Inner Demons

"Buddha has spoken! W-what is going on? This is obviously a hallucination. I am Tamiya Keshita, a student at the biolab. A rational person, a Japanese… I want to… know myself and learn to control my body at the genetic level… and help save Japan from the impending threat.” Keshita kept up a monologue to keep from dissolving or going crazy.

“People don't change, the cycle of hatred is stronger than ever. How are you going to fix it?” The statue continued to force dialogue.

“Me? I don't know, that's why we're looking for answers. If… if we get access to free engineering of the genetic code, we…”

“Will you become gods? Blacksmiths of your own destiny? People always strive for power and authority. They have already received the power of the stars, but did it help them?”

"Not really… dictators… the most selfish on the planet have used it against them. But we can't just stop."

"Are you sure?” The statue's bass echoed in waves throughout the fog.

“…yes. If you stand still, nothing will happen.” Keshita answered resolutely after a pause.

“What should it be?”

"Peace and stable development. Somehow, I lost the thread of the conversation. How can I…”

"Development without change, good without evil will have no meaning. Return from your own thoughts? Only you know the answer. Although you do not even know who you are.”

“Maybe not on a fundamental level. But I'm Tamiya Keshita. Twenty-three years old. No parents. Making a living and studying it."

“Much is hidden from you. While you are running in search of yourself, you only need to turn around to see your shadow and reflection.” The statue continued to speak, squinting and smiling in a kindly, sly manner.

“This is nonsense. Damn it, where is the exit button!?”

“There is no way out, everything is cyclical.”

Keshita's hands began to scratch his neck violently from excessive excitement, unknown to him. Miku decided not to bring him out of this state yet but was ready.

The shadows within the fog thickened, forming huge silhouettes that grew even larger. The longer this happened, the more Keshita's excitement grew. Until finally the heads of rakshasas — man-eating demons — appeared. Large fleshy muzzles full of fangs hung over Keshita, intending to feast on him and his soul. Their roar resonated with the fog, the space around Keshita began to shake along with him, as if an earthquake had begun. The rakshasa's heads doubled, turning into one terrible picture, similar to those that Tamiya had seen on the mandalas earlier. He began to scratch his neck even more furiously, not knowing what to do.

Until he started to tear off his skin and hurt himself. Seeing the blood, Miku decided to intervene and started shaking Keshita to bring him out of his trance, but he only swayed from side to side and moaned. Miku instinctively hit him on the cheek with her palm so hard that he fell screaming to the floor but came to his senses. The monks became alarmed and stopped reading the sutras. Genshin slowly approached Keshita while he was coming to his senses.

“Did something happen?”

“I don't know”

Keshita held his head and looked around as if the rakshasas were still pursuing him.

”First, I spoke to the statue…”

“Apparently, this was the second body of the Buddha — Sambhogakaya, which can be seen during deep meditation.” Genshin suggested.

“…then some creepy monsters appeared. My appearance made them drool like a waterfall, mixing with the fog. It became so cramped and scary, I couldn't move…”

“Meditation opens and reveals everything hidden in your soul. Apparently, something is troubling you greatly.”

Miku helped Keshita up, examining the wound.

“It needs to be processed; you better sit down for now.”

“Huh? No need, everything's fine."

“I'm responsible for you! Now sit down!” Miku said sternly, Keshita obediently returned to the floor.

Genshin reached into the pocket of his kesa, the Japanese Buddhist garment consisting of a cassock, robe, and mantle. He pulled out a rosary and handed it to Keshita.

"Take this. These beads are made of juniper. They will protect you from evil spirits.”

“It's not worth it, I…”

“You don't believe in them even after meeting them face to face?” Genshin was surprised.

“Yes, these were just hallucinations created by my imagination…”

Miku finished treating the wound, covered it with a bandage and took the rosary.

“It's impolite to refuse a gift. Show some respect!” Miku placed the rosary on Keshita's wrist.

Her hand suddenly stopped, touching his skin, as their eyes met and paused. It seemed like it was the first time. Before, they had only exchanged cold glances, not lingering for long, as if they were fencing with them.

At that moment they entered each other's consciousness.

"Huh? Where am I? I was just sitting in front of Keshita, weren't I?"

Miku found herself in a dark forest on a hill. In the distance, she saw moving lights and the sound of a car. Miku began to walk down the hill toward the road. But after a few steps, she didn't notice the roots in the darkness, caught them, and rolled down the mountain.

The girl was thrown right onto the road. When she raised her head, the car was already in front of her. The driver made a lightning-fast maneuver and was able to go around her. Miku closed her eyes in fear, but at the last moment she saw the driver.

"That's it!"

Miku breathed a sigh of relief that everything was okay. A few seconds later, the crash of metal and a piercing crack brought her back to horror, leaving her speechless.

"Where am I?” Keshita woke up in Miku's memories.

"Hm? Doctors Aoki Kazumi and Makoto? What are they doing here? Wait a minute, Aoki?"

Keshita looked around and found himself inside a private home. Soon he heard a soft voice with familiar tones.

"Why? We were supposed to do an experiment together today!” Little Miku complained.

"Sorry, honey, it can't be helped. We have a very important project at work right now.” Miku’s mother Makoto tried to calm her down.

"Once we're done, I promise we'll do a hundred experiments together!” Miku’s father Kazumi helped.

"You're lying! I'm always left home alone when you're already…” Miku started crying.

Makoto hugged her daughter, whispered in her ear how much she loved her and that she needed to be patient for a while.

“Not only did they not go to church, but they practically did also not devote any time to her at all… That’s why she is so distant? Eh?”

While Makoto was still hugging her daughter, Miku slipped something into her pocket without her noticing. And when her parents left, the girl took the bicycle and followed them.

"A tracking device? She could have caused trouble even at such a young age…"

As if he was riding a bicycle himself, Keshita followed right behind Miku in her memory, which was accelerating in fits and starts. Several hours had passed since the little girl had tried to catch up with her parents and had ridden deep into the mountain forest. It had already gotten dark and started to rain, but she had not given up and was close to her destination.

However, suddenly Keshita seemed to crash into an invisible wall, and the bike was knocked out from under his feet. The guy flew forward by inertia, gradually dissolving in the rain. He broke through the asphalt and the surrounding fog of memories and emerged back into reality.

Keshita and Miku both gasped in shock.

"I-I… read minds!?"

Inner demons come out.