"It's the world's largest capital of the dead." Kiriko continued.
"The land of the deceased. A land that hates gravekeepers above all else… It's why… Me, G, and Scar… It wouldn't be a good idea for us to go inside… Same with Dad." Darky spoke.
"I wanted to avoid this place if possible, but I guess we have no choice." Julie spoke.
"Countless gravekeepers have died here." Darky added, "It is not only a city, but a nation."
"It is Ortus." Kiriko and Darky said together.
The van stopped, and Kiriko explained about the guardian goddess of Ortus, Koroshiohake.
The goddess who possesses the ability to bring death to any living thing. Kiriko got out of the van, still speaking about the goddess, and rose a hand, causing the guards to stand down.
"Her eyes are the eyes of death. Her words are the words of death. Her body brings with death. There is no escape for those amongst the living. Koroshiohake is the only one… who became a guardian saint for the deceased. She is a goddess of mercy."
Kiriko soon took the group to sign the papers for permission into Ortus.
Though Julie and Kizuna signed most of them. Kiriko also explained that the group wouldn't be able to do much; only being able to visit the trade district, and something else that was interrupted, by Pox and Rek, a person with literally two faces.
They were literally one, but two. Pox was a female with pink hair and lipstick, while Rec was a male with green hair. They each also had different jobs.
Darky extended both her hands to them, "Nice ta meetcha! I'm Daniyarru Astin, though most people call me Darky!"
Pox and Rec smiled, taking her hands and shaking them.
"Oh! What a sweet girl!" Rec smiled.
"Nice to meet you, as well." Pox spoke.
"Thanks to you, our darling little Kiriko is home, safe and sound." Rec smiled even more.
"It was better than re-killing him for sleeping in the back seat." Darky joked, "It was nothing, Pox-san, Rec-san!"
"You're quite an unusual child, aren't you?" Pox asked.
"I've been told." Darky grinned.
"Even the deceased are generally repulsed by our appearance." Pox added.
"Nah, you look real cool." Darky gave a little 'shihihi'.
"We are quite the monster~" Rec sing-songed.
"Don't call yourself a monster." Darky frowned, "I had to tell my bastard of a father that -No offence, Dad, but you still did kill a lot of people. No one, no matter how they change, are a monster."
Pox began to fangirl, while Rec stopped her. Darky sweatdropped. Pox offered Darky anything she wanted because of Kiriko being saved.
Darky asked if she could go into the city. Rec didn't seem to find anything wrong with it, while Kiriko and Julie protested. Kizuna and Julie pulled Darky off to the side. Both adults seemed worried about what would happen if the deceased in Ortus find out that Scar, G, and Darky herself were all gravekeepers.
Darky promised she'd be careful, and that she wanted to see it because of her mother's dream.
Scar insisted on coming with, as she was hearing a voice from inside Ortus.
They rode through the streets, Kiriko explaining that what Rec did was his way of thanking them, as he liked to watch over Kiriko.
He spoke that Ortus was no place for the living, or gravekeepers, and that he'd like that the group left immediately after repairs were finished.
Darky awoke in the morning, opening the windows to see Ortus in daytime.
"It's beautiful… I see why the dead like it." Darky spoke.
"Darky."
"It's past noon, I kno-" Darky turned, seeing that Scar looked sick.
Darky tried to offer her help, but Scar simply said that the half-gravekeeper would only be a nuisance, that Kizuna, G, and Julie went to make arrangements for the van's repair, and that Darky had to stay inside.
After awhile, Darky struck up conversation with the caretaker of the inn they currently stayed in, Kira. She then asked if she could go out and see the city, so Kira gave her a wolf mask to hide her face and told her to have a blast, and to head to Mask Avenue.
While there, she got a flyer for some time of film or play, and had it quickly stolen. She ran after the thief.
"Get out of here… Leave this city, as soon as you possibly can. Trust me, you don't know anything about the darkness this city harbors."
"Darkness…? What the fuck do you mean?"
"Your existence alone has saved this city… And you're the only one who can save this world…
Ulla." Kiriko spoke to the princess of Ortus.
Episode Four is done!
I'll work on the next chapter tomorrow... Hopefully. Review, please!
