A/N:
Hails: *holds out a red flashing sign* *In an amusement park ride operator voice* You've reached a turning point in the story. Please veer left at the signal and prepare to enter the Tunnel of Turning Points. Thank you.
I disregard any claims to the characters, setting, or plot of Blue Exorcist/青の祓魔師, which are a property of the mangaka Kazue Kato. I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.
"Thus the man who is responsive to artistic stimuli reacts to the reality of dreams as does the philosopher to the reality of existence; he observes closely, and he enjoys his observation: for it is out of these images that he interprets life, out of these processes that he trains himself for life."
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols/The Anti-Christ
"We're running out of time," Hotaru muttered, pacing the floor. She was generally so composed but everything was beginning to fall apart around her. The True Cross Order had almost located them, there were exorcists getting closer to their track: The Threshold. If the information delivered to her was accurate, if Lewin Light had truly been released from his imprisonment, then the time they had been given to construct a host body for Lord Satan had been cut significantly short. "We need a distraction, something to keep our course protected."
"You're getting unnecessarily riled up," Lucifer said soothingly, eyes tracking the rapid movements of Hotaru's patrol. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor at this rate."
"It'd be merited," Hotaru said, ceasing her activities. "Isn't there something we can do? Anything at all?"
"It's only been a week," Lucifer pointed out. He leaned back on his cot, eyes lazily taking in the information. "These things take time. We can't afford to lose our tranquil state of mind."
"I understand, sir," Hotaru affirmed. She placed a finger over her lips momentarily. "But surely there's something we can do to divert them away from Dominus Liminis' current path, give us enough time to fix the coordinates and roam elsewhere. Would your presence be enough to give us positive results near the Gehenna Gate?"
"You are always thinking ahead, Commander," Lucifer acknowledged. "I admire that about you. However, you worry too much. I know you want this like I do but relax. While jeopardy is approaching is the worst time to blow our cover. And... I know a way to throw them off our trail."
"You... you do?" Hotaru wondered, staring at her superior intently.
"I do," Lucifer confirmed. "But first, come rest with me, Hotaru."
The commander shivered at the suggestion but nevertheless, she exhaled and slowly undid the buttons of her jacket, stripped from her dress shirt, and peeled each piece of her uniform from her body. Her thin fingers undid her hair clip and removed her glasses from the bridge of her nose. Her brown, hypnotic eyes were trained on Lucifer as he beckoned her into his lap. He delicately planted a kiss on her neck, humming satisfactorily.
"Humans are so beautiful," Lucifer murmured lovingly. "And you are gorgeous and untainted more than any human I have met."
Hotaru let Lucifer drag a claw over her hip as he pulled her closer underneath the covers. Their hot skin met beneath the sheets and she sighed wearily, feeling Lucifer's resting frame press up against her own.
He truly was the most enigmatic of demons.
The rough, jagged outline of the crag dug into Shiemi's palms as she scaled a small outcropping she had found near the base of the towering waterfall. She had discovered it while exploring the area she had become acquainted with in such a short time and had wanted to observe the crushing falls up close. After all, what was the point of going to the Garden of Amahara if she couldn't wander through the land with a need to sate her curiosity?
Shiemi stuck close to the steep cliff face as she wandered closer. The chill of the mist stuck to her exposed skin, from her shoulders and back to her thighs and knees and now of all times was she glad she managed to pack a swimsuit before making her escape from the supply shop. Her blonde hair was strung up in a ponytail, out of her face so she could more clearly see her surroundings.
As she finally approached as close to the waterfall as she figured was safe to get, she craned her neck skywards, staring at the plundering water that held such velocity with awe and wonder. It was truly incredible. She watched from the very top, taking in the whole view and feeling of grand amazement. Even as she watched with slow, sparkling vision, the darkness between the cliff and the waterfall caught her eyes, which narrowed as she tried to make out the sight.
"What's... that?" She pondered cautiously and suddenly her feet were moving forward before her thoughts. She crept along the outcropping, careful to keep steady and rigid so as to not slip and fall into the massive lake. She wouldn't be able to climb back up.
If at first you don't succeed...
