Hollows Eve

Eve of the Black Spirit

.: HOLLOWS EVE CHAPTER 23 :.

Beyond the boundaries of the afterlife, right in-between the plane of non-existence, lies the world of purgatory. Purgatory stands as the perfect middle ground in which creatures known as hollows exist. They are called hollows due to their neutral loyalty to both sides of the existential spectrum. They are neither good, nor evil. They only exist to take, not to give. But they do however provide a substantial balance between the good and the evil…that balance comes in the form of the physical embodiment of death itself.

Lord Death, a being of insane power is the ruler of this world, the master of fate, and the orchestrator of destiny. He is the one who decides who lives…and who dies. With every passing death, he only grows stronger. Some might say his power is unlimited……others know of his true weakness. His only daughter….that of which he has named Grim Reaper, the one who is truly responsible for reaping the souls of the damned so the balance can continually be restored forever more. He and his daughter were very close, once… During his time in the world of the living he nurtured his daughter to cultivate strength within her so that she may weather even the harshest of storms.

But even then…the creeping feeling of fear, paranoia, and guilt has slowly been building and building for years, slowly and inconspicuously toiling away at her psyche, further distancing her from the truth behind death’s cold hand. But now that truth has been revealed to her…..and father & daughter are once again re-united.

“Well done Midnight…. you have grown so much. I knew back then you had the strength in you to protect others…..you just needed to overcome your own faults.” Said an ominous voice, coming from what was thought to be the Gashadokuro. However….its voice sounded more….human rather than spiritual. It was also a lot less deep, and more sentimental than anything, though there was still a degree of deepness in its voice.

Before Kaila could say anything, the gashadokuro in front of her began to fade away and dissolve into black dust right before her very eyes. The ectoplasm that formed from the gashadokuro began to turn into a massive black blob, as the dust coming from the monster's physical form swished around Kaila and came back to the ectoplasm itself to combine with it and form a single being…

This single being took on a human like appearance with legs, arms, and a head that wasn't a skeleton. His black aura flowed from his body and leaked out onto the ground, but then slowly went away revealing the true man behind the mask……A man with midnight blue hair, yellow eyes, a literal skeletal mask, and an all-black, sleek looking outfit.

Kaila watched as the man took off his mask and revealed his face to her…..“*gasp* ……….It…..It is you………Daddy….”

It was indeed the literal face of her father, Kazuyama Amiyuki. He was telling the truth. Kaila couldn't believe it, she was in denial all this time….but now here he is officially bringing the truth to light. “Hello my dear midnight….It's such a joy to see you again. After….so long.” Kazu opened up his arms to her for a hug. And just like a puppy running after a bone, Kaila ran burst into emotional tears and ran into her father's arms.

She cried tears of immense joy at seeing her father again after 9 years of living without him. She couldn't believe it was actually him! She was so overjoyed she could hardly muster up the words to explain herself to him. So Kazuyama simply patted her head and hugged his daughter back. “There there….it's alright. I told you I was here….you were never in any danger….I wish you would've taken my advice beforehand. Hmhmh.” He chuckled while hugging his daughter.

“Daddy!....It's been 9 years….9 years since I've ……I've missed you so much…..there was never a day or night where I went to bed….not feeling any guilt for losing you in the first place…….Even if you’re not living….it feels amazing to see you again….to have you hold me in your arms….Oh daddy I’ve missed you so much.” Kaila said with her eyes closed and her voice breaking.

“I've missed you too Midnight Bliss.” Kazuyama kissed his daughter's forehead and brought her back up, holding her hands. “The guilt you felt….That might’ve been my fault initially.” He said, taking blame for Kaila's false sense of security and protectiveness.

“Huh? ….But why?” Kaila questioned her father.

“I once told you to do something for me. Don't you remember what it was? Way back when?” Kazuyama explained to his daughter.

Suddenly, Kaila flashed back to when she was a child and remembered the words that Kazuyama imparted onto her before the day he died….

“You know I would never let anything happen to you right?”

“Of course!”

“And the spirits up above would never let anything happen to you either. They give us strength to protect each other…..and I know you don't exactly think so…but you are strong, strong like the night. I want you to think about that and hopefully…..it'll give you the strength to protect others as well. Don't ever let anything happen to anyone you care about when you grow old too. Ok?”

“OK!”

Those words echoed in Kaila's head, she wanted to protect her father, but felt so helpless when Kazuyama was shot that she couldn’t do anything about it. She was afraid of feeling helpless, helpless to do anything to protect the ones she truly loves and cares for. That fear combined with the world she acts in as the grim reaper amongst many other fears, terrified her….

