Chapter Twenty-Seven
Echoes of Redemption
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That night, my mind was racing. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kurai, and it pained me that I couldn’t connect with him. I hated his absence. Kurai had been with me since I joined the Underworld, and it felt strange without him. It was lonely. Although I couldn't feel his emotions, I sensed our bond. It felt like invisible strings connected us; perhaps our contract was more intricate than I had imagined. But something was there, assuring me he was okay.
I lay across my bed, staring at the ceiling and gazing through the skylight at the sky above. Despite my love for stargazing, the sky looked like a dark abyss that night. A few stars dotted the Underworld’s sky. I remembered how Kurai mentioned that the same moon I saw here was visible in the human realm—something that seemed incredibly strange. Still, I supposed that’s how the vortex-underworld phenomenon worked.
My thoughts oscillated back and forth.
Was Kurai actually okay?
How did he end up in Tartarus, and what exactly was it?
This demon wanted me dead and was using Kurai as bait. What had I done to warrant this? Maybe being a Reaper’s blood made me sacrificial, or perhaps there was a deeper motive. Why would anyone want the Reapers and Spirit Walkers dead? What would that mean for the Underworld?
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and I called out from the edge of the bed, “Come in.”
Enoxon gently cracked the door open and asked, “Are you decent?”
“Yep,” I replied, sitting on my lavender-colored bed and clutching a pillow.
Enoxon walked in, dressed in casual clothes that made him blend in like a regular human—a white button-up shirt and slightly worn black pants. But something was off; his usual easy-going aura was missing. He seemed troubled.
“You doing okay, Eno?” I asked gently.
“I was going to ask how you were feeling,” he said, standing awkwardly a few feet away.
“Oh,” I smiled and jumped on the bed like a child, ready to show off. “Training was awesome today! Let me show you!”
“Ah, it’s really okay,” he replied, shaking his head.
“Tenebris Umbrafamilius,” I intoned softly, letting the magic course through my veins. I extended my hand, and a small black puddle formed. From the puddle, an image materialized. Like last time, a conjured fox appeared and began sniffing around. The little black fox approached me and happily jumped up on the bed. I fell back onto the bed, petting it. Its tail was fluffy like Kurai’s, with little purple orbs circling it, and its eyes were purple, like mine.
“Isn’t it adorable?!” I said with a smile.
“I see, and since Black Magic is controlled by emotions... I assume you miss Kurai?” he questioned.
“I guess I do,” I murmured. Crossing my legs, I gently pulled the tiny black fox into my lap and began to scratch its head. It was warm as if forged from Kurai's flames.
Enoxon sat beside me on the edge of my bed, his voice quiet as he spoke, “I’m glad to know things went well.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice that concerned me. I wasn't sure why he had sounded this way all day. Perhaps it had something to do with what he and Yushin discussed before waking me up?
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
He gave a small, sad smile and sighed.
Enoxon's sad voice asked, "Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you made a different decision?"
His question caught me off guard. “What do you mean?” I asked, looking into his eyes.
He lifted his head to look at me, his green eyes tired. “Do you ever wish you hadn’t gone after the spirit?”
“Oh!” I offered him a reassuring smile before gently setting the fox cub aside and flopping backward on my bed to stare up through the skylight. “I guess I wouldn’t have met you guys then,” I told him. “At least, not yet—until the demon chose to come after me. I honestly think our paths crossed accidentally. He wasn’t there for me originally, I feel.” It was a strange feeling, but he finally came across me, knowing the demon spirit was there for the little girl.
“You think so?” he asked.
I glanced at him, noticing his expression had relaxed a little bit. “I think so,” I replied. “I think it all has to do with some kind of destiny. I mean, I don’t think this could’ve been avoided.”
That’s when I felt him consistently shuffling. “Stop moving, you’re causing an earthquake,” I groaned.
“Heh, sorry,” he said quietly.
“Can the Underworld even have earthquakes?” I asked.
“I don’t think so, I’ve never experienced one here.”
“You’re still moving,” I groaned.
Suddenly, he flopped back next to me, now lying on his back and staring at the skylight above us. “It's much comfier now.”
“Invasion of privacy, sir,” I contested, pursing my lips at him.
“Err, my apologies,” he said, sitting back up.
“I’m just teasing you—you seemed really upset when you walked in here.”
“And you seem perfectly fine,” Enoxon commented, giving me a quick glance. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
The little fox shuffled and curled into a tight ball on my stomach. “I feel like I have this connection with Kurai, and for some reason, I feel as though he’s okay,” I replied. “I’m not sure how to describe it.”
Enoxon laid back once more, staring at the skylight again. “He’s a strong demon, Snow. You’ve nothing to worry about. I’m glad we’ve got our Reaper back, too—after so long, it’s incredible.”
