Chapter 3: Welcome to the Aegis Bureau

The elevator descended for what felt like an eternity.

Rei watched the floor indicators tick past ground level and keep going—B1, B2, B3—until the digital display simply read "CLASSIFIED" in stark red letters. His ears popped from the pressure change, and he found himself gripping the handrail as the elevator finally shuddered to a stop.

"First time underground?" Agent Yano asked, seemingly unaffected by the descent. She'd remained silent during the thirty-minute ride through Tokyo's back streets, her attention focused on the device she'd used to detect his "Taint level" earlier.

"First time a lot of things," Rei muttered, then immediately regretted the sarcasm. The woman had quite literally saved his life—or what was left of it.

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime that felt absurdly normal given the circumstances. What lay beyond was anything but normal.

They stepped into a reception area that looked like it had been designed by someone who couldn't decide between a high-tech military installation and a traditional Japanese office building. Sleek metal panels covered the walls, interspersed with wooden screens bearing calligraphy that seemed to shimmer with its own inner light. Personnel in dark uniforms moved with purpose through corridors that branched off in multiple directions, some carrying weapons Rei didn't recognize, others consulting tablets that projected holographic displays.

"Welcome to Aegis Bureau Tokyo Division," Agent Yano said, her voice carrying a note of pride despite her professional demeanor. "Established in 1923 after the Great Kantō Earthquake released... let's call them 'unusual energies' from beneath the city. We've been keeping Tokyo safe from Anomalies ever since."

A woman approached them from behind a reception desk that looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel lobby, except for the subtle runes carved into its surface. She was older, perhaps fifty, with steel-gray hair pulled into a severe bun and eyes that missed nothing.

"Agent Yano," she said with a slight bow. "Director Matsumoto is waiting in Conference Room 3. The subject's preliminary scans have been forwarded to Analysis Division."

Subject. Rei felt his stomach clench. Not "person" or even "civilian." Subject.

"Thank you, Nakamura-san." Agent Yano gestured for Rei to follow her down a corridor lined with what looked like reinforced steel doors. "Don't take the terminology personally," she said quietly. "Everyone here has been a 'subject' at some point. It's not meant to be dehumanizing—it's just how we stay objective when dealing with things that can literally rewrite reality."

They passed several open doorways that offered glimpses into the Bureau's operations. In one room, a team of technicians monitored dozens of screens showing various locations around Tokyo—subway stations, office buildings, residential areas—all overlaid with data Rei couldn't interpret. Another room contained what looked like a traditional shrine, but the offerings on the altar included circuit boards and fiber optic cables alongside rice and sake.

"How many people know about this place?" Rei asked.

"Need-to-know basis," Agent Yano replied. "Some government officials, certain academics, a handful of tech industry leaders who help develop our equipment. Maybe two hundred people in total have full knowledge of what we do. There are maybe another thousand who know pieces—police officers who've encountered things they can't explain, hospital workers who've treated impossible injuries, IT specialists who've had to clean up digital manifestations like the one in your room."

They stopped outside a door marked "Conference Room 3" in both Japanese and English. Agent Yano paused, her hand on the handle.

"Before we go in, you need to understand something," she said. "The tests they're going to run on you—they're not comfortable. They're not quick. And some of them are going to feel like violations of privacy that go deeper than you can imagine. But they're necessary. The Taint isn't just some spiritual mark—it's a fundamental change to your neurological and metaphysical signatures. We need to understand exactly what she did to you."

Rei thought about the whispers that had filled his head, the way electronic devices had responded to his presence, the drawing he'd made without conscious thought. "What if you don't like what you find?"

Agent Yano's expression was unreadable. "Then we'll deal with that too."

The conference room contained a long table surrounded by chairs that looked both ancient and futuristic—traditional Japanese wood construction integrated with technology Rei couldn't identify. Several people were already seated, including a man in his sixties wearing a perfectly tailored suit who radiated authority despite his unassuming appearance.

"Ashbourne-kun," the man said, rising slightly from his chair in a gesture that was more acknowledgment than greeting. "I am Director Matsumoto. Please, sit."

The next three hours were the most invasive experience of Rei's life.

They started with conventional medical tests—blood samples, neurological scans, reflex assessments. But gradually, the procedures became increasingly esoteric. Machines he didn't recognize were rolled into the room, their operators speaking in technical jargon that blended cutting-edge science with terminology that sounded like it belonged in medieval grimoires.

