P r e f a c e

-T h e   F o r b i d d e n  S h r i n e-
  -山の上部にあるその神社。。-

There was a legend, passed down ever since the time when the ancestors still lived. The legend revolved around a shrine –the shrine- that had been a forbidden place, not only to the villagers but also to anyone who was human.

Situated on the peak of a mountain in Naoyama, the shrine was rumoured to be haunted by the vengeful spirit of a young girl who used to live right there in the village. Curious and foolish people have ignored the warnings in the story and have all found themselves prevented from going any further than the woods surrounding the shrine. But they could all see the old abandoned shrine with peeling paint and decaying wood sitting above the level of foliage surrounded by fog. It was believed that a barrier, a kekkai was cast there to protect humans. Yet when the curtain of darkness fell, those who ventured up the mountain never returned.

Non human creatures have been showing up for as long as the villagers could remember. They were the only ones capable of entering the shrine although they too never returned after that. The villagers were terrified of these creatures and people, especially young children were told to not go outside after the sun had set because the creatures were rumoured to have a healthy diet for young children.

What really happened was forgotten in due time. But the low moans and ringing wails that travel down the foggy mountain reminded the older and wiser generation that something as terrible as the god of calamity himself resided there. And their memories fly back to the story told by ancestors 1500 years ago, a tale of great misfortune.