August 16th, 2098 — the following afternoon. Mura and Lilith had returned to Naraka’s abode in the Endless Plains. Once there, he promptly congratulated them before scolding them both for their recklessness. They both went to bed in the guest chambers, sleeping on what they felt was the softest bed they’d most likely ever experience.
Awaking after nearly eight hours, Mura’s body still ached in places but his mind and spirit were both refreshed. Naraka had to instruct him to bathe and shave, as his current appearance was hardly worth gracing the eyes of royalty. Once he had finished, he found his clothing along with Lilith’s replaced with luxurious kimonos.
“What the hell is this?! Where are my clothes??” Mura shouted as he held a white towel in place over his naked drying form.
“It’s traditional when gracing sovereigns to look proper and you will be wearing it,” Naraka stated with a firm tone.
He took several steps forward until he was in front of Mura’s scowling face. Placing his finger underneath Mura’s chin, he lifted the man’s head upwards to look into his eyes.
“Behave yourself. The young one took to the new wardrobe quite nicely. I swear, you’re worse than a teenager…” Naraka muttered to him, causing Mura to turn away.
Mura scoffed lightly, noticing that Lilith was still in the bathroom showering. He was used to things that were physically familiar to him; never wearing much else growing up on the streets. Surrendering to his master, he dropped the white towel on the floor as Naraka walked away.
“You certainly lack modesty, along with a few other things…” Naraka spoke out, annoyed over his pupil’s nonexistent manners.
“Yeah yeah, how do you even put this thing on? There’s like, a million different pieces to this!” Mura grumbled in frustration.
“I’ll have an assistant dress you. You’re a Jikininki now, after all! You get to partake in such luxuries!” Naraka stated, his gaze averted away from Mura’s nudity.
—That’s pretty cool, I suppose. I guess this is what I wanted after all. But now that I’ve come this far, everything feels really foreign to me. Why?
Mura’s thoughts were interrupted by a door opening behind him. Lilith was wearing a bathrobe, her golden hair wrapped up in a towel.
“Hey Naraka, you know where the hairdryer is? I’m sure you have one to keep up with that mane of yours—”
Lilith stopped and yelped as she caught a glimpse of Mura’s exposed behind, covering her eyes and running out of the room.
❇ ❇ ❇
Batō Kōkyo, Yomi — Mura and Lilith stood inside an exquisite elevator within the imperial palace. It was decorated with brown marbling and gilded crowning on the ceiling. The duo were both dressed in their kimonos, their hair styled and tied up traditionally. Mura’s long shaggy hair was tied back in a short ponytail and he stood uncomfortably. Lilith’s locks were fashioned into two golden buns on each side of her head as she smiled gleefully.
“I hate kimonos…” Mura complained.
“Stop being such a grumpy-butt,” Lilith retorted back, jabbing his side. “It’s bad enough I had to see your butt to begin with.”
“Well that’s what you get for not knocking!”
A guard in the elevator with them rolled his eyes as the doors opened with a light dinging noise; signaling their arrival.
“I shall escort you to His Majesty the Emperor. Please, follow me,” the guard said.
Mura nodded and walked behind the armored man as Lilith trailed beside him. Before them was a hallway that seemed so long it continued off into infinity. The ceiling was arched and decorated with frescoes as ancient as Yomi’s past.
Columns of peerless white alabaster supported the hallway’s structure, lined in rows like soldiers. The walls themselves had white and grey marble molding that had been polished recently, giving off a sheen that allowed one’s reflection to be clear as day. Decorating the walls above the molding itself were beautiful tapestries and paintings of Yomi’s history dating back millions of years.
“This is incredible!” Mura gasped as Lilith gulped in amazement beside him.
“It is incredible, isn’t it? We’re in the middle of having His Majesty’s appearance and contributions added to these walls,” the guard said, his plate armor clanging softly as he walked down the echoing corridor.
The sentinel pointed to the area that was being reserved for the current emperor, alongside the other past rulers of the nation. Lilith pointed to the figures in the painting ahead of them.
“Are those guys other emperors?”
“Yep, they are,” Mura said, walking over to examine the painting.
The canvas was ancient but remarkably preserved, a true testament to the methods used by demonic historians. Four men were depicted in the tapestry, each representing the past monarchs.
