Chapter 7

‘I might be here against my will, but the city is damn nice. Jason thought to himself as he walked through the winding streets of Shin-Je. The city was distinctly eastern, with pagodas, shops, and homes lining the winding pathway up and down the mountain.

The city seemed to go on for miles both skyward and towards the ground, with the bright red paint of everything reminding Jason of the color of Tori gates. The streets’ cobbling itself even seemed to breathe underneath them, as if they were walking on a living organism. ‘It's almost incomprehensible.’

As the group meandered through alleys and onto the main streets of Shin-je, neon lights, almost like small spirits, seemed to dance around the sky with whimsy. Uddi would constantly narrate their location, much to Jason’s irritation. “This is where the people turn their greens and stuff into Rasa, and this is where we train to incapacitate the Scorched, and this is where the old lady who makes clothes lives, and this— Hey, Jason, are you even listening?” Uddi, still smiling, tapped Jason on the head, feather lightly.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright, Uddi. Sorry, it's just… a lot. I can barely take it in.” he said, trying to politely stay invested.

“I bet this place beats where you live for sure, right?” Biji smirked, poking Jason in the back, causing him to lurch forward. “First of all, when did you get behind me? Cut that out. Second of all, nah, it really doesn't, sorry to burst your bubble.” Jason's thoughts immediately drifted to home. Biji’s face soured.

“On nights like this, the entire city was lit up with gold and red from the cars and buildings. The city may have been built of concrete and glass, but the noise on the streets was just as alive as this place. Sometimes, my friends and I would go out drinking at this park just outside the city. We’d sit on the hill and just take in the passing of the highway and the city lights.” Jason sighed wistfully as the lights of home seemed to appear in his eyes as he spoke. Biji’s teasing quickly turned to a retracted hand and a quiet stare at the ground.

“It smelled a lot worse though, I'll give you that.” He smiled softly, a soft stutter slipping through despite his attempt to hide it. Noticing the look on his face, Biji grabbed his arm once again, looking into his face intensely. “If that’s what you miss, I’m gonna show you somewhere really wild; I promise this’ll blow you out of the water.”

…

Wandering down the winding streets, the three eventually found themselves at the base of the mountain, at the foot of a sprawling neighborhood. The first thing that affected Jason, as advertised, was the smell: trash and urine. ‘Just like home,’ he sarcastically thought to himself. Hundreds or thousands of rows of houses littered the basin of the mountain, stretching into the forest.

‘How did I not see this from up on the mountain? It must go for miles.’ Jason thought, eyes wide with wonder. Leading him in, Biji had now taken the reins from Uddi, narrating most of the buildings as she dragged him through the muddy, frozen streets.

“This is the common district, where I grew up. Most Raksha live down here. It might not look like much, but I promise this place has the best food in all of Naraka.” Biji said, forcing a half-hearted smile at the poverty-stricken neighborhood as she gestured to the damaged, worn-down homes.

Jason grinned goofily as they walked through the common district. More than anything else, this reminded him of home. Despite her clear fondness for showing Jason all the street vendors who were peddling foods and trinkets, Biji made sure to keep her pace up.

"I don't want to stop or get stopped around here. And if they see fresh meat, they’ll try to eat you alive.”

‘She’s saying it like she’s kidding, but she's definitely walking faster than she was before.’ Jason thought to himself, looking at her slightly anxious expression as it darted between him and the houses and vendors.

Jason cockily gestured, trying to ease her worry. “Trust me, Biji, if there's one thing that my world had, it was scammers.”

Despite Biji’s description, the common district seemed friendly: the neighborhood kids ran in the street, kicking balls and chasing each other with sticks, and the older-looking Raksha spent their time sitting outside, smoking something out of a pipe. Even the Raksha who seemed to be on the street were being given food by locals and were in high spirits.

…

Jason felt Uddi’s hand on his shoulder, sharply pulling him out of his wonder.

“Just so you know, Jason, someone is following us. The footsteps are small, so I think they're also small.” He chirped good-naturedly.

‘… Is he trying to comfort me? I still can't get a read on this guy. Jason thought to himself, trying to analyze Uddi’s face to see if he was joking or not. As if on cue, a very small, turtle-looking Raksha child tugged on Jason’s jacket, causing a shiver to go up his spine. “Yo! ‘Kid, where did you come from?’ Jason quickly turned around, swiping the kid's hand away.

“Hello, sir, I'm very sorry to bother you; do you have any spare light sticks?” He asked meekly, eyes large and teary.

“Light sticks?” Jason asked, confused. ‘Does he mean glow sticks or something?’

“Yes, light sticks. They create fire when you hit them against stuff. You’re Manuyan; they come from your world, and I could really use one if you have it.” The boy asked, holding out his hands with a smile.

“Oh, matches? Nah, sorry, I used to carry a lighter on me for friends, but I stopped a while ago. Sorry kid,” he shrugged. From behind Jason, Biji's eyes narrowed as she regarded the child. “Say, kid, what are you doing out here?”

"Ah, my mama is trying to find something to warm our home; see, she's very sick and very cold. If I don't get her warm, she may die… P-perhaps, though, she’ll reincarnate in Manusya! I wish that for her.”

The kid said, turning away from the group to wipe his eyes. Jason then put his hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy then turned around to see him removing his meteor hammer from his pocket, then wrapping the rope around his torso before removing his jacket. ‘I'm getting really sick of seeing bits of you everywhere I go.’

