The River of Blood

Even though the sun never set, even though no stars appeared in the night sky, night had arrived in Mictlan. The sunlight faded completely until their shadows vanished without a trace.

Night in Mictlan was slightly different from the surface. The place was silent from any sound of living creatures, yet crowded with the voices of other beings. Ren and Lia felt their ears ring because the frequency was too difficult to comprehend.

Xilama quickly handed the siblings a pair of ear coverings that resembled earphones, yet were made from sweet scented wood.

"Wear these. They are enchanted. The voices of those beings will not reach your ears."

"Thank you."

They accepted them and put them on gratefully. The unsettling ringing disappeared at once, leaving behind the kind of quiet they were familiar with during the nights on the surface.

"Ah... this is better," Lia said, releasing a long breath as though one of her heaviest burdens had finally been lifted. "By the way, I noticed you have quite a lot of objects that repel evil spirits, do you not, Xilama?"

Ren raised a brow and glanced at Xilama as well. "She is right. That makes me curious. Can you tell us where you got all those things, Xilama?"

Xilama chuckled. "Well..." her eyes softened and her hand rose to touch the wooden necklace on her chest. "These are talismans crafted in our village. Sometimes evil spirits appear when we gather firewood in the forest. Some can be driven away with a song, but many must be struck a little harshly."

"Wait... if we are chased by evil spirits, I can understand because we do not want to die. But... what about all of you? Why are you afraid of evil spirits?"

Lia nudged Ren’s waist. The displeasure on her face was obvious. Ren understood the signal and quickly turned with an apology.

"S-sorry."

"It is alright."

As usual, the girl only laughed, revealing a row of tidy white teeth.

"The main reason is that they are extremely troublesome. We can still feel pain even though we are already dead. The second reason..." her words trailed off as she took a deep breath. She looked at them one after another. "They can throw us into the desert of bones if they have the chance. You understand that, do you not?" She lifted one brow at them.

Ren swallowed. So did his sister.

A sudden understanding of how dangerous evil spirits were to the inhabitants of Mictlan sank deep into their minds.

"Hehe~ calm down. There is no need to worry that much. In the last hundred years, not a single one of us has ever been kidnapped by an evil spirit. Even if it happens, all we need to do is seek Lord Mictlantecuhtli and ask for help. He will immediately pull out anyone who does not belong to the blood pool."

Ren frowned. He never imagined Mictlantecuhtli would go that far. No. From the way the villagers spoke of him and all the things he did, perhaps Mictlantecuhtli truly was that kind.

"Well, enough talk. Look, the river is near."

Ren narrowed his eyes toward where Xilama pointed. Even in the absolute darkness, he could still see the faint ripple of distant waves. Thanks to the ritual of pierced foreheads, they had fully adapted to the life in Mictlan.

"Ah, you are right! I see it. Let us go."

Lia walked, half running with excitement. Xilama and Ren followed calmly behind her. They walked side by side. One of Ren’s hands was tucked into his pocket while the other hung lazily.

His gaze shifted to Xilama’s hand. For some reason, there was a strong urge to intertwine his fingers with hers. She might not possess the figure he dreamed of in his fantasies, yet she held something else that Ren could not look away from.

Kindness. Innocence. Independence.

Qualities he rarely found in most girls of the modern era. Many were too busy uploading photos on social media.

Some behaved hypocritically, acting helpless so they would be protected, while others loudly proclaimed gender equality even though they should know that extreme patriarchy could never truly exist.

No matter what, there were many things that were indeed specialized for men, and many that were specialized for women, although many tasks could be done regardless of gender. Excessively glorifying patriarchy was not a good thing in his view.

"Are you thinking about something, Ren?"

Xilama’s voice broke his thoughts. "Yes. But forget it. Nothing important."

"Really? I thought you were thinking about a girl. Do you have someone you like on the surface? Are you planning to propose to her soon?"

Ren stiffened. Though she said it playfully, her guess came far too close. Was this the so called woman’s intuition he often heard about? He had always assumed it was a myth as old as the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Ren turned his flushed face away.

"N-no."

"Really? Your face is red."

Xilama smiled mischievously. She circled around him just to peek at the face he tried to hide.

"Do not deny it."

"Ugh..."

Xilama kept pestering him while Ren did everything he could to avoid her gaze. They looked like a pair of children playing a harmless game.

"Come on, show me your face."

"I said no."

Unable to endure it any longer, Xilama held his face with both her hands. Now they were face to face. Their eyes met. The redness on Ren’s cheeks faded, replaced by a warmth he could not name.

For a moment... they fell silent. Their faces drifted closer until their noses almost touched. The sea blue in Xilama’s eyes shimmered and reflected softly within Ren’s obsidian black gaze.

"Ahem... how long are you two going to stay like that?"

Lia’s voice shattered the moment. She stood with her hands on her hips, staring at them. Both stepped back quickly, a trace of red returning to their cheeks.

"C-can we forget what just happened?" Xilama asked. For the first time since they met, she looked genuinely flustered.

"Y-yes. L-let us continue."

"Hm... very well."

They walked a little farther until what Ren glimpsed earlier became clear.

His shoe now touched the riverbank. Dark red waves splashed against his shoes. A pungent metallic scent filled Ren’s nose.

"Blood?"

Xilama nodded and gave her explanation.

The river was formed from the blood of sinners. Their spirits were submerged at its depths as punishment. The blood would fill their lungs and burst them from within. At random times, the river would boil and cook them alive.

Not far from them, three small rafts and long paddles had been prepared. Each raft was clearly meant for one person. They boarded them one by one and began their journey by paddling.

Lia and Ren each struggled hard to maintain balance so they would not fall. For people of the modern world, riding such a raft for the first time was indeed difficult.

"By the way, you still have not explained why they are punished."

"The answer is the same as why there is only one raft for each person. Do you not think it is strange? Would it not be easier to ride a raft together?"

Lia frowned. "I do not understand what you mean."

Xilama placed her finger on her lips. "I am sorry, but I cannot tell you more. This is part of the rules of this place."

"Then why did you not explain it before we set foot here." Lia’s cheeks puffed like a squirrel. "You should have told us much earlier."

Xilama only answered with a soft laugh. She did not even try to tease back like she usually did. That alone made Ren raise a brow.

This river of blood... what kind of trial awaits we now?