I recently put chapters 1 to 10 together to make a free ebook that you can read on your kindle or ebook reader. I also made a PDF and epub file too. You can download it below.
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Chapter 4
Everything soon fell into place on the third day of school. I remember it as the day I discovered that my life was a lie, and the countless secrets which had been hidden from me by my adopted family, finally came to light.
It all began when Itsuki decided to approach me. We hadn't directly spoken since the first day, so I assumed he didn't have the guts to face me.
I finished my lunch only to look up and find him hovering over my desk like the grim reaper looming over a deathbed.
"Can I have a word with you?" he asked.
I turned around to say "look at this guys, Itsuki wants a word with me," until I realized that I wasn't in middle school anymore, and my friends had all abandoned me to go to trade school instead.
I suppressed my feeling of being friendless, and rose to follow Itsuki out of the classroom.
I wasn't surprised when he failed to start-up a colorful conversation, so I decided to ask the one thing I'd been dying to know.
"So, what's going on with you and Mana?" I asked.
"Mana?" he scoffed. "That's a pretty friendly way to talk about someone you barely know."
"Well, maybe I don't know her yet, but I will soon."
"That's a stupid assumption."
Story Summary
Ethan is a soul in the Underworld with no memory of his life on Earth. He is bought and sold by various masters for centuries. Traveling from large industrial towns to scorching hot deserts. During his journey he picks up the skills, knowledge and magic to escape his enslavement. He runs with the intent of living a free life, but is pursued by agents until he's cornered on a remote mountain range. With little time left, Ethan begins to recount his life and masters in the hope of leaving a record of his existence. These are his memories.
My old master accumulated a collection of magical artifacts during his time alive, so I knew that his study was the best place to search for the things that I needed.
I silently snuck into his bedroom that afternoon, past Mira who was sobbing into one of Alistair's shirts, and took the key from a small drawer beside his bed.
The study was smaller than the library, but still large enough to contain three cabinets of magical artifacts, several bookshelves, and a desk in the corner overflowing with notes. The floor was littered with books that Alistair had pulled off the shelf, then aimlessly discarded when he couldn't find what he wanted. There were also maps of the Underworld decorating the walls, and I'd later regret not studying them more closely.
"Sorry for the intrusion, Master," I apologized and quietly crept inside.
I walked past a bookshelf which was stuffed with mouldy encyclopedias on magic. I'd attempted browsing through them before, but unlike the book in my hands, the language was too old and complex for me then. I was always envious of how a party boy like Alistair could recite them with ease, and he pulled off most of his magic by chanting those ancient words.
I pulled one of the books off the shelf to take a closer look, but it immediately ripped into two and the pages crumbled to the floor.
I silently snuck into his bedroom that afternoon, past Mira who was sobbing into one of Alistair's shirts, and took the key from a small drawer beside his bed.
The study was smaller than the library, but still large enough to contain three cabinets of magical artifacts, several bookshelves, and a desk in the corner overflowing with notes. The floor was littered with books that Alistair had pulled off the shelf, then aimlessly discarded when he couldn't find what he wanted. There were also maps of the Underworld decorating the walls, and I'd later regret not studying them more closely.
"Sorry for the intrusion, Master," I apologized and quietly crept inside.
I walked past a bookshelf which was stuffed with mouldy encyclopedias on magic. I'd attempted browsing through them before, but unlike the book in my hands, the language was too old and complex for me then. I was always envious of how a party boy like Alistair could recite them with ease, and he pulled off most of his magic by chanting those ancient words.
I pulled one of the books off the shelf to take a closer look, but it immediately ripped into two and the pages crumbled to the floor.
Go To Chapter: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Chapter 3
Flash forward to ten years later and I was happily dreaming away until my pleasant sleep was destroyed by my alarm. I cracked my eyes open to make sure it was daytime, then flinched at the sunlight which had infiltrated my bedroom. I attempted to muster the energy to get out of bed, but I was dead to the world until my snooze alarm rang.