Shiemi was careful, body slim enough to just squeeze through the space between Adam's ale and the crag. Her arm assisted her as she slipped inside, finding much to her inquisitiveness, there was a cave situated behind the waterfall. Veins of some energy she didn't recognize ran across the walls, wobbly and uneven like roots but luminescent gorgeous, vibrant shades of green, blue, and violet. Like the runway of an airplane's path, glowing runes lines the floor of the cave and beckoned Shiemi forward.
'Oh, wow...' Shiemi trailed off internally, brushing her hand up against the wall. 'It's so beautiful-'
An abrupt but lulling singing sound drew Shiemi's attention to an ethereal illumine ball of blue light. 'It... looks like Rin's flames.'
She took a few steps backward as the light approached her and she could make out the faint outline of eyes and a roguish smile. And it dawned on her. 'Ignis fatuus.'
They were mischievous creatures, fae she had been told. But no one truly knew what they were, as far as the legend decides in taking you to "your fate" goes. Which could range anywhere from falling into a pitfall of spikes or discovering a new bird species, there was a grey area with them. You could never tell if they were to be trusted. The creature crooned, motioning in a direction multiple times as Shiemi stared suspiciously.
"You want me to follow you?" She asked. The will-o'-the-wisp made another noise and zoomed off, leaving Shiemi to go after it as quick as her legs could carry her. She careened around the winding caves, following the ball of fire until she stopped before a wall of still water. She gazed at how it rippled gently before her but didn't seem to yield to the laws of gravity.
Gingerly, she poked the water, brushed her fingers along it, plunged her entire hand into it as curiosity beckoned her. Inside, she could make out the silhouettes of tropical fish, coral, and seagrass. It was like a piece of the ocean had been cut out and placed in this tiny pocket of water. And it was beautiful. She looked to the wisp, sending them a gracious nod. The wisp seemed thanked enough by Shiemi's gratefulness.
"I've gotta tell Rin!"
With that, Shiemi ran off back down to the entrance of the cave.
Behind her, the wisp only shook its head.
The tangy taste of orange slices exploded across Rn's tongue as tore the juicy meat from the peel, humming contentedly. There had been a massive delivery of oranges to Faust Manor a couple weeks ago and of course, Mephisto decided to dump all the fruit on him. Not that Rin was complaining. They were quite delicious, enough that he felt the need to bring them with him on his little escapee tirade.
A slight chittering brought him out of his food-induced stupor. He looked around for the source of the noise, eyes landing on a monkey-like mammal with golden-orange fur and a dark face about the size of a basketball. It stared at him with large, round eyes, or more particularly at the fruit in Rin's hand. He swallowed what remained in his mouth and reached over to the net holding the oranges, fishing one out for the monkey.
"Are you hungry?" He asked cautiously, stretching the orange towards the monkey. "Here you go. Go on, take it."
It snatched it from Rin's hands, tearing the skin open to reach the fruit. Rin laughed quietly as monkey seemed to relish in the sharp, vitamin-rich flavor. It howled excitedly, rushing to finish the deliciousness of it all. "You're a cute little guy and... you look familiar. A tamarin, right? Golden Lion Tamarin?"
Rin continued talking innately to the New World Monkey, trying to avoid smiling because really, he remembered some important aspects and he was not about to come off as threatening when he didn't mean it. Unbeknownst to him, a small pack of tamarins was creeping up on him, trying and unfortunately succeeding to grab the bag of oranges. Rin turned just in time to watch the tamarins yank it all up one of the large branches.
"HEY!" Rin discarded the remnants of his finished orange, lunging for the monkeys but missing as they climbed up the branch with all the grace and ability of their kind. He attempted to follow, scrambling up behind them but slipping gauchely and landing on his back down on the back. The tamarins seemed to giggle and snicker at his suffering, taking great enjoyment out of their reward and treachery. "Yeah, yeah!" Rin sneered bitterly, shaking a fist as he righted himself. "Laugh it up! Laugh it up! You bastards are so proud of yourself."
He paced about, grousing and cursing himself out for being so foolish. How could he have let this happen? His group needed those oranges as food supplies. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even realize animals lived here in the first place. According to the legend, the Garden of Amahara contained every plant species known to man and then all not known to man. Nothing was ever said about animals.
