Kaneki landed in the middle of the cemetery, with it's single gravel-filled path and countless of tombstones around him.
it was almost an eerie atmosphere around the area, the place where alot of fallen people has lost their lives, just like humans in his own world.
As Kaneki stood in the middle of the gravel path he looked to his left.
further down that road it seemed to fill up more with tombstones, but it looked like a couple was bigger than others, maybe memorials? either way, it was a dead-end with only tombstones of different variations.
As Kaneki looked to his right he spotted that the path was long, he noticed several square-sized buildings, and the front gate to the cemetery, it's exit.
He was interested to see what could possibly be inside the small buildings around the area, but wanted to take the opportunity to explore it all, he began walking towards the dead end with the different tombstones.
''An area sealed to it's past, by the dead it will never find peace, our version of peace is only based on the person's perspective, this is the place of rotting corpses'' Kaneki thought to himself, feeling slightly guilty over the memories of all the humans he'd killed in his original world.
As he came closer to the tombstones he became more and more intrigued, there were three that were standing out significantly.
Kaneki walked over to one of the big tombstones, he noticed it's carving's were made by an expert, on top of it he could faintly recognize a carving of a greatsword into the stone underneath the layers of dust on the tombstone.
He kneeled down and rubbed the dust of the front.
''Here lies...The fire knight Agni, his flames of purgatory will always be remembered'' Kaneki read the inscriptions out loud.
Kaneki was intrigued as to the giant tombstone made for one person, maybe he was fighting for equality like Kaneki once did?
Wanting to learn more, he hurried over to the second tombstone that stood out of them all, on it's top it had the carving's of a bow, an archer perhaps?
Kaneki rubbed the dust off and read out loud.
''Here lies...the Quick-witted Tempesta, her hurricanes of arrows still roam the sky'' Kaneki stood up again, interested by the weird meanings of these he went over to the third and last tombstone.
As Kaneki approached the tombstone, he saw it's carvings was that of a Shield.
Yet again Kaneki rubbed off the dust and repeated the same.
''Here lies...The Crusader Placida, her unwavering shield stood for her companions'' Kaneki took a couple of steps back, trying to figure out what these people possibly could be, but his train of thoughts were interrupted by an intense growling coming from his stomach.
''W-who's there?!'' a voice cried out.
They must've noticed the sound of Kaneki's empty stomach yelling in pain, but he didn't want to hide either, he stood his ground and waited for the person to approach.
A timidly small, yet beautiful girl, came out from behind some bushes, she held a lantern in one hand, and held a darkened cloth around her body with the other one.
From afar in the mist she noticed Kaneki's mask, and momentarily stopped walking, but steeled herself and continued to walk towards the ghoul.
''Who are you?'' the girl asked.
Kaneki silently just watched her, doing nothing, but he answered her.
''Just a visitor to these graves, thought those three standed out significantly, so i decided to check them out'' Kaneki said truthfully, he didn't have anything to lie about so he decided to just tell her it.
''Is that so?'' the girl muttered, her voice breaking into silence, Kaneki noticed the way she spoke that sentence she was in sorrow or sad.
''Are these friends of yours?'' Kaneki asked bluntly.
''Yes'' she asked her voice trembling.
Kaneki unsurprised by her answer she gave went over to the tombstone of Placida, he crouched himself, and put his hands together infront of him, he prayed.
a few seconds later he noticed the girl began doing the exact same next to him.
they just sat there, praying for the person, before Kaneki stood up again.
''I gotta ask...what happened to these friends of yours?'' Kaneki asked trying to hold his tone, he didn't want her to get upset nor begin crying.
She just sat there silent for some moments before, pulling back the darkened cloth from her head, two long lashes of blond hair revealed itself, she took a deep breath and spoke.
''Well...it all started about 4 years ago, it was supposed to be our last quest on the northern part of Lastation, we ventured inside a dungeon, which today is caved-in, Stupid Agni just rushed inside the entrance without a care in the world, and Tempesta right behind him'' she took a break from speaking, her voice was darkened and filled with sorrow and grief from the sound of it.
She continued.
''Before me and Placida knew it, we had already gone so far inside the dungeon it began to become an ancient ruin, when we finally caught up with the two others, i noticed Agni sprawled out on the ground, unmoving, lifeless, dead...we tried to make Tempesta retreat, but she couldn't hear us, she was consumed by rage and kept firing against the cruel beast, at some point the monster managed to wrap it's claw around her, and she was strangled to death aswell, it was so horrible'' the girl began sobbing now but didn't stop talking.
