An Old Dream, Part 1

“I’LL BE THERE,” said Ryuuji, speaking to his beloved girlfriend on the phone a few hours before New Year’s Eve.

“Really? I thought Maki-san had you on a leash,” Hotaru replied, playfully casting doubt on him. “Said she’d keep you on duty until morning.”

“So says she, but the Major gave me the green light,” Ryuuji laughed. “Once the bells have tolled, I’ll debrief the troops and give you a call. Wait for me.”

“Fine, but don’t blame me if I get impatient,” said Hotaru. “If it gets too late, my tongue might slip again and I could teleport you.”

“Yeah, and we’ll call it force majeure,” Ryuuji played along, remembering the time Hotaru actually did so by accident. Her boss, Yura Akiko, lectured her for days after the deed.

“Take care over there, okay?” Hotaru asked earnestly.

“I will,” Ryuuji replied. “I love you.”

“Me too,” said Hotaru, then the two of them hung up.

As a member of the Arcane Containment Unit, Ryuuji had to be on standby during public holidays, especially those with spiritual significance like New Year’s Eve.

“Are you done being lovebirds while on duty, Lieutenant?” asked his second in command, Kuroda Maki.

“It’s part of the job, Sergeant,” Ryuuji replied. “It’d be a disaster if she summoned me mid-operation.”

“Ask her to bring us along next time,” joked one of Ryuuji’s subordinates. “I hear her boss is a treat to the eyes!”

No argument there, Ryuuji thought. Yura Akiko was indeed a beauty.

“Don’t tell her I told you, but Akiko does get clingy when she’s drunk,” Ryuuji recalled. “If you chat her up after work, you might have a chance. I’ll introduce you.”

“Lieutenant, that’s not fair!” another soldier rose in protest.

“That’s right! What about us?” yet another joined him.

“Well, the IDP does have plenty of interns,” Ryuuji pondered. “I’ll ask Hotaru to invite some of her friends, and we’ll all hit the pub together. How about that?”

“Lieutenant Hasegawa, banzai!”

“Banzai!!”

The men yelled in unison, as Maki watched them with a palm to her face. If the security of Tokyo depended on such simple-minded creatures, then the city was done for.

The troops kept at their merriment for a moment, until the radios on Ryuuji’s and Maki’s chests sprung to life.

“Attention to all units, this is Nightblade Squad. Reporting an anomaly in Asakusa Sector D-6. Some kind of miasma is spreading from the sewer system. It’s magical in nature, with Corruptive Index unknown.”

“Th- This is Echo Squad, in Sumida Sector B-2. We’re also seeing miasma here, and it’s spreading fast!”

“This is Windbreaker Squad, in Shinjuku Sector F-4! We’re under attack by yōkai, with mounting civilian casualties! Requesting immediate backup!”

Ryuuji’s heart sunk in his chest as report after report flooded the common channel. Swiftly, his training kicked in and he and Maki changed channels to central command for instructions.

“All units, this is General Saitō Ren. A mass contamination outbreak has occurred throughout Tokyo. A cursed miasma is affecting the local kami and citizenry, with Corruptive Index Level 8. The presence of yōkai and oni is widespread. You are hereby ordered to initiate Protocol Safe Haven, effective immediately.”

With that, the leader of the Arcane Containment Unit ordered the evacuation of 37 million people into sanctified contingency shelters… and Ryuuji and his men would be at the front, fighting off the horrors that had been unleashed on them.

“You heard the General!” Ryuuji called his troops to attention. “We’re the cavalry for Echo Squad in Sumida. Grab your gear and get to the chopper! Go, go, go!”

“Ryuuji!” a familiar voice called from the distance, as hundreds of troops scrambled in the military base. It was Hino Katsuro, Ryuuji’s old-time hero and mentor. “Stay by the Civic Center; Echo and my men will lead the civilians to you,” he said.

“Understood,” Ryuuji replied with a salute. “Godspeed, Major!”

With a grim nod, Katsuro returned to his duty, trusting Ryuuji to do his job.

* * *

“WHAT A NIGHTMARE...” said Sergeant Kuroda Maki, watching in horror out the window of their transport helicopter.

Down below, the city was shrouded by a thick dark mist, dotted by the constant flashes of gunfire and magic. Even through the thumbing sound of the chopper’s blades, she could faintly hear the screams in the distance.

And so could Ryuuji, for that matter.

He’d longed for nothing but to take Hotaru out for a bowl of soba and a cup of sake, but now his hopes were all but dashed. Tokyo had been hit by the single largest outbreak of cursed energy in recent history, and Ryuuji couldn’t do anything about it.

Orders were orders and he had to report to Sumida, in the opposite direction to Mitaka where Hotaru worked. His heart was screaming to ditch the mission and rush to her side, but his head told him otherwise.

“Hotaru is strong,” Ryuuji assured himself. “She’s the strongest there is. She’ll be alright,” he insisted, remembering the times he’d seen her in action. Being the gentle soul that she was, she refused to join the armed forces with him. But even as a civilian, her magic was second to none.

If push came to shove, Hotaru was perfectly capable of defending herself.

Thus, Ryuuji buried his concerns about her and turned to his troops instead.

“Listen up, everyone,” he addressed them. “I won’t sugarcoat it; it’s hell down there. Do you see that miasma? That thing is corrupting everything it touches, driving them insane. People, kami, animals, you name it. The General and the Bureau have mobilized everything they have, and we’re the main line of defense. Once we reach the Civic Center, the only ones standing between the survivors and the monsters will be us. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Lieutenant,” replied Maki, steeling herself… and as she did, the other 8 members of their squad followed suit.

“We all have friends and family out there,” Ryuuji continued. “We all want to be with them this very moment, but the people we defend here tonight are also the loved ones of our comrades. They are trusting you with their safety, and it is our duty to deliver for them the same way they will do for us.”

“Sir, yes Sir!” the troops replied. Their words were resolute, but the nervousness in their eyes was evident. It wasn’t mere monsters they were about to fight.

“There is a chance you will see familiar faces,” Ryuuji admitted. “Command has confirmed the widespread conversion of civilians and kami. And I loathe to say this, but anyone fallen to corruption is beyond our power to help.”

Such was the terrible truth.

The miasma’s origin remained a mystery, but its effects were crystal clear: the complete corruption of souls, to the point of transformation. Kami were turned to yōkai, people were turned to oni, and even animals became monsters. With such a widespread outbreak of cursed energy, all the military could do was to destroy the afflicted, no matter who or what they may be.

“May the Gods forgive us…” a soldier uttered a prayer, clasping his hands.

“Responsibility for your actions tonight will be on me,” Ryuuji assured his troops. “Fulfill your orders, and do not hesitate.”

“Lieutenant, we’re near location. The drop zone is hot!” the copilot called out from the cockpit, as Ryuuji could see a horde of monsters clawing at the shelter’s door. Around them, the area was littered with corpses, many of them of police officers who’d laid down their lives in the line of duty.

“It’s only us in here,” Ryuuji readied his men. “Drop the ropes and fire at will! Gunners, cover us!”

At his command, the soldiers rappelled from the helicopter, with a hail of fire from machine guns at each side. Scores of yōkai and oni were mowed down, turning the horde’s attention toward the soldiers.

From that point on, the events that followed would prove to be the most terrible operation they had ever seen.