Modern Monster

Our mind is a foreign land, yet to be explored. It will take time until you discover everything.

"The danger zone," Sen breathed in the frigid air.

Whatever he was expecting, it sure was blown out of the park. The green expanse of tall trees went farther than his eyes could grasp. He had never seen so many at once before, the most being the garden at the end of the first challenge.

But it was unfortunate that he witnessed such a sight at the winter’s initiation and not in the summer. It would have been quite interesting to see how the trees would look at their peak condition. Sen frowned as he noticed a few branches become brown and bare. But that thought gave him a pause.

I was never interested in trees before. But now it’s like there’s a certain feeling when I look at them, enjoyment perhaps. Odd. What a mundane thing to be fascinated over, at least, that’s what he would usually think, but now it was somehow different.

His gaze slowly lifted above the forest and locked on a half-green-white, pyramid-like structure. So jagged and towering it was hard to believe it was real. No machine or human could ever make something like it. Even the tallest building in the world would pale in size and durability. In truth, this wasn’t a man-made structure— but a creation of the earth.

"Mount Fuji," Hana said in amazement beside him. "I never thought I’d get to see it one day."

"Neither did any of the contestants," Sen pointed out, looking around him. The train had come to a halt beside a flat dirt clearing stationed above a cliff. It gave them the leverage to take in the forest’s beauty, yet the trees still managed to tower above them. Sen knew the real reason they had chosen this place: it was the perfect area to drop off many people.

Now, it was pretty obvious what they were planning, although Sen couldn’t really say that much for other people. The remaining contestants who hopped out of the linked trains were fearful and confused. They spun around themselves, paranoid that some monster was staring at them. Their worry was warranted because Sen himself was confused about why they would drop them off in such a dangerous area. Although, for some reason, he still wasn’t afraid. He never was.

Are the danger zones truly not as dangerous as we thought? Sen wondered. No, that can't be it; just living in the city is a hazard, so the outskirts can't be any better. What do they have up their sleeve?

Just then, Sen could’ve sworn he had seen an odd shimmer in the sky. Squinting his eyes and scanning through the blue expanse, he tried to find that same sparkle. But sadly, his search was unsuccessful, the only new sight being an ordinary bird soaring through the air. Maybe I imagined it.

"I’m scared." Sen found that voice to be Hono, trembling in her skimpy outfit. He grimaced as the short bob-cut girl talked with her teammates.

"I’m sure we’ll be fine, Hono." Kaiyo tried to put on a confident face, but her voice was also quite shaky. "T-there has to be a good explanation for this, right?" Her head turned to Sen, almost as if seeking an answer from him. Unfortunately, unlike most of the time, Sen had no clue. He already had an inkling that they were going to arrive at the danger zones; however, the reason for it was beyond him.

The only reasonable conclusion I can draw is that the AOK is somehow making this safe. I don’t have a clue how, though.

"I can't answer that," Sen replied truthfully, "However, placing our trust in the AOK would probably ease our worries in the long run. I don’t see how they would benefit by sending a few hundred people to die in the danger zones."

Not only was that a loss on their end, but it would also start a public uproar, and the AOK wouldn’t want that. Any publicity was certainly not good publicity, especially for a government body.

Sen turned his attention to Hyo, who was a bit calmer than the rest but still blatantly tense from their predicament.

"I swear to god, where the hell are the announcers? Are we supposed to stand here in the cold for hours?" On the other hand, Hana seemed more impatient than scared, but perhaps that was her defense mechanism, and judging from the small drop of sweat running on the side of her forehead, it appeared his theory was correct. Sen eyed around him once again, blinking in confusion. Someone was missing from their group.

"Did any of you see Baru by chance?" Sen asked. His team members shook their heads. Usually, Baru stuck around to them like a dog on a leash, which Sen might be partially responsible for. He recalled their first meeting, taking in how long ago that felt. It was hard to believe it was only a day since the first challenge had begun. So much had already happened.

Walking past a crowd of frightened people, Sen retraced his steps back to the train and searched from within. Unfortunately, there was no sign of him in their seat cubicle.

Sen grimaced in confusion. "Where the hell—"

"Clank."

Sen stared at the train's metal ceiling. Was something above it? Following that odd metallic sound, footsteps trailed along the roof before stopping altogether. Sen guessed the source of the commotion before leaving the train’s automatic door. And sure enough, his suspicion was correct.

