"The Waking Hour? Hollows? What the…" Mumbling in a dazed state, Shin could not help but question all these things mentioned.
Trying to seek comfort in this nightmarish scenario, he immediately stood up to hide behind the silver-haired Gin. Before he could make it far, he then heard the woman named Tsuki speak a word of an unknown language.
Ligt.
Suddenly a small orb of light manifested in her hands, dispersing the nearby dim darkness.
Feeling a hand grasp his shoulder, Shin quickly turned his head, fearing it was the corpse-like detective coming to attack him. However, what he saw was nothing but the handsome-faced man wearing sunglasses.
"The Waking Hour is a supernatural phenomenon that has existed for thousands upon thousands of years. And the only way for someone to see it is if they have been influenced by spiritual energies." The silver-haired Gin then removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of greyish pupil-less eyes, akin to a blind person's.
"Simply put, whatever you and your friends summoned in that ritual was a supernatural entity." Then pulling Shin closer, he added, "The only question that remains is why are you the only one that survived…"
"...either you are very lucky or very unlucky."
Finally snapping out of his dazed stupor, Shin replied, "I didn't want this. I just want everything to go back to normal. How can I go back to…?" Before he could finish his sentence, the silver-haired Gin retorted.
"Unfortunately there is no going back. Your life will never be the same again once you've crossed the boundary of the supernatural. That is why I came here today to figure out if you've been Awakened, and if so, offer you the solution."
"Solution?"
"Yes, but before that. Please come with me."
Leaving the interrogation room, the party of three made their way down the long dark corridor towards the main exit of the police station. While walking, the orb of light illuminated several more figures that looked like corpse statues wearing police uniforms and some civilian clothing.
Curious at this scene, Shin then recalled the interaction from before and asked, "You said that detective was a Hollow; what does that mean?"
The silver-haired Gin then simply answered, "Miss Tsuki."
"Hollows are what the living are called during the Waking Hour. It is a state of suspended animation. Simply put, the living are all sleeping while we wander." Miss Tsuki spoke as if she were reading a textbook.
So formal. Shin inwardly remarked. But why do they have to look so creepy?
As if reading his thoughts, she added, "Their horrifying appearance comes from the name Hollow, since what you see is a husk. There is no soul in their body. All we know is that once the Waking Hour starts, their souls leave and return when things go back to normal."
"Where do the souls go?, is one of the greatest mysteries."
Having finally reached the main exit, Gin pushed open the door, and immediately Shin's eyes widened.
Outside of the police station everything was different, be it the buildings, the people or the sky. None of these things slightly resembled the metropolis of Sakura City that Shin was familiar with. The majority of buildings looked like old Gothic cathedrals or dilapidated ruins with none of the modern infrastructure. Along the street were a small number of spread-out Hollows and an eerie night sky with barely any stars.
However, the most glaring change was the large crimson moon hanging in the sky like some ill omen.
"I wouldn't stare too long." Shin heard the masculine voice behind him.
"Why is everything so different?" He couldn't help but blurt out.
Looking at his silver pocket watch, Gin then answered:
"This is what the Waking Hour looks like; it is a realm completely separate from our own. Once the clock strikes midnight, everything changes. Thus we also refer to the Waking Hour as the '13th Hour'."
"Now back to my proposal, it's simple really…"
"You can come work for us, or you can live your whole life in fear of the supernatural."
"However, everything near and dear to you will have to be cut off; otherwise, you'll be endangering the innocent lives of your aunt and her two children. Meiko Shin of yesterday will be no more." The silver-haired man concluded in a stern and direct tone, not hiding anything.
I'm going to have to leave Aunt Min, even Sora and Jun. This is all so shitty, but if I don't then… Shin fell into a brief moment of silence before turning around and facing Gin and the quiet Tsuki.
"Who are you people?" He raised the question in mind.
"We're a part of an ancient organization that fights against the supernatural." Miss Tsuki answers.
"Indeed. We are agents from the Order of Silver." The silver-haired Gin commented.
Continuing on, he then added, "But don't worry too much; we'll give you time to decide. This is no easy decision."
The silent Miss Tsuki then retrieved an odd-looking medallion from inside her suit jacket and handed it to Shin.
"Take it. It will protect you for the time being."
"But how will I find you?" Before he could finish his question, he then heard Miss Tsuki recite an unknown word.
Slapen.
Feeling a heavy fatigue immediately rush over him, everything then went dark.
…
Shin woke up with a deep strain on his body, as if he had just run up a steep incline 20 times over. Feeling the comforting softness of a pillow under his head, he turned his head from the cold white wall to see that he had somehow found himself back in the small cubic jail cell.
Hearing the rattling of keys, Shin stubbornly pulled himself up to see what was going on. Opening the gate was Detective Muranaka.
Upon seeing him, Shin felt a jittery sensation run through him, having recalled the hollow appearance of the detective.
"Meiko Shin, wake up. You are free to go." The senior shouted.
Just like that? Could it be because of those two agents last night? I still can't believe all that happened. Looking down, he found the odd-looking pendant in hand, affirming that all the events that transpired were indeed true.
"Quickly, this is no hotel!" the officer harped on.
Leaving the cell with heavy steps, Shin made his way towards the main exit of the police station.
There was a familiar individual who then hurriedly approached to hug Shin. "Oh my sweet boy, come now. Let's go home." Aunt Min comforted him.
Feeling the soft embrace of his aunt, Shin finally heaved a sigh of relief; however, there was still a lingering heaviness in his heart.