Reversion

For a moment, Naoya felt as one with the world. He had never been so content, so calm, so painfree. And then it all came crashing down. He must have been hovering somewhere, because someone pulled him back down to Earth. Both of his eyes were covered by something wrapped around his head. He protested in the strongest terms and kept flailing until his left eye was uncovered—most likely a concession to buy his cooperation.

The area in front of him was glowing a bright white. He could barely see it from his vantage point in the snow, where he was pushed down, arms and hands held behind his back like a criminal. From all over, people dropped out of the sky. They were wearing the same uniform Naoya had seen on the first day, but in a different colour. These ones were a bright turquoise. Still, they performed much the same, grouping around the light, starting to chant.

“What happened?”

Naoya looked up to see the one called Kazu, this time with the actual head of a blue bird. It was much more of a contrast than a cat or a rabbit had been.

“The curse was stronger than anticipated. It tore a rift within seconds,” Aki said. “But it’s small, and there shouldn’t be lingering ghosts close by in this remote region. Still, I’ll keep an eye out on the perimeter if you can make sure this one doesn’t uncover his right eye again.”

“I can do that.”

Aki turned and was gone. Naoya looked up at Kazu, who was fixing him with one eye, holding his head sideways like a bird would do.

“So what’s the deal with you?” he asked.

“Dammed if I know,” Naoya replied. “Some curse.”

“Mhm. Are you going to be a problem?”

“Me? No. Whatever is in my eye? Apparently. But as long as it can’t see, it seems contained.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

The brightly glowing rift above them was already closing. The chanting got louder as the rift grew smaller. They seemed to have it under control. Just a little more—

Something crashed through the trees, tearing down branches, making snow rain on them. Naoya flinched and fell over, as he instinctively wanted to pull his bound arms over his head. Whatever it was, someone was already fighting it. Naoya craned his neck to see a swarm of transparent figures of all sizes circle around the rift, unable to approach it due to a golden barrier.

And in the middle of it all was Aki.

“I’ll draw them away,” she yelled. “Close that damn thing!”

The ghosts swarmed Aki like angry bees, trying to sting her. Naoya watched in awe as she twirled through the air as if it was second nature to her, evading the attacks and spiraling ever higher, away from them. How would one even begin to fly like that? It was a science fiction film, circus act and magic show all in one.

“What happens if they catch her?”

“You don’t want that,” Kazu said. “Instant reversion.”

“Reversion? To what?”

Kazu looked down at him, his bird eye large and uncanny. “If no one told you yet, I’m not gonna be the one to break it to you. Just… If they successfully attack, Aki will be gone. Completely.”

“Then why does he… she…” Naoya stared up into the night sky, where the battle of evasion still raged.

“The ghosts can’t cross over into the living world. But we also can’t exorcise them without good reason. They’re human souls, after all. To exorcise them is to deprive them of reincarnation. So we draw them off, close the rift, and they disperse automatically when the honeypot is gone.”

While talking, Kazu helped Naoya to stand, which he was more than grateful for. Suddenly, Naoya remembered the ghost from yesterday, who had tried to pierce his eye. It had been exorcised to save him. A potential human life. He shuddered.

“She’s been doing that for a while, hasn’t she?” he said, more to distract himself than anything else.

Kazu nodded. “Some decades. I’m not new either, but I’m more on the logistical side… usually.”

“Sorry about that.”

Kazu just shrugged. “It doesn’t look like you’re enjoying that curse much. You don’t have to apologise for something that’s not your fault.”

“How are you all so nice?” Naoya blurted out before he could think better of it.

“We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t. That’s a prerequisite of the job. Being… nice, as you call it. But don’t ask me about it. Ask Aki.”

“Uh…”

Naoya watched the sky, where the ghosts drew patterns of light in their wake. It would’ve been beautiful if it wasn’t so deadly.

And then, it turned deadly.

One of the ghostly apparitions turned in the air and practically fell out of the sky, speeding towards Naoya. His head started pounding. He swayed and fell over backwards into the snowbank. The ghost fell on top of him, face to face, empty eye sockets staring into his very soul, bony fingers around his head.

Kazu whirled around and threw a talisman, which disintegrated in the air when it came close to Naoya. He cursed loudly and shouted for Aki.

Naoya was frozen in shock. The ghost clawed at his face, long nails leaving bloody scratches. The improvised bandage around his eye fell away, and at that moment, the whole swarm descended. Aki chased after them to no avail. They had a new target now.

“The rift is closed!” someone yelled, but the ghosts didn’t disperse.

Instead they grouped around Naoya as a cloud of dark miasma. The first ghost reached out for his eye, when something pushed him off. It was like a slap, making it tumble and fall over. The next ghost tried and the same thing happened again. One by one, they were pushed back, as if invisible hands were fighting them off.

“Naoya!”

Aki dropped from the sky, and with her a flash of bright light.