"Etheric resonance is off the charts," one technician reported, studying a readout that looked like an ECG crossed with abstract art. "I've never seen patterns like this."

"Psychic permeability index is... this can't be right," another added, frowning at her tablet. "According to these readings, his mind is essentially an open door to the Concrete Abyss."

Director Matsumoto leaned forward, his expression grave. "Explain that in terms the subject can understand."

The technician glanced nervously at Rei before answering. "The Concrete Abyss is what we call the collective unconscious layer where urban legends and folklore gain power. Most people have natural barriers that protect them from direct contact. But your barriers..." She gestured helplessly at her data. "They're not just broken—they've been surgically removed and replaced with something else entirely."

"Replaced with what?" Rei asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"We're not certain," Director Matsumoto admitted. "But preliminary analysis suggests that Kuchisake-onna didn't just mark you—she fundamentally restructured your psychic architecture. Your potential for interacting with Anomalous phenomena is..." He paused, consulting his own tablet. "Unprecedented."

Agent Yano, who had remained silent during most of the testing, finally spoke up. "Sir, with respect, potential means nothing if he can't control it. The digital manifestation at his apartment was relatively minor, but it was actively feeding off his presence. If his Taint continues to amplify—"

"Then he becomes either our most valuable asset or our most dangerous liability," Director Matsumoto finished. He stood and walked to a wall display that showed what looked like a map of Tokyo overlaid with pulsing dots of various colors. "Agent Yano, show him the current situation."

The display zoomed in on different areas of the city, each dot representing what Agent Yano explained were "Anomalous incidents" from the past week. Missing persons in Shibuya. Electronic disturbances in Akihabara. Reports of impossible sounds echoing from the Tokyo Metro system.

"Anomaly activity has increased thirty percent in the last month," Director Matsumoto said. "And according to our analysis, many of these incidents show signs of being drawn to a specific location." He touched the screen, and a red circle appeared around Shinjuku District 2. "The alley where you encountered Kuchisake-onna."

Rei felt cold. "You're saying this is my fault?"

"We're saying you're connected to it," Agent Yano clarified. "The question is whether that connection can be turned into an advantage."

Director Matsumoto returned to his seat, his expression thoughtful. "Kuchisake-onna is not a mindless predator. She's ancient, intelligent, and powerful enough to reshape local reality within her sphere of influence. The fact that she chose to mark you instead of killing you suggests a plan—one we don't understand yet."

"But here's what we do know," he continued, leaning forward. "Your Taint makes you sensitive to Anomalous activity in a way that could be invaluable for detection and containment. With proper training, you could become one of our most effective field agents. Without training..." He gestured to the technician's readings. "You'll be dead within a month, and probably take several city blocks with you when you go."

The room fell silent. Rei looked around at the faces surrounding him—some curious, some concerned, all watching him with the intensity of people whose lives might depend on his decision.

"What kind of training?" he asked finally.

Agent Yano answered. "Combat techniques for dealing with entities that don't follow physical laws. Meditation practices to control your sensitivity to the Abyss. Study of Anomaly behavior patterns and containment protocols. And field experience, starting with low-risk reconnaissance missions."

"And if I refuse?"

Director Matsumoto's expression was not unkind, but it was absolutely final. "Then we'll do our best to make your remaining time comfortable, but we cannot allow someone with your level of Taint to exist unsupervised in civilian populations. The risk is simply too great."

Rei thought about his mother, probably wondering why he hadn't come home for dinner. About his classmates, who would notice his absence tomorrow and then gradually forget about the half-foreign kid who sat by the window. About the life he'd been living just twenty-four hours ago, which now felt like something he'd read about in a book.

"If I do this," he said slowly, "is there any chance I can be cured? Can the Taint be removed?"

"Unknown," Director Matsumoto admitted. "But Agent Yano will be your partner and instructor. She's had more experience with unusual cases than anyone in the division."

Rei looked at Agent Yano, remembering her professional competence and the glimpse of something softer he'd seen earlier. "Have you ever seen anyone recover from something like this?"

"No," she said honestly. "But I've never seen anyone survive direct contact with a Class-A Anomaly either, so you're already breaking new ground."

Rei closed his eyes, feeling the invisible mark on his forehead pulse with warmth. When he opened them, everyone in the room was still watching him, waiting.

"When do we start?"