Miako: The Child of the Night

Chapter 9 - The God and the Child

"Yaaaaaaawn~" A yawn sounded. The sun enveloped the bedroom in its radiance, leaving no corner of the bedroom unlit. On the bed lay a petite brown-haired girl, brushing at her ears.

My ears... that was a dream after all...

The girl — Moe — sighed in relief. She was in an oddly stable mood.

Wait, I can remember everything now.

The past week, which had been completely blank, was suddenly filled with memories. Among them were a few memories from when she was younger as well. It was as if she had never forgotten them.

That dream... I've had that dream before... And uncle moved in after mom and dad's families got into an argument... about dad cheating on her.

Moe frowned as she recalled the past week. She had no idea why she would forget something so important.

Although she was doubtful about her mother, a part of her couldn't stand the fact that her father had cheated. It was difficult for her to take either side.

It's Sunday... uncle doesn't have work, so he should be home.

She decided she'd consult her uncle about everything, seeing as he was one of the only people she could trust at the moment. Eiko was another, but she worked on Sundays, so she probably wasn't available.

Trying her best to organize her thoughts, she slipped out of bed. She checked the clock in the hallway on her way out, and it read: 3:21pm.

I overslept again... why didn't uncle wake me up?

Her uncle usually woke her up if she overslept.

I guess it is Sunday though.

She concluded, making her way into the living room.

"Uncle?" Moe called out, but her uncle wasn't there. She continued around the house, but there were no signs of anyone being home.

Did he go out?

She looked out the living room windows, checking if her uncle's car was there. Surprisingly, it was.

Where is he?

He wouldn't have left without his car, so he had to be around the house somewhere. Or maybe he was taking an afternoon stroll...

...

But something felt off. Perhaps it was because she hadn't fully recovered from the events that had occurred in her dreams yet.

The basement...

Moe eyed the small opening in the wall. It was the only other place she hadn't checked yet, though she couldn't imagine her uncle randomly going down there.

But just as she took a step towards the opening, she felt a vibration in her pocket.

A message?

Pulling out the source of the vibration — her phone — she opened it to see who had messaged her. Smack in the center of the screen was a notification labelled, "Eiko".

She tapped on the notification to expand the message:

Moe, you need to see this.

Attached with the message was an image with the tag, "This image contains disturbing content. Do you wish to proceed?"

...

Moe hesitated for a moment, thinking about what it could be. Most of the images Eiko sent were cute cat pictures, but never had she tagged her images as "disturbing content". Not even as a joke.

It can't be that bad...

Moe told herself, her finger approaching the "yes" button.

But that was a mistake. She should've trusted her gut. The price she paid was her gut turning on her in return.

"Blargh—" she hunched over, staining the floor in yellow.

That... no way...

Her heart started thumping loudly. There, on the screen, was the corpse of a girl — a very familiar girl. The corpse was riddled with cut and stab wounds, arms and legs twisted impossibly.

Flora... I did that... I did that... I DID THAT!

Moe screamed, her breath growing ragged.

It wasn't a dream... it wasn't a dream... it wasn't a dream... it wasn't a dream...

She repeated to herself. The events of the 'dream' started flashing through her head.

No... no... no... no...

The emotions she experienced in the 'dream' threatened to pour out again. She had to contain it somehow, or she would go insane.

Uncle... help... help...

Moe couldn't bring herself to confide in her closest friend, afraid of what would happen if her actions were exposed. Instead, she chose her uncle.

Her phone vibrated, signaling another message, but she didn't bother checking it.

She trudged down the basement stairs.

Thump. Thump thump. Thump. Thump. Thump thump.

Her heartbeats and footsteps meshed together, indistinguishable.

"Uncle... uncle..." tears trickled down her face as she sought salvation. But why would one bestow salvation upon a murderer?

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

Increasing her pace, she eventually reached the bottom of the stairs, the space around her expanding into the darkness.

"Uncle... please..." she called out, half-pleading... But no one replied.

"Fuck..." Moe cursed, opening the flashlight on her phone. Looking around the room, it appeared to be empty...

"Uncle...?" except for one corner. Lying there, a blanket over him, was a middle-aged man.

"Uncle!" A wave of relief washed over Moe as she recognized the face of her uncle. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't stop to think about why her uncle was in the basement.

"Uncle...?" It wasn't until she was right next to him that she noticed something was off.

He wasn't moving;

He wasn't breathing;

He was dead.

"Haha... ha..." Moe laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Moe cackled.

"So that's how it is, huh?" Moe looked up, sneering.

"Umu... umu... that's just how this world is..." Moe nodded.

"This world..." A black mist poured out from Moe's body.

"My world..." A pink mist poured out from Moe's body.

"I'll fix this imperfect world of mine."

🐯          🐯          🐯

On the following day, 12 July, rumors of a dangerous hybrid spread through the media like wildfire.

Many shunned the hybrid, describing them as a deranged child who hunted humans, catching those brave enough to wander the streets at night.
Some pitied the hybrid, describing them as an abused child who sought the warmth of another being.
Some described the hybrid as the incarnation of the devil who bestowed punishment; some, the incarnation of god who bestowed the ultimate salvation.

But, they all agreed to one name:

<k̵̛͓͗̈͒̽ŏ̸̯̘͌̄͑>Miako: The Child of the Night</k̵̛͓͗̈͒̽ŏ̸̯̘͌̄͑>