You learn something new every day...
Rin watched as the tamarins continued progressing up the branches with his oranges in tow. Then a second later it clicked. The way they moved was so unique and if his theory was right, imitatable. Rin stretched, cracking his bones before slinging the Kurikara's red case over his shoulder and stepping towards the branch. He sanctioned his claws for a grip and planted his bare feet against the rough bark of the tree. He heaved himself upwards, turning his feet outwards in an attempt to copy the tamarins and was cruising in no time.
The tamarins noticed this and scurried off in a panic.
"That's right, you better run," Rin growled mirthfully, taking chase. His tail swayed behind him excitedly. "You're in trouble now!"
Some part of Rin got after him because he knew if Shura could see him, she'd be mocking him for behaving and looking exactly like a monkey. But he couldn't be bothered to care as he expertly climbed from branch to branch, weaving about lithely like he had on the training jungle gyms he and Shura had used in their spare time. He twisted his body unnaturally, swinging from a limb to limb and using his claws as a grip until he could spring about without any trouble.
"Gotcha!" Rin screamed, taking one of the tamarins by surprise, which screeched in terror upon being grabbed by its tail as Rin removing the orange bag from its grip. "Thought you could get away from me, didja?" It made pleading, whimpering noises and mimicked begging at Rin's mercy, who sighed and took pity on the monkey when he noticed a gaggle of its family gathering around curiously, frightened of his ability to learn and pursue so efficiently.
"Alright," Rin breathed out in defeat, letting the tamarin go free. He balanced the orange net on his legs, digging out a couple and holding them out to the tamarins. "You can have these ones. But I need this food to feed my own pack, okay?"
The tamarins gladly took the oranges, leaving Rin alone, satisfied but tired. He stood on the sturdy bough, clipping the orange net to his belt loop. It was then he noticed how high he'd climbed. He looked out at the view of the waterfall, admiring its glory.
'I wanna get a better look,' Rin decided. He located some nearby branches, climbing throughout the crown of the tree and reaching for the sunlight shining between the green leaves. His popped out at the top, gaining a better vision of the entire valley. His eyes traced the thundering waterfall and the lake it fell into, how it swam out in a massive river and flower down hill. However, much to his shock, the river... didn't look natural. He looked about at the many paths it swerved, how multiple waterfalls flooded the entire valley and he realized.
"It's... it's an irrigation system!" Rin exclaimed frantically. The view was truly spectacular and it made him giddy with euphoria. "Wait until I tell Shiemi! She's gonna get a kick out of this!"
Rin dropped down through the branches, taking the path he managed last time and sliding down the wide arm of the tree into the nest as if it were a slide. He barely remembered to unclip the oranges and leave them by the sealed food stash as he slipped on his flip-flops and trambled down the wooden ledges that wound around the circumference of the tree. He barreled past his other pack mates to meet Shiemi, who was emerging from the lake with exciting news of her own.
"Shiemi!" Rin called to her. They met each other at the halfway point, making wild, enlivening gestures to each other.
"I found something amazing-" / "Rin, you'll never believe-" / "It was incredible, you can see from the top of tree and-" / "I saw a light and some water, you'll have to see if yourself-"
Everyone, sans Shima, gathered about, watching the two babble and chat with each other with eager smiles and bright eyes. They continuously talked over each other, speaking in fragments with no proper way to portray their joy.
"I found an entrance to the spirit world!" / "The Garden of Amahara has an irrigation system!"
They paused, staring at each with eyes that bugged out of their faces like saucers.
"Wait, what?" They asked each other simultaneously.
Rin managed to gather himself together first. "You share first."
"No, it's okay, you share first."
"Really, you can go-"
"It's perfectly fine, I can wait-"
"Heeeeey, lovebirds!" Shima suddenly popped up from seemingly nowhere, interrupting the duo. "Don't mean to interrupt the mutual squawking but I just found something pretty cool. You might like it."
