Winter Nights of Hell

Chapter Thirteen

The Human Realm

 

A sudden bright glow, transforming our surroundings and completely changing it into something more. Changing it from a winter scene of the Underworld to changing it to something of just a bright light. It completely morphed my body and changed my entire perspective of what was even happening. All I heard was Kurai and Enoxon’s voices yelling at me as the scene of my memory began to pull away into that bright light of something different. 

Momentarily after the bright lights were done, I was whisked away into an area full of purple. I was under the shade of tall purple plants, the sun beaming brightly through the flowers. No snow, no cold, just a bit of a breeze and a green overhead. I instantly sat up, gazing around the area. Had I just been teleported? No way. Was this the human world?! I’d be so excited if it was, knowing that I was back home or possibly back home. But when I scanned the green beautiful clearing, my eyes rested on the human next to me lying on their stomach, face in the dirt. Their pristine white hoodie with golden markings and the inside is a golden-colored pattern, golden colored cuffs. Their pants were solid black, and I could see a bit of black hair on the human. I gasped when I realized this had to be Yushin! Instantly, I crawled over to him and gave him a bit of a shake. He didn’t budge. Why did he get teleported too, was it because we were both in the portal at the time it was activated? Poking at him again, I tried to roll him over to his back. With a few pushes, I was eventually able to flip him over, exposing his black turtle-neck shirt under that gorgeous zip-up hoodie he was wearing. His black hair with those few strands of white, and his eyes closed, wearing golden circle earrings that almost looked like little clocks. 

“Yushinnnn!” I hissed at him, trying to wake him up. 

However, no luck. Looking over his gentle features, I caught myself gawking in awe. He seemed so peaceful sleeping or passed out or whatever. I hope he was okay.

I was wondering if there was anything I could use to wake him but I couldn’t see anything. Maybe some water? As I listened to my surroundings, I only heard the chirps of birds and the wind blowing. Sighing in defeat, I plumped back down on my butt next to him and tried to wake him a little bit more by shaking and poking at him. His chest raised ever so lightly, still breathing at least. I pulled my knees up to my chest, wondering how we even got here and wondering if it was going to be just as easy to get back to the Underworld. If not, what would I do here? Start over again knowing the truth about Demons and Angels? Knowing that I was still marked on my side and my arm by this demon who shared with me that he was going to kill me, but also killed an entire village and my parents? Perhaps I could summon Kurai? I reached around my hips and looked around the area for the little satchel for my dagger, but unfortunately, it was not with me. I don’t remember taking it off before joining Yushin in the portal, but maybe I did. 

“Yushin, I don’t know what we’re going to do now…” I murmured, hugging my knees as I drew a little in the dirt below my feet. “But it is very nice and purple here, full of lavender flowers. Not even cold. It’s kind of unique.” A small smile played on my lips as I rested my head on one of my knees, looking around the clearing in front of me. “I can only imagine how worried Kurai and Enoxon are… Wondering where we disappeared to.”

“Mmm,” a muffled sound escaped Yushin. 

“Kurai will probably kill you when we get back,” I joked, knowing how sensitive Kurai was towards Yushin. I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle when I thought about how angry he’d probably be right now. “I thought the portals were shut down though… So it's even more weird that one was activated... Isn't that crazy?”

I knew I was talking to myself, but knowing that Yushin might be slightly awake, well, it was reassuring. I got so used to being with other people that I didn’t want to be alone again. Turning towards him, I noticed that he had shuffled a bit, but his eyes were still shut and he was still breathing slowly. I held my palm out into the sun that barely filtered its way into our clearing. It was warm and reassuring, making me feel at ease. The smell of lavender fills the air, making me feel extremely calm and happy too.  Another sigh escaped my breath, as I forced myself up to my feet in hopes that maybe I could see something from here. There were no big trees, so maybe we weren’t teleported directly outside the Spirit Tree that I saw in the Underworld? How could a tree that size, if it were the same here, be missed? Then again, it was Abigail's Tree, so maybe it wasn't even near here. Since the Spirit Tree was connected to Abigail's Tree. But this didn't even look like my hometown, so I'm guessing I was just randomly teleported somewhere. I guess that's a thing from the Underworld. 

 I brushed some of the dirt off my simple white dress, which was now stained a little bit, but that was okay. I wore something simple today because I expected it to be a simple day, and I was hungover. I was expecting to wake up, apologize to Kurai for how I behaved the night before, and then just lay in my room all day. Guess that was a mistake. 