Baru sat peacefully on the edge of the train with his legs dangling and arms resting on his lap. He gazed at the view with a distinct expression. It was neither sad nor happy, and Sen couldn’t exactly distinguish his manner. Most of the time, Baru seemed like an open book, mostly having a simple, happy expression, but now, he appeared melancholic. His eyes slumped down, and not from exhaustion either. Sen realized that he was peering at something in the sky. Is it the same sparkle I saw earlier? Sen thought. It surprised him that Baru was so alert to his surroundings.

"Why are you up there?" Sen asked below Baru’s hanging legs. He must not have known he was there because Baru’s body jolted in surprise. With a thud, his foot accidentally kicked the side of the train, creating a significant dent in the metal.

"Oh fuck, that’s gonna be expensive," Baru cursed under his breath as Sen bluntly blinked at him.

"Do you open your Sense every time you get surprised?" Sen asked.

"Huh?" He took offense to the observation. "N-no, what? Of course not. Why do you sneak up on me like that?" Sen didn’t understand why he was embarrassed. Perhaps he didn’t want Sen to look at him while he wasn’t in his usual mood.

Why does Baru do that? Sen wondered. Why put on that happy, comedic face if that’s not what he feels? It was apparent to Sen that Baru wasn’t everything he portrayed himself as. He wasn’t stupid… or, at least, as much as he showed, although he still wasn’t anywhere near Smart either.

"You still haven’t answered my question," Sen said.

Baru sighed. "Well, you got me. Whenever I get scared, my Sense does activate—"

"Not the question I was referring to," Sen interrupted. The red-haired boy gritted his teeth in response, fully knowing what he meant. Yet, despite Sen's urging, he wouldn’t utter a word.

"Well, it is what it is," Sen silently murmured to himself before telling his teammate. "I didn’t come here to interrogate you or anything, so sorry if I came at the wrong time. But it's best if we stick with the team. Who knows the dangers out here." With that, Sen turned around to rejoin his team, who were now lost amid the crowd of contestants. Before he could attempt to find them, however, Baru spoke from behind, putting Sen to a halt.

"It won’t be dangerous," Baru brashly said. Sen turned his head halfway, only to glimpse Baru’s expression from the corner of his eye. This wasn’t Baru’s usual hot-blooded and snobbish attitude he portrayed. No, he seemed coolly confident this time, almost as if he knew it was a fact, and that only increased Sen’s curiosity.

"What makes you say that?" Sen asked, still half turned away from him. His teammate hopped down the train as the ground slightly broke from the impact. A few pebbles of dry dirt were thrown in Sen’s direction, stopping at his feet. Just a slight jump was able to damage the ground. He couldn’t help but be impressed. Strolling to him with an overly cheerful expression, Baru patted his shoulder.

"Just a hunch," he replied. "Anywho, where’s the rest of the team? It looks like they are about to announce something." Sen was left unsatisfied by his answer but forced himself to focus on the more important thing. As Baru pointed out, the remaining contestants assembled at a specific part of the dirt clearing, a tall structure standing in the middle of the crowd, which Sen could only guess was for someone to announce the details of the second challenge.

After a few minutes of searching, both of them found their team, and they all gathered by the podium, waiting for something to happen.

"Do you think The WhiteStorm will show up again?" Hana murmured in his ear. Sen wasn’t too optimistic. He doubted that one of the most prestigious Knights would go all the way to the danger zones to announce a few details about a challenge. If Sen were him, he sure wouldn’t.

"Doubtfully." However, he did have a hunch on who would show their face today. And by the looks of things, Sen wouldn’t have to wait too long to find out if his prediction came true. A tall broad-shouldered man climbed the podium’s stairs, his sharp eyes glaring at them. Next to him, Kaiyo's breathing audibly stopped, practically like a reflex, before gradually continuing again. Sen nodded in approval. Kaiyo learned that she was not in danger of being expelled anymore.

There he was, with his short black hair ruffling in the wind and his trench coat protecting him from the bitter cold. The man’s green emerald eyes hushed the impatient crowd, intimated by his presence. Asashi.

This time, Sen instantly felt eyes preying upon him. He wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore. After Sen finished the exam, he could tell they would have an interesting conversation. Judging by his glare, he seemed more angst-ridden than last time. Sen remembered how confident and unwavering he portrayed himself when giving them the closing speech of the first challenge. But that same level of poise certainly wasn’t there.

Sen could tell something happened… or was it something else? Perhaps anxiety? Asashi didn’t allow much more eye contact from Sen and regarded the massive crowd with his usual straight face and collected stance. Asashi was good at hiding his true emotions, except for anger. Sen knew he had a tough time dealing with that from experience, as any person with touch did.

