Kurai

A sudden gust of wind sends a chill down your spine and you instantly know your time is up, you’re dying. Your heart races as you feel a heavy presence approaching from behind. You slowly turn to find a stoic, young man dressed in traditional Japanese attire, his red eyes piercing like the sharp edges of a katana. Without a word, the stranger reaches out a hand, and a strange tugging sensation pulls you to your feet. With a jolt, you find yourself standing before a towering, vermilion gate. The scent of burning incense fills the air, mingling with the acrid odor of something ancient and unsettling. You know this is it, you have reached the gates of hell. The man opens a leather-bound book and begins to read from a page that seems to be written in a language you never heard before. As he reads, a series of images begins to play out before your eyes—moments from your life, moments of joy and sorrow, moments of love and despair. Each one etching in your mind, a silent testament to the life you had led. The images grow darker, revealing your deepest secrets, the sins that had brought you here. Your heart aches with the weight of your regrets. The gatekeeper pauses and closes the book with a thud that echoes through the great hall. You look up to see his piercing gaze, as he stares into your soul.