CHAPTER 5 (Starting point)
Her gaze glared at the immaculate white door in front of her. Eyes bright red as the dazzling fire, but blank as the dark abyss. Yule dread the day she accepted this occupation thousands of years ago. If only she could get Chronos' sphere and turn back time. That would be fun. Especially if she can succeed in turning back time. Again, she stared at the door, pondering if she must go in or choose another.
She winced, shutting her eyes close and raised a hand to massage the throbbing vein that popped on her forehead. Thinking back on what happened during that accursed meeting brought a massive headache for her.
"Yule" A deep voice cooed. Earning her attention. But she did not turn, nor tried any attempt to search for the owner of the voice. After all, Him wasn't going to reveal himself.
"Are you sure you don't want any help in going to Erebus? I can help in finding out what is the source of what's happening on Earth right now." She whispered in the wind. But her question had been responded by a chuckle. Deep and reverberating. Yule knew what was coming: Rejection.
"My child, Your effort is deeply appreciated but you know that it is my duty to go. Besides, you know what happens when you go to Erebus." Yule huffed, blowing away a few strands of her raven hair. Yeah. She knew all too well. That someone much worse would piss her off. But somehow, going to Erebus was much better than going down to Earth and scour each and every soul that had been reborn.
Damn! It what the hell was happening right now? All reborn souls were gaining back memories of their past lives. She thought it was only natural to get a few glitches here and there, but for each soul that had been reborn to remember who they were in the past? That was something else. She gritted her teeth in annoyance, swearing that if she ever find the culprit she'll let that person experience Hell. Not the same hell that everyone knows about, No. She'll let that person experience something way much more than that.
"calm my child" came Him's coo. "All is well, the problem with the river is not the making of a God. Now, the mortal world awaits." And with that she knew he was gone. Leaving her to finally make her decision in whether she should continue to Earth or disobey her superior and go to Erebus. That ticked her off. Yule knew and believed that it was someone who had caused this troublesome problem to them, and what makes her more angry was that Him was implying that they should not accuse any of the higher or lower god or goddess.
Well it was obvious that someone powerful did it! And she will prove it!
Breathing in a deep, calming breath she slowly closed her hand around the pass door's cool metal knob, turning it. The familiar blinding light greeted her with it's usual intensity, but she never flinched nor blinked. Her mind wondered if this was the right decision. The light tantalized, beckoning for her to come.
Eyes narrowing down to slits, she slammed the pass door close. It was not that she refused to obey Him's orders. However, there were two ways in going down to Earth: By pass door or by Erebus. With a sharp turn, she marched towards the judge door and pulled the door wide open, slamming the door to the point of breaking it. The abyss greeted her, darkness oozing out from the door. A frightening route for a soul.
Yule squared her shoulder proudly, facing the darkness without a trace of fright before making a step forward.
She was not disobeying orders, she was merely taking a quick detour.
''Earth to Komugi!'' A wave of Xarika's hand in front of her had taken her back to reality. Gasping silently at the surprise it made on her, Komugi turned her attention on the raven head girl that sat beside her, already wearing her sleeping attire. When their eyes met, Komugi gave Xarika an apologetic smile.
''sorry'' she whispered breathlessly and diverted her gaze from the raven head to the gungi board that she didn't notice that she had already took out, caressing the smooth surface. Of course this particular gungi board was lacking one White Marshal piece.
Again her mind had thought about him, the scene with him has been replaying in her mind for the past hours. The familiarity she had with him were like bells that wouldn't stop ringing, twisting her gut delightfully and sparking that foreign feeling again and again that scared and excited her as well.
Slowly her mind had drifted back to her deepest thoughts, the one containing her almost forgotten dream. A dream of someone calling her name, with a grotesque hand holding hers and letting go. That dream contained his voice, or more specifically, it was his voice that called out to her. So how on Earth did his voice appeared in her ten year old dream when she didn't even know him back then? She didn't know why but ever since she had met him she felt unsettled. It was his voice that confused her all the more.
It didn't made any sense. Heck, it confused her more! If she was Xarika she had already slammed her head on a wall in irritation. As if that would answer her questions. Speaking of which, Komugi remembered that the raven head was sitting right beside her, oddly silent. Which could only mean one thing. Komugi slowly turned her head and saw Xarika staring at her intently, a frown on her forehead. Silence continued to stretch between them, Komugi knowing that Xarika was reading her mind since she could feel the flow of the girl's nen. Xarika's nen ability could read a person's mind just by their nen, but if zetsu was activated, then it would hinder Xarika's invasion of privacy.
