Chapter 4: Ghosts of the Past

Hiroshi slept unconsciously, and as he slept, he felt a burning pain searing thought out his entire body. As he then began having visions, flickering within his mind, hutting images of his past. He saw his mother; lying on the ground, drowning in a pole of her own blood and as she reached out to him, her face was twisted in agony, she whispered out to him. "Hiroshi, Hirooooshi, please, help me" 

Hiroshi traumatized at the sight of her reached out to him, as he reached out back. He watched, countless shadows pulling her away. After that, his inner demon appeared whispering maliciously in his ear, "You couldn't save her, and for that she's dead, cause of you. You're the one who killed her. And no one else."

These unbearable words flow through his thoughts, poisonous and inescapable. Hiroshi clenched his fists, trembled before this malicious truth.

"No..., No, No, No, No, No. NOOOOOOO! " His scream tore through the air around him, raw and desperate, and in that instant, the ground beneath him shattered into countless pieces. He felt himself plummeting into the abyss, swallowed by an endless pit of darkness. His body tumbled helplessly through the void, his voice lost to the howling wind, as though the nightmare itself was devouring him.

Trapped, he fell deeper and deeper, as his mind replayed the memories in his head —each scene from his traumatic past flashing before him in agonizing details. The familiar pain returned, sharper and more unbearable with every repetition. In addition, no matter how hard he tried to escape, the nightmare tightened its grip. The faces, the voices, the fear—they all merged into a suffocating vortex that spiraled around him, drawing him to tears, tearing him apart, suffocating him.

He then suddenly jolted awake. His eyes snapped open covered in tears, and he found himself in an unfamiliar room, lying on a bed covered in bandages. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air, and he had then realized he was in a makeshift medical facility. He then tried to sit up straight. The door then suddenly slide open and a woman dressed in a white coat wearing glasses entered.

In addition, as she entered the room, she noticed that he was awake. "Ah, you're finally awake. It's good to see you're still alive," she said, greeted him with a warm open smile on her face. She continued. "My name is Aya Nakamura, but you can just call me Dr. Nakamura. It's a pleaser to meet you."

Hiroshi glanced at her and then around, his body still aching, but the memories of his nightmare still lingered in his mind. However, ignoring the pain, he swung his legs over to the side of the bed and got up on his feet, he then began unwrapping the bandages off his body.

"Hey, you shouldn't be doing that!" Dr. Nakamura protested rushing to stop him.

 However, Hiroshi did not listen to her, and he unwrapped the last of the bandages off his body, the faint rustle of fabric filled the quiet room. Each layer peeled away to reveal skin that had long since healed, leaving only the traces of battle etched upon him.

As his recent wounds were gone, but his flesh bore the countless scars of a warrior's life—the marks of his pain and survival. In addition, Dr. Nakamura stared in shock.

"H-How... are your wounds all healed" she wounded, unable to comprehend that which was before her.

Hiroshi then smirked, flexed his muscles a bit for effect. "I'm just lucky I guess." He said, making light of the situation.

Dr. Nakamura eyed him suspiciously. "Do you have some recovery ability?" she said, as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Nope, just got good genes," He replied, with a wink. "That's all, so sorry if you were expecting more."

The doctor chuckled, as she shocked her hand. "Alright, Mr. Tough Guy." She said, as she handed him a fresh set of clean cloths. "Here, these are for you. So get dressed and meet me up the meeting room, once you're done."

As Hiroshi took the cloths, he thanked her with a polite nod. In addition, once she had left the room, he quickly changed in his new cloths; he appreciated the fell of the clean fabric against his skin.

With that, he was ready to face whatever awaited him; he stepped out of the room, into the hallway's, only to have realized he had no clue where he was propose to goo. Meaning he was completely lost.

After wandering thought the labyrinthine corridors for a while, hid finally decided to open a door at random, hoping for some directions.

Instead, as the door slide open; the sight of a girl who was undressed, preparing herself to change, greeted him. She let out a surprised yelp, covering herself instinctively.

Hiroshi blinked, shortly stunned, and said. "Uh… hey, you maid telling me were the meeting room of this place is?" he asked, as if nothing unusual had just happened.

The girl, her cheeks flustered red with embarrassment, did not respond verbally. Instead, she raised her hand.

However, confused tried to approach her and as he walked towards her, he suddenly found himself floating in the air, and in that moment he was stunned "W-What the hell?" he mattered to himself, unable to comprehend what was going on.

In addition, before he could do anything else. An unseen force, forced him out of the room as the door behind him then shot closed. Throw out; he landed with his left hand, and then effortlessly flipped himself back onto his feet.

"What the hell just happened back there?" he mattered to himself, all while scratching the back of his head in confusion.

He continued on wondering the corridors, and after a few more wrong turns. Hiroshi finally managed to find his way to the meeting room.

He opened the door and, as he entered the room, Yumi stood at the head of the table, surrounded by the other Shadow Vigil members. As she raised her head, she noticed Hiroshi entering the room

"Ah, Hiroshi I'm glad you could make it. I bead Welcome to our hideout," she said, her voice form, but welcoming.

With that, Hiroshi then took a seat. Once seated he began glancing around the room, and at the faces of those who had rescued him. The atmosphere was tense but charged with a sense of purpose.

Yumi addressed the group, her eyes lingering on Hiroshi. "Now then, we have much to discuss. And together, I believe we'll be able to bring down all those who think they are above the law."

As the meeting began, Hiroshi felt a strange mix of emoticons. The words of her inner demon still lingered within the corners his mind, but there was also a glimmer of hope. Here, with these people, he might even find a way to confront the ghosts of his past.

Forging a new unknown path from the ashes of his past.

End of the 4th Chapter