It was year 2002. The wide screen on a certain building was still turned on even though it was already night and raining. Claude looked up toward it. The screen featured a news program. Apparently, a certain country in an another continent had already legalised flying cars. Honestly, Claude didn’t really understand what he just viewed, and when he saw that those flying cars were really flying between the skyscrapers, he can only feel it was cool.

“Well, I thought cars were already weird enough, I didn’t expect I’ll ever see cars that can fly…”

Claude was carrying a black backpack that contrasted his white robe. Though Claude was using an umbrella to cover his body from the rain, his clothes nevertheless already got wet. The rain water heavily dropped on the street. He strained his ears to hear the newcaster’s words. It was already night and raining, but passersby stopped and every of them looked at the wide screen with no exception. Claude of course followed suit. Somehow Claude felt that he just witnessed the start of a history.

“Big brother, why are you looking for the strongest ghost?”

A little girl beside him asked. Her pale skin together with a white one piece dress that covered her body seemed to brighten under the night sky. Claude encountered this little girl when he just arrived at the city. No other people in this street can see her except himself. It was because she was a lingering of thoughts.

She then continued, “and didn’t you want to go Red Bean Street yesterday?”

Though she asked, she didn’t actually want to know. But chance like this was hard to come by, as it was a rare for her to talk with another person.

“Oh, and you still need to eat those oranges!”

Touch changed her attention toward the basket that was carried by him.

Claude was already thinking hard to answer Touch’s questions, but he saw that she seemed to forget about it in just a matter of a second.

He didn’t really want to tell her, as it was too troublesome to say all that, though partly of it was actually because of embarrassement. It was good that children were so easy to change their attentions to.

Though flying cars were interesting to him, there was still a pressing trouble he got to finish. No matter what, he at least needed to ascertain the whereabouts of the strongest ghost in this city before he can relax his mind.

The night was not a good journey for Claude. The wet clothes of his sent shiver all around his body. When they arrived before an ascending area, Claude already felt the stamina had left his body.

There were stone steps leading toward above. Surrounding them were clusters of lush green trees.

The scene in front of him really looked different. Claude was surprised to see this forest-like place in the heart of the city.

“This really looks like a favourite place for ghosts to haunt…”

As if responding to his words, behind a certain tree, a wisp of light appeared.

The place in front of them was dark, and when that light came up, Claude can clearly see it the same as the lighthouse for the sailors.

From the light, he can discern a figure, no, the light was the figure.

That figure hid behind a certain tree. The head of that person was facing at Claude.

Claude suddenly felt a slight tug behind him.

“Ah! Yo⎼you! Don’t scare me like that!”

A little girl latched on his robe tightly. Under the darkness, she similarly shined almost like a beacon—just like that figure behind the tree. She was trembling like a stray cat that shivered lonely in a cold street.

“Bi⎼big brother, I⎼is that a gho⎼ghost?”

What nonsense she was talking about? It seemed like Touch was scared of that thing behind the tree. No, in the first place, why was she the one that got scared? And after giving it a slight thought, Claude was certain that that figure was not a ghost.

Claude learned a new term when he arrived to this city. There was actually an existence such as Touch. Lingering of thoughts, though Claude didn’t really understand what they actually were, but they obviously existed, and it seemed that these existences were many in this city.

That brightened face still looked at the pair in silence. It didn’t look like want to approach them closer.

Not a ghost, not even was that figure a soul. It certainly was not a living being too. That figure was a lingering of thoughts, just like Touch.

“We⎼well, aren’t you the one who brought me here? At least show a little courage in front of me, and this place’s Māra temple, of course there would be ghosts. Anyway, at least this temple looks believable with that thing staying in there.”

With that, Claude walked on the ascending steps while Touch followed closely behind him.

After a while, Claude then saw a structure ahead. The light of lanterns illuminated the courtyard. There was no sound except the falling rain water.

Claude looked at the temple for a few seconds absentmindedly.

“...It’s a whole lot bigger than the village’s temple.”

Remembering the time when the villagers needed to be forced just to donate their money to repair the temple, Claude felt nostalgic. Though the truth was he only went away from the village for two days.

“There are so many religious people in this city, huh, really unlike those from my village. I wonder how many money was needed to build that temple.”

“They’re actually not as nice as what you think.”

A girl’s voice suddenly reached to his ears. Claude didn’t need to turn his body to know that the voice was from within the forest. The grip on his robe was tightened. The little girl behind him got frigthened again. Claude thought that she shouldn’t have suggested to come to this place if she was only to get scared.

