Okami: Hero's Shortcomings

Chapter 15: Aftermath

Earth, Nov. 19th 2016 @7:53 AM. After the realization of Zoey's disappearance, Genji blacked out and was promptly taken to a bed.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't greeted with a dark room with the sun just barely rising, the humming of the heater, or the smell of bacon wafting in the air. Rather than any of those pleasant sensations, he was filled with a foreboding-inducing environment.

Everywhere he looked, the horizon was pitch dark. He could only see in a small, dimly lit circle that moved with him, but there wasn't anywhere for a light to attach to.

Above all of that, however, was the floor. Up to the midsole of his shoes, this place was flooded in what he could only assume to be blood, and it was everywhere. No matter where he walked or looked, he could never find a non-red spot.

"Hello? Anyone out there?" Genji called out, despite knowing he wouldn't receive a response, "right, this is a dream...and I wish it would hurry up and end."

He kept walking, deciding to not waste his time with aimlessly turning and just moved straight. There was nothing going on, but he found himself rubbing his hands together and shivering.

"...but, if this is a dream, why does it feel so real?"

He tried dreaming of something else, like breakfast with Zoey and the others, but was reminded of his grief.

"That's right...she's been taken...Damn, who turned the AC on?!"

He could visibly see his breath, which was a pretty big giveaway that this was more than just an A/C matter. He also found himself slowing down a bit, getting harder to move forward with each consecutive step. Eventually, he came to a complete stop and fell to his knees.

"Wh-What...is going on?"

As if a stack of weights sat on his neck, an unknown crushing force kept his head down. He fought to lift it up, but could only get so far. Fortunately, his answer was just a foot in front of him.

His overhead light shined a small part of a person, specifically a few inches of their feet. Small and dainty, Genji figured it was a child, but could a child really be in a place like this?

"Who's there...are you ok?" He asked, letting his head back down from the pain.

"Not enough," The 'child' spoke out. Its voice was distorted, and echoed in the abyss, "not enough anger."

The child looped around Genji and stood behind him. When they placed their hand on the back of his head, Genji felt a chill he could only compare to his Ōkami ritual.

"Lose yourself in a rage. It's the only way..."

"The hell...are you t-talking abo-"

The child pushed him down with no effort, ending his sentence. Genji fell face first into the blood, and woke up in a shout back into the real world.

His mind and heart on a thousand, he glanced around the room in a panic, but came to realize he sensed everything that brought him ease.

The sun was beginning to rise, the vents exhaled heat, and the savory smell of bacon penetrated his nose and taste buds. Without much thought, he threw the covers off and ran out the room to find a peculiar sight.

Katrina was preparing breakfast, which was normal to him. But Amber sat on the couch along with Alyssa, seemingly watching TV. His sudden door opening and slam caused Katrina to perk up and Alyssa to scream, but Amber didn't react.

"Oh, thank goodness it's just you. Good morning, Genji, how are you feeling?"

His rapid breaths came to an ease and he took a deep swallow, "I'm...I'm fine, yeah," he looked to where the scream came from and saw the back of Alyssa's hair, "...Alyssa?"