“I did say that you have a lot of hidden strength within you. You've weathered a lot over the past few days. And I know that things have been so hard on you but….” Kazuyama was about to say something to his daughter, but she suddenly let go of his hands and started crying….

“Kaila? ….What's the matter?” Kazuyama said to her.

Kaila couldn’t help but sob….. “Why?......Was this all just some test of my strength? ….Please….i've been asking this question for far too long!....What’s the point of all this?! Why are you putting me through all of this TORTURE?!?!?!” Kaila yelled at her father. However he stood his ground and wasn’t taken back by his daughter's tenure and angst.

“It was to relieve you of your pain.” Kazuyama said while folding his arms. This actually surprised Kaila.

“In this world I knew you'd go in vulnerable, with the growing feelings of guilt and desperation settling inside of you I had no choice but to help you release them.” He grabbed his daughter's hands once again.

“What kind of father would I be to let you live in misery and guilt for my own death? The horrible nightmares you’ve suffered were always subliminal messages to you from me, but the doctors could never truly decipher them.” Kazuyama said as Kaila looked up at him.

“So….wait how did you know I….?” Kaila questioned.

“The eyes of death see all my dearest. I've been watching over you all your life, even when I wasn't there. I promised you that I'd never let anything happen to you, and I intended to hold true to that promise. That also includes you doing something to yourself…..” Kazuyama began to replay the events of the shooting in his head, and how Kaila was so terrified of losing her father for the longest time.

“When I saw your face behind that tree, I saw the look of fright and terror. That's when I knew I had to get up and do something before they got to you. I wasn't going to let anyone get away with shooting my daughter, even at the cost of my own life. And…..I guess I ended up paying the price. *gunshot goes off as the end of Kazuyama's shooting plays out*”

“And so…from this plane of existence….it took me awhile, but I tried my best to preserve the life I had created. I've done some things I'm not proud of, and others I am immensely proud of in order to get to where I am today. But all of this was for you, so you wouldn't have to live as a guilt-ridden young girl who's already scared of the world in its entirety. So that's why. That's why I put you through this…..I wanted you to access that hidden strength that I knew was inside you all along so you could protect the ones you love without inhibitions…..and now I think you've done it.” Kazuyama ran his hand through the top of Kaila's head as she looked up at him.

“Oh…..” Kaila once again shed tears, this entire time…even in death…..her father was always with her, just not right beside her. She hugged her father tightly and said…. “Thank you dad…..I love you.” with a smile on her face hidden from him as he was hugging up to his chest.

“I love you too Midnight.” Kazuyama returned the sentiment with an equally warm hug….

*******************************************************************

Meanwhile, in the castle of nightmares……Trouble was already brewing in the aftermath of the black castle raid as Steinman & Jack were hard at work trying to find out where Blood Rose & Dracula had went off too. Steinman began a study on the magical particles left over from Dracula's disappearance and traced the reishi output amongst several sources….one of which Jack wasn’t too happy about.

“GRRRRH!!! Dammit, I don't get it!” Steinman was busy mixing elixirs and magic together to try and come up with a potential magical solution, the magic was of course supplied by the witch-princess herself.

“What don't you get?” Amuki said leaning on her knees while sitting on the sidelines right next to Wolfie, who was eating a leftover demon limb from the earlier fight in the forest. He had picked one up on the way back…. And in case anyone asked, yes people DO eat in this world.

“I've tried mixing and matching solutions to try and figure out the DNA sampling of most witchlings in this universe, used the cremated remains of a fallen hollow to track down a connection to the magical power source, I've even combined elixirs to make up some sort of copy spell that mirrors the one that used the same amount of magic! But I can’t find out who the magic belongs too!!!” Steinman said, genuinely frustrated.

“Well DUH. I've already told you, you can't figure out someone's magic through science-y stuff.” Amuki said to him.

“I KNOW that…..You little brat…” Steinman said gritting his teeth. “What I'm trying to do is figure out where the output came from. I've tested certain DNA samples and tracked the reishi output far off from the kingdom of nightmare, but it seems like the magic’s hidden amongst an entire chain of magic or something! GRAH!!!” Steinman said, banging on his desk while nearly knocking over many other magic potions.

“….Well……” Amuki said out loud.

“Hmmm? You know something? IS THERE SOMETHING YOUR NOT TELLING ME CHILD?!?!” Steinman said with great fury and a vein mark on his head.

“Please don't yell…” Amuki said with a squeaky voice. “Well….yes there is something I know. I think there might be a certain reason why you can't feel the far-off output of reishi from such a far-away distance…….” Amuki started to look down….as if she was somewhat ashamed or saddened by what she was about to tell everyone.

