Darkening of the Guard
You stop moving, pausing just before you reach through the barrier, just before you can reach Kayano’s neck. Through gritted teeth, you growl, “What do you think you are doing?” A drop of sweat rolls down your cheek as the struggle within intensifies. Kayano does not wait around to see which of you emerges in control: she breaks into a run, heading for the corridor beyond the lobby.
“Uh, Kayano-san, where are you going?” Sawada steps in front of her with an oblivious smile, his hand raised in a friendly greeting. She grabs his fingers, twists his wrist, and brings him down tumbling to the floor with a smooth hip throw. Sawada yelps in pain, rubbing his back. “What did you do that for?” he shouts in indignation, but Kayano is already fleeing down the hallways without as much as a single look behind her.
Still unable to move, you say frustratedly, “You’re an idiot. If she-“ The sentence is cut off as you finally regain full control. You heave a sigh of relief just as Uehara comes up to you.
“What did you say to Kayano-san?”
“I… just…” Caught off guard, you are unable to think of anything to say. The truth? Or should you try to spin a lie?
“You must have said something to make her run like that. You seemed… different. Were you?”
“That does not matter one bit,” Amanozaki speaks up, clearly annoyed. “That woman was full of evil intent… it is better that she is away from us. Come, let us liberate Shinoseki from his dark prison.”
“Not before I can be certain that it
is the Shinoseki that we know,” frowns Uehara, still wary.
Sakimura comes over upon seeing Uehara, his eyes full of suspicion, and begins to support her questioning. “I saw Kayano-san run away. What did you say… or do, Shinoseki-san?” The others begin to gather around you, and it looks like they are not any more keen to let you out of the barrier than they were before.
Taking a deep breath, you begin to explain yourself.
“No!” Before you can even start, you are interrupted by a sudden shout. It is Murano, who had remained by himself, in his own corner. The guard scratches at his forehead absentmindedly. “No! No. No… Yes. Yes! No...” He shakes his head and begins mumbling unintelligibly.
“M-Murano-san?” Sawada asks tentatively.
“Yes?” Murano responds somewhat normally, rocking his head back and forth slowly.
“Well, I was just wondering if you were feeling okay?”
“Yes? Good morning? My name is Murano, good morning? Sir?” Murano turns his head this way and that, and you see that the mark has spread across his face, down his lips, into his eyes. Black swirls swim across his skin as his eyeballs dart in different, random directions. “You are not supposed to be here. Good morning. The hospital is closed. Sir. Yes?” He gets up from the chair, his arms dangling limply.
“The hospital is the hospital is closed!” Murano shrieks, and rushes at the closest person – the maid. She screams, but is unable to fall back in time before Murano falls upon her, his fists raining down upon her head. She is floored by his attack. Before the guard can continue his assault, Sakimura runs in and – putting his karate to good use – sends him flying with a strong kick.
“Murano-san, what are you doing?” he yells.
“My name is good morning, the hospital is Murano,” babbles Murano incoherently as he rights himself. This time, he springs at Sakimura, waving his arms around violently. Sakimura is ready for him. Letting out a yell, he parries Murano’s wild swings and gives him a straight punch right in the chest. The security guard is hurled back again, throwing his arms out in a futile effort to stop his fall. He lands awkwardly. There is a loud crack as his wrist snaps.
The girls scream.
Sawada lets out an “Ooooh!” as he cringes.
“M-Murano-san!” shouts out Sakimura. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”
“The Murano is closed.” He gets up again, ignoring the broken wrist. The digits of that hand wriggle around independently, as if each finger is a living thing with its own mind. Then, he begins to weep, all the while advancing upon a frozen Sakimura.
“Damn it, we have no choice!” curses Uehara as she kneels down by the circular barrier surrounding you. “I hope I don’t regret this… Amanozaki-san!”
“Ah, y-yes,” Amanozaki quickly takes up position opposite Uehara. They begin to chant an incantation while passing their hands across the faint, glowing lines, disrupting them. The barrier sparks, and then fades away. You are free.
Uehara looks up at you. She seems to be saying ‘
Take care of this thing’ with her eyes.
Doesn’t she know how to say please?
Ei. What are our options?
Kill him and put his soul to better use, of course!
And?
You could restrain him, but isn’t that really risky and just a waste of time? There’s no saving him.
***
A. Murano is not a spirit – at least, not yet. You gather the strings that once formed the barrier that imprisoned you, and soak them in your blood. You will use it to bind Murano physically with your spell.
B. You restrain Murano physically. There is no need to cast any spells when it is simpler for you to just tie him up normally and shove him under a couch. You do not feel like showing all of your cards to the people here at the moment.
C. It is too bad for Murano, but Ei is right. You can’t save him, but with his help you can become more able to save the others. Sakimura is too soft, so you will have to do it. You kill Murano, free his spirit from his flesh, and then use it to unlock more of Ei’s seals.
