Moon of The Afterlife

Chapter 9: Danger

IT'S ALREADY thirty past one in the morning when Dante and Louise arrive at the apartment complex. Louise's too wasted that she dozed off during the ride, and Dante had to carry her up to Arche's apartment. Dante knocked on Arche's door several times, and after his fourth attempt, the door opened.

"What the heck--" Arche's frowning face straightened as soon as he saw Dante. His hair is messy, and his eyes are half-closed in sleepiness, but they turn fully open when he realizes Dante is with someone.

"I met her at the club, and I thought I needed to bring her here," Dante said and shrugged.

"Louise?" Arche called while staring at her using his sharp glare. Arche's eyes went down to Dante's hand on Louise's waist before looking back up at Louise's face.

Louise tried her best to lift her head to look at her brother, then smiled like an i***t as she greeted, "Hello, Arche! Dante is such a gentleman," Louise said in between her hiccups. She looked at Dante with her narrowed eyes and touched Dante's face before adding, "He saved me."

"She's drunk. She needs to sleep," Dante said, ignoring Louise's childish and flirtatious gestures.

Arche felt the annoyance building up in him as he studied his sister's outfit. He'd never seen her dress like that, and clubbing for them is strictly prohibited. He brushed his hair backward before letting out a deep sigh. Arche walked closer to them and took Louise away from Dante to carry her inside his room. He laid Louise on his bed and covered her body with his blanket. Then Arche stood beside his bed for a moment, watching her wasted sister sleep with evident anger and frustration before heading back outside to thank Dante. But, Dante had already left when he made it out.

***

Dante turned on the lights as soon as he entered his unit. He's hungry and tired, but for some reason, instead of a proper meal, Dante craves beer and chips.

Dante changed his clothes after kicking his shoes away from his feet. He threw his dirty clothes to the laundry basket upon taking them off, and just as when he's putting on his nightshirt, a knock on his door caught his attention. Dante quickly slid his head and arms on his nightshirt's holes while walking to the door to open it, and to his surprise, he found Arche standing outside his unit. Dante stared at him, thinking for any possible reason why Arche was there.

"Arche?"

Arche awkwardly waved his hand and pulled the sides of his lips to force a smile before saying, "Hi. Can I come in?"

Dante did not hesitate, but he thought about the first time Arche knocked on his door. Arche punched him that day, so he's wondering whether Arche came to hit him again for taking his drunk sister home to him or what. But still,

"Yeah, sure," he replied and opened the door wide as he gestured him to come inside.

Dante led him to his small living room and offered Arche a seat. They both felt uncomfortable, but they thought the awkwardness was still bearable, so they tried to ignore it. Arche sat on Dante's couch while Dante disappeared shortly to the kitchen to grab some drinks for his early morning visitor, Arche. And in less than a minute, Dante came back with four cans of beer in his hands.

"Sorry. These are the only thing I have in my fridge," Dante said as he handed Arche a can after placing the extra two on top of his center table and having the other one in his left hand.

"No, it's fine. I'm planning to have a can anyway," Arche answered as he accepted the drink.

Dante sat on the other couch located on the right side of the living room, approximately a meter away from where Arche sits. After opening their cans and taking a sip of the bitter drink, no one talked, letting the deafening silence take over.

"I came to say thank you..." Arche broke the silence after a moment. "... and sorry if my sister caused you trouble in any way. "

"It's nothing. I only happen to meet your sister there," Dante replied and smiled. "If I was you, I'm sure you would also do the same."

Arche chuckled. "Right,"

"I'm sure you didn't come here only to say thank you. Is there anything you want to ask me or say to me?"

Arche lifted his head to look at the waiting Dante. "Yeah," he said.

Dante waited for Arche to say anything after that, but silence remained in between them. Arche wants to ask Sidapa so many questions, but he can't seem to find the courage to utter even a single one of them.

