ã€ŠRepent In Purgatoryã€‹


 CHAPTER 1: What is Life?

    Reality is comprised of three attributes-

    The mortal plane, where all the physical concepts humans know can be distinguished through their basic senses.

    The spiritual realm, which goes beyond what people normally perceive as it relates to one¡¯s soul; which holds no physical properties but is as palpable as it is influential to an individual¡¯s individuality.

    And the metaphysical, a dimension filled with concepts, elements, and other wonders that surpasses our level of comprehension but serves as the ultimate connector.

    Of all of them, the average life in the living world is most conscious of the events on the mortal plane for its simplicity to understand compared to others. Only a minuscule amount of the spiritual realm is truly grasped in any sense during a lifetime, and by definition, aspects of the metaphysical are inconceivable.

    Horrendous! Two-thirds of what makes up reality, mired in unawareness and ignorance. No solace could be taken in our knowledge of the mortal plane either, as there are still many properties we¡¯ve yet to realize or want to accept. Simply, horrendous.

    With an imbalance of this disproportionate chaos, disaster, confusion, and tragedy commonly occur.

    Yet, there¡¯s a plane of existence where this trio of attributes has equal opportunity to be perceived and understood by those who inhabit it.

    A whole new world, ripe for the utilization of people connecting to all aspects of their existence.

    Traveling through this different analogous world was a Masked Wanderer, dressed in black with a red and gold cape coat.

    The field she was walking on was quiet and barren, not an uncommon kind of scenery but isn¡¯t the only one. From her travels, she has encountered variations of many lands from deserts to grassland, mountains to forests, and a slew of other environments that are in flux with each other.

    While traveling, The Masked Wanderer went unbothered until she suddenly snapped her head toward a certain direction as if something caught her attention. Though her eyes weren¡¯t visible behind the mask, the way her head was moving showed she was trailing something in the air but nothing new from her surrounding had appeared. Regardless, she went off full speed in that direction.

    For a while, The Masked Wanderer ran in a direction with no clear road until finally, she came across a devastated farm estate. Scouting the area, she saw how tarnished this land farm was. From the irregular marks and debris, this estate wasn¡¯t abandoned but attacked; recently judging from how fresh the tracks were.

    The ground shook and a loud shout came from one of the partly destroyed buildings causing The Wanderer to rush over. Right as she was arriving, a woman carrying a young boy came running out, in a hurry the mother tripped and tumbled onto the ground.

    ¡°Help, somebody, help,¡± weakly groaned the woman on the floor, slowly recovering from the fall. She already seemed weary from her tattered clothes and bruises.

    The Masked Wanderer came over to help, which caused the woman to jump up from the ground, grabbing one of The Wanderer¡¯s hands. A move made purely out of her intense distress as she quickly became terrified seeing the masked face off this stranger. The long white horns sticking out from the temples and empty black eye sockets were frightening for the stressful situation the woman was in.

    ¡®A-another monster?¡¯ the woman immediately thought, her body screamed for her to try running away. With everything she was currently dealing with, another potential threat was a nightmare scenario for her.

    But something felt different.

    Aside from the superficial physical reaction to seeing the mask, something deeper told another story. Holding this wanderer¡¯s hand in her own made the woman sense not animosity or malice but warmth; the feeling of being able to ask for help.

    With shaking arms and tears streaming down the poor woman¡¯s face, she gave a trembling cry, ¡°M-monster! My, m-my husband! He- oh god! Please, my husband needs help in there!¡±

    A bellowing roar came from inside the building, the cracking of wood quickly followed as some beast was ravaging inside of there.

    The Wanderer looked down at the young boy who wasn¡¯t conscious before turning her attention back to the older woman.

    Still breathless, the woman continued to beg, ¡°Please, please, please! I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    Seeing the desperate look in the woman¡¯s eyes, The Wanderer returned the firm grip on her hand as a gesture. Exchanging no words, the woman felt assured her plea would be answered, convincing her to release The Wanderer¡¯s hand so they could act.

    While The Masked Wanderer stepped toward the building, the haggard woman quickly attended to the unconscious boy, moving him out the way from the soon-to-be danger zone.

    Another booming noise erupted as the echoes of destruction increased, signaling the coming threat was drawing near. Preparing herself, The Wanderer got into a ready stance for whatever was heading her way.

    For a moment, the noise stopped and all was calm. But no one felt safe as danger could still be sensed.

    From the openings in the house made by the damages, a wicked aura was felt when big yellow eyes with thin pupils appeared from the shade, being the illuminating source in the darkness. It gave way for only its giant mouth filled with jagged teeth that rip apart bodies to accompany the eyes, shown in all its glory.

    A frown appeared on The Wanderer¡¯s face, upset at the sight.

    With a wave, she opened up her cape coat showing off the rest of her black attire. Wrapped around her waist were what looked like chains but they weren¡¯t made of metal or any normal material one usually associates the object with. The way it gleamed white with a thick red outline made it seem mythical in appearance.

    Reaching behind herself, The Wanderer pulled out a weapon. A rather unique spear, quite thin, almost like a javelin. With how sharp the top portion was, many would see it as wielding a giant needle. Ready to pierce any through the core of any creature.

    The monster residing inside the house snarled seeing this, letting out a deep growl and baring its fangs. Truly an unhinged beast.

    Calmly approaching, The Wanderer¡¯s expression remained stern, showing no signs of pleasure as the battle ensued.

    She couldn¡¯t get enjoyment from this even if she tried, not this time.

    A great tragedy had occurred, one of many like it.

    <hr>

    ¡°Can I die already?¡±

    That was what a tired-eyed man in his early twenties was thinking when he looked down at his buzzing phone. It was chiming the instrumentals from one of his favorite jazz songs, which was meant to bring some form of relaxing and cheerful feeling from the familiarity yet he felt nothing but grief from the tune. This wasn¡¯t his usual ringtone, it was a specialized ringtone assigned to a specific number for the sole purpose of making him feel less miserable whenever that number called; it didn¡¯t work, not even a tiny bit.

    There was a waterfall pouring temptation into the young adult to ignore it for his mental health but something more powerful, concretely embedded deep into his core compelled him to answer it. This was his life¡¯s work after all.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡®Not like there¡¯s anything better to do right now,¡¯ he thought to himself, making his way through the train station. Taking out his phone, he gave a quick look of disgust at it and with a hesitant thumb accepted the call, ¡°Hello? This is Shikata.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Shikata, can we meet today!?¡± a panicked voice shouted from his phone.

    Shikata felt like his phone shook from the noise, thank goodness his phone wasn¡¯t right by his ear, or else he would have hearing problems by now. He calmly replies to his caller, ¡±Yes. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ...

    The proceeding phone call didn¡¯t last long. On the bright side, everything went exactly as he expected and the conversation went smoothly without any hiccups. At the other end of the spectrum, the call went exactly as he expected and now he was dreading the impending event he has to go to today.

    Putting away his phone, the young man sighed before finding himself at his desired terminal. With his train having not arrived yet, Shikata figured he¡¯ll be here for a while. Lady Luck had given him a piece of her kind favor as he immediately spotted an open spot on a nearby bench. The amber-eyed man was surprised to find one so quickly, the station was quite populated today and the benches are usually taken by now.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised these are free, there are quite a lot of people here today,¡± Shikata thought, settling himself down on the wooden bench. It felt nice being able to sit down and relax instead of standing for a dubious amount of time waiting for your train to arrive, he only wished it was this nice after work where it mattered more, ¡°Not that I¡¯m complaining. Now I can grieve in comfort.¡±

    From his satchel, Shikata pulled out a melon bun and went through the news on his phone to see what was happening in the world. He needed to be relatively updated on what¡¯s happening in case any information could be relevant to his work.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we got today?¡± he told himself as he started scrolling, ¡°Someone got brutally murdered and the police don¡¯t know who did it yet, that¡¯s assuring for when I¡¯m out at night alone. Another politician got exposed for corruption and manipulation, doubt he¡¯s going to get proper punishment for it. The country¡¯s debt is continuously rising and inflation doesn¡¯t seem to be stopping any time soon; business as usual I see. What else is there?... Hey, isn¡¯t this the fifth celebrity getting in trouble this week? Wait, I know this guy, used to love his movies when I was a kid! I wonder what he did-..... And there goes another piece of my childhood.¡±

    Eventually, Shikata had to put down his phone, that was enough news for today. Brushing his dark brunet hair, he stared absently into space with his amber eyes, only a single thought coursing through his mind.

    ¡°Wow, the world is sucking today more than usual.¡±

    His day already had an impending encounter of grievance coming, he didn¡¯t need anything else darkening his day. It was spoiling his hunger and he couldn¡¯t bring himself to eat his bun yet.

    ¡°I need to lighten my mood or else the rest of today will be the end of me,¡± Shikata sighed out loud and began reaching into his bag. Eventually, Shikata took out the newspaper he brought for the local news, hoping for something heartwarming to appear.

    As he searched, the amber-eyed man heard a gravelly voice muttering to him, ¡°I doubt that¡¯ll do much good.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t kill me to try,¡± Shikata replied, taking a glance at whoever was addressing him. After identifying him as a man in fairly casual clothes considering his older age, he went back to his business, looking for a feel-good story, ¡°Robbery foiled due to the intervention of a dog and a courageous driver crashing his car into the criminals. Justice was quickly served to the robbers as they were apprehended and taken into custody soon after. The driver is still in critical condition after the car crashed and hasn¡¯t woken up but the hospital staff assured reporters that he¡¯ll be fine and stable. A reward was given to the dog, who was unharmed from the crash, for its valorous service.¡±

    ¡­

    With a shrug, Shikata said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take it. Happy the dog is doing well.¡±

    Laughter erupted from the man next to Shikata, he tried to collect himself but a few gleeful chuckles escaped him while talking, ¡°That was the most bizarre display of buoyancy I¡¯ve seen in years! If these eyes of mine were blind I would¡¯ve assumed it came from some wide-eyed child.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t take it that far,¡± replied Shikata, facing the older man, ¡°Misfortune is always happening in the world and there¡¯s nothing I can do for every issue, so why sulk on them? The best I can do is cope and slug on, making myself miserable won¡¯t help.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at things, but it seems hollow to live by.¡±

    ¡°Better than the bottle,¡± sassed the young man. During the small pause in the conversation, his impulsive habits kicked in, and Shikata already had a meticulous profile about this person he had only started talking to.

    This older man¡¯s ragged clothes were torn and misfitted for his size. But above all else, in the current work culture of Japan, it was strange seeing a man below fifty at the train station at this time of day not looking prepared for a day of work.

    Without a doubt, Shikata knew this man was poor and jobless; his assumption was that he was homeless for quite a while. Enough time where he had gotten used to it and found a system to coast by. From how his coat was wrinkled but not absolutely filthy, aside from a few dry stains, Shikata thought he did a good job in washing his clothes. Deciphering the older man¡¯s age was the trickiest part, his face had certainly seen better days. It seemed to have aged more from decay rather than being drained from the stress of labor. With his body posture in consideration, Shikata could only pinpoint his age to be in his late to mid-forties.

    ¡°Stop it,¡± he told himself, pausing his discourteous analysis of a sitting stranger. Yet, he couldn¡¯t ignore what he found out, ¡°Though this does explain why the seat was empty. People don¡¯t like sharing spaces with others that are less favorable in their eyes.¡±

    The older man stared at the ground as he said, ¡°You know, that might¡¯ve not been the worst way to ride through hardship. I wish someone would¡¯ve told me that.¡±

    ¡°Hindsight is always twenty-twenty,¡± sighed Shikata, resting his back.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the world¡¯s greatest cruelty. Such a mythical tool to have yet no one can use it in time,¡± commented the older man, his body shuffling as he moved to stand up, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you alone. You seem to be having a tough day so I don¡¯t want to disturb you any further.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± the younger man asked, looking confused, ¡°No you¡¯re fine, stay. I¡¯m doing nothing while I wait here.¡°

    ¡°You sure? You don¡¯t seem to be in a talking mood.¡±

    ¡°Why so?¡±

    ¡°Well uh, your face looks¡­ irritated.¡±

    ¡°My face?¡± question Shikata, touching the part in question. He felt out the facial structure of an utterly blank and stern face, ¡°Oh, my face! Sorry about that, I always look like this.¡±

    This has been a problem the young man has been facing for the last couple of years, how he looked. He wasn¡¯t unappealing by standards of beauty, people before have tried to convince him to be a veiled looker, it was the presentation of his features that would make him offputting to some bystanders. Often his face would be stolid and devoid of showing a variety of expressions, not the most welcoming foot forward to open up a conversation.

    ¡°Really?¡± the older man asked, a bit amazed, ¡°You must have it rough making new friends.¡±

    ¡°Meh, I have a few acquaintances. They have often joked about the ¡®apparent¡¯ rare appearances of my smiles, but they¡¯re full of shit and do it to mess with me.¡±

    ¡°They sound lovely.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pain! That¡¯ll be more irritating than hearing you speak.¡±

    There was a small pause before Shikata held out his hand, continuing, ¡°That reminds me, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. My name is Shikata Kokoro. Yours?¡±

    ¡°Ah-¡± there was a small quiver around the old man¡¯s lip as something wanted to come out but its escape route was shut down with the closing of his mouth. Hollow eyes stared at the pavement as inanimate words leaked out his mouth, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about the name of someone like me.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Shikata replied, retracting his hand since it wasn¡¯t being accepted. He was being a lot laxer than his usual conversations, ¡°I¡¯m off the clock, no need to pry every detail.¡±

    Besides, there was no mystery when the answers were this blatant. The unwanted in society can¡¯t help but feel disposable, waiting to permanently expire and be forgotten by the passage of time.

    Basic stuff that¡¯s always cycling through Shikata¡¯s thoughts.

    Taking up his melon bun again and unwrapping it, he states, ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you now, you¡¯re only worth as much as you put yourself as.¡±

    After a bit of pondering, the older man asked, ¡°Do you mind listening to this fool¡¯s story then? I¡¯m curious to see what you¡¯ll have to say afterward.¡±

    Putting down his uneaten bun once again, Shikata nonchalantly answered, ¡°Eh, go nuts. I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°...Well--¡±

    CHOO!

    The whistling off of a train horn echoed throughout the station as the metal beast of modern industrialism rolled its way in.

    CLICKETY-CLACK!

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s here,¡± Shikata thought to himself. The thought only persisted with him for a moment before turning back to the older man to continue their conversation, ¡°As you were saying?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this your train?¡± was the homeless man¡¯s response.

    ¡°Yeah, but I got time before I need to get on. What were you saying?¡±

    ¡­

    Switching his view between Shikata and the train, the poor man told him, ¡°Hmm, you better get on. Good seats are hard to come by.¡±

    ¡°Oh... ok. Are you sure? I don¡¯t care about seats.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a story for another time... if we meet again of course. Have a fun day at work,¡± the older man responded, his eyes once again glued to the floor. They couldn¡¯t lift themself back up, a self-deprecating feeling weighed them down by the tons. In his mind, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t muck up the fresh working cogs of the world with my troubles. I¡¯ve had my chance to do it right.¡±

    ¡°Alright... see ya,¡± Shikata told him, taking out a small stack of cards from his pocket. After a quick moment of shuffling, he handed one off to his interlocutor.

    The older man couldn¡¯t accept it as he was unable to lift his head to see it was being offered. Glaring down at him, Shikata apathetically tossed the card onto his lap to spare breath convincing him to take it. While cold, the younger man did spare time to give some parting words.

    ¡°I meant every word I said, about what determines your worth. I don¡¯t know what your past is but there¡¯s one thing I do know, you¡¯re alive. As I see it, as long as you can still move, act, speak, and think, you have the ability and the chance to make something out of your life. There¡¯ll be no point to this modern world of advancements if there wasn¡¯t something, amirite?¡±

    Gathering his bag and making sure he didn¡¯t forget anything important for the day ahead of him. As Shikata left for his train, he said, ¡°Take care of yourself, oh and you can have the newspaper. I¡¯m done with it.¡±

    At the lap of the older man, he was able to read what was given to him. Quickly he discovered this was a business card of the young man.

    Kokoro Shikata

    Social Worker

    On the back were a few handwritten names, numbers, and addresses to a variety of places he should call. Recognizing some of these places and what they could mean for him, he turned to where the younger boy was sitting before and spotted the newspaper. Left sitting on top of the neatly folded articles was the still uneaten melon bun, its wrapper recovering it though sloppily.

    Trembling bruised hands went to pick up the confectionery, feeling the sweet treat warming his soul. For this young stranger to consider his pride as if it was still sacred, he couldn¡¯t let such a kind gesture go without some form of appreciation back; yet his pocket was barren of any value.

    ¡°H-hey! Shikata!¡± the older man called out. By the time he built the strength to speak, Shikata was already stepping into the train. But still, he called out to him hoping it¡¯ll be heard from the noisy crowd, ¡°My name is Jenerikku Hinkon!¡±

    At first, Jenerikku couldn¡¯t tell if Shikata heard him. So many people had started gathering behind the young man. Between the multiple conversations going on and the rumbling noise from the metal beast, whatever he, a single man of no importance, said could easily be drowned out. Just before Jenerikku believed this possibility, the hand of Shikata raised up. The young man continued forward without turning around as he waved back.

    The sentiment was successfully received.

    ¡°Well, at least it was a pleasant unexpected encounter today,¡± Shikata thought to himself as he moved throughout the train to find a preferable seat. Having something alleviating before he starts his day made him think to himself, ¡°Maybe I can plateau the feeling for the rest of the day.¡±

    He would later die that day.

    Another tragedy had occurred, one of many like it.

 CHAPTER 2: A Dreadful Day To Die

    ¡°Nope, it immediately fell right off the cliff.¡±

    Any glimmer of light that shined on the young man¡¯s mood was devastatingly eclipsed by storming dark clouds of unriddled annoyance.

    The cause? Shikata¡¯s current, and reoccurring, client.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ll never believe what happened next!¡± said a woman sitting across from our grieving protagonist. Caught up in the unfaltering tailwind of her flapping lips, she didn¡¯t have an ounce of oxygen to spare so her brain could process the vacant stare she was receiving for her loose jaw, ¡°You remember Omu, my co-worker, right? Well, I was talking to my friends and what they told me about what they heard, it¡¯ll shock you to your core!¡±

    As a social worker, patience was a virtue required for people like Shikata. But like workers in every profession, they¡¯re all human, and people have limits, it¡¯s just a matter of how much does it take to reach the threshold.

