Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons)

Chapter 6

"Why do we have to perform with the high school students at this arts festival? Aren't each class supposed to put on their own show? Why do we have to perform with that guy's class?"

"We should all help each other! And... Ah Ling... don't you think this is the fruit of our friendship? Through these events, I... you... and Dao Lian... we've become good friends! This is friendship, friendship! How wonderful! It's rare that with Dao Lian's help, we can have a joint performance with Class 3 of Grade 11, and Xu Jingjing, who is in charge of costumes for the school drama club, is from their class, and we just happen to be rehearsing a play. What a perfect result! It's God's arrangement."

"...But...Nana...I don't want to play...this role...a ghost who secretly loves the male lead and helps everyone...Why should I have to secretly love that guy?!"

"Ah... Zero... But I wanted to play the female lead... Are you complaining that I didn't let you and Dao Lian have a happy ending..."

"No... Nana... I don't want to play someone who has a crush on that guy."

"But people also want to see you two act together!"

"You like and admire Dao Lian, fine, but don't drag me into it." That's right! After what happened last time, Nana was completely hooked on that guy named Dao Lian. Like all the girls who are infatuated with him, she screams and idolizes him. Because she said that Dao Lian, who finally solved the labyrinth she created, was incredibly handsome. You know, Nana is completely helpless against good-looking people, so when Dao Lian inadvertently displayed that prince-like hero image that Nana loves most, her eyes almost turn into hearts when she talks about him now.

Sigh. Is that guy really that good? He's just someone who's curious about my strange constitution.

Also, it just so happens that I have psychic abilities. Although only Nana and I know about this right now.

"Nana, I don't want to act... Could I work in the props department instead..." I have a bit of a headache.

"No... Ah Ling... Your temperament is perfect for this role. Actually, she's not a bad woman, just a very tragic one."

"Isn't there any room for negotiation?"

"No! Ah Ling, you absolutely have to play this role!"

Oh no! I have a bad feeling about this again.

The arts festival is entering its final countdown, and with only two weeks left, everyone is starting to rehearse intensively. Today, we're going to rehearse on the auditorium stage. That auditorium is the pride of the new school building; it's incredibly large, fully showcasing the grandeur of a so-called key municipal school.

"Nana..." As I entered the auditorium, a strong yet strange feeling washed over me. It wasn't a resonance with the spirits, but rather a strange feeling about this place. "Are we really going to rehearse on this stage?"

"Of course! Where else would you like to be? Although there are no chairs down there right now, look at the dance team. All the other classes have used them. Space is tight right now, and everyone even drew their own footprints with chalk. We've put in a lot of effort, especially through Dao Lian's connections in the student council, to be able to use this stage. This is already very good. What more could you want?"

"No, no. I was just wondering, it's a joint performance, so why didn't any of the first-year students come?"

"Oh! They have three classes this afternoon, so they won't be able to come until after 5 p.m. Anyway, most of the actors live on campus, and I've already applied to use the evening study sessions for the next two weeks for rehearsals, so there shouldn't be any problem with the time."

Stepping onto the stage, I noticed something strange. Although it was a newly built auditorium, it felt unusually old, especially the carpet, which had patches of brownish-black stains. Was it…blood? How could that be? This auditorium is new! How could it be…but this carpet is so old.

"Nana, is this stage... moved from the old school building?"

"How could that be! Of course it's new. But how long has it been since anyone used it? It looks like it's been used for ages. The dance team is rehearsing downstairs, why don't they come up and clean it up?"

I slowly squatted down. New? What are those brownish-red marks on it that seem to have some history?

"Nana... come here..." I slowly turned around, preparing to call Nana over to look, and found a hand beckoning to me from behind the curtain.

Is that Nana? Did she discover something?

I walked over and pulled back the heavy curtain.

Nobody's here!

There's only one staircase, hidden behind a curtain. It's not very long, and you can vaguely see a door below it. You wouldn't notice it at all if you weren't paying attention.

“Ah Ling…” Nana suddenly shouted from behind me, “You’re amazing… You found such a hidden place. I’ve been here several times before and never noticed there was a staircase here.”

"Nana...where...were you just now?"