Dante sighed and stared at the can of beer he was holding between his palms as he said, "I've been meaning to tell you something, as well," Then he looked at Arche seriously.

It wasn't Dante's words that made Arche feel intrigued but his seriousness. Silently, Arche wished that whatever Dante was about to tell him was not something he couldn't take— something that's not about him or Libulan. But Arche knows it's not impossible that what Dante wants to tell him is something crucial.

"What is it?" Arche tried to appear calm, but his shaky voice made his anxiousness a little obvious.

"I didn't do anything about your sister. I didn't save her nor extend her life," Dante confessed.

Arche's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He didn't understand anything Dante just said. He tried to comprehend it, but he stayed puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"It's confusing, but try your best to think things through. I saw Louise's death a few months from the day I first saw her in your apartment because that's how things usually are for me. I am the God of death— the Deity that sets lifespan to humans and every living thing on Earth. I can see one's death no matter how far or near their deaths are. But since the day your sister got discharged from the hospital, I can no longer see her death." Dante stated.

It finally sank in for Arche. However, he still finds things difficult to understand. His heart raced. Arche's having a bad feeling about it. What's happening is still unclear, but one thing is for sure— something unpleasant is about to happen, and worst, Louise might be involved.

"Why are you telling me this just now?" Arche asked with heavy breaths and trembling hands.

Dante looked down and hissed, "Sorry," before heaving a deep sigh. "I thought about using that to make you think you owe me your sister's life and make you lead me to where Bulan is. I realized that I might be putting your sister's life in peril because of my selfishness, so I decided to tell you. I was only waiting for the right time. The immortals are the only ones whose death I couldn't see— the Gods and Deities. But Louise is a human. Her weak energy is telling me she's still a human. And also, there's no way a human could turn into an immortal---"

Dante got cut off when Arche suddenly stood up. He clenched his jaw, and his trembling hands balled into hard fists.

"Thanks for the drinks. I'll be off now,"

The coldness and seriousness in Arche's voice are evident, and he almost seems mad about what he has heard. Dante stood up as well and quickly stopped Arche from leaving by holding onto his right arm and asked, "Wait. That's it? You wouldn't even ask me how could that be possible?"

Arche bit his lower lip hard in irritation before turning to Dante. He looked blankly at his face as he answered, "Then how could that be possible? If you know the answer, you should've had told me,"

Dante's hand slowly loosened its grip on Arche's arm. Arche's right. If he knew, he would've had told Arche about it, but since Dante doesn't, he couldn't.

"But if we worked together, we might find out how. Someone's messing with you or me, or us, and that someone is using your sister,"

"Work together? Seriously? Why would someone mess up with me?" Arche angrily said, though he already had a clue.

"Because you're associated with us... I don't know, and I'm not sure! But we can't bet your sister's life for this. We have to take action!"

"You have to take action!" Arche almost yelled and pushed Dante away by the chest angrily. "Go back to your fuckin' home, and stop looking for that coward!"

Dante froze. Arche's glare grew sharper as a tear fell from his left eye.

"The Bakunawa is after that moron, and because you're looking for him, he's trying to harm my sister. Don't you get it? He's after my family now,"

That's the only conclusion Arche could ever come up with at the moment. It's only the Bakunawa who would mess up with his life like that. Though he's unsure about it, he knows it won't be impossible.

"Go away. That's the only way you could save my sister,"

IN THE middle of the night, when everyone thinks their everyday struggle is over, everything unpleasant happens.

A woman lies on her bed, sleeping peacefully like everyone else. Looking at her as she lies comfortably above her soft matress, it seems like everything is fine. But, that woman is dying. In her dream— no— nightmare, she's dying.

Inside her dream, there's only darkness. She finds herself standing before her husband, and it terrifies her. He's looking at her with his sharp glare.

The ice-cold fingers of her deceased husband wrap around her neck, choking her as if they've never been in love during the early days of their marriage. She stared at him with pleading eyes as she tried her best to suck up air and breathe, but her husband tightened his grip without the intention of sparing her life.

