Project Device

The absence of fear stirred the yokai’s predatory instincts. It leered at Noel with a sinister smile. Its malevolent gaze fixed on her as it contemplated the grisly prospect of consuming her flesh.

First blood was drawn by Noel as she swiftly punched the yokai across the spacious hallway. Kotaro watched with wide-eyed astonishment, witnessing her formidable strength.

The yokai picked itself up—genuinely impressed by its adversary. The excruciating pain she inflicted as her fist bludgeoned its jaw aroused the sadistic monster. Its grotesque grin escaped its lips, masochism seemingly evident.

“Before I exterminate you, how did you access the Outside World? No one from Densetsu is allowed access to the Outside World unless permitted,” Noel questioned.

“Human from Densetsu? I from Densetsu!”

Noel sighed in exasperation, unimpressed by the creature’s limited intelligence. “Always the dumb ones…”

A bow of ethereal light materialized in the student's hand as she prepared to take her aim. Simultaneously, the yokai readied its own attack, conjuring a searing ball of flames in its malevolent hands.

“Attack Skill: Damsel—” The yokai’s incantation was abruptly interrupted by an arrow of radiant light that pierced through its heart.

“The Skill Rules don't apply in the Outside World,” Noel remarked. She wasted no time to annihilate her foe. A snap of her finger engulfed the yokai in blue flames until it was nothing but ashes.

*

Hidden behind his portals, Yuuki watched Noel’s fight in amusement. Though separated between realms, Noel directed her gaze at him, a subtle indication in her awareness of his concealed presence. “Now this can’t be any good for my name.”

He averted his sight to Kotaro, a knowing smile playing on the corner of his lips before fading away. Yuuki opened his parasol, resting it on his shoulders. The Gap Yokai created another portal to his homeworld. “Someone must be tampering with my portals. Wouldn’t want Yanluo or Navarasa to accuse me.”

*

As the blue flames dissipated, Noel turned her attention back to Kotaro, her eyes still harboring a touch of concern. She reached out to him, ensuring he was unharmed by the chaos that had just unfolded.

“W-What are you?” Kotaro asked. His mind raced in a whirlwind of questions. She approached him, breaching his personal space. “If it’s a kiss you want, maybe get to know me first?”

“This is kept between you and me. Once the bell rings, I will ex—”

The school bell conveniently rang, interrupting Noel.

“Okay, explain,” Kotaro demanded sharply.

“I’m not from this world.”

“I got that from the way you interacted with that…thing.”

“It’s a yokai,” she corrected. Monsters, from the supernatural to the paranormal, were classified as yokai in Japanese mythology. “And the world you discovered last night—”

“Hold on!” His brows shot up with intrigue. “How do you know about that?”

“Everyone in Densetsu knows.”

Confusion churned his thoughts, but the two were forced to resume their lives like nothing happened. Fate played its hand, seating them together in the next class and so forth. Each encounter became more frustrating than the last as Noel teased him with elusive answers, then avoiding him like an ex.

It was lunch, yet Kotaro remained persistent to learn more. “So you’re telling me I’ve been discovering this other—”

“Will you stop blurting this information?” Noel shoved a handful of fries into his mouth. “This is kept between you and me!”

He picked up on the abnormality in his surroundings. One would expect a throng of students celebrating Noel's triumph over the yokai. However, reality was quite the opposite—it was as though the yokai encounter never took place, and everyone went about their business as if nothing unusual had occurred.

“About that yokai? Why is everyone acting like nothing happened?” Kotaro addressed.

“It’s my master’s doing,” Noel answered.

“Your master?”

She nodded, confirming Kotaro’s growing curiosity. “It’s called the Boundary. It is an ability that affects the very fabric of existence. He can remove or alter boundaries between Densetsu and the Outside World, the realms of the living and the dead, humans and yokai, day and night, and even timelines.”

Kotaro, still processing this information, scanned at the seemingly unaffected surroundings. “In other words, you’re saying the Boundary is both creation and destruction?”

“Exactly. My master resets the boundaries to erase any memory of the event from everyone except you and me. Not many are aware of its influence. We live in a world where the extraordinary can happen, but the Boundary ensures that these events remain hidden from the majority,” Noel stood up, carrying her empty tray to the nearest trash. “Now…I don’t want to continue this conversation. At least, not here.”

