"Please, reserve yourself, young Shiitake."
There's a conversation heard faintly outside, it seems to be Bino and an old man.
"HRNG...! I ASKED for HOSIAH— not this USELESS GADGET." wires and steel clanked and crashed with each other.
"But ma?tre', this is the latest advance—"
"It's UNRELIABLE. I need that Lodian, only he can safely do it, NOT SOME ALTERNATIVE!"
"...Alright ma?tre'."
"sigh... It's almost time, I have to walk *inaudible* to school. DON'T leave Aunt alone..."
It all feels like a long dream, as if I fell asleep on a pool of water, and I'm just drifting endlessly... feeling the graces of comfort. I feel as if my head were laid on the lap of my mother, caressing my hair and talking me out of distress. I still have my eyes closed, not because I want to. I just... can't wake up from this dream yet, it's been so long since I've slept this well... I deserve this...
…but that scent... It's urging me to get up.
an aroma so good— it's pulling me out of languor.
Dad's cooking, isn't it...?
CHAPTER III
In a small and secluded house past a forest, the Dauze estate...
It was silent early in the morning. There was a solemn feeling plaguing it, with all the lights closed and only the natural golden hues of the sun lighting the halls and open rooms inside. It felt as if nobody was home, though a very appealing scent of pork meat was prevalent throughout.
. "augh~" The eldest son of the family had just woken up, he was sitting on the side of his bed with both his arms covering his head. He glanced all around the room, observing the surroundings. It was his room, but it felt renovated and changed— his desk was no longer by the window, the room became wider, the closet was removed entirely, and there were drawings on the wall done by what seems to be a child. It doesn't quite feel like 'his' room.
He stood up, and followed the delicious scent that caused him to wake in the first place. Walking out the room, and through the wooden hall, every step made the oak floor creak loudly, as there were no other sound but the environment outside. He felt strange as he walked through the furniture, most especially the glass panes reflecting himself. At the edge of his eye he would see a completely different reflection with bright colors and an obscure face, all of which returns to normal just as he turns to it. Though, right now, he pays it no mind.
He notices Nastashia's room, and stops for a while.
. "Nastashia...? Are you there?" he calls out facing the door.
But there's not a response. He tries to open it, but it was locked. 'Nastashia might be at school', he thought.
He continues his way, down the staircase and inside the kitchen. Still, the house was void of other people. But, on the table, there was steaming hot food— a cooked dish with what could contain pork, with sides of beans and mashed potatoes. It seemed like it was prepared for him as he woke up. He opens the drawers to get his spoon, and the top cabinet for a plate.
A slice of the pork, a spoonful of mashed potatoes, veggies for side, and some rice and a boiled egg cut to pieces— he started to feast.
Every bite was an extremely delicious burst of energy. Somehow, he felt nostalgic with how this tasted, but he was starting to get worried not knowing anything or what could've happened. After a drink of water, that had never tasted as good as now, he started to look around the house for clues. For his two little sisters to be gone at this time is reasonable, but his mother or even his father had no presence.
Suddenly, the front door creaked open. It was visible from the windows of the kitchen wall. Gachizen was blinded by the intruding sunlight, letting down his plate on the glass tabletop. Strong winds blew in from outside, and Gachizen peeks through his fingers.
A shaded figure walked in, a humanoid with an odd, whirling shape holding what seems to be a long stick in their hands. They stood there for seconds, seemingly staring back at Gachizen, whose eyes were still blurry and unclear.
As the winds wound down, and the sun less bright, the figure slowly reshaped into that of a smaller, more recognizable build, and she gently spoke...
. "Zenny...?" exclaimed a motherly voice.
. "Ah... Good morning Mom, where have you—" "...!"
Sheila rushed toward him, dropping what seemed to be a towel, and hugged him tight. She was covered by dirt and even lumps of wet mud. She wore her gloves that were old and ragged, noised by sediments of the ground, but Gachizen didn't even budge.
He hugged her just as tight.
. "The food is delicious" he said.
. "Dad made that—" Sheila was beaming, her voice was slightly shaky, but you could tell it's filled with all relief and pure joy. "I knew it was gonna wake you up, heh~"
She lets go of Gachizen, rubbing off a piece of dirt on his cheek, she wasn't crying at all, but her eyes were slightly red. She showers him with a dozen of kisses, before letting him stand undisturbed.
. "Zenny, I missed you" gently whispered Sheila.
. "I miss you too..." Gaten also whispered "where's Dad?"
. "He's not here anymore" she replied, "he should've stayed one more day..."
. "Oh... It's fine Mom, I'll call him later using Bino's phone..."
. "Zenny, your father may have just left, but if he could he'd rush down here and stay for a month."
. "Yup" Gachizen takes a seat, continuing to eat his platter. "Mom, your cooking has gotten SOOO good! What happened???" he said holding up the plate.
