4 Guidance and Secrets I

  [Player: Kazuki Arata]

  [Level: 1]

  [Waza: Black Hand, Thread Cutter, Aura Sense]

  [Kegare: 22%]

  [Status: Recovering from injuries]

  ---

  Morning arrived with a waving golden light coming through the cabin's small windows and the high trees outside. Kazuki woke, and his hand reached for his phone in its usual place on the floor beside his futon.

  No floor. No futon. He remembered where he was: The Yokai Realm. The cabin from the night before that he and Kuro had returned to after his futile attempt to return home.

  His leg throbbed with a dull ache, but the sharp pain from yesterday had subsided. Kazuki sat up, testing the injured limb. It held his weight better today, though he still winced when he put his full weight on it.

  "I've made something to eat," Kuro said from across the cabin. She knelt by the hearth, stirring something in a small iron pot. The scent of unfamiliar herbs and something like rice filled the air.

  "What is that?" Kazuki asked, limping closer.

  "Kayu with herbs from this realm," she replied, scooping a porridge into two wooden bowls. "It will help you recover faster."

  Kazuki accepted the bowl warily. The mixture looked like rice porridge but had flecks of blue and purple herbs mixed throughout. He took a tentative taste and was surprised to find it pleasant, earthy, and slightly floral. A warmth spread from his stomach to his limbs.

  As he ate, a notification appeared:

  [Kegare: 22%]

  "There it is again," Kazuki said, pointing at the floating text. "Kegare. You talked about it before, but why do I keep getting notifications about it? What exactly is it?"

  Kuro's golden eyes flickered up to meet him, then away just as quickly.

  Kazuki insisted. "If I'm stuck here, I need to understand how things work."

  She sighed, setting down her own bowl. "Kegare is spiritual corruption. Impurity. In your world, it might be called... malware."

  "Malware?! And I have it? Is it dangerous?"

  "Everyone has some degree of Kegare," Kuro said carefully. "Especially yokai. It accumulates when you use certain types of spiritual techniques, or when you're exposed to corrupted energies. At low levels, it's harmless. At higher levels..."

  She trailed off, and Kazuki felt a chill despite the warm porridge in his stomach.

  "What? What?! You can't just stop there!"

  "It can affect your mind. Your abilities. Eventually, it can transform you into something... not human." Kuro's voice was flat, but her eyes held something Kazuki couldn't quite read.

  “But the image said ‘22%’ - does that mean I’m nearly one quarter of the way to mutating into some kind of a monster?!”

  “Don't worry. Your levels are normal. Relatively.," Kuro said as she tidied up the breakfast bowls.

  Kazuki wasn't reassured.

  "Every time I see it, it seems higher," he pointed out.

  Kuro nodded. "The forest here has a high concentration of yokai energy. The longer we stay, the more you'll absorb. That's why we need to reach the village. There are wards there that will help stabilize your Kegare."

  "How far is this village?"

  "Half a day's journey, if we move quickly." Kuro stood, brushing off her hakama. "We should leave."

  Kazuki finished his porridge, feeling strength returning to his limbs. He gathered his few possessions - wallet, phone (useless here but comforting), and pocket knife - and followed Kuro outside.

  In the morning, forest mist clung to the ground, and the twin moons were still faintly visible in the pale sky. Trees stretched overhead, their branches forming fractal patterns, like cosmic calligraphy written by some ancient hand.

  "Stay close," Kuro advised, stepping delicately onto a narrow path barely visible among the undergrowth. "The morning is safer than night, but not by much."

  They walked in silence for a time, Kazuki lost in thought. If the shrine couldn't send him home... if he was truly trapped here… When he looked up, he saw Kuro staring at him as they walked. There was something like calculation behind her golden eyes. “Most humans who cross over have their energy drained by the transition. Yours is remarkably intact," she said.

  "Is that good?"

  "It's... rare," she said carefully. "And valuable."

  Before he could ask more questions, Kuro suddenly stopped, holding up a hand for silence. Her posture changed, becoming more feline despite her human form. Her head tilted, listening to something Kazuki couldn't hear.