“Here, this jacket is really important to me, so take care of it. It'll help keep your mom warm. Now get out of here.” He muttered, patting the kid on the head before shooing him off. “Really, mister? Thank you!” The kid smiled widely at Jason, then ran off, laughing.

“Jason—” 'Biji?' he said, alarmed, grabbing Jason's hand as he handed the kid his jacket. "It's alright, Biji; if it'll keep his mom alive, I don't need it." Biji simply rolled her eyes at him.

‘It's just a jacket, anyway. I shouldn't care. I'm above caring about a jacket.’ He repeated to himself, tapping his foot against the floor aggressively. The jacket was the first thing he had ever bought with his own money. As much as he tried to suppress it, an ache formed in his chest, as if he had gotten farther from home.

Uddi put both of his hands on Jason's shoulders as he floated into a handstand. “That kid just scammed you, Jason. “Sorry for not saying anything,” he said simply.

“... What?”

“Wealthy Raksha collect human souvenirs from the Scorched, so human stuff has a big price tag on it.” Uddi said, holding his handstand as he explained. That kid is going to make almost as much as Loba makes reincarnating Scorched souls if he’s able to sell it.”

Jason slammed his hand into his face. ‘I cannot believe I fell for that.’

With irritation, Biji began to light up her crest. “You really fall for an innocent act real fast, don’t you? Or maybe you’re just impulsive.” She put her hand on Jason’s back before lightly kicking in one of his knees, causing Uddi to wobble.

“Ow! How was I supposed to know my jacket was worth a fortune!?”

“Common logic, moron. You’re lucky people are scared of Manuyans, or you’d probably have your clothes snatched off your back.” she said, seeming to glow brighter as she brought her hands to the ground, confusing Jason.

Before he could start his reprimand, she had already left, blasting off in a beam of light, leaving him and Uddi alone.

“Great,” Jason grumbled, “just disappear mid-conversation.”

Turning to Uddi, Jason looked at him with an unnerved smile. “You guys don't seem scared of me.”

“What is the purpose of fear when my lifespan is functionally infinite? I’ve seen a lot, my friend, and I'll see everything I haven't in time. Besides, you don't seem that scary, y’know?” Uddi said, falling back in his handstand, back to the ground.

…

For the minutes after Biji left, Jason was lost in thought. Absent-mindedly pacing around and asking Uddi random questions about Naraka to break the sudden lull in conversation. Despite the feathered boy’s oddity, he couldn't help but find Uddi fun to be around and watch as he drifted in the sky with his wings.

“You know, it would be really nice if I was able to move that fast; maybe then I’d be able to catch that kid—” When he turned behind him, Jason’s jaw almost dropped as he jumped back. The boy was back, held by his collar. Biji had returned, jacket in hand and a scared look in the child’s eye.

“Thought you’d regret giving it to the kid if he was just gonna sell it. No need to thank me,” he said, her irritation with the kid apparent as she dropped him onto the ground. Not bothering to ask questions, Jason kneeled in front of the kid to look him in the eye. “Hey, kid, what the hell?”

The kid looked scared but tried to put on a brave face. “No hard feelings, mister; you have to do what you have to do, right?” Jason clenched his fists, his eye twitching, before taking a deep breath.

“Get out of here, kid. Or I’ll get my friend to run you into the forest,” he said, pointing to Biji, who beamed her crescent smile through the crackling of electricity. The kid, eyes now filled with tears, immediately sprinted away, swinging one of the nearby house doors open, leaving it ajar as he went to hide.

Jason, now sheepish, put his jacket back on before turning to Biji as she giggled to herself. “Thanks, Biji.”

"Just don't get robbed again, alright? My almighty powers do have a limit, just so you know.” She said, her crest deactivating to reveal a softer, more teasing smile.

Suddenly, out of the house the boy had just run into, a slight, seemingly middle-aged Raksha woman pulled herself out of one of the houses in a frenzy. “Excuse me, you three, my son just came into the house crying, and he refuses to tell me what’s wrong. Did you see what happened?” she asked, with similar glassy, wet eyes to her son. Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath to brace himself for his explanation.

“Uhh… yeah. Sorry about that. I scared him a bit because he… uh, tried to sell my jacket.” Jason mumbled, feeling an embarrassment bubble in his chest as he looked down at the child’s frail-looking mother. As he spoke, she cupped her mouth with her hands, her green skin going a shade of brownish hue.

“Oh my! I'm very sorry, sir! I can tell you're a guest in our realm, and my boy tries to steal from you; my deepest apologies.” She bowed in apology, taking Jason off guard. “Times are not easy, but that's no excuse for bad behavior. Here, take this as an apology; it's not much, but it's what I have.” The woman handed Jason a flask.

Looking inside, it was full of a glowing green liquid. Biji’s face went from humored to downright sinister.

“Oh boy, this is gonna be fun. Try it; you'll love it.” she said, running up next to him and swiping the flask. ‘That's Rasa—raw liquid energy.’

“You’re a bit too excited about this… I don't know—” While Jason guarded, she pulled herself up to his torso, forcing the flask to his lips while tilting his head back. As the green liquid slipped down his throat, he immediately began to gag. ‘… This tastes like you made grass into alcohol. This sucks so bad.’

“It's delicious; thank you for the gift.” Jason said, trying to coax it down his throat with his hand while hiding his face. The mother of the child smiled good-naturedly. “I'm glad you like it.”

Suddenly, the four turned their heads towards the door; a crash was heard from inside the house, along with a scream. Jason’s stomach dropped.