“Mmmm, what happened?” I heard a voice whisper beside me.

I jumped at the sudden voice that broke the silence of the valley of flowers. Turning to look at the young Spirit Walker, a smile appeared again as I noticed him moving. 

The young man slowly propped up on his shoulder, his jacket falling to the side and exposing his broad shoulders. I noticed a tattoo on the arm closest to me, but it wasn’t an ordinary tattoo. It was a golden-colored tattoo, perhaps something that was from his Underworld form. Because it looked completely different - ok. Maybe not that much, maybe this is the first time I’ve stared at him and his features because damn. A warm feeling crept to my cheeks and I quickly looked away, calming myself. “Yu-Yushin. Good morning,” I murmured. 

“Where are we?” He asked me, brushing his unique hair out of the way, looking extremely tired. “Why do I feel so weak and weird?” 

I stole another glance from the man and coughed, “Well, you see…” I started, “We were teleported somewhere." 

His stunning yellow eyes grew wide as he sat up straight, bringing his legs into an almost crisscrossed pattern, but not quite all the way. He brought his hands to his head, feeling his hair and then looking down at his hands, noticing the different clothing. Worry crossed his face, and he looked just disgruntled. “We are in the human world…?” He stated, trailing off as he did so. “Ok, this is fine, this is perfectly fine,” He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Snow, I’m not sure what happened, but somehow our connection was broken while I was searching your memory.”

“Broken?” I replied.

He nodded, scanning the lavender fields that lay out before us. “It doesn’t often happen that I can’t continue my memory research when connections are broken, but for whatever reason, yours did. If someone interrupted our connection as well, it could happen. However, that is fine. We are in a safe area - no demons nearby.”

“How are you so sure?” I questioned him.

He offered a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry Snow, I may not be Kurai or Enoxon, but I’m still rather strong. I was taught a lot by the previous Reaper.” 

I sighed, picking one of the lavender flowers, frowning and questioning him, “How do we get back?”

“We find a portal and hope we can trigger it,” He explained to me, offering a handout to help me up.

Hesitantly, I took his hand and was whisked up off the ground, scattering a few of the flowers around me. “Do you know where we are?” 

A frown appeared on his face as his voice dropped, “Currently, no. Do you know what you were thinking of before we were teleported?”

“Besides the memory, I don’t know if I was thinking of anything. I may have been thinking of just my own family,” I explained to him. “Kurai shared a lot with me this morning… It’s rather sad, honestly.” Turning away, I tried to inspect the area to see if I could pinpoint any landmarks or anything. 

“You were thinking of your family?” He repeated.

I nodded. 

“I presume you know a lot about them, correct?”

I shook my head and replied, as I began to walk, “I thought I did, but I guess I was wrong. Kurai told me they were powerful wizards or sorcerers, or whatever they were. He shared with me that they were killed by the same demon that marked me, who is also the same demon who killed his entire tribe.”

Yushin’s mouth gaped as I told him that information, “The Demon that slayed The Sayaka Tribe?” He questioned me.

I nodded, “I’m pretty sure that’s the tribe  Kurai was from.”

“Interesting… That makes this all sort of sum up together. No one has seen the Demon since the Sayaka Tribe was destroyed. I’m still very shocked that Kurai was not murdered in the process - he was just a pup - A traitor.”

I glared at Yushin, coldly. I cannot believe he still calls him a traitor, but I was extremely quick to defend him. “Kurai isn’t a traitor to anyone. He was banished from his Tribe because he was born that of a Nogitsune - not a Kitsune and they can’t coexist!”

Yushin’s yellow gaze locked with my cold gaze, but he was not angered, just relaxed as he spoke, “I’m unaware of the story he has shared with you. I am not the Reaper, just a Reaper’s Helper. I do not know the story of those all around me - I wish I did. With the candles that I can see, I learn a lot about one’s past - if only I choose to. The Reaper typically knows many of people’s pasts, watching them when they turn from Life to Death and guiding them. Our last reaper knew a lot, and she was always calm and collected.”

“She?” I questioned him, completely changing my perspective from Kurai to the female reaper. 

Yushin nodded, a small smile appearing. “No one has ever seen her face, nor do we know her name. They typically would call her The Lady in Red or The Scarlet Reaper, numerous names demons and angels would call her. She kept her face hidden. Not even Yuna and I have seen it, but one day, she disappeared. Yuna and I searched far and wide for her,  in hopes to find her. But not a drop of blood had been spilled by her,” He murmured. His attention turned to me, “I’m not sure why I feel the need to share this with you, but there is something very wonderful about your spirit from what I can see. Your spirit is strong, and definitely not that of Demon blood or human blood, as I’m sure you’ve been told. I cannot wait to collect your spirit,” He chuckled. “It reminds me a lot of the Previous Reapers. Strong-willed and brave. The day you pass, I will be the one to collect your soul and welcome you back to the Underworld." 