  [Aura Sense - Active]

  The world shifted into layers of energy. The trees around them pulsed with faint green light, but ahead, he saw something different—a swirling pattern of dark purple energy, like an ink stain spreading through water.

  "What is that?" Kazuki whispered.

  "A kegare pool," Kuro replied softly. "Where yokai energy has gathered and stagnated. We need to go around."

  She led him off the path, climbing a small ridge to bypass whatever lay ahead. As they crested the hill, Kazuki caught a glimpse of what they were avoiding; a depression in the forest floor where dark mist swirled like liquid shadow. Small yokai flitted around its edges, drinking from the miasma like insects in a puddle.

  "If kegare is so dangerous, why are they drawn to it?" Kazuki asked.

  "For the same reason humans are drawn to alcohol or drugs," Kuro replied.

  They continued their journey, the terrain becoming steeper as they moved into the forest. Kazuki's leg hurt more and more with each incline, but he pushed through. The alternative - being stranded - was worse.

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  As the path wound upward, Kazuki noticed the air growing thinner. Not in the way of high mountains, but as if reality itself was becoming more fragile. Sounds seemed to travel differently, echoing strangely or being swallowed entirely.

  "What is this place?" he asked, his voice sounding hollow and distant even to himself.

  "The Ridge of Whispers," Kuro answered, stepping carefully among loose stones. We need to cross it to reach the village."

  As they climbed higher, Kazuki's ears popped but instead of pressure, he felt a moment of nausea... and then he heard them - whispers, hundreds of overlapping voices, speaking in languages he both understood and didn't. Some sounded like prayers, others like warnings or secrets never meant to be shared.

  "What the hell?"

  "Echoes," Kuro explained, stepping carefully among the stones. "This place holds pieces of those who've crossed before. Their words leak through."

  Kazuki listened more closely. Most of the whispers were mumbles, but occasionally a phrase would emerge with crystal clarity:

  ...the third lock requires the blood of the innocent...

  ...don't trust the cat, she lies with every breath...

  ...find the Magatama before the solstice or all is lost...

  ...the cat leads the lamb to slaughter...

  Kazuki stopped short, turning to Kuro. "What was that about not trusting the cat?"

  Kuro's expression remained neutral. "The whispers reflect fears and paranoia as much as truth. Perhaps you don't... trust me?" She gestured forward. "We should keep moving. This place isn't safe after midday."

  Kazuki hesitated. The whispers continued, now seeming to follow them as they moved.

  ...untainted, the perfect vessel...

  ...she's sold you already, human boy...

  ...the forest knows your name, Kazuki Arata...

  He quickened his pace to catch up with Kuro, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "They know my name," he said. "How do they know my name?"

  Kuro didn't slow down. "The Ridge reveals what's already in your mind. Fears, doubts, hopes—it twists them. It's reflecting you back to yourself Kazuki-kun. Don't listen too closely, or you'll just be another fool who throws himself off the cliff."

  They hurried across the rest of the Ridge, the whispers fading as they descended the other side. The warnings about Kuro kept replaying in Kazuki’s mind. Who was she? Why was she helping him? Was she helping him?

  As they walked, Kazuki tried not to think about it. Instead, he examined the world around him. The trees and plants looked similar to those in Japan, yet also kind of wrong—colors too vivid, patterns too deliberate. Sometimes he caught glimpses of small creatures watching from the underbrush, quickly disappearing when he turned to look directly at them. Animals?

  "The village we're going to," he said after a while. "Are they human? Or yokai?"

  "Both," Kuro answered. "It's a border settlement—one of the few places where humans and peaceful yokai coexist. Perhaps there will be humans there like you, people who crossed over from your world and couldn't find their way back."

  Kazuki felt a flicker of hope. "So there are others like me? People who got trapped?"

  "Yes. Some have been here for decades."

  The hope dimmed. "And none of them found a way home?"

  Kuro didn't answer.

  They walked in silence after that, Kazuki lost in thoughts of home. The apartment that had felt so empty now seemed like a paradise. Even his dead-end job at the convenience store felt real and meaningful compared to this—being lost in a world of monsters and magic.

