Adding Deicide to the List

Besides Lucinda, Tapper, and Mochi, three other villagers died. I was embarrassed to admit I didn't remember their names —there were only a few dozen villagers after all. Thankfully it never became an issue.

As the interim elder, Taro led the ceremony. After having some time to grieve in private, he'd apologized to Hanabi and even convinced her to assist him with the final preparations of the ceremony.

There were also a handful of us that went to collect the corpses littering the forest.

"We have no obligation to ensure those souls are escorted to the Twilight," Taro had said. "We can only hope the Seele devour their souls before the Dusks find them."

It was callous, though I could understand the sentiment. With Richard and Louis gone it was inevitable that the local fauna would return, monsters and scavengers alike, and they would deal with the pile of frozen bodies.

***

I'd never attended a funeral or memorial. Both my parents were only children and my grandparents were still clinging to life in their eighties. I'd only ever seen services in the TV dramas my mother used to watch.

The ceremony was minimalistic; the dead were covered and carried out on stretchers to the grave sites at sunset. Those not carrying the dead followed in a silent procession holding whatever flowers the person liked the most in life or whatever was available in the season. Then the dead were interred, given a eulogy, and buried.

I think the simplicity derived from the lack of mystery. In Japan, the afterlife was unknown. Here there was no guesswork.

Against his wishes, Taro was chosen to give the eulogy. He'd wanted to defer the task to Hanabi, but the fox had adamantly refused. Her argument was that, aside from her relationship with Lucinda, she was an outsider and Taro eventually conceded.

"Good evening. I don't think I need to introduce myself; you all know me and I'll be honest, I don't think I'm the best man for this."

He gave a small laugh and scratched his head. Then he took a deep breath and his face hardened.

"Be that as it may, we are all here to honor those lost during this barbaric attack on our village. Six of us were lost: Tapper, Mochi along with her unborn child, Gina, Arbor, Lock, and…" Taro's voice cracked and he wiped away the tears welling in his eyes. "My mother. They were good people, kind neighbors, and friends we could rely on in times of need. Even Tapper."

Several of the villagers gave somber chuckles and Taro's chest swelled as he continued.

"While we grieve their loss, we can also take comfort. They will not be lost to us forever. The Goddess of Souls is benevolent and her children will guide our loved ones into her embrace where they will be reborn so we might one day see them again."

I thought about the Vide I'd met and compared notes. Sometimes the illusion is better.

"Now we have to ask ourselves: how do those of us who survived move forward?"

A murmur broke out amongst the crowd and even Hanabi looked perplexed. Even if the dead would be reincarnated, it seemed disrespectful to talk about the future before they were even in the ground.

"I can tell what you're all thinking —what is he talking about? Shouldn't he be mourning with the rest of us, mourning for the mother he just lost?" Taro's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. "Well I argue that the best way to honor our friends, to honor my mother, is to never allow a tragedy like this to happen again!"

The villagers looked at one another in confusion, but the sentiment in Taro's words had taken root.

"The people we lost died because we were weak. Because we lived believing we were helpless. But look! We survived! Stonewood is still standing and it's because we stood together to protect it!"

The doubtful murmurs of the villagers died and even Billia's restless ducklings gave Taro their full attention. I hadn't expected the eulogy to become an inspirational speech, but maybe it was what the villagers needed.

"We stand at a crossroads. Do we mourn those we lost and go back to our lives waiting to join our loved ones when the humans return? Or do we grow spines and fight back?"

"We fight back!"

Hachiko's usually meek voice was seeped in anger and ignited the crowd's spirit, sweeping them up in Taro's fervor.

"He's right! The humans will never leave us alone!"

Similar cries rose up around me and I shifted uncomfortably as the anti-human sentiment boiled. Was it time for me to leave? The last thing I wanted was to have to fight the villagers.

Step by step I edged out of the crowd.

"LADY KYOMI!"

I jumped at my name and my stomach clenched as all the eyes fixated on me. Where were Yahime and Hanabi?

"Calm yourself," I Yahime whispered in my ear from behind. "Look."

Swallowing my anxiety, I looked at the villagers again. Their eyes were hungry for blood, but not mine. Then it clicked.

The villagers parted as I walked to take Taro's extended hand. He had a devilish smile that went from floppy ear to floppy ear. Hanabi and Yahime followed behind me and as we stood in front of the villagers, I had a suspicion this had been planned from the start.

"Are you sure?" I asked Taro. Was I sure?

"Yes. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here. If anyone can lead us to salvation, it's you."

"Why not you, Hanabi?"

The fox woman shook her head. "My complacency led to this tragedy. I have no right to lead."

I looked at Yahime last and she merely nodded.

This IS why I came to Purga in the first place. I wanted followers to avenge Aurelie, and now I have them. But who knows what will happen to Stonewood? Will I just be painting a target on them? Will I come back to find it razed to the ground?

I looked out at the exhausted villagers. Taro's speech had invigorated them, but they were still the furthest thing from fighters. And then there were the children. It was unsettling to see the ducklings practically foaming at the mouth with there mother. Then I noticed the only two not pulled into the frenzy.

Vibby and Nyu were holding hands at the back of the crowd. Their ears were flattened against their heads and they looked like they couldn't recognize the mob in front of them. I didn't blame them; I didn't either.

Gnawed at the back of my mind. Was this right? These were villagers, not fighters. There was a good chance I'd be leading them to their deaths, leading those two terrified girls to an early grave.

At the same time, Taro was right. Sending not only Richard, but also Louis had shown how important the Essence Stones were to the empire. They would be back so it was better if the villagers were prepared, right?

It didn't seem up to me either way. I got the impression that even if I declined the residents would still rally behind me. The responsibility had been foisted on me and there was nothing I could do to escape it.

All I could do was ensure they didn't regret their decision in the future.

I raised my hand and the village fell silent.

"Are you sure?"

It was the only thing I could think to say. I had to know, had to hear it from their mouths that they were prepared for the challenges ahead.

"Of course!"

"We'll follow you until the end, Lady Kyomi!"

"Even though I'm human?"

That quelled the crowd. Had they forgotten?

"Are you, though?"

Hanabi's question caught me off guard. Of course I was? What else would I be? I didn't have time to ask before she yanked my shirt up to reveal my stomach.

"We all witnessed it! How Lady Kyomi sacrificed herself to protect this village and reborn in the same flesh by the Goddess!"

We? You weren't even there for that! And don't just pull people's shirts up in public… or ever!

"She's a saint!"

The words echoed in the group and what had just been a raging mob transformed into silent bowed heads. What the hell was Hanabi doing to these people?

"I'm not a…"

I wanted to tell them I wasn't a saint. That I was just a woman swimming against the River Styx. But was I? I had come from another world, met their goddess, had a pact with the equivalent of an angel.

ALERT

[VIDE'S EDICT] HAS BEEN UPDATED

NEW EDICT:

UNITE THE EXILED

What. The. Fuck.

I was going to commit deicide the next time I saw her.