    ¡°And I keep telling them about eating too much butter,¡± the woman continued. Her eyes widened up as if a revelation struck her and she changed her posture sitting down, ¡°Sorry, went off topic a bit. I just wanted to get that off my chest quickly.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been talking for over forty minutes,¡± Shikata moaned to himself, he was pressing his fingers against his forehead to tend the aching migraine being evoked, ¡°She didn¡¯t leave a second for me to speak. Wait, did I even greet her properly or did she start talking the second I walked in?¡±

    This client¡¯s name was Oshaberi Hako, a junior college graduate who was a few years out, and a very frequent requester for his counseling. If it wasn¡¯t obvious enough, she was quite... talkative. Most of their time together felt like one-sided gossip sessions to Shikata and the idea of it possibly being true haunted the young man for a multitude of reasons. Hitting a point where he suggested they go to a cafe with an outside patio and discuss her current issue; at least then he can mellow out the experience with sweets.

    An action he doesn¡¯t personally recommend others.

    But this was a special case, he¡¯s desperate here.

    Finally getting back on the subject, Hako said, ¡°Back about my coworker.¡±

    ¡°Mmm oh god!¡± murkily groaned Shikata, it¡¯s been a while since he felt every cell in his body cringe. Constipation has given him experiences more pleasant than this, and at least then once it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over and he can take proper precautions for prevention. Feeling like one was stuck in a looping effect would push the buddha to act out of their usual character, especially if they have been slowly declining from it for a lengthy amount of time.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Haku asked, tilting her head in confusion. Thankfully his accidental outburst was muddily enough by incomprehensible noise that she didn¡¯t hear him, ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    Catching onto his mistake, Shikata quickly stammered a response.

    ¡°A- my apologies, I didn¡¯t eat this morning. I was in a rush to leave,¡± he signals for the waitress so he can order something light and hopefully somewhat healthy, ¡°I am actually pretty hungry. Really wish I had some melon buns right now. Hopefully, this place has some good flavors or at least is made properly.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I can relate! I had my fair shares of stories like that- oh that reminds me of this one crazy adventure I had with my friend--¡±

    ¡°I think we should keep the conversation on why you called me this morning. It sounded important like an emergency.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, right! As I was saying, my coworker-¡±

    Thankfully they¡¯re back on track, hopefully, Shikata mentally sighed to himself, ¡°A close one. You know, it¡¯s almost a shame.¡±

    He sat back to relax as he continued to listen to this woman, ¡°She¡¯s not a truly rotten person, just an exhaust pipe for unhealthy behavior. By the sound of it, she¡¯s a dedicated worker and is quite the beaute as well; not that I have any interest in dating her or is allowed to, I¡¯m not losing my job to chase a skirt. It¡¯s just sad to see someone with such an enticing bait end up catching nothing because all potential takers get turned away from her hook the moment she opens her mouth¡­ and it never closes!¡±

    Usually, he would refrain from thinking such statements about the people he works with but this was an exception on the basis that it actually happened... multiple times¡­ sometimes it¡¯ll occur more than once within a single day.

    Shikata has heard all kinds of crazy stories in his job, many of which made him question the human race¡¯s existence, but even he felt like she exaggerated her experience in the last bit. He didn¡¯t become a believer until he witnessed it himself, never before had he seen a highly attractive woman blow it with five different guys within the span of twenty minutes. If he wasn¡¯t the one hearing her rants exposing how it was all unintentional, he would¡¯ve honestly thought she was doing this on purpose as some sort of deterrent against men she had no interest in with excellent talent.

    ¡­

    ¡°What the fuck am I doing with my life?¡±

    Reminding himself of that baffling event tanked his mind into questioning what he¡¯s doing, hypocrisy is a grand pet peeve of his.

    ¡°I¡¯m not some dump tank for idle gossip! This is not what I worked to be!¡±

    ¡°So now my coworker is being snippy with me. My friend was so right about her! All this is making work a lot more stressful than it needs to be,¡± Hako stated, miraculously stopping so that someone else could get a word in.

    Seeing this as his chance, Shikata straightens his posture before speaking, ¡°Well, Miss Hako, I think you might need to take a step back for a small analysis of your life and your actions.¡±

    As he spoke, Hako seemed intrigued by his words. She intensely watched the gestures Shikata performed as he explained his advice and reasoning. Hako never said it out loud to not ruin the magic but it was always fun to witness him talk in such an articulate manner. It reminded her of her college days when she got lectures from professors or went to seminars.

    ¡°Right now, your focus regarding this issue should be on your job and how to maintain it at max efficiency. Your job is no longer at a Black Company and pays well for people in your age and skillset bracket.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty ok working there. The workload isn¡¯t too bad compared to my last job and I only get asked to stay for overtime only a handful of times a month.¡±

    ¡°Which you¡¯re paid for and are told about in advance.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. My boss can be unbearably naggy though, it¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to avoid any problems on the job as much as possible. Besides that, he¡¯s ok I guess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to highlight. Right now you have a good thing going compared to people¡¯s usual standard of just getting a serviceable job. It¡¯ll be in your best interest not to ruin the opportunity you have by getting into unnecessary drama or letting minor issues get blown out of proportion into full problems.¡±

    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m coming to you! You gotta help me, my friend is away so I can¡¯t come to her for advice¡±

    ¡°Personally, that¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I meant, that might be for the best right now. Your friend, what was her name again?¡±

    ¡°Hebi.¡±

    ¡°Hebi, right. She is quite a b-¡­ Have you ever considered that Hebi may not be the best influence in your life, at least when it comes to your career?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It seems like she has a habit of giving you advice that is not productive at all in solving any issues you have with your coworkers, or your job in general. In my honest opinion, I think she has done more to hurt the situation than help.¡±

    ¡°How!? Can you name an example because she has always been a comfort to my issues; before you of course.¡±

    ¡°Well for one, how about the time she suggested you tell Miss Omu to, quote, eat shit and die if you ever ask me that again?¡±

    ¡°It was because she said something rude! Hebi said to respond with the same tone back to show I¡¯m not to be messed with, you know how often people try to dump their work onto others.¡±

    Shikata took a quick moment to check his notes before stating, ¡°All she asked was if you minded sending a few papers to the supervisor for her.¡±

    ¡°... I mean we started around the same time. Doesn¡¯t seem right that she¡¯ll feel so confident asking favors from me?¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°See, that¡¯s what I mean right there. Simple scenarios which can easily be solved by a civil discussed is being escalated way out of proportion and it¡¯s not getting any better because the third party with very little hat in the ring is giving unhelpful advice,¡± pressing his fingers against his temple, Shikata asked, ¡°Please think back Hako. Has anything Hebi advised resolved any issues you¡¯ve had at work without immediately sparking several more pressing conflicts?¡±

    The young lady took a moment to think to herself before answering, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°That should be an indicator to start questioning if maybe the person you¡¯re listening to may not be giving you the information you need to make your life better. I can¡¯t dictate who you choose to socialize with but I can suggest being mindful of who you¡¯re letting influence your life. There should be some consideration and boundaries when meshing people from your social life with your career life. Some friends may not have your best interest in mind when it comes to your career, it¡¯ll be good to keep that in mind, you are the one who has to work there at the end of the day.¡±

    ¡°I can see your point. But then what do I do when I have issues with Omu.¡±

    ¡°For one, you can talk to her directly. As I said before, this is your job and it¡¯s a great one. It¡¯ll be in your best interest to be able to discuss any issues you may have with each other before it starts getting in the way of your work. Omu seems reasonable enough to lend an ear. If that doesn¡¯t work, you always have your supervisors or HR department to speak to. Or if it¡¯s an issue that¡¯s minor enough that they won¡¯t look into it, I¡¯ll suggest learning how to wave off the impact of her existence.¡±

    ¡°Wave off her existence? You mean like, pretend she¡¯s not there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, more like, not giving her your attention outside of what¡¯s one-hundred percent necessary. You don¡¯t need to be rude toward her whenever she speaks to you, that will cause more issues, just don¡¯t bother with her as much as possible outside of essential moments. Keep conversions quick and with as few words as possible, of course, this is the last resort if you can¡¯t get it initially solved. I do suggest trying to work it out first. You don¡¯t need to get along with every person or coworker you have, being able to co-exist within the same room would do favors for everyone.¡±

    ¡­

    Hako only took a moment to digest the advice before her eyes lit up, ¡°You know what, you¡¯re right!¡±

    The perky young woman jumped to her feet in excitement, immediately running over to Shikata with joyful and confident eyes, ¡°I¡¯m going to do exactly that!¡±

    ¡°Thank you Mr. Shikata, you¡¯ve saved me once again!¡± she exclaimed, taking up the social worker¡¯s hand and shaking it while bowing to show her gratitude, ¡°This is why you¡¯re always on speed dial, it sounds so much easier when you explain it!... Wow, your hands are still so tough.¡±

    Politely taking away his hand, Shikata tells her, ¡°I hope you got the assistance you were looking for today.¡±

    ¡°I sure did! I¡¯ll be off right now, thank you!¡± she said before running off, as she slowly disappeared she called back, ¡°I¡¯ll report to you the good news next time, maybe then you¡¯ll smile!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± replied Shikata, rolling with the comment.

    ¡°I won¡¯t forget this!¡±

    ¡°Hopefully not.¡±

    She went out of sight.

    ¡­

    ¡°She¡¯s not going to learn anything is she?¡± Shikata told himself, furrowing his eyebrows. He looked down at the notebook he has whenever he had to talk with Hako, a lot of it was filled with harsh criticism that he would have to heavily filter if he wanted to say them to his client and not risk getting fired, ¡°This was her third time calling me this week¡­ what the fuck am I doing with my life.¡±

    He let out an exhausted sigh.

    Never before did he feel like his life was so inane with mundane acts.

    <hr>

    Dead silence has dominated the farm estate The Masked Wanderer was on.

    The fighting was over, the threat was gone, and the land was calm once again. Yet, no one felt like a victory was earned.

    Flowing up into the sky was a hail of red particles, reaching greater heights until they slowly faded out. The entire time, the wanderer stared up at the spectacle in front of her until it was finally over.

    The wanderer then turned toward the woman she just saved.

    All the devastation drained her capability to muster the energy to weep, she was just tired. So much was lost in a few minutes, it felt unreal, yet it happened, her life had a vibrant change.

    With nothing left to do, the wanderer unplucked her spear from the ground and made her exit without another word. While sad it was nothing new, traveling through this plane of existence one would see tragedies of all kinds.

    For a single being like The Masked Wanderer, there was only so much she could do for each case she stumbles onto.

    <hr>

    The walk through the streets dragged heavily on Shikata¡¯s mind, what was objectively a successful session felt more like a defeat to the young cynic.

    ¡°You know, this isn¡¯t exactly how I envisioned my life at this. When I became a social worker, I expected to be mending the wounds hidden deep in society by helping the hard cases, not this Saturday morning drama show,¡± he sighed.

    His mind wandered back to earlier in his day, the encounter with the old man at the train station stuck with him.

    ¡°Someone like that should¡¯ve been the priority of my day.¡±

    As Shikata sluggishly strolled through the streets, he couldn¡¯t help but notice the signs of struggle he noticed from the people he walked by.

    ¡°Or that gentleman, his eyes are red, face was distraught, and why is a regular office worker out at this time; he probably got fired today. Or her, she¡¯s overly flustering over her hair covering half her face; is she suffering a form of physical abuse from work or at home? Even that young kid over there weeping, there¡¯s a university nearby from the direction he¡¯s coming from and I think today was the day they announced who got accepted; must¡¯ve failed to get in. People his age take it extremely hard whenever they don¡¯t get into their desired schools, will he be able to handle it on his own, can anyone help him before he takes any unnecessary drastic actions?¡±

    He thought maybe he could help them. His body jerked toward one of the hurting people he passed by but halted as he had lost them. Those three weren¡¯t the only person that showed signs of pain, it was a sea of people in anguish that awashed his vision. Each going their own way and fashion, getting further from his reach. Even with all his skills and knowledge, what could he do to turn the tide?

    The vacant eyes of Shikata stared up at the blue sky above him.

    ¡°I guess a helping hand can only be held so low.¡±

    At times, he questions if any efforts he makes at all matter or if it was a futile endeavor.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a waterfall, no matter how much I try to divert it, the water moves around my offered hands to fall into their fated destination. My attempted assistance could¡¯ve been there or not, nothing would¡¯ve changed, I¡¯m only indulging myself in a pious play.¡±

    The world being so big and chaotic, it¡¯s hard to see anything that can give it a moment of calm.

    Could a dream achieve it be so foolish?

    His thought was interrupted when he heard the crunching sound of paper crumpling near him followed by a yelp and a thump. Looking close by he found a woman on the floor, her groceries laid out on the floor, and a small girl next to her who shared similar facial features.

    Hearing her groan was practically a calling card for Shikata to come over. The young child was attentively asking her mother if she was ok only to see a man she¡¯s never seen approach the both of them. Seeing his stoned face understandably frighten the child, the mother finally recovering from her fall looked first at her child to assure she was ok but trailing her sights up to what was rattling the girl. Their eyes mimicked each other, sharing the same unsettled display.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Shikata asked as he bent down to help retrieve her groceries.

    For a moment, the mother seemed surprised that she was being assisted by a stranger. Snapping out of it, the modesty in her made her move to help collect her items, ¡°You don¡¯t need to help¡­ with¡­ that.¡±

    Her words trailed off as she witnessed Shikata¡¯s hands shoot out quicker than a child grabbing a candy bar, swiftly picking up all the littered items and repacking them back into the bags. The mother barely had time to process the amazement before Shikata was finished, holding the bags up as if they never fell in the first place.

    All she could think to say was, ¡°Oh.¡±

    Standing to his feet, Shikata held out a hand to help the mother up, who accepted it. While helping her up, he noticed the lack of a ring on either of her hands.

    ¡°Divorce, never married, wedlock, or maybe a widow?¡± he asked himself, ¡°Or their child flushed it down the toilet, that surprisingly happens more than you¡¯ll think.¡±

    Getting to her feet, the woman showed her gratitude with many forms of, ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Huh, oh don¡¯t worry about it?¡± he says, his mind was adrift in his memories for a bit before her voice brought him back. His eyes lowered down to the little girl hugging her mother¡¯s leg, ¡°Uh¡­ is she yours?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Where are your manners Hogo? Greet the kind man.¡±

    Poking out her head away from her mother, the girl named Hogo mutters, ¡°H-hi, thank you.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a little shy,¡± her mother explained, trying to wave off her daughter¡¯s demeanor.

    Assuring raising a hand, Shikata went to ease the tension by telling her, ¡°It¡¯s nothing new, I scare children often.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Eh, I meant kids find it intimidating when I approach them¡­ because of my stature.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t blame them either, at their age I look like someone who¡¯ll give them a pretty lengthy scolding. That¡¯s nightmare fuel to them.¡±

    That last comment managed to get a giggle from the woman despite the dry delivery. Echoing her mother¡¯s sentiment, the child started to ease up a bit, looking at the gentleman in front with less fear and more curiosity from how he managed to make her caregiver smile. Looking past the stone-face, Hogo laid her eyes upon Shikata¡¯s hands and her eyes became dazzled with amazement.

    ¡°I recognize those rings!¡± Hogo blurted out, pointing to the multiple accessories attached to his finger.  ¡°They¡¯re from Crescent Fate Princesses.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± the mother said, befuddled at first before she started to remember, ¡°Wait, do you mean that show you¡¯re always watching.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I love it! Those are Stellar Rings, they give out amazing powers to do fantastical feats. Do you see the longer metal one on his index? That one specifically was worn by the vigilante Gentle Eclipse! He goes around the galaxy executing his own sense of justice to help people and oftentimes being at odds with the main hero Marine Lunar and The Moon Crew.¡±

    ¡°Oooh,¡± the mom exclaimed, nodding her head as if she understood before immediately breaking the illusion covering her confusion, ¡°What?¡±

    Shikata squatted down as he explained, ¡°Imagine superheroes, but they¡¯re magical, mostly girls, and are in space.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±

    ¡°The sequel series is extremely popular these days. I assume you¡¯re a fan?¡± he asked Hogo, holding out his right hand so she could get a closer look.

    The little girl happily jumped at the chance to awe at the metallic accessory, ¡±It¡¯s my favorite show! These look a little different from the show though, did you make them yourself?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re modeled after the design from the original series. It was a gift.¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    Shikata rose to his feet, reached into his pocket to get out his business cards, searching through them before handing one to her; one with a different set of addresses and numbers on the back, ¡°Anyways, I should be going. You lot have somewhere to be as well. Here¡¯s my card, if you need any assistance with something let me know; I know a few places that could be able to help with any troubles you may have.¡±

    Looking down at the card and back up, the mother told him, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll certainly repay you for this.¡±

    ¡°I like melon bread,¡± he said before walking off.

    Exchanging quick farewells, they went on their way.

    As he walked away, the young man looked back at his right hand to eye the metal ring; and began glaring at it almost in disgust seeing it on his finger.

    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± he thought to himself, almost tempted to toss it off his finger right then and there. It brought a sickening feeling to his stomach, but soon he calmed him as he crossed the street, ¡°Eh, no use thinking over it now. Not like being overdramatic will doing anything anyways.¡±

    Shikata looked at his phone to check the time, noticing he had received a few text messages. His heart sank when a message from Hako was among the top ones he recently received; she didn¡¯t even go to work yet what could¡¯ve happened in that small time free!

    ¡°I¡¯m about ready to check out today.¡±

    Sighing, he went to answer his phone.

    SCREEEEECH!

    BASH!

    SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!

    It was right then that the shrieking of rubber rubbing against asphalt and the honking of a horn tore through the air with an ear-piercing cry. Like any regular person, his first instinct was to look in the direction it came from, both out of curiosity to see what happened and if this disturbance could affect him as well.

    It was the latter, for as he turned to the street he discovered a runaway truck swerving recklessly in the streets at high speed straight toward him; and unfortunately, it was a lot closer than Shikata would expect. The young man was square in the middle of its path and he barely had time to process what happened before the truck was only a couple of yards away.

    Could he get out of the way? Run, jump, duck, roll, dodge.

    All sorts of options that may not give him a high chance to evade but would be something that might assist in his survival.

    Yet, an eerie relaxed expression hit Shikata¡¯s face as he stared at the charging metal vehicle. Only a thought passed through his mind.

