Chapter 1.- An unusual second chance

It most likely was only an ephemeral and infinitesimal instant but that didn't stop it from feeling like an eternity; a moment perpetually frozen in time where he could feel everything he didn't felt in his lifetime. A sensation of complete emptiness enveloped him and erased any and all other feeling he could have ever had: pain, happiness, anxiety, anger… none of those existed or, more important yet, mattered. Only peace was left in the absence of everything that once resembled to be a consciousness. It was impossible not to conceive that everything had ended by now, that his life had reached a sudden but welcomed end. An ending that, in the end, was fine. He finally felt a peace he never experiences in life, yet, he always longed for.

However, despite all the calm and the lack of feeling whatsoever, he couldn't stop his most basic instinct… curiosity. How did everything end? That question returned him that which in first instance defined him: memories.

Little by Little, the notion that he was someone came back to him. First his memories, then his consciousness, senses and finally, life itself. That feeling of perpetual peace was pushed away by a surge of sensations and emotions. His last memory awoke in him a sudden fear… seeing how he fell down a cliff shot his instincts and, slowly, his body recovered the heat of life.

The cold and heat found each other next to him, bringing with them the stench of death, a pestilence that added weight to the urgency that grew in his ever more agitated body. Something in him was waking up very quickly violently and abruptly, yelling to him 'Stand up!'. Was he dead? It was hard to tell, but one thing was for sure… the cold touch of death would reach him sooner than later if he ignored it.

— Ah!... — with only a short but filled with anguish shout he finally woke up from that almost infinite instant that comes alongside the void that brings death, however, he was not quite free from its cold grasp. It didn't take him long to realize why he was feeling that strange marriage between cold and heat. His head lied slightly raised, standing out from what seemed to be a pile of corpses, the majority of them close to start rotting up. The horror and repugnance took him over and his body bolted again, reminding him that he was still alive and that he still not belonged around those who surrounded him.

In a rushed and clumsy manner, the young man looked for a way to be free from such inhospitable place. Pushing whole bodies, dismembered extremities, all while surrounded by a cocktail of odors and cold and hot sensations. The cold touch of rotting flesh was more than enough to make his stomach twitch out of control, revolting everything inside of it. However, it was the adrenaline and the lack of air to even be able to gasp what helped avoid a discharge from it.

It was more the effect of the shock, the clumsiness at the time of moving his altered but sleepy arms and legs what made him take longer than expected to escape such unsightly trap. After being free from that hill of putrefaction what followed was a profound session of respiration. Air was missing and the need to vomit was not helping the cause. It was hard to retain even the slightest amount of air because of the frequent squawking he was being forced to do because of the repulsion and disgust.

As his stomach settled down, he could feel how his hearth was still a long way from doing so as well. 'Is this a sign I am still alive' he tough but, at the same time, it was hard to believe mainly because of the ominous scene that quickly revealed in front of him.

Fire and flames. A sea of blazing fires extended in front of him as far as the sight could reach with some islands of rock popping up now and then, raising from the flames like spires. It was a desolating landscape that bring out the skin-deep fears of the young man who was still stunned by his situation. As he tried his best to control his erratic breathing, he took chance to inspect his surroundings in more detail, looking to understand what was going on. In front of his very eyes and above the flames floated weird spheres of blue light which seemed to dance like mischievous spirits. Above them all, birds of a deep black flew, their bodies making a powerful contrast with the fires below. As his eyes traveled left and right, only fire and corpses greeted his sight.

'This, this has to be hell itself… I am really dead' His expression, more than being filled with sadness, seemed full of guilt. Everything made sense now, especially now when he related it with his last memory, an ostentatious and sudden car accident. He could still see the dark of that void despite the fire that surrounded him and this, in turn, filled him with profound guilt and great sorrow. Raising his head to the scorched-black sky, letting himself back behind on his back but was instead met by something that made a strange metallic noise. His stare seemed to break because of the guilt his decision had led to. The hotness he felt on his back was not enough to dissuade him from lamenting his penury in said place, however his body did call for his attention and made him skip a hop to the front because of the increasing pain.