I rolled out of bed and fell to the floor with a bang, completely unaware that I wasn't going to live to see the end of the year. My eyes glanced at the photo of Grandpa and I (which I had beside my bed) and I suddenly remembered what I'd been dreaming about. My adopted grandfather.
It was odd that I'd dreamed about Grandpa. There was once a time when I used to think of him everyday. Sometimes to the point where I would cry, only to be consoled by my older sister. Who would often cry as well. After entering middle school my life had become so much busier with homework, friends, and high school entrance exams. So I hadn't stopped to dwell on the man who adopted me almost ten years ago.
Maybe appearing in my dreams was his way to make sure I didn't forget him, or maybe he was just wishing me luck on my first day of high school.
I looked up at my uniform which was hanging on the door of my closet. It was blue military style with my family name Matsumoto neatly stitched on the pocket. Sis ironed it the day before, and made me swear to not get it dirty.
Story Summary
Ethan is a soul in the Underworld with no memory of his life on Earth. He is bought and sold by various masters for centuries. Traveling from large industrial towns to scorching hot deserts. During his journey he picks up the skills, knowledge and magic to escape his enslavement. He runs with the intent of living a free life, but is pursued by agents until he's cornered on a remote mountain range. With little time left, Ethan begins to recount his life and masters in the hope of leaving a record of his existence. These are his memories.
Angela, Alphonse, Mira, Anya, Felix, and I lined up in the front garden the next morning to wish our master a safe trip. The army forced him into the war, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.
I don't know why they were interested in a pampered aristocrat like Alistair. I can only assume that the shitty king thought that conscripting magical users was the best way to crush his adversaries. This cruel strategy worked in the end, but my master had even less experience than me when it came to combat and war.
Alphonse nervously brushed a crease in his suit for the twentieth time that morning, and Anya kept readjusting her hair. Mira was sobbing uncontrollably, and I was certain that I saw a small glimmer of sadness within Angela's dark lifeless eyes. Felix also looked anxious, but as concerned as I was for our master, I hadn't considered the possibility that he may not return.
Alistair's face was cold, passive, and he was trying his best not to cry. He quickly turned away once or twice to wipe stray tears from his eyes.
"I'll be back soon." Alistair's gaze flicked between us like he was desperately trying to memorize our faces. "I expect you all to be on your best behavior during my absence, so that means no throwing sharp things."
"We'll try, Master," muttered Alphonse, but I remember him and Mira getting into several knife fights over the following months.
Summary: They say life flashes before you in that moment before death. I could see it all reflected in the blade. I was standing under the cherry blossoms at my school entrance ceremony, eating cake at my sister's wedding, standing outside praying the monster wouldn't come tonight. I might not be dead yet but I can see what's coming, this is the story of how I was murdered by a fox monster!
Go To Chapter: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Chapter 2
I was five years old sitting in my Grandfather's study. Watching as he dusted the shelves. I used to follow him like a shadow back then. Normally he'd try to keep me amused by pulling funny faces, or putting the duster on his head and pretending to be a peacock, but that day was different. That day he was a man on a mission and there was nothing to laugh about.
"Do you remember what I told you about the Obake Daisuke?" he asked.
Obake? I thought to myself.
I stared up at my grandfather who was patiently waiting. I tilted my head and racked my brain for an answer, but my mind came up blank.
"Obake?" I questioned, wondering if it was a type of food.
He sighed and returned his attention to the bookshelf in front of him. Grandpa's study was amazing back then. It was full of numerous books and scriptures, some of them hundreds of years old. He scanned his fingers over the old volumes until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a worn looking book and began to flip through the pages.
"Oh-bah-kei," he sounded out for me. "Are animal spirits, or monsters if you prefer to call them, that inhabit this world. We talked about this the other day, does it ring any bells Daisuke?”
Monsters, monsters. It seemed vaguely familiar. Like one of the long speeches he would give me while my attention was elsewhere, like watching TV.
Grandpa sighed. "Obake take the form of animals so they can blend in with the natural world."
"I remember now!" Actually I didn't, but I wanted to look smart in front of Grandpa.
