The sun sank over
Hibusa Town. The vibrant rays of a warm afternoon gave way to the long shadows of evening. The quiet, sleepy sounds of a day unwinding overtook the usually idyllic, almost backwoods buzz that hung over the town. From the upper reaches of the mountains where shrines and temples lay, to the close-knit roads and homes that led to the bigger city next to the ocean, all of Hibusa Town was blanketed in darkness. The wind picked up.
It was autumn or some other late-year season; some time where the world was colder and the colors of youth and summer and sun bled away into more moderate vibes. The streets were empty, most homes closed up for the approached evening. Not many walked the town’s roads in such an hour but one did, a girl. She casually scaled up a great slope and weaved through backways and passages, in between buildings until house and city blurred and mixed.
And so the girl strolled with confidence in her step and her coat pulled up just a bit higher, a little tighter, to combat the night’s chill. In each pace did she count a shadow and with each corner rounded she felt some tug on her chest. Before she knew it, she was in a maze of houses and city buildings, the deep heart of Hibusa Town. Only then did the shadows erupt from their surface, gangled and strange forms taking shape in great masses. The
Miseria.
A great number of them spawned this night and perhaps with good reason. As the year drew to a close, so too were deadlines coming. Bills that needed to be paid. Waning donations to the shrines. The loss of loved ones and other such worries; such were the fuel and cause of the Miseria, creatures who festered in them. It only made sense such a dark night would see a number of them. And darker still as something else lay in the shadows.
The Miseria crawled and festered like roaches, clambering in dark patches. But the girl paid them no need, simply leaping up to a stray lamppost and settling herself atop like a seated languish cat with a strength betraying her frail form.
“What are you all waiting for? Go on and feast,” said
Rei Ishiko.
Darkness descended on darkness, the glint of weapons and the hunger of souls radiating in Hibusa Town’s night life. Magic lay heavy in the air as the Detention Club revealed themselves. These were their hunting grounds and would remain so forevermore. Soon the Miseria found their dormancy disturbed by their sworn enemies, lashing out and attacking to avoid their fates. Rei only watched, the Detention Club leader happy to simply enjoy the sights. Something else was in the air and she
knew her club knew it too. Something brighter in the night, something to spurn a sneer on Rei’s features.
“We have new blood tonight. Why don’t you all give them a local welcome,” Rei said. That was the cue for the newest among their rank to reveal themselves at last, the Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow. But she also referred to those foolish enough to intrude their hunt. And those who laid way into the hunt often became prey themselves.
It would be a long night.