''We ran as fast as we possibly could, our lungs filled with pain, our legs screaming, as we neared the dungeon's exit, Placida suddenly turned around and faced the foul beast chasing us, i tried my damnest to convince her to run, but at the exit, she just pushed me, making me tumble out the dungeon, then throwing her shield making me fall over losing my footing, while outside the dungeon, the last thing i saw of her, was a teary last goodbye before she hurled her sword in the ceiling, thus making the cave-in'' the girl slowly stood up, wiping the tears off her face.
Kaneki silently eyed the tombstones, with truth in his tone he said.
''I know how you're feeling, i've also had loved ones taken away from me, the grief and sorrow, it's despairingly overwhelming...but even so'' Kaneki clenched his fist.
''Even so you need to become stronger in order to protect the ones you love, i couldn't do it because i lacked the power to do so, and it resulted in the world taking everything from me, thus...becoming a monster, to gain power, you also sacrifice something inside yourself'' Kaneki said, slowly gaining hate over his ghoul side.
He switched his focus to the shining moon up high in the skies, he raised his right arm, as if to reach the moon, he opened his palm towards it.
''Who are you? and what did you guys fight for?'' Kaneki asked, still staring at the lonely moon.
The girl took deep breaths before answering, Kaneki noticed it'd be something hard for her, having the life you once had taken away, no matter what world, it seemed as if cruelty was always there.
''I'm the last remaining member of that foolish group, we were stupid kids trying to chase our way of Justice but we went too far'' she went over next to Kaneki and leaned her shoulder against his, while also staring at the moon with him.
''and to answer your question, mysterious visitor, i'm Eir, the graceful Healer'' Eir didn't seem to be intimidated by Kaneki's mask so much anymore.
Unfazed Kaneki still stared at the moon, would he really be able to return to his own world? and if so would there be anything to come back to?
''i'll change it'' Kaneki muttered, Eir looked at him in surprise as she heard him say this.
''I'll change this wrong-way world, even if it means doing everything i can, well then goodbye'' Kaneki said, slowly beginning to walk on the gravel-path again, towards the square buildings, he needed to go, and his hunger reminded him why.
''W-wait! please tell me, what's your name!'' Eir yelled hoping this wouldn't be the last time she saw the ghoul.
''Kaneki'' he said, without looking back, and within moments his silhouette faded away in the mist and fog around the cemetery.
Eir looked on, even after he was gone, then went back to her original purpose for being at the cemetery, tending the flowers and praying to her comrades.
As Kaneki followed the path, coming closer and closer to the buildings, his walking began slowly to become a sloppily pace, then down crawling and back up again.
He could hear the voices rise ''meat...meat...meat...meat...meat...meat.. meat meat Meat Meat MEat MEat MEat MEAT MEAT MEAT!'' he knew keeping his mind and sanity in check would prove quite difficult.
As he finally stood infront of the entrance to one of the square buildings, he could smell it.
A sweet fragrance beckoning him to come, and he knew precisely what it was.
for a short moment he released his kagune, making it wiggle around, then behind and right into the stone door infront of him, smashing it to pieces, his kagune disappeared as he ran down the stone stairs towards the sweet smell of flesh.
The clear light from the moon soon began to lower into utter darkness, in the darkness Kaneki couldn't see anything, only rely on his ghoul nose.
after a couple of minutes in the darkness, Kaneki suddenly stopped, and moved his hand towards touching something.
''This is it...a corpse huh?, weird it hasn't decomposed, maybe that's a trait of the people in this world?'' as he felt more around the body, he could feel it was completely naked.
Kaneki wasn't fazed over small details such as these, he first did a small prayer, saying sorry to the poor person that would sadly be his meal.
His promise to Noire echoed in his head ''I promise you Noire...before i eat anyone i will give them a small prayer, and respect them'' his desire to feast became more and more unbearable.
He opened the zipper in his mask.
''thanks for the meal'' he quietly muttered, before devouring the corpse.
In her small bed she stared at the ceiling hoping he would come soon, Noire slowly faded into the rythm of the night, sleeping.
i know i took a long time to release this chapter but i've been worrying about the recent *Japan's pirate hunters* supposedly tracking down illegal streaming sites, which has me panicked to finish all my animes BEFORE they go down.
Chaotic's note ~