As the school day drew to an end, Kotaro stowed away his textbooks. The clatter of lockers faded into the background. He closed his locker, oblivious to his surroundings until he sensed a lingering presence near him.

Turning, he found Noel standing next to him, an enigmatic calm enveloping her features. Her silence spoke volumes, almost as if she had been waiting for this precise moment.

“You’ve been waiting for answers,” Noel stated, her tone unwavering.

Kotaro raised an eyebrow, slightly taken back. “Yeah, but at least warn me you’re here.”

“Follow me,” Noel said as strode across the hallway, disregarding his remark. Kotaro followed her where they came to embrace winter’s breath. They approached the construction site, its skeletal framework reaching up like frozen sentinels against the gray sky.

Abandoned for the season, the once-bustling hub of renovation now stood eerily quiet, a ghostly monument to halted progress. The snow-draped cranes sat motionless, their metal frames coated in a powdery layer of frost. Tools laid scattered, frozen in time amidst the half-finished structures and piles of building materials.

Who knew how long this wintry slumber would last. The distant howl of the wind seemed to carry whispers of a project left in suspense, the intentions behind the Board of Education’s plans buried beneath layers of snow and silence.

“Densetsu,” Noel blurted.

“What?” Kotaro responded, shivering by the icy embrace. Suddenly, the layers of snow began to melt, as the air grew warmer by the second. He felt a strange tingling sensation as the numbing cold was replaced by an unexpected but comforting warmth that penetrated deep into his bones. “Is this your master’s doing again?”

As the snow around them transformed into glistening puddles, his attention was drawn to the visible aura surrounding the new student. It shimmered with a radiant energy, casting a soft glow that danced against his skin, infusing him with a sensation of both awe and apprehension.

Kotaro lost his patience as he became annoyed by her cryptic responses. “I have so many questions, and you’re not answering any of them. First, I want to know what Densetsu is. Second, I want to understand why it’s getting warm!”

“Densetsu is the world you discovered last night,” Noel answered as she rested her back against the wall. “It is the world of the Legends, hidden behind an elusive border within the Outside World.”

“You mentioned that everyone in Densetsu knows that I discovered it. How?”

“This isn’t the first time you discovered Densetsu. In fact, you’ve been to Densetsu multiple times. On the same day.”

Kotaro’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But I don’t remember any of it. How could I have been there without knowing?”

“The days repeat themselves, resetting everything that has been done by your actions. Because you’re not a resident of Densetsu, you’re unaffected by my master’s doing.”

“Let me guess, he manipulated reality to reset the days again?” Kotaro replied, his voice edged with frustration.

Noel nodded. “Yes. Each time the cycle resets, our memories remain intact—but you remain untouched by these altercations. You’re an anomaly—a visitor to our world, trapped within a loop of forgotten moments.”

“Care to explain why he’s causing this?”

“Let’s start from the beginning…” Noel sighed, a weariness in her eyes as she braced herself to reveal the grim reality. “The Sylvan Supreme enforced the production of the Project Devices from Infernia. He promised he would combat the monster population, allowing the people of Sylvia to expand their homes. Unfortunately, he failed to mention that the production would create dangerous vapors for people to breathe in. Additionally, the Project Devices come with a dark price to be paid. They’re artificial beings known as fakers, lacking a heart and a soul.”

Kotaro’s expression contorted in a mix of shock and concern. “So, these fakers are created without genuine life?”

Noel nodded gravely. “That’s correct. They’re mere imitations of life, tools designed to serve a purpose without the essence of true existence. And to operate these fakers, a crucial element is required.”

“What do you mean?” Kotaro asked, his curiosity piqued.

“What do you think is required to operate a faker like the Project Devices? Take a guess,” Noel prompted, her tone carrying a weight of anticipation.

Kotaro shrugged, “I don’t know. Some sort of battery. It almost sounds like they’re creating a robot.”

“A human soul,” Noel answered, her voice laden with a grim solemnity. Kotaro felt his chest tighten, the weight of her words sinking in with a sickening realization. “When it comes to the Project Devices, they require a virgin girl due to their high compatibility. Because of the purity in their virginity, it makes the Project Devices feel human. Girls from Densetsu and the Outside World have gone missing these past few days. Which is why the Kamiyama Shrine Maiden opposed this decision altogether.”

