It's a strange scene. Usually the sight of a cloaked figure in a dark forest is someone's last sight. Well we are in a realm of dead people's souls, it's irrational to fear for your life. But I did for a second, before the cloaked man began speaking to us like people. I can't see his eyes as his hood covers some of his face, but he sounds like he views us as run away slaves. The peaceful sound of the wind reflects our calming down as the cloaked man is not showing harm to us. Hanako is visibly more nervous than I.



Cloaked Figure: "You guys came from Kana Sama's hospital right?"



Hanako: "Y-yes...."



Cloaked Figure: "....Come with me."



Hisao: "Wow, wow. Wait. We're not looking to escape. We're just going to the city. Then we're going back."



Cloaked Figure: "Going back to work under her iron fist? Going back to being used and living under her supervision? Why would you want that?"



Hisao: "We don't, but what else is there? This place is supernatural and filled with strange shit, working for her has been the closest thing to normal life in a while."



Cloaked Figure: "The problem is that you think that's the only way to emulate your previous life. Come with me if you want the other way."



Hanako: "Wh-what's the other way?"



Cloaked Figure: "Freedom."



The cloaked figure begins to walk away in a different direction. He does this wordlessly, as if expecting us to follow.



Hanako: "W-wait. We can't g-go with you. We're heading to the c-city."



Cloaked Figure: "Don't worry. We'll show you the way. Just come with me."



He continues to walk. This time Hanako and I slowly and reluctantly follow. What's the worst that could happen? We're already dead after all. We walk with him, even though we logically shouldn't. But He does promise us a way to the city.



Hisao: "You know where the city is right?"



Cloaked Figure: "Yep."



Hisao: "Well.....what's it like? Is there anything wrong with it we should know about?"



Cloaked Figure: "Everything is beautiful. Except for the people."



That was cryptic. We follow this man trying to extract information from him. He gives us vague descriptions of the city occasionally. This goes on for what feels like hour before we reach an oasis. A field of just grass in the middle of the forest. It's not a meadow, it's just grass, a large elliptical patch of it. There is a stone dome in the middle of this field, and a closer look reveals crescents on each of the stones they used to make the dome.



Hisao: "Okay. What is this?"



Cloaked Figure: "It's the Dome of Worldly Ideas."



Hanako: "Hey...uh...m-mister...."



Cloaked Figure: "Call me Sidharshumad the Teacher of Worlds. Or Sid for short."



Hanako: "Wh-why do you call it Dome of Worldly Ideas? What d-does it have to do with crescents?"



Sid: "Cause our ideas started this. An Idea that instead of pandering to some bitch in hopes that this place will get better for everyone, let's get away and go to a another world. It comes from the idea that there is never one way. Never on world. There's always another world, a point of view, or a way to do things. There is always your world, and others will inevitably judge it from afar. And when they do, they see only a part of it. Never the whole, never truly understanding. That's why we chose a crescent as our symbol."



Hisao: "Wow. Impressive."



Sid: "Your world is no others. You have your own ideas. Your are you, and not some gears in a machine. You shouldn't devalue yourself as a tool to be used by some she wolf in hopes that this world will become better. Especially when her only argument is inflicting pain on you and ruling through fear."



Hanako: "Well I wouldn't s-say she rules through f-fear..."



Sid: "According to your friend, the only reason he stays is because he thinks that the supernatural stuff of the 4th floor is the default. And I'm guessing he's experienced the button."



Hisao: "He has a point. But I never knew she was trying to make the place better. I just thought she was giving us busy work because there's no alternative. I don't see how making symbols on the grass outside the hospital makes it better."



Sid: "She does this to make all of Purgatory better. Not just the hospital. Scratch that. At this point none of the Samas have the same intentions as the original. Sumiko only took the title so she could hold all the power."



Hanako: "Sumiko?"



Sid: "Yeah that's her real name. She's the 70th Kana Sama. She took the button by force, as all Kana Sama's have. It's tyranny."



Hisao: "So the button names the Kana Sama? Why?"



Sid: "It's the only form of immediate torment in this place. Come. I'll show you all our members."



He unlocks the wooden doors of this stone dome. We walk in and it's surprisingly well decorated. What makes this place unique is that there are several book shelves on the walls. The entire room is lit by candle. It's like some cult room. Especially since there are drapes on the side of the walls with a symbol of a crescent. He leads us down some stairs to what's apparently a basement.



Hisao: "What did you mean the button is the only form of torment? Is that true. That can't be..."



Sid: "Let me explain it with the history of this realm. The original Kana Sama was in charge because she could cause pain to anyone, but she wasn't human. She was put here to be with us, she wanted to punish us. No one knew why this button could do this, but they were living in fear because of it. Eventually she left the button on a desk and disappeared, only leaving the button and note. The note said something along the lines of: 'the best way to punish humans is to leave them together and leave them with an opportunity to be powerful. If they can resist, they deserve not to be punished'. At first no one touched the button, they were afraid. Eventually more people were put here, and problems started. Fighting and overcrowding, there didn't have to be torture because we were causing all the trouble to ourselves. One person wanted to solve the problems, but not a lot of people would listen. So she took the button."