It was not surprising that something could burn in that surrounding hell, however that still didn't stop him from wondering what was the source of that which scorched his back. A gigantic oven, which he clearly didn't expect to see, was there in front of him, working and irradiating an incredible amount of heat, one could debate if more than the very flames around them. The great amount of pipes that branched from it were quickly lost in both the ground below and the black sky above, like if these lead to somewhere. Paying more attention, he noticed how that pipe wasn't the only one around. The whole place was full of them like if it were a complex steel network.

Every second in that place made things more and more confusing. Everything point that that place was indeed hell, but somehow, something seemed way off. The suddenness of waking up in such place, the agony and guilt of that accident… everything as a whole overwhelmed him and made it hard on him. If it weren't for the ominous sudden feeling that surrounding him unexpectedly he would have remained lost in Ill thoughts.

A strange desire enveloped him and started eating up his consciousness… ill wishes of vengeance and sadness crammed his head in such a sudden way; it was unnatural. Familiar dark feelings tried to take over his heart and mind. Taking a step forward, the boy tries to escape such thoughts and is then when he sees it. Next to him lies one of the orbs he saw moments before, it was so close now it was practically within his grasp and, in turn, it seemed to entice him to do it.

Like a moth to a lamp, the man felt the need to raise his arm towards the curious light, but as he did get closer and closer to it, his heart began to hurt, feelings of hatred grew as well as guilt and alongside all those, his reason.

— No!

In a rash movement, scared to death by the ideas that were crossing his mind, he raised his hand away from the orb and with shaky feet, he stepped back, recollecting his thoughts. Concerned by the visions, he fixed his eyes on what seemed to be the source of them and could see something on the ghastly sphere that he failed to notice before. From within it a horrendous face appeared, disfigured, full of pain and wrath. For a split second, like a mirror, he felt he saw his own reflection, his face twisted and corrupted by a never-ending agony.

Scared by such sight, he took the first thing that he felt could help him. From his back and hanging by a string that crossed his chest, the boy took a long object, the one that had entered in contact with the oven and was still hot because of it. Without flinching and as if it was something natural on him, he attacked, one swift and clean horizontal strike. His surprise couldn't have been bigger when he felt he hit nothing but air. Like if it was made of smoke, the orb quickly reformed itself before his very eyes, unscratched.

It was clear that he couldn't remain there any longer. As he stepped back he noticed that more spheres where starting to gather around and besides being able to notice their twisted stares he could also now hear their faint, damned yells. Shouts that in unison claimed for one only thing…

"Your body… G-give it… Give me your body!"

His mind was confused, his heart scattered and his body tired, but of them all, it was his body that knew. His instincts made his legs wake up and muffled the spectral echoes with a simple but powerful 'Run!'. And so he run, run as much as his legs allowed him to do so.

Whatever it was hell or not, he couldn't afford to stay a single second more, much less like that, holding the guilt of such tortuous memory. His visions funneled like a tunnel as he tried to make his way out because of the lack of air. The road ahead was hard to distinguish and giving a false step would most likely mean a fiery death, however he knew he couldn't afford to slow down as every time he did, the same ill-intended desires started to gather in his heart and mind. They were hunting him like hell-hounds and the agony of their cries made him comprehend that they would not stop until snatching away his body, even if it was as a carcass.

Fire and fear made it hard to tell where to go. At any moment exhaustion would take a brutal toll on him and, in quick succession, those specters that hunted him down. It was then when, on a desperate random glance he saw what he couldn't once distinguish by the distance… a vertical stair. Without second thoughts he deviated from his course and pressed harder on, not caring where it could take him; the lone fact of seeing it made him have hope of surviving.