His fist clenched tightly, his mind reeling with disbelief and outrage. The thought of using a human soul as a component for such artificial creation shook him to the core. It was a grotesque violation of human consent. “Tell me, is this the reason why the girls in our school have gone missing?”

“Precisely,” Noel confirmed. She pushed herself off the wall, her gaze fixing on him with intrigue. “This is where you come into play.”

“Me?”

“The production of the Project Devices is protected by a powerful wall, the Makai Barrier. Its lethal defense prevents anyone from entering, and those who enter will face imminent death,” Noel explained. She pointed directly at Kotaro. “But you, you’re different. Like I said, an anomaly. The Makai Barrier doesn’t perceive you as living or dead, making you immune to its fatal coding.”

Why me? He questioned the responsibility placed upon him. “Look, none of this still explains why I discov—”

“I’m not finished,” Noel interrupted. “It isn’t your first time discovering Densetsu. In every iteration, you would stumble across an obstacle. A faker like no other. Project Device Type-0013 Never-Ending World, or NEW for short. No matter how many times my master has been resetting the days, the results remain the same.”

“I die,” Kotaro answered. The weight of the responsibility pressed heavily upon him, the gravity of the situation both daunting and empowering. The fate of not just one world but two now rested on his shoulders.

What have I gotten myself into? His mind raced with fear and determination. The enormity of the task ahead loomed ominously, and the stakes couldn’t have been higher. It was a choice between standing on the precipice of danger or risking the dire consequences of inaction.

“I just don’t understand. Why can’t your master manipulate reality and change it altogether?”

“He could, theoretically, do that, but doing so would violate the Skill Rules,” Noel answered.

Kotaro recalled Noel saying that before, and his curiosity piqued. “The Skill Rules?”

Noel expelled a wisp of energy from her hands, the same aura radiating from her body. “This is reiki, the essence that emanates in all lifeforms and even non-lifeforms. I am a reikishi, someone who practices the use of reiki. When one learns how to harness it, miracles are born. These miracles are called Skills.”

“There are those, with great ambition, who use reiki to exploit the weak. The Skill Rules were created in order to prevent the destruction of both Densetsu and the Outside World, limiting what could be utilized in one’s repertoire. Violating those rules would mean death by punishment,” Noel explained.

The intricate balance between power and restraint, a delicate equilibrium of perseverance, became clearer for Kotaro to understand.

“But the Skill Rules don't apply here?” He recalled her phrase against the yokai.

“Exactly. Thus my master was able to manipulate it here freely versus what he can do in Densetsu,” Noel confirmed.

Having the clarification helped Kotaro understand the weight of his new destiny. He wrestled with conflicting emotions. Not everyone would be given a decision that revolved the entirety of another world, one that he simply didn’t belong. But somewhere out there, Kotaro knew, this other realm carried his lost memories. He could feel it, deep in his core.

*

From her office, Ms. Rosenfeld silently observed the two students through the window, her gaze an unspoken sentinel over their clandestine conversation. She took a seat.

Then she delicately pressed her fingertip against the air, slicing through reality to create a rift. Through this newly formed tear, she gained insight into the perspective of another individual within the world of Densetsu.

“Lady Delilah!” The men sensed her reiki presence, immediately halting their tasks to salute their mistress.

“The Scarlium is currently with the Azzurum. I expect you know what to do,” Ms. Rosenfeld reported.

“But milady, Nox wouldn’t approve. You’re meddling with his plans!” The tallest man protested.

“Does your loyalty lie with me or with Nox?” Delilah’s glare pierced the man, her voice shifting to a terrifying yet authoritative tone. The men dared not avert their gaze, sweat beading on their foreheads in silent fear. “You are to awaken the Scarlium no matter the circumstances.”

“How do you suppose we start the gegeru, milady?”

“That imbecile of a yokai killed no one for his gegeru. I dispatched him into the Outside World, only to be eliminated by the Azzurum. So bring me another candidate worthy to participate in the gegeru!”

“Right away, ma’am!” The men swiftly abandoned their tasks, responding to Delilah’s orders.

As the rift gradually closed, Delilah turned her gaze to the azure sky. “Soon, mother. You will be awakened.”