Chapter 05 - Diary

Few days back at the time of separation from Kazuki

Asami suddenly woke up, sweating heavily and with her heart racing. She looked around and realized she was in her apartment room. She was half-covered by the blanket and lying on her futon in one corner of the room. The lights were off, and it was difficult to see anything clearly.

Her room was of medium size. There was a small space by the entrance door to keep the shoes and other belongings, and then there was a raised wooden platform. Beside the shoe-keeping area, there was a small kitchen that included a medium-sized fridge. On the opposite end, there was a bathroom and a toilet. In the middle of the room, there was a large empty space with a small table, a chair, a small TV, and a futon.

Asami thought it was just a bad nightmare and got up to drink some water. She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. As she reached out to grab the bottle, she saw her left hand in the light of the fridge and was startled. She fell back on the floor with a sudden thud. That's when she realized her index finger was missing, and there was blood all over her hand. Her face went pale.

"So, it was all real?" she thought to herself. She stood up quickly and tried to turn on the lights, but they didn't work. She flipped the switch up and down over 10 times, but nothing happened. Still in a panicked state, she went to the kitchen sink to wash her hands, as there was blood on them.

She turned on the tap and washed her hand. Strangely enough, it wasn't hurting her. As she stepped back, she realized she had stepped on something. She got down on the floor and found a small, old-style diary that was torn and shredded. She picked it up with her right hand and went to find a candle, which she found in the first drawer of her shelf. She lit the candle and sat on the floor to read the diary. The diary was almost entirely shredded, and only a few pages remained. However, considering the situation she was in, she thought it might provide some clues to escape the situation.

Several pages were blank, and several others were almost torn apart. She only found a few scraps of text on the torn pages. It was gibberish, and said, 'Old...Granny...Shrine...'. She was confused and turned the page. The next page was also torn, but she was able to read some text that said, 'My...Mistake...I shouldn't...'

The last page was written in a hurry, and it said, 'Please help me and my son. I am sorry for what I have done. I'm sorry, dear. I wasn't able to protect my son, the shrine, or the town. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Dear if only you were here... To save our son...'

As soon as she finished reading the last page ... blood which was clotted up until now from her index finger started flowing out. She wondered what caused it holding her left hand with her right one she went to the bathroom and took out a medical kit from the cabinet which was behind the mirror. She took out the bandage and wrapped it around her finger. It was loosely wrapped as she was not able to do it properly with her right hand.

Then she heard the voice of Kugo, he said "Oh you are here, for a while I lost you. I was worried that you might have died. Because that's not what I want right? I want to torture you to death instead.", She was looking here and there to find the source of the voice, but she noticed that the diary which was placed on the floor was missing.

Her head was severed from her body and the fear of death ran down her spine. She realized it was only a vision. Her neck was still intact and well. Kugo laughed and said, "You imagined something funny right now, didn't you? I can see it in your eyes. You are scared of me. You are scared of dying.

Holding her neck, she screamed, "You say it like you are not scared of death. Everyone is scared of death. You know what someone said, a beautiful line about life and death. It goes like this: 'Death is so final, while life is full of possibilities.'" It was Kugo who said it, someone I admired a lot on Discord, but he also disappeared a few months back.

Kugo said, "Even though my name is Kugo, I'm not sure which Kugo you're referring to. But I assure you, he is not like me. And I am not scared of death because death is not the end for me. I am already dead. I was the chosen one, chosen by the Lord Himself. Unlike you ignorant humans."

Kugo paused, observing the tense expression on Asami's face, and then continued, "By the way, that boy you were with, he died yesterday. "Asami felt confused as for her, it had only been a few hours since they were together. She asked, "But we were together just a few hours ago." Kugo replied, "Time is relative, and it has already been three days since the event in the hallway occurred with you. I wonder why I am telling you all this, but I guess I am just bored."

Kugo manifested in physical form, having been just a voice until now. He snapped his fingers, conjuring a chair in front of him, and elegantly sat with his legs folded, exuding an air of elitism. Addressing Asami, he said, "Since I am currently bored, and you provide no amusement, I will answer every question that lingers in your mind. There's no need to speak them aloud; I can read your thoughts. Simply think of the question. You can't back out, either. I will respond to every question until you think, as I won't entertain any spoken inquiries, even if you later think of the same question. It will be disregarded... and well, never mind."

Asami, still confused, asked, "What do you mean by that?" despite her confusion, she reluctantly agreed. Kugo let out a mocking laugh and retorted, "Are you dumb or something? Beep peep, question rejected. Next one."

Asami pondered her next question and thought, "Who are these lords?" Kugo provided an answer, saying, "When I woke up, I found myself in a dark place. Later, I realized it was the shrine. My head was filled with voices, which apparently belonged to the lord. He claimed to be almighty and powerful. I have no recollection of anything before that, but I was told that I would be able to meet my lord once I got rid of both of you. One of you is already dead."

As soon as he finished answering the question, Asami felt a sharp stabbing pain in her abdomen. She looked down and saw a knife protruding from her stomach. Overwhelmed by agony, she screamed and collapsed onto the floor. Kugo laughed sadistically and remarked, "I did mention that I would answer every question in your mind. But perhaps I forgot to mention that there would be a price to pay. I am not a genie who grants wishes for free."

Asami thought, "What kind of monster is he?" To which Kugo replied, "Oh, don't call me that. I am not a monster. I am merely a chosen one, here to serve my lord and yearning to meet him." Suddenly, another knife was ruthlessly plunged into her left leg, causing blood to gush out. Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, she screamed and pleaded, "Why are you doing this to me?" Kugo heartlessly responded, "Beep peep, question rejected. Next one."

Asami's mind was overwhelmed with thoughts, and she struggled to control them. She thought, "Am I going to die here?" Kugo callously replied, "No, dear. Why would you die here in this room when you can die in your bathroom? We'll move there soon, don't worry." As he uttered those words, he ruthlessly stabbed her palm, causing her to release the knife she held in her leg.

The next question that arose in Asami's mind was, "Why does it hurt so much? I have never seen this much blood until a few days ago." Kugo responded with a mocking tone, saying, "You sure ask some stupid questions. It hurts because you are being stabbed, and the blood signifies the pain signals being sent to your brain. But are you certain that was the question you wanted to ask?" Without hesitation, he drove the knife directly into her heart, causing her to lose consciousness. Kugo remarked, "Ah well, it ended sooner than expected. Why did she have to be so fragile?"

She flicked her fingers, and to her surprise, she found herself standing once again, with no stab wounds on her body. Confused, she couldn't help but think, "What happened?" Kugo responded, "Ah, you're becoming smarter. I'm impressed. Well, it was all a dream that you were experiencing. Funny, isn't it? You might have thought that I would let you go soon, but nah, I'm not in the mood, to be honest."

As he finished speaking, they were both transported to a massive, decaying sanatorium. The wallpaper was peeling off, and the creaking floor added to the eerie atmosphere. The place was engulfed in darkness, with minimal lighting. The only source of illumination was the moonlight seeping through a window positioned behind a throne. A dark figure, small in size, occupied the throne, while a person stood beside them. Suddenly, the figure standing spoke in an elderly woman's voice, saying, "Welcome to the Abandoned Sanatorium."