"I just went down to borrow a broom from the dance team. This place is so dirty, it has to be cleaned up."

"...Didn't you wave to me just now?"

"Wave...no one's there! What's wrong?"

"No……"

"Ah Ling... let's go down and take a look. Maybe we can find something good." Before I could react, Nana pulled me down the stairs.

There were still many people rehearsing offstage, and some of our classmates were cleaning on stage, but once we entered this staircase, it was as if we couldn't hear a sound at all. It seemed like it was just Nana and me... and... an unusual darkness.

Soon, we arrived at the door. My hands were trembling slightly, I don't know why.

"Ahhhhhhh! It's locked! I wanted to see what good stuff was inside!" It wasn't until Nana's disappointed voice rang in my ears that I snapped out of my daze and realized my palms were drenched in sweat. Even though it's almost winter, I'm still sweating…

"Let's go back, Ah Ling. Let's memorize the script before Dao Lian and the others arrive!"

"good!"

As we left, Nana walked ahead of me. When we were almost at the exit, I don't know why, but I suddenly wanted to turn back. I noticed that the door that had been locked was slightly ajar. Even though it was a bit far, I could clearly see a hand emerging from the crack. It was pale, with long but neatly manicured nails painted bright red. The owner of the hand seemed to know I was looking at her, and she beckoned to me…

It's those things! I know! I haven't seen them in so long. My chest suddenly tightened, my breathing became difficult, and everything went black.

I lost consciousness and tumbled down the stairs.

When I woke up, I was lying in the infirmary. Next to me was Nana's worried gaze.

"Ah Ling... what's wrong with you? You scared me to death. The teacher we were supposed to meet here has disappeared again."

"It's nothing. It's just anemia. Don't worry too much! Have Dao Lian and the others arrived? If they have, let's start rehearsing!"

Are you really okay?

"It's alright! Don't worry."

"...Behind this stage, in a mysterious house dwells a vengeful spirit. It's said that today is her death day, and she will definitely emerge. Moreover, one of us has a close relationship with her..."

Author: Xinxinjun Reply Date: 2005-01-02 0:38:00

Nana's script is a comedy. It's about a narcissistic man in a theater troupe. He's somewhat wealthy and good-looking, and he thinks every woman in the world loves him. Every year, he rents a theater in the city to rehearse a new play. This year, they happen to be back at the same theater. Last year, a woman died there. Before her death, she had a complicated relationship with this narcissistic man, and everyone assumed she committed suicide because of him. Their rehearsal coincides with the anniversary of her death. And over the past year, a series of supernatural events have occurred. When they start rehearsing this year, strange things happen again, and everyone starts blaming the man, making him, who is used to being worshipped, very uncomfortable. At this time, only an unassuming playwright, perhaps a little cute, but not quite the glamorous actress the man admires, doesn't look down on him and believes in and supports him. A genuine affection develops between them. Then, on the last night of rehearsal, due to a typhoon, everyone has to stay overnight at the theater, which is also the anniversary of the woman's death. Everyone was terrified, and sure enough, the female ghost really did appear. But she wasn't scary at all; she was a comical ghost, absolutely vain and flamboyant, causing strange things simply because of her mischievous nature. However, there was one thing that prevented her from ascending to heaven: she had been murdered. Therefore, she had to see her killer receive his due punishment before she could leave. And the murderer was in the theater troupe. The ending, of course, was happy: the female ghost ascended to heaven, the murderer was imprisoned, and the screenwriter and the narcissistic man lived happily ever after.

Actually, from a certain perspective, I quite like this script. As long as there aren't any ambiguous scenes, it'll be fine. They're rehearsing the night of the typhoon, where everyone's speculating whether the female ghost will appear. And that female ghost is me. Dao Lian plays that narcissistic man, haha, it suits his role perfectly, and Nana is the junior screenwriter.

"Ah Ling... get ready..." the director's classmate called out. Since I had discovered the staircase behind the stage curtain, everyone said that the female ghost had to make a special appearance, so they told me to hide there and then suddenly come up. Now I had to go there and stand on those dark steps for at least 3 minutes.

