Kyoko couldn't answer, too shocked by what she saw. Light magic emanating from the room, so powerful she didn't dare cross the threshold. Rosa beckoned at her impatiently.
"Come. You will not burn up," said Rosa. "You have been carrying part of my divinity for a while now. There is no problem with you entering my domain."
Kyoko still didn't move. "Then…this sea of sand?"
"A space between worlds. Between life and death. I'm sure you saw the entrance to the afterlife."
She thought of that door of light.
"I almost walked through," said Kyoko. "Hikaru stopped me."
Rosa gave an understanding nod, which didn't answer any of Kyoko's unspoken questions and was definitely somewhat annoying.
"I'm dead, then," said Kyoko, her voice hollow.
Ren. I left him. I wasn't able to help.
"Yes, we are both dead," said Rosa, matter-of-factly. "Normally, you would have gone straight to the afterlife; but, as we are tied together, you came here with me first. I don't go to the afterlife when I die. My spirit stays here until my strength returns and I can reform my body."
"Wait." Hope thumped hard against Kyoko's chest. It was strange— it felt like her heart, even when she knew she didn't have one anymore. "Are you saying I can come back with you?"
"That will depend on you."
Again, Rosa beckoned her to come in. This time, Kyoko lifted a foot and stepped inside.
It was as if she'd dipped her toes in liquid light. Energy and warmth washed through her as every hair on her stood on end. She itched to sing, dance, and leap with joy. She'd never felt so carefree. Basking in the feeling, she closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
Rosa hummed, breaking Kyoko's concentration. The demi-goddess was openly searching Kyoko in interest. "I knew my magic liked you, Kyoko," she said. "I wonder what you were in your past life."
Kyoko blinked. She'd almost forgotten where she was, so swept up in the moment.
"S-sorry," she said She hastened forward toward the ring of torches surrounding Rosa. The demi-goddess's eyes widened.
"Kyoko, wait—!"
Her foot passed through the circle.
She watched humanity from far above on a separate existence from them. Then she was among them, walking, talking, laughing, eating. Someone's face appeared to her, a young man with startlingly bright eyes, foreign but also achingly family. Her hand rose to touch him.
"Kyoko!"
Kyoko opened her eyes. She was staring at the ceiling of the palace inside of the ring of torches. She could just see Rosa in the corner of her vision, her face white.
"You weren't supposed to enter the ring of torches," said Rosa. "That may be more my fault. I should have been more specific."
Kyoko groaned and sat up. Her head felt like a pile of rocks had been thrown inside it.
"What was that?" she groaned.
Rosa gave her a sad look, an expression far too knowing for the young face she had. "That was you making another choice without realizing it." Her smile was gone now as she patted the floor beside her. "Come. Sit by me. You will feel better, and I can explain."
Kyoko did as she was told, folding her knees beneath her as she sat by the demi-goddess. The carpet was comfortable and warm, gold thread forming complex patterns. They looked vaguely like light rune circles.
Sitting closer to Rosa gave her a better look at the demi-goddess. She wore a plain white dress with little gilding and a simple belt around her waist. Short red hair stuck out at weird angles, her large eyes adding to the look of a child having just rolled out of bed after sleeping with their hair wet. Were the irises not a strange gold color, she would have looked like a normal human child.
"Why do you look like this?" said Kyoko.
"You are full of questions," said Rosa.
Kyoko opened her mouth to apologize, but Rosa shook her head. "No. It's not a bad thing, and we've got lots of time so there's not really anything wrong with it. I just think there are a few things you should know before we continue."
Rose gestured at the circle of torches around her. The fires inside were pure red, and with a start, Kyoko realized they all flickered in the same exact way at the same exact time.
"This ring of torches is the boundary of my soul," said Rosa. "By entering the ring, you have once again bound yourself to me and ensured that we will both be revived when I regain my powers and I am reborn into the mortal realm."
Kyoko furrowed her brow. "And that's…not good?" It certainly sounded good to her.
"It depends," said Rosa. "You see, the time it takes for me to be reborn is equal to the lifespan I had before dying."
"And how long was that?"
Rosa lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I didn't die once in the lifespan of the kingdom. It will take a thousand years before we are reborn."
