Chapter Two Notebooks
Note that fragments of the first four Village Reports must be found in the back room in Osaka House before the full texts appear.
- Village Report 1 -
For some reason, one of the statues is in the form of twins.
I have also found a description of a Twin Deities Statue
in the writings lying around the house.
In this region, twins serve an unusual purpose. Twin sisters or brothers perform a special ritual here.
Each time the ritual is completed, a new Twin Deities statue is placed somewhere in the village.
The ritual occurs every few decades, and judging by the number of Twin Deities Statues, this tradition is very old.
For some reason, one of the twins always has its head broken off. Sometimes they are sculpted without a head from the start.
Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but something here doesn't feel right.
I'm beginning to think that I was wrong to leave Miyako behind alone.
Unfortunately I was unable to find any detailed information about the twin ritual.
I have to find a way to get out of here fast...
- Village Report 2 -
I looked down into the old well but it was pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing.
If you listen closely, you can only hear the wind blowing, and it seems that the water has all dried up.
I can't tell which was here first, the house or the well. Neither has been used for a while.
According to the records, this house used to belong to the powerful Tsuchihara family.
In this village, the Osaka, Kiryu, and Tachibana families were also influential. Each house had its own crest, and held power in the village.
As a group they were also in charge of a special ritual.
Each was a branch of the Kurosawa family, who administered to the ceremony. They performed the rold of priests.
The Kurosawa name is scattered throughout the literature, but no concrete information is written. I have no doubt that they held absolute power though.
Where in the world did the villagers go?
And how do you get out of this village?
The answers to these questions lie within the Kurosawa house.
I'm not sure how I know, but I have a strong feeling about this.
- Village Report 3 -
I found a small shrine at the top of a long flight of stairs, shrouded in mist.
It seems very old, but it is well-made, and has not fallen into disrepair.
The entrance has a large butterfly crest painted on it. It's the same as the one on the building beyond the large bridge.
Butterflies seem to have a special meaning, just like twins. They are frequently mentioned in the ritual literature. Butterfly
means something else to the villagers too.
I notice that the word always appeard in writings about the ritual.
I may not know its exact meaning, but the fact that the butterfly crest is on a shrine indicates that it is very special indeed.
I should investigate further.
- Village Report 4 -
I came to this hill to take a look at the gate I passed through when I entered the village.
But when I tried to find it, the ruined gate was buried under trees and other flora.
I can't find the path that we used to come here...
This hill is called Misono Hill
. According to literature, this location plays a key role in the ceremony.
Right in the middle lies a massive rock, known as the Offering Stone
, and the surrounding area is protected by wards.
This Offering Stone
also seems to be a Cover
for sealing some kind of hole.
What sort of hole needs a gigantic stone like this for a cover? Why does it need to be covered at all?
What if this is the very thing I've been searching for, the way out of the village?
I'll have to check this out more thoroughly.
- Village Report 5 -
How many days have I been in this village?
2? Maybe 3? It feels as if I've been here for years.
In this village of endless night, it's easy to lose all sense of time.
Miyako is utterly exhausted. Sometimes she manages to give me a weak smile, but it only makes me more uncomfortable. Physically and mentally, she's at the end of her strength.
I haven't found a way out yet, but sifting through the material I gathered in the village again, I found a clue.
A gigantic underground tunnel, called a passageway, connects all the important locations in the village.
It is used for travel between the houses during the ceremony, and also to store important items.
It's difficult to estimate the scale of the passages from the map, but there is sure to be a way out through there.
I didn't find any information about the entrance to a passageway.
However, there must be a clue somewhere in the Kurosawa house, as they presided over the ceremony.
I've decided to leave Miyako here and search the Kurosawa house alone.
I'll find a way out of the village and then come back for her.
