Chapter cover: A hooded stranger with her cape dancing with the desert wind. The sunset cast a long shadow on the hooded stranger.
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It was Lea's third day – still falling, still muttering apologies – knowing it was hopeless. The memories she had tried to suppress flood her mind. There was nothing to see except for the memories replaying over and over again.
At one point, her inner demon appeared in the pitch black world. It was possible as the pitch black world is a place where only the two of them can reside – and leave. Although Lea could not see much – she sensed its presence.
Above her muttering of useless apologies, her inner demon filed its fingernails (somehow) as they fell down together. Her inner demon sat cross-legged in the air, and continues its work without a single word.
If Lea was in her right mind, she would have thought the demon was mocking her.
Finally, the demon sighed, and stopped filing. "Pathetic. Just pathetic." It rattled its bounded hands. They could not see each other, but they can sense each other. By rattling its chains, it wanted Lea to acknowledge its presence.
"We are so broken. I wonder how we put the broken parts of us together all these years." The demon paused, waiting for Lea's response. Once there were none, it continued. "Ah, you accept me so easily."
It was a fact, and Lea knew it. She bit her bottom lip, feeling more hopeless than before.
The demon sensed her emotion and frowned, shaking its head. "Did you know…when I was first created?"
With a sad smile, the demon hugged Lea from behind – startling Lea. It wiped her tears away with its fingers. It decided on a human form – identical to its creator. Lea took comfort with the demon's hug; its warmth was spreading throughout her body. For some reason, the demon reminded Lea of her beloved mother.
It began to hum a song, it did little good to calm Lea, but at least the little girl had stopped crying. After a while, the demon found itself holding little Lea – no older than five years old. It chuckled to itself as it held Lea in its arms.
It did nothing much for Lea to regress into her five year old self. It needed Lea to put down her strong façade and be true to herself – at least in front of her inner demon. It knew her struggles, her doubts, her suspicions – her hatred and love for the world she – no, they lived in – the demon corrected itself.
Ah, walking more than a few millennia…fighting to keep her promises, starting anew with every life, guiding the people she loves to the right path. Like a silent guardian, Lea, the current name of this life - and her inner demon, its name long forgotten, but if its creator chose to bestow it a new name, then so be it.
Still – its thin eyebrows furrowed – the reason why they kept reincarnating was…an oath they must keep. An oath to a Transcendent – which, it thought dryly – will never change nor broken. Even if it was fulfilled – the tranquility will not last long – the cycle will start again.
"Transcendents are formerly humans after all." The little Lea muttered. The demon chuckled as it tied Lea's hair to a ponytail. It had forgotten in this pitch black world where only both of them could reside – they could read each other thought perfectly.
It sensed Lea's confusion. "The answers will come to you; once you are ready."
Lea nodded silently. "I am a sinner aren't I?" The demon chuckled humorlessly.
"We have our own flaws. Demons and angels are formerly human – but, if you ask me who or what is worse…I do not know nor will I seek the answer to the question." The demon said. "Once you walk as long as I, with your memories retain every single time, you will find yourself in need for entertainment."
"And you-" It continued, cuddling the little Lea. "must wake up soon. Those memories you try to forget, don't. They are what made you the 'you' right now. I know we yearn for the better days – I know you think I am evil, but can you really say that? I have comforted you all those bitter times where you are alone."
"Even the times when you were tortured…" It added as a whisper. "I may be a horse, but I will protect my rider if I can." Their foreheads gently touched. "So…if you miss me – you just have to look through your memories. It is a boundary that separates the current you and the ancient me."
"Treasure them – treasure them." It advised. It blinked its deep red eyes at Lea whose eyes had golden flecks in it. The demon felts its grip disappearing as Lea became less solid. In that pitch black world, for the first time in centuries – there were flaming torches lighting up the world. Instead of falling, the demon and Lea landed on a solid ground and they observed their surroundings. They stood up together and the demon let Lea go. It was only then it realized Lea was wearing a Japanese yukata, it was plain blue.
It was a good sign. Lea has calmed down; there was no trace of doubt on her composure.
The demon felt the corner of its mouth tugging. They were in a corridor with doors, some big, some small – some locked, some left opened by a margin but Lea wasn't interested in those. Little Lea – with her hardened face and flames lit with determination, went straight ahead to the biggest door of all – the door which will allow Lea to leave their world.
With each little step, Lea grew back to her original size. The sound of the dull thud of the Geta shoes hit the tiles was endearing to the demon. By the time she reached the exit, she grew back to her original size, her head held high and her arms tucked by her side.
With a twist of the knob, the door opened. The soft light bathed Lea with its brilliance. The demon grinned at the blinking Lea. The moment Lea took a step out of the door; the yukata was replaced with more practical clothing. A cotton shirt, and a long, comfortable pants. Even the Geta shoes were replaced with black combat boots.
Instead of the usual brown travelling cloak, Lea wore white instead. As Lea continued to walk, she pulled the hood up, allowing the shadow of the hood to hide part of her face.
The demon watched as Lea continued her fool's journey. It kept watching until the snow white cloak could not be seen.
After a wave of its hand, it turned around – and felt its creator escaping from their world. The moment Lea left, the world became pitch black once again. The doors which were opened slammed shut by itself, and instead of a simple lock, they were covered with chains, held tightly.
The demon knew it was useless to try to force its way through. It sat on the cool ground and laughed, covering its blood red eyes. It wasn't lying about protecting its rider – but it was doing that for its own interest.
Like almost all immortals – it wants entertainment in this world.
Every journey has its beginnings and its ends – now, The demon clasped its hands together and placed its chin on top of them as it sat on the ground. Will our journey have its ending too? Or will we be walking forever in this world?
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A/N: Left a few hints in this chapter and the chapters before this. You can predict what will happen and to be honest, I suck at imagery since I tend to overdo them most of the times. Trying my very best to improve and I need time to piece the puzzles together. Come to think of it, how did I even manage to write a long chapter with 10k words last time?
If you spot any mistakes, be sure to tell me. Thank you for reading!