Kuon walked slowly through the abandoned streets of Mosall, keeping an eye out for any sneak attacks from the monsters that lurked in the shadows. Not for the first time did he wish he had donned the stealth spell like Kanae and Hiroaki had. He could have sped through the town easily and made his way straight to the Accursed; but no, that wasn't their plan. He needed to be visible. The Accursed would be expecting him, angry and grieving, wishing for nothing more than revenge.
With each step on the stone road, his temper climbed. There would be no need to exaggerate any of his anger. Kuon was already shaking. The city was covered in miasma, the air thick with a purple hue that completely covered the sun and clashed with the orange hue of fires in the distance. His essence shied away from the dark aura, impervious to any damage but not immune to how it made every inch of his skin crawl. Piles of clothes littered the street, filled with the ashy remains of their wearers; the miasma had disintegrated anyone that hadn't made it out.
Kuon halted in the street. More monsters, like the ones he had seen outside, watched him from broken roofs and destroyed alleyways. Like before, none of them moved. None of them attacked.
The Accursed probably already know I'm here.
He picked up the pace, continuing down the street. The smell of ash and rotten fruit assaulted his nostrils. Kanae had shown them on a detailed map where the entrance to the tree roots had been. He needed to get there before the imposter found them. As he crossed to the next borough, with the same slew of unmoving beasts watching him pass, he could only hope that Kanae and Hiroaki were keeping up.
Eventually, he made it to the broken home Kanae had described—and right outside the entrance stood the Dark Djinn. Still, as the night, the Djinn wore its long-hooded cloak; its clawed, abnormally long fingers just visible beneath ragged sleeves.
Kuon slowed, stopping just before the creature.
The Djinn gestured with a clawed hand. "Come. She's waiting for you."
Kuon scowled. If there was another thing he didn't miss about being an Accursed, it had been his constant connection to that monster. There, fully separated from it, he could appreciate how atrocious and terrifying its aura was.
He worried about Hiroaki for a second before remembering the mage had seen the actual body of the Djinn. If he had kept himself together in front of that thing, he would likely be fine in front of this avatar. Probably. The problem now was if he should go with the Djinn.
"What do you mean?" said Kuon. "Who is waiting for me?"
"Don't play stupid with me, Prince," said the Djinn. "I'm the reason you are here, no? To enact your revenge." The aura in the monster shifted, like it wasn't the Djinn that spoke; Kuon could only tell because he had become so familiar with it.
Setsuko.
He loathed to use that name, but it was the only thing he knew to call her. He hesitated, thinking about Kanae and Hiroaki. They were supposed to go into the tunnels together. He hadn't anticipated being separated. Or would they follow him?
"How do I know you're not leading me to a trap?" he said, to buy some time.
The monster gave a dark chuckle.
"I already have."
A necromancer suddenly stepped out from an alleyway, magic humming around its scepter. Undead spread out behind it, flanked by a pair of sand colossus. The air to his right flickered, and he could just make out the enormous white outline of a gashadokuro, a loud humming assaulting his ears.
Kuon gave a tight smile. "I guess I have no choice." Hopefully, Kanae and Hiroaki go on without me.
The Dark Djinn held out a hand and—as goosebumps erupted on Kuon's neck from voluntarily showing the Djinn his back—led him down the street.
Idiot. Kanae thought, watching the entourage of monsters leading Kuon away. Of course the Accursed wouldn't want the prince anywhere near the reverse inhibitor. How could they have overlooked something so simple?
Because they had been sleep-deprived, emotional, and hurried, that had been why. If Kuon wasn't going into the caves, the task fell to Kanae. Typical.
Hiroaki started to follow, but Kanae tugged on his wrist, writing the word "no" on his palm. He got the hint and stopped.
"What do?" he wrote back.
In answer, Kanae rolled her eyes and tugged him toward the door. He stumbled but followed without hesitation. The door hung on one hinge and she was able to slip in without disturbing it, but Hiroaki bumped it as he passed. He immediately started shaking and she had to thunk him on the head to stop him from crying out in despair. They wouldn't be caught from just that.
