PROLOGUE : CLOSE YOUR EYES

“BA-BUM!”

Taiko drums. They tell us when.
A thousand leaves dance. They tells us where.

Eyes open—red inside.
It's come to feast.

狼
(WOLF)

Bells. Screams.
“Bakemono da! Bakemono da—!”
“Warabe o kakumae—!”

It moves swift.
No time to hide. It’s too late.

“AIIIIIHH—!” 

The village night watch was first.

Then came the children.

娘
(GIRL)

It tore into flesh, ripping away shadows.
It allowed no last word, nor last breath.
It came from the dark, then vanished back into it. It left nothing but lakes of red.

A monster.

伝
(TALE)

Eyes closed.
You are not meant for this. 

“BA-DA-BUM.”

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'Wan wan wan wan!'

Dogs erupted in chorus. A far away car shrieked in sirens.

Mouth wide, he watched. It moved with inhuman agility, clawing from roof to roof, shattering shingles behind it on concrete below.

From Tatsuya Watanabe's bedroom window, framed by dusty blue curtains from childhood and cheap dollar-store figurines, he saw something.

Two thousand meters away—past his street, past the lazily lit, always-open konbini, and the high school he’d almost aged out of. Within the forest of camphor trees blackened by night, and the mountains which hugged this city—something had emerged from the old hilltop shrine.

Eyes fixed to the shape, the boy quickly grabbed his notebook from a nearby desk and began to sketch what he could see. The graphite between his fingers moved along with it. He began to etch black lines into the paper in his hand.

On the page: a dark stain formed. A shadow that cast itself upon the sleeping neighborhood, devouring everything the night hadn’t already. Atop its head, two sharp knives stood upright. Their outlines slashed entire city blocks, stretching in jagged angles, illuminated only by the orange smolder of streetlamps. They seemed to move of their own accord, flickering left—then right—then left again. They followed the sounds no one else could hear.

But from this distance, it was impossible to make out what it was.

The boy leaned out dangerously, trying to catch a better look. One step taken too hastily caused a figurine to drop to the bedroom floor.

'Tonk.'

Several rooftops away, the dark thing slowed to a stop. Knives now pointing in a different direction.

Another shingle dropped. A head turned.

The boy found himself being watched. It was neither human, nor animal.

Red pupils met opaque ones.