Spark in Darkness: Unworldy encounter/Prototype

Spark 34: Findings and friends

"Who are you?" Haruki asked cautiously.

"I'm just any old man you see around everywhere...not." The frail-looking elderly man chuckled at his own joke, or at least what seemed like his  definition of a joke.

Haruki waited for him to continue, and the old man looked up at them and said, "I was the one who created the two-headed beast you two defeated."

Rinya and Haruki immediately took on a battle stance, preparing to draw their weapons.

"Oh ho, such fighting spirit! It must be good to be young! But alas, I'm not here to fight. Besides, I'm too old for that." The old man was unfazed by their poses.

"Then what do you want? And how do you know we were the ones who defeated it?" Rinya questioned.

The old man gestured at the general direction from where they came from and said, "The only way for the two of you to reach this town from that direction is by defeating the beast. I would like to thank you for that."

"Thank us? Why?"

The old man looked down and sighed. "I...I wanted to create a pet which could accompany me during my twilight years. There aren't any small animals here, and even if there are, they won't come near me. So when I found two wild dogs roaming near the town, I decided to kill them and revive them as a pet, but as you have seen, it went out of control."

Haruki frowned. That was not convincing at all. To kill animals to create a two-headed beast just to keep it as a pet? This man was sick.

"But the beast had Light and Darkness properties...how did you do that?" Haruki pressed on.

The man smiled slightly. "Ah, that, it's a trade secret. Sorry, young lad, but that's not something you should know."

"What?" Rinya exclaimed. "Why shouldn't we know?"

"Now, now. Wasn't it your concern to get out of this town? I'll guide you out, though it may be...ah, slightly bizarre."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you find it weird? That the people seem to have a huge attitude change towards strangers during the day and at night?" The old man replied with a question.

Rinya nodded.

The man paused for a moment, before continuing. "The people were once friendly towards travellers, but it all changed when I came. My creation went out of control, and slaughtered the entire town, before escaping into the forest. It all happened in the day, and as the townspeople laid there, dying, they cursed me to be trapped in this town forever. Their hatred and feelings of vengeance is so strong the people continued to live on as phantoms, haunting this town with me. At night, they were the people they once were, cheerful and friendly to outsiders. In the day they have the feelings of hatred and fear. But alas, you have freed us from this curse."

"Wait, you don't mean---" Haruki was already starting to feel sick inside.

The man continued as though Haruki had not spoken. "Now that the beast is dead, we no longer have any reason to remain here. Those who died would be able to find some rest."

He gestured to the road behind him. "Follow this path, turn right at the house with no windows, and continue on straight. You'll be able to continue on your journey."

As the man spoke, Haruki could see his body was turning faint. Wisps of smoke could be seen coming from his body, and he gave a slight, sad smile.

Haruki felt like he would throw up, if there were anything in his stomach for him to. The thought of living in a ghost town, literally, talking to spirits who never existed, and eating what they gave, which Haruki did not want to know what the actual ingredients were, was repulsive. Maybe it had been better if he did not know the truth.