“I recognize him! That one is Orochi, the emperor who was… killed recently…” Lilith said as her excitement faded with Mura’s hand upon her shoulder.
“Yes, it is,” Mura replied.
“I don’t know the other three though…”
Mura pointed at the painted man dressed in green robes. He was much more muscular than the other emperors depicted; having a stiff white beard that had been swept onto his chin with a single brushstroke.
“That is Zoroaster, the third emperor of Yomi whom the tournament we fought in was named after. The other two I’m not familiar with,” Mura admitted.
The guard sighed and walked over, pointing to another figure dressed in white and blue garments. Even through the faded chips of paint, this emperor’s face seemed to emit a certain kindness and wisdom.
“Emperor Azazel the Great, our second ruler. He was a philosopher and mage who never wanted to inherit his destined title. Despite this, he dedicated his life to the people regardless and established the Deepcut, Jikininki Ten and the Council of Princes,” the sentinel explained. “All so that Yomi could be better protected and properly governed after his passing.”
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Mura was moved by his words, as was Lilith.
—There was a demon that kind and selfless… I suppose we all aren’t just the violent savages others believe.
Mura looked at the final monarch in the center of the painting. He was portrayed differently than the others, dressed in red robes and surrounded in golden rays that illuminated him like a messiah.
“I assume he’s the first emperor then?” Mura asked.
“Yes.”
“What’s his name?” Lilith asked as the guard began to walk away from them, heading toward their destination once again.
Mura and Lilith walked briskly after him, trying to keep up.
“That man is Emperor Baal. The great founder of this unmatched kingdom,” the soldier exclaimed proudly while remaining soft in tone.
“Emperor Ball??” Lilith misheard, trying not to trip over her kimono.
“No…” the guard sighed. “He was a general in the Great Soul War, the battle between demons and shinigami for the souls of mankind. He won more battles than any other, probably would have won the war too…”
“So what happened to him?” Mura asked curiously.
“Lady Izanami surrendered before he could. But Baal, determined to never give up, gathered every demon he could and led us to the haven we call Yomi. Sadly, he peacefully died in his sleep a few millennia after… Sometimes I ask, what could have been?” the guard scoffed with a sorrowful smile.
They walked in silence for the rest of the way, passing by several more paintings and art before reaching a towering set of twin black iron doors that were sealed shut.
“We have arrived at the location His Majesty requested,” the guard said, standing to face them in a stiff and formal stance.
Mura and Lilith bowed to show their thanks as they walked forward. The guard responded by holding out his arm to block their way.
“His Majesty has requested that only Tenth may enter. You will have to wait out here, yokai.”
Lilith gritted her teeth through closed lips, looking straight ahead to keep from tearing up.
Mura softly placed a hand on her shoulder, wordlessly affirming his anger and frustration.
“Fine. I’ll wait here for you, Mura,” Lilith spoke softly.
The matching iron doors shifted and groaned thunderously throughout the never-ending hallway. Slowly they opened outwards, offering those chosen passage into the dark chamber within.
“I won’t be long, I promise! We can go somewhere fun afterwards, okay?” Mura turned to her and grinned.
Lilith nodded with a smile as the sentry allowed him entry. Mura took a slow, deep breath as his anxiety spiked briefly. With a step forward, he began to walk inside the dim room as the doors closed behind him.
With the light from the outside gradually extinguished, Mura rubbed his eyes as he attempted to adjust to the darkness in the chamber. He couldn’t spot any windows in the room, only candles placed around on tables, paper lanterns that hung from above and strong incense that burned at alters to his left and right.
“Kindly remove your shoes before you take another step…”
The voice spoke out to Mura from the shadows of the large room, causing him to look around to spot the source. Once he detected the voice came from far in front of him, he slowly removed his shoes and left them at the entrance.
“Your Majesty…?” Mura spoke out, not sure if he was even speaking to the emperor.
“That is I. Forgive my introduction, I’m afraid the old ways are sometimes lost on this generation…” the emperor spoke, his voice deep as a pipe organ yet soothing like an evening lullaby.
Mura walked forward slowly and did as Naraka had instructed him on the car ride over. He got onto his hands and knees, bowing his head without looking up. The smell of incense burned his nostrils, drying the membranes inside to the point it felt like they would crack and bleed.
“I am honored you called me here, Your Majesty.”
