Before we begin, I must give credit to Doctor Who, the episode A Town Called Mercy. They inspired this chapter! Now, here it is!
Lucine's P.O.V.
Slowly, I open my eyes. Frost. I feel the cold snow underneath me. I see others shivering in the snow, as we are all dressed alike; a thin, white shirt with no sleeves, and white shorts.
Rising, I ignore the pleas of others, begging for my little clothing. I have no need to shiver. I only heard of this place a few times, but I recognize it.
Hyōnosen. The Mountain of Ice. Where souls travel to the afterlife.
But they don't do it alone. No, that would be too simple. Every soul the person has ever wronged comes with them. The person must carry them all; each and every one. They say the bringer of judgement at the top checks if you brought them all. Any missing, and you come back to the bottom of the mountain to start again. It was a story to keep kids in line; do as you are told or when you come here, there will be many souls to carry. And if you don't carry them up, you will spend eternity here in this endless winter.
How fitting, as Zane was the ninja of ice. He will oversee my punishment. I trudge through the snow, coming to the clearing where the Grim Reapers have gathered. Unlike all those stories, saying they are vile creatures who steal the souls of the living, they hunch together for warmth. A large fire is in the middle, and while they all wear cloaks, those are as white as the snow here, and there are no scythes in sight.
One of them turns, looking at me. Her face is lined with wrinkles, but her figure would suggest she is a young woman. No, nearly a child from her eyes. She must have been a little girl when she got lost on the mountain and never made it up. That's what Grim Reapers are; people who didn't make the trip up. Death punishes them, making it so they must harvest the souls of the Earth as they make their crossing. They must guide them to the path, and give them the souls to carry.
As if knowing who I am- no, they do. They know who I am, and thus will give me no pity. Good. The woman motions silently to me, leading me with her lantern to an enclosed pen. Each one is lined with soft hay, and souls rest on blankets. Fetched from the afterlife for this, they are not given punishment; souls merely serve as part of one.
The woman gives me a basket, which I place on my shoulders with the straps. Carefully, she takes four souls and puts them on the blankets with my basket, ensuring warmth. Only four? Where are the rest?
I open my mouth to voice my concerns, but no words come out. The woman shakes her head, tapping her head. Instantly I understand; there are no voices here, merely telepathic connections, which Grim Reapers are stripped of. Nodding, I begin my slow climb.
My feet, bare, are soon freezing and numb. No doubt the only reason my feet still work is because I am dead.
The souls in my basket begin to speak to me, but I push their pressing thoughts aside, focusing on my journey. One foot, then the other. The weight on my back is near impossible to deal with, but since their should be dozens there, I don't complain.
Finally, after what seems to be hours, I hear the fire ninja's sister's voice. We really don't blame you, Lucine.
I freeze. The basket falls off my shoulders, and one of the souls flies out. It takes up her human form, showing bobbed raven-black hair and soft brown eyes. Apologetic eyes. I can even see the slice in her clothing where my knife penetrated her clothing, though the wound is gone. You were in pain, and were manipulated. Lord Garmadon did the harm, not you.
Another soul escapes the basket. This time, it has red-brown hair and green eyes. The blue ninja, Jay. You even protected Nya. He grins. That makes you okay in my book!
I clench my fist, then slowly allow it to come open. Any second now, they'll laugh. They'll taunt me and whisper hatred. I need that. I need hatred.
A third soul comes, with long (for a boy) black hair, bangs, and green eyes. The leader, the black ninja. You were angry. I wasn't happy, but then...
I told them what you tried to do. The last soul, the red ninja, exits the basket. You tried to make things right. You even tried to make it so Zane would regain his memories; and he will now. Yeah, we were angry, but you had your reasons. You protected people under Garmadon's rule as best you could; no one else did that.
No. I'm dreaming. I'll wake up at the bottom, and truly have to do this. Yet how can I dream of death if I'm already dead?
Come on, it's not much farther. They turn, walking up the mountain. I slowly place the basket back on my shoulders, but the souls choose to walk, first in front of me, then beside me. They whisper words of encouragement to me. The fire ninja's sister even says two people are waiting for me on the other side.
Mum. Dad.
We come to the top, where Death awaits. He stands, watching from where the portal to the other side rests. Let's go back. The blue and black ninja go through first, followed by the red. His sister smiles at me.
It's over, Lucine. Come with us. She goes through, and Death motions to me. I've carried my souls. I've made the journey.
No.
I won't. I can't go. Not now. Not ever.
Shaking my head as tears run down my cheek, I turn away from the portal. Death, as if expecting as much, walks to me and places a hand on my shoulder.
They are waiting for you.
Visions of my parents, smiles on their faces, come to me. More hot tears run to my cheeks. I shrug away Death's hand, descending down the mountain. Others watch, puzzled, but they don't say a word. I come to the bottom, and find a hard, yet somewhat smooth rock. It's far enough from the Grim Reapers' circle with the warmth of fire. I sit down, staring into the non-existent sky above me.
I will never make the journey. I will never meet them again. I will not be a Grim Reaper; I don't deserve that honor. I will stay here, where I belong.
Because the souls of those I harmed aren't blaming me; they're forgiving me.
And that is a thousand times worse.
... Well... That's your sequel... WE NEVER SAID IT WOULD BE A LONG ONE! *Sigh* I'm going to get complaints, probably, but here's the truth:
As said before, there will be no happy, fluffy ending. This is a story of gore, sadness, and how a simple mistake can ruin the lives of many. Yes, the ninja came back as ghosts (kind of...). No, we are NOT saying what happens to Zane and Lloyd. No, we are NOT saying if Lord Garmadon gets his ass kicked as he deserves. And no, we are NOT saying if Lucine ever stops blaming herself.
AND NO ONE IS GOING TO BASE A STORY OFF THIS ONE AND CALL IT A SEQUEL TO THIS ONE! This is how it ends, SO NOBODY CAN USE THIS STORY!
...Sorry for the rant, but do0m and I feel this is the ending which will fit, and honesty, a fluffy, happy ending... That's impossible for us to do with this one. A story of true horror and tragedy like this can only have such an ending (Leap Or Die does NOT count. That one had room for fluffiness. That one was MEANT to have a good ending IF MORE PEOPLE WOULD READ IT. I mean seriously! I worked waaaaaaaaaaaaay harder on that one than on Tsuresara, but since everyone liked the fluffiness of Tsuresara, no one liked the darkness of Leap Or Die.)