Reaper. Those words echoed in my head as I thought about the sense of action I would have to engage in about two weeks with Yushin. To train beside him and learn how to become the Reaper. I feel as though I won’t have any free time. I get to collect the souls of those who are ready to go. Trying to imagine collecting a soul that belonged to a baby or a child would kill me on the inside. I couldn’t imagine trying to be able to collect a soul such as that and guiding them to the Celestial World—ensuring their happiness ever after. It broke my heart, and I pray I won’t have to come across that. But I know I would.
“Is the Reaper’s job hard?” I asked Enoxon.
“What makes you ask that?”
“I mean, I’m consistently in the field, collecting other people’s souls who have passed, watching their last moments as they take their last breath before bringing them to their final resting place. I’m still just a woman who’s aging. I’m 25 years old, Enoxon. I’ve barely started my life, and now I’m given this heavy job? I mean, shouldn’t a spirit or a demon be doing this? Or, like, a God of the Undead?!” I asked him.
A soft chuckle escaped him. “God of the Undead,” he repeated. “That’s basically what Mundus is.”
“It’s something like that,” Enoxon explained.
“I just feel like it’s a lot, Eno. I still have my own life to live, don’t I?”
He fell silent when I asked that; his gaze turned away. “You’ve not got too much of a choice,” he murmured. “I’ve seen a lot in my last 200 years in the Underworld, from the Last Lady and Lord’s rise to Mundus’s. It’s been quite chaotic,” he said to me.
I didn’t have much of a choice. I frowned, rolling away from him as I hugged the fox closer. I didn’t ask for this—I was born into it, and it had been hidden from me for 25 years. “Why would I just learn about my heritage, then? Why wouldn’t I have stayed in the Underworld and worked beside my mother?”
There was a brief moment of silence before he sighed.
“Snow, sometimes the paths we take are not ones we choose but ones chosen for us,” He said as his voice quavered a bit. “Your mother probably had her reasons for keeping you away from this world until now. Maybe she wanted you to have a normal life for as long as possible. The Underworld is not an easy place to grow up in.”
I turned back to look at him, searching his eyes for answers. “But why now? Why after so long?”
Enoxon shrugged slightly. “Perhaps it was necessary for you to experience the human world, to understand life and death from that perspective before taking on the role of the Reaper. It’s a unique gift, Snow, even if it feels like a burden right now.”
I sighed, feeling the weight of his words. “I just wish I had more time to prepare.”
“We all do,” He said sadly.
I decided to brave it and ask Enoxon about his past.
“I heard what Yushin said,” I told him quietly, rolling back to face him with the fox between us, holding it close to my belly. It made me feel at ease. “About your fiancée’s family, about a village?” I asked him, hoping he wouldn’t get angry.
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“Ah, so you did hear that,” he murmured, his hands folding across his belly as his green gaze returned to the skylight above us.
“I don’t mean to intrude, and I totally get it if you don’t want to share anything with me.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s probably something you should understand—in case you ever come across my life strand to determine my eligibility for the Celestial World,” he said with a half-chuckle as if he were hiding the pain.
I listened intently, my heart aching for him. “Only if you’re comfortable, Enoxon.”
He sighed deeply, his eyes reflecting the memories of a distant past. “It’s a long story, Snow. I’ve witnessed the tumult of countless wars, experienced the depths of love, and endured the finality of death. My past is filled with tales and wisdom but also tragedy.”
He sighed deeply, his eyes reflecting the memories of a distant past. “It’s a long story, Snow. I’ve witnessed the tumult of countless wars, experienced the depths of love, and endured the finality of death. My past is filled with tales and wisdom but also tragedy.”
I nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“Despite the warmth and care of my upbringing, tragedy struck when my village was razed under accusations of witchcraft—a concept scorned and feared in my earlier years. Branded a warlock for my innate ability to weave spells, a gift I was admonished to conceal, I faced rejection and persecution. This drove me to explore the far reaches of magic, including the forbidden arts of Black Magic.”
I gasped softly, feeling the weight of his words. “That must have been so difficult.”
“It was,” he admitted. “This choice marked me, rendering me an outcast wherever I journeyed, as whispers of 'Enoxon the Warlock' preceded me.”
He paused, his expression growing more somber. “A century ago, I encountered a woman named Nova who captivated my heart. I loved her with everything I had. Our love was intense and all-consuming, and I thought we could overcome anything together.”
I squeezed his arm gently, sensing the pain in his voice. “What happened?”
He took a deep breath, his eyes clouded with old sorrow. “Nova was in mortal danger due to a curse placed upon her. A powerful dark entity saw her as a way to manipulate me. In a desperate attempt to protect her, I turned to Black Magic, seeking a way to break the curse.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened. “You did everything you could to save her.”
