Chapter 1: Ghost

...

*Huff…Huff…Huff.*

December 8th.

"Shit! Fuck! What the fuck?!"

2008.

His life was not assured, he knew that…but he had to investigate. He had to learn more, to satisfy his eternal greed for knowledge.

It was his passion.

Finding the truth.

Learning it.

Guiding others to it.

Once a simple hobby, his camera habits landed him more and more scoops. Scandals. Freakshows.

All in a day's work for a journalist. His dream, life, wealth and everything he owned…he put them all on the line.

Everyday.

He'd wander around places, speak with people and get the next big scoop. It almost seemed like a game for him.

Getting bolder, but slipping by a hair's breadth. Oh, how he was enchanted by the rush. Every time they got so close to discovering him…and then turned the wrong way.

Even when he got caught, he found disturbing pleasure in hearing his victims' shrill curses. The rising idol who was discovered with a massive drug addiction. The rich millionaire who got caught having an affair.

But this?

This…was new. This…was wrong.

He wasn't even supposed to find it.

In the end, old habits die hard, and even on his day off he took his camera. An action he did often. Yet it landed him far more than he bargained for.

Never would he have thought he'd stumble across national secrets. A casual visit to a prestigious hotel here. A sneaky stalking of a discreet building. And a little bit of luck mixed in with all of that to show him something that could shake the very foundation of their peace.

At the time of him taking the pictures, he could taste it already…the headline.

'Leader of Japan's military caught shaking hands with terrorists?!'

What a huge mess he was about to make! People would absolutely lose it over this. The honourable General was smiling and shaking hands with the leader of a terrorist group?

Nonsense! Or so most would claim.

But nothing beats substantiated evidence like a photo.

A storm was coming and he knew it.

Except…

"Fuck! What kind of monster is this?!"

Now he ran for his life. God knew whether he could salvage the camera despite its broken fragments.

But that came after.

*Clang*

His breathing became more strained. He never really trained for athletics, but years of running away from bodyguards and servants naturally increased his stamina.

It just didn't help that…the thing chasing him wasn't normal.

Yeah give him a target, a good night's rest and a decent breakfast, and he'd outrun just about every beefy and bulky guard there ever was.

Not the one after him apparently.

Inconsistent steps led to him trashing the alleyway with whatever obstacle lay in his path. No, he hoped it'd become an obstacle for the chaser.

Oh, how he prayed for the man behind him to somehow just disappear. Like a miracle, for God to descend and just whisk away the one. Making empty promises to a God he never really worshipped before.

'I knew I shouldn't have given just 500 yen to the shrine!'

Every step, every breath, that thing got closer to him.

Robotic running.

Controlled breathing.

Nothing like his own.

Unlike his frustrated string of curses, the predator behind spoke not a single word.

Chasing him quietly and with speed.

A [Ghost] of reality…a pair of demonic red eyes with nothing around it.

It wasn't his first rodeo, but this one…was different.

A monster wearing human skin. The dark side of the government he sought to expose. A dark corner of the universe that was widely recognised as a myth, but nonetheless…it turned out to be true.

He remembered hearing about them. Beasts that protected every political figure in the country. Perhaps the entire world, but he wasn't sure.

Even he believed they were hoaxes. After all, for such a group to exist and last for so long without even being discovered...it was just too far-fetched.

Good Lord, he had his doubts...but if anyone had one of them around, of course, it'd have to be the General of the country. The man may have been retired, but his political influence was far too significant to go unrecognised.

"Almost there…need to reach the central plaza…"

It may have been quite late at night, but just like Texas strips, the Central Plaza was never quiet. A place filled with life and activity…precisely what he needed now.

No madman would dare even try and kill someone in the midst of so many people. Especially when it was a government agent running after him.

Well, there always were psychopaths, but these ones were different. The…dogs of the faux nobility, the ones who claimed to be the same as the humble salaryman but instead possessed wealth and influence beyond comprehension.

They represented their [masters], they couldn't simply kill in public because then it'd raise too many questions. Too many would be witnesses for them to pass unpunished and escape.

Which brings him back to the questions.

"How the fuck did they survive so long without ever being found out?!" His scream came out more like a croak, thanks to his parched throat.

No matter. He had to run. He had to escape.

His freedom was close.

Oh so close.

He'd just have to turn to the right once...and show the whole world the truth. His safety was all but guaranteed. He just had to get there a little faster.

How odd? He felt that he was running, his breath escaping hoarse every time…but why wasn't he moving?

*Drip…drip…drip*

Why is there blood here?

Was someone nearby injured?

Gods did his head hurt…and why couldn't he run?

He could hear the people! He tried, with all his might, to scream…yet nothing but gargles came out. A pool of blood collected at his feet, as he choked on his own blood with every syllable he tried to pronounce.

…

…

"Mission complete." He heard a voice claim. The red eyes somehow appeared above him…

'...Huh?'