The pair then walked toward the courtyard. When they arrived, they found that the door to the main hall of the temple was opened wide. A pair of women stood there as if wanting to greet Claude and Touch. One of them was a tall woman with a black robe that constrasted Claude’s clothes’ colour. Her straight brown-coloured hair fell until it reached her waist. The first impression of her face was as if she was a dull person. Those sleepy eyes gazed at them silently.

The other was a head shorter than the tall woman. Though Claude was a country-bumpkin, it was not like he can’t recognize the clothes she wore. In this solemn temple, she was obviously wearing a school uniform. That short skirt didn’t guard her legs from the chilly wind. Unlike the person beside her, this school girl glared at the pair in the courtyard, as if they were her lifelong enemies.

Claude asked toward the school girl, “why do you think so?”

“You can ask the priestess yourself.”

The school girl sharply answered.

“Looking at your attire, I suppose you’re a priest too. But please do tell me, which one are you worshipping to? The Tribunal God or Tribunal Bloodline?”

The black robed woman asked wearily.

Claude chuckled, “does that matter?”

“...I suppose not.”

She then continued, “please come in.”

Not even a second after she said it, the lanterns was suddenly extinguished. The rainy night suddenly became colder. There appeared a clump of darkness under the school girl’s palm. It squirmed as if trying to change its shape. It then transformed itself into a long solid object. Its edges were sharp like a spear. That thing was darker than shadow. It engulfed everything under its presence, the same as the sun.

It then whistled under the barrage of the rain water, charging toward Claude.

Touch made a shrill scream as she saw that thing pierced directly into Claude’s chest. It was a three meters pole-like object. It dove into Claude’s chest. One meter, two meters, three meters, it was until that thing fully pass through Claude that Touch stopped screaming.

Touch witnessed a shocking scene. The inevitable scene where Claude was impaled by that thing was nowhere. After stabbing into Claude’s chest, that thing didn’t emerge from his back, piercing his backpack altogether. Claude still stood there safely, as if nothing stabbed into him just a moment ago.

“Wha⎼what?”

Touch stuttered, trying to understand what just happened.

It was at that moment that Claude smiled. He looked at the school girl and said, “Well, you’re right. You guys are not so nice after all.”

“Interesting. When did you realize it?”

The voice of the school girl and the figure behind the forest resounded together.

Claude played mysterious, “I can guess.”

“...I already told you right? No randomly attacking other people in this temple.”

The priestess scolded her, which was replied with a scoff from the school girl.

“What? It was for my subordinate! Anyway, it looks like he really can absorb negative energy…

“And I don’t really care if he was killed too, serve him right for stealing Leuth’s power.”

That remark of her made Claude laugh.

“So you’re going to let me free just like that? I thought you were really going to kill me, and that Leuth had that bright hope in his eyes too when he called you…”

“Hmph! Who cares about him? And I will make sure Reya pay for what you did—giving her school council president position to me will be perfect.”

Claude was surprised when he heard that name from that school girl’s mouth.

“Do you know her? Are you one of her friends?”

“Who is her friend?! Not even a chance in a thousand years!”

The very combination of ‘friend’ and ‘Reya’ seemed to make that school girl angry. Though this didn’t surprise Claude. When he heard that reply, he just nodded and made an expression as if saying ‘as expected’. However, he then quietened down. One of her sentences made him sink into deep thought.

Trying to ascertain his speculation, he then observed the school girl’s uniform. It was fully white from the top until down. Under the darkness and the falling rain water, he scrutinized to clearly see her. Though it was hard, he can see a brown badge on the school girl’s upper right arm. There was something written on it. ‘2-D’.

“So you just realized it now? That’s right, I’m your senior."

Claude ceased his eerie smile.

“...Are you two finished yet? Then if possible, can you and that little girl come inside?”

The priestess butted into the pair’s dialog.

Claude still didn’t move an inch from the courtyard.

“There’s still something that confuses me. How did you turn off the electricity from there?”

“What do you mean? Of course it’s the periodical blackout. There’s no way an exorcist like me can do anything about it.”

Claude felt the temperature in the courtyard suddenly became colder. He then moved toward the temple while holding the already frightened Touch.

Touch really regretted for coming to this place. The pitiful little girl can’t help anything at all. When that fearful dark object flying toward Claude, she can only watch it. She really felt useless. She even wanted to run away from here. In the first place, she didn’t have any business with Claude. But the pitiful little girl really can’t do anything. She can only helplessly pulled by Claude, walking toward the tiger’s jaw.