Chapter 13

Death has, time and time again, been shown in multiple, often different, forms: Sometimes a young girl, hiding beneath an umbrella, sometimes a guy whose face is half-skeleton, sometimes she is a woman with a top hat, white hair and a black dress. At this moment she is an elderly woman, resting in a small cave. She is sitting on a chair at a small table on which stands a single cup of tea. She sits at the entrance of the cave, directly looking at the outside. In front of her, outside of the cave, everything is light. Everything behind her, inside of the cave, is darkness.

Outside stands a young girl with bright hair that cannot be defined as a single color. She has no eyes and is bright, enlightening everything around her: She is smiling a little bit. Her hands - she has eight - are calmly resting in each other. Some of them are in front of her, some of them are behind her. She is wearing a robe made out of pure enlightenment and rays of the sun. This is Little Light: The very embodiment of Light and one of the six Protogoni.

Inside stands a man in his twenties. His hair is ashen and long; It directly connects to the rest of his body and there is no difference to be seen between the hair and the remaining parts. He only has one arm - the right - and this arm stretches out for Lady Death, yet he does not reach her. His 3 eyes are pitch black, embodying the very essence of what he is. He wears black pants, however that is all he wears. The body he is showing off has a large heart-shaped hole in its chest and isn’t very muscular. Despite that, he stands proudly behind her. This is Endless Darkness: The very embodiment of Darkness and one of the six Protogoni.

“Lady, Lady! Have you seen the events happening down below?” The Little Light jumps up and down.

“Indeed I have.” The elderly woman responds and takes a sip of her tea.

“As soon as your beloved has stepped into the Darkness, the Yokai have struck. He was attacked and will meet his end soon enough.” The man grins a bit and again tries to lay an arm around the woman. However, just a moment before reaching her, he stops and pulls back his hand.

The elderly woman puts down her cup.

“It does appear so.”

“When he was in the Light, he was safe! The Tengu did not attack and he could survive! If only he had never entered the darkness!” Little Light smiles and grins at her older brother, though he does not seem to mind in the slightest.

The elderly woman shakes her cup of tea around for a bit.

“You must be mistaken: The position of myself and the position of my last child does align.

Just as I stand between Light and Darkness, so does he. He is neither safe, nor is he sure to die.”

The liquid inside of the cup is swimming around. It most certainly does not taste good: That does not mean it tastes bad though. It does not taste bad either. If one were to describe its taste, one will certainly not find the words to do so. Since it has been touched by none other than Lady Death's lips which are said to deliver the very kiss of Death.

“What do you mean? You are part of me. You sit inside of my cave: You are mine, at this very moment, you are only mine!” The man wants to touch her again, but he does not. Something inside of him stops him: Rightfully so.

“Do you not see? For I can see light in its very purest form. This alone makes me part of the light. As long as there is even a single drop of light, even the slightest shimmer of hope, one is in light. However: That is the same in reverse. As long as there is even a single part unknown, as long as there is one single bothering spot, one is in darkness. This is the true essence of every living being. We are in a constant twilight: We will never be fully engulfed in light and we will never fully be engulfed in darkness either.”

Lady Death slowly stands up. She takes the cup of tea and looks at it one last time, then lays it down on the table again.

“A constant twilight you say? What a nice way to look at things! Even in the worst moments, one can have hope!” Little Light jumps up and down, excited.

“A constant twilight you say? What a horrible way to look at things… Even in the best moments, one will suffer…” The Endless Darkness slowly hides his face with his single arm.

“Those two ways of looking at it are part of the constant twilight that is existence as well. I must say, you are most certainly polar opposites. Despite that, you are the same. For the both of you defy existence to its very core.”

“Don’t go around sucking up to us, Lady!” Little Light jumps up and down again. She then extends her arms, preparing to accept Lady Death.

“Please, don’t leave just yet.” The Eternal Darkness looks at the old Lady.

She looks at him, smiling. However, he does not move. He does not react. For he has lost everything that has once given him movement; given him motivation.

Lady Death leaves the cave. She walks over to Little Light who is so hurriedly waiting for her.

“Come on, Lady! Let us move onwards!”

“Wait!” The Eternal Darkness, not ever leaving his cave but hiding inside of it for all eternity, stares at the two of them. “If we are in an everlasting twilight, we will not ever be able to be happy, correct? Sure, we will also not ever be able to be truly miserable, but is that not in itself miserable? A life devoid of good moments and devoid of bad moments is nothing more than a stagnant life without any reason, is it not?”

Lady Death smiles.

“That is certainly a way to interpret our life, yes. However, there is no real answer to life. Just as you yearn for me but are unable to ever grasp me, just as Little Light wants to hug her big brother but can never meet him… That is how life is. Even if it is cruel, life may not be great.

However, one can use this for themselves

Is Life itself not like a candle that is bound to burn one day? If you were a candle, how would you burn? If you burn fast and intensely, then your burning is most definitely great. If you burn slowly and safely, focusing on not burning at all… Then your burning is most definitely long. This is a question each and every person must find the answer to themselves. The answer my last child has chosen for this occasion is to burn with all passion, almost as if he wants the flame not to be great but for the candle to burn down as fast as possible. He shall burn himself alive.”

“When will we meet again, Eternal Darkness?” His sister looks at him. She has no eyes, but she would most definitely look at him with great eyes if she had them.

Eternal Darkness stares back at her.

“We are but one side of the same coin. You and I are ever connected. Come here whenever you like.”

“You come visit me whenever you like too, big brother.”

Lady Death and Little Light walk off. The Eternal Darkness grabs the cup of tea left behind by Lady Death and drinks the remaining drops of liquid.

And thus, he feels oh so alive.