. "No, no, Dad made that." Sheila replied
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
. "I...I knew it...!" remarked Gachizen, Sheila was giggling, now very enthusiastic. Both mother and son bonded, there hasn't been a time like this where only they were together with the entire house to themselves.
. "Y'know, a lot of things happened..." Sheila's tone felt a little Bino-ish, but at least she's a bit more cheerful now. "But I'll tell you ALL about it later when Kana and Bino come home."
. "Huh? Wait what about Nastashia...? " Gachizen halts for a second
. "Don't worry Zenny, she's in her room."
Gachizen stares confused, prompting Sheila to elaborate on her statement, "She's sick right now but already being treated by a doctor, a Lodian visiting town." she walks to the front door, picking up the towel on the floor that she had dropped.
. "It's almost afternoon, Zenny." Sheila grins, turning her eyes slightly to Gachizen. She's hinting at something.
. "Wh-what's happening?" Gachizen takes the last bite off the pork dish.
. "You should surprise Bino, he really misses you too." uttered Sheila
. "Come on Mom, surely I wasn't asleep for too long though...? I wasn't hurt that much—! "
Sheila was taken aback, she couldn't respond as if she didn't know what to say. Gachizen starts to worry more about himself having noticed this. "I-I'll get dressed then—!!"
. "You can wear that," Sheila interrupts Gachizen, he turns to her confused, "Your auntie Juthia will pick you up, our car's outside already, just tell her where to go."
. "Our car..." Gachizen walks out the house with Sheila holding his hand. They tread through the now bigger Garden, it expanded after 'some time', filled with expensive and exotic flowers that exuded a unique floral aroma. "Wow... oh wow, you've been busy—!"
. "Hm! The house looks better now, right?" mentioned Sheila
. "Yah!"
Now by the estate's gates, and like Sheila said, one of the Shiitake family's butlers was waiting in the car. The butler, Juthia, glanced at Gachizen through the window, evidently startled, though she had to regain her composure. As Gachizen walked closer and out of the gate of the estate, it revealed a line of expensive cars lined up affront, all filled with butlers wearing their expensive black suits.
. "W-woah..." Gachizen is at a complete loss for words.
Sheila kissed him on the cheek, as Gachizen did to her too. He goes in the car, greeting Juthia.
. "Drive safely, auntie~!" Sheila said worryingly. After a nod of her head, Juthia rolls her window closed and started driving.
Slowly through the path toward the town, Gachizen observed there to be much taller and smoother fences from both sides of the path throughout, all of which were see-through. There also were now lights imbued with high quality Pulkk energy installed every now and then.
He noticed some people dressed as hunters clad in green and brown and yellow walking around in the deep parts of the forest past the glass walls— they could be watch groups, but it was strange how as the car passed, not one of them didn't turn and stare precisely at who seems to be Gachizen himself. At their distance from the car, their faces were blurry to him, but it was enough for him to observe their eyes locked with his.
Though, Gachizen payed no mind seeing how his mother and the butler reacted to him beforehand. He engages Juthia in a casual conversation, where he learns he has been in a coma for 5 months. Gachizen felt nervous as they approached the CEA, especially now they're affront the city gates. His hands were interlocked, but his sights swiftly snapped to Asofus Atopuscele, which for some reason felt so much more majestic to him.
****
****
The sun had just hit the crown of the prestigious academy, dispersing its rays of light from the windows to every crevice of the pale white interiors of the architecture. As quiet and sacred this part of town is, the students strode gently and with order out their study place. It was only further down the hill where the groups of friends began to chatter and become loose in their footsteps.
Bino walked out all prideful as usual, whispering to a couple of his other friends. As he walked down the long flight of stairs, his splendid vision immediately spotted the figure of a long-known friend sitting on his usual bench far up the path on the hill. Bino starts to sneak toward him, his face highlighting a very mischievous grin.
Gachizen was dozed off.
His mind wandered, held by an astonishing sight— that of the base of the Sky Dungeon. Although, this feeling wasn't just of admiration, it was abnormal for the beating of his heart suddenly starting to accelerate. His body was out of his control, he can't take his eyes off of it, he was gradually becoming barren and pale.
But in the midst of this—
. "GRAH-!!!"
Gachizen flew up from his seat as his wits jumped back at him— actually, Bino did.
. "HAHAHAHAHA—!" Bino laughed out loud, shortly before hugging his long-lost best friend as much as all his collective muscle strength could muster (extremely tight). This time, however, he will not let go for a while. "You dare go on a coma without telling ME—?!" he said gleefully.
. "That's— not my fault—" Gachizen struggled to utter his words, as he was powerless to the forceful and mighty oppression of Bino's Hug filled with love.