    ¡°How about that?¡±

    The next couple of moments were fuzzy for Shikata, it was a hectic couple of seconds, but there was a single certainty that it ended with everything turning dark.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Then an angelic voice called out to him, ¡°Greetings, you have died.¡±

 Chapter 3: Welcome to the Afterlife

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still conscious?¡± thought Kokoro. After everything went black, all his senses went offline, leaving him in a dark void that left him ignorant of everything outside of his mind.

    It was then he noticed something strange.

    ¡°I can still think?¡±

    He found it odd having this level of mental ability considering what happened. His thoughts were unnaturally clear and conscious despite a thin fizzle of haziness leaking in, it felt more like he was in the trance state before one wakes up from a dream than anything else.

    ¡°Am I still alive? It couldn¡¯t be, I should¡¯ve died after being decked by that truck. Unless I¡¯m extremely lucky or am just built different. Nah, too wishful thinking. If I am alive though, it¡¯s going to be a hell of a phone call to mom and dad; they already have mini-heart attacks over every incident, can¡¯t imagine their reaction if they hear a truck hit their only--¡±

    ¡°What a regretful fate that befell you?¡±

    ¡°What the- who is that!?¡±

    From all sides and yet simultaneously no direction at all, a hard to distinguish omni-voice called out to Kokoro, ¡°To lose your life so young, truly sad; and you had so much potential.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, people dying young is always tragic; trust me I know! But, what are you? You sound like you know what¡¯s going on; and about me.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry about such details now dear child, you have your own conundrum to deal with.¡±

    ¡°Conundrum? Do you mean I¡¯ll have to take care of a problem wherever I¡¯m going?¡±

    ¡°You could say that. Most of the people you¡¯ll soon meet are just like you, distinct troubled souls. Misfortune has struck and now your path of solace and aspiration has been shaken to its core; it wasn¡¯t the first nor will it be the only occurrence of this. The actions you choose to take dealing with this inevitability shall steer your future.¡±

    ¡°Where am I going for all this to be relevant?¡±

    ¡°A plane of existence both familiar but foreign, as realistically based as it is spiritually charged, structured into a reality that defines metaphysical.¡±

    ¡°Defines metaphysical?¡± Kokoro thought, taken aback from the description given, ¡°What kind of rabbit hole did I fall into!? I¡¯m just some guy who got hit by a truck!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hold you here forever, our conversation will be postponed; for now. Until we speak again, good luck.¡±

    Before another word could be said, Kokoro felt a force pull him from this stagnant trance he was trapped in into a total blackout once again.

    After another moment passed, Kokoro gained back his normal senses. He could breathe through his nose and mouth, hear the sound of wind hitting the window through his ears, and could taste the inside of his mouth again.

    Most importantly, he began to feel again.

    Specifically, he felt himself lying on his back against something. Feeling a soft surface on his back reminded him of his bed back at his apartment and for a moment he believed it was all a dream. Perhaps the last couple moments filled with craziness were all in his head. Reasons why can be damned at this point, he¡¯ll get to that can of worms on another day along with the rest of them.

    At worst, he did get hit by a truck and the tremendous shock of being smacked with that much force blasted his brain into a temporary state of delirium. Meaning he would now be waking up in a comfy hospital bed and hopefully an attractive nurse.

    All he needed to do was open his eyes.

    ¡°Oh, what a surprise,¡± a soothing voice said. A presence, one brimming with a radiant sensation, was felt next to Kokoro, ¡°He¡¯s waking up.¡±

    With swift judgment, Kokoro concluded, ¡°Definitely in a hospital. Could¡¯ve done without the whole Getting Hit By A Truck event but what can you do? On the bright side, I¡¯m probably so pumped full of drugs that I can¡¯t feel pain.¡±

    There was a small debate in his mind that wanted to keep his eyes shut until whoever was standing next to him was gone so he¡¯ll have a few moments to himself to take in his current condition but ultimately he decided to get the whole ordeal done with now.

    ¡°Better open my eyes now so they can tell my parents I¡¯m awake, don¡¯t want to worry them too much,¡± he thought before slowly opening his eyes, allowing light to fill his sight. While his pupils adjusted to the light and started processing the area around him, he used this time to draw some conclusions about the person that was next to him, ¡°No doubt it¡¯s a woman from that voice. Most likely a nurse considering the situation.¡±

    Finally, his vision became clear and through the once blinding light, he saw the glamorous face of a woman he never met before. Her long hair radiated its vanilla ice color, angelically flowing behind the prize-winning complexion.

    As he stared at the alluring sight, she gave him a heart-warming smile before calmly speaking to him.

    ¡°Greetings, you have died.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Of all the things to wake up to, this wasn¡¯t one Kokoro expected, ¡°Did she just say I died?¡±

    Reasonably, this announcement triggered an alarming response from him, scurrying to sit up on the bed he was on.

    Quickly comforting him, the woman reached out her arms to calm him. Within this act, white wings flapped up and became visual from behind as she assured the troubled soul in front of her, ¡°Don¡¯t panic, you¡¯re not in hell.¡±

    ¡°Oh thank god!¡± exclaimed Kokoro, letting out a grand sigh of relief. Magically that helped ease his nerves, either that or the woman¡¯s delivery was angelic enough to soothe his soul.

    Giggling to herself, the winged woman says, ¡°When it comes to calming down new arrivals, that always does the trick.¡±

    While she was speaking Kokoro stared adrift at the room around him, taking in its riveting use of marble to carve a unique design, it felt as though he was being hosted in some mythical room he had read in fairy tales. Turning back to his shell-pink-haired company and noticing her calm lavender eyes, he asked, ¡°Does this happen often?¡±

    ¡°Indubitably.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually hilarious to think aaaa--¡± his thoughts trailed off when he lifted his arms and noticed one of them was heavily wrapped in chains. Clumps of linked twisted metals coiled around his right limb like a viper, not being a friendly contributor to an aesthetic but a hunting fiend trying to constrict and control. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Staring at it made Kokoro¡¯s breath become irregular, ¡°What is this thing!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to need a little bit of explaining,¡± the kind woman told him, pointing at his unnerving chains. This was where the more difficult part of her duties started to come into play.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my arm,¡± he catechized, seeing how ghoulishly pale his skin was. That was when he noticed another change in his body, one that hung at the top of his sight, ¡°And my hair is...grey?¡±

    ¡°I can explain that as well.¡±

    Nodding his head, Kokoro turned his sights to her before giving an astonished face when it finally hit him that he had been talking to someone with wings since he awoke in this room.

    Catching him staring, the winged woman glanced back to see it was her wings catching his attention and turned back to say, ¡°And that!¡±

    After blinking with a blank expression, Kokoro hobbled to his feet with the lady voluntarily assisting him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself, Shikata. You¡¯re a case that may still need a few minutes getting used to moving around,¡± she advised, making sure he didn¡¯t fall over.

    Waving off the concern, Kokoro replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got this. I¡¯ve had many dreams where my legs couldn¡¯t walk straight and became a master at it; this¡¯ll be no different.¡±

    ¡°I know this is a lot to take in at once. Take a moment to let everything stew.¡±

    ¡°I just need air,¡± he stammered, making his way to the window.

    Trying to stop him, the winged man insisted, ¡°I~ wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Kokoro, immediately having his question answered when he reached the window. The outside world he had hoped to calm him down wasn¡¯t how he last remembered it. Gone were the peacefully blue sky, instead, they were painted over with a moody combination of light orchid and shocking pink; shape-wise they were similar but nothing above looked the right color, ¡°What is this, the level of a final boss!?¡±

    The mysterious winged woman patiently stood at his side, giving time and space to digest before he experienced a meltdown. After a moment of both confusion and pondering, a state of mind called confused pondering, Kokoro began functioning again. Acting with an unmoving stern face, the first thing he did was grab his cheek, squeezing and stretching it out before slapping it.

    It stung and felt real; not a single piece of the landscape he was sightseeing changed by a millimeter.

    This was no dream.

    That would mean he was told the truth from the very beginning.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is?¡± a dreaded look loomed over Kokoro at his arrival of acceptance of this raw deal. Mellowing out with a sigh to gain back his usual indifferent composure, he turned to the person who had been very attentive since he woke up and asked, ¡°So about that explanation you were promising.¡±

    Excited, her face lit up, ¡°I¡¯ll pace it for you.¡±

    A short pause in the conversation occurred as the now silvered hair man went over the mirror in the room to examine his changed body. Kokoro was barely recognizable to himself, similar to the view outside, everything seemed to be in the right places where you wouldn¡¯t notice any big deviations from the silhouette alone. Like many concepts, the finer details are where the messes are revealed.

    It wasn¡¯t just his arms but Kokoro¡¯s entire body that had the same tone of ghoulishly pale skin, almost all sense of vitality seemed lost from his complexion. People already commented enough about the dark circles under his eyes, now they are even more prominent.

    ¡°If any of my coworkers see me now, they¡¯ll scream Zombie just to mess with me,¡± thought Kokoro, a tiny ember of irritation relit remembering how they teased him when he didn¡¯t want to wear a costume on Halloween. Burying that trivial memory away, he announces, ¡°Let¡¯s start with names.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an easy one,¡± answered the woman, grabbing her snowy blue dress for an elegant curtsy that allowed her wings to show off their ivory feathers. She gave a proper introduction, ¡°I¡¯m Marianne, but you can call me Mary.¡±

    ¡°Shikata Kokoro,¡± Kokoro states, brushing his silver bangs to get a clear view of his eyes, ¡°At least they¡¯re still amber, were they always this yellow though. And where the hell are my pupils, it¡¯s all just color? Is that how eyes work here? Wait no, Marianne had irises.¡¯

    Moving past how hollow his eyes looked, he looked at the pinkette through the mirror and continued, ¡°but you already knew that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you did notice,¡± Mary replied, her smile turning a bit more cheeky.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve mentioned it earlier but I was questioning enough things at the time.¡±

    ¡°Apologies if that unsettled you. Some people react better when I use their name.¡±

    Kokoro gave a small interjection of intrigue before stating, ¡°With the shock of everything, I can imagine hearing your name being said by an angel helping.¡±

    With her refined wings flapping again, Mary giggled, ¡°The wings do make it obvious doesn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention the cross,¡± Kokoro states, gesturing to the pale violet symbol incorporated into the chest design of her dress. His sights then fell upon the golden ring resting around Mary¡¯s neck before questioning himself, ¡°Is that a halo? Why would it be there though?¡±

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Shikata,¡± Mary tells him.

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Kokoro replied, he had enough indulging himself to his new appearance since it wasn¡¯t bringing him any joy. Finally turning back to face Mary, he requested, ¡°My legs are fine now, can we walk around.¡±

    Mary nodded, before going to the door, ¡°Sure, this¡¯ll be a perfect opportunity.¡±

    After putting on the only pair of shoes and coat in the wardrobe, the two continued with their conversation in the long hallway ahead of them.

    Starting off the questions, Mary asked her ambered-eyed new arrival, ¡°Do you know where you are?¡±

    ¡°I want to say heaven because I¡¯m looking at you but unless I¡¯ve been sold the most misleading propaganda ever, I don¡¯t think heaven looks like The Eclipse is happening; unless Griffith actually did nothing wrong,¡± he nonchalantly jokes, his dry delivery and reference fell a bit short on the angel, ¡°I expected the floor to be made out of clouds and everything was shining bright like the sun.¡±

    ¡°Close enough,¡± Mary muttered to herself, happy it was one of the saner imaginings she had heard. It was both amazing but worrying hearing all the various forms, and wild extremes, a person¡¯s interpretations could be, ¡°While I¡¯m flattered, unfortunately, this isn¡¯t that divine place.¡±

    ¡°Then where am I? This place surprisingly isn¡¯t hell and definitely ain¡¯t heaven.¡±

    The words of that Omni-voice echoed back in Kokoro¡¯s head.

    A plane of existence both familiar but foreign, as realistically based as it is spiritually charged structured into a reality that defines metaphysical.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find their influences here because this world is one forever stationed between both of them; Purgatory.¡±

    Purgatory.

    It was a place Kokoro had heard of before through fictional media but he never considered it an actual plane of existence in reality. He was mostly agnostic but when he did dip his toes into the subject, he always found the idea of Purgatory to be an overly fantastical creation. The idea of the afterlife having an area that¡¯s like walking on earth but not exactly felt like a workshopped idea someone cooked up to help themself conceptualize the in-between state. If we¡¯re speaking about the domain of the divine, which is so far above and beyond human capabilities, then why would an entire world be based purely on mortal standards.

    The only concept Kokoro ever considered that¡¯s close to what purgatory has been idealized to be was a void space where lost souls wandered endlessly until they end up or are guided to where they¡¯re supposed to go.

    This will be an annoying defeat for him to slowly ingest and he¡¯ll be mulling over it for quite some time; luckily he¡¯s in the perfect place where he has the time for that.

    ¡°Are you ok,¡± Mary asked, staring at him a bit concerned.

    After visibly seeming like he was swallowing something with two gulps, Kokoro replied, ¡°Yeah, I was just thinking about stuff.¡±

    ¡°Everything is not the way you imagine things huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it still feels weird being here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s completely natural,¡± Mary explained, ¡°Souls can often feel a bit of fatigue moving around during the first couple of hours they arrive here. They¡¯re so used to their senses being processed through a mortal body that when it¡¯s just their soul doing it, the massive change throws them off and they end up overstressing themself. It¡¯s like if you balance on your leg with a steel brace your entire life but then suddenly that steel brace is taken away.¡±

    The angel then clapped her hands together, cheerfully complimenting the amber-eyed soul, ¡°But you¡¯re doing a great job adapting at a fast rate. You woke up really early for a newly arrived soul and you¡¯re already able to walk around within minutes of waking up. Quite impressive!¡±

    ¡°Do new souls not wake up?¡±

    ¡°When a soul arrives in Purgatory, they can end up in a comatose state upon arrival before they regain consciousness. You waking up so quickly from yours is often a sign that you got some vigor in you,¡± Mary flatteringly told him.

    Looking away, Kokoro thought back to his last couple of living moments before softly grumbling, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± the angel said, turning her whole body toward him to catch his full attention, ¡°I¡¯ve peeked into your life and with your skills, you¡¯ve done some great work.¡±

    Hearing those words caused an abnormal reaction boiling in Kokoro¡¯s stomach at his deeds being noticed and praised.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of your history, despite how short you¡¯ve lived, that I was excited to talk to you,¡± Mary said, she turned her back to him and took a few paces forward, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to come across someone like you for some time now,¡± continued Mary, putting her hands together. Her wings spread out, swept up in the moment she has been patiently pining for. She spoke with genuine emotions about her awe and aspiration of Kokoro¡¯s life on the mortal plane, ¡°You devoted yourself to helping others at such a young age during your lifetime. That kind of dedication is always high in demand, especially here where all kinds of people need help.¡±

    Kokoro then looked down at his arm, the one chained up. Spotting the Stellar Ring, the one worn by the fictional character Gentle Eclipse, still on his finger. It seemed to have followed him even in the afterlife.

    Still speaking, Mary gave the proposition, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to listen, I think you can do some real good here with your capabilities. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I greatly appreciate t- Wait what!?¡± stammered Mary, almost choking on her words midway through. Puzzled, she politely asked, ¡°I¡¯m sorry can you repeat what you said please?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Shikata?¡± she asked, turning around, ¡°I just wanted to clarify- WHERE DID HE GO!?¡±

    The silver-haired man she was happily escorting had now disappeared out of thin air and the angel was stunned now for two separate reasons.

    Little did the kind angel know that her long-awaited soul-of-interest had snuck out a nearby window while she had her back turned giving her grandiose proposal.

    As Kokoro made his way down from the building, he nonchalantly thought to himself, ¡°A shame, I had so many questions to ask her. Meh, looks like I gotta go hunting for answers elsewhere.¡±

    With a simple goal in mind, he set out for it and dropped below. While it wasn¡¯t the cleanest execution, stumbling along the way from the fatigue which led to a not so graceful but passable landing, he got to the ground relatively unharmed. The first part of his on-the-spot plan was completed without a hitch.

    Now he was ready to explore his new fate in Purgatory!

 Chapter 4: A Strange New World

    When that strange Omni-voice told Shikata that Purgatory will be both familiar but foreign, he meant it.

    If the silver-haired ghoul would give a plain description of what he has seen within his short wander through the streets, he could easily make it seem like a mundane region. Some buildings that were built are there, people walking around, and the sky still had clouds. Very generic components of any area.

    But nothing sat right with Shikata, no matter how long he spent looking at everything he couldn¡¯t mentally move past all the differences.

    The biggest one was the sky! Maybe all the entertainment media he consumed might¡¯ve corrupted his expectations but he is having a hard time relaxing when the sky is light orchid and the clouds are all shades of orange. Not only did it feel like some doomsday event was going to happen any moment, which was unsettling, but he couldn¡¯t tell what time of day it was!

    That was when a thought hit Shikata.

    ¡°Wait, is time even a factor here? As far as I know, it¡¯s always like this and the concept of day and night doesn¡¯t exist here. I could judge the traffic here to guess what time of day it is, assuming souls need to rest in cycles like in the real world. Mary did say souls could feel fatigued here when they first arrive. That means souls can experience exhaustion here, naturally that implies souls need rest to recover. I was in a bed when I woke up. But does that translate to this place having a day and night cycle?¡±

    He was running in mental circles and he knew it.

    ¡°This¡¯ll be a lot easier if I just found someone friendly to talk to, hopefully someone who speaks my language,¡± Shikata thought to himself, not sure why he was wasting so much speculating and there was an endless stream of informants in front of him.

    A stream of very different-looking people.

    It seems he wasn¡¯t the only one who experienced a drastic body change entering purgatory. Many of the compatriots here showed similar changes. Numerous of them lacked the natural hair color than the usual black hair or even the rarer brown hair he sees in Japan.

    Blonde hair and red hair, pigmentation he has only seen naturally occur in foreigners from other countries.

    But the variety didn¡¯t end there, people with green, blue, purple, and even pink hair were walking around casually as well.

    ¡°I only ever see this kind of rainbow mixed batch with cosplayers and weirdos online, and most of the time they were either wigs or dyed,¡± Kokoro thought to himself, eyeing all the people. He would be suspicious that this may just be a strange trend here, but then he laid eyes on a middle-aged guy with light pink hair in a business suit running around as if he was late to an event. He immediately concluded, ¡°But something tells me they¡¯re not faking it because there¡¯s no goddamn reason an actual grown man would choose that color and go out proud of it.¡±

    Those weren¡¯t the only features he noticed, people had noses, teeth, ears, and eyes with characteristics that were a biological impossibility for regular humans to have without some degenerate genetic mutations taking place. Yet, even from his analytical eyes, he couldn¡¯t see any signs that these were cosmetic add-ons.