Those three minutes felt like an eternity; I felt like someone was watching me from behind. A chill ran down my spine. I could hear the creaking of wooden doors opening and closing. I knew something was behind me, but I didn't dare turn around. Someone breathed on my neck, and a pair of hands landed on my shoulders.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw those hands again. My back was already covered in cold sweat.

"...You...are...unclean...people...you will bring disaster to those around you..." the voice said, sometimes near, sometimes far.

“…Ah Ling…you’re out…” someone called me from above. I turned around abruptly, but there was nothing behind me.

I knew something was about to happen.

When I went on stage, Dao Lian's expression changed slightly. He kept staring at my back.

During the break, he frowned and asked me, "Where did you go? You came back with something strange on you."

I pointed to the strange staircase.

“There’s no ghostly aura here. The only one with a hint of ghostly aura is you, this strange person. But, the fluctuations of the aura around you used to be very stable, but it started to become a bit strange right from the beginning. It’s like there’s something extra… but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.”

I was just about to tell them what happened on the stairs when my classmate who's the director urged us to rehearse again. She's Xiao Ke, the arts and culture representative in Dao Lian's class, and she doesn't seem to like Nana and me. It's probably because of Dao Lian. We have to go back to those stairs again…

Strangely, the hand never appeared again after that.

I thought it was just a prank by a lonely ghost. But I was wrong.

The rehearsal continued until after 9 p.m., and the director, Xiao Ke, decided to add music to make it easier to bring out the atmosphere of the play.

Neither of our classes had brought a CD player, so we decided to borrow one from the dance team. Just as we were about to go downstairs, I spotted a slightly old-looking CD player on the other side of the stage. It was probably something someone had forgotten to take during rehearsals. The machine looked a bit worn, but it happened to have a CD inside. We decided to just plug it in and see if it would work. After all, everyone was busy with rehearsals, and borrowing from the dance team would be too much trouble. Having one readily available was best; we could always find the owner later through the lost and found notice on the broadcasting station.

Plug in the power, press the PLAY button, and there's a blank screen followed by a faint hissing sound. Then a cold, somewhat mechanical female voice begins to sing:

"The first one dances in the air, red petals falling from her scattered hair; the second one, half light, half darkness, weeps alone; the third one kisses the earth, seeking only warmth; the fourth one lingers by the water, maintaining a smile until the end; the fifth one slowly decays, which is actually the beginning. Now we can be together forever, we will never be separated again, no one will be lonely... Now we can be together forever... The stage will always be ours..."

"What kind of song is this?! How weird, would a class use something like this for a program? Turn it off right now!" Xiao Ke yelled. That cold voice gave everyone goosebumps.

It's nothing, it's just a song. But why this intense unease?

After listening to that song, no one was in the mood to rehearse anymore. Xiao Ke gave a brief explanation, and then everyone dispersed.

As I left, I glanced at the staircase; there was nothing there, just the curtain. But a feeling of fear kept rising within me. I looked at Xiao Ke, and seeing she still showed no sign of leaving, I said somewhat uneasily, "Senior, aren't you... going to leave?"

"It's alright! I'll just pull up the curtain a bit. You guys go ahead, remember to come to rehearse at 5 o'clock tomorrow. I'll open the door first!"

"Hehe... The first one danced in the air, red petals falling from her scattered hair; the second one was half light and half darkness, weeping alone; the third one kissed the earth, just for warmth; the fourth one clung to the water, keeping a smile until the end; the fifth one slowly decayed, which was actually the beginning. Now we can be together forever, we will never be separated again, no one will be lonely... Now we can be together forever... The stage will always be ours..."

"Ah ...

I touched my back and found myself drenched in cold sweat. Thank goodness, it was just a dream. I'd better go to rehearsal early this afternoon.

At 8 o'clock, the screams of the students on duty to clean meant an ominous beginning.

Author: Xinxinjun Reply Date: 2005-01-02 0:40:00

At that moment, Nana and I happened to be walking past the back of the auditorium. We saw the students on cleaning duty open the door and go in. Thirty seconds later, they screamed and rushed out, their faces filled with extreme terror.

“…Someone…is dead…” She collapsed to the ground after saying that, and Nana and I rushed in immediately.

