Ritual

The next morning, Keshita didn’t go to the lab. Instead, he went to the center of Tokyo and waited at the subway exit. The scorching august sun was unusual, since the city usually gets rained on. The guy felt especially hot in black clothes, and he basically didn’t have any other.

"It's good that Professor Avaron paid my rent. And even gave me an advance from the grant…Although what am I thinking about before the end of the world?"

A nearby digital stand broadcast weather forecasts and news.

"…today in Meguro, Tokyo the temperature will remain at sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit until midday, then drop to forty-six, precipitation is expected…"

"…robotics factories continue to be idle in the US, the government is concerned about the situation with the latest update of SAI…"

"…in China there is another outbreak of an unknown virus. According to US intelligence, the development of a new biological weapon "went wrong", and we are seeing the result…"

“…Russia has never been able to achieve the technological progress, so it has decided to focus on improving its existing nuclear arsenal…”

"Are you worried?" Suddenly a male voice sounded from the side.

"W-what?" Keshita was surprised by the stranger.

He was dressed sternly, like a typical office worker or teacher, with a briefcase in his hands. But his sharp features, smooth skin and long black hair seemed to give him away as some kind of aristocrat.

"Well, you were listening to the news so intently, so I thought you were worried about the future of humanity."

“I thought he knew why I was here…” Keshita thought and breathed a sigh of relief.

"There is a little bit. But I think it's normal, right?"

"Is it normal that you're worried or that millions of people are trying to kill each other out of fear of being killed first? "

"Both…It's in the nature of living organisms. You know, natural selection and all that? "

"Haha, yeah, I'm a teacher after all. Oh, sorry, I have to catch the bus. By the way, be careful. There are some weird guys following you." The stranger quietly pointed to the suspicious people across the road and ran towards the bus.

"What a strange foreigner…And these are from Mukibutsu? Well, it would be more surprising if they entrusted us to ourselves."

"Hey, are you ready?"

Keshita immediately recognized the cold voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"You won't even say hello? We're partners now."

"Well, you didn't say hello when we met. I'm returning the favor. And we're not partners. I'm your guide."

"More like a sitter. I'm not thrilled to be involved in an experiment with a stranger right away. But Professor Avaron told me to trust you."

"That's what you do. Contact the professor and the lab through me. The rest of the staff doesn't know the real plan of the experiment, but I think they can guess. So, our first stop…"

Miku pulled up the straps of her impressive backpack, as if she were going on a hike, and looked at her smartphone. The clothes were also “combat”: high boots, protective pants and jacket, cap. Keshita tensed up even more at the sight of her.

"Let's go to Daienji Temple."

Tendai Buddhist temple wasn’t far away, the guys got there quickly, so the awkward silence didn’t have to be endured for long. The temple itself was in a classic Japanese-Buddhist design with a tiled roof. At the entrance, the couple was met by several hundred stone statues of Buddhas with peaceful faces. And sound of sutras.

"Don't worry, we've made arrangements with the temple guards. We'll be provided with everything we need." Miku said, noticing Keshita's confusion.

"Why a temple?"

"You need to go deep within yourself. This is probably the best place to start. Don't look at me like that, I have my doubts myself. But these are Professor Avaron's instructions."

The couple bowed in greeting and headed straight to the main altar. The monks continued to recite sutras, ignoring the couple, their monotonous recitation turning into a Buddhist chant, creating a favorable backdrop for self-examination.

"You better sit down. And roll up your sleeve."

Keshita sat on the floor, taking the lotus position. He wasn't religious. At least he didn't think so. But it was the most comfortable. Inhaling and exhaling, Keshita put his hand out.

"Have they given it a name yet?"

"SNH: Shinka no Hiyaku — an evolutionary leap." Miku gave Keshita an injection. "Hmm, he didn't even flinch."

"So…what now?"

"We are waiting for some changes."

"Uh? You don't know what to expect?"

"That's what an experiment is for. Don't worry, the antidote is ready if anything happens. In theory…you should learn to somehow edit your own genome. It even sounds crazy, so I can only assume that your consciousness should change…"

"Like an additional interface will appear?"

"Something like that. Just shut up and think about great things."

Miku turned Keshita's head towards the large Buddha statue.

"Are you a believer?"

"No."

"Well, then at least try. Or visualize the schemes of genetic modification, the movement of molecules during chemical reactions, and…"

"Yes, I understand. And you?"

"No. My parents were too busy with work to take me to temples, they had enough other concerns. And it would be better to read books on psychology or the work of the brain, if this topic interests you."

"Oh, have you read Soul and Brain by Chris Frith?"

"Yes. Although the book is more of a popular science book, it was interesting to learn about the influence of tomographs on the study of the brain…" Miku smiled slightly, but then became serious again and slapped Keshita on the back. " Enough chatter, the experiment has begun!"

More than an hour passed, and no changes occurred, until the senior monk noticed their bored appearance.

"Greetings. How are you?"

"Thank you for your hospitality. So far so good."

"Are you expecting things to get worse?" The monk smiled. "I’m Genshin."

He was unusually large for a monk and wore a dark kesa. His eyes seemed to look straight into the soul, like the Buddha statues.

The guys introduced themselves.

"Uncertainty scares people…Would you like to hear a story about the temple?"

They were bored and didn’t want to offend the monk.

Genshin spoke about the location of the temple for pilgrims, its construction, and fires. He paid special attention to the symbol of the temple — Dainichi Nyorai, revered as the primordial solar Buddha.

"How is Amaterasu?"

"Yes, she is considered a manifestation of this Buddha. In the mandala of the two worlds Dainichi is located at the center of both kingdoms: the diamond kingdom and the womb."

Genshin explained that the statue in front of them is Shakyamuni Nyorai, the new symbol of the temple, the founder of Buddhism. And the 500 statues in front of the entrance symbolize the memory of the victims of the fires.

“…to understand the full depth of the teaching, a whole…»

"Life? You’re right, Keshita. Dainichi is the central deity of esoteric Buddhism. Unlike the ‘revealed teaching’ that is understandable to the mind of the average person, the ‘secret teaching’ of mikkyo offers the state of Buddha and heaven on earth to initiates through ritual practice and contemplation of sacred images. If you wish, we will try to perform a ritual for you so that you can try to feel it."

"I don't even know…"

"We would be grateful to you."

The monks lit dozens of incense sticks, prepared bells, and after striking the gong, began to read the Lotus Sutra. The entire room was filled with fragrant sandalwood smoke in a couple of seconds, and the sound vibrations of musical instruments and the monks' voices seemed to draw patterns in it.

"What? Do you see it too?"

Only after this did Keshita realize that he couldn’t move, and that he had only spoken these words in his head.

"It feels like sleep paralysis, but I can't get out of it. What's happening to me, am I in some kind of trance?"

Keshita was gradually overcome by panic from losing control over his consciousness. Because he had never experienced anything like this before, as he now thought. But the layers of his subconscious, stirred up by meditation, were surfacing. Keshita mentally closed his eyes, trying to concentrate harder and escape from the emerging nightmares. However, they pursued him.

"Night. Machine. The clatter of metal. Cracking. Darkness. Light. Chaos. Escape. Loop. Salvation…"

Keshita was looking for the solution to these dreams, the lost memories. But he was afraid to find out the answer. The wheel of Samsara made a full turn, Keshita began to panic and opened his eyes in fear. There was only thick black fog around, and in front of him was a statue of Buddha.

"So many thoughts, chaotic and fussy. You don’t know who you’re or what you want." Suddenly the statue spoke.

Buddha will show the way.