Day Forty-One: Tea for two
2188 Words
(Kaiser's POV)
Dark.
Was the first thing that came to my mind when I opened my eyes.
It's not the darkness when you woke up in the middle of the night or when you woke up and something's covering your eyes.
It's an uncomfortable darkness, that stir fear in one's heart.
I don't know where I am. And I'm hella sure this is not the medical room.
I could see an endless horizon of pure black from where I'm currently standing.
And yes, I'm standing. I woke up standing here in this world of darkness.
It's like the opposite of Regarde's plain.
Anyway.
"Where am I?" I whispered.
I'm sure there's someone here other than me. I could feel their gazes.
"Welcome" A voice echoed in my head.
I didn't look anywhere, and only stared infront. I'm sure that they are there.
How can I say? A gut feeling. I could tell that they are infront of me, yet not. I can't really explain it.
"A lost one" the voice once again echoed in my head.
"Who are you?" I asked as I stared infront.
I could not tell if the person speaking is a man or a woman, the voice is to heterogeneous to be easily known. Added with the echoes of other voices... makes me want to get out of this place, ASAP.
"Someone who's looking for someone" it said.
Someone who's looking for someone?
"Are you looking for somene?" I asked. That's an idiotic question to be honest.
"I am looking for someone" it said.
"Who are you looking for?"
"I am looking for someone"
You already said that!
"I can't remember who it is" the voice said.
Wait, what?
"You're looking for someone, yet you forgot who they are?" I asked, confused was I that my head begin to hurt.
"I had found them... But, they disappeared once again" the voice said, sadness could be felt from it.
"I stretched my arms towards them.Yet, they took another's hand" it added.
'Why am I even listening to this?' I thought.
"Where am I?" I asked as to change topic. I would go bananas if it continues.
"A lost one" it said "He is inside my domain"
Did it answer my question or was it talking about another person? F*ck it, I'll assume it's me.
"What am I doing here?" I asked.
"The lost one was brought here by the 《¤■◇●》"
The what now?
"Could you repeat that again? I wasn't able to understand the last word"
"The lost one. He was brought here by the 《¤■◇●》"
Yeah... I still can't understand it. But, I'll worry about that later.
First things first.
"Why was I brought here?"
I could guess a reason why, due to the similarities of this domain to Regarde's. A God's domain, it may have something to do with the divine punishment I received.
And as if agreeing to me, the voice confirmed my words.
"He was brought here, to save his life"
"His soul was damaged to a critical extent" it added.
What?! My soul was damaged to that degree?!
Panic. I looked at myself. Regarde said that only souls could enter the God's domains, and he was right.
My body is packed with holes, as if I was gunned to death. My right shoulder to my right chest gone, as if gnawed by something. The fingers on my hands, reduced to 3. My left leg gone from the toes to the knee. I don't know how my head fare though.
"《¤■◇●》 said to cure him. But Laura, doesn't want to cure the lost one. Laura said that the lost one should be punished more, and the other 《¤■◇●》 agreed to her " the voice echoed again.
Laura...? Why is that name sounds familiar? I think I've heard Regarde mentioned that name... One of the Great Gods? The God of Life?
So the thing that I haven't understood now was the word 'Gods' but in a different term?
Anyways.
Those Gods sure hate me a lot.
"So then, am I going to be punished again?" I asked.
If I'm going to be punished, I don't know if my soul would be able to handle the damage. But, I think that's what they want.
"Gist said no" the voiced echoed "Gist want the lost one returned back to Ashura"
The God of Creation? He didn't said to heal me, but just return me? I'm sure I'll be able to survive somehow if I was returned in this state, but I don't know how long I'll last. A day? Two? No, it might only be for a minute or two. That's death itself.
"But I don't want the lost one to return in his current state" the voice said.
Then the darkness that covered the ground, became sand, black sand. And the sky a shade of purple with a red sun on the horizon. A sea of pitch black also appeared.
'Well damned' I thought.
Then a purple table appeared infront of me, along with two chairs, a pot and two small cups.
"A tea set?" I said, frowning as I inspect the other chair.
A vague shape of a person sat on the chair.
"I want the lost one to be healed, death isn't a wonderful thing" it said.
"You're... Reil, right?" I said.
Darkness was what Regarde told me about her.
Reil, the Goddess of Death and Destruction, a God that keeps looking for someone since the ancient times.
"I am her, Reil. The one who brings death and destruction" she said.
I could not see her face due to the black veil covering her head, but I could tell that she's incredibly beautiful.
"Does the lost one wants to join this 'Reaper'?" she said, as her pale slender hands take the small tea cup infront of her.
"A tea for two... huh" I said and sat down on the purple chair infront of me.
"...Surprising" Reil muttered "The lost one is the first to join this 'Reaper's' invitation."
"Well, You can do something to help me so I don't mind joining you on this one" I said.
"The lost one is calm? Why is he feeling calm despite being infront of this 'Reaper'? I don't know why..."
Same question... I don't know why, but I feel extremely calm right now. My head feels so clear, and my heart at ease.