“Yes,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “But my efforts to use Black Magic backfired. The dark entity grew stronger, feeding off my desperation and love for Nova. Ultimately, Nova realized that the only way to save me and stop the entity was to make the ultimate sacrifice. She bound herself to the dark entity, giving up her life to protect me.” He paused and opened his hand above me, emitting a strange white light as something began to play above us. It looked like a memory.
In the vision, I saw a younger Enoxon, tears streaming down his face as Nova performed the binding ritual. The setting was a dark, foreboding forest, the air thick with an ominous energy. Nova stood in the center of a circle of runes etched into the ground, her expression calm and resolute. The dark energy swirled around her, shadowy tendrils reaching out like claws.
“This is the only way,” she said softly, her voice echoing with a haunting finality. “To save you and everyone else.”
Enoxon tried to reach her, his hands outstretched, but an invisible barrier held him back. “Nova, please! There has to be another way!” he cried, his voice breaking with desperation.
Nova’s eyes met his, filled with love and sorrow. “I’m sorry, Enoxon. This is my choice. And I choose to protect you.”
The dark energy enveloped her fully, and for a moment, there was a blinding flash of light. When it cleared, Nova was gone, and the dark entity was sealed within a jagged crystal, pulsating with a sinister glow. Enoxon collapsed to his knees, his heart shattered by the loss.
The scene shifted, showing Enoxon’s journey afterward. “After Nova's sacrifice, I was lost,” he continued, his voice trembling. “I wandered aimlessly, consumed by grief and guilt. I couldn’t bear the weight of her sacrifice, knowing it was my fault.”
The vision depicted Enoxon in various desolate landscapes—barren deserts, stormy seas, and shadowy forests. His once vibrant appearance had become gaunt and haunted, his eyes hollow with sorrow. He stumbled through these places, a man without purpose, his magic flickering dangerously as he struggled to control it.
Desperation led him to the imposing gates of the Council of the Sinless, a grand fortress built into the side of a mountain, its spires piercing the sky. “In my desperation, I sought out the Council of the Sinless. I begged them to help me erase the black magic within me and to erase my memory of Nova. I thought that if I could forget, I might find peace.”
The vision now showed the Council members, their faces stern and unyielding, dressed in immaculate white robes that contrasted starkly with the darkness that had plagued Enoxon. They appeared to consider his request, then led him into their sanctum, a vast hall adorned with intricate carvings and glowing crystals.
“At first, they seemed sympathetic. They promised to help me and took me into their sanctum. But it was all a ruse.”
In the memory, Enoxon is shown restrained in a chamber, the walls lined with mystical symbols designed to suppress magic. He is bound to a stone altar, the cold surface biting his skin. Council members stand around him, chanting incantations. The air is thick with the scent of burning herbs and clinking chains.
“They saw me as a threat, a vessel of dark power that needed to be contained. Instead of helping me, they imprisoned me in a chamber designed to suppress my magic.”
His voice grew bitter as he continued, “They subjected me to excruciating rituals, trying to strip the black magic from my soul. But their methods were cruel and ineffective. The more they tried, the stronger the darkness seemed to become. And they never intended to erase my memory of Nova. They wanted me to suffer, to use my anguish as a weapon against me.”
The memory showed Enoxon writhing in pain on the altar, his screams echoing through the chamber as the Council members performed their torturous rituals. Their faces remained cold and indifferent, their eyes devoid of empathy. They chanted ancient spells, causing runes to glow with a harsh, unyielding light. The energy from the runes would lash out at Enoxon, searing his skin and causing dark, shadowy tendrils to writhe around his body.
“Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months,” He commented sadly. Enoxon's once vibrant spirit was reduced to a shadow of its former self. His body bore the scars of countless rituals, and his eyes were filled with a deep, unending torment. Yet, despite the pain, the darkness within him only grew stronger, fueled by his suffering and his ever-present grief for Nova.
The vision shifted to a night when Enoxon finally managed to break free. The chamber was dimly lit by the flickering light of candles. The air was thick with the scent of incense and burnt herbs. The Council members were gathered, their attention focused on a new ritual. Enoxon, weak but determined, seized the moment of their distraction.
Harnessing the last vestiges of his strength, he channeled the darkness within him. Shadows erupted from his body, shattering his restraints and engulfing the room. The Council members recoiled in fear, their chants turning to screams as the darkness overwhelmed them.
“I broke free that night,” Enoxon continued, his voice filled with triumph and sorrow. “I unleashed the darkness within me, using it to escape. But in doing so, I became the very thing they feared—a vessel of black magic, untamed and uncontrollable.”
The memory showed Enoxon fleeing the fortress, the night sky above him ablaze with the light of distant stars. He ran through the forest, his heart pounding with fear and exhilaration. The darkness within him surged, a curse and a source of newfound power.