My anger completely faded as he shared that information with me, no longer worried about the thought of Kurai. Of course, I still think Kurai was a wonderful person, but as long as no one bashed him, I was ok with it. No one was allowed to bash him, but me, if I wanted to. I probably wouldn’t, but you never know. Listening to his story though, made me curious to know what happened with the previous reaper. “I’m no Reaper, that’s for sure,” I told him gently. “I have no connection with lost souls nor can I see angry souls or any kind of soul that needs guidance,” I reassured him.

“Of course not,” He said, his smile fading away. The Spirit Walker seemed disappointed. I kind of felt bad for him, he had such a strong connection with the previous reaper, and here he was trying to search for his partner in crime, Yuna. Now, he’s stuck in the human world until we can find a way back. Did he feel emotions like humans did? I guess watching him go from smiling to frowning, he had to have some kind of emotion. However, it was weird to think of the Spirit Walkers. They, well, Yushin, looked like a normal human being that had a solid form but... Was he a demon? Maybe a celestial? Or a completely different race and that's why he's called a Spirit Walker? Curiosity burned in me.

“You know, Snow. The Human Realm is a wonderful place - always has been," He told me gently, his voice trailing off.

“What do you mean?” I asked him, picking up another one of the lavender flowers from the surrounding field and picking at its petals.

“I used to be a Human,” His voice soft, “I don’t remember my past life, but I know I was a human - that’s what The Lady in Red told me. I was brought into the Underworld but my soul was precious, she told me. It was… Different from an average human soul - special. She would continuously ask me to join her side to train as a Spirit Walker with Yuna, she would not leave me alone until I accepted.”

As I continued to listen to his story, I was very intrigued. Enoxon had mentioned that he had become a Spirit Walker recently. So what was this about his previous time as a Spirit Walker? 

“I trained for years upon years to become a Spirit Walker, alongside the Lady in Red and Yuna - helping them collect souls and ensuring they were escorted to the correct areas - judgment was cast upon them. We helped so many lost souls… When the Lady in Red announced she was having a baby, she decided to take time off. She would occasionally help Yuna and me collect souls, but she was not as active. She kind of, well, took space from us. Yuna and I never met the baby, but we knew that baby would be the next Reaper. That was then when they both disappeared, with no trace. The Lady in Red’s candle disappeared, and we never received a candle for the baby… It’s honestly quite sad.” 

That was extremely sad to hear. Knowing that a child was harmed before it could even be born is heartbreaking. Demon, Reaper, angel, or what, it was wrong. “Perhaps she had her child elsewhere and ran away?” I offered.

He shook his head and replied, “We usually can sense where a Reaper is - especially Yuna. Yuna is a part of the Reaper, physically created from the Reaper’s blood. If she can’t find the Reaper, then we are out of luck. We will keep searching, but while the Celestial is deciding where the Lost Souls go, we have nothing to do.”

I nodded, slowly. I wasn’t sure how to respond to him. I hoped they’d be able to find a Reaper somewhere, that way they could get things back to normal in the Underworld and stop relying on the Celestials. Granted, the Council of the Sinless, I’m sure, was doing a great job. They have that name for a reason, they’re perfect celestial beings that were guiding souls and sending them to the places they needed to be. It was nice to know that I had such a strong soul. Maybe I hadn’t lived such a horrible life after all. Knowing that there was something worse happening, well, it made me feel sad, yes, but it made me feel better. I came from a line of Sorcerers. I don’t know any powers that I may have, but I had plenty of time to learn. I was only 25 years old after all. I had Enoxon and Kurai to help me along the way, maybe even Yushin and the Celestials back in the Underworld too! First thing first, I had to find out how to get back to the Underworld so I can continue helping Yushin search for Yuna. 

My attention snapped from Yushin to the surroundings that we’d been walking through. We had left the lavender field and were making our way through the thick forest. We needed to find a nearby town or village, or just a random person so we could figure out how to get to a nearby spirit portal. I’d hope that Yushin knew of all 13 locations of the portals to the Underworld.  He seemed very straightforward, which I admired. I guess when my time comes, I would love it if someone as friendly and straightforward was just like, ‘Hey this is what’s happening. You belong here, let’s go.’ I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of stuff they went through to ensure the spirits were transmitted to the correct place. Was there a test or was it similar to what he and I have done in the portal, just hold hands? What did spirits even look like? I’ve only seen demons and their weird shadowy form. 

