Rain fell softly against the windows of the safe house, each drop echoing like a heartbeat in the silence. The room was dim, lit only by a single lamp flickering over the wooden table where Rika, Keizo, Tamao, and Hitomi sat. The air carried the scent of wet earth and faint incense from the charms hung above the door.
Rika leaned forward, her eyes fixed on the old map Keizo had spread across the table. "So this is where the entity was last seen?"
Keizo nodded. "That's what the reports say. Northern mountains—somewhere between Gifu and Toyama. But every lead we chase fades before we get close."
"It's like it's hiding on purpose," Tamao murmured, tracing her finger over the map. "Almost like it knows we're coming."
Hitomi, who had been quietly staring at the rain outside, suddenly spoke. "I've heard about it before."
Everyone turned to her.
Rika blinked. "You… what do you mean?"
Hitomi didn't look away from the window. Her voice was soft, distant. "Before I met you, Rika—when I was wandering alone—I encountered a ghost. It wasn't hostile. It just wanted to talk. It told me about an entity—something ancient—that hunts for a stone."
Keizo's eyes narrowed. "A stone?"
Hitomi nodded. "The ghost said the entity captured a couple—humans. They were researching old relics, searching for that very stone. The entity took them because it believed they knew where it was hidden."
Rika's heart skipped. "A couple…" Her hands trembled slightly. "You mean… my parents?"
Hitomi's gaze met hers. "It didn't say names. But the description… fits."
The room fell silent. Only the rain filled the space between their words.
Finally, Keizo exhaled sharply and turned to Tamao. "You've studied more legends than any of us. Do you know anything about this stone?"
Tamao hesitated. Her usually bright expression dimmed with unease. "I do," she said quietly. "But it's not something that belongs in this era."
Rika straightened. "Tell us everything."
---
Tamao leaned back, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the table as she began.
"They called it the Shinjitsu no Ishi—The Stone of Truth. But that name changed over time. Some called it the Demon Stone, others the Soul Stone. It's said to be as old as the world itself, a fragment of divine power that fell from the heavens before the first temple was ever built."
She paused, her tone lowering. "During the Sengoku period, the stone caused chaos. A demon found it—or at least part of it—and used it to massacre a whole village. The stone didn't just grant strength. It corrupted the soul. The more it was used, the less human the wielder became."
Hitomi frowned. "So it turns humans into demons?"
Tamao nodded slowly. "Yes. But there's more to it."
Keizo leaned forward. "Go on."
"One day," Tamao continued, "a young man from that same village gathered the shattered pieces of the stone. Using ancient forging rituals, he shaped them into a blade—a sword forged from divine corruption. With it, he faced the demon that had destroyed his home… and won."
Rika listened in silence, her mind filled with images of fire and shadow.
"But after the battle," Tamao said, her voice almost a whisper, "the young man vanished. No one saw him again. The sword disappeared with him. People began to say the blade was cursed—that it consumed him, body and soul. From then on, every few centuries, whispers of the stone would return. Always the same rumors—always someone seeking its power."
---
Keizo crossed his arms, brow furrowed. "And you're saying the entity is looking for this stone now?"
"That's what the old texts suggest," Tamao said. "But there's a problem—no one knows what the stone actually looks like anymore. Every account is different."
Hitomi tilted her head. "Different how?"
Tamao sighed. "Some say it's a dark crystal that burns with red light. Others describe it as a pure white stone that glows like the moon. Some claim it's as small as a pearl, others say it's the size of a heart."
Rika frowned. "And its power?"
"That's where the stories divide," Tamao said, glancing between them. "Some say it grants any wish. Others say it heals any wound or sickness. But there are darker tales—that it opens the door to the demon realm itself… or that it transforms anyone who touches it into something inhuman."
Hitomi shuddered slightly. "No wonder the entity wants it. A stone like that could make even a ghost stronger than death."
Keizo drummed his fingers on the table. "If that thing's looking for it, and Rika's parents knew something… that means this isn't just about ghosts anymore. It's about power. Ancient power."
Rika's voice was quiet but steady. "If that's true, then I need to find it before the entity does."
Tamao hesitated. "Rika, you don't even know where to start. The legends don't agree on where it ended up. Some say it sank into a mountain river, others that it was sealed inside a temple that doesn't exist anymore."
Keizo smirked faintly. "So, we're chasing a story about a story. Perfect."
Hitomi crossed her arms. "Then we start with what we do know. If the entity took Rika's parents because of the stone, there has to be a trail—something they left behind."
Rika nodded slowly. "They were researchers. My father always kept a hidden archive—his private notes. If they still exist, they might tell us what they discovered."
---
The storm outside intensified, thunder rumbling like an ancient growl. Tamao rose and began packing her books into her satchel.
"One more thing," she said softly. "If this stone really can turn people into demons… that means it's not just a weapon. It's a living curse. Every person who's tried to possess it has either vanished or gone mad."
Keizo frowned. "And the entity?"
"No one knows what it is," Tamao said, her eyes distant. "Some call it a guardian. Others—a demon born from the stone itself. Maybe it's both. But if it's been alive since the Sengoku era, it's been searching for something a long, long time."
Rika looked down at her book, her fingers brushing over its ancient leather surface. "Maybe that's why my grandmother sealed so many spirits. Maybe she knew the entity would come again."
The room fell into uneasy silence.
Hitomi finally spoke. "If it's still searching, maybe it hasn't found the right person yet."
Keizo looked up. "And you think it's looking for Rika?"
Hitomi met Rika's eyes. "I think it already found her. It just hasn't made its move."
---
Lightning flashed, filling the room with blinding white light. For a moment, Rika thought she saw something—an outline in the reflection of the window. A tall, shapeless shadow watching them from outside.
When she blinked, it was gone.
She swallowed hard, closing the book. "Then we move before it does. If that stone still exists, we'll find it—and stop whatever the entity is planning."
Keizo nodded grimly. "Then we're going to need more than charms and courage. We'll need answers."
Tamao exhaled. "And old graves tend to keep those."
The rain continued to fall as they prepared to leave, unaware that somewhere deep in the mountains, something ancient stirred—its hunger reignited after centuries of silence.
The hunt for the Demon Stone had begun.