Written by DarkEclipic - Ideas by Aania
Proofread by RexLobo
As the months grow colder, the mind grows more wary. Nestled deep within the Kohaku Mountains rests a peculiar structure. Carved within the mountains rests a set of caves that seemingly have no exit. You never know about someone’s resting place until you hear whispers. Sealed memories. An entrance without an exit.
The Kohaku Mountain Range holds many secrets, many untold stories, many forgotten voices. But one opening within the mountain holds many secrets. Along the hiking trail on the Karakura City limits, a forgotten place. A place lost due to time and haunting tales. The Mountain Ruins are popular among the population of the lower city for their mysterious origins. The untold story of The Temple of Sodateru. The temple was only mentioned through word of mouth through the ages, passed down from Monk to Monk until… the incident.
Old texts and translations were found and translated by someone by the name of ‘Bonez’. The first translation was of an old journal from the Edo Period, dated back to around 1622
‘The fire was too much for our congregation. The Spirits.. They whispered to me.. Whispered to all of us.. The town has lost its path, lost its way. There is no peace, there is no path forward. Fear, what is all that we have, and we will use it to do as we see fit.’
‘Bonez’ makes a note at the bottom of this translation; his wording was jumbled. Scrambled even. As if something was wrong in that moment in time.
‘Scratching. Screaming. That is what I hear in these tunnels. Some go to nowhere, others lead to water. They are watching. They have never stopped watching… They are vengeful.’
‘The fire was too much for our congregation. The Spirits.. They whispered to me.. Whispered to all of us.. The town has lost its path, lost its way. There is no peace, there is no path forward. Fear, what is all that we have, and we will use it to do as we see fit.’
‘Bonez’ makes a note at the bottom of this translation; his wording was jumbled. Scrambled even. As if something was wrong in that moment in time.
‘Scratching. Screaming. That is what I hear in these tunnels. Some go to nowhere, others lead to water. They are watching. They have never stopped watching… They are vengeful.’
Inside the old temple, pathways were sealed off. Marked with tally marks on the stone, the first one had ‘Five’. The next had ‘Seven’. ‘Bonez’ goes on to mark in his own journal, which was found within the ruins alongside a set of old and weathered bones, that he didn’t know if that was how many souls were trapped inside those tunnels. Or was sacrificed to something higher than the caves suggest.
In the next room, sits the first of two graves within the tunnels. An elderly man’s face was etched into the stone with a weathered inscription.
‘L- -s he- - - -r Pr- - -ctor’
‘Ma- t- - d- - -ed l- -d hi- - - -l to t-e a- - - - - - -e -o He-’
‘Bonez’ notes in the journal that after the Edo Period, the Caves turned into something more sinister, more occult-like. He also states that he could only half translate the inscription, but none of the pages have it noted down. Only scratches of a pen with ‘Her’ scattered around the pages.
Within the next room, ‘Bonez’ notes in his journal that the room was called ‘The Eclipse Room’ with the grave in the center, along with more tunnels leading out from the room. More tally marks would rest on the sealed walls, but the numbers were unknown due to the vines and water etching them away. Along with ‘Bonez’ entries, he writes that ‘The Eclipse Room’ was dedicated to the Kami of Distaters.
Etched within the center of the room, on the enclosed tomb, is the following written along the sides of it. It has been slightly weathered, but otherwise seems untouched by the decades.
‘The Temple of Sodateru wishes prosperity of Magatsuhi-no-Kami to these lands.’
‘To nurture those who have brought the darkness on our foes.’
‘Our foes. Those who wish sanity, peace, and rationality.’
In the journal, nothing was stated about what the Temple of Sodateru was about. Nothing about those who were part of the Temple. But if you listen carefully, during Dawn and Dusk. Scratching, whispers, and faint screams could be heard from the sealed off pathways. As if the souls of the damned were trying to claw their way out of their graves.
In the next room, sits the first of two graves within the tunnels. An elderly man’s face was etched into the stone with a weathered inscription.
‘L- -s he- - - -r Pr- - -ctor’
‘Ma- t- - d- - -ed l- -d hi- - - -l to t-e a- - - - - - -e -o He-’
‘Bonez’ notes in the journal that after the Edo Period, the Caves turned into something more sinister, more occult-like. He also states that he could only half translate the inscription, but none of the pages have it noted down. Only scratches of a pen with ‘Her’ scattered around the pages.
Within the next room, ‘Bonez’ notes in his journal that the room was called ‘The Eclipse Room’ with the grave in the center, along with more tunnels leading out from the room. More tally marks would rest on the sealed walls, but the numbers were unknown due to the vines and water etching them away. Along with ‘Bonez’ entries, he writes that ‘The Eclipse Room’ was dedicated to the Kami of Distaters.
Etched within the center of the room, on the enclosed tomb, is the following written along the sides of it. It has been slightly weathered, but otherwise seems untouched by the decades.
‘The Temple of Sodateru wishes prosperity of Magatsuhi-no-Kami to these lands.’
‘To nurture those who have brought the darkness on our foes.’
‘Our foes. Those who wish sanity, peace, and rationality.’
In the journal, nothing was stated about what the Temple of Sodateru was about. Nothing about those who were part of the Temple. But if you listen carefully, during Dawn and Dusk. Scratching, whispers, and faint screams could be heard from the sealed off pathways. As if the souls of the damned were trying to claw their way out of their graves.