An Odyssey of Spirit and Soul

[Cain Kisaragi]

An Odyssey of Spirit and Soul

There was a time when I would tell you that all in the world was as it seems, that there is nothing to worry about save for your health, and your wealth. There was a time when I thought life was boring. That I would live my life and die without any taste of true excitement or true terror. I was wrong, oh so very wrong. I wish, no, pray that it was true but that is just an illusion put forth by man's ignorance to the true nature of the world. This is my journal of all that has happened from my awakening to the truth, to the death of all man kind. May someone from some world find this and keep man's story alive!

October 18-21 2011

Morning, I awoke to the tapping on the door that comes every morning by my mother signaling that it is time for me to wake up. Man what a drag. I threw the covers off of myself and rolled out of the bed and hit the ground with a loud thump. The impact fully roused me from my sleepy state. I pushed off the carpeted floor and slowly stood and let out a yawn. After rubbing the sleep out of my eyes I took a look around my room. All was as it should be. I took a few steps toward the dresser and pulled out an outfit to wear, a patterned button up shirt and a pair of dress pants. With this complete I strode toward the door and turned the handle, with a click the lock disengaged, I pushed and the door swung open with a quiet creek. Directly next to my room was the washroom, the door was already half open so I walked in, flipped on the lights and the ventilation fan, shut the door and locked it, took a shower and shaved.

I swung the bathroom door open and stepped out. My hair was still damp and my clothes had a few wet spots upon them where water dripped down from it that, aside I looked clean and ready to face the day ahead. After a short visit to my bedroom to grab my book bag, I descended the staircase and walked into the kitchen. The sounds of eating soon filled the room as I wolfed down a bowl of cereal with gusto. A casual look up at the clock reminded me that the bus would be here any moment. I sprung to my feet, shoved my feet in my shoes, yelled that I was going out to my mother whom was on the upper floor, and ran out the door without even waiting for a response. I quietly cursed myself for allowing time to pass without notice. As I ran up the drive I saw the bus pull up to the stop and open its doors. At this my feet pounded against the pavement and I just barely managed to step onto the bus before the doors slid shut. I took a seat and off we went.

After many stops the bus arrived at the school. A few steps and I was off the bus and on my way into the building. Once in the cafeteria I took a seat at my usual table. Everything went as usual, I socialized with those present then later my friend Josh whom arrived a few minutes after I. Commotion signaled that it was time to head for class. I went down the hall and up the stairs to my first class. It went on as usual it was almost to ordinary. In fact most of the day was just that, ordinary. Nothing eventful happened save for a short meeting after school to discuss plans for the school's upcoming haunted house. I don't know why but something seemed ominous, there was something that just seemed wrong about the day despite the appearance of normality. Everything seemed too easy, almost as if something bad was going to happen. If only I had known how right I was.

We were walking on our usual path, we being me and my two close friends Josh and Tabby, to Tabby's home after school. We crossed the first intersection to the ice cream place just in front of the school without fail. At the second intersection I pressed the cross walk button and we waited for our turn to walk. Everything seemed normal so I stared to cross. Josh and Tabby were a few feet behind. I glanced back at them when Tabby asked me a question referring to an anime. Then everything went a black and a sickening silence consumed me. I had been struck and killed by a car who's driver ran the red light. Why did I ever agree to come back?

It was weird I thought nothing, felt nothing, could taste nothing, nor smell a thing, or hear a sound yet in some way I was gruesomely aware that my existence had been snuffed out like a candle deprived of air. For what seemed like an eternity I waited then, like a beacon of light a voice cut through the silent blackness. It said one thing.

"Do you want to live?" It said in a woman's voice that offered no warmth nor comfort. Moments dragged on in silence as I took in the offer that, in the cold and dark seemed oh so sweet. "Do you want to live?" it asked again as if it was growing impatient.

"Y-yes I wish to live..." I said shakily as if my own voice was barely under control. "What do I have to do?" I said almost frantically.

"Simply sign this contract and your death shall be undone." Said the voice as a light appeared before my eyes which seemed to morph into a woman with nine swishing tails and an animal like face that closely resembled a fox. She wore a white kimono. Though through it one could see an eerie blue light shine through as if her body underneath was covered in blue glowing writing. In her hands she held a contract that read,

"Upon signing this agreement, the human is to become a contractor of the white goddess Inari (the name of the Inari was written in with blood in a blank area provided at a previous time.) until the day he/she should perish. At that time so too shall the spirit whom he/she has been bound to.
A contractor is defined as: A human whom has signed the contract with ink of his own blood and has been bound to a spirit whether good or evil. He/She is to fight contractors of demons with the power of the spirit they are bound to, in order to win the war of gods.
Any refusal to do so or failures in battle shall cost the contractor his/her life without affecting the life of the spirit he/she is bound to. The reason behind this is so the spirits of heaven can fight the demons of our world despite their inability to enter it on normal terms. It was predicted that there would be a great war between spirits and demons and, that we would lose and the destruction of our world would come. We wish to destroy the demons before they can attack us.

Thank you for helping bring peace,
Sign here:________________________.

I read the contract with haste and immediately asked for a pen without any thought toward the consequences of signing that contract. The goddess replied by handing me an old fountain pen, though on one side instead of an inc cartridge there was a sharp blade. I needed not an explanation of how to use the pen. I quickly cut into my palm and gathered some of the pooled blood into the tip and signed. And just like that I was back to the world of the living. It was strange, I woke up in a hospital bed with all sorts of machines hooked up to me. I was told that I had fallen into a coma and presumed to be braindead, as if my soul had already left. After a couple nights in the hospital I was released. Eventually I went back to my normal life as if nothing happened but all joy will eventually be met with an equal sorrow.