Viora's eyes slowly opened as she woke, stirred by the movement of whatever she was resting on. She hurriedly sat up, her gaze immediately landing on an older Black woman with an afro and gentle gray eyes. The woman smiled warmly, a single golden tooth glinting in her teeth.
"Well, good morning, sugar," the woman said, still smiling warmly.
Viora hurriedly ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug, her tears flowing freely as she cried,
"You woke up... you woke up... I didn't know what to do, seeing you like that. I was so scared... I'm just so glad you're awake."
She gently wrapped her arms around Viora's small body, holding her close.
"I know it was hard for you to see me that way... I'm sorry," she said, her gray eyes glinting with a hint of sadness.
Viora's grip tightened, and Mama Ipoh chuckled softly, patting her back.
"Yeah, but you're hugging me a little too tight right now, sugar," she teased.
Viora's face flushed as she quickly stepped back, allowing Mama Ipoh to breathe. Clearing her throat, she looked away, still blushing.
"Sorry... I was just really worried. You were asleep for days... Is it... going to get better now?" she asked, her tone laced with concern.
As Viora waited for a response, it felt as though the world itself froze. A chilling silence hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Suddenly, a voice, dripping with malice, slithered into her ears from just behind her neck.
"Oh, the final part of the story is right here, little bug," the wicked woman purred, her tone laced with cruel delight. "The part where your heart is filled with despair... this is the masterpiece of a canvas I've been waiting for."
The world returned to normal in an instant, leaving Viora feeling unsettled. She hesitated, brushing off the strange sensation as she focused back on Mama Ipoh. Nervously, she asked,
"Mama Ipoh... are you going to be okay now?"
Mama Ipoh looked down, avoiding Viora's gaze, her shoulders heavy with unspoken weight. After a moment of silence, she sighed and forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"You know... he never lied to me, so I shouldn't lie to you either..."
Mama Ipoh hesitated for a few moments, her hands trembling slightly. Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but heavy with sorrow.
"Viora... I... I'm going to die soon. Probably in a couple of weeks, and at best... a couple of months."
Viora's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. Her heart pounded violently in her chest as a storm of emotions overtook her. She felt heavy—overwhelmed by despair, sadness, and anger all at once. Her voice trembled as she managed to respond.
"But... but... Nine-Tails Grandpa... he told me everything about your sickness—that it was about your superflux. Isn't there some technique in your homeland that can cure you?"
Viora's voice trembled, her hands shaking as she clung to a fragile thread of hope.
Mama Ipoh shook her head, her voice dropping to a low, somber tone.
"Trust me, sugar... if Shirokae doesn't have a technique in his arsenal to handle this, then there's no one in my homeland who can. He's the most versatile shaman there is."
Viora's body began to tremble as her head jerked back and forth, as though searching for something, anything that would change the reality she was facing. Her voice cracked with raw anger as she cried out,
"But... BUT... you said you would always be my mother! You said so many times that you would always be by my side! Didn't you say that?!"
Her face contorted with pain, her eyes brimming with fury.
"You... you lied to me! You said you wouldn't abandon me like they all did, but you're just like them! You fed me fairy tales and now you're leaving me... claiming you still love me! If only I... I would do anything for you not to die!"
Mama Ipoh opened her mouth to speak, but for the first time—no, for the second time in her life—she found herself too weak to act.
Viora's voice cracked with anguish as tears streamed down her face,
"Why... why does it always happen to me...?"
Mama Ipoh's eyes widened in sorrow as she reached out to Viora, but the young girl slapped her hand away, sobbing harder.
"Why... why... DON'T I DESERVE A FAMILY TOO?! DON'T I DESERVE A MOTHER?! DON'T I DESERVE A HOME TO COME BACK TO AND FEEL SAFE?!"
Viora's cries grew louder, her whole body trembling with pain and fury.
"DON'T I DESERVE ALL THAT?!" Her voice broke with despair. "IT'S NOT FAIR! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DIE?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO LEAVE LIKE ALL OF THEM? IT'S NOT FAIR! DOES THE WORLD WANT ME TO BE ALONE FOREVER?!"
Her voice grew frantic, her tears flowing relentlessly.
"It's not fair... it's not fair... it's not fair..."
Mama Ipoh gently placed Viora's head against her chest as the young girl cried. And then, for the first time in a long while, Mama Ipoh cried too. Her voice trembled as she spoke through her tears, holding Viora tightly.
"You will not be alone forever, Viora... I'm sorry for not seeing you grow up... But there's one thing I'm certain of... One day, you will find a place you can truly call home. One day, you'll meet people with hearts of gold, who will sacrifice anything for you—not for anything in return, but simply because they love you."
She smiled softly, still holding Viora close.
"I'm sure one day you'll find a beautiful soul, someone who will truly be your family... So please... live a happy life..."
But before she could finish, a dangerous mountain of blood erupted from her mouth, spilling onto her blanket. Viora lifted her head in terror, her eyes wide with horror.
"Mama Ipoh!!"
Blood poured from her nose, mouth, and even her eyes.
Shirokae burst into the room, rushing to her side without hesitation. He called out for the golden deer, his voice desperate and full of fury.
"Damn it! Don't worry, Ipoh! I won't let you down!"
The golden deer appeared, its energy pulsing as it worked to slow the sickness ravaging Mama Ipoh's body. But Viora could barely process what was happening. Her soul was engulfed in despair.
And then, she ran.
She stormed out of the room, her heart pounding as she rushed toward the top of the stairs. Shirokae's voice reached her, but she couldn't hear it through the roar of her own emotions.
"Viora! Wait!"
But it was too late.
She bolted from the house, running through the streets, her feet pounding the pavement as her sobs wracked her body. She didn't stop. Not until she reached the sidewalk, where she collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably, as if the weight of everything had finally crushed her.
