Chapter Eight

The Celestials

Nearing the end of the day, I was covered in dirt, and the clothes and jacket I was lent were ruined. The dress was stripped in some places, snagged on the twigs and bushes, or even by the Nogitsune’s fox claws. He showed me some different ways to use the dagger, but just simple techniques. Nothing ‘magical’ happened, like I was half-expecting, since I was in the underworld. You’d think that something crazy would happen, but not quite yet. Kurai showed me how to wield the dagger and provided a stick so I could learn how to dual-wield if I ever got crossed by another hungry demon. I was grateful that I had learned a few ways to use this excellent dagger outside of skinning a rabbit. Kurai didn’t speak much about himself or this ‘kitsune’ land we were in, but I was curious about what happened here and why it was so abandoned.

We had returned to where we entered this land through the shadowy portal. “Thanks for showing me a few things with this,” I smiled as we warped through to the other side, my gaze completely locked in his direction.

Though, I wasn’t expecting what was on the other side of this portal. And that was five bodies standing, one tall in the middle with his arms crossed as he eyed me. Embarrassed, my arms crossed my chest, where a few tears showed my bare skin. Using the torn jacket as a cover for the bottom half of my dress, my heart began to pound.

Standing in the room were Enoxon, Astaroth, and the Crimson Lord—who I had definitely thought left, but in this instance, I guess they came back. What a drag. Then, two more bodies were on the other side of the Crimson Lord, radiant with glow as they came up to greet us.

"I see you two had quite the... intriguing time," Enoxon chuckled, his green eyes twinkling mischievously as he folded his arms behind his head. "Kurai, you sly fox! It's way too early for that! You only just met her!" His grin widened as his gaze swept over my body.

"Enoxon, keep your distance," The Crimson Lord's voice boomed through the dimness of Kurai's room. He extended an arm to block the sorcerer from coming closer. His tone was stern, and his icy blue eyes were filled with an unforgiving chill.

I couldn’t even make eye contact with any of them. Why in the Hell were they here already?! It feels as though they just left! I know it’s been a day, or maybe? I’m not sure of the way time flows in the underworld. I tightened the grip on the torn jacket covering my lower waist and stared at the ground while my heart pounded.

“Kuraiiiiiii-San!” One of the new voices rang, her voice echoing in my ears as she immediately bypassed the Underworld Lord and went straight up to the nogitsune. “Oi, she’s adorable!” The woman squealed. “She’s a bit dirty, but I mean! Look at her hair! It’s so pretty and unique! Kind of like yours, Mundus!”

“Don’t call me Mundus,” The Crimson Lord snapped at her.

“Oh, forgive me,” She huffed, a pouty look on her face. “My bad, Crimson Lord of the Deep and Scary Underworld.”

I barely lifted my head to glance at the woman standing just a few feet from Kurai, her arm draped casually over his shoulder. Kurai's gaze was fixed intently on Enoxon across the room, his eyes sharp and filled with anger. The woman stood out strikingly with her long cherry-pink hair pulled up into a flawless high ponytail. She was clad in armor - a short skirt wrapped around her waist, seamlessly connecting to a breastplate that hugged her entire upper body. The gleaming white and gold armor bore a blue symbol on her chest above her ample bust, beneath a thick armor plate. She looked nothing like a demon but was fully armored and ready for battle. Her skin was a warm fawn color with an olive undertone, and her eyes were as blue as the skies.

“Eno, why didn’t you tell me she almost looks like an angel?!” The young woman huffed, crossing her arms and turning any tension from him to her. “I wish I had met her earlier, as soon as she entered the underworld. It’s not nice to share,” She said, crossing her arms and wagging her finger back and forth at him while shaking her head. “Despicable.”

“Lady Casielle,” Astaroth’s low voice rumbled with a sigh, “This is not the time.”

“Excuse her. She doesn’t get to meet many human girls,” The voice beside her sighed in agreement with Astaroth.

Standing next to ‘Casielle’ was a young man with blonde hair, darkened by the shadows surrounding us. His eyes, as radiant as Casielle’s armor, shone a liquid yellow-gold color, his voice serene and quiet. He seemed relaxed, not shocked by this woman’s reaction - as though he were used to it. He stood tall, with very gentle features praying on his face. He reached out towards Casielle and gently grabbed her hand, pulling her away from Kurai and me.

“You’re honestly one of the first human girls she has come into contact with,” He told me.

“Zarall, silence,” The Crimson Lord, ‘Mundus,’ sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing those icy-blue eyes. Annoyance washed over him, but he was not nearly as angry as yesterday. Honestly, it was a different side of him today, which was kind of nice. But he still seemed like an ass. As a Lord of the Underworld, you can’t precisely be… Nice? Right? I don’t think so.

His voice spoke again, “Kurai, I don’t understand the meaning of this.”

“I was just showing her a bit of the Asturdorm realms. I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Kurai muttered, avoiding eye contact with the taller man, gazing off to the side.

"Kurai, you realize that your magic is fundamentally... wrong, don't you?" The Crimson Lord questioned.