    He even saw someone who had the inverse change with their eyes, where only their black pupils could be seen.

    Kokoro still felt he was out of place even though what they have is no different than what happened to him.

    ¡°Maybe a side effect of being in Purgatory is how it screws with our bodies. Well, souls since we¡¯re all dead here,¡± he thought, staring at the pale skin of his arm, ¡°And somehow, I still feel like I got screwed over here with this shit.¡±

    While he was still looking at his arms, he reminded himself of another oddity he noticed with the residents here.

    Many had chains wrapped around their bodies like he did.

    ¡°At least I¡¯m not the only one with this thing, but why do some people don¡¯t,¡± he questioned, he was about to continue his distant watching when he felt a slender hand come onto his shoulder.

    A chill immediately ran down Kokoro''s spine. Snapping his neck around to look, he was faced with another fair-skinned woman, one without wings.

    She had ruby-tinted brown hair that flowed down to her shoulder and her emerald eyes shined through. While somewhat startled from Kokoro¡¯s quick turn around, she gave a friendly smile as she greeted him with a wave, ¡°Oi, sorry to bother you there mister. You just seemed a little lost, wandering around like you were.¡±

    Despite the warm greeting she internally commented, ¡°and it¡¯s kinda creepy with that glare of yours.¡±

    ¡°Not lost,¡± replied the amber-eyed man in his usual monotone voice as he scratched the back of his neck, ¡°Just doing a bit of a touring.¡±

    ¡°You new here?¡±

    ¡°Hot off the oven.¡±

    ¡°Thought so. The only time there¡¯s a ¡®tourist¡¯ this deep is if you just arrived in Purgatory.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°This place manages to be more organized with its arrivals, it¡¯s uncommon for souls to just appear in the streets.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°How did you end up here?¡±

    ¡°I died,¡± bluntly replied Kokoro, not even blinking when he spoke. Like a dagger, his comment staggered the conversation from how abrupt it was pulled out.

    Taking a moment, the ruby-haired woman pondered to herself. She would tilt her head to the side with a curious look before asking, ¡°That was a joke wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Kokoro nodded, still keeping his deadpan expression.

    Letting a snort slip out, the young woman told him, ¡°Ah, you got me. You¡¯re tricky fella, at least give me a hint that you were kidding around instead of that straight face. But what I was getting at was that most stragglers get caught at the outskirts of here. It¡¯s weird for a newcomer like you to be left alone on their first evening. ¡±

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s evening time!?¡± immediately asked Kokoro, so curious to learn what they use here to tell time here that he spoke quite swiftly in anticipation compared to his usual pace.

    Hearing him, the ruby-haired slapped a hand on her forehead before declaring, ¡°Wow, you really are new. I know you said you were fresh off the stove but I didn¡¯t think you meant you were red hot and a minute off the burner. Did the angel who introduced you here explain anything to you?¡±

    The amber eyes of Kokoro slowly trailed away to not make eye contact as he answered, ¡°I had an early departure with mine.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well then, how about you take a walk with me?¡± the woman offered, nudging his arm. She couldn¡¯t leave someone who¡¯s out of their element when they can¡¯t even tell the time of day, plus, he looked like he needed to lighten up, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a nice show around.¡±

    Objecting to this, Kokoro replied, ¡°It would be appreciated but if you got any plans you don¡¯t need to waste your time. A few directions will work, I can figure it out from there.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it silly, we¡¯re in Purgatory, we got plenty of time. I can spend some of it doing a little community good,¡± she insisted, after picking up a few stones off the ground, she took up his arm and started pulling him down the street, ¡°Now come along, let¡¯s make you look like less of a stranger.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m new.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you have to actually look the part.¡±

    ¡°... Is this because of my face?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°I woke up like this!¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    The ruby-haired girl withheld any comment, being considerate by keeping it on the inside, ¡°Yikes, the fuck was his life to leave him like this?¡±

    Kokoro gave no resistance to getting hauled off, thinking to himself, ¡°My expectations of what could¡¯ve happened wandering around this place alone, this wasn¡¯t a bad result. I was looking for someone to talk to anyways, now I can get two things at once.¡±

    While they were walking, the redhead gave a comprehensive explanation of how one can tell the time of day in Purgatory. Similar to the real world, it¡¯s all about the colors the sky displays. By her words, the sky changes between five colors which tells what time it is but he only needs to watch out for four. The one they¡¯re currently under, the orchid sky with orange clouds indicated it was currently evening time; there would be one more change that¡¯ll signal nighttime.

    Throughout it, Kokoro was relieved this atmosphere was only a naturally occurring stage of the day. He just hopes the other stages also don¡¯t have such bizarre aesthetics.

    ¡°I¡¯m Seodra, by the way,¡± stated the ruby woman, looking back at the man she¡¯s tour guiding for, ¡°What¡¯s your name stranger?¡±

    ¡°Shikata Kokoro, thanks again for doing this.¡±

    ¡°Shikata?¡± the woman repeated to herself, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Japanese!¡±

    ¡°You would be correct.¡±

    ¡°Aha, I knew it!¡±

    ¡°Impressive that you got it right on the first guess.¡±

    ¡°I had a roommate who was really into anime and Japanese culture. She would always bring up some trivia so I guess enough rubbed off that I can recognize certain names.¡±

    ¡°Is that why your Japanese is so good? I was surprised with how fluent you spoke when you greeted me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Seodra looked confused at his comment before her face morphed as if a huge revelation had come to her, ¡°Oh right, I should¡¯ve explained this first; I¡¯m not speaking Japanese right now.¡±

    ¡­

    Kokoro gave a blank blink, now it was his turn to look confused, ¡°But, you¡¯re--¡±

    ¡°Check out my mouth,¡± the ruby girl interrupted, pointing at the part in question with both her fingers, ¡°Look closely, notice anything off?¡±

    Leaning in, Kokoro examined the woman¡¯s pillowy lips as she spoke. Something abnormal was happening, her lips weren¡¯t forming the words she was speaking!

    Seeing his intrigue, Seodra continued, ¡°We call it Spiritual Communication here. Think of it like a device giving out a signal. When I speak, my soul is giving out a spiritual signal which yours can receive.¡±

    While she was saying one-syllable words, her mouth would move as if she was speaking multi-syllable words and vice versa.

    ¡°Languages are like frequencies,¡± she explained, ¡°Right now I¡¯m speaking English since I was talking to my friend with it earlier before I spotted you. Do you notice the difference?¡±

    The ruby woman moved closer as she spoke again, ¡°Now I¡¯m speaking my home language, Irish. Do you notice the difference?¡±

    Even though Kokoro was hearing the exact same words being said, the pattern in which her mouth moved was completely different. The only contrast was the slight change in the pronunciation of her words but it was Japanese he was hearing.

    ¡°And now, I¡¯m speakin in englesh boeht wit a very ''eavily Iresh accent. Do you nahtice de defference?¡± continued Seodra, she giggled to herself for having to speak like that. She hasn¡¯t spoken like that since she was a child or when she was with her parents, it was almost embarrassing doing the voice in front of someone else, ¡°My words and the intent behind them are sent as one frequency but when you receive it, your soul automatically converts it to a frequency you know. Usually, it¡¯ll be whatever language you think in.¡±

    Witnessing the whole experience was so jarring that Kokoro''s head started hurting staring at it so intensely.

    ¡°If you¡¯re getting a headache then you should stop paying attention to it,¡± she advised, turning away from him before continuing on the path she was setting them on, ¡°I promise, in a week or two it¡¯ll stop bothering you and then eventually you¡¯ll stop noticing it as well.¡±

    ¡°So what language are you hearing me in?¡±

    ¡°Right now English, only because I was getting too much of a kick out of how strong your accent was in Irish. Don¡¯t even get me started on Gaelic.¡±

    ¡°...I-is that bad? Because I know a bit of other languages, I can try speaking in those.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m messing with you, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she told him, pulling Kokoro forward to get him moving again, ¡°Overall it doesn¡¯t matter outside of specifics. While miscommunication can still happen in this world, just make sure you¡¯re always speaking with intent and there shouldn¡¯t be anyone you can¡¯t speak with. Now come on, let¡¯s make your first day here fun.¡±

    ¡°And where exactly are you taking me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    With how vague the answer was, Kokoro replied, ¡°Can it not be someplace loud. My head is still pounding not just from learning about spiritual communication but processing the whole thing about me being dead.¡±

    ¡°That dampers my plan a bit,¡± Seodra mumbled to herself, ¡°Back-up plan it is!¡±

    While the ruby woman had grand plans for the two of them, settled with leading them to a special area. When they had first arrived Kokoro thought of it as a simple marketplace, though it was set upon the weird landscape of purgatory, the people who constructed the area did their best working around it.

    Stands were everywhere even on top of the uneven grounds, some in places that made Kokoro wonder if the owner was insane or made peace with the fact that his entire building could collapse at any moment. A variety of billboards had plenty of creative imagery hanging over each shop in some way as an indicator. The decorations still hung off of every tree and building with many fancy stones and displays of flashing lights he hadn''t seen before; he wanted to assume neon lights but the sign they were put on was made out of wood and had no electrical equipment put around it.

    The lively crowd also surprised him. There were people dressed in clothing he had only seen in books or history documentaries. A group of Buddhist-looking Monks politely passed by him before stopping to give way to a couple of Vikings and going to chat with a witch doctor.

    Seodra spoke again after giving the white-haired ghoul a moment to take it in, ¡°This is one of the many shopping districts here. As you can see, it got quite a diverse amount of attires and no, a costume party is not happening nearby. This is just something you¡¯ll need to get used to. But if you look closely, you¡¯ll see this place has a stronger base to your home.¡±

    On second look, Kokoro did get what she meant. Through all the different people he was seeing, he did notice there were more people of Asian descent dressed in more casual attire than any other group there, especially among the store owners. Moreover, the specific designs of the decorations seemed to favor the familiar base.

    ¡°I assumed you¡¯ll want at least one place that feels somewhat familiar so you don¡¯t feel too out of water here,¡± Seodra told him, eyeing some of the shops, ¡°I would¡¯ve preferred going to the festival nearby I heard they were having today but that¡¯ll obviously be too noisy for you.¡±

    Kokoro gave a small apology, scratching his cheek, ¡°Sorry, maybe another time.¡±

    ¡°Oh is that a date you¡¯re offering?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± was the cold immediate answer Kokoro gave, he didn¡¯t even blink when he said it.

    There was an unprecedented silence for a moment before Seodra told the amber-eyed ghoul, ¡°...You know, while I was kidding it still stings getting rejected that coldly. Flatter me a little, don¡¯t make me sound like a hellish option.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal I promise,¡± he defended himself, though he undeniably felt more liberated speaking the way he did since he¡¯s not on the clock. Masking one¡¯s words can be taxing at times, that¡¯s one of the benefits of being dead, now he no longer has to care about what he says to people, ¡°It¡¯s more of a Me thing than you.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± huffed Seodra, she¡¯ll swallow her damaged pride for now since it seemed like his words weren¡¯t tipped with malice, ¡°Well if we see each other again, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking you to a district I¡¯m more familiar with.¡±

    ¡°It would be appreciated.¡±

    The duo had traversed the marketplace a bit, seeing all the common antics that take place. People arguing over prices, the quality of the good, not knowing what something does, and the classics of someone being way too entitled. But alongside them, there were people performing tricks, playing with fire, and doing whatever shenanigan they could to attract potential customers to be interested in what they¡¯re doing. It breathed in a nostalgic feeling walking through it all, back at a simpler time where things felt more lively. If the sky weren¡¯t a common reminder, he might¡¯ve forgotten that this wasn¡¯t earth.

    ¡°Do you find it weird?¡± he finally asked as they were walking.

    ¡°You got to be more specific here,¡± Seodra responded, he had no idea how vague his statement was for a veteran like her. That can be applied to a lot of things here that she wouldn¡¯t think twice about anymore.

    ¡°Purgatory, the fact that it exists.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single person who came here who wasn¡¯t a bit queasy about this place¡¯s existence. Few concepts really explore the realm of the in-between and even then it¡¯s more of a footnote to the big picture; a place meant to be moved on from yet here we are.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. It feels weird that between the literal fires and misery of hell below us and the utopian heaven there¡¯s¡­. this. That¡¯s like being alive but isn¡¯t and I¡¯m still trying to get my mind around it.¡±

    Seodra shrugged, ¡°Relax, you¡¯re doing better than most people. My first reaction was, ¡®Oh fuck there is an afterlife¡¯ and then I spent my first month here living like a hermit contemplating my life.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Kokoro commented, even his stone face showed cracks hearing her.

    ¡°What!? Do you blame me? Stuff like this makes you wish that maybe you should¡¯ve taken different actions in your life,¡± as she was speaking, the ruby girl looked at her wrist where there seemed to be a strange bracelet on her wrist, ¡°Where if you had made changes in your life when you were younger then maybe you would have fewer regrets in your life and wouldn¡¯t have to deal with such bothersome things.¡±

    The white-haired man examined the bracelet she was eyeing, spotting that the chains were in the shapes of golden handcuffs that connected each other, between them were a rainbow array of gems.

    ¡°Is that what she woke up with?¡± he thought to himself. Compared to his own, hers seemed less gnarly but something was emitting off of it he couldn¡¯t put his finger on. It sparked Kokoro into asking, ¡°So you have one of these chains too?

    Holding up his own he says, ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about them and now I¡¯m even more confused seeing yours look so fashionable.¡±

    Seodra¡¯s body shuddered eyeing the chains attached to his arm, ¡°Yeah, yours is certainly more bone-chilling to look at.¡±

    ¡°Why do we have such things? And why does yours look like that?¡±

    ¡°Huh, mine?¡± She stammered, her voice seemed shaken from the simple question.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you at least know why we have it? If I hear why yours is the way it is then maybe I can get an idea of the reason behind mine.¡±

    Suddenly Seodra¡¯s face started turning red as she started running away, ¡°Ah, you know what? I¡¯m hungry for some ramen noodles, let¡¯s get some.¡±

    The Irish woman pulled out a small ruby gem, its vermillion hue being comparable to her hair, momentarily flashed it to her white-haired company before continuing on her hasty departure.

    ¡°Hey wait,¡± Kokoro called out, about to chase after her. His confusion was only growing quicker by the second, ¡°Who drags a stranger unfamiliar with the land to the market of all places and leave him alone? And do all Irish folks say Ramen Noodles? Pick one! It¡¯s either ramen or noodles.¡±

    His efforts to get answers were cut short, as well as his ongoing internal rant about unnecessarily expanding words. A black blur slashed through the air between them before crashing into the ground. clods of dirt that were knocked up rained from the sky and a puff of dust filled the area of the crash site.

    Despite his vision being skewed from the dust, Kokoro found himself marching forward through the mess. Trying to make his way through, he called for Seodra to see if she was ok; whatever dropped from the sky landed closer to her than him. It was difficult getting his voice out to be heard, him speaking in a stagnant voice aside, there was an uproar among the crowd. While most of it sounded more like confusion than panic, it caused enough of a ruckus to drown out a monotonous person trying to call out for someone.

    Through the chaos, a voice broke through that Kokoro heard.

    ¡°Shikata ___¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Seodra,¡± thought Kokoro, he looked around trying to discern where it came from.

    ¡°Shikata r__¡±

    Being in his head, he thought, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like she¡¯s in danger but her voice does seem¡­ alarmed.¡±

    ¡°R__!¡±

    ¡°What is she saying?¡±

    ¡°RUN!¡±

    ¡°From what?¡±

    A timely shout from the crowd answered his curiosity, ¡°DEMON!¡±

    Hearing such a supernatural concept being called out in real life, or whatever you can call his existence at the moment, was so foreign and off-putting that his mind couldn¡¯t process it for the warning being given. Instead, what came to mind were more questions.

    Crossing his arms as he pondered over such obvious intentions.

    His poorly timed thought session was interrupted when the low but ghastly sound seeped into his ear like an invasive worm, and an unsettling chill, one that wasn¡¯t felt in years, was felt in his bones.

    Slowly Kokoro turned his head toward the sound¡¯s origin. He could feel a menacing presence nearby and a jitter sensation crawled up his chained arm.

    The dust dissipated enough for him to see a silhouette of what crashed into the ground, and what he could see wasn¡¯t human. It was a creature that had a heavily grotesque form, with only the being recognizable as human-shaped, and its tall physique loomed over him by over half his entire body.

    Whatever it was had noticed Kokoro¡¯s presence as well, glaring back at him with bloodshot eyes that pierce through the dust cloud; the intensity felt as though it was setting its sights on Kokoro¡¯s very soul.

    All previous cognition noise was wiped out of Kokoro¡¯s mind and his face was left like a deer in headlights. Only a single thought remained, ¡°What the hell is that!?¡±

 Chapter 5: Absent Minded

    Monsters, beings that while typically described as being large, ugly, and frightening, have no defining trait attributed to them. Elephants have their tusk, trunk, and big ears defining what makes them the beings they are. Alligators have their reptilian scales and where they¡¯re usually located in that defines them, as well their jawline and snout being what makes them different from crocodiles.

    It goes back to the most generic grouping of animals, where everyone can tell or have a reference to decipher what a fish, mammal, reptile, or amphibian is.

    Even creatures the mortal plane finds as imaginary such as cyclopes, manticores, and unicorns have their species-defining traits everyone recognizes.

    Yet none such features exist for monsters.

    Everything one could say defines a monster is extremely subjective, a preferential take on how they view a being that has no definitive form.

    But throughout all iterations of monsters that exist in people¡¯s minds, there¡¯s one common denominator that connects them all in the minds of people; Fear. The mind-curdling emotion that is fear drives humanity¡¯s view of what a monster is. Being sparked from a creature¡¯s appearance to their origin, or what they¡¯ve done and are capable of. Regardless of how fear could erupt in a person, it¡¯s a piercing instinct they¡¯ll instantly recognize when faced with it no matter what form it takes, which is why anything can be determined to be a monster.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    The loud silvery voice snatched Kokoro¡¯s attention, who found himself staring down at a steamy bowl of tantanmen ramen.

    ¡°You ok over there?¡±

    Confused that he was looking down at a delectable meal, the pale-faced soul remembered hearing someone call out to him and turned toward where the voice came from. There, sitting next to him at the table counter, he found the ruby-haired woman who had been kindly dragging him around purgatory; Seodra.