Rin and Shiemi shared a look, not bothering to comment on the 'lovebirds' part of Shima's calling. They'd been teased before but as far as either of them was concerned, there was no shared romance between them. Shiemi was still figuring out her life anyways. Rin turned to the rest of his confused pack and cleared his throat.
"You all stay here and continue doing what you were doing," Rin ordered, pointing to them all. "We're going to go see what Shima found. We'll share our discoveries when we get back. In the meantime, keep my brother out of trouble."
With that, Rin, Shiemi, and Shima ran off into the nearby jungle foliage. Yukio groused, ducking his head in shame.
"He doesn't have to say that everytime he leaves, you know."
Shiemi brushed her hand over the surprisingly smooth, clear counters where not a single speck of dust had collected on the surface. She moved to pick up and examine a shallow bowl, which held a glossy exterior and aura of mystique that attracted Shiemi to it. Elsewhere, Rin definitively nudged the legs of a cot within the confined place. It didn't take a genius to figure out the hut belonged to a witch.
"Hey, guys," Shima whined from the doorway. "Maaaaaaybe, we shouldn't be in here?"
"Why wouldn't we be in here?" Rin asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "You're the one who led us here."
"Yeah, to look at from the outside. Not to snoop around inside."
"that's shocking, coming from someone like you. You know, the spy?"
"That's mean, Okumura." Said Shima. "And besides, it's just as pretty from the outside as it is from the inside."
"Alright, if you're so afraid, then you can wait outside while we investigate. You know, keep watch, look for tigers."
"You're awful!" Shima moaned.
"Rin," Shiemi said abruptly, motioning to a part of the counter where a pentacle had been intricately drawn with some kind of blindingly white chalk. Rin resisted the urge to run his finger over it in an attempt to destroy it. It was oddly alluring, hypnotizing, and that terrified Rin. He cleared his throat, making eye contact with Shiemi and tilting his head a motion for them to leave.
This place, this place made him shudder uneasily. It had an eerie air about it. Like it summoned and attracted things from beyond Gehenna's arms and atmosphere—things far more ethereal and far less forgiving than the sun, moon, and stars. Rin hugged his frame, feeling a hair-raising chill cross him. He took a couple steps backward, pointing towards the exit.
"This place probably belongs to a witch or enchantress," Rin realized. "We should leave."
The boy turned, ready to go when he came face to face with a haunting expression he knew would haunt his nightmares for years to come. He yelped, jumping back several feet and almost falling over. Shiemi nearly squealed herself, barely managing to slap her hands over her mouth, eyes wide as she stared at the petite but obviously built, bitter, and vexed lady.
"What do you think you're doing in here?" She snapped, her voice seeming both soft and quiet at the same time, rugged and rough and ancient. "Who are you? How did you find the Garden of Amahara?"
The woman had a round, boney face with a fair complexion and brown skin like the earth. Her silver hair was long and wavy, falling past her shoulder blades gracefully and her almond shaped eyes were an unreachable shade of brown, almost black like the abyss and filled with wisdom. She seemed aged by centuries of exhausted living and calloused through hard work and grit. She dressed in something traditional, something East African that none of them could name if their life depended on it.
"Well?" The lady asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Are you going to answer me?"
It took Rin all of a couple seconds to splutter out an answer. "We... we just... we were just looking, I- SHIMA! You were supposed to be keeping watch!"
"Sorry!" Shima wailed from outside. "She came out of nowhere and she scared me. Do I look like the kinda guy to challenge that?"
'Fair enough,' Rin thought. 'Shouldn't have expected so much of him.'
"Our greatest apologies, miss," Shiemi squeaked, falling into a respectful bow. "We didn't mean to trespass, we weren't even aware anyone else lived here. In the Garden, I mean."
"How can you speak Japanese?" Rin blurted out without thinking. The woman shot him a look and he winced, tail coiling around his waist instinctively.
"I speak all languages," She responded with a sigh. "Now how about you answer my question? How did you find the Garden of Amahara?"
"We," Rin tried to relay the events from the past week but his tongue swelled in his mouth. Really, how did the Son of Satan explain that he'd committed a jailbreak, left the Order without any real explanation, and was a fugitive from a not-so-secret organization this woman may or may not have heard of? "We're on the run and... hiding from some very bad people. We used a key to get here, it opened up a door and let us in."