As soon as it was within his reach, he grabbed it with a fierce grip and started climbing towards the darkness of the sky. He raised his eyes towards where the stair disappeared because of the pitch black blackness and gulped in distress. Everything began to converge on his heart: fear, guilt and above all, anger. His legs were starting to fail now because of the sheer terror he felt and because those instincts that moment before had saved him were now betraying his advance. They screamed him 'don't do it!' but now his reason was louder. If he wanted to live, he would need to overcome his natural fear.

— Dammit, dammit!

Cursing at every step, the young man forced himself to climb up that stair towards the unknown. With each step his distress grew and the terror of looking below became unbearable. His feet at various instances tried to play bad tricks on him by making him believe he would slip at any moment. His heart was beating so fast now that he wouldn't be surprised if here were to die there out of a heart attack by either exhaustion or blown up by overwork.

As if he was on autopilot, he continued to climb for the sake of climbing. In a rush, he failed to notice how much or how less it remained or if his hounds were even still pursuing him. His hands were now sweating cold and he feared a slip-up at any moment… he couldn't trust anything but the sheer adrenaline and fear that kept driving his upwards.

His limbs were incapacitated to stopping on their own accord and only the echo of a strange noise would be able to mark the end of his now senseless climb. Soon enough did he hit his milestone… a clunky metallic noise signaled the end how his desperate escape… or at least, the desperate portion of it. Darkness enveloped him and seeing anything around was impossible, only the weight of something over his head gave him some peace of mind. With a shaky hand, he reaches for whatever lies over him and starts inspecting it… it seemed to be a handle and it was warm and heavy to booth. Upon a closer inspection he noticed it was bulgy towards him. The shape quickly reminded him of an oval gate, like those in submarines. After applying some force upwards, a draft of fresh air grazed his cheek, bringing a so much needed smile to his stiff by sweat, dust and fear face.

Gathering strength and will-power, the man gets closer and, preferring to use his whole body than to trust his arms alone to open the gate, starts pushing with all his gathered might. Slowly but surely the heavy door starts to move until it finally gives him enough room to slide in, away from the literal hell that haunted him. Tired beyond belief, he rushes out of the weight and leaves the heavy door fall back, echoing through the new place like an avalanche. The noise is loud and almost deafening but he lacks the strength to even care… his whole body shuts off and shields his ears from the sound blast. Laying over his back, he allowed all the exhaustion he has been trying to hide up to finally catch up to him, however, everything does: Exhaustion, confusion, fear… pretty much everything but his breath return.

For a long, long while he remains there, still, watching at the new dark that surrounds him. Although unable to move any of his limbs, he can still take a good glance at the new view that unfolds at him. It seemed to be a long aisle with checkered floors, gigantic aligned pillars indicated the direction of the aisle which was dimly lit by equally as big stained glass windows. These windows filtered light that in turn, dimly illuminated the place, as if twilight perpetually ruled that dark passage. It was eerie and gave out an ill feeling, but at least, it wasn't dreadful as the hell beneath his feet.

As he regained his breath, he finally began moving again. First he sat and waited for more breath to reinvigorate his limp body. Those spirits were no more, but now, on their own, memories came rushing in… memories of what had just passed; not the hell below but what was before it. The image of two people he well knew were quickly drawn in his mind, a man and a woman… his sister and his best friend. Both… dead.

Guilt never left but now, it weighed. This grief quickly exhausted him, not physically but mentally. Anguish made him consider returning to the fires below… however, fear dissuaded him from doing so.

Slowly, after a short while more, he stood up, fearful but ready to move on. The penumbra was almost absolute and seeing anything past a handful of meters was impossible for his eyes. However, staying still could mean a fate worse than death. If those orbs followed him, he would be doomed because of his condition. Moving on was not an option but a necessity. He took the first step towards the dark, but as soon as the echo of his stepped died, a new sound took its place.

