The morning hit me harder than usual. Normally, I'd spring up, ready to dodge Hiyori's chore list and breeze through my "lazy god" routine. But today was different. Today, I felt like death had grabbed me by the throat and shaken me around for a while. My body ached, my head spun, and my skin felt hot to the touch. Not exactly what you'd expect from a god.
I tried to shrug it off, pushing myself up and shuffling toward the kitchen where Hiyori was, as usual, already busy preparing breakfast. But after a few steps, my legs wobbled, and I had to grab the wall to steady myself.
"Whoa, Y/N, you look like you've been run over by a cart," Hiyori said, eyeing me with a mixture of concern and annoyance. "What's with the death march?"
"Funny you mention death," I muttered, stumbling into a chair. "Pretty sure it's catching up with me. I think that beast from the other night gave me a little… parting gift."
Her eyes narrowed, and for once, her expression softened. "You're not joking, are you?"
I gave her a weak smile, but even that took more effort than I'd expected. "Hey, I might be the God of Reality, but even I'm not immune to a monster-sized dog bite, apparently. I think I've got rabies, Hiyori."
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Great. The one time I let you off the leash, and you bring rabies back as a souvenir."
I shrugged, trying to muster up some of my usual nonchalance, but it just came out as a tired slump. "What can I say? I live for excitement."
She gave me a look, her eyes softening. "Alright, no chores today. Just… take it easy, okay? I'll handle things around here."
For once, I didn't argue. I didn't crack a joke or try to charm her into letting me off the hook. I just nodded, grateful for the reprieve, and let myself sink deeper into the chair.
---
The rest of the day passed in a feverish haze. I drifted in and out of sleep, my body a constant battleground of aches and chills. Every time I closed my eyes, visions of snarling beasts and shadowy figures danced behind my eyelids, taunting me. It was like my mind was trapped in some sort of fever dream, and no amount of divine power could pull me out of it.
By nightfall, I'd had enough. I couldn't take the heat pulsing through my veins, the maddening itch beneath my skin. I needed help—real help. And there was only one place in Kyoto that dealt with the kind of illnesses that affected gods and mortals alike.
Kuchisake-onna's hospital.
The thought alone sent a shiver down my spine, and not just because of her reputation as a terrifying urban legend. Kuchisake was known for her "hands-on" approach to medicine, and not in a way that I was particularly fond of. Last time, during what I now referred to as "A Night to Forget," her… attentions had crossed more than a few lines.
But right now, I was desperate. So, swallowing my pride—and my lingering disgust—I threw on a coat and made my way through the dark, winding streets of Kyoto to her clinic.
---
The hospital loomed in the shadows, its old, creaking sign swaying in the breeze. It looked like something out of a horror story, the kind of place that mortals avoided even on the brightest days. The windows were dark, the walls peeling, and the air smelled faintly of antiseptic and something far less pleasant.
I hesitated at the door, my mind racing with memories of that night. Of her too-close gaze, her unsettling smile, and the sharp glint of her scalpel as she "examined" me. But before I could turn back, the door creaked open on its own, as if inviting me in.
"Y/N, dear," came a voice from the darkness, soft and teasing. "What a pleasant surprise."
Suppressing a shiver, I stepped inside, forcing a smile. "Kuchisake. Long time no see."
She emerged from the shadows, her figure tall and graceful, but with an unsettling aura that sent a chill down my spine. Her face was half-covered by a mask, hiding the infamous slit mouth that had terrified mortals for generations. But her eyes gleamed with a twisted kind of delight, like a cat that had just cornered its prey.
"Well, well," she murmured, circling me like a predator. "You look… different. Tired. Sick, even." Her gaze lingered on my neck, my arms, her eyes sharp and calculating.
I cleared my throat, trying to maintain some semblance of control. "Yeah, I've been feeling a bit under the weather. Had a run-in with a rather… unpleasant beast the other night. Thought you might have something to help me out."
She smiled beneath her mask, a smile that I could feel even without seeing it. "Oh, I have many things that could help you, dear. But some treatments are… quite hands-on."
Suppressing the urge to bolt, I forced a casual laugh. "Just the medicine, if you don't mind. I'm not looking for anything more… invasive."
She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she assessed me. For a moment, I thought she might argue, but then she let out a soft chuckle, gliding over to a nearby cabinet.
"Very well," she said, her tone laced with mock disappointment. "You're no fun tonight, Y/N."
She rummaged through the shelves, pulling out various bottles and vials, each one labeled in a language I couldn't quite decipher. After a moment, she selected a small, dark vial and held it out to me.
"Drink this," she said, her eyes glinting with something unreadable. "It'll take the edge off the fever. But… it has side effects."
