/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>Running in the rain through the forest, Rika reaches a swamp, the Ogres' Abyss, where it all began.
>After failing in the 5th and last loop, she holds the sharp piece of the Onigari-no-Ryūō against her neck.
>She cries, her face hurting as the warm, salty tears run down to her cheek, where a stray wooden branch had grazed against her fair skin.
>She lies on her knees by the border of the pit, the cold of the rain and wet mud already seeping into her bones.
>Right before comitting the irreversible deed, however, she feels a warm presence.
>She feels another hand envelop her own, the one that held the sword's sharp shard.
>Rika's eyes do not stray away from the dead tree branch that sticks out of the water while she listens to the masculine, unfamiliar voice.
>It starts telling her about the tale of a woman who felt cursed and caged, unable to leave where she was and who hoped that a prince in a white horse would rescue her.
>That wish did end up being fulfilled by the one telling this story, although much later than what she had hoped for.
>He would later learn that, had it not been him, another would have rescued her from her fate, leading to a very different outcome for all.
>As it went on, and due to being already emotionally and physically exhausted, Rika started to wonder the purpose of being told that story, that started to get more convoluted by the minute.
>Outlandish mentions of magic, a fluffy talking feline and a climatic daring rescue by a red-haired damsel that wished to bring her beloved back to their home not withstanding, the tale had finally reached the end.
>Before the voice could finally provide an explanation for it all, however, footsteps behind them were heard, and a second masculine, if not goofy, voice sounded out.
>"Hey, who's the little gir--".
>As if triggered by traumatic conditioning, and due to being critically interrupted now of all times, the hand holding Rika's jerked violently towards the second voice behind them.
>The owner of the first voice, booming a loud and guttural "DONK-", could not finish after noticing in horror what he had just done.
>It was something one would consider at first borderline unfeasible, but all factors considered, not impossible in this case.
>The combination of strength, sharp object and small body frame resulted in Rika being decapitated.
>Her head quickly rolled down the embankment and sunk into the swamp with a cheeky "plop!", while the two above stared with their mouths hanging open.
>While her conscience began to fade, Rika's mind could not begin to comprehend what had just happened, and her mind went blank.
>As if in a defensive response due to complete shutdown, all of her previous experiences she's had until now were flushed into her subsconscious.
>A shapeless amalgamation had been formed, ingraining an extreme sense of dread and fear deep into her psyche. Should it ressurface, it would consume her whole.
>The only thing she knew is that she had to get away. This primal desire was so strong, a new body was willed into existence.
>She had to get away faster, lest she return to that place, so a nimble feline form was provided
>She had to get somewhere else, lest the darkness swallow her whole, so with a blinding light composed of an immeasurable number of shiny fragments, whole universes were formed under the stale, dark waters of the swamp.
>In an eternal voyage between the stars, she hoped to continue existing, nothing more, nothing less.
>In the background, a rhythmic beat can be heard. If paying attention, words can be made out of it.
>"The years start coming, and they don't stop coming...".