We approached a river in the evening time, as the sun was beginning to set. The river flowed calmly, and it was very clear. I had stopped to drink some of its clear blue water. It was refreshing, after several hours of walking with a few occasional words to one another. Following the water downstream would be our best bet to find an establishment of some kind, perhaps figure out where we were at and what we were to do next. I looked upwards to see that the river connected to some kind of mountain, and was curious if we’d be able to see anything there - perhaps a spirit portal to connect us back to the Underworld. However, it was best to follow the river downstream, however long that may be. I asked Yushin what his idea was.

“Our portals are well hidden within nature,” He told me. “Mountains, deep, deep woods, hard-to-get-to places such as Abigail’s Tree - or the Spirit Tree, underwater and under oceans - they’re very well hidden. However, with our connection to the Underworld being cut off by the Celestials, it’ll be very hard to find out where we need to go. I usually can sense the magic from a portal, but… Only if I’m near and the portals are activated.”

I frowned as he reiterated the fact that the Celestials ‘turned the portals off.’ It made me wonder what else could have possibly gone wrong within the Underworld to put them on such a chain and leash by the Celestials. Considering the Underworld was, again, frozen.  How did they even have the power to do so? Are they that much stronger than Lord Mundus himself, or is he being forced to? So many possibilities that needed to be discovered. “Do you… By chance know anything about this demon, Yushin?” I asked quietly, catching a glance at my arm still looked the same as it did when it was attacked - knowing my side hasn’t healed up at all.

“I’d have to sit and study it, to see if I can find anything connecting you with that demon and why it’s hunting you. It’s extremely hard, and can sometimes be painful,” He replied quietly. “If I know anything about the Demon who slayed the Sayaka tribe, I would let you know - honestly.” His voice was sorrowful and his eyes were full of sadness. “However, we need to find Yuna first, maybe I can try and connect with her once we’re settled in for the night.”

“Settled in for the night?” I questioned him.

“Very dangerous to travel at night. Demons will recognize you and me in a heartbeat,” He said slyly, pointing to his nose and then my arm. “Like your Spirit, your blood is rather strong for them to find you. I don’t wish to have any drama unfold tonight. Maybe we can find somewhere to rest.” His eyes traveled to the river beside us and he pointed in the direction it was flowing, “Let’s head down the hills.”

I nodded in agreement, taking cautious steps after him to the bottom of the hill that we had woken up on. 

Focused on the river in front of him, Yushin didn’t take the time to look back at me. He continued to follow the river, his white and gold jacket reflecting the setting sun. 

Following the river downstream, it was quiet and relaxing. The moon had finally come out, hiding the sun's warm rays. This led us to end the walk in the dark. We could see a few little lights filtering at the bottom of the hill, so we ended up rushing to it, fearing what he had mentioned regarding demons entering the human world at night. What we came upon was not a town though, in fact, it was just a single building with little lantern lights surrounding it. It was a cute little building with a sign-up that read, ‘Angel Touch Spa,’ with little wings around the words. It was a cute little private spa it seemed, with a natural hot spring from what the sign read. We decided to take the night here, considering we were still human and needed to rest up. I followed Yushin in, gazing around as we did. Inside, it was a soft-lit area with no one around. The front desk was empty with one of those little name plates that said, ‘Ring bell for service 

The Spirit Walker rang the bell and a short, little lady came through the beads that were hanging from the door. Her gray hair was put into a bun on her head, wearing a gentle green kimono that flowed behind her. She greeted us with a smile, welcoming us with a hello. I gazed over at Yushin who was providing a gentle smile to the older lady while speaking with her, asking her to get a room for the night. 

“Yushin, I don’t… Have any money,” I whispered to him.

He shook his head, continuing the conversation with the little old lady.

The lady nodded and he paid the transaction due to her. She turned away and disappeared back into the backroom. Within a few seconds, she came back up front carrying some towels and clean kimonos. 

I bowed a thank you to the old lady, alongside Yushin, before taking the kimono and towel from her and then thanking Yushin for the help. I oughta look into getting a job in the Underworld. But maybe underworld money and human realm money were different? Not sure, I’ll have to ask. Maybe I can get a job with Jenieva, since you know,  bartender life. I think it’d be fun to learn the different available drinks to make too. It would be fun, working beside the crazy Jenieva. A smile crossed my face as I thought about how friendly, for a demon, she was. 