“Hmm? You alright there?” Wolfie uttered.

Amuki's eyes were shadowed over, she looked like she was close to throwing up for a moment, and then shivered and gagged. “*cough* …..sorry…..it's just that I….had a theory as to where she might've gone.” Amuki said to them.

“Well what are you waiting for princess, TELL US!!!” Steinman yelled at her.

“HEY!!! You i***t! She said not to yell!!!” Wolfie got up and bonked Steinman on the head.

“OW! You damn mutt that hurt!!!” Steinman said back to Wolfie, he then turned his attention back to Amuki. “Well if you’ve got a theory then let's hear it.” Steinman said.

“…Over the skies of my home kingdom, Tejiran….where the witch hollows of this world once ran about freely……There exists magic that flows through the air to conceal the magical identity of all witches throughout the continent. This magic that exists flows like the northern lights that dance across the sky in the world of the living. This magic was given to us by a woman who crossed the line between hollow and a living angel….She was known as the white witch….but that's a story for another time.” Amuki said, as Steinman and Wolfie listened to her.

“Those northern lights conceal the magic of several kinds of witches, she gave us that magic because in the wrong hands….magic can do horrendous things. You've seen that come to light with Blood Rose's magic. That's why the Northern lights exist….we've seen them before. In fact we’ve seen them when we came through Tejiran on the way to the black castle remember?” She said while looking up at them from the tip of her witch hat.

Steinman replayed the events in his head, they were riding on the carriage to the black castle and he himself was driving said castle. He did remember looking to his left and seeing a flurry of colors dance across the sky.

“*gasp* ….I remember….so those colors in the sky….they weren't just-”

“-Some kind of fancy colored sky that you could only see in my kingdom? No….its just a sky….the colors that exist within the sky is all magic. Magic spreads throughout the kingdom…..and with that spell enacted, the white witch wanted to make sure that all witchlings were safe. Magic is an invaluable source of power….with it you can do anything….and if it got into the wrong hands…..then who knows what a terrifying demon could do with it!....” Amuki said with an ever-growing distress in her tone of voice.

She started to shiver even more at the possible explanation ….as she had come up with the worst possible scenario. “That's why…..I think I may know where she might be…..” Amuki said with her voice trembling.

“Wait….you don't think she's IN the Tejiran kingdom do you?” Wolfie said out loud.

“Woulda' been noice to have known this earlier love.” A familiar Australian accented voice said out loud. Jack had just entered Steinman’s lab and heard the situation.

“Jack…..” Amuki said while still sitting down, fairly disgusted with herself at the thought of Princess Blood Rose hiding in her home kingdom, tainting it with her demon stink, especially after she caused the deaths of thousands of witchlings in her home.

Jack walked forward and gave Steinman a directive. “Stein…..re-mix this elixir and re-run the numbers so we can get a readin' on the output of magic in the west. Then come back downstairs to the sacred chamber.” He then handed Stein a multi-colored elixir that seemed to possess all types of magic. “That there's a pure beaut. She's got a wally o' power, and within it are the same traces of magical energy used by Blood Rose. If ya' find somethin' , then come downstairs and tell me immediately.” He said.

With that being said, Steinman immediately went back to work. He used chemistry in order to re-mix the elixir Jack gave him and then ran it through several heated beakers in his lab. With a technological marvel he invented that could measure the output of magical energy, he used machines to determine what kind of magic it was…. What he discovered surprised him more so than anything he’s ever encountered.

“What……? There's no way…..? How can something like this be possible? It's illogical!” Steinman said in confusion.

Wolfie was busy scratching his own ear, when he overheard what Steinman was talking about. He approached him and was face to face with a giant tank full of magical energy, a tank in which he used to store energy and create seigans.

“What's the big deal? What did you find?” Wolfie asked him.

“I've measured the amount of magic that was poured into the elixir that pumpkin-head gave me and I ran it through the G-1000 machine…..the measures of magical output nearly broke my machinery. The funny thing is it didn't come from the northern lights in the sky. It came from the magical dust particles inside of the black castle….he must've managed to gather a sample of left over magic. Magic like this doesn't just fade away…..it exists everywhere, and is practically everything inside of the kingdom.” Steinman explained.

“Get to the point!” Wolfie said, getting rather annoyed with his professor-talk.

“*sigh* ….What I'm saying is that this kind of magical output isn't normal. It's nearly limitless. Magic in itself is nearly limitless in use….but witches are usually bound by one specific magic at birth. This one……it has a nearly limitless amount of uses…..”

