Timeless

Realization

...your influence... It's a double-edged sword.

I exorcise demons for their sake... at least that's what I used to think.

...you're more than just my employee, Ashiya Hanae.

A firm familiar voice speaks of things Ashiya is familiar with. Things that mark the adventure of his past self. His vision remained dark, but they began to shift. He could feel everything around him swirl to a scene too familiar, casting horror onto his face.

...no...

No!

Ashiya stretched out his hand as far as possible, but it cannot seem to reach him. He can't seem to move his body, he could feel beads of sweat rolling down his face, but his voice won't come out. The distance between them can never seem to close and right there, it happened again.

The dreaded scene he can never erase from his memories.

He thrashed as hard as he can, but he was forced to watch the scene unfolds again before his eyes. His legs were weak as he witnessed the body of a pale-skinned man fall listless onto the ground. He fell to his knees, tears rolling down his face. He could feel his shoulders lightly shaken. The shakes quickly got stronger which was weird.

And his eyes fluttered open into reality.

"Hanae, are you okay?", Zenko-chan alarmly called out to his name with one last hard shock to his body.

Ashiya blinked a few times, trying to decide whether this is reality or not. For a very short while, Ashiya couldn't understand where he was or why was Zenko-chan is now in front of him, caling out his name at an alarming tone.

"Eh, uh?", Ashiya finally could open his eyes properly and began to remember. He's in Zenko-chan's father's bedroom. He was thinking hard about how to cry and get the mask off her father. He dozed off because he was too tired from working with Zenko-chan.

Teardrops were rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably. Ashiya is still feeling the same loss and horror, but much of it was lifted when he realizes it was only a dream.

"...ugh.. Hahaha... Zenko?", Zenko's father woke up. His words was mixed with laughters that reverberates throughout the temple. He gave a lot of effort just to sit up. His eyes darts from Zenko to an unknown man sitting beside his daughter. It was rage and bewilderment that washed over his father but as soon as he saw the boy's wet face, he felt a tug inside him.

"Argh!", her father's sudden groan of pain immediately surprised Zenko. Zenko ran to her father's side almost as soon, worried as of what this unknown illness is doing to her father.

"Dad, what's wrong?!", Zenko, almost teared up, tried to understand what's going on.

Ah, the mask must have seen my crying face! It's now or never.

Ashiya quickly snapped out of his recent nightmare and ran over to her father. The silhouette of the mask, invisible to Zenko-chan, is now clearly visible to Ashiya. Ashiya grabbed a firm hold of it and took it off.

As soon as Ashiya took off Mitsuchigura-sama's mask off his face, Zenko's father calmed down.

"Eh? Dad, are you okay? You're not laughing anymore.", Zenko, at a more relieved tone, was still worried. Her mind races to understand what just happened; what did Hanae do?

"Y-yeah. It seems I have stopped laughing for good now.", Zenko's father looked a little confused while replying to his daughter.

"But more importantly...", Ashiya could swear he felt a sharp dagger pointed to his face as Zenko's father turned his head to him. Ashiya prepares himself to be lunged at, hit, or maybe cursed to remain a virgin forever.