''oh please! Not that guy!'' Xarika had suddenly hollered and had stretched her arms in the air before letting herself fall backwards on the carpeted floor.
''What?!'' Komugi exclaimed, looking at Xarika's scrunched up face.
''please don't tell me you like him!'' Xarika groaned that made Komugi's face turn bright crimson. Blood rushing faster than usual and her heart skipping a beat or two.
''W-w-what?! N-no! No I'm not!'' she denied. The raven head sat up back once again and looked deep in her eyes, a serious look plastered all over Xarika's face.
''Look here, I know you're confused about the familiar feeling towards him and as to why his voice was in a ten year old dream of yours, but I know about the other feelings that you got that even confuses you more. There's no doubt, whether you know it or not! You got love-stricken the first time you saw him!''
''I-I-'' stuttering the start of her intended explanation, but as always, Xarika was going all out and was not letting anyone talk.
''but I won't accept it! If he has to court you, he has to do it over my dead body! Ya bloody hear me!? If it was some other guy then maybe I'd even cheer for you, but him?! Not a chance! I'm not letting you hook up with him, much less even date him! And for the record-mft!'' Xarika was cut off by a three-layer peanut butter and jelly sandwich shoved in her mouth by Amaya.
''Oh finally! Peace is finally back in the world!'' Amaya teased, a hand propped at her side and head tilted side wards as she admired her work on Xarika. ''Now, what's the cause of the world's biggest problem?"
''our pretty little hermit here has a crush on Mr. Scary earlier'' Xarika said, pointing her thumb towards Komugi. Which made her blush even more, there was no reason for Amaya to know about Xarika's crazy idea. After all its not even real, right?
All of a sudden Amaya was already hugging her in a tight bear hug and was squeezing the life out of her.
''Really?! Wow! I'm so proud! Good choice by the way! Scary and intimidating, but nonetheless a good choice!'' Amaya exclaimed.
''I said it already! I'm not-'' she tried in vain to be heard, but Xarika's ranting had interrupted her speech. Turning her blush a shade darker out of embarrassment. This was absolutely not happening. She could only stat silent as both of her friends bicker over if she really has a crush or not.
"You only saw the intimidation and the arrogant attitude that he held, but you didn't see the look on his face when he was looking at Komugi-chan" Amaya suddenly decreed after a few rebuttals.
"Yes I did, he looked at her like she was some kind of food that needs to be eaten." Xarika remarked back. Komugi suddenly wished that she was back home in Vinhene. Quiet and alone.
"no, he looked confused as Komugi was, his concern was practically oozing out of him as he looked at her. He's smitten by our pretty little hermit and you won't know that because you're too dense! You only read people's minds Xarika-chan but not their hearts." Amaya huffed as she finished her sentence, looking at Komugi with a timid smile. She smiled back unknowingly, unfortunately.
"read their hearts..." She heard Xarika mutter before the raven head suddenly went to bed, covering the sheets up to her head. Komugi stared at Xarika for a while, worrying about her friend.
"C-Chime..." Komugi whispered looking at the familiar mansion that stood towering before her. Sure she kept her eyes close most of the time when she was younger, but if she remembered correctly this place was her old employer's home. The estate where she once lived in the past. The place where she was born. Then it would mean that the young man was...
"here we are." Santi exclaimed with arms wide open after he darted out the car. Reluctantly, she followed suit her, eyes roaming around the white and grey painted walls, realization striking her with full force. She wasn't alone in this dilemma because when she looked at Xarika she was also staring.
The opening of the front door took their attentions, Komugi saw a white haired woman coming out, smiling a curved smile that reminded Komugi of a mocking Cheshire cat and her arms swinging freely at every skip she made while she approached. The woman stopped just in front them, standing in full attention.
"Nya~ you must be our young master's guests. Welcome to Chime Mansion, I'm Neferpitou, but if you prefer, you can call me Pitou. Pleased to meet your acquaintance!" Came the woman's greeting that even sounded like a cat to her ears. What was with this woman? Was she so into cats that she's becoming one?
"the young master would like everyone to proceed to the library, this way please" Pitou stepped aside gestured her hand to let them in. Leading the way to the library.
"ah, ano... Pitou-san" Komugi called the woman who threw a look at her over the shoulder and hummed in response.
"May I ask something? I-I hope you won't take this offensively and think that I was prying and that i-its- its not my business and all but, but..." She started to stammer, unsure if she should ask the question. Komugi looked down at her fingers and started twiddling her thumbs nervously. She was gonna ask an odd question, and Komugi was sure that it was gonna confuse the woman.