    ¡°Oh good you¡¯re alive¡­ well sorta,¡± she said, tilting her head at him, ¡°Although we¡¯re both already dead you were extra looking like a corpse just sitting there.¡±

    Seeing the woman with her own bowl of noodles cured Kokoro of his amnesia and he remembered where he was and what he was doing here.

    He was enjoying a meal at a noodle shop Seodra recommended.

    ¡°Must¡¯ve zoned out again,¡± Kokoro concluded, steadying his mind. He looked slightly irritated setting his attention back on his company, telling her, ¡°You know, I can do without the constant jabs at my appearance.¡±

    ¡°Then stop looking like such a ghoul,¡± taunted Seodra, chuckling that the first time she has seen him show an expressive display of emotion was him looking grumpier than usual, ¡°Geez, I can¡¯t help making the comparison when you¡¯re sitting still staring into space like that, you look as if you have no soul; and we¡¯re literal souls right now.¡±

    ¡°I get it, I look horrible but it can¡¯t be that bad from all the carnival appearances here. Come on, there gotta be some worse-looking people than me here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right but usually those aren¡¯t the kind of people who starts off in purgatory.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you better eat your noodles while they¡¯re still hot,¡± Seodra told him, picking up her fork to enjoy her bowl of japchae. Jabbing a thumb toward the direction of the counter, the ruby-haired woman told him, ¡°The chef here doesn¡¯t like it when you let his food get cold.¡±

    Looking over the counter, Kokoro saw the well-fit form of a blue-haired chef standing tall in his kitchen glaring down at him. The store owner spoke in an exuberant voice like he was in an action character, with such vigorous movement he states, ¡°Food is one of the key essences of human existence equal to breathing, not only does it nourish the human body but also the soul. It¡¯ll be a disservice to the dish to not eat it right and what¡¯s a better way of doing it than enjoying the meal when it¡¯s at its best! So eat up while it¡¯s still hot and fresh!¡±

    Picking up the chopsticks provided to him, Kokoro groggily replied, ¡°Please stop yelling I¡¯ll eat, see?¡±

    He glanced up for a second to see the store-owning chef was still intensely staring at him, obviously waiting for him to have a taste. After slurping some noodles, enjoying the tang of flavor, Kokoro looked up at the store owner hoping it¡¯ll be enough validation for him to be left alone. Though he didn¡¯t facially express anything, his attempt was successful as the chef smiled at him before turning around to continue his work.

    As Kokoro let out a relieved sigh, Seodra discretely asked him, ¡°If it¡¯s not to your liking, you don¡¯t have to pretend. Zhi here can take the criticism and likes tailoring food to people¡¯s preferences.¡±

    ¡°Oh no this is fine,¡± Kokoro told her, taking a second look at his bowl, ¡°Well¡­maybe a bit more of a sweet tang than sour but it¡¯s actually really good. How did you find this place?¡±

    ¡°Same as most other places, usually I go by recommendations but I liked this place¡¯s emblem and decided to try it out. Risk well worth it since I keep coming back!¡± Seodra states, giving Zhi a gesture of appreciation for his craft. She then took one of the menus off to the side and slid it over to Kokoro for him to look at the noodle-based emblem for the store.

    ¡°You went to a restaurant just because it had a pretty picture, isn¡¯t that a bit childish?¡±

    Seodra simply giggled at his comment, ¡°That¡¯s how people prefer to identify themself here. It works better to entice customers.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Now that you mention it, when we went to the market place almost none of the stores we passed by had any names on their signs,¡± Kokoro said, looking down at the menu again. On a second look he noticed that while the menu was mostly all stand-out pictures, there seemed to be a few written words next to each picture in a language he couldn¡¯t read but recognized. It was Mandarin, a traditional Chinese language.

    ¡°Despite being able to understand what everyone is saying, you still can¡¯t read a language you don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s inconvenient.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea but people manage to get by. Most store owners still name their store but rely on stand-out symbols to be recognizable as to not isolate potential customers. While niche stores that focus on a certain culture or time period have their market, there¡¯s no telling where you¡¯ll end up in Purgatory, and hoping your area¡¯s demographic will include enough people that¡¯ll like a certain culture at a specific time period isn¡¯t the smartest move. If you see words or letters from a written language on a store¡¯s emblem then it¡¯s usually flavor text to look unique and to signal the kind of culture style they mainly cook in. It makes it a lot easier to figure out which place will cook in the way you like.¡±

    Taking in this information, Kokoro nodded his head, thinking to himself, ¡°That¡¯s actually interesting, I wonder what else people do here to adapt. Guess it was lucky she took me to the market.¡±

    As the silver-haired ghoul continued to stir his utensils in his bowl, he eyed the lengthy noodles floating in the broth, and his mind wandered back to what happened earlier. It¡¯s been weighing on his mind like a sack of bricks since.

    More importantly, it¡¯s what he encountered at the market that won¡¯t leave his mind.

    <hr>

    There were many things in Purgatory Kokoro didn¡¯t know, it was like when he first attended university by himself where everything felt familiar but he barely knew how to work through it. Yet without a doubt, seeing the discordant silhouette of the creature through the dust cloud he knew it was a monster; his body reacted to it as such.

    That¡¯s why he was frozen while the creature freely moved toward him through the blinding puffs of smoke.

    This monster, a being radiating with ill-intention, was reaching out for Kokoro yet the silver youth couldn¡¯t move his body; only staring at the monster¡¯s palm closing in.

    Yet, not one gnarly finger of the monster laid itself upon Kokoro¡¯s gloomy hair. Before contact was made, Kokoro heard something cut through the air as a long metallic weapon flew over his shoulder and stabbed the center of the monster¡¯s hand.

    The shriek of pain from the monster broke Kokoro out of his unmoving trance, allowing his first reaction to be looking to his side for whoever had come to his aid. All he was able to get was a glimpse of a red blur that leaped forward before there was a chance to identify who it was. Through the dust, Kokoro watched a human figure as it drove its long weapon deeper into the monster¡¯s flesh before mounting the creature and taking it to the floor; disappearing beyond the thicker smoke.

    A cacophony exploded beyond the dust cloud from the monster screaming to the rapid stabbing before going silent almost as soon as it started. When the dust cloud had mostly cleared up Kokoro started seeing the crowd¡¯s silhouette as they believed the silence meant it was all over. But Kokoro has yet to see the person who confronted the monster rise from the ground.

    ¡°Shikata!?¡± Seodra¡¯s voice rang out from the approaching crowd.

    Kokoro looked behind him about to answer her but then the ghoul-looking soul snapped his head back, sensing movement among the thicker part of the dust cloud. Still being conscious he moved forward, relying completely on his instincts before reaching out into the unknown space. Suddenly his hand felt like it was carried away by the current of a river, moving out and managing to grasp something in blinding smoke.

    Feeling it in his hand, Kokoro could tell it was a soft material; like fabric. With his mind focusing solely on what it was he grabbed, he yanked it toward himself to examine it; finding a red cloth with gold markings tucked into his grip.

    He might¡¯ve been a bit too concerned about examining it as when he pulled the cloth toward himself, he dragged a whole nother body along with it as well.

    Remembering that whatever he grabbed would most likely belong to the person who came to his aid against the monster, he preemptively said, ¡°Sorry I just wanted to¨C¡±

    His words were cut off when emerging from the dust cloud, his surprise savior revealed themself but he wasn¡¯t met with a friendly face; it was a masked one. Through the mask¡¯s eye holes piercing neon blue glared at him, despite recognizing the mask its appearance looking pretty demonic from the horns sticking out on top and their eyes that looked at him similar to that monster from earlier; he became speechless.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The Masked Stranger seemed perplexed as well, staring back at him before their sharp eyes trailed down to Kokoro¡¯s hand grabbing their red cape. Snatching it away, The Masked Stranger gave one last lingering look at the silver-haired man before jumping away; disappearing from view without a trace.

    It was only after the Masked Stranger left that the crowd became fully visible from the dust cloud.

    ¡°Shikata, are you ok?¡± Seodra asked, approaching him as soon as she found him. Thankfully the dust cloud had almost entirely dissipated by now making it extremely easy to see each other.

    Kokoro didn¡¯t answer her, he was still staring longingly in the direction he last saw The Masked Stranger. Something felt weird when Kokoro laid his eyes on them and he couldn¡¯t get his mind off it, his mind just seemed uncontrollably drawn to the subject like many of his other obsessions. Once he gets into it, it¡¯s annoyingly hard to pull him out.

    ¡°Hey! Mr. Silver Ghoul!¡±

    That did the trick.

    Looking more disgruntled than usual, Kokoro told her, ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re alive,¡± Seodra casually responded, she smiled before asking, ¡°So uhh¡­ you¡¯re hungry right?¡±

    ¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°Who was that person?¡± Kokoro thought to himself, stewing over the issue, ¡°That was obviously a mask on them so they didn¡¯t actually have horns, which means they can¡¯t be another monster. Well, then again all sorts of appearances can happen here. I¡¯m human yet I¡¯ve experienced a dramatic body change, not to mention this freaking chain on my arm. Hmm, if she needs a mask to look that way then she should be fairly regular, I doubt anyone here would put in extra effort in looking abnormal.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re zoning out again,¡± Seodra called out to him.

    Kokoro jerked back to full awareness, stating, ¡°Huh? Oh, fuck. Guess I was.¡±

    The Irish woman leaned against her fist on the table, sprouting a soured expression as she mops, ¡°Are you so disinterested in me that your attention can¡¯t help but be constantly fleeting.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ no it¡¯s-¨C¡±

    ¡°I know I¡¯m not the best at being coy for a guy like you or whatever you¡¯re into when you speak to a girl but like damn at least have some consideration for a lady¡¯s heart. Be subtle and let me down easy.¡±

    ¡°Dear lord stop it, you¡¯re fine,¡± groaned Kokoro, it¡¯s always a headache when his demeanor fuses with his contemplation habits; especially when it happens around a girl. After mindlessly stirring his ramen bowl, he turns to the red-haired Irish woman to explain, ¡°There¡¯s¡­ something I can¡¯t get out of my mind.¡±

    Seeing his expression, Seodra looked saddened, saying, ¡°It¡¯s what happened at the market, right?¡±

    No answer came from Kokoro as he continued poking at his food but it was obvious what the issue was, it was written all over his face. Granted his face already looked distraught but now it went even beyond the normal levels.

    Sighing, Seodra gloomily says, ¡°Sorry that happened on your first day, and here I was stupidly hoping some food would help you forget about such an encounter since no one got hurt but it seems that thing made a bigger impression than a bowl of ramen. Wish I could do more to prevent this kind of stuff from happening but unfortunately, this sort of thing is something you need to get used¡ª...¡±

    ¡°What was that monster anyway? Just being in its presence¡­ I haven¡¯t felt that way in years. Why does Purgatory even have creatures that can crash into the middle of a city?¡±

    ¡°DUDE!¡±

    ¡°Huh, what?¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have waited till after my heartfelt spiel to blank out?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I promise it¡¯s not completely intentional.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t be mad at you for being absent-minded considering what you- Oh for fuck sake!¡±

    ¡°Even in the afterlife, there are still things I have to look out¨C¡±

    ¡°Can I finish a sentence, please!?¡± exclaimed Seodra, yelling loud enough to regain Kokoro¡¯s attention.

    The stoned-face individual awkwardly scratched his neck at his actions before asking, ¡°Well, can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯ll keep your mind here, then sure,¡± grumbled Seodra.

    ¡°What was that creature that crashed into the market, where does it come from?¡±

    ¡°Something that¨C,¡± Seodra stopped for a moment to check and make sure Kokoro was still listening. Her glare pressured the silver ghoul to continue eating. After receiving a gesture that he was actively engaging with her, she continued to explain, ¡°What you saw in the market. That was a demon, and they came straight from the realms of hell.¡±

    ¡°Hell!? How are demons from hell roaming around in Purgatory? Shouldn¡¯t there be some force to prevent that or something?¡±

    ¡°Remember Purgatory¡¯s place in mythology, it¡¯s not the most accurate but it¡¯s a decent guideline to start with. Purgatory is the middle ground between a fate of damnation or bliss, while it¡¯s usually written to be metaphorically placed between those two ends of a pendulum, it¡¯s a lot more literal.¡±

    ¡°You mean, below our feet¨C¡±

    ¡°Underneath the ground we¡¯re standing on is the realm of Hell.¡±

    Her last words echoed in Kokoro¡¯s mind like a boom in a cave. Hell, despite all different iterations and interpretations of what hell is, there¡¯s no question that the common consensus is that hell is a dreadful place to be in.

    ¡°Just being near it and demons can still jump out to attack the public,¡± thought Kokoro, staring at his bowl, ¡°What kind of hectic place did I end up in? Demons that can just drop in on public places? I thought the point of not going to hell is to avoid such creatures. Then again, if this is supposed to be the compromised place to end up, like a scale weight on both sides will be placed.¡°

    His eyes leisurely trailed to the side to see Seodra gawking at him, making him sigh, ¡°Oh give me a break, I¡¯m allowed an inner monolog after that tidbit.¡±

    ¡°You should start a memoir since you like monologuing to yourself so much!¡±

    ¡°I did have a memoir when I was alive. Well, more like I had stacks of paper containing my hodgepodge rambles put together in a binder I kept in my drawers.¡±

    A chuckle came out from the ruby-haired woman, trying to talk through her excitement, ¡°That¡¯s a good one, can¡¯t believe how spot-on that is! You know, I¡¯m a bit of an academic myself. If you start one again, let¡¯s trade notes sometimes.¡±

    The only response the silver ghoul gave was a low grunt, ¡°...I¡¯ll consider.¡±

    ¡°Ah come on, don¡¯t be shy,¡± Seodra tells him, patting his shoulder, ¡°Whatever you¡¯ve written can¡¯t be that bad.¡±

    Silence fell over Kokoro, his mind ran by the numerous times he wrote some unadulterated opinions and theories involving some of his clients. Those were logged with the expressed purpose of never seeing the light of day, EVER. Prompting him to reply, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ extremely rough to read. A waste of time I stupidly committed to.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has embarrassing notes they¡¯ve jolted down.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± was all Kokoro could respond with, hoping to quickly change the topic by asking, ¡°What did you work as anyway?¡±

    Before an answer was given, a sudden arrival into the restaurant caught their attention.

    ¡°Oh thank the lord, you¡¯re here,¡± stated Mary, the angel Kokoro first met when he awoke in Purgatory, and who he ditched soon after getting his clothes on. Her wings were arc down as she was panting heavily, speaking between gasps, ¡°I was looking all over for you?¡±

    ¡°Did you run here?¡± Seodra asked, eyeing the angel¡¯s choice of wearing heels. While fashionable to gawk at, the Irish woman¡¯s ankles were aching just thinking about what this woman experienced.

    Mary answered her with a nod.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fly, you have wings,¡± Kokoro pointed out, nonchalantly continuing to eat.

    ¡°I wanted to keep my relatability,¡± gasped Mary, taking deep breaths to recompose herself before continuing, ¡°And not be overwhelming by overexposing you to the supernatural.¡±

    Wiping his mouth and turning to the angel, Kokoro responded, ¡°I¡¯m from the age where stories of regular people ending up in worlds filled with magic and other mystical concepts are a dime a dozen. After all the stories I¡¯ve read, seeing an angel fly wouldn¡¯t be that mind-blowing.¡±

    Mulling over his words, Mary mumbles, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Plus he got attacked by a demon so that bandaid got ripped off pretty quickly,¡± casually added Seodra.

    ¡°WHAT!?¡± exclaimed Mary, nearly falling over herself.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say attacked, more like encountered one when it crashed into the marketplace we were visiting,¡± corrected Kokoro.

    Panicking, Mary was reinvigorated with energy as she rushed over to Kokoro, placing her soft hand over the silver ghoul¡¯s face and torso asking, ¡°Are you ok!? Did you get hurt!? Is there anywhere you¡¯re feeling pain!? Are you feeling well!? I hope you didn¡¯t encounter anything too scary!¡±

    Kokoro simply blinked, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Thankfully that response, along with his stone-face glare, was enough to get Mary to stop checking him, ¡°I-i see.¡±

    After clearing her throat, the angel continued, ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions.¡±

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Kokoro thought but kept it to himself.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me, I¡¯ll gladly answer them,¡± suggested the angel, giving a formal gesture leading to outside the restaurant, ¡°And maybe along the way we can continue our previous conversation.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± the silver ghoul responded, turning back to the table to finish his meal.

    ¡°But- uhh, I¨C you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°There are no questions you want to be answered?¡±

    ¡°Oh there is, I just don¡¯t want what¡¯s attached to it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m going to ask!¡±

    Curious, Seodra asked, ¡°I thought you had to leave him early?¡±

    ¡°Is that what he told you!?¡± the angel exclaimed, snapping her head toward the silver ghoul to give him a crabby expression.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I did say that,¡± was the nonchalant answer Koko gave, ¡°Well, it was more like I jumped out a window when she was talking.¡±

    ¡°Right as I was able to pitch the opportunity of an eternity!¡± Mary added, sounding irritated but more hurt that a highly anticipated opportunity was snatched away from her on a whim, ¡°And I was so nice to him too!¡±

    Seodra snickered, ¡°That¡¯s rough. How can you be so mean to Mary, Shikata? She¡¯s pretty cool.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like listening to a job pitch when I just woke up,¡± Kokoro snapped back, ¡°Who wants to hear about working after dying?¡±

    ¡°...Huh, can¡¯t argue against that. Yeah, I¡¯ll run away too,¡± the Irish states, stretching her arms, ¡°You two mind if we take this outside? I wanna stretch my legs out after a meal?¡±

    ¡°But¡­ I just got here,¡± murmured Mary, after how far and long she had been running, she could use a seat.

    Unfortunately for the kind angel, she was outvoted and the three of them ended up outside the restaurant. It gave Kokoro one more chance to admire the exterior as he questions the logic behind putting a noodle restaurant on top of a giant plant vine bigger than the building itself.

    ¡°What was this place called again?¡± Kokoro asked, making a mental note of how they got here again. Though with the giant vine it¡¯s on top of, he thought it might not be that hard to miss.

