WHAAAAT? TWO chapters in just ONE day? What is this insanity?
Before I forget, THANK YOU ALL for your suggestions on how to improve the storyline! I think I've got a good idea on how to make the change in their relationship more believable, and I'm gonna kick-start it soon, so keep your eyes open for it!
Happy reading and, as always, reviews are love!
Chapter 22: The Dark Ocean
"Ugh!" Iris's hand clapped over her face as the choking air swept into her lungs. "Not this again!"
The blackened grass grasped and curled around her ankles as Iris continued down the path, the sun quickly being obscured by dark swirls of red and purple in the mid-morning sky. Everything gave off a gloomy aura, from the graves of travelers that lined the road to the dirt beneath her sandals. Iris rummaged through her bag, and her hand closed around the comb, cold and fragile in her hand.
"Do you really think that will work?" Tobi asked as Iris turned the tiny decoration over in her hand, frowning slightly. The prayer slip flew out of her bag, and twisted into his mummy form behind her, looking over her shoulder at the comb. "It's very pretty, but I don't think it could be very powerful."
"Only one way to be sure…" Holding her breath, Iris released her face and used her free hand to pull her hair up in a bun, taking a thin shred of her old hair ribbon and tying it before sticking the comb in and squeezing her eyes shut.
For a few moments, the tension hung in the air, thicker than the evil that kept making it difficult to breathe. Then, the flower on the comb glowed, and the light enveloped both Iris and Tobi, turning their skin a luminescent yellow for a few seconds. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the light faded, and Iris exhaled and breathed in again, clean, healthy air.
"It worked," Tobi said, turning his hand over in confusion. "But why did it affect me? Wouldn't something sacred hurt me?"
"Maybe it knew you were with me?" Iris shut her bag. "Whatever that was, let's hurry to Ryoshima Coast. I don't know how long this'll last."
The evil atmosphere intensified as they continued down the road, reaching out to Iris and recoiling as the comb worked its power. Iris sped up to a power walk as the sound of waves became apparent, and Ryoshima Coast came into view.
"Oh, this is awful…" Iris looked around.
"I think it has a very homey feel, don't you?" Tobi responded, and Iris glared at him before returning her attention to the tainted landscape.
The ocean was pitch-black below the edge of the cliff that the path stretched over, and melted with the black of the sky over the horizon. Darkness crawled across the hills, and enveloped the road to the beach. The path forked where the evil was strongest, and the half that was still relatively safe climbed up a large hill, which was surrounded by a low stone wall. At the top, Iris could make out what looked like a small stone temple, and an ominous cloud hung over it, cackling spirits emerging from the bottom and spiraling around the building, clawing at the door, while screams and pleads for help came from within.
"Tobi…" Iris said, "I think there's somebody in there!"
"There might be, it looks like a lovely place."
"Not my point!" Iris dashed towards the hill, her hand flying to the handle of her blade and pulling it from its sheath. The spirits turned to her, and lunged, teeth bared and glinting. Iris ducked beneath them, slicing above her and cutting clean through one. The spirit let out an ear-piercing wail as it dissipated, and the others turned and lunged again. Iris slashed at them again, landing blows left and right, each creature screaming and vanishing as it was cut. The monsters tore at her sleeves, and she twisted to the perpetrators and offed them both with one blow. The last one sunk its teeth into her arm, and Iris dropped the blade, but balled her hand into a fist and punched the monster until it let go, and cut the thing clean in half. As the cloud dissipated, Iris looked at the fresh wound on her arm with a grimace as Tobi ran up to her.
"That was impressive!"
"No thanks to you." Iris grimaced at the blood trickling down to her elbow, and cut off her sleeve, wrapping it around the new injury. "I'm turning into a patchwork quilt." She turned her attention to the temple, which was now silent. "Hello?" She knocked on the door, while Tobi unfurled into a prayer slip again and slid into her bag. "It's relatively safe to come out now." There was the sound of rustling and paper falling to the floor, and the door opened. A woman in a pale green hood tied by a string of red prayer beads stepped out.
"Thank you for saving me," she said sweetly, clasping her hands together. "I never would have gotten rid of those demons on my own. I am Rao, the priestess of this shrine." The woman bowed slightly, and smiled at Iris from behind the black bangs obscuring her left eye.