"oh for crying out loud just spit it out Komu-Chan!" Xarika remarked, stopping her stammering. Komugi looked up and saw Pitou looking at her with wide curious eyes, a haze of pink and magenta rolling altogether. Shifting her gaze back to her twiddling thumbs, Komugi took a deep breath and opened her mouth, willing that her tongue would stop torturing her sentences whenever she's nervous.
"what happened to this place?" Komugi looked at Pitou again who prodded a finger on her chin in a thinking gesture.
"Nya~~ I don't seem to understand your query..."
"what Komugi-chan meant was that this place seems to be too different from the last time we were here" Xarika explained. Komugi looked at the raven haired who was busy sweeping the entire hallway with her scrutinizing gaze. True, it wasn't surprising that the interior of the mansion would change over the years. But somehow, something felt odd about the place and it unsettled her. It was eerie and too quiet, like they were walking inside a really clean and well lit haunted mansion.
"oh~ so you two have been here before?" Pitou asked which Komugi answered with a curt nod.
"we were servants here years ago" Xarika clarified.
"I see. So you girls must've been part of those servants Aizak-sama had fired years ago after Queen-sama's burial." Pitou remarked, returning her attention back in front of her and made a sharp turn to the left, leading the group to a hallway that lead to a dead end. Silence stretched awkwardly in the air, with Komugi still waiting for an answer to her question.
"it's the gloom that makes it eerie~" a voice singsong in the air, bringing them to a complete stop. Komugi could feel the density in the atmosphere intensified, deep and dark. She knew what this sensation was, it was a malicious nen.
But where?
The nen had already shrouded their group, not forcing, but simply terrifying the wits out of them. Komugi gasped silently as she felt a hand clutch tightly on her shoulder. She turned to see that it was Xarika's hand, her friend's face grim with anger. The nen grew stronger and she felt another presence joining them in that quiet hallway.
From a dark corner, a person emerged from the shadows, her creepy cheshire smile held malice in it as a welcome. Her dark eyes narrowing down to a single line as she stared at them with an amused and calculating dark gaze. Her aura darkening around her. This woman looked familiar.
"Aizak-sama" She heard Pitou say. The world around her blurred, hypnotized by the hostile nen that the woman emitted.
"that is your answer girl" the woman named Aizak said, walking with straight smooth strides closer. Komugi was confused, an answer? To what question?
"the longing for more people had made this mansion silent." Aizak murmured, bending down forwards to level her face with hers.
"That's what makes it eerie and haunt-like. And I like it better this way. Gives me more privacy~" the woman kept looking straight at her teal blue eyes. She did not move nor flinched when the woman suddenly brought up a hand and gently caressed her cheek, sending chills run up and down her spine. Was she talking about her question to Neferpitou earlier?
Suddenly, Aizak's gaze shifted behind Komugi, instantly informing her that Aizak was staring at Xarika. Komugi knew her friend would probably have been glaring at the woman right now in answer to the hostile nen around them.
With a creepy smile on her face, Aizak leaned closer to Komugi's face, her lips grazing the skin close to Komugi's ear with her breath. Petrified, Komugi could only stay still and hold her breath as the woman continued to make fear crawl like snakes up her spine.
"but when I want to show something, I want a full stadium of audience. In that way, I get all the attention~" Aizak whispered before leaning back and stepping away. The tension in the air eased up and the nen gradually dropped. Komugi still gawking at the weird woman with fear.
"so~ what are these youngsters doing here? Are you all friends of my nephew?" Aizak asked after a few moments of silence. This time, Pitou had spoke.
"The young master had requested Miss Komugi for a game of gungi"
"ah~ yes..." Aizak exclaimed with false glee. "my nephew does seems to be too fond of that game" She added, her tone was in it's usual singsong manner, but Komugi could see the deadly glint in her eyes upon saying the word 'gungi'.
"well my dear~" Aizak whispered as she slowly backed up. Returning to the shadows which she had emerged earlier.
"I wish you luck~" was her last words before she had disappeared before them. Her gaze and presence hung heavy and still lingered in the air.
That woman, if she remembered correctly, was the sister of Queen-sama, the one responsible for them to leave the mansion years ago and reside in the neighboring city where they presently lived. Komugi knew, since back then, that there was something odd with that woman.
That ever since she became head of the household, the darkness rose. Now that she had came face to face with the woman herself, Komugi confirmed her thoughts. There really was something wrong about that woman, and something evil within her.
A/N :
Sooooorrrrrryyyyy if this chappy had bored you guys , but the story won't progress if we missed some small details that may be vital to the story ;)
anyhoooooooooo ... forgive the silly grammars and hang tight for the next update okies ? Love ya guys ! *grovels*