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I am writing this document with the understanding that it may be discovered after my death, and while it serves as my last will and testament, it's also an expression of my lifelong fascination with women. I hope that if my work gains more attention after I'm gone, like Van Gogh's did, readers will appreciate my final wishes and continue my legacy for future generations to enjoy.
—Hiroshi Takahashi
The first thing that you were handed upon arrival by the Tokyo Municipal Police was a book, an extremely thick book with a sense of gravity that matched the weight of the words written on the first page. The cover was a dull shade of navy blue, its title in bold gold lettering, "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders/Unsolved Case." Ranpo eagerly flicked through the pages, his glasses on, his eyes darting back and forth between each sentence, his concentration unwavering as he continued to read on. You were standing over his shoulder, your eyes scanning the words, widening with each page that passed.
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
I feel as though a malevolent presence has taken hold of me, its sinister willpower controlling my every move. It whispers wicked thoughts into my mind and torments me without mercy. To further its ends, the presence conjures up a seductive figure in my dreams, a powerful woman with a beauty that both entrances and terrifies me. She possesses an otherworldly aura, like a goddess or a sorceress, and I find myself helpless before her enchantments. I have tried every remedy known to me, from medicinal plants to arcane rituals, but the hold of the malevolent presence and its alluring puppeteer remains unbroken.
It is like I am being controlled like a puppet, helpless against the force that guides me. In my dreams, I am consumed by a vision of a woman so perfect, so breathtakingly beautiful, that I know I could never capture her essence on a canvas. Her psychic power and vitality are mesmerising, and the desire I feel for her is so intense that it threatens to overwhelm me. The thought of actually seeing her in the flesh fills me with both excitement and dread, for I fear that my mortal body would not be able to bear the weight of her perfection. The longing for this woman is slowly consuming me, and I would willingly sacrifice everything I have for even a glimpse of her reality.
Drawing upon the terminology of alchemy, I have chosen to name her Azoth, the embodiment of the universal life force that encompasses all things from A to Z. She is the fulfillment of all my dreams and desires. As I consider the human body, it occurs to me that it can be divided into six distinct parts: the head, chest, abdomen, hips, thighs, and legs. In astrology, the human body is seen as a microcosm of the universe, with each part corresponding to a particular planet that governs, protects, and enhances its function.
