The Crooked Silhouette

Chapter 8: The Wondering Woman-like

The path to the exit of the warp ended with a pinpoint hole, and soon after he stepped out of it, he found himself lost in the darkness of The Forest of Eve – if only he was right about the destination he and the other four should have landed. He moved his course around to discover where the exact part of The Forest of Eve he has arrived with impunity. The trees, the atmosphere, the air he breathed in, and even the weather were definitely different to The Dimension, and he might have culture shock as he remained longer there.

            Steps on dried leaves were always unpleasant since it usually revealed one’s location according to the direction it emitted from. It was absolutely bad for someone who concealed, and he was one of them. If only he had psychic power to remove the dried leaves without erupting any noise or causing any unwanted calamity like Tsuya, he would always be grateful of it.

            Nevertheless, he did not loathe his minor ability of mind influencing. He could read someone else’s mind and control him without the need to alter his memories or logics. Mind altering would be another Zodiac’s secondary ability which he detested it too much because it could resist his power to that particular victim. But, he would avoid mind supremacy at his best since it was not his natural characteristic to coerce others to conform to him.

            “Too much daydreaming,” he shook his head, shooing his negativity engulfing his mind. He concentrated on his mission assigned by Tsuya – finding a Human and bringing him to The Dimension.

            It was impossible for him to not try his minor ability upon Tsuya after watching him blowing up Sasori’s tail. He attempted for nth times until he secretly panted of exhaustion. He never knew Tsuya’s original intention on this mission since his power could not penetrate the latter’s mind. All he could say was Tsuya was no ordinary Spirit to be pranked on.

            He has ensured his steps as silent and flawless as he should be. Later, he knew he was not the only one having difficulties to adapt to the vast dried leaves on the ground.

            “Tsk!” something chirped in disagreement.

            He abruptly rushed to hide behind the closest tree from his spot. He peeped over to find out something – or someone – has gotten lost in the forest too. Almost like him. He squinted despite his pupil dilating to suit the darkness. A Human strode through the shrubs and kept on crushing the dried leaves, like him too.

            The Human was quite tall, possibly taller than the one he saw at his Valley last time. He several times ducked to avoid the branches and hanging weed from them. The Zodiac had the urge to accost him even though he was so certain The Human might jump of fright soon after they confronted each other. Ignoring the crumpling sound beneath his stripped shoes, he approached The Human with a real poker face shown.

            “’Sup.”

            “Who’s that?”

            He saw The Human froze on the spot. He did, too, unknowingly.

            “My name is Otome. I’m from The Dimension, coming here to take you there.”

            “Who’re you to be exact?”

            Geez. This Human could not understand the entire situation. Otome furrowed, looking for the best vocabulary to clarify and simplify the position they were in.

            “Can you, by all means, take me to my brother Tadashi?”

            “You what?”

            “My brother. His name is Tadashi. Can you take me to him?”

            The Zodiac owning the name Otome tilted his head on one side as The Human was the one requesting, replacing the fear he should be undergone soon after they met face to face. He was so keen that he appeared as a whole before The Human – no missing limbs or head due to their transportation through The Deity’s Gate – hence The Human should be able to perceive his large body and womanish attire. His face was not like The Humans as well – having super perfect face was one of his biggest point as a Virgo.

            “I frankly don’t know anyone named Tadashi,” came as the reply.

            “You’re not a Human, right? You must be coming from The Heaven.”

            “Even if I did, I didn’t know anyone named Tadashi.”

            “Then please bring me to your world. Let me find him myself.”

            “You surely are a silly brat.”

            Bickering with this Human squandered his time undoubtedly. He pissed off since wasting time was not his favourite, thus he dove into The Human’s mind instead. Divulging each of his memories gave him the opinion of his dark past whelming his days, and it worsened from one particular point.

            Including the Human, there were four friends, inseparable and undying. Different background allured them together, and The Human did not seem to endure agony. Otome discovered the fact that he had lost his big brother, Tadashi, from an accident at his tenth years of living, and he behaved so relentless since then. His another three friends never stopped helping him emotionally, plus a new one he gained one year later also supported him wholeheartedly. He could distinguish their identities as Tatsu, Hikari, Kei, and the new friend Koichi. Otome even witnessed the resembling face Tatsu had just like Tsuya, and he could not grip his shivering hands. He quickly left The Human’s mind as pounding heart and spinning head did deteriorate his confidence on conquering him and later return to The Dimension together.

            “You- Your name is Takeru,” Otome mumbled as he dipped deep enough to discover the friends he had, and one of them was a doppelganger to Tsuya, “Tadashi is your late big brother. But too bad, I don’t see him anywhere there, believably a Spirit now.”

            “A Spirit? What Spirit?”

            The gap reduced but not by Otome. Takeru drew himself towards Otome to the point The Zodiac could sense his eagerness. Depending by his tallness, Takeru stretched out his arms, grasped Otome’s both shoulders, and eyes fixated on Otome’s. The sensation was easily tackled by this Human, and Otome could say he has plotted wrongly this time.

            “I shouldn’t get involved in his memories in the first place,” Otome’s temple had fine veins visible. “This Human’s too longing to meet his brother that he really trusts me as a non-Human. Non-Earthling!”

            Relying solely on his physical ability in martial arts, Otome evaded Takeru’s wrists simultaneously and shoved his palm towards the latter’s face, producing brief wind brushing against the skin. Takeru startled at Otome’s rapid response and reckoned him having fast reflexion despite possessing quite thin body for a two-meter stature as him.

            “You regretted your brother’s death too much that you wanted him to be alive again. But I wonder why you don’t commit suicide.”

            “It’s because I know my brother won’t like it that way. I must at least keep on living the world.”

            “As a doting little brother, I must say you’re faithful.”