He continued to flip through the pages until he landed on what he was looking for, and held it up for me too see. It appeared to be a picture book, except someone forgot to color the pages. I stared at the image of a raccoon, or maybe it was a dog, I wasn't certain.
"There are many animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, wolves, or snakes, which Obake use to disguise themselves. Pay attention to this raccoon Daisuke. This Obake disguises itself as a harmless raccoon so that it can blend in unnoticed. But if an opportunity presents itself, this raccoon transforms into a monster and attacks or devours humans."
Story Summary
Ethan is a soul in the Underworld with no memory of his life on Earth. He is bought and sold by various masters for centuries. Traveling from large industrial towns to scorching hot deserts. During his journey he picks up the skills, knowledge and magic to escape his enslavement. He runs with the intent of living a free life, but is pursued by agents until he's cornered on a remote mountain range. With little time left, Ethan begins to recount his life and masters in the hope of leaving a record of his existence. These are his memories.
Every week I'd watch Alistair become intoxicated and flirt with anyone he could. Men, women, and even his own soul slaves.
As much as I slowly came to accept my master's strange ways, the flirting always got under my skin. I don't know if he was intentionally trying to mess with us, or just did it without knowing, but Alistair successfully turned half his souls against each other as they fruitlessly struggled for his affection.
"Traitor!" Mira screamed and threw a knife at my head when I fled into the kitchen carrying a tray full of wine glasses. "Trash! Filth! Waste of two hundred pounds!"
The knives all painlessly passed through my ghostly body like air, but I dropped my tray in shock. The glasses shattered against the floor with a crash.
"So you think your the master's new favorite soul now, do you, pretty boy?" said Alphonse as he leaned against the kitchen bench behind her. Arms angrily crossed over his chest as he glared down at me.
Alphonse and Mira stupidly competed for Alistair's attention on a daily basis, but they decided to join forces with Angela, who must have also been there.
Angela was a small soul who looked no older than seven. Dressed up in expensive children's clothes with several ribbons in her curly hair. She appeared small and innocent, but that girl was over four hundred. All the centuries in Hell had warped her childish soul into something dark and unrecognizable. Even I was often mortified.
Let’s start from the beginning. I was adopted by an old man who named me after his dead son, creepy right? He used to tell me stories of monsters who hide within our world and attack humans. I thought he made it all up to scare me, but I just met a group of exorcists who confirmed my worst fear, monsters are real! If that wasn’t enough to freak me out I discovered Grandpa was up to some shady stuff, Sis has secrets stashed away, and any hot chick could be a monster plotting to rip my insides out!
God must hate me, because I don’t know my own past, my real name, and……Akito? Hey, what’s up with the knife Akito?
Go To Chapter: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Chapter 1
"Daisuke Matsumoto!" Sang a young woman's beautiful voice.
Her words bounced off the walls and echoed throughout our dark and silent home. Normally I'd be overjoyed to hear a pretty girl call my name, but the sound of her voice sent nothing but terror down my spine.
"It's her, she's coming," whispered Akito.
I expected my teacher to be freaking out in terror like me, but his black eyes were calm and his brow was narrowed in concentration.
"But Mana!" I hissed hysterically. "We have to help Mana!"
I couldn't forget the image of Mana lying face down unconscious on the floor. Her short black hair was messed up, bloody, and she looked like a broken doll beyond repair. The cute girl who helped me on several occasions could be moments away from death if someone didn't aid her soon.
I jumped up and attempted to climb over the desk we were hiding behind, but Akito quickly grabbed my shirt and pulled me back.
"Don't worry about her! There's nothing we can do now!" He hissed.
"What! You can't be serious!"
Mana wasn't my only concern. It was also uncertain if my other friends were alright. I lost track of them among the madness.
"How can you say that?" I cried. "Aren't you supposed to protect them? Isn't that your job?!"
"It's not them she's after!"
My mouth clamped shut. He was right. It wasn't poor Mana she was targeting.
She only had one target in mind, and that person was me.
I gave up and went limp.
He was right, it wasn't his fault, it was all mine.
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