*****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Jack & Amuki made their way downstairs towards the sacred chamber, Amuki walked with a rather slow form, she obviously was upset, but Jack paid it no mind at first. He simply walked downstairs with his arms folded.

However he looked to his right, as he was walking down the steps on the left side of the witch princess, and noticed her hands folded right in the lower middle of her body. She looked nervous, upset, scared, and distraught. “Oi. You alright?” Jack asked her.

“Yes…I'm fine.” Amuki lied.

Jack stopped in his tracks for a second, which also caused Amuki to stop as well, wondering why he would stop along the way to the chamber. “Jack, why'd you stop?” She asked him.

The next thing you hear is a slight scream from Amuki and something hitting the wall. Jack pushed her against the wall in an effort to get her to tell the truth. “Don't you lie to me princess…..you know I don't like lyin'. What's ya' deal? You’ve been quiet ever since you told us about that magic in the sky malarkey.” Jack said to her. Jack was generally concerned about her current state, this was simply just his way of asking.

Amuki shivered slightly as she began to speak. “I…..I'm…Gggh…..” Amuki shivered even more and then began to gag. “Hmm?” Jack backed away from her as Amuki covered her mouth. “The thought of that evil wench….inhabiting my home….GGHHH….” She gagged and threw up on the steps.

“I can't stand it…….It makes me sick to my stomach…..” Jack grabbed her shoulders and helped her up, clearly she was so overcome with horrible emotions…her deep, seething hatred for the demon princess was too apparent. So Jack helped her down the steps by throwing one arm over his shoulder.

“Yeesh……It's more bloody personal than I thought eh? Look we're gonna get the bloody she-devil in time. But I need you to keep it together. Don’t go blowin’ chunks on Lord Death's steps. 'Specially ova' some flower-lovin', demon ratbag.” Jack said to her.

“You don't understand…….” Amuki said as they continued to walk down the long steps.

“I never truly told you about what had happened a long time ago…….I was always afraid to re-visit it. But we have a personal history. Not just me & her….but witches & demons in general……” Amuki began to say.

“Hmmm? A personal history……do tell Sheila. What personal history?” Jack questioned, he did seem rather interested in her “Personal History” with demons. A history that dates back to when Witches were alive, prevalent, and plentiful in the world of Purgatory.

“Back then, when I was young…. the days in which witches would roam the kingdom of Tejiran freely were only a dream. The kingdom was so plentiful, beautiful, happy, and it seemed like Tejiran was the only place of beauty in this otherwise dark and dreary world. I remember it so fondly…….” Amuki said with her pink hair covering her eyes.

The screen cuts to white, as we begin to reflect on the past with Amuki revealing parts of her history to Jack in the form of a flash back…..

“The kingdom of Tejiran was beautiful, a crystal covered kingdom with lush trees, big palaces, and different villages based off of pagan architecture, as well as plenty of churches. We witches use magic, a form of energy that is more powerful than reishi or Nezā. With magic, there are limitless possibilities. You could do anything you want with it, and witches have that innate ability to use magic for any purpose…… That's why we were often the greatest enemy of the demonic forces of hell……”

In Amuki's flash back during the narration, we see glimpses of several other witches living, walking, and using magic all over the kingdom. The kingdom of Tejiran itself is arguably the most beautiful kingdom in purgatory, with its lush amount of plant life and dedication to raising beautiful gardens, the pagan-style castles, temples, churches & buildings, as well as the main centerpiece of the kingdom, Tejiran castle. The castle itself was a huge crystal-like structure that towered over the entire kingdom. It too had pagan inspirations, and even had two large pathways leading inside of it. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. In fact, the entire kingdom had a fairy tale sort of look.

Witches in the kingdom were fairly attractive, there were mostly female witches, however there DID exist male ones. Otherwise Amuki would've never been born. All witches utilize magic, but with a nearly limitless gift, comes a very hard price to pay for it….

“We were the envy and the bane of hell's forces. The demons of this world that exist even in purgatory itself were not only insanely jealous of our abilities, but they thought we were nothing but a mockery. They began to curse us….hunt us down…..and one by one they killed several of us until we decided to fight back. These would be known as the witch hunts………I was only 10 years old when stuff like this happened. And I was so sheltered at the time….I hardly remember anything…..”

The next thing we see is the burning of several fields outside of the kingdom, where demons gathered in seething rage and hatred for the witches who turned hell's first circle into a place of great beauty. They began coercing several hollows into their circle so they could hunt down several witchlings and kill them all, one of which was a tall demon lord with a regal appearance who had brown hair and a handsome, but malicious looking face.

