/Where am I?/ Kekkai wondered numbly
One moment he was at the banquet. Being tortured for what he thought to be an eternity by heartbreaking agony that poured in from his soul. Then nothing.
The next moment he was here. Lying with his back against moist grass in a small open meadow with softly blowing grass that flowed with nonexistent wind.
He lay there as he looked in a trance at the sight above him. A huge open star-filled sky with deep azure, peach, and lavender aurora, mingled and mixed a swirling vision that he thought was only possible to be seen in the rarest locations of nature in his past life.
The sky above him swirled in a calming and tranquil dance as he watched for an unknown time. Slowly, he came out of his trance, trying to get a grasp of his location.
He lifted himself from his laying position in surprising difficulty and looked around him. Only to find himself lying in a patch of soft and tall grass of open grassland. Further out stood five deserted mountains; Lifeless, dry, and devoid of life.
Looking back at the aurora above him he chuckled dejectedly, "Well, guess I'm not in Kansas anymore."
At this time the sky couldn't get his spirits up any longer as he lifted his body heavily again.
Noting the heavy feeling coating his body as if he wore a lead jacket, every action was delayed and draining.
While he tried to adjust himself to his condition when a sudden breeze brushed against him. With what he could only describe as a soft and unintelligible whisper it said something to him.
/Kekkai -¿€‰≈{%}+[*{={|‰$&/
Freezing when he heard his name he tried to listen deeper but the rest was garbled and rushed when it reached his ears.
Waiting he stood there. Trying to see if he could make more out of the words.
Sadly though the words didn't come again, even though the whispering wind didn't return; another sound came to his attention in distance at the edge of one of the mountains in the distance.
A deep rumble like thunder sounded at the base of the edge of the grassland. The low resounding sound of falling rocks Echoed for a few seconds in the small meadow.
Without hesitation he began to move, slowly dragging his body through the dense grass to the source of the sound.
At the speed of a crawling snail, he steadily made his way through the meadow. As He dragged his lead-filled body forward he didn't notice that as he walked forward a change occurred.
In the crushed grass he laid in before the blades began to slowly darken. Healthy green slowly turned brown and then black as rot began to spread. The grass decomposed into a small pool of sludge that quickly melted into the ground.
Kekkai struggled with difficulty as he walked forward, fatigue set through his limbs at the increased burden but even then he pressed on. Ignoring the slowness and pushed through the unknown pressure that seemed to want to keep him still.
His intuition told him to keep moving forward and don't stop whatsoever. Whatever was pressing on him was bad for his interest.
It didn't help that the tall grassland made it all the more difficult for him to continue his journey gripping and blocking him as he pushed through it; Draining the already weak boy of the little stamina he had.
But as he reached halfway through his path dizziness from the struggle began to set in and his head began to grow dull, shaking his head he glanced behind him only to freeze.
First confusion set on his face and then after a few seconds it twisted into unadulterated horror.
"Oh, OH HOLY FUCKING SHIT!?!" His eyes bulged at the sight behind him and cursed instantly.
Gone was the beautiful and tranquil meadow and in its place was an ever-expanding bubbling ooze that spread and destroyed everything in its path!
The bubbling slime crept behind him like a wave of sticky sludge, grasping symbionts like slime slowly crawling and closing in.
The wind came again, this time it wasn't a breeze but a heavy gust that pushed him forward a few feet stumbling as well as pushing down the tall grass until it lay flat.
Clearing the path ahead to the mountain the wind spoke into his ears, this time it was a single word. But this word was loud and clear.
/RUN/ It roared!
Not even needing for it to say it twice, adrenaline pumped through him as he turned and bolted with all his might down the path.
And then, all hell broke loose!
*CARRACK*
With a loud snap, lightning struck through the cloudless sky. Breaking the originally peaceful silence with its wrathful thunder.
Like a mirror smashed by a hammer, the beautiful aurora-filled sky shattered, bending and fracturing as if it was being torn apart and something was trying to get in through the sky itself.
In the cracks, a hissing creak echoed as the sky shattered and was plied apart. Through it came a hissing rasp that echoed through the land.
As if it received an order the slowly creeping wave of slime no longer decomposed the grassland around it but gathered itself like it was alive and lurched forward at an amazing speed toward Kekkai.
Not even bothering to turn around to see the new development, but already guessing what was happening when he heard the sloshing wave of liquid rushing at him, Kekkai pumped his arms and legs even harder.
He ran furiously, veins showing as he tightened his face with popping eyes. Pushing forward and sweeping his legs and arms in a pumping motion, he ran with all his might to gain distance and reach the end of the field and into the empty mountain valley before him.
/Fuck, fuck, fuck, Fuck FUUUCK! RUN, RUNNN!!!!!/Gasping with quick and harsh breaths he tore through the field with the abomination that was chasing behind in hot pursuit.