. "So do you feel ANYTHING AT ALL!?" Bino was still smiling wide
. "W-what—?!" grunted Gachizen
. "Do you feel AWAKENED?!" Bino finally lets him go. Gachizen takes a step back, gasping for air, and stretching his static limbs back to shape. Bino starts to speak excitingly, "Gaten-boy, ZEN-BOY! Do you feel any more different than before?!"
. "Huff*- whadoyoumean...? HUFF*— " wearingly replied Gaten, holding on to the arm stand of the wooden bench before laying back on his spot on the seat.
. "Y-know, Y-KNOW ME— I've been studying spirits for years, and there's a high chance you're keeping one right now!" Exclaimed Bino while helping Gaten tidy up his clothes. He sits next to Gaten.
. "HAAH?!" Gaten turns to him with an expression of a puzzled man. "Bino— huff* —I just got in an accident but I don't feel any different, there's NO WAY I underwent an awakening DURING A COMA." he uttered with annoyance.
. "Hey— Hey— A NEAR-DEATH experience is NOT just any accident, BESIDES I'm just checkin' you out, who knows maybe you HAVE—"
. "Bino. Let's just say I did have a near-death experience," Gaten interrupts Bino, "but you know, that's about it... Nothing else happened or should have happened, I'm telling you! I'm just the same old me before... that."
Bino stares at Gaten with a blank expression, lumping down the wooden bench.
. "But hey, Bino," Gaten speaks thrillingly, "I may or may not have heard the voice of the JIN herself."
Bino's eyes became rosy and bright, sitting straight back up from his abhorrently bad posture beforehand. "SO THERE WAS A SPIRIT—!" he shouted
. "No— I just heard it, and it's probably not a spirit."
. "Oh, so the JIN is a girl now-?" Bino swiftly replied, his tone slightly intrigued.
Gaten turns to him with a smile, acting out what he described the voice to be, "It was a gentle, and loving voice of a woman. Her voice was actually extremely soft— mind you!"
. "...Now I really wanna die." stated Bino, he looked extremely serious when he said that.
. "hahaha- I'm just kidding, Bino... But... It was a feminine voice that I heard, though I'm not too sure if it would be the same for everyone." Gaten explained, he went silent for a few seconds, starting to recollect within his memories the exact feeling of that moment, "Though I was drowning, I didn't really feel any pain, but... I did know I was gonna die."
"...!"
"..."
Bino was quiet, lending his ears to his friend as he continued to tell his story. As the breeze past through them, carrying along an array of shattered leaves, Gaten kept going...
. "...It felt very comforting, like I was laying on the surface of a large calm body of water or snow, and nothing disturbed my peace, but the tender lullaby of the sweetest voice I've heard all my life. I actually don't recall what I saw, but it was definitely, DEFINITELY the calling of Death... It's not that scary now that I saw it."
They both stare at the clear skies above for a few moments, it calmed their nerves down— especially Gaten's.
. "Anyway, wanna eat some dessert somewhere?" he voiced suddenly, he looked a lot better— less pale and more alive, compared to a few moments ago.
. "Bet. But why not just eat lunch at a restaurant?" ecstatically replied Bino, he too was getting his energy up.
. "I ate at home." said Gaten
Tthey both stand from their seat and start to walk down the sacred hill toward the Noon Plaza. Bino cozily puts his arm around Gaten's shoulder.
. "How did the thing even happen?" asked Bino
. "It's a long story."
Juthia was watching them the whole time, now following far behind.
On the way to their site, some students actually noticed Gachizen, some even approaching him and welcoming him back before going on their own separate ways. Though, it was evident they were scared of Bino. Amidst their walk, Gachizen glances at the shaded areas of the town of Zhaya, reminding himself to bathe his sights on the glorious floating dungeon above yet again.
Gachizen stared at it as he walked, slowly but surely succumbing to his temptation and desire.
In a dark and eerie place... surrounded by darkness, moss stone, and cave fragments.
A dissonance of horrifying screams and groaning of entities can be heard outside. There is only a small spot on the ground that was illuminated, the only spot roofed by a foliage of leaves letting through tiny rays of sunlight. But this spot revealed the many, many bloodthirsty creatures of wings and abnormal humanoid shapes bulldozing right above the small cave, running and flying past as they 'hunted'. The demonic screeches screamed of 'Riam', chanting it as they swarmed.
the entire cave shook, loosening some other rocks on its ceiling, it was an unstable space barely holding unto its structure. But, in the darkness, hid a humanoid in size of a child who were hugging their legs both tucked in close. Their appearance was shaded, all but a silhouette.
"i—it's time to move~" suddenly, there was a deep and raspy voice that groaned, it felt weak and damaged like an old man, "they'll find you here... go."
The child rose up from their position, and started to go deeper into the cave. Their dim outline gradually faded into the cave's deepest depths, enveloped in a void of black... and a haunting veil of misery.
The eerie winds came howling.