“I wandered for years after that, haunted by my past and the consequences of my actions. I sought refuge in remote places, hoping to escape the demons that pursued me. But no matter where I went, they always found me, drawn to the darkness within me.”
The vision depicted Enoxon traveling through desolate landscapes, his eyes hollow and his expression haunted. He encountered various dangers—wild beasts, hostile villagers, and other dark entities—but each time, he used his black magic to defend himself, the power within him growing stronger with each confrontation.
The memory faded, and Enoxon’s hand lowered, the light dissipating. His eyes were filled with a mix of pain and determination. “I’ve learned to live with the darkness, to control it, and use it for a greater purpose. But the betrayal by the Council of the Sinless left me deeply mistrustful. I’ve become more cautious and more guarded. Observing rather than engaging is the only way to protect myself from further heartache.”
“Then… Why do you want to go to the Celestials after passing?” I asked him, curiosity and concern in my voice.
“That’s an easy question,” he stated with a soft smile, though his eyes reflected a deep resolve. “To make sure they can never put someone through that again.”
He took a deep breath, his gaze distant as if recalling another painful memory. “The Celestials are revered as beings of pure light and goodness, but their actions are not always as benevolent as they claim. They have a rigid sense of order and justice, and sometimes, in their pursuit of purity, they lose sight of compassion and humanity. If they could do what they did to me, they could do it to others. I can’t let that happen.”
His voice grew firmer, filled with a quiet determination. “I want to ensure that no one else has to endure the suffering I did. No one should be judged or persecuted for the darkness within them, especially when that darkness was born from pain and loss. I want to hold the Celestials accountable and change how they see and treat those struggling.”
I nodded, understanding the weight of his words. “You want to protect others from the same fate.”
“Yes,” he replied. “And maybe, in doing so, I can find some redemption. Nova’s sacrifice must not be in vain. Her love and choice to protect me should stand as a testament to the power of compassion and understanding, even in the face of darkness.”
His resolve was inspiring, and I could see the depth of his character in his determination to right the wrongs of the past. It was clear that Enoxon’s journey was far from over, and his mission to confront the Celestials was a crucial part of his path to healing and redemption.
“Enoxon, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. No one could help you; you were alone all those years.”
“Well, now I’m here,” he said, a soft smile on his face. Jenieva helped me through a lot of my grief. The day I walked into her bar, I don’t know why. Maybe it was because she was a succubus and she exploited me without my permission, or perhaps she genuinely cared. But I told her everything the day I met her.”
“You had mentioned the Life Strands,” I asked. “How did you know about them?”
“The Lady in Red, the very same day I destroyed the village, went after me and tried her best to explain to me that I couldn’t do what I did. The amount of souls she had to bring home, all those innocent souls.” He whispered sadly.
He continued, “The Life Strands are the threads that connect each soul to the fabric of existence. I severed those strands when I unleashed the darkness and destroyed the village. The Lady in Red, a guardian of souls, came to me. She tried to make me understand the gravity of my actions, the lives I had taken, and the souls she had to guide me back to the beyond. She spoke of the balance that must be maintained, how every life is intertwined with countless others.”
His eyes reflected the guilt he carried. “She showed me the pain and chaos my actions had caused. It was a lesson I learned too late. But it set me on a path to seek redemption and to understand the true value of each life… And I ran from it. I ran from all of it; that’s how I ended up so desperately pleading with the Council.”
Enoxon, I said softly, placing a comforting hand on his arm, careful not to disturb the sleeping fox on me. “You’ve come a long way since then. You just want to try and make amends. You’re not the same person as you were so long ago.”
“No, but I feel like I am sometimes.”
“Is this why you’re so against me using black magic?”
“Absolutely - I don’t want you to end up like me,” He said sadly.
He looked into my eyes, his own filled with a mixture of concern and determination. “Black magic is powerful, but it’s also dangerous. It can consume you, twist your intentions, and lead you to destruction. I’ve seen what it can do firsthand, and I don’t want that for you. You have so much potential, so much goodness in you. I want to protect that.”
I nodded, understanding the depth of his fears. “I appreciate your concern, Enoxon. I really do. But I also believe we can use any magic responsibly with the right guidance and support. Maybe together, we can find a way to harness its power without falling into its traps. I’ve got some pretty great teachers,” I gently elbowed him and smiled.
“Just… Be careful, ok? Astaroth is an overlord and knows a lot. He’s been here longer than I have. So be cautious and listen to him,” He paused and took a deep breath. “Just remember, black magic isn’t all controlled by emotion. If your emotions are unstable, find something else - don’t use the black magic that may reside.”
“Of course, thank you, Enoxon.”
As we sat there, the little fox still curled up against me, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. Enoxon’s story was a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable hardship, one could find the strength to fight for a better future. Perhaps being a Reaper wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Maybe I can make a difference in the Underworld.