“Ahumm…” Asashi cleared his throat in the small wired mic next to his mouth. Sen wasn’t sure how or where the sound came from, but speakers were amplifying his voice somewhere. “First off, I’d like to acknowledge your bravery in entering the second challenge, regardless of not knowing what awaited you.” The crowd erupted with cheers of accomplishment, but it sounded more hesitant than before. Sen assumed the hesitancy was because of where they were. Although they succeeded in the first challenge, the unknowns of being in a danger zone quickly squashed their optimism.

“I know all of you must be concerned and are asking many questions,” Asashi noted, “After all, your worries are not without merit. You are indeed in the danger zone—an area the government classifies as too dangerous for humans to live in. This is due to a multitude of reasons: different viruses from plants, unnatural weather, or infestations of… monsters.”

Then why exactly did you bring us here if it’s so dangerous? Sen wanted to shout out. Mount Fuji is a cultural landmark that the government pays close attention to. So I’m assuming they have a few bases here to conduct research, but, regardless of that, allowing a few hundred aspiring Knights in such an area? That’s bold.

“Now I say to the nine hundred seventy-seven of you, this will be the most dangerous and harshest challenge you’ll likely face in your life,” Asashi said. “This is no competition to win a medal. Nor a competition for praise. This is a competition against yourself and your mental fortitude. Out here, your mind is your only friend. And your greatest enemy. It will plead with you to give up and reject that burning passion to keep pushing forward.”

Just as Sen expected, Asashi was a natural speaker. Regardless of how he felt on the inside, he wouldn’t fold under pressure. Judging by the crowd’s facial expressions, he could already tell that his speech moved them. Their eyes were filled with a sense of vigor and excitement.

“Furthermore, I would like to address the second challenge's official rul—”

“We’re all gonna die!” Before Asashi could finish his speech, a male contestant cried in fear. The crowd moved from the distressed individual to give him some space. “The monsters… T-the monsters are going to eat us. We’re all gonna die!” The stranger, who appeared to be around twenty, covered his head with his hands, jerking back and forth while kneeling on the earth. Sen noted how the man’s eyes flicked from one end to another, giving in to the urges of anxiety. He was having a mental breakdown.

“I don’t want to be here! I don’t want to be here!” Curling into a ball with his knees drawn to his chest and face buried, he slowly rocked himself, murmuring incoherent words.

“Good grief.” Asashi sighed, climbing down the podium stairs to meet with the distressed young man. Sen wondered how Asashi would try to ease the situation, if at all. He wasn’t the type to take sympathy for weak, overly dramatic people. Sen certainly wouldn’t care less. Upon seeing his descent, the crowd dispersed so Asashi would have an easy access line. He stopped before him, judging the distressed and curled-up individual with a flat expression.

Sen half expected Asashi to slap him out of the episode, but he didn’t. Instead, he put his hand on his shoulder in reassurance. The panicked contestant lifted his head, seeing Asashi's calm, deep emerald eyes. Eyes that have seen more than many would in multiple lifetimes. Eyes that had seen hell over and over again. But yet, underneath that resilience and pure power hid struggles and desolation. Deep down, Asashi was no more than the frightened person below him. Because that frightened person was still there, just buried beneath layers of memories and experiences.

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Asashi’s voice, amplified by the mic, sounded loud enough for the whole crowd to hear. “Fear is necessary for survival. Without it, we would all have died a long time ago. But you know what? Sometimes, fear is a pain in the ass. Sometimes, it doesn’t help you but instead prevents you from achieving something you want. It gives you the illusion that you can't overcome it, so you must concede.” Asashi wasn’t speaking to the individual, he was speaking to everyone… to himself.

But something was off. And the contestants felt it.

“Sen?” Kaiyo murmured close to his ear, breaking Sen’s train of concentration. She seemed worried, and he noticed it wasn’t her usual anxious questions either.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked around them. “I’m hearing something, like a flapping noise. And… I've noticed other people looking around as well. I think they’re people with Hearing as well.” Sen noted her concern and observed the crowd, noticing a few people jolt their heads to the sky as if hearing something odd come closer. Something is definitely off if everyone is hearing the same thing, I’m hoping it’s not what I think it is.

“What are you suggesting?” Sen asked her. Kaiyo looked at her father through the swarm of people and then back at him, distress showed from her furrowed brows.