"I didn't leave the Underworld, if that's what you're implying," Kurai muttered in response.

Another sigh escaped the Lord as he stepped closer to Kurai. He reached out and grasped Kurai's shoulders firmly with his pale hands, demanding his attention. "The fact that you opened a portal outside Asturdorm connected to your room, Kurai. That's the problem," he stated.

Kurai shrugged off the Lord's hands, stepping back and glaring at him from the corner of his eye. "Yeah, yeah, I get it," he growled.

“You do realize what this means, right?”

"It wasn't his idea!" I interjected quickly, cutting off whatever the Crimson Lord was about to say next.

Instantly, his eyes snapped to me, turning cold as he spoke. "Silence, human. This is none of your concern," his dark and hateful voice carried a completely different tone than when he talked to Kurai.

I flinched at his sudden snap, squaring back a little and feeling intimidated. I couldn’t imagine the kind of powers this man had, especially against a human like me. This was a demon king - not a human, not a kitsune, or anything else. This man was the Lord of the Underworld a few feet before me.

When Kurai heard that sudden voice change, his little fox ears flattened immediately back, and his tail flickered at the end, his amber eyes glowing as he matched the Crimson Lord’s stare, stepping toward him and in front of me. “We were training, Mundus. I don’t come running into your room whenever I please, do I? I didn’t break the rules, I didn’t teleport outside the underworld, and I didn’t take a human where they weren’t allowed. I didn’t show her the Celestial World or take her to the Human World - I didn’t take her to your stupid castle, Mundus. We went out to train,” Kurai's voice was low and mirrored the Underworld Lord’s snappy tone. "Training—that's it."

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Kurai, please don't address the Crimson Lord in that manner," Astaroth intervened, stepping towards the Nogitsune and positioning himself in front of Mundus, much like Kurai did with me.

Mundus took a deep breath and shook his head. "I just don't understand why, Kurai. Why waste time on a human? She'll return to the Human World with her memories wiped sooner or later—or she'll eat. You can't protect her here," he said, gazing down coldly at the Nogitsune.

My heart sank, and I swear my face was probably fixed now as though I had seen a ghost. I was stunned when he said my memories would be ‘wiped.’ My fist clenched tightly as my body tensed up, a cold glare fixed on the Lord - and he returned it right back to me, but in a side-eyed manner.

“Wasting my time?” Kurai’s voice snapped, his fists beginning to light up with sparks as he was heated. “If anyone’s wasting time, it’s you sitting on that shit throne of yours, worrying about me. You have an entire kingdom to run while also fixing things with the damned Celestials, who are present at this time, by the way!”

I could feel a strange twist in my own body when I realized that Kurai’s body was getting heated with anger. It was an odd feeling, but somehow, I felt his rage. Maybe it was because my adrenaline was going, but something weird happened, and I could feel how upset he was with Mundus.

“My Lord,” Enoxon stepped in, taking a step toward Kurai and me. It would be best if you didn’t speak of her that way. She’s not just a human—she absolutely cannot be.” The white-haired sorcerer stood beside Kurai and raised his hands in a defensive but anxious way.

Mundus gazed down, and I could see a flicker of shock that Enoxon had stepped onto our side. Turning his attention from the flaming fox, his posture changed as he relaxed. “What do you mean, she’s not just a human?” He questioned, his tone lightening as he asked, “Were you lying to your Lord?”

Enoxon sighed and stood tall as he replied, “I wouldn’t say ‘lie,’ but we weren’t sure what exactly happened when she tripped a portal to the Underworld from the Human World.”

“But that’s impossible,” Casielle interjected, gazing at Enoxon. “What do you mean she activated a portal? All the portals have been disabled!” she gasped.

“She activated a portal?” Lord Mundus asked.

“Not... exactly. The portal sort of reacted to her presence. Meaning she couldn’t possibly be just a human. Perhaps she has heritage from a sorcerer family, like myself. Still, she’s neither a demon nor an angel... just something else. I’m not entirely sure yet.”

“No, that’s impossible. The only ones who can activate portals are souls and angels, and perhaps the Reaper, as of right now… But that can’t be. We haven’t seen the reaper in some time,” Casielle argued, her expression shifting from soft to slightly confused.

“Interesting…” Lord Mundus trailed off as he turned back to lock gazes with me, those crystal-blue eyes staring into mine as if he were searching for something. “I see,” He simply stated. “Fine. Kurai, Enoxon. You’re in charge of her, so show our guests around. And keep her safe. Astaroth will be checking on your progress daily to see what you find. I expect results by the next Blood Moon.”

“But that’s not even two months away,” Enoxon argued.

“That’s not my problem - this is yours.” Lord Mundus replied with a flick of his hand.

Astaroth bowed, his long teal-green hair flowing slightly in front of him. “Then it’s settled - I shall look forward to seeing you soon, Lady Snow,” He said with a small smile.

As outraged as I was by Lord Mundus and the way he acted, I couldn’t help but return Astaroth’s friendly and warm smile with my own, bowing back to him.