    ¡°Noodles From The East,¡± answered Seodra, enjoying the fresh cool breeze of air. Looking up at the sky, she noticed how late it has gotten since the sky had darkened to a cold purplish-blue; one of the few times during the day where the soul residing in purgatory can look up and feel like they¡¯re alive back on earth. After taking in the dazzling view, Seodra turns to Kokoro to say, ¡°Apparently it¡¯s some kind of pun on a- oh for fuck sake!¡±

    The ruby-haired woman let out a grunt of annoyance when she saw her silver-haired guest once again staring off in the distance as if he wasn¡¯t listening.

    It was by pure coincidence that Kokoro turned his head to see a very angry Irish woman glaring at him like she wanted to wring his neck.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked, confused by the daggers being thrown by her fierce shining eyes.

    Sighing, Seodra turned to Mary, shaking her head before stating, ¡°Can¡¯t imagine what you want with him, it just seems like a lot more trouble along with the rest of Purgatory.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, he may not look promising but he¡¯s what I need for the plans I have in mind.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it¡¯ll do too much, not much can shake things up here; Purgatory got its reputation for a reason. But hey, congrats on your passion project.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, his talent is the component I need. I just need to convince him to use it!¡±

    ¡°Good luck, he¡¯s not even paying attention even now,¡± Seodra pointed out, gesturing to Kokoro who was again staring off in the distance.

    Still not facing the girls or actively engaging in their conversation, Kokoro asked, ¡°How deeply populated is this area? Like, does anyone live around here?¡±

    ¡°I bet he didn¡¯t even hear what we say,¡± commented Seodra, placing her hands on her hips.

    Not looking back, Kokoro replied, ¡°I did, it¡¯s nothing new I haven¡¯t heard before so I opted not to care.¡±

    ¡°Not to interrupt but should we be heading over,¡± Mary suggested, trying to lure the group into following her.

    Taking a final look into the surrounding vines, Kokoro meanderingly started walking behind Mary saying, ¡°Alright, hopefully it¡¯s not too far of a- wait a minute.¡±

    Sending his steely-eyed look upon the angel, whose guilt riddled her body down to her wings, he scolds her, ¡°I haven¡¯t agreed to anything yet. How are you an angel yet so deviously sneaky?¡±

    Pressing her fingertips together, she mumbled, ¡°My goal wasn¡¯t to be deceitful, just to guide you toward a great idea.¡±

    ¡°Then offer what may entice me enough to hear you out like a normal person, or angel.¡±

    ¡°I did but you rejected it!¡±

    ¡°Then step up your game and bring something better.¡±

    ¡°Like what, you¡¯re hard to read at times.¡±

    ¡°Ok, but how is that my problem though?¡±

    ¡°You could at least throw me a bone,¡± the angel moped, finding a respectable offer for such a detached person was a far cry from what she was expecting their whole meeting to go, ¡°Usually the new arrivals I greet are more cooperative. Well, guess I¡¯m getting what I wanted. Now how do I nab him?¡±

    As the angel pondered over it, Seodra looked back to the restaurant with an estranged look before slapping her forehead and stating, ¡°Oh shoot, I forgot to give something to Zhi for the meal?¡±

    ¡°I thought you said it was on the house?¡± questioned Kokoro.

    ¡°It was but this is more of a friendly thing, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Seodra told him while searching on the ground for something.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°A couple of- ah come on, I know I saw some here when we entered; where are they,¡± she mumbled to herself.

    The other two would watch helplessly as neither knew what she intended to get until finally, the redhead rose back to her feet with a couple of small stones in her palm. After clasping her fist shut, she brought her hands close to her lips as she mumbled words Kokoro wouldn¡¯t hear. It was a magical reveal when Seodra opened her hand and showed a single sparkling gem.

    Seeing Kokoro¡¯s longing glare at the supernatural occurrence, Mary¡¯s eye lit up as bright as the jewel did as her mind became enlightened with an idea, ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±

    Flying swiftly toward Kokoro, the angel made her offer.

    ¡°You¡¯ll listen to my idea and I¡¯ll teach you how she¡¯s doing that,¡± Mary exclaimed, pointing to Kokoro¡¯s chest, ¡°I¡¯ll rev up your soul and help you learn how we fight against the demons from hell.¡±

 CHAPTER 6: Mauling It Over

    ¡°You¡¯re quite the skewed one, Shikata,¡± claimed Seodra as she opened the door leading into her place of residence. With the lights off, nothing but the dark night sky was illuminating the room, leaving the visibility in the room dim and hard to perceive.

    Following from behind, Kokoro grunted at being berated again like he was the bad guy, asking, ¡°What did I do this time?¡±

    ¡°What you told Mary.¡±

    ¡°I agreed to hear her out didn¡¯t I, isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What did she expect, it¡¯s late.¡±

    ¡°It was the way you phrased it, it seemed like a bait with that pause mid-sentence. Poor woman, her hopes soared high enough to reach the clouds so she could run down sunlight with her smile until you came, crashing it to the ground.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s an angel, being disappointed by humanity shouldn¡¯t be anything new. And for all the years she has been alive or existed, she can wait till we meet in the morning¡­ the late morning.¡±

    ¡°Aha, see,¡± exclaimed Seodra, pointing back at her ever-tired-looking guest, ¡°Right there, that pause, it can be misleading. It¡¯s like you¡¯re waiting for someone to misinterpret what your intention is before pulling the rug out from under them; so cruel. What did you use to work as again?¡±

    There was no response at first. Kokoro took a moment to scratch the irritation at his neck before grumbling, ¡°Getting a little sick of being made out to be the bad guy for having basic requests.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t make it be when you¡¯re the most interesting,¡± joked the redhead, flipping the switch near the door to light up the room.

    The first thing Kokoro noticed in the now brightened room was the interior design choice, the walls were an array of stacked stones being held together by what seemed like clay in an old-fashioned style yet the floor had more modern tiles with fancy designs. With the modern accommodations, Seodra¡¯s place resembles more like an apartment suite mimicking the cottage aesthetic.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± the ruby-haired woman asked, seeking his thoughts.

    Still glaring at the room, Kokoro noticed how decorated the room was with a certain color of fabric, commenting, ¡°I see that you like green.¡±

    ¡°You sound like you have some contempt for the color.¡±

    ¡°Not this one. Green, it¡¯s a good color.¡±

    ¡°Then I take it you won¡¯t feel uncomfortable sleeping here?¡±

    ¡° Yes, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Seodra simply shrugged, ¡°People can be so fickle about where they sleep, even when it¡¯s at the generosity of others. I just wanted to make sure you get some well-needed rest.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the¨C¡± abruptly Kokoro halted his sentence, carefully mauling over the ruby girl¡¯s words. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was a twisted tang underneath the surface. Snapping his head toward Seodra, the rightful-suspicious man caught her poor attempt to hide the smile forming on her face and the hidden puzzle all snapped into place. Kokoro wasted no time immediately calling her out, ¡°Leave my face alone, I can¡¯t control how I look; I literally woke up this way!¡±

    Since the gag was up, the ruby-woman allowed herself to let out a joyish giggle, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s too easy! People¡¯s tendencies when they were alive often manifested themself in one¡¯s appearance here. I wanted to make sure you didn¡¯t lose sleep because the bedsheets weren¡¯t ironed or something.¡±

    ¡°Do I look like a¨C... never mind, I¡¯ve heard enough from you to know your impressions,'''' exhaled Kokoro who was growing tired not physically but mentally, wondering why he let this chaffing woman drag him around for so long. Until he realized the answer was the relatable appeal of not being lost in the afterlife. Now forced to live with his decision, he grumbled at his quippy host, ¡°I can sleep just fine anywhere. Hell, I don¡¯t mind the cold hard floor.¡±

    ¡°At least let me get you some pillows and a blanket,¡± chuckled Seodra, heading over to her bedroom to retrieve the comfort-inducing items for her grouchy guest.

    ¡°That¡¯ll allow me time to think to myself in peace,¡± Kokoro exhaled as the thought came to mind.

    With his seclusion reobtained, Kokoro spent his time aimlessly wandering around the living room, occupying his mind by feigning interest in observing the old-style architecture of the building. There were various options he could start with, from the multiple bookshelves stuffed full of books both new and worn, to the fashionable dashes of white and orange furniture to accompany the green fabric throughout the room. A nest of questions and answers was waiting to be poked open to find out how she acquired photographed pictures in the afterlife and what it was of.

    But, while it would¡¯ve been interesting to investigate the room properly to decipher as much about the witty Irish woman who had kindly showed him around and let him stay the night, despite chipping away at his patience, his mind still lingered on his decision earlier. A sigh escaped him once again as he grieved, ¡°This must be the piece of hell that comes with staying in Purgatory. Just when I thought I was out, I¡¯m getting pulled back into the dreadful swamp I was finally ejected from.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°I may be overinflating this,¡± Kokoro sighed, taking a seat on one of the couches, ¡°I don¡¯t even know what she wants me to do. An angel wouldn¡¯t ask me to do something horrible, would they? Maybe it¡¯ll be less soul-draining than being alive.¡±

    Suddenly, Kokoro halted his train of thoughts, snapping his head to the window to look out of it. While he spotted nothing under the night sky except the stone fence, he couldn¡¯t shake the only other feeling that hung on his consciousness for the past few hours. It started small at first, a lingering ember that was inoffensive in existence and could very well be the result of being in an unfamiliar area. But since leaving the restaurant, Kokoro had a chancy sense that a presence was stationed nearby.

    The silver-soul couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, even describing what he was sensing was difficult to convey and the entire thing felt like hysteria. Yet, the feel of some ghost presence, hovering around while staying out of even his peripheral vision still haunted him.

    ¡°You ok?¡± a voice asked him from behind, sparking Kokoro to look behind to see it was Seodra who was questioning him, ¡°You tryna get a great window view of the plains at night or what? If so, I suggest waiting for a night with more light.¡±

    Just as she said, the ruby-haired woman had a folded-up blanket and a pillow ready for use. As Seodra walked over to hand him his beddings, she continued, ¡°The outside can be absolutely majestic under a good night sky.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± Kokoro told him, keeping his concerns to himself, ¡°It¡¯s likely nothing.¡±

    Accepting what Seodra brought for him, he noticed her change of outfit. Switching from the green waistcoat that had become some dust because of the demon attack at the market to a clean orange nightgown.

    ¡°That explains why it took her so long, knew something felt off since this place isn¡¯t that big,¡± was one of the first thoughts that crossed Kokoro¡¯s mind. Trying to move his mind past what was bothering him, he made a request to his host, ¡°Mind if I ask a few questions?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t say no,¡± Seodra replied, with her hands now free she took the freedom to tie back her hair with an emerald headband, ¡°I¡¯ve already been fairly kind, easing you into this crazy plane of existence we¡¯re all stuck in; ask away.¡±

    ¡°Do you often have strangers over?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, no. Outside of friends and such, I usually don¡¯t let many people come to where I live. Especially strangers I just met, that¡¯s just asking for trouble if ya asking me.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you letting me sleep here?¡±

    ¡°I definitely wasn¡¯t planning on it when I first met ya, that¡¯s for sure!¡± she cackled, ¡°Depending on how I felt about you would¡¯ve been the difference between me being a generous guiding hand in helping find where you could stay till you discover your footing and leaving ya to the wind if you were a complete bollix.¡±

    ¡°The hell is a bollix?¡± thought Kokoro, putting that question on the backburner to ask, ¡°So what made me the exception?¡±

    ¡°Mary¡¯s interest in you, you can call it a referral,¡± she answered, taking a book from one of the shelves and settling herself down on a sofa.

    Raising an eyebrow, Kokoro questioned such logic, ¡°And that was enough for you? Do you have that much faith in her?¡±

    ¡°Told ya before, Mary is pretty awesome and has done a few favors for me before; I could do one back for her. I thought if she was so invested in talking with you that she ran around town in heels, then you can¡¯t be that bad, right?¡± Seodra told him, sporting a smile, ¡°Unless you¡¯re secretly planning something tonight?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Kokoro immediately told her, giving her a deadpan stare.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± she claimed, investing her attention into the book she took as she joked, ¡°Besides, if my Scottish friend finds out anything happened to me, then you¡¯ll have something worse than a demon chasing after you.¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t misunderstand, it¡¯s not a threat but a warning for your wellbeing. She can be hard to control and is prone to jumping the shark.¡±

    ¡°She sounds fun.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea.¡±

    Her comment grew an inkling feeling in Kokoro that he was being kept under watch rather than a kind offer. Questioning if he had walked into a house arrest trap planned in case he didn¡¯t accept Mary¡¯s offer.

    ¡°Speaking of arrest,¡± Kokoro thought, looking over to his arm. He drew Seodra¡¯s attention, holding up the arm that was wrapped by a chain as he says, ¡°Oh, almost forgot. You never did answer about how you got your chain.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The entire body of Seodra jolted at the question, like before her face suddenly flared up red and she practically jumped to her feet.

    ¡°Oh, you know. Living,¡± stated Seodra, her voice becoming a lot more jittery like she was pushed on stage to give a speech she didn¡¯t prepare for. With haste, she began backpedaling toward her room, failing at any attempt at discreteness. With a horrible fake yawn, she babbled, ¡°You know what, I''m feeling tired. I got something to do in the morning anyway so Imma head to bed. You don¡¯t need anything right?¡±

    Before Kokoro could say anything, not that he was going to anyway since he had his usual unmoving expression, Seodra self-answered her rhetorical question, ¡°Right. Alright, sleep well. Good night.¡±

    With that, the ruby woman zoomed out of the room.

    ¡­

    ¡°Shit, forgot to ask how she keeps making those gems out of rocks,¡± sighed Kokoro, laying back on the couch, ¡°Should¡¯ve asked her that first.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Hey, are you all excited to see that new superhero movie,¡± a thrilled male college student with slicked-back hair asked his fellow students, he spoke no louder than a whisper as they were in a library yet he couldn¡¯t help squirming in his seat as his body was infected with a severe case of jitters.

    One of the other guys in the group, having a lanky figure sporting square glasses and a well-groomed short mustache, gave a grunt before stating, ¡°Not really, you know movies don¡¯t do it for me anymore. I¡¯m more excited for the next issue of Kamen Ame-¨C¡±

    ¡°You and your fucking American comics dude, I swear to god.¡±

    ¡°What? Some of it is pretty good!¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? All their stuff is the same crap; I¡¯m sick of their cartoons always being the same generic family setting of a psychopath dad, depressed and unfulfilled mother, weird kids, and some talking animal all done in a disgustingly unappealing art style where everyone looks ugly as shit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s part of the fun! Come on Raion, you¡¯re overthinking things and ruining the fun.¡±

    ¡°Whatever Westaboo.¡±

    Intervening on this verbal scrabble was a girl with round glasses sitting at the same table as the other two, her soft feminine voice whispering, ¡°You guys might want to keep it down before you get yourself banned from the library, again.¡±

    Both the boys immediately snapped their necks toward the front of the library to see a very disgruntled librarian giving them the stink eye, ruler in hand. Seeing that she had their attention the older woman gave a gesturing warning about their volume, making the boys straighten themselves back to their work; their bodies shivering.

    Seeing them settle down, their female groupmate questioned, ¡°Do you two need to argue so much?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not Lazuli, I¡¯m trying to enjoy the stuff I find appealing,¡± claimed the glasses-wearing boy, defensive as to why he¡¯s being lumped in as if he¡¯s the instigator.

    Raion replied with an impudent comment, ¡°And I¡¯m pointing out that your taste is geared toward shit, Seibu.¡±

    Seeing how this would go, Lazuli spoke up before the two started bickering again.

    ¡°Then please, can it wait till after we leave,¡± she begged, looking at the both of them, ¡±We don¡¯t want to reorganize the entire library for a week so you guys will be allowed back in here again; right, Kokoro?¡±

    Finally, sitting at the fourth side of the table was the living form of Kokoro, still with dreary eyes but at least his skin looks like it has some vitality in it. The entire time the living brunet was glued to what the group has been working on, snapping pictures of certain pages from the library¡¯s book, looking through notebooks, and jolting down notes; he doesn¡¯t give a reply or even a gesture of acknowledgment to his group.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he heard us?¡± Seibu questioned, impressed that his pace didn¡¯t falter for a moment.

    ¡°No, he did,¡± insisted Lazuli, nodding before quietly repeating to herself in a more offbeat tone, ¡°Yeah, he did?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a hell of a surprise if he did,¡± stated the abrasive boy, brushing at his slicked-back hair with his hand. As he started leaning against the table he casually joked, ¡°The building could be on fire and he wouldn¡¯t notice it until the flame starts burning up his notes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I heard you guys,¡± finally spoke Kokoro, not missing a beat in his working momentum, ¡°The entire time, and unfortunately, every word; no matter how asinine the conversation gets. I¡¯ve simply chosen to not engage, as you can see, I¡¯m hard at work on the reason we came here for.¡±

    ¡±Yeah, I guess we should get back to that,¡± Raion mumbled, rubbing his neck.

    Feeling a little guilty that they left the work to a single person in the group, Seibu apologized as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m nearly finished anyway,¡± replied Kokoro, slowing down his efforts to only taking pictures of pages he needed. With the slower pace, he took the time to look up at his groupmates.

    All three of their faces were a blur, completely overshadowed by swabs of paint brushed over, leaving recognizable facial figures obscured and barely any characteristics of them shined through. Despite this, Kokoro didn¡¯t seem bothered at all, nonchalantly sliding over one of the notebooks he was reading to the one with slick-back hair who it belonged to.

    Lazuli pulled one of the books on the table closer to herself before saying, ¡°We should stop getting sidetracked so we can finish today.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t freight over me,¡± Kokoro tells her, turning to his groupmate and seeing the pair of lapis colored eyes through her glasses.

    ¡°Are you sure? You often become withdrawn whenever we start bantering off-topic during our study sessions,¡± she pointed out, ¡°I always felt- well assumed, you found it disturbing.¡±

    ¡°Being productive and chatting aren¡¯t exclusive to each other, it¡¯s to be expected when you¡¯re in a group. I may not participate but as long as we finish in a relatively timely manner and I get you guys¡¯ notes, I don¡¯t mind; just don¡¯t get too obnoxious.¡±

    ¡°But-¨C¡±

    Her voice cut itself off, quieting down to silence. In its absence, her tall groupmate chimed in.

    ¡°It feels inconsiderate if we completely leave you out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice if you share your thoughts once in a while,¡± Lazuli states, finding her voice again.

    Kokoro gave a weak shrug, mildly going along with their request more out of indifference to the issue than any form of investment.