It must be due to my skills, but I've been trying to open my status window for a while now, and it never showed up. Must be a restriction, and that also means that the calmness I'm feeling is not due to my skills...?
Anyways, that head tilting she's doing while resting her head on her slender pale palm, is extremely cute.
I won't say it though.
"So, why does the Goddess of Death and Destruction want me healed?" I asked.
"Death... isn't a wonderful thing for the lost one..." she said as she put her cup down.
"The lost one experienced and will experience deaths if he dies now"
What does that mean...? Experienced and will experience? I know I'll experience death if I die, but how will I continue to experience it even if I'm dead? Resurrection? Or is something going to happen in my real world?
"...What do you mean?" I asked, hesitantly.
I want to hear the answer, yet I don't want to hear it. I don't know how I'll act if I knew.
As if knowing my struggle, Reil shook her head, the black veil sway and showed her pale skin underneath it.
"The lost one. He is destined to 《■■■■》" she said.
Another word that I couldn't understand appeared. Or so I thought.
"Hmm? I can't speak of the word? Why?"
It seems, it was censored... Why though? Ah! Destiny. If one speak of destiny, time would also be related, so that means, if she spoke of the word, things would greatly change...?
Time is one complicated sh*t.
"The lost one is truly pitiable..." she said, her voice is truly filled with pity.
Yeah... I truly am.
I was transported in a forest filled with monsters and the first one I saw was a 5 meter monstrosity. I couldn't hunt for proper food source when I'm still level one. Those dog bastards almost killed me, not once but twice. And I was given Divine punishment for inspecting a stone filled with divine energy... Haa... Truly unfortunate.
That said, does she know what happened to the Manticore?
"Goddess Reil" I called "Do you know what happened to the Manticore that was chasing me?"
"The Manticore? He died" she said, without a change in the tone of her voice.
He died...? How? I'm sure that monster was just chasing me before.
"This 'Reaper' took his soul" she said, and a black orb of something appeared.
I could see something inside...
"The 《¤■◇●》 played with the lost one, and summoned this kitten" she said as she showed the inside of the black orb.
A beast with a head and body of a lion, tail of a scorpion and wings of a bat. The Manticore is inside.
"...Why is that there?" I asked, I don't know why, but I feel something incredibly wrong here...
"This kitten tried to kill the lost one. The lost one should not be killed according to 《●□●□●》. The lost one must stay alive, that's why this 'Reaper' took it's soul so that this kitten could repent" She said, her voice echoed.
"《●□●□●》 said that the lost one, would be able to find them, that's why I can't let the lost one die"
So it's not really because she cares about what would happen to me, it's just that she expects me to find that person she's looking for... Welp, I more or less expected that.
This whole time, she hasn't let a suppressive aura nor any killing-intent, that must mean that she really doesn't want to injure the soul of the person that could help her.
But... I don't know who she is looking for though.
Anyways, what's with the unknown words?
Speaking of unknown words.
"Goddess Reil, do you know why my class and name does not show?" I asked.
I expected her to know as she is a Goddess, but contrary to my expectations, she didn't say anything.
"Goddess?" I called.
'Did I say something wrong?' I thought as I waited for her to anwer.
"...The lost one. What is his name?"
I frowned at her words. I didn't answer.
She does not know my name? Regarde knew my name... So why didn't she know it? I know Gods are not that omniscient, but didn't Regarde told them about me?
"What is his name?" she asked again.
Should I answer her? Or not? I could not lie either...
But I got this feeling that if I told her my name, be it John or Kaiser or both, I'd die. My instinct tells me so.
What should I do?!
"What is his name?" she asked again, her voice that was as calm as an unperturbed river, now overflowing with unknown rage.
"The lost one. What is his name?"
*Gulp*
I gulped dry saliva as the once calm darkness, began to tremble. My calmness gone, and my mind become muddy.
I can't think of a way out...
"Tell me the lost one's name" she commanded.
Haa... Haa... Haa...
"...Ka-i!" I screamed "My name is Kai!"
"Is... that so?" Reil said, her voice returned to how they were before.
The darkness calmed once again, and the pressure disappeared.
Haa... Haa... Haa...
I struggled breathing as the pressure was gripping onto my very being, as if a hand was carefully yet powerfully caressing my heart.
I didn't lie about Kai being my name, welp it's more like a nickname that a certain student council treasurer used to call me.
"The lost one is Kai... He is not the person I'm looking for..." Reil muttered, her voiced tinged with sadness.
I'm not sure why I felt threatened to say my name... But, I better be careful when asking about my status window...
"Ah! It is time. The lost one, Kai. I thank he for joining this 'Reaper' for a tea, I bid he farewell, may we meet again"
I nodded my head. My soul started to return to normal as I stood up.
"Thank you Goddess Reil" I said as I stared at her. Then darkness enveloped me.
'May we never meet again... In this type of way' I thought. And my soul left her domain.
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[Notification]
A Title have been acquired.
-One Who Faced Death-
~He who saw death and survived, should not be trifled with.
All stats increased by 10.
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So I was having a tea party with death herself... Ahh, my chuuni heart.
- Writer