"The first one dances in the air, red petals falling from her scattered hair; the second one, half light, half darkness, weeps alone; the third one kisses the earth, seeking only warmth; the fourth one lingers by the water, maintaining a smile until the end; the fifth one slowly decays, which is actually the beginning. Now we can be together forever, we will never be separated again, no one will be lonely... Now we can be together forever... The stage will always be ours..."

The CD player was blasting the music, filling the entire auditorium with the chilling song. On the stage at the very front of the auditorium, Senior Xiao Ke was hanging upside down, bound to the curtain. Her neck was half severed, and blood dripped onto the stage from her loose hair. The curtain swayed in the air. Senior Xiao Ke's limbs were also half severed, each bound to a corner of the curtain on either side. Due to the center of gravity, the curtain swayed gently, making Senior Xiao Ke's body appear to dance in the air. On the wall, a large "1" was written in blood.

"The first one dances in the air, red petals falling from her scattered hair; the second one is half light and half darkness, weeping alone..."

"Thump—" It was a dull thud as something heavy hit the ground. The curtain couldn't bear Xiao Ke's weight and snapped. Xiao Ke's body was torn apart by the force of the fall, completely broken into several pieces. Her head rolled off the stage, tumbling and rolling right in front of us. Only then did I notice that a strange smile was playing on her lips. As it rolled, the split pieces of her brains formed a disgusting, milky-white line.

"Ugh..." Nana couldn't help but gag. Having gone through these ghost encounters with me, this was the first time she'd seen a corpse, and... such a... disgusting corpse...

I was completely frozen. I didn't even know when I was taken away or when the police arrived.

That cold song keeps echoing in my mind.

“That was… the Song of Calamity… That day I overlooked… the ghostly aura on you masked the ghostly aura on that CD itself. Now… it’s too late… Listening to the Song of Calamity… is equivalent to us who heard it accepting a pact with the one who sang it, and we must complete everything in the Song of Calamity… to end the curse. Otherwise, everyone who listens to the Song of Calamity will die.” Dao Lian said heavily, “The power of the Song of Calamity is too strong… it’s like making a pact with Yama, the King of Hell, and those who break it will only die. Including me, everyone on stage that day listened to that song. Now… we can only wait for what’s in the Song of Calamity to be completed…”

"You're a psychic... can't you stop it? If it really goes according to the song, four more people will die!"

"...Ah Ling... Spirit mediums aren't omnipotent... Some mysterious powers even frighten me... The Song of Calamity is formed from the powerful obsession left behind by a vengeful ghost. My... power simply can't shake it... Besides... although it was somewhat coercive, we listened to the song willingly... which is equivalent to making a pact with the owner of the Song of Calamity, an agreement that cannot be broken. With these two powers combined, even our family's most powerful medium can't resolve it. This isn't something exorcism can do. Even if the owner of the Song of Calamity ascends to heaven, the power of the pact remains, and what the Song of Calamity sings will still be accomplished."

"Is there really no way out?" Tears welled up in her eyes. What if Nana gets hurt again this time? "I might know who the owner of that cursed song is... Before this all started... 'she' came to me."

“Ah Ling, now we need to think of a way to fulfill our promise to the Calamity Singer without anyone dying. We must go to the auditorium again, even though the police have sealed it off. That staircase you mentioned, that room, there's definitely something wrong with it!”

"I know a way to get there."

"Nana?"

"Why are you looking at me with such surprise? Are you just waiting to die instead of fighting for yourself? I listened to that song too, but I haven't even had a proper romance yet, how can I just die like this? So, tonight... let's set off together!"

"Why at night... that's too dangerous..." I objected.

"Ah Ling...do you want to get arrested and taken to the police station? There are so many police officers here...with Dao Lian, the psychic, here, it should be fine! Let's go to the auditorium after evening self-study tonight!"

After class ended at 9 o'clock, while other places were bustling with students just leaving school, the auditorium was quiet and deserted. No one dared to come here anymore. Although the back door was the closest route to the dormitory, Xiao Ke's death was so gruesome, and the police couldn't find the exact cause of death, everyone naturally assumed that was the reason, so now there was no one there.

Dead silence. A terrifying dead silence.