    ¡°Out with it then, don¡¯t sit there like a ghost,¡± provoked Raion, despite his coarse attitude he leaned in close intrigued by what may come, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be about superheroes if you hate¡¯em.¡±

    ¡°Are you joking? I love superheroes,¡± stated Kokoro, flashing a sparsely brimming smile at his groupmates.

    His fellow college students'' reaction was certainly intense, the brunet was sure he heard the deafening silence of their collected hearts skipping a beat; there might¡¯ve been a gasp among them. Kokoro had to shoot back his own strange look right back at them, they were the ones acting weird to him.

    ¡°I hope this doesn¡¯t become a trend when I tell people my interest,¡± Kokoro thought, he knows he can be incredibly reserved but this is ridiculous; it brings him to question how regular people see him, ¡°It¡¯s not that serious guys.¡±

    Glee filled the voice of the engaged boy, it was hard for Raion to keep his voice down as he asked, ¡°Does that mean you are hyped to see the movie with me!?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Agh- Why!?¡±

    ¡°Zero desire exists in me too, it feels like a contrast to what I like about superheroes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with seeing a movie?¡± Lazuli asked, confused as to how one can enjoy a genre of media while simultaneously not wanting to consume the media it comes in. It¡¯s similar to liking beef but having no desire to eat an animal; it feels like a lack of thinking went into the line of thought.

    Kokoro waved off the question, ¡°Strictly speaking, nothing; I hope you have fun when you see it. It¡¯s my aspiration towards heroes that¡¯s telling me to invest my time better if heroes inspire me so much.¡±

    The group¡¯s expressions told the brunet that his ideal was still lost on them. Taking a moment to think about it, the lightbulb in his head lit as the living brunet gave a second attempt at explaining his reasoning.

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a hero and everyone else?¡± he asked them, giving the question time to marinate in their minds before continuing, ¡°If there¡¯s a broken-down house, people will speak on it while only performing meandering actions to fill other motives, a hero will step into the house and see what they can do for the place; heroes are the people who are productive. So I prefer to be doing that instead of watching a movie about doing great things.¡±

    Immediately after, Kokoro felt a buzz in his pocket. Checking what it was, he discovered he had gotten a text message on his phone; from a contact labeled ¡®M. Suiro¡¯.

    <ol>

    <li> Suiro: I¡¯ve returned from my trip? Ready For Another Lesson?</li>

    </ol>

    Kokoro: I¡¯m on my way!

    Smiling as he shoves his phone back in his pocket, he arose from his seat and packed up his possession with wicked quick hands lashing out. As he zipped up his bag, he quickly explained to his group, ¡°Speaking of which, I got to go. See ya next time.¡±

    Looking down disappointed, Lazuli solemnly sighed, ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, forget y¡¯all. You¡¯re missing out,¡± grumbled Raion, lamenting at apparently being the only one hyped for the movie. The only solace he could scrap was the foresight he had to not buy them tickets ahead of time.

    Taking a more calm approach, Seibu pushed up his square glasses before waving goodbye as well, ¡°Alright, see you later.¡±

    With a nod of acknowledgment, Kokoro turned from his group to make a swift getaway from his groupmates. As far as the brunet was concerned, any trivial topic the group was discussing was already being tossed out of the focus of his mind to make room for the anticipation he was being filled with. But, midway through the process, he was halted; something had anchored him back.

    ¡°Do you have to go?¡±

    Instantly Kokoro recognized it as the voice of Lazuli, the unnerved softness in her tone was quite distinguished among the people he knew in the realm of the living.

    ¡°We were planning on going to the park to get some ice cream after, why not go?¡± she asked, keeping a light grip on Kokoro¡¯s right hand to prevent him from going off without at least listening to her, ¡°We barely ever see you outside of our study sessions or the university.¡±

    Without looking back, Kokoro gave an indifferent reply, ¡°Another time maybe, I got too much to do right now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always doing something, it¡¯s the same thing my younger sibling said. Hopefully, one of these days we can get you to come with us to unwind before it¡¯s too late- late- late-¡±

    ¡°What the¨C?¡± thought the confused brunet, before he had time to think about why she was repeating herself he felt her hands clutch the silver ring on his finger, trying to pull the accessory straight off him; a horrible decision, ¡°Watch it!¡±

    Immediately snapping around, Kokoro was about to display one of the highest forms of aggression his group have ever seen from him; but he began frozen still.

    A shift had occurred.

    Black ink, thick and with the oozing consistency of oil, was excreting out of Lazuli¡¯s mouth and drizzling down from her eyes as the blue hue of her pupil under behind her circular glasses was drowned out by the pitch-black liquid.

    Her grip increased ten folds as she yanked on his arm toward her, repeating the same word over and over again with a rapidly rising voice, ¡°Late, late, late, late, late, late!¡±

    Despite Kokoro¡¯s best efforts, he couldn¡¯t break free from her grasp; it had an iron-grip, practically superhuman with no sign of restraint.

    ¡°Late, late, late!¡±

    That word continued to be chanted, this time by the boys still at the table; they were also infected with the eerie black ink, ironically defining more facial features than they were before as imperceptible paint swabs. The library itself became distorted as well as the same substance oozed out from the bookshelves and dripped from the ceiling; within seconds this beacon of peace and quiet was transformed into a horrific realm.

    As Kokoro attempted to process what was happening, the ink spurting out from the glasses girl began traveling from her arm onto his own, splitting off into multiple slimy strands before coiling around his arm. They slithered their way up like a million ants to his chest lumping where his heart was beating.

    ¡°Get off of me,¡± exclaimed Kokoro, continuing his futile struggle. He tried to raise his hand to break himself away but he found his arm to be petrified to act, instead, he used it attempting to brush away the black goop on his chest. It was to no avail, not making a dent or halting its movement; but a more terrifying revelation came to him. Dipping his hands into the black ink clot that was forming on his chest, Kokoro discovered it to be hollow, he couldn¡¯t feel the surface of his skin; no matter how deep he dug in.

    Before the option of screaming was even a consideration, the dreadful ink leapt from the clump and wrapped his neck tight as it continued its venture upwards. He felt it squirming up his face before swarming slowly over his eyes. He slowly watched as his vision became corrupted by the black liquid creating a lens of ever-growing darkness.

    As his sight was about to be enveloped, the terrorized form of glasses girl leaned in close before shrieking in a grating voice.

    ¡°YOU¡¯RE TOO LATE!¡±

    Kokoro shot up from the couch, wiping his blanket aside like it was a predator trying to hunt him. Yet the flimsy piece of cloth posed no threat to him, he was safely in Seodra¡¯s home. His alarmed state caused him to scan the entire room, breathing heavily as it came back to him where he was and how he came there; it took less than a moment for him to realize what happened.

    ¡°Oh, one of those again,¡± he mumbled to himself, his face quickly settling to his usual indifferent expression; he regained very little comfort. Not that he had a chance to anyways, as one concern goes away another captures his attention. An intense sharp pain flared up in his right arm, causing him to tense up.

    At first, Kokoro thought he might¡¯ve rammed his arm into one of the furniture when he swung his arm throwing off his blanket. He quickly realized that this assumption was wrong when he looked over to his arm.

    The chain, the one that¡¯s been bound to him since he arrived in Purgatory was lively. It rattled viciously, echoing the sound of clanking metal in his ear like a ringing bell; Kokoro quickly found it irritating and wanted it to stop before he got a migraine. At first he figured the pain was from how tight it suddenly felt on his arm, like a snake constricting his arm, but he felt this anomalous pain felt like it struck deeper than that.

    ¡°You again? Do you only exist to torment me?¡± pondered Kokoro, staring at the skull symbol he always found uneasy. A dim red glow now occupied the skull¡¯s eye sockets that were once a tunnel of darkness. From the angle he held it at, it felt like it was glaring right back at him, ¡°...Well it¡¯s working, stop it.¡±

    Kokoro clenched his fist attempting to numb the pain he was feeling, it stung but he went through worse before, just like then he needed to stick it out till the agony goes away. It was already subsiding since he had awoken and the dim glow in the skull¡¯s eyes slowly faded out along with most of the pain.

    With the ordeal over, the silver-haired man finally had a chance to sigh in relief.

    ¡°Is it me or are they becoming more vivid,¡± Kokoro asked himself, remembering the strange feeling he felt in that dream, the way the black ink scrawled on his body, ¡°Talk about gritty, and of course my first dream here is a Junji Ito style nightmare. I really wished I never read those books as a kid over a dare.¡±

    Though it was simply a bad dream, the silver ghoul couldn¡¯t help rubbing his neck where the black ink had strangled him in his dream; clearing his throat over and over again till it got rid of the uneasy feeling it had upon waking up.

    ¡°There we go,¡± Kokoro mumbled, going under his shirt to scratch his chest, ¡°I should get a glass of water, that¡¯ll help me fall back to¨C¡±

    He suddenly took a lengthy pause¨C

    ¨CBecause nothing was happening.

    ¡±--Oh that can¡¯t be good.¡±

    <hr>

    Morning couldn¡¯t come soon enough.

    A meeting, that was now being anticipated by both parties, finally occurred for their interest to be satisfied; causing both of them to arrive at their meeting spot early.

    ¡°I hope you had a good night''s sleep,¡± was the first thing Mary asked when she flew in. It was a kind gesture but also a discrete question as she couldn''t tell if he did or not since his eyes haven¡¯t changed since she first saw him waking up.

    ¡°It was¡­ an enlightening experience,¡± replied Kokoro, walking over to the angel, ¡°Gave me lots of time to cook up some questions.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to answer the best I can. I don¡¯t mind informing you on whatever is on your mind while we go over what I wanted to disclose to you yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Pitch whatever you want at me. After last night, I want to discover what¡¯s behind this chain latched on my arm,¡± Kokoro told her, lifting the bounded arm and using it to point to his chest, ¡°And why is my heart not beating?¡±

 CHAPTER 7: What Binds Us All

    ¡°Throughout mankind¡¯s ceaseless construction, many dreadful concepts formed that humanity has been unable to break free from, and have since been dragging on the species. Conflict, violence, war, prejudice, oppression, taxation; as a curse for their destructive creation, they¡¯ve been bound to humanity¡¯s core. Forever shackled, a divine judgment for their sin.¡±

    In the middle of a brewing sandstorm, a single figure, bulky in human stature but weirdly shaped, stumbles aimlessly through the swirling dust storm. It doesn¡¯t know whether or not it¡¯s alone within this hectic blowing wind, all it could do was take one step at a time across the hot sand, proving ever difficult as it once again fell to the ground.

    ¡°These concepts brought to fruition by mankind¡¯s actions became the core of what binds a person¡¯s soul, their sins; immoral acts of regrettable faults.¡±

    After picking itself up, the figure grabbed at the glowing chain around its shoulder, trying to yank it off with the ferocity of a starving beast tearing into a hard-earned kill. Since the moment this cursed iron was placed on them, nothing but searing pain has been inflicted on him and this being craved relief even for a single moment. Yet despite the tremendous strength behind their effort, it bore fruitless to even shift the chain on its body.

    ¡°No matter how minor or insignificant they are, actions will always have consequences and when acts of sin are committed, their effects on the human soul can stain like coal.¡±

    Unable to escape from his torment with no destination in sight, the figure awash in the middle of a brewing sandstorm could only scream to their solitude.

    ¡°For centuries, humanity has attempted endless schemes in hopes of circumventing this undisputed law of the universe; mankind¡¯s greatest and most trivial ventures.¡±

    ¡°Because of¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry where is this going?¡± interrupted Kokoro, befuddled by what he was hearing.

    An astounded Mary halted her speech, asking, ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°What does any of this have to do with why my heart is not beating or anything that I asked.¡±

    ¡°I was working my way up to it so you¡¯ll have the full context.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be you dripping in valuable swabs of explanations or backstory behind words, concepts, events I may not understand or know of; you were giving me some biblical-psychology manifesto that was completely unsolicited.¡±

    The angel¡¯s eyes diverted for a moment as she mumbled under her breath, ¡°Well I thought it was an engaging opener.¡±

    ¡°From whatever script you had prepared, just say the parts related to what I asked,¡± Kokoro requested, he¡¯s still processing dying yesterday and wasn¡¯t in the mood to fill his mind with more ominous detail than he already has to deal with.

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t scripted, it¡¯s far from it! You took nearly everything I had that was planned with you when you jumped out the window,¡± for a split second, the angel showed visible signs of irritation thinking back on it; even her usual soothing angelic tone cracked but she quickly calmed herself and sent her attention back to Kokoro, ¡°So I¡¯m doing my best to caught us up, like telling you important details so you understand the logic behind how all of this work.¡±

    ¡°I much prefer it if we get to the point. Having all the endless time in Purgatory, you have a surplus time to fill me in on the meager details another time. Besides, we agree I¡¯ll hear out whatever you have to say after you settle my questions.¡±

    There was a short pause from the angel before she replied, ¡°....Wait, no it wasn¡¯t, it was the opposite way around!¡±

    ¡°Tch, you remembered,¡± the silver-ghoul grumbled under his breath, a night to finally digest some of the events he experienced yesterday made him realize what he entailed to himself due to the wording of the deal made and hoped no one cared or was paying attention enough to notice it as well.

    Unfortunately, he severely underestimated Mary¡¯s investment in him.

    Internally, Mary sighed to herself, ¡°From what I knew of him, I expected some stubbornness but he far surpassed my expectations of how hard it¡¯ll be to convince him. No matter, the effort you put into growing a plant will show when they sprout; I just need to make it till the end. People like him, once you get them on your side they¡¯ll be invaluable to whatever cause you¡¯re after, and that stubbornness of his will be key.¡±

    Approaching him, the angel shined a bright smile as she said, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve been a bit too demanding of you at once.¡±

    Her almost instant switch back to her collective and angelic tone startled Kokoro¡¯s mellow composure.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a little difficult explaining it in a way to encompass the importance of everything, but I¡¯ll do my best,¡± she continued, holding out her hands. The angel gestured for Kokoro¡¯s arm, the one bounded by the chain that¡¯s been attached to his body since he woke up in Purgatory.

    Still faintly taken back and questioning her intentions, the silver-haired dead man raised his requested arm to her, allowing her to do as she pleased.

    Gracefully, Mary accepted his arm, showing great care in cradling it because of the trust given to her. Attentively, she positioned her hands so that each finger would avoid touching any part of the chain and examined the mysterious metal. She states, ¡°The chain that¡¯s binding you is the concentrated darkness tethered to your soul manifested, it¡¯s the reason why you¡¯re trapped here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in Purgatory because of this?¡± questioned Kokoro, staring at the skull attached to the chain positioned on his backhand and remembering how the night before the eye sockets were glowing red.

    Nodding, Mary continued to explain, ¡°As I said before, the actions of men will always have consequences; no matter what. It doesn¡¯t matter the size or scale, even if it was something no one saw or a secret no one knows about, even if you never directly got any ramification for it during your lifetime, even if you wholehearted refuse to acknowledge this law; what you¡¯ve done will always remain imprinted on you. An unerasable reverberation on the human soul.¡±

    Her lavender eyes rose to meet the dim vacant eyes of Kokoro, a stern yet elegant look that steals the attention away from the gritty curse placed upon him, ¡°Most actions isolated won¡¯t drastically shake up the soul; you don¡¯t notice every smudge on a mirror, do you? But consecutive instances of ill-natured actions will build up over time, and that cumulative darkness staining one¡¯s soul can evolve into infectious corruption. Like a dormant disease, you may not notice it when you¡¯re in the mortal living world but once your soul leaves your deceased body and enters the other planes of existence, they¡¯ll appear. Forming into symbols that weigh down your soul, a Soul Chain.¡±

    ¡°But how does that trap me here? Where is this chain even preventing me from going,¡± asked Kokoro, so far this Soul Chain she speaks of has only caused minor irritations to him but nothing major, ¡°It feels more of an inconvenience really, what could such a small thing do?¡±

    Giggling for a moment, Mary pointed up to the sky stating, ¡°To the kingdom far beyond the skies we see, heaven. Like gravity, your sins corrupt your ability to move freely. Without them, you wouldn¡¯t believe the divine heights humanity can reach.¡±

    ¡°If only I had a thousand yen every time I hear about how humanity is kneecapping its potential,¡± Kokoro scoffed to himself, though his career wasn¡¯t long there were countless times in his line of work alone where he met people like that. Then like a flash, last night''s dream went through his mind and his Soul Chain started constricting, causing the twisted metal to dig into his arm. Grunting at the pain, his body instinctively jerked at the sudden application of pain. Clutching his fist and speaking through gritted teeth, he tells Mary, ¡°That¡¯s quite a premise with a large promise you¡¯re expecting me to go along with.¡±

    The tranquil aura in Mary¡¯s eye didn¡¯t falter as she replied, ¡°It may be wishful thinking hoping someone like yourself will fully embrace what I¡¯m saying. But, I think we both can agree that it¡¯ll be a lot more convenient if people weren¡¯t shackled with these curses.¡±

    As Mary spoke, she closed her hands around the chain and an aura emitted from her. Suddenly the discomfort being inflicted on his arm began to ease as the Soul Chain''s tight grip became lax.

    Spotting relief coming to his expression, Mary brightened her smile toward him in celebration.

    Pulling away from her, Kokoro mumbled, ¡°I suppose. How does one go about getting rid of our curses?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where I complete my part of the bargain.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°You¡¯re too late!¡±

    CRACK!

    ¡°Is everything ok?¡± a soothing voice called out.

    Kokoro opened his eyes to find himself sitting on the floor inside of a building and the gleaming cuissardes Mary wore were walking over to him. He gave the angel a perplexed look, both to see what she wanted and because he didn¡¯t remember what he was doing here; it felt as if he blacked out.

    Calmly, Mary tells him, ¡°You broke another one.¡±

    Looking at the palm of his hand, the silver-haired ghoul found a crystal the weight of a pencil and half the length snapped in two on top of a tiny puddle of clear liquid.

    That was when it came back to him, remembering how he got here. Mary took him to a building near the one where he woke up and first met her. The angel had brought him inside a kind of dome they called a Limbo Room that had an entire forest inside, including a running waterfall and woodland creatures, and handed him this weird crystal before telling him to meditate. While the meditation obviously wasn''t going well, it was nostalgic for Kokoro to be here since this forest was reminiscent of the rainforests he visited in his younger years.

    ¡°Whatever I¡¯m doing here, at least I can look up at a blue sky again,¡± thought Kokoro, cleaning up his hands in the nearby river before addressing Mary, ¡°Sorry, I put too much pressure on it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we got tons more. You use as many as you need,¡± assured Mary, sliding over a bowl filled with those kinds of crystals.

