Chapter 2: Goodbye World?!

After a few rubs, Ren’s vision slightly returned. The voice seemed to come from above. He squinted and finally focused on the creature. It was quite small, just the size of his palm. It had a big head — compared to its size, at least — and small wings. In fact, it pretty much looked like a duck! A duck wearing a blue and red kimono!

“Ahem, young Kazama? Let me welcome you to the world of Hiraya!” it repeated, mayhaps due to Ren’s lack of response.

However, hearing it again didn’t do much help clearing the cloud of confusion in Ren’s mind. Instead, it alerted him. In one fluid motion, the young man sprang up and reached for the bag behind his back, where his shurikens were carefully tucked away.

“Who are you? No, what are you?” Ren asked, his voice quaking a little.

“Ah! Indeed, what an oversight!” the duck slapped its wide forehead with its tiny wing before continuing, “Introductions are only proper. I am… uhmm…” it paused, scrunching its feathered forehead, “without a name. But that is not of importance. What I am, however, is magnanimous. I am the very culmination of Kazama Mio’s memories; of her grand feats and adventures; of her knowledge and discoveries.”

“So you are Mio?” Ren asked, barely making sense of what the floating fluffball was saying.

“No, not necessarily. While I possess the knowledge of everything Mio knew and experienced, I am not her. I am me, and she is she,” the duck puffed its chest, then raised its head — possibly, an attempt to look authoritative. However, all it achieved was to look cute, much like when a child attempts to impress.

“So, basically a talking— quacking diary,” Ren replied, half-amused, half-teasing. As strange as the situation was, he didn’t really feel threatened. There was something about that bunch of feathers that made him feel quite familiar.

Hearing his quips, the duck’s expression shifted from prideful back to scrunched forehead. Surprisingly, it did not refute, “Unusual explanation, yes, but not entirely incorrect. Nonetheless, I find your insolence, young Kazama, unamusing.”

Ren scoffed, released his grip on the throwing stars, then further inquired, “So, diary, who is this Mio? And where is this Hiraya?”

The duck’s eyes sparkled, as if Ren finally started asking the right questions. It huffed, “Ahem, good questions, young Kazama. Hiraya, the world we are in, is the world of wonders. It’s filled with thrills, adventures, and creatures unknown to you. And Kazama Mio was the mighty warrior who made it all possible. She was the one who helped free it from the clutches of the vile Dilim, a creature of corruption! Dilim sowed destruction, angering creatures of all races. He massacred humans, corrupted the divine elves, and enslaved dwarves, beastmen, and countless other races. It was Mio’s secret sealing technique that vanquished him into the dark depths of Lalim.”

“Wait, wait, hold on for a moment,” Ren held up his hand, motioning for the duck to stop. “Elves? Dwarves? Beastmen? Is this some sort of amusement park?”

“Surely, you jest, young Kazama.” The duck laughed mockingly, casting Ren a bombastic side eye. “It is not some make believe. It is the truth and nothing but the truth. But fret not, Hiraya has since been freed. Now, beastmen have returned to jubilantly roam the land, elves peacefully protecting the forests, and the hammering of dwarves once again echoes in the depths of the mountains!”

“Then, are you saying this is not Earth?” Ren asked, still trying to make sense of the situation.

“Indeed, the folly of youth. No, not Earth, but Hiraya.” The duck sighed, exasperated. After a brief pause, it perked up again, regaining its prideful demeanor. “ Alas, it would be easier for you to see it for yourself.”

The duck hovered around the room, going toward a pitch-black Torii gate. Interestingly, however, the middle of the gate was muddled, like there was an ever-morphing wad of clay barricading it. As such, it was impossible to see what was beyond it.

Following the duck with his eyes, Ren finally got to have a closer look at his surroundings, though there wasn’t much to scrutinize. Like the previous room, this room was lit by glyphs. While the floors and walls were made from stones, though much unrefined than the previous ones, it wasn’t cold. Ren guessed it was due to the glyphs. Other than the glyphs and the hovering ball of feathers that made its way in the middle of the Torii gate, there was nothing else. There was literally nothing on it other than the glyphs.

Is this a cave? Ren thought then finally stepped towards the duck before saying, “So, what am I supposed to be seeing?”

“Ahem,” the duck cleared its throat, then raised its wings while tilting its head ever so lightly. “The wonderful world of Hiraya.”

Before Ren could give another response, the duck started chanting in an entirely new language. As it did, it began to glow a silver hue, making it look like a divine avian. Witnessing that scene unfold, Ren’s mouth subconsciously went ajar. Even so, seeing and hearing the duck’s tantric chanting, Ren started to believe he had indeed arrived in a fantastical new world.

But before he could further process that thought, his instincts pulled him back to reality. The silver hue around the duck seemed to have diminished a little. Ren guessed the chant was finished, and as if on cue, the gray substance obscuring the middle of the Torii gate started to swirl, slowly becoming translucent. While Ren could make out some hints of red and black, it wasn’t clear enough to paint an entire scenery.

Just then, the duck slowly opened its eyes. The glow around it had also completely subsided. With its back still against the exit and its wings still up high, it said, “Prepare yourself, young Kazama, to be in awe as you partake in Hiraya’s marvelous beauty!”

Hearing that, Ren felt something inside him stir, making even him surprised. He wasn’t sure if it was excitement or fear; or a mixture of both. Nonetheless, it was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. At the very least, not since his grandfather passed.

Ren stepped forward, his hand subconsciously shaking. Seeing his reaction, the duck’s beak curled upward. It waited until the young shinobi was beside it before turning around. But when it did, the prideful smile on its beak suddenly turned upside down.

What unfurled in front of them wasn’t something that could be described as “marvelous beauty.” The sky had a tinge of crimson, as if it was bleeding. Its rays of dark red shone upon burnt timbers, making it seem like it continued to burn even though the cake of dust covering them clued otherwise. Not only that, piles of rubble, ash-covered cloths, and shredded leaves littered the place. It appeared to be a village; at least what remained of it.

“Uh… is this supposed to be marvelous?” Ren said with a hint of confusion in his voice. “Your definition of beauty is quite… interesting.”

But when his gaze shifted towards his companion, seeing its expression lacking its usual arrogance, Ren felt something wrong.

“No, no, no,” the duck muttered, “it cannot be. It shouldn’t be.”

Even though the duck seemed to talk to itself, it was loud enough for Ren to pick up its words. That confirmed his suspicions, so he asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

The boy’s voice made the duck snap back to the present. Its scowl softened a little, though worry still apparent on its face.

“The sky isn’t supposed to look like that. That crimson hue is a grim premonition, a very, very grim premonition,” it started to explain in a much more serious tone, putting heavy emphasis on the word grim, then continued, “It’s a sign that Dilim has somehow returned.”

“Dilim?” Ren repeated, his eyebrows furrowing, “The bad dude Mio—”

Roar!

Ren’s sentence was interrupted by a loud roar from a distance.