"H-Honey," the woman called and reached for her husband's face. "Y-you're hurting m-me."

A drop of tear fell from her eyes when her feet left the solid ground. Her husband's eyes show no mercy. He's determined to kill his wife, no matter how much they loved each other back in the day.

"That's right. Show me that you're in pain like how you're supposed to feel when I died," the husband said and smiled evilly. "How could you feel so happy after your husband died? How could you smile while everyone else is mourning? Are you that happy?"

The woman tapped her husband's arm and forced herself to say, "H-honey-- I--- I wasn't... ha--happy," her face is now turning pale, and her veins are about to burst. She's choking, and her end is coming.

"Liar," the husband gritted his teeth, and with his strong hands, which he used to use to beat his poor wife whenever he's drunk, he ended her life.

The woman died in her dream, and so did in her reality. Her nightmare caused her a heart attack, which caused her silent and unnoticeable death. Her husband smiled while staring at her lifeless body lying like a princess on the bed and smiled triumphantly. Even though he's dead, he still feels powerful, like when he's still alive.

He's an abusive husband to the woman, beating her up whenever he feels like laying a hand on her. Whenever he's pissed or stressed— whenever he liked. But since karma is b***h, he had an accident, which made him crippled and useless. However, that didn't stop him from abusing his poor wife. Because of the frustration after getting crippled, his wife suffered twice the emotional and physical trauma. The only time she felt happy was when he finally died with an undetected complication.

"I'll meet you in the afterlife, honey. Let's continue living together there like what we used to be in this world," the man said as he brushed his cold fingers against his wife's cheek. And by the time he's about to leave, someone pushed him hard enough, sending him flying to the other side of the room. His back crashed against the concrete wall, and he winced at the pain of the impact.

"Who says you can go there?" Sidapa asked while catching his breath. He's still in pain, but he's forcing himself to move; He still has a job to do.

The man lifted his head, and his eyes widened upon seeing the God of death, standing three meters away from him. He tried to look around to see how he could escape, but his eyes landed on the person standing near the window, looking terrified.

Sidapa followed the man's gaze and realized he had accidentally brought Arche with him. Arche looked at Sidapa and to the ghost as he tried his best to appear unbothered. However, after a few seconds of studying the ghost's face, Arche glanced over to the dead woman lying on the bed and recognized her.

"I know them," Arche said and looked at Sidapa. "I saw them before."

Sidapa looked at Arche with confusion, but Arche seemed more confused than anyone else in the room. The ghost laughed upon realizing what Arche was talking about, which caught Arche and Sidapa's attention.

The day when Arche came across the crying woman on the stairs on his way to the floor of Louise's hospital room was the day when he saw the vengeful spirit of the husband. That day when he thought the four people in the hallway were all alive, he thought wrong. The man looking dumbfounded that day was the ghost of the person who died.

"Right, I saw you that day too," the man spoke while staring at Arche with a wide evil grin. "I see. You can see dead people. Are you a Deity too?"

Arche did not speak. His hands trembled, so he tried to look away, afraid that Sidapa would discover his secret.

Sidapa looked at Arche, but before he could even ask Arche anything, the vengeful soul came at him, pushing him hard, which made him fall to the floor. Sidapa's agony worsened, but he managed to stop the vengeful soul from escaping through the window. He grabbed him by the feet and threw him back inside with full force, causing the dresser sitting on the left side of the room and everything above it to break.

Sidapa rushed to his side to grab him, but the man quickly moved away and avoided Sidapa. Arche tried to help, but before he could even take a step, the ghost was already behind him.

"Arche!" Sidapa called in horror when he saw how the ghost held Arche by the neck, lifting him as he did to his wife.

"How about a trade? Let me leave. Then you could save him," the ghost said while wearing an evil smirk.