“Come, this way,” Yushin spoke, bringing me down the hall past a few rooms, to the very end. “This is your room, I will be across the hall.”

“We could’ve slept under the stars, you didn’t need to pay for a spa…” I murmured to him, holding my kimono and towel close to me.

“Don’t worry about it. I’d rather not sleep on the ground, especially in an unknown area,” Yushin explained to me.  You may be in the Human Realm, but who knows what is out there with the portals being unstable.”

“.... Thank you,” I replied, then I heard my belly growl. I hadn’t had any lunch, only whatever was made this morning. Honestly, with the constant moon phase in the underworld, I wasn’t even sure what time it was when I did eat. Need a clock…. Does the underworld even have time? Well, it was dark here in the human world and it was time to take a break in hopes that we can figure out how to get back to the Underworld.

“I’m going to have a conversation with the Woman up front, perhaps I can figure out where we are and how to get to the nearest portal,” Yushin shared with me, opening the door to the room that we were provided. 

I nodded to him and took a step inside the small room. The room was a simple room, quaint and neat. It was similar to a hotel room, with a simple bed and bathroom, but also a stove, fridge, and countertop. I couldn’t imagine they had much to eat here without bringing their food. As I shut the door behind me, I looked around the room in hopes that maybe I could find something to eat. However, when I searched the area, I couldn’t find anything to eat and I sighed in disappointment. That was okay though. I’ll survive. Next to the small kitchen was a door that led to the outside area. Outside, a small natural in the shape of a C, surrounded by a patio of stone and a few large rocks standing off to the side. Closer to the private screening walls, trees and bushes lined it. I immediately opened the door and stepped out, listening to the water running. 

I gazed around, double-checking to see if the pool was 100% screened off from any neighbors - which it was. This was a private spa, each room receiving its pool and privacy. I stripped down to nothing, ready to enjoy the water. I held together my chest as I went up to feel the warmth of the water. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect temperature. I slipped into the water immediately, warmth flooding around me and instantly easing my body. Crouching down to the water just barely hitting my chin, I embraced the warmth. It seemed to have soothed any aches and pains in my body, just completely relaxing it.

When I felt the ease wash over my body, I lifted my arm to the surface of the water. The demon mark was still there, not even slightly healed. Just those three slashes on my arm, showing a black opening. Just knowing that these marks won’t ever heal or go away…. Surely there had to be a way for these wounds to just disappear without having to harm anyone. However, if I could face that demon and take him down on my own, that’d be great. I wasn’t one much for revenge, but this was different. I was being hunted, like a rabbit being hunted by a predator. I could only hide so much and run so much, but when it came to my turn to fight, what the hell was I going to do? Scream at it? Punch at it? It was a demon crying out loud. A demon that murdered so many innocent people. How could I, a simple human - no, a simple whatever the hell I was, rid of a demon? I didn’t know any magic, I didn’t know any spells, I knew little fighting techniques. Kurai mentioned that it could be banished, but how did one even go about it? Could only the Reaper and Lord Mundus banish a demon? Or maybe there was more to that, but I had no idea. 

I tried to empty my head by taking a deep breath, inhaling the lavender-smelling aromas coming from the pool. The lavender was strong, and I felt like it maybe relaxed me. But, every time I’d feel the ripple of water run over the demon marks on my body, I felt discouraged again. I wish I could just remove it myself, but I guess that wasn’t going to be possible. Taking a deep breath, I leaned against the side of the pool and raised my head to look at the night-filled sky. It was pitch black with a few stars lining the sky - a full moon raised high. It reminded me of the Underworld. I watched the moon, wondering what was going to happen in the future. Am I just the daughter of Sorcerer? Or was I something more? I had no powers as they did, but maybe I haven’t discovered them… Hopefully, when it comes time to face the demon again, I will be a sorcerer myself, like Enoxon. Perhaps just as strong as he is. 

…

…

Did Enoxon know how to banish demons? He’s a powerful sorcerer that’s been alive for a very long time. Yushin said if we find Yuna, he can work with her to banish this Demon. Maybe I can learn how to banish demons. Get rid of all the bad demons! I guess my priority is getting back to the underworld though for now, and then finding Yuna. We have to find the other Spirit Walker.

“Oh Yuna, where could you possibly be?” 

 

Yushin - 'Human Realm' Outfit
& Snow's Outfit