— I was wondering what could be the source of such ruckus but, I really never expected it to be a human.

A voice filled the shadows in a melodious fashion, like if it found the presence of the man, of the one it called "human" something pleasant despite its abruptness.

— I see you are confused… its nothing to be ashamed of. I believe anyone would be in such a loss of mind after experiencing such a chaotic accident, more so waking up in what looks to be a biblical hell. Well, let me reassure you… you are not dead. You are safe here now.

That voice sounded more and more clear, indicating that, whoever the source was, he, she or it was closer to the man by the second. The boy stood there, looking at the distance, trying to pin-point where the voice was coming from… trying to figure out how it could possibly know about the accident that tormented his mind.

— Sadly, I can't say the same of your companions. However, for you, I can't think of better luck. Knowing what you are looking for, no one else could ask for a better second chance. Not anybody gets to have a second chance like you can now.

Finally pin-pointing its direction, the guy turns towards the dark at his side. From the twilight a contour began to appear and, slowly, a body and its factions began to be drawn by the light. The slender body of a woman, a young girl, appears. Her messy purple hair becomes clear first, followed by the muffled noise of her blue slippers. As she gets close, he noticed the rest of her peculiar clothing… a knee-long pink skirt that makes a curious pair with her frilly vest and her lost stare. There was nothing noteworthy of her appearance until he noticed a pretty strange accessory over her. A strange ball with an eye, staring directly at him, connected by several strings and tying her body from head to feet. She had a curious smirk on her, like if she had found a new book to entertain herself with.

— I see you had a rough awakening down there. As guardian and caretaker I take responsibility and apologize for it. It must have been one of my pets who put you down there. But alas and again, judging your situation, I believe you've been rather lucky. How you ask? My, quite obvious my friend. Wasn't this what you wanted?

That women's words were erratic and all over the place. She seemed to lack any coherent conversation as she asked questions she instantly answered herself. However, in the face of the young man was not confusion but surprise. Each word she said was without a doubt a word he tought of using to ask his own questions. It was as if she—

— As if I could read your mind? I think it's obvious by now. We do agree, don't we? Alas, were are my manners? My name is Komeiji Satori… I'm the master of this place, the Palace of Earthbound spirits. This is where all the rejected souls come to be, to find some peace in a world that rejected them. This is a home for those who could never find one… and for you, a man with no one of his own, with a desire for a new start, isn't this the best second chance you could ask for?

BGM

For some moments an awkward silence took place between the two, but this time, not dread but expectancy reigned in his heart. It was as if his heart was an open book for the girl to grab. That girl could simply read his mind and, for a split second, wondered how deep could she read. He wondered if she could see, deep within his being, how much he longed to hear those words.

— It's because of that that I give you my sincerest welcome. Welcome to the palace of earthbound spirits, welcome to Gensokyo… Ichiharu Makoto.

Foreword

And so, with this we end the first chapter and open up a new beggining for this old story. I hope it was of your liking and I apologize for all the typos, grammar mistakes and more you can find withing the read. I will do more proofreads soon in hopes of making fixes to wathever more I can find but, if you have some suggestions about it, please do not hessihate and let me know. I take whole-heartedly all the critiques, suggestions and reviews you have for me and this story.

As a side note, at the end of every chapter I will be placing a "BGM" mark. This mark is where an outro song goes. I intend to do this to give it a little more feeling to endings by sharing a song that inspired such chapter. It will give you a more close idea of what I was feeling and thinking as I wrote the chapter and also it gives it the perfect mood, or at least the one I envisioned.

For this first chapter, the outro song is "Black Cadillac", by Shinedown. I suggest you look it up in youtube. I would have shared the link but this site is pretty picky and strict when it comes to sharing URLs.

Without further ado, I'll make my leave... its 2 am and gotta work early morning, hahaha. Again, thanks a lot to those who took their time to read me and hope to see you pretty soon for chapter 2.