[BAD END]

You awake to the sound of a soft current of running water alongside the incessant creak of an old rowboat. Trying to get a sense of your bearings, you try to prop yourself up with your.. arms? Feeling as if something was off, you attempt to stand up but realize it was also a physical impossibility. Looking down, not only do you notice that your limbs were missing, but rather, your entire body was missing. Suddenly, something appears in your peripheral vision, a wisp of some kind. You follow it with your gaze until the ball of light nestles itself besides a figure leaning against the rowboat. You turn your gaze upwards and make eye contact with a rather seemingly listless and tired-looking girl in a blue dress with red-pigtails. A large scythe rested on her shoulders, locked into place with her arms hooked around opposite sides of the pole.

“So you’re the guy I’ve been hearin’ about, huh? Word spreads quickly whenever that miko is hellbent on solving an incident. Didn’t think she’d actually kill a... well nevermind.”

You remained fixed in your position, befuddled. But after briefly gathering your thoughts and unclouding your memory, you soon come to the realization that you are in fact, dead.

“W-Wait, so then you’re a shiniga-“

The woman abruptly cuts you off.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get this over with.”

She drops the blade end of the scythe into the sand, balancing the opposite end with her right palm while reaching out towards your direction with her left palm.

“Pay up.”

“How was I supposed to know to bring a coin purse with me after I die?! And besides, I’m flat broke anyway!”

She lets out a begrudging sigh and steps towards you.

“Not physical money. It’s money that manifests through the bonds you made with others during your life. A representation of the hospitality and respect earned from every single person that cared about you.”

She reaches inside your corporeal form and pulls out a small clump of yen, before overturning and opening her fist to check the contents.

“And.. how sad. Well, I guess this will suffice. Not like I can go turning away every spirit. And ‘sides, Miss Yama said she’d like to have a special word with you. Not every day you get this kind of opportunity, for better or for worse.”

You immediately tense up, acknowledging the past atrocity and grave sin you had committed. Staring blankly off in the distance, your eyes trail along the currents of the Sanzu River towards the distance where you can make out the blossoms of a red flower of some kind.

“Well..? We haven’t got all day.”

The shinigami was already impatiently standing in the boat, her head tilted back towards you.

“S-Sorry.”

You hover over and settle onto one of the seats as she begins to ferry down the river.

Crossing through the thickets and foliage, you arrive at a massive clearing at the end of the river. The field ahead of you stretches into the distance, adorned with countless amount of red flowers as far as the eye can see. A gentle warmth envelopes you as the shinigami docks her boat against the shore.

“And.. we’ve arrived. Just past this initial field and a bit over there in the distance, you’ll find her.”

You get off and spend some time staring off into the distance before looking back. The shinigami was already rowing away in the distance, leaving you stranded here. Turning forwards again, you float through the seemingly endless expanse of red flowers. It felt strangely relaxing, comforting even. Yet, a slight sense of building dread began to pile up every second. The ominous feeling only grew with every step you took.

In the horizon, the image of a large, imposing throne came into view. It had an intricate, golden and ornate looking design which rose off many meters off the ground. The sheer size of this structure made you seem like a mere dwarf in comparison. And atop this seat was presumably the Yama herself. You gradually come to a stop when she takes notice of you and shifts in her seat to acknowledge your presence.

“Halt. Step no further.”

Her voice boomed through the air, sending ripples that made the neighboring flowers gently sway against the vibrations. You trembled before her presence, looking up, you were fully aware of your own current powerlessness. Suddenly, she pointed what seemed to be a wooden rod down directly towards you.

“Wrath. Malice. Hatred. Evil. Such traits I had observed long before you had arrived here, human. It has already been long decreed that due to this transgressions that it is judged your sins shall drag your very essence to the bowels of hell.”

You remained still, utterly speechless and frozen in a pathetic mix of fear and anguish as she continued her speech.

“However, I will allow this. A chance of redemption from this grave sin you have committed. You will be forgiven by accomplishing this one last good deed.”

The Yama reaches out her empty hand and a mirror slowly materializes in her palm. She releases her grip, the mirror slowly floating down until it is directly in front of you.

“Make amends with her. The youkai you have wronged, for her soul writhes in billowing despair because of the evil you’ve inflicted upon her. You have but only one single chance.”