The entrance to the caves was still unblocked, thank goodness. A quick assessment showed no traps or detection spells. The door was literally wide open to them—Kanae having blown down the door during their previous escape—which just screamed of a trap. They had planned for that possibility, but it didn't make it any less unpleasant as she and Hiroaki made their way back into the tunnels that had nearly killed them without Kuon as a protective cover.
Kanae twisted the bracelet, an almost insignificantly small amount of magic shifting her vision just enough to allow her to see in the pitch-black darkness. It wasn't even close to being able to see with light, but she at least wouldn't be running into any stalagmites. She felt Hiroaki draw the same magic as they descended. They moved cautiously, the quiet so complete that she could hear her heart thumping in her chest.
How are we going to do this? There was no Kuon to chat up the Accursed anymore; no obvious cover for them to hide behind. In one easy move the Accursed had foiled their carefully crafted plans.
Too late to turn back.
Kanae stopped just on the edge of an enormous drop-off. There was nothing else like it in the tunnels—the place where the tree's root had been. The space was completely empty now, the bottom nothing but an inky impenetrable darkness. She prayed the reverse inhibitor was someone below them, near the Djinn's body. They couldn't afford any more surprises.
She grabbed a coil of rope from her pack, pressing an anchor in the ground with a bit of force and magic. The rope had three footholds, one of which was now going to dangle uselessly without Kuon. She attached a harness to herself, slipped her foot into place, and waited for Hiroaki to finish doing the same.
"Ready?" she wrote on their still joined hands.
His answer was to grip the rope like it was the difference between life and death. She had to hand it to him, she'd half-expected him to chicken out by now. Together, they started the slow descent into the pitch blackness, the silence growing louder.
"Please stop doing that. It feels… strange."
Kyoko ignored Rosa, pushing harder against the invisible barrier. She was nearly horizontal at this point, but it didn't seem to make any difference no matter how much she punched or kicked. She couldn't escape from the ring of torches. She'd tried casting magic, but her essence wasn't responding.
"I can't wait a thousand years to be resurrected," she grunted through the strain. "I have people waiting for me. Kuon is going to be so upset and Kanae will probably throw a fit. I just—have—to—Ah!"
Kyoko slipped, slamming her head into the floor. She flinched, but no pain erupted. Oh yeah, this isn't my body. I'm just a spirit right now.
Rosa hadn't moved from her kneeling position in the center of the ring, a look of exasperation on her face. "You can't force the clock to move forward. It's best to be patient and wait for us to be reborn."
Kyoko slumped against the invisible wall, her body limp with fatigue. "You can say that because you're an immortal demi-goddess. You don't have people you love waiting for you back home."
"I do have people I love," said Rosa, with a touch of annoyance. "I know what it's like to be separated from them and to wait…at least, I think I do."
Kyoko had almost forgotten about Rosa's memory problems. Even Kuon had complained about how vague or strange Rosa could be at times back when they were living in the palace.
"Then you must know why I have to return," said Kyoko. "They need me. I need them. As honorable and majestic as your presence is Rosa, I'll probably rip my hair out long before we're reborn."
Rosa let out a snort. "You seem to be a lot less formal with me than before. I'm glad."
Of course, she is, Kyoko groused. Being rude to the demi-goddess she'd accidentally soul-bound herself to was just so endearing. In all honesty, she was doing her best not to just fall apart. If she dwelt on the fact that she was dead for a single second, or that she was really going to lose everyone she cared for and loved…then what would be the point of being reborn?
Her chest ached despite the absence of a heart.
"Why can't you remember?" said Kyoko, not really interested in the answer. She just wanted to keep talking. The silence was too loud. "I thought your memory problems were due to your fight with the Dark Djinn, but that shouldn't be an issue now that you've died. Your soul should be whole now."
"Not entirely." She gestured to the torches surrounding her. "I'm living through my memories on earth in real time. Each of these flames here represents a century of my time on earth. I have snippets of information here and there from especially powerful moments in my life, but overall, I don't remember much."
"Wait." Kyoko did a quick count. There were exactly ten torches around them. "Then how did you know who I was?"
"I told you, strong memories make an impression. It would be hard to forget someone you bound your soul to."