            His long leg kicked Takeru’s lower limbs off the ground, causing Takeru to fall onto his butt – just in case if he was about to attack him judging from his stance and build-up, Otome has foundered him. He groaned painfully, and looked up to Otome who gave his hands.

            This Human is so pitiful, he thought. The tragedy he spectated during his childhood remarkably deprived him in many aspects but he stayed alive notwithstanding the horrendous history. He lost his confidence in living his youth but he did not give up his life. Unexpectedly the reminiscence of The Human who got lost in The Virgo Valley emerged into his view. The Human was quite young – too young to even guess he would enter The Dimension inadvertently. Nevertheless, he enclosed a truth from everyone as he still could not divulge the actual reason behind the incident.

The Human was not dead. He vanished right after three hours of staying in The Virgo Valley and walking around aimlessly. He even had the chance to bump into Otome, enquiring for directions, before he dissolved into the atmosphere.

            “I still can’t interpret what Human with two-phase of life means.”

            Takeru clenched on Otome’s hand, getting up since he has proven himself quite terrible in close combat.

            “I’m sorry for my rudeness. Hopefully you don’t crack your hip bones up,” It was a good try on creating a very casual conversation by Otome, but he considerably failed as Takeru did not seem to get it. “It’s a habit of mine to test anyone I’ve met for the first time in order to know how he/she faces me head-on.”

            “No sweat. I’m all right,” Takeru just laughed it off.

            From a glance he caught on the relaxed Takeru, he loosened his scrunched face. “Let me be honest. I am a Zodiac from The Dimension coming to take Humans from The Earth. A Spirit named Tsuya was the one assigning us. A Spirit is a creature reincarnated from dead Human, and since we need to meet him, I guess you could ask him about your brother Tadashi.”

            Takeru’s face brightened up in delight as a substitute to the expression he wore when Otome out of the blue knocked him down. Otome sounded as if he could really reconcile Takeru with Tadashi, in fact he did not even know what Tsuya would do once they gathered the five Humans he appealed for. Eyes averted away from Takeru’s as they glittered, hoping for miracle to be bestowed on him. A long sigh escaped from Otome.

            It was not a bad perception though. He himself was fascinated to figure out what Tsuya schemed to accomplish, or what explicitly Tsuya was. Implementing Tsuya’s plot was almost the only option left, unless there would be one additional character which unrelated to him that would act as the fourth point of view.

            “Before I got swayed by my own daydreaming, better if we move by now.”

            Takeru eventually nodded concurring Otome’s theory. Otome could smile in relief.

            Stretching out his one hand, he then drew an invisible magic circle in the air. The circle glowed yellowish in colour, giving off light source upon themselves as the adjacent to it. A door sprung up, superseding the shining yellowish circle forged by him, thus cracking The Human’s gaping mouth. As Takeru working hard on grasping the realism enforced before his eyes, Otome gave out his hand as a sign to follow him onwards.

            “I will bring you to a new world,” he said, more to a vow.

            Assuredly Takeru grabbed Otome’s big hand as a sign of his agreement. They both paced into The Deity’s Gate opened by Otome, experiencing the same head and limb detachment and everything returned back to normal once their view interchanged from a pitched dark to a sunny Forest of Eve in The Dimension.

            Tall trees with blue or red fruits dangling on them definitely staggered Takeru since he was physically and mentally a Human – an Earthling – who never saw oval banana and blue watermelon, or the ground swallowing up an apple stalk let off by a mini squirrel. None of the edible fruits he viewed was seen on The Earth and he surely would not believe his own eyes. He could possibly rate them as ploys of vision instead.

            “They are not fakes,” Eyes rolling as to Otome, Takeru was a little childish since they set their feet on The Dimension. “They all are eatable even though some of them are poisonous. But no worries. We, The Zodiacs could everything here. The toxin only affects the bugs and animals- Oh, I’m sorry,” Merely because he has not gotten someone he gained excitement while talking to, he forgot what Takeru really was. “You’re a Human after all.”

            “Um, I’m pretty hungry to not eat.” Takeru naturally picked a turquoise apple and took a bite, “You may recommend me this first if you know I could eat it like a normal food. I would suggest you this if only I was a local.”

            The Human Otome has brought to The Dimension had very plain mind, as if he never grew up and stayed as a kid. He was not, obviously observed from his body development, yet Otome never read his past memory of bad deed like stealing, lying, or even pranking on people. He was very honest or probably naïve, thus it satisfied the bewilderment Otome has been enduring since the moment he saw him. He did degenerate himself since Tadashi’s passing by eating less and dispiriting, but he never took it as a motive to be mischievous. Such mind saved Takeru from apparently attempted on suicide.

            “Takeru, I will bring you to Tsuya.”

            Their eyes locked. Takeru gulped the lump in the throat. The awkwardness surfaced tarnished the tastiness he savoured from the turquoise apple.

            “I’m sorry. Tsuya is who again?”

            “The Spirit who gave this task of seizing Humans.”

            That Human reappeared in his imaginary theatre. The scene which The Human who supposed to only ask about the ways in The Virgo Valley suddenly evaporated in the air, occurring right before his eyes. Neither long nor short sightedness would engrave a doubt upon the incident, and he had faith in himself more than the others. He was nonetheless The King of Virgo Valley.

            Resolving on what the next action would be, Otome candidly has not planned yet. Surrendering Takeru to Tsuya was the original conclusion, however he considered to change the programme. Humans with two-phase of life was a stuff he has not discovered, but realizing that he might lose the occasion once Takeru was handed to The Spirit, he might as well investigate it by himself first.

            “Takeru the Human,” with arms crossing against his chest, Otome declared, “I will teach you how to survive on The Dimension so that you could stay alive if you could travel to other Valleys one day. But first, I will divulge to you what The Dimension is.”