Then suddenly the mirror shines brilliantly, enveloping your vision with an intense white light. You try to avert your gaze from the blinding radiance and shut your eyes tight. But when you open your eyes, you find yourself standing in a blank, gray space. You take notice of the fact that your body has returned but the a seemingly endless void is now surrounding you.

However, in the distance, you can see someone. It was someone all too familiar.

The blue dress. The blue skirt. The wooden sandals.

You take a step forward.

She sat upright on the ground, hugging her knees. Her face was buried into her lap, crying.

You begin walking.

A broken, purple umbrella was laid out before her, snapped in half.

You began running.

The void stretched out, altering the distance between you and the youkai in an otherwise impossible fashion when you attempt to approach her in vain. Her figure always seemed to loom in the distance, unattainable and unreachable. You try calling out to her desperately but it seemed as if she was unable to hear. Or perhaps your pleas were simply being ignored.

Then reflections and images of that dreadful scene covered the expanse of the void. Revealing every horrific moment that you had inflicted upon this harmless youkai. The abuse, torment, pain, and suffering all stared back at you. The consequences of your actions also reflected back. The endless rainfall that had plagued the village, the suffering that your fellow humans had to go through, their collective pain and agony pierced directly into the core of your being, your very soul. And suddenly, there was a surge of sharp pain. A pain that made you let out a scream of agony. Needles begin manifesting and strike your body several times over. The cold stare of the miko had occupied every empty space of the void, with every inch of space reflecting her hatred. You raise your arms in panic and agony before several more needles pierce through your forearm. In the intense pain sends your arms into shock and go numb, causing them to drop to your sides. One last needle barrels through the air. Helpless to evade with your crippled body, time seems to slow to a crawl. The needle was directly in your line of sight. And yet you lacked the capacity to react before time abruptly resumes and the needle forcibly pierces through your left eye.

You drop to your knees. Blood pours through every wound in your body and pools onto the floor. Collapsing onto the ground in agony, a coat of red has completely overtaken your vision. And you feel a presence standing over you, unmoving and unwavering. Kogasa stood silent, watching your body writhe in pain. And through it all, you manage to gutter out a few words.

“I’m... sorry. Koga.. sa.”

The air grew stagnant. The silence was deafening. The pain however, was incessant. You were in a state of constant torment, unable to die. Yet, your spirit experienced an amount of pain unimaginable to any normal human. Many would cherish the sweet relief of death, but you do not have that luxury. However, you still desperately try to reach out in hopes of being forgiven.

“I’m... sorry..”

You turn your head to the side, trying to glance upwards at her with your remaining eye. Her eyes were empty. Tears streaked down the sides of her face. One of the drops hit your cheek. She just stood. Stood. Silent. Staring. For what seemed like eons, she gazed at you. Was it pity? Was it hate? How long has it been? Days or weeks? Time within this space seemed to blind into an incoherent mess. You just wanted something, anything. Space warped, reality shifted yet stagnated but finally she spoke.

“Too late.”

The walls cracked and shattered. Your body slumped back onto the fields of Higan and the Yama looked down in disappointment.

“It is a shame. And so you have failed.”

You have resigned yourself to your impending fate.

“And so it is judged. I shall sentence you to eternal hell.”

Eiki raised up her Rod of Remorse, then brought it down. A portal opens beneath you as your body is slowly sucked into a dimension filled with unimaginable horror. You clench your weakened fists and close your eye. You are filled with the anxiety of being fated to be trapped within the confines of hell for all eternity. Your body carries with it writhing agony that can never be relieved. You are completely helpless, powerless, and alone. It all culminates to a single point and then..

You see Kogasa’s facing away from you before slowly turning around. She raises her arms and grins mischievously.

“BERO BERO BAA!!!”

You let out one final scream.

“aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

You fall flat on your butt onto the pavement. Kogasa unhooks herself from the tree branch and spins around in mid-air, landing feet first.

“Aha! How’d you like that scare?!”

She brings up a hand to her face and giggles to herself. You sat there completely dumbfounded.

“W-Wha...”

Kogasa put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, looking incredibly proud of herself.

“I learned a trick or two about opening up the human psyche and injecting the spookiest nightmares directly into your brain! And my training finally paid off! I call it... the Karakasa Deluxe!! So? Whaddya think? Pretty good, right?”

Tears well up in your eyes and you double over, hunching over onto the ground. And you bow your head down in defeat.

“H-Hey.. are you okay, human?”

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Pub: 17 Dec 2021 15:16 UTC
Views: 248