"Side effects?" I raised an eyebrow, hesitating as I reached for the vial.
"Oh, nothing too severe," she replied, her tone innocent. "Just a bit of… vivid dreaming. And perhaps a touch of hallucination. But I assure you, it'll help."
I stared at the vial, weighing my options. It was either this or another sleepless night of fever dreams. Sighing, I uncorked it and downed the liquid in one gulp, grimacing at the bitter taste.
Almost instantly, a warm sensation spread through my body, easing the ache in my limbs and the fog in my mind. I let out a sigh of relief, feeling the fever break. But even as the pain faded, I could feel the world around me begin to blur, colors shifting and swirling like a surreal painting.
Kuchisake's face loomed in front of me, her eyes dark and piercing. "Feeling better, dear?"
"Yeah," I muttered, my voice sounding distant, as if coming from somewhere far away. "Thanks."
She laughed softly, stepping closer until I could feel her breath on my cheek. "You know, Y/N, you really should visit more often. I enjoy our… sessions."
I forced a chuckle, taking a step back. "Yeah, well, let's not make it a habit."
But as I turned to leave, my vision swam, and the walls seemed to close in around me. Shadows danced at the edges of my sight, twisting into strange, distorted shapes. I blinked, trying to focus, but the world refused to settle.
"Oh, don't worry, dear," Kuchisake whispered, her voice echoing in my mind. "The hallucinations are harmless… mostly."
I stumbled out of the hospital, my mind reeling as the shadows closed in, each one more sinister than the last. The street twisted and turned beneath my feet, the buildings towering over me, their windows like empty, hungry eyes.
As I stumbled down the street, my mind racing with feverish thoughts, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. That something—or someone—was following me, lurking just beyond the edges of my vision.
But even as the shadows closed in, even as the fever and hallucinations took hold, I couldn't help but laugh. Because in some twisted, surreal way, this was exactly the kind of chaos I'd come to expect. And even as the world spun around me, even as the shadows whispered my name, I knew I'd make it through. Because if there was one thing I'd learned, it was that no matter how dark things got, I could always find my way back.
And as I staggered back toward the shrine, I couldn't help but grin.
As I stumbled back down the darkened streets of Kyoto, the hallucinations grew worse. Shadows twisted and danced at the corners of my vision, shapes bending in ways they shouldn't. My heart pounded, racing faster with each step. It was as if the city itself was alive, breathing and pulsing around me, and every wall, every streetlamp, and every alley seemed to lean closer, observing my every move.
"Get a grip, Y/N," I muttered, my voice sounding hollow and echoing in my ears. But even as I tried to focus, the world continued to blur and twist, the fever and strange side effects from Kuchisake's "medicine" weaving a nightmarish tapestry around me.
Then, as if on cue, a low, guttural voice whispered from the shadows, "Y/N… come closer."
I whipped around, eyes darting in every direction, but there was no one there. Only the distorted, flickering shadows and the faint glint of the moon peeking through thick clouds. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that had settled over me.
But the voice came again, closer this time, like a murmur in my ear. "Are you afraid of the dark, Y/N?"
I forced a chuckle, though my heart pounded. "Afraid? No way. I am the dark!"
The voice laughed, a cold, mocking sound that seemed to seep into my bones. "If you're the dark, then who's that lurking behind you?"
I froze, my pulse racing as an icy chill crept down my spine. Slowly, I turned, half-expecting to see some monstrous creature leering at me, jaws open and ready to strike. But there was nothing there. Just the empty street, silent and still.
Shaking my head, I took a step forward, trying to brush off the paranoia. But with every step, the shadows seemed to close in, the buildings around me warping and stretching as if trying to trap me. My vision wavered, and suddenly I was no longer in Kyoto. Instead, I found myself in a twisted, distorted version of Hiyori's shrine.
The familiar walls and tatami mats were warped and covered in a sickly, oozing black substance, and the air was thick with a suffocating sense of dread. I blinked, trying to clear my head, but the nightmarish vision persisted, the world around me growing darker and more twisted by the second.
Then, I heard it—a soft, mocking laughter echoing through the shrine, growing louder and louder until it was a deafening roar. I covered my ears, gritting my teeth as the laughter filled my mind, drowning out every other thought.
"Y/N…"
I looked up, and there, standing in the middle of the room, was a figure cloaked in darkness, its face obscured but its eyes burning with a malevolent light. I knew that face, that mocking smile. It was… me.
The twisted reflection of myself stared back, its grin widening as it took a step forward. "Look at you, the almighty God of Reality, reduced to this. Pathetic, isn't it?"