***
Viora sat there for hours, her heart heavy with despair. When she finally rose to her feet, she felt hollow, as though all the life had drained from her. Her body moved mechanically, step by step, as she walked back toward the house, each footfall echoing the emptiness inside her.
She reached the house, her hand trembling as she opened the door. The place she had once called home now felt like a living nightmare. She walked through the silent hallways, her eyes vacant and distant. When she reached the living room, her gaze fell on the basement door.
She hesitated. She didn't want to go down there—to confirm what she feared, what she was sure would be waiting for her.
But her legs carried her down the stairs anyway, each step weighing her down. She reached the door and pushed it open, stepping into the room where Shirokae stood, his expression hollow, eyes devoid of emotion. The golden deer bowed its head as though mourning.
Viora's gaze turned to the bed, and there, lying still, was Mama Ipoh. Her face had been wiped clean of blood, but the lifelessness in her form was undeniable. Viora reached out, her trembling hand touching Mama Ipoh's, feeling the coldness that had replaced warmth.
Her chest constricted. Her heart shattered.
She let go, her hand falling limply at her side.
"She..." Viora's voice barely reached above a whisper.
Shirokae closed his eyes, his voice hollow. "She's dead. Her body is without a soul now."
He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I've already called 911. To the mundane world, they'll think she died of natural causes."
Viora said nothing. She just stood there, her eyes dry, void of tears, but consumed by emptiness.
Shirokae, his own face somber, turned to her. "She wanted you to inherit all of her talismans. She wanted you to care for the spirits within them."
As Viora was about to speak, the orbs of blue plasma that had once been under her guidance drifted toward them, floating somberly above, filling the room with a quiet, sorrowful glow.
Shirokae continued, his tone soft but heavy. "She also wanted me to take you to Sylvanara... but I can't. I'm sorry."
Viora's heart ached as she finally spoke, her voice raw, trembling with barely contained anger and sorrow. "It's because of them, isn't it? Immemorvis and Hephaestus... if they hadn't pushed Mama Ipoh to use so much of her superflux, if she hadn't been drained beyond what could regenerate... she wouldn't have died."
Shirokae's eyes were downcast, his voice heavy with anger and regret. "It is their fault... I promised I would make them pay, Viora."
Viora's gaze hardened, her voice filled with resolve. "Shirokae trained me to become a shaman in Sylvanara... so I could grow strong enough to kill them with my own two hands."
Shirokae let out a sigh, his hand slipping inside his kimono. "I told you I can't."
Viora's eyes, hollow yet burning with rage, turned to him. "Why?"
He met her gaze, his expression somber but firm. "Because only those with ancestors from Sylvanara can learn the techniques that we do. Viora, revenge is not what Ipoh would have wanted for you. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."
Viora's frustration bubbled to the surface as she snapped, "Why can you avenge her and I can't? I heard you when you first came to the house... you were burning with hatred. You're a hypocrite for telling me I can't go down that same path."
Shirokae sighed, his eyes filled with a quiet understanding. "I know... but for you, someone without the power to act on that hatred, it will only get you killed if you go searching for them throughout the city. And if you're serious about it..."
He started walking toward her, his presence heavy. In a low, deliberate tone, he continued, "I'll have to push all your memories of the wicked spirits and everything you've learned about Sylvanara to the very back of your subconscious... You won't remember any of it."
Her eyes widened slightly, and she took a step back. "You can do that?" she asked, her voice tinged with fear.
Shirokae's gaze remained unwavering as he stepped closer. "People outside of Sylvanara shouldn't even know of our existence—it could put our homeland at risk. But since you were Ipoh's daughter and, by extension, my granddaughter... I'll push those memories to the edge of your subconscious. When you're older, those memories will resurface. You'll remember when your heart isn't filled with revenge. It's the best course of action I've come up with."
Viora stumbled backward, her breath quickening as she screamed, "Stop! Don't do that, Shirokae!" Her voice cracked with desperation.
Shirokae continued to approach her, his expression hollow, emotionless.
"Please, don't do this..." she begged, her voice barely a whisper.
But as he neared, her panic surged, and she screamed with all the strength left in her, "Nine-Tails Grandpa!!"
Just as the words left her lips, he vanished from her sight. The last thing she saw was him, hovering in the air, his paw gently touching her face. His eyes were filled with sorrow as he whispered, "Sorry..."
Then, everything went dark. The world itself seemed to close its eyes on her.
She woke in a place of pure white. It was the canvas world again—the world she had been away from for what felt like years. She was lying there lifeless, her eyes hollow, her spirit shattered.
The sound of clapping echoed through the void, and her broken form lay still, as if she were nothing more than a discarded painting. The clapping stopped.
"Ah… what a masterpiece you've given me, little bug," a voice rang out, filled with twisted glee. "The emotion, the build-up, the colors... You screamed with despair. It made me climax!"
Viora's eyes fluttered, her broken consciousness trying to make sense of the voice, and then she saw the woman—dark-haired, hollow-eyed, grinning with sick satisfaction as she bent down to grab Viora by the hair.
She lifted her from the ground, forcing Viora's face to meet her gaze.
"It seems you couldn't withstand your own forgotten torment. You're less foolish now, little bug. But you know, revealing all those memories was difficult thanks to that stupid fox. It was worth it, though. Your mind had a goldmine of despair and secrets..."
The woman's smile twisted further. "But now, it's time for the final canvas. One last ride through hell to fill your heart with despair. And then... I will kill you and devour you, along with everyone in that park."
The world around Viora began to distort, changing with an unnatural force. The woman's smile grew even more inhumane.
hell ride amusement park arc part one end..
chapter fifty-four end...