He felt a resonating chuckle from the ruler within the darkness. Mura felt the vibrations of his footsteps walk towards him. Within a split second’s passing, the pulsations of his feet shifted to behind Mura.
—How did he get behind me?? He was right in front of me!
A bony hand reached out from behind him, curling long fingernails that were black as midnight around his shoulder. Mura jumped as if he had been shocked by lightning, then froze.
“Come now, my child... Small… meek… orphaned… child…”
Mura’s heart raced faster as he felt the emperor’s head draw closer to his neck, icy breath escaping from the ruler’s mouth. He grinned, causing his grey lips to stretch and briefly expose a pitch black tongue not unlike a serpent’s.
“Do not live in fear…”
Mura felt his mind growing numb, his thoughts quieting.
“… It devours the soul.”
From his peripheral vision, Mura could spot a mouth grinning at him. Numerous fangs lined up perfectly, secured within rotting gums. All smiling within the eye-socket of a decaying skull.
“No!!!” Mura screamed out at the top of his lungs, as if awakening from a nightmare.
Something was odd. Mura was standing upright again, no longer on the floor. Two meters in front of him was the silhouette of a man. Mura looked around wildly, patting himself to see if he was dreaming.
“Are you okay, Mura? You blanked out there for a moment,” the emperor said in a concerned voice.
—Did… I dream that? I must have, yeah, I must have… That damn incense, it probably made me slip away for a second.
“I-I’m so sorry, Your Majesty,” Mura stammered.
“Think nothing of it. Please, sit. I prepared some tea for us,” the emperor said kindly. “If you do not know already, my name is Mara.”
The emperor chuckled slightly, his voice smooth like warm honey.
“Our names are quite similar, aren’t they? Perhaps that’s fate at work, or just a coincidence? No matter, please, enjoy yourself.”
Mura nodded in the dim light and sat down on a cushion placed before an ornate antique table. In the center was a tea set dating back centuries, complete with several pieces he didn’t even recognize. Before him was a cup of freshly prepared tea, steam lightly rising from the hot liquid.
“Forgive me, but I prepared your cup before you arrived. I follow many of the old traditions, and I assumed you wouldn’t know of what to do.”
Mara walked towards the table where Mura was seated. In the dim light, Mura could make out Mara’s figure more clearly. He wore a greyish-blue haori with gilded designs lining the sleeves and shoulders. His hakama were the color of sand, with ocean blue designs and golden transparent circles not unlike suns on the priceless fabric.
Most of the emperor’s face was obscured by shadow; but from what was visible, it was slender and without flaw. He was without the lacquered black hat and veil he wore in public, instead having his ashen hair tied into a topknot.
“You know, the demons were the first to introduce tea to humanity. We offered it to them in ceremonies, such as this one we’re having now,” Mara said, pouring from the old pot into his own cup.
“Demons and humans did such things back then??” Mura said in surprise.
Mara nodded, inhaling the scent of his cup’s contents as he silently appreciated it.
“We were the first beings on Earth, after all. Before the kami, before the shinigami and the beasts… and before the humans,” Mara emphasized.
Mura copied the emperor’s steps in the ceremony, only drinking once Mara had.
“I assume Your Majesty doesn’t like humans?” Mura spoke after swallowing, placing his cup back on its saucer.
“No… No, I do not like them. Mura, you are still young. You have never been to their world, so I forgive your naivety. But humans, they are manipulators. They are infectious in their ways, like a cancer.”
Mara sighed audibly, stepping away into the shadows where he sipped his tea once more and swallowed silently.
“If you require evidence of that… Just step outside. Look around you, at the architecture, the clothing, the technology, the people themselves!” Mara growled in a lamenting tone.
“The… people?” Mura questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Our species has evolved, as has our civilization and society. But has it been for the betterment of our kind? No! We lost everything because of them and the damned shinigami!! Now… Now, I stand in a land I no longer recognize, with a people I cannot comprehend.”
Mara grew silent as Mura did as well; tension growing thicker than the vapors of incense lingering in the air. The emperor walked forth and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small polished badge. On it was the peerless crest of the Jikininki. As he approached closer, Mara’s towering stature lowered slightly as he pressed the badge against Mura’s chest.
“That is why you will help me, Mura. Together, we will help bring this world of ours back to the way it was meant to be.”