    Picking another one up, Kokoro started examining it before asking, ¡°What are these? I¡¯ve never encountered a gem I could break so easily.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re the harvested sack of a Potator Bug. Think of them like mosquitoes here, rumor has it that one is created for every toxic relationship that forms in the mortal world.¡±

    Disgust filled Kokoro''s face as he questioned, ¡°.....Why did you give me a bowl filled with bug sacks?¡±

    ¡°To help bring out your Anima; the inner energy of the soul.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure I have this Anima you speak of?¡±

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m sure, everyone has Anima!¡± the angel chuckled, quite amused with how questioning this mortal was being that he didn''t even realize what he implied, ¡°It¡¯s a type of energy humans generate with their soul, so unless you¡¯re suggesting you don¡¯t have one, anyone with a soul have Anima.¡±

    With a single breath, an aura emitted throughout Mary¡¯s entire body. Translucent in nature, Kokoro saw firsthand how the grass at her feet began diverging away from her and felt the slight change of wind pattern around. Despite being so close to energy with enough power to affect the environment around the angel, he felt no resistance being in its presence, only calm warmth that traveled across his skin.

    After her demonstration, the angel tells him, ¡°Hope that¡¯ll be helpful, try to aim for a feeling similar to that.¡±

    ¡°Then why do I need this parasite to bring that out if we already know I have it? Why am I doing most of this?¡± queried Kokoro, gesturing to the forest environment and his meditation pose.

    ¡°He¡¯s curious! I hope this means he¡¯s interested, the more intrigued one is, the more likely one is going to invest in it,¡° Mary thought with glee, maintaining her elegant composure she explained, ¡°A Potator Bug can suck away at your Anima, which then goes into the crystal. What the crystal does afterward depends on the person they sucked blood on.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°How does that work?¡±

    ¡°Human souls are each unique, they all have their own personality and traits that influence who they are as people, thus the Anima they can generate are as well. Anima isn¡¯t a concept too new to humanity. Within the realm you previously lived in there were methods of bringing out a person¡¯s anima in different forms, they were under many names; mana, chakra, and a lot of spiritual teachings were derivatives of ways to channel the energy a soul creates. Of course, such methods were often heavily deluded making their way over to the mortal realm because of human corruption, human interpretations, and the limits of your living bodies.¡±

    The angel squatted down to be on eye level with Kokoro, ¡°While everyone has Anima, fewer can generate enough of that kind of soul energy to effectively use or express. Being so fresh from the living world your soul is dulled in expressing its soul energy in the form you¡¯re currently in. Depending on the person, sometimes it¡¯ll take them months to years, even decades here to reach that state.¡±

    ¡°You expect me to be doing this for years!?¡± immediately exclaimed Kokoro, his face contorted into one of repulse and even worse for the angel, disinterest.

    ¡°No, no, no, not that at all,¡± Mary quickly corrected, trying to steer his mindset away from where it was, ¡°That¡¯s what the crystal and meditation are for, they help make the whole process easier. Everyone needs to look into themself to best generate their Anima, with the crystal helping us tell what kind of Anima you generate and some self-reflection, I think someone like yourself would be able to find your way rather quickly.¡±

    Kokoro raised an eyebrow at her, ¡±How quickly?¡±

    ¡°That depends on you,¡± she responded rather swiftly.

    From Kokoro''s observations, he deduced no lie or trick in what Mary was saying but by the way the angel was now smiling, he could tell there was something she wasn¡¯t saying. Not deceitfully but with more concern. The stone-faced man was more surprised that an angel would show such emotions. He never read much into them but Kokoro always imagined if they existed they''d be like meeting the ultimate Phone Operator.

    Rocky start aside, there was a choice to be made.

    With a sigh, Kokoro states, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see.¡±

    Maybe it was curiosity, maybe it was trust, or maybe Kokoro was just bored because he realized he theoretically had an eternity of time on his hands. Whatever it was, it was enough for him to continue going along with what Mary was roping him into; for now.

    And thus, the next two days of Kokoro were sucked up.

    They weren¡¯t too eventful, only ever being filled with Mary lecturing him on ways and trying out methods to become ¡®spiritually connected¡¯ and other such stuff that¡¯s supposed to help him bring out his Anima. All he felt made little progress. If it weren¡¯t for the promise that he¡¯ll be able to do a similar trick that Seodra performed and he had little idea how to do it on his own, he would¡¯ve been a lot harder to keep in one place than he was.

    Kokoro had tried to get Seodra to tell him how instead but the two women must¡¯ve struck a deal as she would slyly avoid answering. The best he was about to extract from her was a single statement involving Anima.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think of Anima as a supernatural object you obtain like an item at a store, your Anima is you! Think about bringing out your Anima as you looking inside yourself to explore what you are, why you are, what you can do, and discover yourself. When that happens, it¡¯ll be the start of the road.¡±

    While it didn¡¯t spark any eureka moment in Kokoro, it was an insight he feels he can maul over more compared to what the angel speaks of.

    He took it with him the next time he was made to meditate in the Limbo Room.

    ¡°Explore myself.¡±

    As Kokoro mumbled those words to himself, he was baffled by the cognitive dead end he hit. An utterly bizarre reaction the young man never expected from himself, this was supposed to be a mental road that was once so clear he could slide across blindfolded, now it was so densely fogged he couldn¡¯t see the two hands he had in front of him.

    Realizing it''s been a long time since he last evaluated this place, maybe it was time for a refresher.

    ¡°What you are?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not some dump tank for idle gossip! This is not what I worked to be!¡±

    ¡°Why you are?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my aspiration towards heroes that¡¯s telling me to invest my time better if heroes inspire me so much.¡±

    ¡°What can you do?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too late!¡±

    ¡°Discover yourself.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Discover yourself.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Discover yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­What the fuck am I doing with my life?¡±

    CRACK!

    ¡°Troubled thoughts?¡± the voice of Mary once again broke through his internal domain.

    There was no answer but Mary could see past Kokoro¡¯s stone face that something was off and it was boiling inside.

    ¡°Do you know what might help a clouded mind,¡± asked the angel, bending over as she held out a platter of cookies to him, ¡°Sometimes, all you need are some happy thoughts.¡±

    A desire to reject it was there but a tidal wave of a craving for sweets drowned it out, he hadn''t had anything that sweet since he died. Begrudgingly he took one of the pastries offered, giving a quiet, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Instantly he noticed how warm the cookies were and wondered, ¡°Did she just make these? How would an angel¡¯s homebaked cookie taste like?¡±

    With a single bite, he could give a clear answer; heavenly made.

    ¡°The hell- or heaven did she put in these?¡± questioned Kokoro, these easily among some of the best cookies he ever tasted.

    The texture, the taste, composition, the ratio between hard and soft; he wouldn¡¯t call himself a food connoisseur but from his startlingly vast knowledge of sweets, this cookie had those aspects ranked in first grade.

    But through it all, there was one thing Kokoro had to openly say about Mary¡¯s cookie.

    ¡°Blah, I don¡¯t like oatmeal.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°HUH!?¡± exclaimed the angel, from the centuries of her existence, never had she heard a human say that about her cooking; especially her renowned confectionary skills.

    ¡°The oatmeal, I don¡¯t like it,¡± repeated the silver-haired young man in his usual nonchalant tone, ¡°These cookies are some of the closest I¡¯ve seen to perfection, but the oatmeal completely ruins it for me.¡±

    Working through the stun of what was said to her, the angel replied, ¡°I-it¡¯s supposed to be a healthy snack. Soul food can be very good and nourishes at the same time.¡±

    ¡°If I wanted a healthy snack to eat I would¡¯ve eaten a salad or an apple.¡±

    Generous as ever, Mary tries to reason with him, ¡°Maybe this can be an opportunity to be more opened minded about¨C¡±

    ¡°Keep your health guru shit out of my pastries!¡± he states, for a man who seems disinterested in almost everything life has this was oddly a subject he was deeply passionate about, ¡°And gross, you added raisins; that instantly lowers it to a ¡®begrudgingly if it¡¯s the only kind in the house¡¯ score for me.¡±

    Suddenly the crunching of metal echoed throughout the room. A wide-eyed Kokoro cracked from his stone-face expression seeing Mary¡¯s fingers bend the metal of the platter from the amount of pressure being exerted on it merely being held.

    ¡°Kokoro Shikata,¡± the angel slowly calls out.

    Taken aback by the universal sign of something being wrong, Kokoro stammered, ¡°Hey are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk,¡± she interrupted. While she kept her smile, it looked more hung up like a curtain. With the way her eyes were closed, the vein bulging on her forehead, and her hands shaking, it was miraculous she managed to speak in a calm voice, ¡°Healthy and relaxing physical activity can also help with wiping away intense negative thoughts before one acts on them.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, let¡¯s go!¡±

    It was one of the few times Kokoro so quickly accepted a request to go out with someone.

    <hr>

    Thankfully fresh air under the mellow light-colored skies of a Purgatory Morning was enough to ease Mary¡¯s threatening aura lowest where Kokoro felt comfortable enough to talk.

    Not that there was much to speak about, the walk was uneventful. He couldn¡¯t even shake the feeling of being watched. It consisted only of him following Mary around as she walked around town and greeted people. Despite the very different kinds of people they met who seemed to come from different eras of the earth, they all seemed quite joyed to see Mary, though I guess it¡¯s expected that the angel is widely liked.

    The only significant interaction Kokoro himself had was when he saw a little girl drop a toy she was playing with. When he had picked it up and tried to return it to her, at first the girl seemed ever thankful for the complete stranger but then a single look at his face and the child went from cheerful to bawling in fear.

    Suffice to say, Mary was the one who worked everything out with the girl while Kokoro faced away, silently sulking against a wall.

    At least he got to see all the different ways people were living. It gave him a sense of what Seodra was talking about with Anima.

    ¡°I think I figured it,¡± he states while the pair were making their way back to the Limbo Room.

    Intrigued with a flash of excitement in her eyes, Mary asked him, ¡°What have you discovered?¡±

    ¡°The trick Seodra did. She used Anima to do it.¡±

    ¡°That is on the path to being correct.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just her using Anima, she¡¯s using her Anima to perform a specific action, like the function of a machine; or in our case, a soul. Because souls are all unique, everyone can use their Anima to express distinctive abilities because they are created from what makes someone an individual. Thus it requires some understanding or connection of one¡¯s self,¡± he explains.

    Applauding him, Mary confirmed, ¡°Congrats, you¡¯ve grasped a understanding of Anima. That¡¯s a great hurdle to cross so early after arriving in the afterlife.¡±

    Despite being told he did a great job, Kokoro seemed unmoved as he lifted his chained arm, saying, ¡°And I¡¯m guessing the same logic goes into how these Soul Chains form on our bodies and how they affect us?¡±

    ¡°You catch on quickly. What finally made it all click.¡±

    ¡°The Anima part was easy to get when you think about all the wacky stuff I¡¯ve seen people here do. At first I thought it was all a trick but then thinking back to the market I visited with Seodra, though all of it happening at once was a bit bizarre to take in at once, I noticed there were a few attention-drawing acts that were different from the others. They involved the performer doing a lot more personal actions through themselves than any item or gimmick. But I never felt that sense of anima expressed being used like you showed me. You said before that few people can generate enough Anima to effectively use or express, but they still have it in them. It¡¯s like a person¡¯s athletic ability, everyone has it but few can bring it out to the same degree as a pro-athlete can.¡±

    ¡°These little miracle events can be performed as they come from within the soul. It¡¯s not rare to see someone be able to do one even though their Anima usage is weak, it¡¯s just more fruitful.¡±

    ¡°From there I figured if our personality is what gives us certain abilities, why won¡¯t our sins that are also attached to our souls affect the way we are as well. That¡¯s my assumption on why my heart stopped.¡±

    ¡°It could have an effect but you can never be too sure. You¡¯ve obviously noticed many differences you have no compared to your body when you were alive. Hopefully you don¡¯t assume all of those changes are because of your Soul Chains as well.¡±

    ¡°No, if I did enough bad things to look like this then I would probably be in Hell. Not to mention I can¡¯t imagine what wrong a elder guy could do to curse them with pink hair they have to walk around with. A force is certainly messing with our bodies.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a force but your soul itself. The body you have right now is just your soul constructing itself into a form you¡¯re familiar with, it¡¯s reflective of you and the condition of your soul.¡±

    ¡°Which brings me to my next question. Why did you choose me?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Of all the souls you, an angel following some grand authority, could¡¯ve chosen you decided on me?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Mary calmly asked him, unmoved by his questioning.

    ¡°Not sure if you noticed the screaming child or anything but I don¡¯t exactly look like someone who could do a lot for people.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not all about what¡¯s on the outside.¡±

    ¡°Well inside I seem to be a bit of a mess as well. Who knows if it¡¯s just my heart that¡¯s not ticking,¡± the silver-haired man said, tapping at his heart to check that indeed, his heart still wasn¡¯t beating.

    ¡°Kokoro, there are many challenges in life that leave humans in less than favorable positions. What makes a person is how they persevere through them and I know through your life you¡¯ve persevered through a lot; it¡¯s how you gained the skills you used to help people when you were alive.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you chose me? Because of my work being a social worker? What could an angel do with a social worker?¡±

    ¡°It should be evident by now, we talked about this before,¡± Mary tells him, pointing to his chained arm, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient if humans weren¡¯t bound by those Soul Chains. I want to free more people from the chains that weigh down on their souls.¡±

    ¡°And you need my help to do it?¡±

    Mary nods, ¡°To break from one''s Soul Chain, one must be willing to do a lot of self-reflecting and work to be virtuous. It¡¯s one step of many depending on the person. The issue comes that many don¡¯t get past the front door, or should I say, they don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s stopping them?¡± Kokoro asked, curious as to what could be causing such an issue that an angel needs to get a social worker for.

    ¡°Have you noticed that people act weird when you point out their Soul Chains?¡±

    Immediately the first person that came to mind was Seodra and how her frantic reactions whenever he even asked about her wrist chain and how she got them. It wasn¡¯t just her, among the other civilians he had seen, he noticed how a lot of them would try to use their clothing, hair, or even body posture to draw attention away from their Soul Chains.

    Kokoro answered with a nod.

    Mary continued, ¡°Unfortunately, the people stuck here in Purgatory are often unwilling to even acknowledge the literal chain weighing on them. Some would even go to extreme lengths to hide that they have one even though every single person who''s here has one. Despite escaping a terrible fate, they end up keeping themself bound here instead of moving on to a greater place.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a song or dance I¡¯ve heard over a thousand times,¡± Kokoro internally groaned to himself.

    ¡°I wished I could do more myself, but there¡¯s a limit to what I can do as an angel. Which is why I¡¯m turning to a human to help other humans? You¡¯ve dedicated your life with many sacrifices to help others you saw in need. You can connect with other humans in a way and hopefully get them to open up so they can start on their path to becoming unbound.¡±

    ¡°Helping others¡­¡± the thought rang through Kokoro¡¯s mind. An opportunity was presented to him that many won¡¯t so easily come across for someone who took the path he did.

    Yet, all that was playing over and over through his mind was his career and the many people he tried to help but it felt like all his efforts fell on death¡¯s ears. Then there were all the people he wanted to help but couldn¡¯t due to obligations or the people just being too distant for him to do anything to them.

    Even worst, he remembered a time someone specifically came to him to comment on their life and then when he did the job that this person came to him to do, because he said some very mild criticism, extremely mild considering Kokoro can be quite coarse with his wording, about their life decisions the reaction was quite hyper.

    ¡°Man, fuck you!¡± Kokoro¡¯s client shouted at him, dumping the entire contents of their water bottle on him before throwing the bottle as well and walking out, ¡°I¡¯m out!¡±

    Surprisingly, that was one of the more lenient times a client of Kokoro tried assaulting him.

    After it happened, Kokoro''s first thoughts were, ¡°At least the bottle was plastic this time¡­. And it was water thrown at me.¡±

    Now he might need to help people trapped in Purgatory for possibly eternity.

    As Mary led into the dome leading to the Limbo Room, she continued to explain, ¡°Course I don¡¯t expect you to be hitting the ground running, helping every single soul in sight. I want you to be comfortable with being here and knowing a lot of what you can do before sending you off to do a bunch of things. I want you to properly learn about this place and the people who are here so you get a better understanding of how it all works. I¡¯m quite excited to be working with you and I hope our acquaintance will be- OH NOT AGAIN!¡±

    As the Angel looked behind her, she found no one there.

    Once again, she has been ditched.

    Hanging her head low, she had to concede that she may not be the best at convincing people. She needed more than herself to reach out to a person like Kokoro.

    Tapping the golden halo around her neck, when it began to glow Mary began to speak, ¡°Dear Ike, sorry to message you right now when you¡¯re still resting but I need your help. I¡¯m having trouble bringing over that person I¡¯ve told you about, I may be missing something as to why he¡¯s so disinterested. Can you please assist me?¡±

    Once she was done speaking, she released her halo and popping out of it was a pixie-size version of Mary that looked more like a doll toy compared to the original.

    This toy-like version was holding a letter, looking at Mary with glee. Waving it goodbye, Mary told it, ¡°Safe travels.¡±

    The mini-Mary zoomed away out of the doom only to return a few minutes later with a response.

    ¡°Oh Mary, you¡¯re an ever graceful being. But you angels can only understand so much about humans. You can¡¯t be lackluster with human beings, our souls were meant to be revved up. It¡¯s always an honor helping you out so leave it to me, I¡¯ll get his heart pumping in excitement in no time.¡±

    ¡°I hope this works,¡± prayed Mary.

    <hr>

    Not far outside the Dome of Limbo, a figure dressed in red and black were discretely surveying the area from a distance. The Wanderer was watching the angel and her companion. When she spotted them going inside the Dome of Limbo, she drew closer to the building. But The Wanderer didn¡¯t head for the front door, instead, she circled around, aiming for the side of the building.

    Upon arriving, she scaled up the building to look through the window and was surprised to spot the angel standing there alone and seemingly gloomy.

    Tilting her head in confusion, wonder spread throughout her expression about where the people the angel was with had gone.

    That was when suddenly she felt someone grab her from her red cape and yank her away from the window. In a moment, she found herself facing the stern face of Kokoro.

    Both pairs of eyes instantly recognize the other from their prior meeting.

    Not wasting time Kokoro immediately began interrogating The Wanderer.

    ¡°Why have you been stalking me?¡±