(I am going to rework some chapters. Add more details, rely less on onomatopoeia. Improve the narration and flow.)
My rabbit shikigamis, they must be in the tens of thousands by now, scattered all over the place. They're helpful and can communicate with me, albeit only in simple gestures. Not only that, I've yet to find the exit, despite my rabbit's broad reach.
I am starting to lose hope. I've been here for almost two days now. I am hungry and thirsty. This is like a prison. Was I sealed or something? That must be it.
This must be the inside of a sealing ritual or item. It has to be since I can't sense any cursed energy residue. I hate this.
I sat in the corner, letting the soft buzzing hum take over my mind and senses. My rabbits accompanied me; they were trying their best, looking for the exit. However, at this point, I am almost at my limit.
If I am indeed sealed here, then there's no point in looking for an exit. Even if it isn't a seal, I doubt the exit would be any closer. I am, for all intents and purposes, utterly fucked.
Then I noticed something — a person picking up one of my rabbits.
I don't share a sense of these rabbits, but I have a general idea of what happens to them. I'd know if they were destroyed, damaged, hurt, or even touched. Right now, someone was picking one up and petting it.
I slowly made my way towards that rabbit; my footsteps were loud, despite my best efforts to conceal them. It was deafeningly quiet inside, aside from the persistent buzzing hums.
Well, whatever. Worst-case scenario, I hide in one of my rabbits' shadows and then escape.
I then made a turn and was surprised.
In the hallway was a woman with medium-length red hair and strangely bright orange eyes. She had the appearance of a young office worker, wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt and formal black slacks.
She was at the end of the hallway, illuminated by two flickering lights. It didn't take long for me to notice something malevolent in this woman. It felt like being in Sukuna's presence.
The woman spotted me and smiled thinly. She positioned the rabbit, facing it towards me.
"Cute Mr. Rabbity has an owner..." The woman said, stepping forward and approaching me.
I couldn't help but gulp and take a step back. The woman stopped, plastering a confused expression on his face, like she was oblivious and innocent. I ordered my rabbits to retreat from her and then go in another direction.
The rabbit that she was holding wriggled and jumped away from her grasp. "Oh?"
"I am Makima. A public safety devil hunter. There's no need to fear me." The woman said, with a cheerful, reassuring tone.
"Do you by chance know the exit? No? Well, I don't know what kind of devil did this, but you can rest knowing that I will try my best to assist." The woman said, stepping forward.
I had my doubts, but this confirmed it. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't human. It's a thing pretending to be human, and it's doing a good job of it. A normal person wouldn't be able to discern it, but any sorcerer, even low-grade ones, could tell.
"Stay there!" I said as the whole place suddenly roared in activity, producing that green sheen again. I then ran away along with my rabbits.
The woman remained, focused on the earthquake.
...
...
...
I must've lost her by now, but it wouldn't take long for her to track me. I opened a random door in the hallway and was surprised by what I saw. There was a vending machine in the room; it was the only thing in there, too.
I approached and kicked it hard, spilling its contents. However, they were all fake, as if they were mocks or fakes.
The wording was strange too.
They were in English but slightly gibberish and blurred.
What a waste...
I left the room and continued my exploration along with my rabbits. My rabbits were tugging my slacks with their mouths. Apparently, they found something. A clue?
After some time of walking, it really was a clue. A huge metallic entrance, like the ones you see in bunkers or underground labs, was in front of me. There was scattered furniture everywhere, as if something was trying to enter.
Or escape?
"Max Elephant!" I summoned a shikigami and did the correct hand signal.
It appeared and I ordered it to ram itself against the metallic entrance, but it didn't open or budge. I had another shikigami that could help, but I haven't tamed it yet, and it's not very easy to tame.
I dispelled Max Elephant and then ordered the rabbits to scour the area. There has to be something. A keycard or a key, maybe another entrance.
This clue filled me with hope. This place isn't a seal. It's just some prison that I needed to escape as soon as possible. Whatever that woman was, she's bad news. I don't want to face her again.
"Piercing Ox." This shikigami can burst through that door. If only there's another pitfall here to help me defeat it. I'd be able to open this metallic gate with sheer brute force.
I explored the nearby rooms, looking for a pitfall, but found nothing. There was, however, a narrow opening and what seemed to be a pitfall or a door in the distance.
I was about to enter that narrow opening, but one of my rabbits seemed to have found something. I followed it, and it led me to a rotting corpse. Already rotted beyond recognition, but the corpse was wearing some hazmat or biohazard suit.
Was this place toxic? Maybe bad air or pathogens?
One of the rabbits scrounged the corpse and then presented me with an identification card. This guy was part of Async. A research institute.
I've never heard of it...
"You found something." A voice from behind me said. I instinctively turned and extended both of my hands, ready to summon a sure-win condition. However....
I couldn't. The ritual was still in effect. How did I not realize this sooner?
The woman smiled, her strange eyes glowing brightly.