Yokohama Gone Crazy

The closer we get to the Red Brick Warehouse, the louder gets the echo of a mess of footsteps against the metal.

    We stop not far from a figure lying on the pavement, blood splattered ahead of her head.

    I pale at the sight, eyes wide open.

“Is that…”

“A Jikininki.” Poltergeist assures.

    If only I could be as formal as him about that…

    Growls.

    They hold an unnatural note, something that makes me shiver. Turning my gaze at the building, I raise my eyes to follow the moves on the first floor. Shadows dance against the brick wall. Three. There are three of them.

    Among the figures, there’s a smaller one waving daggers. A bronze key protruding from his back. I cast a brief glance at Longwei, focused on the fight. Well, at his back to be precise.

    It’s definitely the same kind of key.

    Rubeus doesn’t wait any longer before stepping forward, his marionette glancing back at me.

“What’re you waiting for?”

“Huhh?” I frown.

    Does he… expect me to follow him? While he walks straight towards these man-eating monsters?

“I’ve told ya you’re coming with me, girl.” Poltergeist says.

    Ohh he definitely does.

“You have no order to give me.” I cross my arms, resolute to stay away from this shit.

    A growl. Closer this time.

    Closer?

    As I turn my head in search of its origin, I catch sight of the woman’s silhouette crawling on the ground. Her black hair weighted by the blood, strands sticking to her face, the monster is propping up the pavement.

    For the first time, from a lesser distance than I’d ever hoped to be, I can see a Jikininki’s gaze. If I were to be honest, I’d say her eyes aren’t so different from ours. Yet… There’s this disturbing, that queasy feeling I get the moment our gazes lock.

    Lifeless…

    They lack a spark. Something truly human.

“Longwei, you take care of that one.” Poltergeist utters.

    Not waiting for his approval, Rubeus resumes his walk, a bluish light wrapping his forearm holding the white rabbit. In no time, a glowing mass shapes and divides into two tentacles.

    I barely have the time to raise an eyebrow before one of them reaches for me, wrapping around my waist. The other suddenly extends upwards, its edge twisting around the second floor’s railing.

“Don’t you d-”

    I have no opportunity to end my sentence as I am dragged in the air along with Rubeus. The moment we reach the first floor, a third glowing tentacle shapes, reaching for the young boy. The latter glances at us.

    The next instant, we land with a thud on the platform extending beyond the windows of the second floor.

“Goddamn dumbass… I never agreed to get that close!!”

    Another thud follows almost at the same time and the young boy lands next to us, the tentacles fading away.

“Ahh, at last! You’ve been so long I’ve been able to picture the way I would dismember your cursed rabbit at least a dozen times.” Edward scolds before glancing at me. “Who’s that girl?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Poltergeist replies.

    For a while, everything is silent.

    I glance at the boy we’ve come to rescue. It’s the first time I see someone with odd eyes. One black, one white. Rather short hair, white strands… mainly. The edges are raven black. He wears a purple sweater over short pants, his clothes seemingly more suffering from the fight than his own body.

    Wait a minute. There’s truly no noise at all?

“They are awfully silent.” Poltergeist notes.

    My eyes follow the rabbit’s as he glances at the floor where, below, the Jikininkis should be fussing. Don’t they miss their prey?

“Maybe they… ughh… lost their aggro?” I suggest.

“We’re not in a game.” The white rabbit dismisses.

    A monumental clunk sends a displeasing vibration running through the platform.

    ‘Seems that these monsters wanted to kindly reassure us that we haven’t been forgotten.

“The hell are they trying to do?”

    I wish I hadn’t asked that question.

    The print of a hand appears in the floor. Then a second.

“Back off!”

    A thunderous noise follows the rabbit’s words.

    The metal is being ripped away, hands followed by arms protruding from the floor. Widening the holes they shaped, the Jikininkis pull themselves up, creeping in.

“Still have some energy to spend, Edward?” Poltergeist asks, receiving a nod in reply. “You take one. I take one.” He glances then at me. “Stay back and observe. You’re gonna learn first-hand the different ways of using magic.”

    As if I had a choice, now.

    But…

“The different ways?”

    I’d lie if I said that doesn’t intrigue me. If I am aware of a few things about Jikininkis thanks to Mr. Izawa, there’s little I do know about magic. Fact is that people barely speak about it, but not because that doesn’t interest them. It’s not that kind of silence. It’s the one inspired by fear. Fear of the others. Fear of being seen as associated with magic.

    Poltergeist and Rubeus refocus ahead while the silhouettes of two inhuman men are standing up from the floor.

    Edward is the first to act, hurling himself forward at one of the Jikininkis, his figure briefly glowing. The monster lets out a hushed growl as he hits the cold metal, straddled by the boy now extending a couple of daggers.

    I’m frightening myself to say I can feel him smile as he begins stabbing the Jikininki’s chest.

“Magic is intuitive. It’s all about the way you redirect the energy it emits when you use it. Call mana that energy. Then, some like Edward use it directly on themselves. They reinforce their own body.”

