Lilo was unable to find the Fien's emblem, but he already had a lot to think about when witnessing the dwelling place of the cravers.
The Cravers had left a strong impression on him upon first meeting them. Their cloaks of colorful corpse skin of terrifying gluttons making his blood freeze in his veins when he witnessed them.
Their scent of euphoric candy, the ominous masks that they wore for muzzles, and the chilling eyes that were completely black from pupil to iris; were all too memorable.
He knew their lethality, being one himself; but he knew not the interworking of such a wild group of half humans.
By his understanding, they were on the verge of becoming gluttons. Soda explained to him that they experience cravings, an insatiable desire to consume more cursed fruit/candy.
He wondered how they would function as a community, with such a gnawing feeling permeating their conscious choices.
He also found the mystery of why he didn't feel these cravings a bit concerning. What if it was a dormant desire that would awaken when he encounters more opportunities to consume cursed things?
He shook his head, remembering the odd invitation when he first met Wonka in the infamous white van.
'He offered me cursed candy. I vaguely remember him asking if I wanted some candy when he found me alone in the outskirts. Why the hell would he do that to an innocent child that was lost? Is he secretly a malicious mad man that I haven't picked up the ques for?'
"No... it's normal to offer candy out there. In dire situations, it's better to be a craver than dead. They're still treated with some semblance of a normal life here. They even have their own onsen's." Soda explained.
Lilo stopped in his tracks, turning to face the temple where the onsen's were supposed to be.
Sure enough, there was the chilling emblem of the cravers amidst the rest of the flags that hung from the temple's tall pillars.
It was a colossal dome building, with grand proportions and extravagant architecture that showcased intricate patterns of geometric motif's.
Statues of more mysterious heroes, portraying their grandiose illustrious anatomy along with their majestic armor and glorious battle pose; were atop the outer rim of the dome.
It was simply breath taking to be within its presence. The temple was awe inspiring and welcoming to any all classes.
"Religion is sacred and a right to all who is capable of of intuition." Soda explained as Lilo slowly approached the steps leading to the grand temple.
'What... is your religion like? I know you guys have several gods, I've noticed you mention them in a plural sense.'
Lilo had always taken interest in philosophy as well as the many religions that were back on earth. He believed they were intricately woven into how he would approach fighting and having a healthy mix of every different background would help open up his worldview to new discoveries.
He was also keenly interested in this strange worlds practice of religion but hadn't had the time to inquire Soda about it.
"Well... it's not definitive. We believe it is all subjective. All who come to the temple pray to the powers above and meditate on what their perspective of the world means to them. We are aware of a Devine presence and of the miraculous design of our existence... but the gods choose not to reveal themselves so all we have left is to ponder the afterlife and show our appreciation through serving others as well as the world left to us." Soda explained with a reverent demeanor.
"The building also serves as a veil that separates the Fiens from us as well as distinguish the onsens." Soda added.
'Why the hell are the Fiens so secluded and the onsens so high up here.'
"Everyone congregates here to wash themselves. It's our symbol of community. Also, they are natural springs so... it's just the way that the mountains decided to form." A yawn escaped Soda's voice inside Lilo's head.
"I'm tired. You must be too. You're on your own now, stop asking question and wash yo dirty ass." With that comment, Soda's guiding voice in Lilo's head grew silent.
'Wait! Which one do I go into? Mello didn't really give clear instructions.'
Silence. Soda was deeply unconscious.
Lilo took a deep breath, carrying his belongings as he walked up the steps of the temple, and tried to decipher for himself where to go.
Lilo assumed that the flags must extinguish the segregation of the onsen's... but then again Soda mentioned they all come here to congregate so perhaps there was no such thing as separation.
One thing was for sure, genders were surely separate.
Lilo looked up at the flags, but they were too high up on the gargantuan pillars that they were covered by the misty fog of clouds, and the moons light was too dim for him to see any signs of where to go.
There were several large doors by the entrance of the temple, each with the symbol of a tub with steam escaping it, signaling that they were the onsen washrooms.
Lilo approached a sky blue door and tried to read the runes etched onto the sign.
'Oh shit. I can't read. This is a different language.'
Lilo scratched his head, unsure of what to do. It didn't seem like anyone else was approaching the temples so he was out of options to ask for help.
Come to think of it, Lilo remembered that the people who were giving looks to him on the street did not seem to be preparing to bath either.
'They all must bath in the mornings.'
Well if that were the case, Lilo assumed he had the baths to himself. With a light heart of relief, he entered any random door and plopped his things down on a bench.
The room was steamy and vague, shrouded in warmth and the smells of comforting cleanly scents.
Lavender, citrus, mint, even a hint of the euphoric candy, all mixed to provide a wonderful aroma.
He made sure to call out and ask if anyone else was in the vast room, but there was no answer.
There were several sections, each varying in temperature and depth. There was a steel crate in the center of each pool stuffed with herbs that created the wonderful scent and dyed the bath water a fresh green color.
Bubbles foamed near the origin of the soapy crate of herbs and a natural waterfall fed into the springs that pumped warm water into the pools of cleanly bathing stations.
A smile grew on Lilo's face as he undressed from his grimy clothes and dipped a toe into each tub, feeling for just the right depth and temperature.
He found one that suited his height - embarrassingly enough, he did not yet know how to swim in his 27 years of cognizant life - and had just the right level of warmth; and slipped into the warm embrace of the cleanly water.
His head tilted towards the tall open ceiling where the sky lights showcased a sky full of twinkling stars and a gasp of overwhelming relaxation escaped Lilo's lips.
Just as he sunk deeper into the warmth of the hot spring water, a chilling sensation caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise.
An eerie feeling crept up his spine and he froze, feeling the gaze of another being within this vast - what he once thought empty - onsen. He couldn't figure out where they were or why he had this feeling but he knew for certain there was another presence here that he felt.
"Who's there?" Lilo's timid voice rung out, echoing against the tall marble ceilings.
As his golden eyes searched within the white mist, his gaze landed on two round spheres enshrouded in complete darkness.
It glistened in the star light and a face emerged behind those black eyes from the foggy haze within the onsen room.
There, standing at arms length, with their shoulders submerged, their damp long hair falling around their big black eyes, their muzzleless face revealing their petite mouth curling into a crooked grin, their small nose having a slashing scar above the bridge, and their finger pressed against their lips; was a Craver...