I took a shaky step back, my mind racing as I tried to make sense of the situation. "You're… not real. You're just a hallucination. A side effect of Kuchisake's medicine."
The doppelgänger laughed, a cold, hollow sound that seemed to pierce through my very soul. "Oh, I'm real, alright. Realer than you've ever been. I'm the part of you that you've tried so hard to bury. The fear, the doubt, the anger you keep hidden behind that goofy smile of yours."
I clenched my fists, my body tense as I stared down my twisted reflection. "Shut up. You don't know anything about me."
"Oh, but I do," it replied, its eyes gleaming with a cruel light. "I know that you're tired, Y/N. Tired of pretending, tired of being everyone's punchline. They call you lazy, useless, a joke, but deep down, you know the truth. Without you, they'd all fall apart."
I opened my mouth to retort, but the words caught in my throat. Because, as much as I hated to admit it, there was a grain of truth in its words. I did feel tired. I did feel unappreciated. And no matter how hard I tried to hide it, there was always a part of me that resented the way everyone treated me.
"See?" my reflection whispered, taking another step forward. "You can't deny it. You're angry, Y/N. You're hurt. But you're too afraid to show it, too scared that they'll see you for who you really are—a lonely, broken god who hides behind jokes and laughter because he's terrified of being rejected."
I gritted my teeth, my fists trembling as I fought to keep my emotions in check. "Shut up. You don't know anything about me."
"Don't I?" it sneered, its eyes glinting with malice. "You can't fool me, Y/N. I am you. Every dark thought, every ounce of pain and rage you've ever felt—I'm all of it. And I'm done being ignored."
With a snarl, I lunged forward, swinging my fist at the reflection. But just as my hand was about to connect, it vanished, leaving me stumbling forward into empty air. I blinked, disoriented, and found myself back on the streets of Kyoto, the twisted vision of the shrine gone as quickly as it had appeared.
I staggered, clutching my head as a wave of nausea washed over me. My heart was racing, my breaths coming in shallow gasps as I tried to process what I'd just seen. Was it really just a hallucination? Or was there some truth to the reflection's words?
I shook my head, trying to clear the lingering fog of doubt. No, it was just the medicine messing with my head. I wasn't some broken, bitter god. I was Y/N, the God of Reality, the guy who could laugh in the face of danger and crack a joke no matter how dire the situation. I was fine. I was… fine.
But even as I tried to reassure myself, I couldn't shake the lingering feeling of unease, the nagging thought that maybe—just maybe—there was a part of me that was tired of pretending
By the time I stumbled back to Hiyori's shrine, the first light of dawn was beginning to break over the horizon, casting a soft, golden glow over the quiet grounds. I stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting the cool morning air wash over me, grounding me back in reality.
As I stepped inside, I found Hiyori waiting for me in the kitchen, her arms crossed and a look of exasperation on her face. "Where have you been?" she demanded, her tone sharp. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"
I forced a grin, hoping to deflect her anger with my usual charm. "Relax, Hiyori. I just went out for some fresh air."
She narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying my excuse. "Fresh air? You look like you've been through a war zone."
"Just a… minor side effect of Kuchisake's medicine," I replied, scratching the back of my head. "Turns out it's a bit more… potent than I expected."
Her expression softened, a hint of concern flickering in her eyes. "Are you alright?"
I hesitated, the memories of the hallucination still fresh in my mind. Part of me wanted to tell her the truth, to confide in her about the doubts and fears that had been eating away at me. But the other part, the part that had been my shield for centuries, wouldn't let me.
I plastered on a smile, forcing a laugh. "Of course! Just a little shaken, that's all. Takes more than a bad trip to bring down the God of Reality."
She gave me a skeptical look, clearly unconvinced, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she let out a sigh and shook her head. "Just… promise me you'll be more careful next time. I don't want to find you half-dead on my doorstep again."
I chuckled, giving her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am. I'll try not to give you a heart attack."
She rolled her eyes, but I could see the faint hint of a smile tugging at her lips. And for a moment, the tension in my chest eased, the doubts and fears fading into the background as I basked in the warmth of her presence.
But even as we settled into a comfortable silence, a lingering thought gnawed at the back of my mind—a reminder of the twisted reflection and the harsh truths it had forced me to confront.
Maybe, one day, I'd have the courage to face those feelings head-on, to let down my guard and show the world the real me. But for now, I'd keep hiding behind my jokes and laughter, burying the pain beneath a mask of indifference.
After all, I was Y/N, the God of Reality. And if there was one thing I'd learned, it was that reality wasn't always pretty. Sometimes, it was twisted, dark, and filled with shadows. But it was my reality, and I'd keep facing it with a grin, no matter how deep the shadows grew.