The woman shook her head, begrudgingly accepting the answer. She too had sought a place of peace, a sanctuary to protect her from God's disappointed eyes.
"Fine then," She muttered. "Are there more of you?"
"Yes..." Rin said hesitantly, slowly, as if cautious when pushing down the buttons on a game that would snap back or blew up if he pressed the wrong one. "Aside from me, Shiemi, and Shima, there are..." He did a mental tally of those on the run with him. "Four more of us."
"Wonderful," The woman murmured sardonically, rolling her eyes. "That's seven brats to look after and make sure don't die."
Rin desperately wanted to question what she meant by that. As far as he was concerned, the Garden of Amahara had been no danger to him or his pack. If there was a threat, he felt he may want to know precisely what that was so he could prepare for it.
"Lead me to your camp," She ordered firmly. "And I won't take 'no' for an answer. Besides the tamarins have already alerted me your presence."
Just as she said that a stray tamarin wandered in, bounced up onto the woman's shoulder, and chattered something only she could understand. She didn't say much, only bobbing her head once, an indication of her understanding. It then nuzzled lovingly against her cheek, which she gladly allowed it to. They both smiled as the affection graced them.
'Traitor,' Rin narrowed his eyes at the smug looking monkey. 'And after I fed you too!'
Everyone gawked at the elder woman, who deemed them almost unworthy of her time with a sharp scowl.
"I see you invaded my personal meditation spot," She noted, looking around at the nest the teenagers had so cleverly crafted together. "All the straw is out of place and you've burned a fire in the center. There's a scorch mark."
"Sorry about that, ma'am," Rin apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "We just thought it good camping ground, we didn't realize- wait, whoa! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He shrieked.
The woman summoned forth powers which no one had seen, making the make of the camping ground levitate several feet in the air while the nest began to clear and return to its natural untouched state.
"Move," The woman barked roughly. She held out another hand, creating the same force to have all the exwires float as well. "You've tainted this place with your outside forced
"Wait, wait, waitwaitwaitwait!" Rin squawked repeatedly, flailing about. He spluttered long-windedly. "Hang on! We just barely got here and now you're kicking us out?! We just need refuge pleasewaitdon'twejustneedhelp!"
His screeching made the woman grouse and massage the aching in her temples. "Calm down, I just need to clear it for a few hours. Then you can have it back!"
"I don't even know your name!"
"Lilith."
With that, Lilith hurled the exwires and the makeshift camp out of the tree's branches, leaving them screaming and shouting as they toppled over onto the grassy earth. The sorceress 'hmph'd' loudly, then plopped down in the center of the nest. The straw seemed to take note of her presence and righted itself to be stretching from the center outward. She closed her eyes, igniting a glowing flame in the palms of her hands.
"Finally," She sighed wearily. "Some peace and quiet."
Down below, the exwires began a swift recovery, collecting food, sleeping mats, and kindling, careful to make sure they had everything in possession. Fortunately, nothing seemed to slip by their grasp. Rin did another mental tally of his teammates, finding that, overall, they were well and unharmed.
'That's a relief,' Rin thought, as he righted a cooler chest and, with Izumo's help, scooped what ice and rations they could into it. Things weren't easy, no. Rin knew that. But if their luck said anything about how things had fared so far, they may not get the chance to seize what little territory they had gained for themselves and would be stuck sleeping under the starts that night.
"Oh, well," He murmured. "There's struggle with everything." He paused, turning to the blonde gardener, who was collecting the net of oranges and a sleeping pad in one arm. "Hey, Shiemi. What was that you said about finding an entrance to the Spirit World?"
Shiemi looked bright-eyed, a little confused but certainly bright-eyed. And it seemed, so was everyone else.
The lantern shimmered over the dark, rough interiors of the cave, shedding a light that barely penetrated the inky darkness. Footsteps echoed off the walls as two enlightened figures' shadows were made seen. One held it forward, another held a sword for defense and protection. The winding, the black labyrinth was endless beyond measure and seemed to disappear into a void unknown by any living organism.
