Chapter 72: My Name Is... |
Daki appeared in the midst of pitch-black darkness.
To be more precise, it was her soul in the form of a sweet girl of about thirteen, with blonde hair and bottomless blue eyes.
'Big brother... where is my big brother...?' Daki tried to wipe away nonexistent tears and looked forward in search of Gyutaro, but she found nothing but impenetrable darkness. Only in the far distance did a faint flame flicker, making her heart tremble.
But as she began to look around, she discovered a flickering cluster of dim light behind her, bearing the vague outline of a man.
After a moment's hesitation, Daki drew closer.
"You?" she gasped in surprise once she recognized the silhouette.
"Take a seat," Yeruashi said casually, and with a slight wave of his hand, a small futon appeared before the girl.
Daki didn't hesitate at all and sat down on the futon without question, despite having reverted to her childhood form from before she became a demon. One thing was clear: the person before her was likely someone akin to a god.
"Am I dead?" Daki asked timidly after a brief pause; the persona of the oiran Warabihime from the Kyogoku House had vanished without a trace.
"And my brother?" the girl couldn't help but ask.
"On the other side," he replied.
Meanwhile, Daki's memories became as clear as if everything had happened yesterday, including her long-forgotten human life and the past century spent in the guise of a bloodthirsty demon.
She remembered all the hardships she had endured in her first thirteen years of life, as well as all the atrocities she had committed after turning: every person killed, every bit of grief she had caused.
"Will I... go to hell?" Daki murmured in a thin voice, but then added, "I can't deny my sins, but I was also nearly killed, brutally so, and I wasn't in control of myself afterward..."
"Excuses are unnecessary; I already know everything, absolutely everything. You have a choice, because you and your brother are a bit special," Yeruashi waved her off, having no intention of listening to her justifications.
"M-my... what kind of choice?" Daki's eyes widened.
"Since your brother could control your body, and if you view your actions as his manipulation, you can be absolved of your sins and returned to life," Yeruashi explained, pointing a finger toward a mysterious light in the distance.
"Really?" Daki rejoiced, but then immediately caught herself. "But then, what will happen to my brother?"
"He will have to suffer for the both of you in the depths of hell, burning continuously in the flames for a thousand years," Yeruashi stated flatly.
"But why? He was just protecting me," Daki turned pale.
"I told you, it's your choice: either go to hell with your older brother, or leave the sins to him and return to life alone," Yeruashi continued with the same calm demeanor.
In the midst of the pitch-black darkness.
The terrifying hellfire and the beckoning light of the living world illuminated Daki's face from opposite sides.
*
"But she's innocent!" Gyutaro's face tightened sharply.
"The choice is yours: go to hell with your sister, or return to life alone and leave all the sins to her," Yeruashi said.
"Heh, there's no place in the living world for someone like me. Hell or whatever else, I don't give a damn... as long as I can protect my sister," Gyutaro replied without a moment's hesitation.
*
"I'd rather stay with my brother than return to life alone, even if it means... going to hell!" The flickering hellfire illuminated Daki's determined and stubborn face.
Her will did not waver, even though the flames stirred the most horrific memories of her distant past and sent a powerful shiver through her entire body.
Meanwhile, Yeruashi's lips slowly curled into a smile at the sight, and a human figure appeared beside him.
Daki and Gyutaro exchanged stunned looks.
"Sister?"
"Big brother!"
Daki's resolve instantly dissolved into tears at the sight of Gyutaro. With a loud wail, she threw herself onto her older brother's neck.
And while Gyutaro soothingly patted the girl's back as she rushed to him, his knowing gaze slowly rose to meet Yeruashi's.
"She had a choice too," he nodded.
"You little fool! Why? You could have gone back to the living! Your big brother doesn't mind hell at all, as long as you're okay..." Gyutaro grumbled irritably, looking back down at his weeping sister.
"Waaaah, waaaah, I want to stay with my big brother!" Daki screamed back.
"Foolish girl," Gyutaro sighed, then added, "and I'm not much better."
"In truth, that was merely a test which you both successfully passed. Now, you are entitled to a much better option," Yeruashi spoke up.
"What kind?" Gyutaro inquired.
"As it happens, I need a gatekeeper here. It's not particularly dirty work; you simply have to judge the souls of the deceased. Send some to hell and others to reincarnation. However, there's no salary, and no days off either," Yeruashi said, glancing around.
"We accept," Gyutaro recovered quickly from the shock and nodded without the slightest hesitation, looking into his younger sister's tearful eyes.
With a light snap of his fingers, Yeruashi sent a beam of light toward the brother and sister, which split into two parts and mysteriously dissolved into their foreheads.
Then, he turned and slowly faded into the darkness.
"Um, well..." Daki suddenly stammered, watching the god's retreating back with a tearful gaze. She let go of her brother and followed. "May I ask what kind of god you are, and how... we should address you?"
"This world has only one god, and you already know how to address me. Or, you can just call me... Yeruashi," he said, slowing down slightly. Then, he took another step and vanished without a trace.
Only the brother and sister remained in the pitch-black darkness.
But then, it dissipated with a wave of Gyutaro's hand.
"Well, our lives certainly didn't start out well, to put it mildly, but in the end, everything didn't turn out so bad," he said, shaking his head as he felt the ability to give the darkness any form he desired.
"Mm-hmm!" Daki tore her gaze away from the spot where the god had disappeared and nodded energetically. She also felt the power to command the darkness, as well as the ability to read the memories of the dead, recognize their sins, and more.
"Ech, it's both a tragedy and a comedy..." the older brother sighed.