Kyoko leaned away from the wall, properly distracted now. "Does that mean you remember all the kings you were bound to?"
"Most of them." She gave an embarrassed smile, a dimple showing on her cheek. "But there are some whose names I can barely remember. There were plenty of forgettable kings."
Another day, another time, Kyoko would have laughed at the comment. She'd have leaned closer, eyes glittering as she cajoled the demi-goddess to tell her more about Ashuron's history from her eyes. Instead, she thumped her head against the invisible wall, thinking about the last "king" Rosa had tried to bond with.
"Do you remember Prince Kuon?" said Kyoko.
Rosa lowered her eyes, her momentary joviality gone as silence filled the room instead.
"Just the name," she said. "And that you loved him. Nothing more."
Kyoko remembered. Every kiss on the forehead; every rare smile from his days as Cain. As short as their time had been together, it was almost impossible to think of a time before Kuon.
But more important than even that were the lives in danger.
"You don't remember, then, do you?" said Kyoko. "The fights with the Accursed, or the army threatening the people, or the tree falling or...anything?"
"No. I don't."
Kyoko couldn't take it. She stood up, striding around the edge of the ring of torches, inspecting each one. She stretched and stretched her senses, looking for something, anything that might help, whatever that might be.
"What are you doing?" said Rosa. Her eyes followed Kyoko as she completed her second loop.
"Trying to find a solution," said Kyoko, ignoring the huff of annoyance from Rosa. "You said these flames represent a century of your life, and that you're reviewing your memories in real-time, is that correct?"
"You are tenacious in your pursuits, aren't you?" There was fondness in Rosa's fiery eyes.
"Kanae would call it idiocy."
"I don't know who that is." She hummed for a moment, looking around. "Yes, I'm slowly absorbing the experiences of my life on earth."
"Because…what? Your soul split into ten parts?"
"No. Because I'm incomplete."
Kyoko pulled up short. Rosa looked as stunned as Kyoko did, as if she hadn't expected to say that.
"Huh," said Rosa, more to herself. "Why do I know that? That's…not a memory I should have yet."
"What are you talking about?"
"I remember...something. It's not clear. It's slippery…constantly shifting."
Kyoko stepped closer, hope tugging her along. The demi-goddess held her head in her hands, eyes wide and darting back and forth. She drew a sudden breath, head snapping up to stare at Kyoko.
"Come here," she said.
Kyoko obeyed and Rosa snatched her wrist.
The second their skin touched, Kyoko felt something flowing out of her. Rosa's hand warmed, the heat spreading all the way up her arm. It didn't burn, but it was too hot to be comfortable. After a few seconds, the warmth and flowing feeling suddenly vanished.
Kyoko snatched her hand back, flustered as she rubbed at her arm.
"W-what was…" Kyoko trailed off, shocked.
Rosa was crying.
Big rivers of tears flowed down each of the demi-goddess' pale cheeks, a wistful smile softening her expression.
"That was my memories returning." Rosa wiped at her cheeks. "Somehow, our connection allowed me to absorb some ten years of my memories. Or, at least, you did; and I was able to absorb them from you."
"Are you okay?" uttered Kyoko. Rosa shook her head.
"I'm fine. I just… remembered someone important to me."
A face flashed in Kyoko's mind. She couldn't recall any details as Rosa had taken them from her, but she knew she had known it for a brief while. It also made something about the situation click
"When I walked into the circle," said Kyoko. "I saw a bunch of stuff. Just flashes of it… do you think that's how I got those memories? By bonding to you and entering your space?"
Rosa chewed on the idea for a moment.
"Possibly," she said. "It certainly has to do with you, whatever it was. I alone can't force my memories to return at a quicker pace."
"But you're not alone." Kyoko stood up again, excitement moving her forward as she marched toward the invisible wall and threw herself against it. "That means I can keep collecting memories if I can keep coming in and out of the circle, right?" she grunted. "I—just—need—to—!"
She slipped again, but this time to the side. Her shoulder collided with one of the torches and in her panic, Kyoko reached out to stop it from falling.
She missed, plunging her hand in the fire instead.
The world went black. Fire raced through her veins, invading her heart, and pumping scorching lava to her lungs. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing come out but a shuddering gasp. It went on and on, melting her from the inside out for one prolonged lifetime.
