Veilwalkers: Shadows Between Worlds

Chapter 8: Tales of the Haunted: The Night of Legends

Riku sat cross-legged in his dimly lit room at the temple, surrounded by a sea of ancient tomes and scrolls. His mind raced with the details of the recent elders' meeting, where the threat of the vengeful Onryō had been discussed. The weight of the knowledge he had overheard pressed heavily on him. As he flipped through a weathered volume on folklore, he carefully noted the details of the spirits, ghosts, and curses mentioned in the texts.

The texts described spirits with chilling clarity. Onryō, like Fujiko, were malevolent spirits with a deep grudge, often driven by tragic deaths or wrongs. They appeared as ghostly figures with a distorted, wrathful visage, their eyes burning with a cold, relentless fury. Demons were depicted as grotesque entities, sometimes with horns and fangs, and often associated with specific curses. Curses were said to manifest in various forms, from physical afflictions to haunting visions, driven by the malevolent will of the entities behind them.

Riku's room was a shrine to these ancient secrets. Scrolls detailing the appearance of demons—some with fiery eyes and others with shadowy, amorphous forms—were scattered across his desk. He found a passage describing a particularly powerful spirit: the Kuchisake-onna, a cursed woman who wore a mask to hide her mutilated face and was said to ask her victims if they thought she was beautiful, leading them to a grisly fate.

Meanwhile, at the high school, the Paranormal Activity Club had taken advantage of the quiet of the night to delve into their favorite subject. With a spare key, they had unlocked the club room, turning it into their makeshift base for the evening. The room was filled with the faint glow of desk lamps, casting long shadows on the walls, and the air was thick with excitement and the scent of old paper.

Ayumi, Hiro, Natsuki, and Kenji settled in, surrounded by books and notes on folklore and ghost stories. They eagerly discussed the Seven School Mysteries, a set of legends tied to their own school:

The Phantom Teacher: The ghost of a once-esteemed teacher who is rumored to haunt the corridors, appearing at random to offer cryptic advice or assign mysterious tasks to unsuspecting students. Her appearance is said to be that of a shadowy figure in old-fashioned attire, with an aura of melancholy and wisdom.

The Cursed Classroom: Classroom 3-B is infamous for its eerie occurrences. Students report cold drafts, flickering lights, and strange noises, and some claim to see fleeting shadows of students who disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago.

The Vanishing Statue: A statue of a guardian deity located in the school's garden is said to move positions overnight. Witnesses claim that it shifts to guard a hidden secret, and its unexplained movements have become a topic of intrigue and unease.

The Bloody Handprint: In the girls' bathroom, a handprint occasionally appears on the wall, believed to belong to a girl who died under tragic and violent circumstances. It is said that the appearance of the handprint forewarns of impending misfortune for those who see it.

The Midnight Bell: The bell in the school's bell tower is rumored to ring at midnight on its own. The sound is associated with the arrival of spirits seeking to resolve unfinished business or exact vengeance.

The Library's Ghost: The school library is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a former librarian. This spirit is said to rearrange books and whisper to those who disturb the library after hours, creating an eerie atmosphere.

The Hidden Room: A secret room within the school is said to be hidden behind a false wall or locked door. Legend has it that this room holds relics from the school's past and is linked to several unexplained occurrences and supernatural events.

As the Paranormal Activity Club members delved into these legends, they shared their own experiences and theories, each story adding to the sense of mystery and intrigue. Their laughter and chatter filled the room, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie as they prepared for another night of ghost-hunting and folklore exploration.

Unbeknownst to them, Riku was also piecing together the connections between the old tales and the current supernatural disturbances. His research and the club's explorations were on a collision course, setting the stage for revelations and confrontations that would intertwine their fates in unexpected ways.