the enemy is counting on. Everyone please stay calm.”
Shisei Kaburagi appeared, floating above the crowd. His eyes were covered by a mask like the ones used in the Demon-chasing festival. His cantus-amplified voice reverberated in all directions more clearly than any megaphone could manage.
“The fiend is just another of the queerat’s devilish tricks in their rebellion against us. Because of them, numerous lives have been lost. Though we grieve for the fallen, now is the time for us to stand united.”
There was the sound of applause. It spread through the crowd until everyone was clapping.
“Yes!”
“United!”
Shouts came from every direction.
“Death to the queerats!” Shisei Kaburagi declared.
The crowd took up the chant.
“Death to the queerats!”
“Death to the queerats!”
“Death to the queerats!”
They yelled in unison, fists punching the air.
Without Kaburagi Shisei’s charisma, I doubted anyone could have calmed their panic so quickly. He had an impressive ability to manipulate human emotions. Only a strong emotion like anger could have chased away their fear. Then he fanned their anger to incite them to action. It was a risky move, but necessary all the same.