Arche couldn't breathe, and each second were getting harder and harder to overcome. He wants to fight, knowing that he has enough power to defeat him, but if he does that, Sidapa would recognize him.

Arche looked at Sidapa with the side of his eyes, and even without asking for help, Sidapa's hands balled into fists, and the arousing anger from deep within him is evident. And with one swift move, Sidapa appeared in front of them and punched the ghost in the chest, making him lose Arche.

Arche fell to the floor, sucking air loudly to catch his breath, and when he glanced to Sidapa and the ghost direction, the God of death was already holding him by the neck before disappearing with the thin air. The ghost has underestimated Sidapa's strength and power.

Arche was left there with the woman's corpse on the bed when Sidapa left to throw the vengeful soul into the cliff of the underworld. Arche stood up to check on the woman, and by the time when he made it beside her, he confirmed— she's dead.

Arche sighed and closed his eyes. His shoulders dropped with the thought that he nearly revealed himself in front of Sidapa.

"Where is he?" A voice interrupted Arche from his thoughts, so he turned around to see who spoke. He's no longer surprised to see her, but she shouldn't be there; she should be walking down the path that leads to the afterlife.

"Why are you still here?" Arche asked the woman. "Your husband is brought to the cliff of the underworld. The God of death is a little late, but he'll make sure he won't be able to go near you ever again."

The woman stared blankly at Arche, and after a few seconds, she sneered.

"Who are you to tell me what I should do? If I can't make him pay, I can make his family pay on behalf of him,"

"You can't do that!" Arche angrily said. "You're risking your chance to meet your loved ones again. Think twice."

"Said whom?" the woman asked as she stared at her lifeless body before looking back at Arche. "I want to meet that bastard again; that's why I'm doing this."

"You can't d---" Arche couldn't finish whatever he's about to say when the woman held him by the neck without force, but still enough to stop him from talking.

"If you dare to stop me, then I'm left with no choice but to harm you before that bastard's family," she threatened. Arche stared at the woman in astonishment. For a few seconds, he studied her grudge-filled soul before taking her hand off his neck with one swift move. He stared at the woman dangerously as he held her by the neck before saying,

"That's if... you can kill me,"

The woman froze upon witnessing how Arche's expression changed. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her hands trembled when she tried to take Arche's hands off of her.

"W-who are you?" The woman asked in fear. "You're a human. How is it possible that you can harm me?"

Arche smirked. "How sure are you that I am a mortal?"

But Arche's smirk vanished when the woman laughed, seemingly unconvinced that he could take her down if he wished. Arche could only watch her as she laughed evilly before looking straight into Arche's eyes.

"Very sure," she replied before sending him flying over to the wall, making his back crash against the massive picture frame hanging on it. Arche winced in pain as he tried to get up from the shattered glass-covered floor.

"You're too weak for a Deity," the woman commented as she sauntered towards Arche.

THE VENGEFUL soul smiled at Sidapa with evident fear when he saw where they were. He nervously took a careful step backward when Sidapa took a step closer.

"Even if you throw me down there, you can no longer save her," the man said, trying to hide his fear.

Sidapa didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed the collar of the man's shirt and took a few steps forward while pushing the vengeful soul. He stopped right before he could push him down when the man suddenly spoke.

"You think you can balance the world after throwing me there? No. After finishing your job with me, you'll have to catch two more for causing trouble. And from those two, it will be three, four, five, until it becomes countless,"

"That will never happen,"

"Really?"

Sidapa stared at the man seriously before taking one more step forward.

"Not everyone is like you. Many had dared to become like you but ended up choosing the other way,"

The man sneered. "Then good luck. I hope your friend won't end up meeting me down there,"

"What do you mean?" Sidapa asked with gritted teeth.

"Your friend and my wife had probably met now," the man stated and smiled wider. "My wife has more than enough reason to become like me. I beat her up every single time, and I killed her. If your friend tried to stop her from being like me, what do you think might happen?"