Emissaries - A Kai Side Story

Chapter 1.5: Landfall on Morigashima

NOTE: This is rose. The next two chapters will come out next week (hopefully; I'll do my best) so that this side story would come to an end and we get back to the main story.

Discord: https://discord.gg/wEp44XuaT3

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Night 1, the middle of nowhere

I have no idea where to begin; I don't even know what to write...

First off, fortunately for me, I managed to keep my diary on my person when the... event happened. That is why I am able to tell this story and put what has been happening down on paper so that I could hopefully leave something for when the inevitable comes. Unfortunately, however, the recipients I intend to leave my diary to, which contains all the misadventures I have gone through since leaving Saitama, may no longer be able to get their hands on this. I don't know it yet, but the more time I spend here–wherever this place may be–the more I'm convinced that that is indeed the case.

Let's start with the event. As far back as I recall, I was stationed somewhere in China during the month the cherry blossoms were supposed to be starting to scatter back home. Months after months of offensives and counteroffensives ended for naught; the end result being more towns leveled, countless bodies–friend and foe and otherwise–scattered all over, and priceless fuel and ammunition now worth more its weight than all the gold in the world. I remember hunkering down again when we were notified of another offensive by the Chinese. Then, when we saw them, we threw ourselves and our bayonets–having run out of munitions long ago–at them, but they answered in kind with bullets. I remember the immense pain that followed as a bullet lodged itself into my skull, then everything went dark–no senses, pain, none of that.

What happened after felt like a dream, and just like a dream it faded as soon as my senses and consciousness returned. I found myself lying on the cold, hard floor of what appeared to be a bunk room, the swaying light on top of which and the smell of salt led me to conclude that I was on a ship at sea. As I spoke out to myself, "where am I?" someone else answered. Surprised, I motioned my head to where the voice came from, and my eyes laid on another man's equally perplexed eyes staring back at me. Then, behind him, I spotted more souls seemingly waking up on the floor in a similar fashion.

Naturally, we were alarmed at the presence of strangers, and so all five of us swiftly got on our feet and faced each other, ready to either wrestle or tackle the other four. All of us appeared to be soldiers of the Emperor–we had our fatigues, our hair was shaved off, and some of us even had the munitions for their standard-issue rifles. Despite all of us being Japanese and on the same side, we were all tense and nervous with one another. Then, one of the more burly men with a sharp, pronounced jawline broke the ice.

"Who are all of you?!"

Apparently, none of them knew each other either.

The staredown continued as no one bothered to answer the threatening man's thirst for answers; we were all equally suspicious of him too. Then, just as everyone appeared poised to throw themselves at one another, we heard a commotion outside–we were so preoccupied with one another that we didn't even bother to notice that there was a door leading out of the room. There appeared to be some loud shouting beyond the cold steel walls, prompting the burly man to take point and open the door.

Beyond it lay a corridor that was filled to the brim with other people–soldiers, civilians, women–hushing about and confused as they tried to ask one another what was going on. We five were all equally perplexed, and our faces reflected our confusion as we asked ourselves the same questions. Then, we heard the ear-piercing sound of a loud voice–apparently amplified by a megaphone–from the end of the corridor.