When he reached the edge of the valley he kept going hoping whatever lay inside could delay what was chasing him.
Unfortunately, before he could cross the final divide into the valley Kekkai came to a halt as something grabbed onto him!
The rasping sound echoing above let out a cry in triumph as the creep wave had stretched out several tendrils and latched onto his back and leg tautly. With a heavy pull, it began to drag him back. The sudden force from his back and leg threw him off balance completely.
Dropping to the ground with a slam he scrambled to his side in panic as he used his arms and leg to dig into the ground in an attempt to claw his way into the valley.
"RAGggggHHHHHH!!!!!!!" In a roaring grunt of effort, despair, and rage he dug his fingers into the dirt and fought his way into the valley.
The rotting putrid smell of expired decaying flesh flooded his nose as the tendrils of ooze began to spread on his leg and back, seeking more grasp on its prey. Each tendril dug in like hooks into his flesh seeking to pull him back into the abomination.
He strained against the pull with all his might, his face blood red, and his neck bulged as his body worked overtime.
*Rrrrippp*
With a loud sickening rip, he suddenly shot forward as the grip lost its traction on him. Taking advantage of the sudden freedom he shoved himself into the valley with his arms.
Tumbling and rolling into the valley he came to a stop at a large stone protruding from the mountain wall. The impact dizzied him but he slowly came to. Scrambling to prop himself onto his arms he looked back into the valley mouth a few feet in front of him.
Outside the valley, the Meadow and Sky were gone. In its place was a surging tide of goo writhing and slamming into an invisible wall trying with all its might to enter the valley. The sky was replaced with a hellscape of a sky filled with fire, rust, and rotten moving flesh that made up its image it twisted continuously as it shifted.
As he sat there watching the stomach-churning in front of him he lowered himself back down onto the stone at his back with a long sigh of relief.
He was safe, for now.
Or so he thought.
"Child, you seem to have ruined my garden." A soft but booming voice echoed above him.
Eyes growing again he slowly tilted his head up. He stared at what he thought was a mountain wall. But at this time the stones shifted and dust fell as the stone shook and took the form of a 15-meter giant took shape.
Dressed in a weird combination of stitched moss and wood clothing dark in the skin and a bald head but full beard he looked down with a forgiving smile and a twinkle in his eye at the tiny Kekkai below him.
Kekkai just looked at him for a moment and after half a minute without answering he just laid his head back and shrugged.
"Humph, I see that young people are much ruder now," The Giant grunted.
His face growing solemn he looked out at the chaotic valley in front of him commenting "That's a very strange curse you have attached to your soul! It's not only trying to destroy your soul and my realm. But it's trying to bring its sphere of influence into mine and corrupt it!"
"This won't do, this won't do at all! I've spent centuries repairing the damage done here. This intruder has no place here." With a grunt, the Giant lifted his thick arm.
Cocking its back muscles began to tense and grow. Power and tense momentum built themselves in that massive arm.
"HAAH!!" With a loud booming roar, he released his arm shooting the massive fist at the rumbling mass of flesh that made up the sky.
With that fist, a huge kinetic momentum exploded forward ripping through the space like a hot knife through butter. The chaotic corruption that was spreading melted under the momentum quickly condensing as space swirled into itself like a black hole at contact.
With a revolting scream of surprise and despair, the Hellscape disappeared inside the swirl and with a pop, it was gone leaving an empty abyss of dark space.
"That's going to take forever to repair. The patron path is not for me." The Giant grumbled and groaned in complaint. "Not that you care, didn't even bother to say hello when you brought that thing here!"
Though he was complaining he had a mischievous twinkle in his big eyes as he looked down. The obvious 'look at how strong I am' face destroyed any majesty his show of power created.
Kekkai just looked on in numbness. Not even reacting to the provoking words of the mountain god to his charge.
That's right, the Giant standing above him is a god! The Mēkā clan's patron god to be exact. Ida was one of the core lessons that the clan taught the young children day and night. Allowing them to worship the patron god that allowed them to thrive and prosper for over two and a half centuries!
And Kekkai was the next head of the Mēkā Clan. That means he is the next-in-line priest that props up his favorite little worshipers. Though he was grumpy at the utter lack of worship of his reality-bending strength he didn't hesitate to strike down the intruder that attempted to destroy his worshiper's soul.
Looking down at the little man below him, his eyebrow raised in surprise as he realized that the boy was heavily injured.
Yes, Kekkai was injured, though self-inflicted in his struggle it was amazing for him to even be conscious when he was missing a leg and Over half of the flesh from his back!
In his struggle to get away from that curse, he ripped out the flesh from his back and lost his leg to the abomination.
