Chapter 37

As I stare at the projection and memory my mind has created of Lady Death I realize just what is going on. I am scared… Of course I am. Despite not even being able to perceive her face, I do know just how much pain this being has caused me. Even if I know that this is nothing more than my mind's projection of her, I do fear her.

The Baku isn’t that different from me in that regard. He stands besides me, shaking. He seems to recognize Lady Death as well and fears her just the same as I do.

I know what I need to do. I know that I must simply defeat the Baku for all this to end… But I can’t. I can’t move in the current situation. My body tenses up as I look at the Lady and have to relive what happened over and over again.

It was a day like no other. I wanted to meet Hira and run around the town again… but, before meeting her, something happened. A person right next to me simply died. His head was turned around by 180 degrees. Then the houses around me began burning. I ran, in fear. I can not even properly describe it… Everything simply happened too fast. A few moments were enough to turn my peaceful life and the calm village with all its kind villagers into a battlefield. Yokai were storming the streets and tried to kill everything and everyone.

I did not dare to look back, for I feared that this minimal moment of weakness would be enough for the yokai to attack and kill me. Thus, I just kept on running. Running, running, running. I wanted to meet Hira… Even if I died here, it would be fine as long as I meet Hira. I wanted to see Hira once more before dying.

Yokai were dancing around me. They were dancing on the piles of bodies of people I once loved. They were dancing on the burning buildings that were so natural for me up until this point. They were dancing while pissing on the ground inside of our temples.

I kept on running. If anything, let me confess my feelings to Hira one last time.

I come to a halt. In front of me stands another pile of bodies, this one higher than anyone before. It must be around 100 people. And on top of the mountain of people I had once loved stands a single yokai. I could not fully make out what she looks like, but I did notice her most prominent feature: Nine tails, floating around her body. She was a being which I had only known and heard of in old folklore. A Kitsune stood across the most giant amount of dead bodies I had ever seen. In her hand was none other than Hira.

“Hi-”

Before I could do a single thing, one of the Kitsune’s tails pierced Hira. Even if I could not properly see either of them I did realize. Just from the sound alone I knew that Hira was dead.

The next moment her corpse fell down right in front of me. Her stomach was ripped open and a giant hole was showing her most inner organs. I was about to throw up.

I grabbed her body and held it tightly as I cried. I hugged her and lied down next to her. I knew that she would never open her eyes again. I knew that I would die every next second. Yet, all I do is lie next to her and next to the other people who have already died.

I slowly closed my eyes, ready to accept death.

When I opened them again some minutes later, I slowly stood up. The yokai have either left or gone away from the spot I was at. However, I was not alone. In front of me stood a girl.

I wake up. Hibiki is holding the Baku’s lifeless body in her hand. “Success.” She smiles a bit.

We leave the cabin and Aki starts talking to the client. Hibiki doesn’t really like talking, so obviously she won’t do it. And I am… exhausted, I guess. I am not in a status that will make it possible for me to properly talk with anyone about anything. I have just relieved the worst nightmare I have ever had. Why was it the worst nightmare? Well, because it is the truth. The past itself is the worst nightmare my mind could ever possibly think of.

We walked back home. Aki realizes my current condition. “Everything okay? Did the Baku suck out your soul? Were you traumatized by a bad dream?”

“...I was shown my past again…” I already told Aki about those events when we were riding that carriage. Hibiki got a small glance into what happened just earlier today, in front of Itu’s office. I see no problem with talking more about it with them. There’s no real reason why I’d have to talk about it, but I really want to… So, obviously, I do.

That’s all there is to it.

“Lady Death… I met her, you know? And… she told me that I will die. And… like, obviously I will. Of course I will die. There’s nothing strange about that at all. But, somehow… it just feels incredibly wrong. Lady Death herself appearing in front of you and telling you that you will most certainly die is… it actually makes you realize what those words mean. Everyone knows that they will die one day, you know? But… but I feel like few people actually know what that means. Everything you do… everything you are… will, one day, most certainly disappear. Our time on this planet is limited and the things we do… are only done for the time we are actually alive.”