He led the charge against the witchlings and started the witch hunts, as we began to see the brutal killings of several different witches. You could see witches impaled on trees, witches hanged on walls with bloody pentagrams painted into the walls themselves…..

Overtime, the witches of Tejiran decided they had enough, and fought back against the demons, igniting a war of their own...

“I was never really let out of the castle……My mother didn't want me to be involved, nor did she want me to encounter any demons until my magic was unlocked. So for most of my childhood, I spent my days inside of a castle.”

Amuki's mother, who looked like a black haired woman with a figure similar to hers, as well as a purple-colored dress with black straps , silver lining in the form of glittering designs on the sleeves and shoulders, and a large black bow wrapped around her waist, complete with a long purple & black witch hat on her head, sat with her daughter and patted her head.

This is where Amuki stopped talking about her past and just started crying…….for years she kept all of her emotions so bottled up……and never really told anyone about it. Except for Kaila of course…….Jack threw her arm back over his shoulder and continued walking.

“C'mon ya' bloody i***t…..let's take care o' this…..looks like ya' might be goin' home sooner than ya’ thought.” Amuki nodded, looks like her past has finally caught up to her as well. She didn’t want to…..but she had too. It was finally time for her to take back what rightfully belonged to her.

***********************************************************************

We now return to Eien no Hakaba, where Kaila and her father walked amongst a desolate yard full of graves and rising black spirits. The sky had finally reset from its blood red state and turned black with a bright, white moon shining down on the underworld. Kaila walked along the path of graves with her father, as black spirits swirled around them intensely, dancing and making ghoulish sounds.

“So….these things are called black spirits? And you control them?” Kaila asked her father as they walked.

“Yes. You can also control them as well. We death hollows have a distinct gift that not many other hollows have.” Kazuyama said while walking hand in hand with his daughter.

Kazuyama raised his hand and brought the black spirits too him. They all swirled around both of them and went right through him without damaging or tainting their spirits. “You see….the spirits that exist within the underworld of Purgatory itself are bound to me…to us. They are just wandering, soulless spirits who seek redemption, they seek salvation, they seek deliverance……but they never achieved it.” Kazuyama said to his daughter.

“Oh….so wait……then does that mean?” Kaila began to ask.

“Yes….this is essentially where they dead go to die. This……is the true form of Limbo. A realm of non-existence where nothing exists….and yet everything exists. If you die as a hollow, demon, or even an angel…..you go here and you no longer exist as a conscious being……just a mindless, spiritual ghost.” Kazuyama said as he perched one of the black spirits on his finger.

“They can take any form you require of them……And they exist to do the bidding of the death hollows….do you remember the mark I gave you Kaila?” Kazuyama asked his daughter.

Kaila's eyes expanded a bit, as she did remember the mark she was branded with….she peeled back the sleeve of her right arm that extended all the way in-between her fingers and looked at the singular red eye on her hand. It began to glow a bright red glow, signifying that she was closer to controlling her zetsu release.

“We are the overseers….the watchers…..the preservers…..the purveyors of death. Like Arceus said….you have a responsibility. And I intend to hold you too it Kaila. I brought you here to ordain you as the grim reaper so that you wouldn't be afraid anymore.” Kazuyama said as they continued walking.

“Now tell me…..are you afraid?” Kazuyama said.

Kaila looked at the mark of death’s eye on her right hand and then gripped her fist. “I was…..before……No more looking back. I'm ready.” Kazuyama tousled her daughter's hair.

“That's my Kaila-Chan. I knew you had the strength to carry on inside of you. You just needed help bringing it out. Now….I will be here to train you to use the reaper claw properly. But it will take more than getting over the past…..you'll also need to learn how to face the present. There's a lot you need to learn about the power of a death hollow.” Kaila looked at her father slightly confused.

“Huh?.....But dad I said I'm not afraid anymore. What else is there?” Kaila asked her father.

“You'll come to realize it in time. But promise me…..when the time comes, you'll face your fears. Promise?” Kazuyama asked his daughter while putting his hands on her shoulders.

Kaila blinked twice while looking back up at her father. Her look of slight confusion changed to that of determination. “Yes….I promise! I'll face my fears and conquer them next time. Whatever comes my way…..I know I'm not alone this time. So I have nothing to fear.” Kazuyama smiled down at his daughter, proud of what she's become.

“I'm proud of you Kaila-chan. Now……I think you're finally ready.” Kazuyama said.

“Ready? ….Ready for what?” Kaila asked her father.

“I think you're finally ready to become my right-hand woman….”

.: TO BE CONTINUED :.