Now all he could do to avoid the devastating pain was the adrenaline still dulling his nerves and sheer determination.
With a grunt of appreciation, Ida reached Down and stretched out a finger. "Here brat, your soul will collapse if you leave it like this."
With a gentle tap to his torso, fine light flowed and began to swirl around him. In a cliche ascended-like fashion he rose off the ground weightlessly as he felt the warm light wash over him and repair his ruined body.
After half a minute of floating, he dropped back onto his feet. Good as new and sporting a new black robe.
Flowing black body and blue and purple sleeves. Stars splendidly dotted the robe as well.
Looking down at himself he felt exasperated at his patron's need to be so showy. Though appreciates his help the showboat's nature made him unable to know how to communicate with him.
Noticing his look, Ida raised an eyebrow and asked "Too much?!"
Looking back he nodded and pinched his pointer finger and thumb together "Just a little bit."
Grunting at the comment Ida laid back into the mountain ignoring Kekkai.
The danger passed and now able to appreciate his situation Ida looked back into the gaping space and the solitary mountains in the distance.
With a slight sigh in depreciation and dejectedly asked "So this is Ida's paradise? Is the afterlife guaranteed to the Mēkā clan for their service? It was pretty but not an eternal peace it promised."
The Giant instantly stopped ignoring him and bent down and glared at him at this time he felt a crushing pressure that eclipsed him as the god growled "Got a problem boy?! This is just a limbo between realms that I built to communicate with my subjects! My paradise is magnitudes greater than this dump!"
Under the pressure of his presence, Kekkai caught on to something in surprise.
"Wait!? Communication space? I'm not dead? Then how the hell did I end up here!?"
"I can certainly arrange for you to arrive in hell!" The god continued glaring.
"Sorry your Grace, just a little confused about my well-being." Kekkai immediately gave in and groveled to his patron.
Nodding at this and rising back up, he no longer applies pressure on his subject. He muttered dismayingly "Though not for the lack of trying on your part, bringing that curse here. No your not dead kid, that dead brat Ryū and your soul tethered are doing their damnedest to keep you alive! You should be grateful that your partner is so in tune with you, actually managing to reach all the way here and help you avoid most of the danger until I arrived to help."
Looking down at him with a curious look he commented "But, to tether themselves so deeply to you might be a mistake on their part. Your soul and body's balance was destroyed, crippling your chakras and might just delay enlightenment in any shape or form forever."
"I wonder why someone would go through such trouble to bind their soul to yours and you come close to death within minutes of establishing the bond?"
Kekkai stalled at this question.
Twitching a little in disbelief his voice quivered as he asked: "Ummm, Lord Ida, wha- what was that about my chakras being crippled?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Go your partner is doing their best to drag you back." Cryptically saying this and waving his hand in dismissal.
As if on cue wind gusts swept over him once again this time they lifted him and dragged him through the air thrashing him around like a rag doll.
At this time the wind became a very pissed woman's voice "Get your ass back here and help me fix this mess!"
"Wait! You still haven't told me what happened to my Chakra!" He yelped, flailing his arms in an attempt to fight against the wind as he was being pulled further and further away.
"Good luck brat! Make sure to change up the offerings now and then! It gets boring to have the same boring ceremony over the years! Spice it up!" Grinning at him and waving goodbye he sat back and melted into the mountain. Disappearing as if he was never there.
...…
The wind swirled and swarmed around him getting faster and faster until it surrounded him in a thick cocoon-like bubble.
Then it suddenly went *pop* and disappeared, losing his support he immediately fell onto his back.
With a surprised yelp, he sat up and looked around while rubbing his back.
He had onto the floor of what can only be a small room called Recluse paradise. All kinds of junk food and drinks littered the ground with clothes hanging here and there on cabinets and tv stands. The only bed in the room was a large hammock that was currently occupied.
The only other occupant in the room was a brunette with strawberry highlights that was furiously manipulating a 3D hologram in between her hands.
Brows furrowed deeply she glared with sharp blue eyes, the sweat of effort dripping from her unblemished heart-shaped face and rolling down her chin and into a pool of sweat lying in between her bountiful chest.
She was dressed in a white strap tank top and blue overalls that accented her figure and same time revealed her laziness. The overalls were half done with a strap undone and the tank top tied halfway under her breasts into a makeshift bra.
Not that Kekkai was complaining. He ogled the beautiful woman for a while not even noticing that she had put down away the hologram with a swipe and climbed down the hammock to stalk over to him.
He only snapped out of his trance when her hourglass figure came to a stop right in front of him.
Like a bumbling nerd who got caught peeping. He blushed and sheepishly looked up at her pissed face and said the only thing that could come to mind.
"Ummm, Hi?" He rubbed his head and tried to smile.
What greeted him back was a right hook that dropped down as she socked him right across his nose.