“Casielle and Zarall, I apologize for this misfortune; this meeting has concluded today. You could keep this on the hush-hush until we figure out what exactly happened with the portals. I understand you must ensure the portals are closed, but for now, please keep it with yourselves,” Lord Mundus apologized to them, turning his back to the three of us.

“Crimson Lord, I’m not sure how long we can keep this on the hush without seeing this human woman for ourselves,” Casielle demanded from him, giving him a sharp look. “Knowing that a human has tripped our portal mechanisms means there could be more. We ask that you allow us to visit on our own time.”

A sigh escaped The Crimson Lord as he replied, “Then it’s settled,” He said with a flick of his wrist. “You are permitted to roam the lands as needed - but do not cause any mischief or trouble for my demon.”

“We’ll be sure to keep our promise to the Celestial Order and keep this human’s trip of the portals on the hush. I cannot promise how long this will stay safe, though, Your Highness,” Zarall replied with a shake of his head.

“We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. For now, we have some more things to discuss. Please, Zarall and Casielle. Astaroth, take us back to the Palace.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” Astaroth replied.

“See you soon, Snow!” Casielle squealed with a quick wave as the four of them disappeared into the bright light from Astaroth’s magic, leaving the rest of us alone. I took this opportunity to leave the room and head to my own, trying to get washed up.

Getting into the bath tonight was more complicated than it had been. I was hurting today from the training. With all that extra movement, I’m surprised nothing tore besides the clothing. Being sore like this was crazy because I haven’t been this sore since probably high school during the off-season - way too much weightlifting. It interested me that Kurai’s magic, healing, or whatever it was, helped me a little. My arm nor side was hurting. I should’ve probably just taken the day off and not gone training with Kurai - as if I had a chance. I barely know anything except that I’ve activated a portal. And the fact that I may not even be a full human?! What in the Underworld Flaming Hells is that supposed to mean?!

Then again, if a demon attacked me in the human realm, they must be concerned about that. Or at least, I’d hope so. Can’t demons tell who’s marked someone? I figured maybe Lord Mundus knows, but his reaction to me opening a portal wasn’t very crazy - compared to Casielle. Per Enoxon, though, I didn’t even activate it? It just reacted to my presence. Makes me wonder what I even saw then… The ample swirly light? I assumed it was perhaps magic by Enoxon and Kurai. How exactly did they save me?

Looking at my pale body in the mirror, I turned to my side to see the reflection in the mirror. It was still wrapped in bandages, but I was curious to know what exactly this mark looked like under it. A frown crossed my lips as I wondered what kind of demon or whatever attacked me could do this. I needed to know what it looked like on my side, though - I knew what it looked like on my arm, but this was the one that hurt the worst. Gathering my courage, I removed the bandage completely. I stared at the colossal bruise that lined the entire side of my body - black and purple from my waistline to my under breast. What caught my eye the most, though, were the markings.

They almost looked like stab wounds, like the demon had dug his nails completely into my side rather than scratched it like on my arm? It was one nickel-sized puncture with two small ones next to it; from what I could tell, it was deep. Surrounding it were thick black lines that thinned out toward the end. It was an ugly wound, and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears as I stared at my body, which was destroyed by a demon. I compared both wound marks and just cried softly as I slid down the wall to the ground.

A soft knock sounded on my door, and I could barely hear it from inside the bathroom due to my crying. I was once a typical 25-year-old woman living in the human world, working at a bar to pay my bills. And now I was a freak in the underworld. I was disgusted and hurt, saddened and heartbroken. Here I was with two random ass people I’ve never met who have magic powers. Demons were real, and they marked humans for death. If they were capable of poisoning and destroying humans to eat, what else could they do? What was Kurai capable of?

“Um, Snow? If you’re hungry, we have food available,” Enoxon’s voice sounded through the door.

“Go away,” I cried to him.

“Um, are you ok? Do you, uh, need… Anything?” He sounded confused and in a very awkward spot.

I didn’t respond to him. I didn’t need anyone to hear me cry, but it couldn’t be helped. My sobs weren’t very loud, but they were loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door. I forced myself up to my feet, catching my balance and putting on the clothes I had brought into the bathroom. Something simple, just a simple pajama set of pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I took my long white hair down from the towel that it was wrapped up in and pushed my way to the door. As I opened the door, Enoxon lost his balance and fell forward a tad bit. He apparently had been leaning against the door, trying to talk to me or listen to what I was doing.

“Um, I hope you’re hungry,” Enoxon murmured quietly as if he didn’t know what to say. “Dinner will be downstairs when you’re ready to eat - if you’re hungry. You don’t have to eat if you don’t want to. I figured you'd probably be hungry just after the last couple of days. Um, then again, you may not like it, so just let me know!” He flashed an awkward smile, and the little white-haired sorcerer quickly left the room.

I watched him leave. He was right, though; I needed to eat something after the training from today. My gaze quickly turned from him to the window that brought moonlight into the room. Was it just always night here? Was there no sun at all? Did the moon change or go away, or is it the same forever? I questioned how the underworld worked between the demons and powers, and now, the moon/sunset issue. Standing here wasn’t going to get me answers, so I decided to make my way downstairs.