  Around midday, they stopped by a small stream to rest. Kazuki scooped clear water into his mouth, surprised by the sweetness. It tasted like mountain springs he'd visited as a child, but with an undertone of something else—mineral-rich and invigorating.

  As he drank, Kazuki noticed Kuro watching him with an odd expression.

  "What?" he asked. “You keep staring at me.”

  She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just... you're adapting quickly for someone who just arrived."

  "Is that unusual?"

  "Most newcomers struggle more. They fight against the reality of this world." She knelt beside him at the stream, dipping her hands in the water. "You're... different."

  There was something in her tone that made Kazuki look at her more closely. In the daylight, with her guard slightly lowered, he could see that she was young, perhaps his age or slightly older, but with a wariness that spoke of, perhaps, a difficult life.

  "How long have you been in this realm?" he asked.

  "Always," she replied. "I was born here."

  "As a cat or as..." he gestured vaguely at her human form.

  A small smile touched her lips. "Nekomata are born as ordinary cats. The transformation happens later, if we live long enough."

  "And your family? Are they..."

  "Gone." The word was flat, final.

  Something in the way she said it reminded Kazuki of himself - a terseness that hid a deeper pain. For a moment, his suspicions faded. Whatever the whispers had warned, she was a person just like him, surviving as best she could.

  Before Kazuki could respond, a high-pitched sound cut through the forest - something between a whistle and a howl. Kuro leapt to her feet, suddenly alert.

  "We need to move," she said urgently. "Now."

  "What was that?"

  "Inugami. Hunting. They normally wouldn't be out during daylight unless—" She cut herself off, golden eyes darting through the trees.

  "Unless what?" Kazuki pressed.

  "Unless they're hunting something specific. Something valuable." Her gaze fixed on him. "Or someone."

  The implications sank in slowly. "Me? They're hunting me?"

  Kuro nodded grimly. "Humans are rare here. And you are… special."

  The eerie whistling sound came again, closer this time. Kuro grabbed Kazuki's arm, pulling him away from the stream.

  "Run," she commanded. "Follow the stream downhill. There's an abandoned shrine about a kilometer ahead. It's warded enough to hide us."

  They ran, Kazuki fighting through the pain in his injured leg. The forest blurred around them, branches whipping past as they fled downstream. Behind them, the whistling calls multiplied, coming from multiple directions.

  His breath came in ragged gasps. His leg threatened to buckle with each step, but fear drove him forward. The stream beside them widened, carving a deeper channel through the forest. Ahead, he could see a small clearing where the trees thinned out.

  "There!" Kuro pointed. "The shrine is just beyond that ridge."

  They burst into the clearing, and Kazuki stumbled to a halt. Something was wrong. The air here felt thick, heavy, and made his skin crawl.

  "Kuro, wait," he called out, but she was already several meters ahead.

  She turned back, impatient. "We don't have time to rest. They're getting closer."

  "This place..." Kazuki gestured around them. "There's kegare everywhere. A lot of it."

  Kuro hesitated, glancing around. "I don't sense anything unusual."

  "It's there. I can feel it." Kazuki stepped forward cautiously. "The whole clearing is covered in it."

  [Aura Sense - Active]

  Something clicked in Kazuki's mind. The whistling calls herding them in this direction. The convenient "abandoned shrine" just ahead. Kuro's inability - or unwillingness - to see the Kegare saturating the area. The whispers on the Ridge...

  "This is a trap," he said slowly, backing away. "They drove us here on purpose."

  Kuro's eyes looked away, and her lips formed a thin line. "Don't be ridiculous. We need to keep moving."

  "No." Kazuki stood his ground. "What's really going on here?"

  Before she could answer, the whistling sounds surrounded them completely. From the trees emerged tall, lean figures with the bodies of men but the heads of dogs, ranging from sleek hounds to massive wolf-like creatures. Each carried a curved blade that glowed with sickly green energy.

  Inugami. At least six of them forming a circle around the clearing.

  "Well done, Nekomata," called one with the head of a black mastiff. "You've led him right to us, as promised."

  ---

  [New Achievement: Intrusive Thoughts]

  [Next Chapter: Guidance and Secrets II]

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