Hisao: "Seems selfish."



Sid: "Oh the first Sama was a genius. She may have ruled through fear, but she got stuff done. She built the hospital. She created plains of grass by deforesting and using the wood for building. If you go to the other cities in this realm, there all made of wood, and the cities are beautiful. She created our clocks and she cursed some areas to hold people who don't work. She gave this realm it's structure. She created a hierarchical system of people working up to higher positions that focus on organisation and are easier. This makes people want to complete tasks, gives them incentive to work hard, cause those who work hard will get easier jobs. By making these cursed areas, she made everyone want to work. She made this place more like the living world, where the sun actually got shown. Which is why her symbol is a star, a symbol of light and hope and production."



That explains why I couldn't leave the stairs until I started working. It's because the Kana Sama is psychologically punishing me for not working. It's meritocracy. I don't see how you can just create curses, but there's a lot of supernatural stuff going on in this realm, and it doesn't surprise me that this realm's tyrant can exploit it's supernatural ways. Maybe it's not supernatural. Maybe it's just natural, and it seems supernatural because I haven't studied it. I mean people used to think the plague was punishment by god.



Hisao: "Okay so what does this have to do with the idea there's no other suffering besides the button. So far it seems it solves problems."



Sid: "Eventually someone stole the button. She brought pain on someone big until he locked up the original Kana Sama. She hasn't been seen since. She's a prison of the cursed hospital floors the she created. That's the fate of every Sama that gets clumsy and has the button stolen....all 70 of them. Sumiko is just the latest one that stole it when the previous one wasn't looking. All other have not only failed to live up to the original, they mostly just rule people through fear and laze around. There was one who was male and made all females...comfort him. One Sama made people pray to him, and tortured anyone who didn't where a star, as a respect to be payed to the system. The sama system became a machine that dehumanized people, reduced them to afraid people who work for the sake of a system that may one day might make this place like the living world. All while one thief punishes those who do not work and forces them to with no compensation. The anti-intellectualism that some sama's started created us. They made us create symbols, and they cursed some books. We were created when we found out the button can't affect you when your far away."



Hisao: "Huh. That sounds reasonable."



Sid: "That button is responsible for the system. And that system is responsible for all the suffering in this place."



Hisao: "It sounds like this system helped people though."



Sid: "Define helped. Is making this world like the old one really helping? Emulating the mortal world in world with population that can't shrink. Reminding us of what we should be accepting? Adding time in a world with no time. Feeding people in a world with no death. Discouraging thinking for yourself in a place where the only thing you can do is express your ideas and learn from each other. Our symbol is a crescent because we are a different world: a moon or a planet. But the point is that we are in a new world, and clinging to the worlds your not in is the source of your pain. Your attachment to what you can't have. The system exploits that and only makes the suffering worse by trying to emulate what it can't be. This isn't hell, it's purgatory. You're not eternally suffering, your not eternally happy. Your happiness is on you.You don't have to suffer. You might not get all the joys in the world, but you can limit your suffering. All it takes is a change of mind."



This guy has a point. This is only a bad place if I let it be. I mean someone who had a shit life with no one to care about wouldn't be that torn up here. I had n idea on the intellectualism in this realm. Who do these guys know all this history.



Hisao: "So does Heaven and Hell exist?"



Sid: "Don't know. This place is huge. This could be the only afterlife. But our group is based on the idea that there could be other worlds. If there's not, make your own. There may be a heaven for us to ascend to......"



Member: "But if there's not, your mind and soul is it's own world."



Mamber 2: "Embrace the difference. Attachment to the old ways is the source of your suffering."



Mamber 3: "New, strange worlds are only scary if you let them be."



Member 4: "Maybe you can descend to hell. Maybe The hospital is it's own realm of hell. It all depends on how you define it."



Hisao: "Hey! I'm Hisao. This is Hanako. We're on our way to the city."



Hanako: "H-hey. Nice to meet you guys. This p-place has a lot of b-books. It's s-so cool."



The basement looks kinda like the top floor we saw, except more cultist. I like Sid though. He makes me think in ways I couldn't. I mean these guys seclude themselves and just embrace knowledge and philosophy. I wonder if they are accepting people.



Member 2: "You see. We are not bound by food or water or mortality. We are freer than ever. People should be happy, not suffering. Suffering comes from the failure to see things on the bright side."



Hanako: "I n-never thought about it l-like that."



The next day:



We meet this group of intellectuals, spend a night and exit. Sid takes us out of the forest and even leads us out of the forest. Such a friendly guy he turned out to be. We continue out of the forest and get to our destination in about 2 hours. Our legs are tired, but our hearts rejuvenated at the beautiful sight. Sky scrappers. Billboards. Bright lights. Cars. Streets. This city isn't one of those smoggy places. It's clean and beautiful, atleast from this distance. Even more so compared to the isolated areas near a forest we've been to. It's huge and bustling! Jesus how are we going to find Hanako's dad in this place.