    As Poltergeist speaks, Rubeus doesn’t lose time though. Bluish light appears in the palm of his free hand, shaping into some sort of spear vibrating with energy. Its sharp edges shaped like rabbit ears. The moment the other monster takes a step in his direction, Rubeus releases his hold on it, letting the spear rush straight at his belly.

    Even though the monster catches hold of the spear, he can’t avoid the momentum of the spear carrying him meters away from us, his feet dragging along the floor.

    Without hurry, Rubeus steps in the Jikininki’s direction, the spear made out of mana returning to his grasp.

“Others, like Rubeus,” the rabbit resumes, “emit mana as pure energy they can shape and handle the way they want.”

    Once close enough, Rubeus waves his spear, aiming at the monster. One blow. The edge gashes his arm. A second blow. The monster dodges, stepping to the side, trying vainly to reduce the distance and aim his claws at Rubeus.

    They keep chaining blows, increasing their pace, repeating a well-known choreography.

    At the same time, Edward jumps back to avoid his opponent’s grip. But when the Jikininki stands up, blood dripping from the cuts at his chest, he stamps on the floor with such strength a violent tremor runs along the platform.

    Enough to make Edward lose his balance, an opportunity the monster doesn’t miss as he sends him smash against the red bricks with a thud.

    Taken aback by the quake, I stumble, gripping the railing for support.

“Holy shit.”

    I turn my eyes to Edward, half-expecting to see him knocked out after such a passionate encounter with the wall. But the moment the monster reaches out to grab his head, the boy stoops down and turns around. A dagger slicing all along the monster’s belly in the same move. The blade bathed in a bluish light.

    The moment the Jikininki staggers back, I realise the cut is far deeper than I thought possible. It’s scarcely if the Jikininki isn’t already in two pieces of cold meat.

    As I keep watching Edward and Rubeus’ fights for a while longer, a thought crosses my mind.

“Is it me… or are they weak? I’ve only used it once, yet I know magic can be so much stronger.”

    Sure they don’t seem about to lose against these monsters, but still. Is this all they’re able to do with their mana?

    I shake my head.

    That’s not my problem. Anyway, sticking around them won’t bring me anything. Magic may help me… Maybe, just maybe it can help me find Mr. Izawa. With what I’ve seen tonight, I’m sure I’d be able to handle these monsters if I were ever to cross their path. Which means,.. I’d be able to go out at night.

    But I’ll be far more efficient on my own.

    A glance around allows me to catch sight of my escape route. Running along the platform, I grip the ladder attached to the railing, stepping over the latter.

“They’re too busy. ‘Tis the right moment to pack up.”

    I climb down the ladder, barely leaning my foot against one step before getting one lower.

    The moment I reach the safety of the ground, I turn around. Longwei is still dealing with the third Jikininki a few metres ahead.

    Part of the cobblestones have been ripped off the ground, now twirling around the monster. They’re wrapped in that same bluish light. ‘Guess you can also transfer mana to objects.

    My eyes linger for a brief moment over the monster getting stoned before averting my gaze. I have to focus on my own situation.

    Not losing any more time, I start to run. Away from the Red Brick Warehouse, away from these strange people.

    A snarl.

“Hey! Stay there!”

    I hear Longwei’s voice echo into the night, convinced he just noticed me trying to escape. But that doesn’t matter, they have better to do than to play tag with me. I’ll soon be out of their reach.

    The snarl gets closer.

“Look out!!”

    Turning my head, I widen my eyes at the sight of the monster, now a few steps away from me.

“Oh… Shit.”

    Without thinking, I stop in my tracks, extending my hand towards the long-haired woman, her empty gaze glued on me. Her jaws wide open, saliva glistens between her teeth before dripping from her mouth.

    I can hear Longwei’s screams, the echo of his hurried footsteps. But he won’t reach our position in time.

    ‘Better like that. I wouldn’t wish him to get too close.

    The moment my fingers touch the chest of the Jikininki, a glow escapes them.

    A bang rips the silence to shreds, a bluish light illuminates the night.

    In a blink of an eye, a huge mass of mana has spurted out, engulfing the monster’s silhouette. Like a giant bubble filled with bluish sparkles. It sends the Jikininki away from me by metres before bursting, the mana spreading all around in a large area.

    I hold my arms in protection before my eyes until the light wavers. When it’s safe to lower them, I search for the Jikininki, but all I can see is a steaming body on the cobblestones, partly ripped from the ground.

“Sounds like she won’t bother anyone now.”

“Are you mad? What have you done?!” Longwei shouts as he reaches my position at the same moment, grabbing my forearms.

    His touch makes me stiffen. I can’t help but glance at his hands against my black hoodie.

“Huhh? What? I just used my magic to defend myself.” I reply, dumbfounded by his behaviour.

    His worried expression makes me frown. What in the world has gotten into him? Maybe he’s just impressed. Maybe he’s never seen such a powerful attack before.

    Over my forearms, his grip tightens.

“No… You don’t understand. You shouldn’t have used such an amount of Mana.” He pauses, clenching his teeth. “Everything has its price.”