“I think it may be a monster.”

Hana heard their conversation and gaped. “A monster?”

Soon, the discussion of a monster spread throughout the crowd as more and more people began eyeing the sky and murmuring amongst themselves. However, despite the apparent concern, Asashi kept up his speech.

“I stand before you to say,” Asashi said, “you don’t need fear when a monster is tearing your mother apart. You don’t need fear when a comrade is yelling for your help…” his voice trailed away as one of the supervising AOK Knights walked up to him. They wore a white and red-lined suit adorning a silver badge. Now that Sen was aware of it, he noticed many knights dispersed around the crowd.

“Mr. Asashi, we’re reporting a few strange sounds coming from the air. We’re not prepared yet, and neither are the contestants,” the Knight whispered next to Asashi’s ear, out of hearing range of other people. However, Kaiyo seemed to pick up a few words with her Sense, confirming her suspicion. Yet Asashi did not respond to the Knight; he remained beside the curled-up contestant, who looked even more petrified after overhearing what other people were saying.

“Mr. Asashi?” the knight asked.

“There is only one emotion stronger than fear.” Asashi turned around and continued his speech to the crowd, his voice being carried across the mass.

The knight was stunned. “A-Asashi, this needs immediate attention, what should we do—”

“The most dangerous emotion,” Asashi cut the worried Knight again, “an emotion of destruction.”

Kaiyo held her breath, not understanding why no one was doing anything. “It’s coming closer…”

Sen eyed Kaiyo with a frown. Asashi knew something was coming, so why wasn’t he worried about the contestants?

“Flap! Flap!”

Then, at that moment, Sen began hearing the supposed flapping noises. He jerked his head upwards, only to see the silhouette of a snake-like creature circling above. He couldn’t see all the repulsive features, but he noticed the massive pink, skin-textured wings upholding its elongated, scaly form. Sen saw its eagle-like hind legs extend, while its dusty gray eyes scanned the human crowd, poised to hunt its next target. Numerous small horns protruded from its lengthy body, only adding to its already terrifying and hideous appearance.

It’s a Snajer, Sen realized. It was pretty easy to distinguish the monster's identity because of his extensive research on them. He remembered this monster, in particular, to be quite fascinating to him due to its abhorrent appearance. From the images he had seen, its squashed snout was that of a bat/pig, but it was difficult to match exactly what it resembled due to the small, distinct features. Apart from that, though, Sen remembered the monster as being of a silver rank, according to the internet, and known to only habitat the central part of Japan.

Audible gasps and mutters arose from the crowd when they eventually spotted the monster circling above them. Most weren’t screaming like that odd contestant who had a meltdown. After all, these were the more capable out of the few thousand who entered the first challenge.

“What emotion, you may ask?” a voice continued.

Taken aback, Sen looked back down to Asashi, only to hear him continue his speech. Sen was left puzzled. Asashi didn’t even care to glance at the monster above, knowing very well of the danger. Slowly and calmly, Asashi walked up the podium stairs, regarding the participants with his arms open.

“Once you feel this emotion, every worry, every hesitation goes down the drain,” he dully smiled, finally looking at the heavens above. He taunted the monster, glaring at it with his cold, bitter grin. And the monster knew… It could see the tall man clearly, standing beyond the others.

It felt as if he was mocking.

Why was the human not afraid?

It didn’t like that.

“SCREEE!” An ear-rapping sound so loud and excruciating took their ears hostage. Like a thousand needles penetrating the membrane over and over again, people covered their ears. And a few who had Hearing, let out groans of pain as blood dripped from their ears.

The monster dove down like an eagle, but before anyone could process what was happening, everything ended in a mere second. One moment, the monster had attacked, and the next, a metal sound was heard, making contact.

Most didn’t see it…

They weren’t quick enough to realize what had happened…

They could only see the bloody outcome of the serpent-like monster, lying limp on the ground, its whole body sliced directly in half. Even its brain was precisely cut into two parts, creating a pool of blue blood. Its grey eyes, already dull from the beginning, didn’t show a single fragment of consciousness now. The moment it had screeched its battle cry was the moment it had succumbed to a brutal death.

But Sen had seen what happened. He couldn’t quite fathom it at first, but there was no denying it.

Asashi killed the monster in a split second.

“It’s anger,” Asashi said, sheathing his katana. He looked directly at Sen, and for the first time since he could remember, his heart skipped a beat, a deep and chilly shiver running down his spine. “Anger is the most powerful emotion.”