The nameless figures let themselves be swallowed by the darkness with only their lantern to keep the things that go bump in the night; the monsters at bay. They continued treading, careful yet fearless and fearful at the same time. Never had such terror been felt, never would the promise of a new world be more tantalizing addictive. They swore to lay down their lives for the Illuminati's cause and lay down their lives they would—especially in the presence of this... particular monster.
But the Heavens would sing their praises when the night through because once this demon was released, it would begin a tipping domino effect of other monsters following suit and when the world was plunged into eternal damnation, then Lucifer would finally remake it with equality for all.
(Agency be damned.)
The hinged doors before them towered as the end of the cave grew gradually and immensely to reach this specific place of horrors. It was bound in chains and locks, long forgotten and covered with a thick layer of rock dust and moist mildew from the thin trickles of water gracing the walls, ceilings, stalactites, and stalagmites. Drip. Drip. Drip. It faintly, rhythmically echoed. Its unnerving beat was like a tinny drum in the ears of the nameless.
They split to each side of the cave, removing keys the size of volleyballs from their curled fingers. They pushed each one into the locks, turning them until each clicked paralyzingly, terrifyingly loud. They each looked at each other, nodded, and gave a harsh push against the sealed doors—locked up tighter than the eyes of the Impure Family—and a gush of wind accompanied by a rancid, indescribable smell assaulted them.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!
A horrid beast's bellowing erupted from the cave. The Illuminati members held tight to each other, squeezing their eyes shut and knowing despite their gelid trepidation, the end would come quickly and soon they would be reborn and this unkind creature would be under their trustworthy rule.
"Oh, mighty beast," One begged softly. "Unleash your wrath upon Assiah, give humans something to fear once more. Release us from hell."
The looked eat each other again, beginning a silent conversation before holding their hands forward and skyward in the Illuminati's salute.
"Praise, Lucifer!"
The beast roared again, the end came swiftly, and this time its monstrous screaming was heard over all the Earth, in every child's nightmare, and even by the deaf and hard of hearing. From this moment forward, no one would ever be safe again.
She could hear it, even in the dark tranquil night and the restful hours that permeated the soft midnight. The witching hour was upon her in which the devils were crawling about, impish laughter was heard, and black and white magic alike seeped through the soil where she could feel it.
Lilith could hear the beast's—the armageddon's hollering as it reverberated through the Earth and tipped the natural balance she had been maintaining for millennia after millennia. It was her job, her sole purpose in life to keep the scales in perfect equilibrium. The Equipoise was her responsibility.
A zephyr washed over her, making her shiver, making her hair sway with it, and blowing the flame from her hand into mere nothingness. She gasped, opening her eyes and trying to resummon the flame with a Latin chant. When it refused to appear, her eyes widened and she sighed shakily. Her thoughts turned to the camping group of brats and she realized just how much danger they had been put in.
"Where the Earth meets the Rot meets the Insects," She murmured cautiously. "Blightseed."
She stood shakily onto her own two feet, trailing carefully to the perimeter of her certified meditation area. She ran her deft, worn fingers along the grains of the nearest branch and she knew she would have to raise a protective barrier over the Garden of Amahara. She could feel the life draining from it even with just the beast's echoes of a roar. An old creature from ancient times had been awoken its slumber and if the way she fought to hold it back, how it had left unhealable scars on her frame, how it appeared in her nightmares and poisoned her dreams said anything about the calloused woman she had become today because of it, then it would be another terrible battle.
"Whatever you think you're doing, Lucifer... quit it. Quit while the world still has some purity."
A/N:
Hails: Well, that turning point sure had some intensity to it. Thanks for coming into the Tunnel of Turning Points have a nice day.
The following week there might not be a chapter due to school and the fact that I need to catch up.
Next Chapter: Paku drags Godaīn along when the adults start getting hush-hush about the exwires and their undecided futures. Lilith provides some information on the Spirit World entrance Shiemi found behind the waterfall. Lilith gets protective of the twins and begins to mend them back together. The beast rises from the depths and extra measures are made to keep the Gehenna Gate at bay. Lightning does some questioning at the Southern Cross Monastery and Shiemi and Yukio tie the broken connection between them.