Then…
…it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun.
Kyoko's eyes flew open. She stared at the arched dome ceiling, dazed and very confused. A face swam into her vision; a girl with red hair that framed her face in a comfortable bob.
"Rosa?" she said, and the demi-goddess nodded worriedly. "You look…different. Older." A thought struck her with dread. "Did I just pass out for a few years?!"
"No," Rosa breathed. "No, you silly, brave, dumb, idiot, girl." Kyoko raised her eyebrows at the insults, which earned a flash of a smile from Rosa. "You passed out and started screaming. You didn't stop until I touched you and took the memories from you."
"Oh." Kyoko tried to sit up. She immediately fell onto her side, face smashed into the beautiful carpet. "Ouch."
"Don't try to get up—" She didn't need to tell Kyoko twice. "—even at a twentieth of my power, it would normally be enough to incinerate a human soul. We're lucky you still exist."
Kyoko just grunted, not really listening. Her whole body trembled, unable to roll over to a more comfortable position. It took a full ten minutes before she gained enough energy to do just that, back to staring at the ceiling. Rosa remained by her side the whole time, watching her with silent worry.
"I could—" said Kyoko.
"—I don't advise doing it again," said Rosa, who could apparently read minds.
"But it speeds up the memory process."
Rosa gave Kyoko the sort of unimpressed stare Kuon used to give her. "Kyoko," she drew out the name, sounding both worried and exasperated. "You will cease to exist if you touch another one."
"But I have to do something!" she burst out. "I can't just sit here when there's a way back. Hikaru stopped me from moving on. He told me to go back. I can't just abandon Ashuron. Not when he probably died because of me. Even here, he was still looking out for me. I can't just—" She hiccupped, tasting salt from the tears that were now streaming down her face. "I said I'd be Kuon's light," she choked. "I promised to always stay by his side. I can't just leave him."
There was still so much more that she needed to do. They'd found a cure for the rot. Plenty of people must have been hurt while fleeing the city and fighting those monsters. They'd all need treatment only she could administer. Did everyone get out? What happened to Kanae? The questions she'd refused to think about whirled through her head as she cried.
Rosa didn't say anything. She just reached forward, gently stroking and smoothing Kyoko's hair out of her face. The gesture was so achingly gentle that it prompted a fresh wave of sobs. Kyoko could do little more than cry, wishing that her body—her soul—would listen to her and move. All the while, Rosa continued to gently stroke her head.
Eventually, Kyoko's sobs quieted to occasional sniffs, feeling completely wrung out and empty.
"Rosa?" she said. The demi-goddess hummed to show she was listening. "You said earlier that I took a twentieth of your power… have you not remembered how to do math or something?"
There were only ten torches, after all.
When the demi-goddess didn't answer, Kyoko jerked her head around enough to look at her. Rosa's gaze was distant again, hand stalled mid stroke in Kyoko's hair. She looked as powerful and sad as a marble statue, trapped in a single moment of existence.
"Would you like to hear a story?" she whispered, her eyes still glazed over.
"Sure," said Kyoko, a little worried by the shift in the atmosphere. Rosa finally looked at her, and though she had the face of a girl, her expression bore the age of an immortal.
"I'll tell you the story of how I fell in love with a human," she said, "and how the Dark Djinn came to be."
Thanks for reading!
Hi everyone! I survived the crazy Texas rolling blackouts and our family is safe. Thank goodness for the in-laws. They had power so we just stayed with them for the entire week. Crazy. I feel very blessed by how little we were affected compared to other families. Did I get any writing done in that time? Nope! Haha... This thing will never end. *cries*
You all continue to be awesome and amazing. I will say it every time because I want you to know it really does matter (even if I'm the world's worst responder to reviews) Thank you so much for your kind support!
And yes, I will get to CT eventually...
Continue to stay safe out there!
-Blushweaver
Alternate Chapter titles (By Mr. Blush): "The Ten Torches." "Help, I'm Trapped with a Goddess and There is OnLy OnE BeD." "Not the Blood Ghost Giant Skeleton Again." "Separations and Bindings."