However, while humanity may obsess over the past, it does not live in it. At this moment, an early Thursday morning, the sun that shined down upon the earth would make its final light. It was that morning that the sanctuary provided by the school shattered down before horrified eyes as a monster charged inside it. A demon of stone and rage, with only one goal in mind. It craved its leader, its commander in battle, to reappear and march forward to create the world anew. As a sizzling red ooze dripped from its rocky hide, melting through the floor as it hit, the classroom's students separated in a overwhelming panic. Some attempted to run away from the hulking behemoth in front of them, some were frozen paralyzed with fear, one stood his ground against the monster with a glimpse of inhuman determination, and nine others plunged themselves out of the remains of the window the beast charged in from. To most beings this act would seem downright suicidal, but yet, it was the only thing that kept these nine students alive that day. As they sank towards the pavement waiting below, the flow of time itself sank with them. In the beat of their hearts, the students were left frozen in place, conscious of the world around them, yet unable to so much as breath. They just lay frozen in time and space, their physical body ceasing to function as they felt a pain unlike any other striking at their minds. It was as if every thought they had ever had was being forcibly ripped out from their consciousness, before being stabbed right back in. A never ending buzz of white noise pulsated through their minds as the world shook before them. Reality itself began collapsing in front of the students locked in the air, and the one who stayed behind to engage the demon.
Building shook and those inside began to scream in agony. Every voice in the town, thousands of men, women and children, united in a chorus of anguish, before falling deathly silent one by one. A few of the students managed to divert their eyes away from the ground below and saw through lower windows of the school they once sat in daily. Their fellow teenagers, those with years of life laid out before them, were burning to ashes in a thick black flame. Every object, living or inanimate, as far as the eye could see was engulfed by the flames, and every building in the town crumbled in violent vibrations of the earth below it. All that remained of the town of Inaba was rubble and ash as the sun flying high above, the sign of a perfect day, grew dimmer with each passing second. It felt like so little time had passed since the students floating in the air watched as cracks broke through the ground and their once small, yet prosperous city break apart into fragments of its former glory. Their vision grew more and more limited as the sun continued to dim, until they could see nothing but pure black. With a harsh crack, sounds of an intense pull broke the ominous silence; like a vacuum dragging in the mess on the floor.
In the blink of an eye, light returned to the world and let the survivors see the new world before them. Gone were the houses and street they once played in, scenic landmarks of the past like the mountains were nowhere to be seen. All that was before them was a monotonous desert. A sea of flat, never-ending alabaster white sand sprawled below a grey skyline plagued by a thick mist of clouds. And above it all, a sphere of perfect black sat, almost mocking what they knew as "the Sun." As they attempt to absorb this alien world before them, time began to move once more, and one by one, the unlucky soul destined to enter the new world pelted into the ground like rocks, the sand wrapping around them as they feel, pushing them down into an area where none could see. All the children saw were there friends vanishing into the wasteland below them. First Moshi, who lay on the ground since the light returned, followed by Kokoro, then Saori, Yasui, Shiori, Ryuji, Akira, Yuzu, Heako, and any stragglers. As the sand pushed down on their bodies, they could attempt to struggle. They could try and escape, but there was only possible solution. They would be pushed under, where they would lose themselves to a state of unconsciousness. Who could tell what was on their minds beyond the obvious confusion of seeing the world end before their eyes, and not even know.
When they awoke, each person found themselves laying on the cold stone floor of a room. The room was largely empty and contained with four solid walls, and a ceiling, with no decorations or cosmetic covers. They were simply constructs of the same monotone sand that had pulled them in. The room was bare except for a small shrine of sand in the center of the room. On each shrine sat a piece of paper and an object that resembled a comma with a hole in the center.
In unison, each room is filled with the voice of a young adult male. It was a calm voice, low in nature and carried a strong, professional tone. It almost hurt to think that if not for the context of the words it spoke, it could almost be described as "soothing." Four of the students recognized the voice near immediately. Moshi Maida, Saori Saikyou, Yuzu Sasaki and Shiori Kimura recognize the voice to be the self-proclaimed "Reaper" who they had anonymously ordered to murder their fellow classmate, Jean Malbrote. No one knew that they had ordered the assassination except the four, and even then, they only knew their own involvement. Everything, faces and voices, were distorted in the strange meeting they had. Who knows if they Reaper would even remember them, or if it cared about the actions they had made them commit.
"Greetings, Shadows." The voice calmly announced, each room hearing only their own voice and that of the mysterious Reaper, seemingly able to project his voice in multiple places at once. "I welcome each and every one of you to your new abode. This land is one of great history and ability. However, don't consider yourselves lucky enough to have lived to see it." A taunting chuckled escaped from the voice, filling the air of each room with its own sense of dread. "No, you best wish that this is all a nightmare you're experiencing as the Flames of Kagatsuchi tear at your skin, removing your very existence from this world."
The rooms in which you are trapped in remain empty, and any efforts to harm the walls around you lead to nothing but your own body experiencing pain. "You are in the realm beyond realms. The realm predating the Gods themselves. The starting point of a new world. Welcome, Shadows, to the Plains. The mythical underworld of Yomi given new form." The voice grew quiet and for a minute, only small rustles could be heard in the background. A high pitched giggle was heard, and then the voice continued to speak. "You may be wondering why you're here... alone... trapped in some strange cell, with some strange shrine..." The voice paused and you could almost feel a smirk pull out on the face of whoever made it. "Without any access to your powers. A new stream of uncontrolled thoughts and emotions pouring through your brain. It must be such a shock from your previous static, controlled existence. And for that..." Another pause, though this one brief, "I pity you, Shadows. I pity your miserable existence and the torture you must go through now."
"But where are my manners?" The voice continued to speak, without care of the feelings of those he addressed. "You Shadows use a name to address others, like a cruel taunt at humans who do the same, yes?" Without pause or getting an answer, the voice continued. "Then you may address me as Jun. Jun Shisetsu. I... will be your supervisor, Shadows. It is my role in this little game to facilitate you and assist you in bringing about the new world."
If one were to test Jun's words, they would find him to be correct. Each student had no access to the powers they had came to possess. They could not toy with their element, summon their weapon, nor make use of any of their skills. They were helpless, like an ordinary human.
"It must feel so strange to... feel human again, doesn't it, Shadows?" Jun put a large emphasis on the first word after his pause, stressing an implication that matched with how he addressed the trapped teenagers. They were not human, not any more at least. "It must be so horrible, so awful to be unable to identify what you are. You look and feel like any other civilian, but all of them burned up as the world died, didn't it?" The voice grew cocky despite it's calm tone. "Hmh, not that you even realized what you saw was. That, Shadows, is why I am here. Please allow me to explain what you saw and the situation in front of you."
Jun hesitated in speaking, seemingly giving his prisoners a chance to speak, but cut them off before they had the chance.
"Long ago, there existed two realms. Yomi, where we sit now, and the Celestial Plane, where the Gods sat. Yes, for any non-believers, Gods exist. And they were not the most well behaved bunch. Every God and Goddess sat in eternal conflict with the others, no matter their position, pantheon, gender or age. Everyone was merely out for themselves. Chaos ensued, and the Gods used their creations as puppets to war their frustrations out. Every seed of negativity and every action of evil you as humanity faced was directly due to the influence of the Gods. Every God had the ability to corrupt the mind of a single human, to make them its avatar in the Mortal Plane. To shape it into something more than human, a hybrid between man and god; a Shadow." Jun made another pause to let the words sink into the minds of the children. He let them take their time to realize that every action they had made, potentially since birth, was not of their own volition. They were just puppets on a string, dancing for their puppeteers amusement.
"But then came along a common threat to unite the Gods. Izanagi, the grand creator of all, had gone missing in Yomi where his wife corrupted into a hellish beast. It was popular theory, especially among his inheritors, that he had been absorbed by his wife, and together they formed the greatest threat one could potentially see. A being above the Gods themselves. They dubbed this monstrosity... The Shadow. Each inheritor, the children of Izanagi, agreed to put conflict aside to defeat this beast, yet... they wouldn't. Each inheritor rallied a faction, each with their own stance on the future of the Gods and those they created. And each faction tried to lead the other two to their deaths." Jun continued without hesitation, his words coming off strong and prepared,
"Each of you were a puppet in the final game of the Gods. The final puppets. They gave your their strength, and you served them. Some came from Amaterasu. Some from Susano-o, or as you would address him, the Shadow. They used you to further their own agendas, to kill off the supporters of the other factions. But they tired of the game, they wanted results now. And so, the Gods went to war on their own merits for the first time since humanity's creation. Amaterasu and the amalgamation of her father, mother and brother, proved to be the last ones standing. Unable to finish each other off, but refusing to give up. That is when Tsukuyomi interfered. To end the conflict between his siblings, he killed both, and himself in a grand sacrifice."
A restrained chuckle came from Jun's voice as he pushed himself to move on. "Of course, that left the world without Gods. And without Gods, their creations could not live. Everything that roots back to the Gods efforts in creation, every iota of mankind and the Celestial Plane perished in flames with the lives of Izanagi's children. And only those with a connection to the Gods, yet the shape of man, survived. You, my precious Shadows. You are the only survivors of the empire of mankind... and its only hope."
A certain feeling of joy was noticeable in Jun's words, an image of a sadistic grin popping into your mind with every syllable. "In rooms just like these are your fellow Shadows. Dehumanized souls with the potential to create a new world out of the sands that cover the Plains. But, it is not as simple as giving a mere thought. No, the Plains may absorb your thoughts and shape a world from them, but a world of many outlooks, of many creators has proven to be catastrophic. I cannot allow the errors of Izanagi's youth to undergo once more. Each of you has a dream, don't you? Now that you are free from your control, you have thoughts of your own and with them, a vision of an ideal world. You have the chance to create that world, to give your race the earth you see fit. But if mixed with another vision, the world would be diluted and impure. In order to create your perfect world, you must be the only Shadow to exist in the Plains. The only one whose thoughts shape the malleable sand. You must kill all who stand in your way."
The joy in the voice faded, returning it to a highly professional tone, one of a business man making an offer. "The magmata you see before you, the object next to the paper on the shrine... that will be the container of your very soul. If you dare to read the parchment beside it, and accept the darkest demons inside you, the magatama will light, and you will regain the ability to use your powers as you see fit. If you wish to fight, read the paper, absorb the reality it confronts you with, and accept it as a part of yourself. How your built up emotions and darkest secrets manifest, and how you confront them is all up to your own self. After all, you are a puppet no more. If you cannot accept this offer... smash the magatama on the floor. Destroy your soul and let your body rot away. It will make everyone's lives easier."
"Complete this assignment, and the first step to the new world will light your way." Jun's voice faded, leaving everyone in silence once more. Would they accept the task of killing their friends for the ability to raise a new, perfect world? Would that justify the crime they must commit? Or would they back away, and let themselves die in order to save everyone else the trouble and heartache. Or maybe... maybe there could be an alternate solution. A work around where they didn't have to die. But was it worth dooming themselves to heartbreak in order to see if that possibility even existed?
It was up to each youth what path they would take. Would they face their darkest beliefs and fight for a better tomorrow, or give in now?
Level:15
