Aragami: A Tale of the Previous Universe (Divine Protector Book 5)

by Scott Kinkade

  It didn’t make sense to him. “That can’t be the only reason.”

  “It isn’t.” She reached into her robe thing and pulled out a glowing yellow-orange orb.

  He stared at the strange thing, having no idea what it could be but sensing its importance. “What is that?”

  “You read the autopsy report. What did it say?”

  The crushing memories returned. “You had multiple broken bones, catastrophic blood loss, and… I don’t want to say any more.” The tears were returning, he just knew it.

  “What else did it say? How many people died that night?”

  “I don’t…” Realization suddenly hit him. “Two. You were pregnant.”

  She held the orb aloft like some sort of carnival prize. “Bingo!”

  “You mean… that’s…?”

  “Correct,” she said. “The soul of our unborn child. It didn’t have time to fully form. But with the combined energy of two Shinigami, it can become whole. Become a Shinigami, Martin. Join me in Yomi. We can finally be a true family.”

  The revelation hit him like a semi-truck traveling at lightspeed. She was asking him to die. “I can’t do that! I just found my passion for life again after all this time.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. A crappy band with no future? A crappy job with no future?”

  “You liked our band! It’s what got us our first date.”

  “There’s nothing for you here!” The amiable façade was gone now, replaced by obvious desperation.

  “My family’s here,” he said. “What would my parents do if I died? What would my sister do?”

  “I died and my parents are just fine. Please, Martin! We don’t have much time. Let me kill you and we can all be happy. Don’t you want to be with me for all eternity?”

  Truth be told, that was all he ever wanted. Ever since he met her, he wanted to spend every possible moment with her. But dying wasn’t a decision one took lightly. “You’re asking too much.”

  “Pl-e-a-s-e!” She was crying now. “I can’t take it in Yomi. I hate everything about it. Please, don’t let me suffer anymore.”

  He noted pain, the absolute despair, in her eyes, and he knew he couldn’t let it continue. He loved her too much. “All right. I’ll die for you.”

  But a voice behind him said, “Don’t bother.”

  A blonde woman wearing the same clothing as Serika was approaching them, and she wasn’t alone. A dozen other similarly dressed people, mostly Asian, appeared out of nowhere all around them. Two of them were flanking the woman.

  “Mary!” Serika was seething now.

  The woman, whom Martin took to be Mary, said, “It’s over, Serika. I have two Shinigami watching my back in case you use your Indō.” Martin had no idea what that last part meant. “Come quietly. Or don’t. It doesn’t really matter at this point.”

  Serika brandished her scythe and clearly intended to use it. But everyone else here had a scythe as well. Martin didn’t like her chances.

  “What’s going on here?” he said.

  “Serika is the mastermind behind all the attempts on your life,” Mary said.

  “I know that,” he replied.

  “Then you know why we have to arrest her. She’s facing serious charges that will get her locked away for a long time.”

  Martin turned to Serika. “There’s a prison in the afterlife?”

  Mary answered that. “It’s very humane, I assure you. No harm will come to her.”

  Serika’s face contorted in rage. “You are not going to lock me up! Not when I’m finally reunited with Martin.”

  “I will not let him throw his life away for you,” Mary said simply.

  Serika yelled out in fury and pulled back the arm holding her scythe as if to swing it at Mary full-force. Martin, fearing the damage these people would do to his late wife, grabbed her with both hands to restrain her. “No, please! You’re outnumbered!” He then said, softer, “Don’t antagonize them.”

  Serika eyed each of her enemies as if sizing them up. She then said to Mary, “You didn’t bring Level 2s, did you?”

  “No,” Mary replied with distaste. “Only the best for you.”

  Serika stared at her scythe for a moment. It then disappeared as if it had never been there. She fell to her knees, sobbing, while Martin cradled her. In a voice that was the embodiment of suffering, she said to Martin, “I don’t want to lose you.”

  Now his voice was breaking as well. “I don’t want to lose you, either.” Some cruel twist of fate was forcing him to relive that tragic night all over again.

  Mary must have come up to them, because her voice was much closer now. “Don’t worry. You’ll see each other again. I don’t know when, but if you make it to Yomi, eventually you’ll be reunited.”

  “You promise?” Martin said.

  “I promise.”

  Two of Mary’s subordinates came over and each grabbed Serika by the arms and hauled her up. “Wait,” she said. “Martin, take our unborn child.”

  Uncertain, he looked at Mary who nodded. He then took hold of the orb which still rested in Serika’s hand. He turned it over in his hand, marveling at it. It was a strange thing, bright and warm. At that moment he realized all souls must be like that in the beginning, full of innocence. What did an adult’s soul look like? Did it look the same, or was it an ugly thing, tainted by years of pain?

  “What do I do with this?” he said.

  Serika explained, “When two people with Shinigami energy pour their energy into it, it will become whole. But not just any Shinigami; it has to be its parents. I’ve already put my energy into it.”

  “But I’m not a Shinigami.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “But you’ve been around them all week, you just didn’t know it. When Mary enveloped you in her Indō, you should have absorbed some of her energy. And the same thing happened while you were holding me a minute ago. I’m betting you have enough now to put into the soul.”

  “But it’s not my energy, is it?”

  Mary chimed in. “Once you absorb the energy of another, it adapts to your soul. You assimilate it. It becomes yours, in other words.”

  He continued staring at the orb. “But how do I do it?”

  “It will take some practice, but eventually, you’ll get the hang of it,” Mary said.

  “All right,” he said. “I’ll do it.

  Serika smiled weakly. It wasn’t the ominous smile from before. Perhaps she had accepted her fate, or perhaps she was focusing on their eventual reunion in who knew how long. “Wait for me,” she said.

  He nodded. “I will. No matter how long it takes.”

  Everyone vanished, and Martin was left by himself on the field to process everything that had just happened. The weather beyond the stadium had cleared up, mirroring his psychological state.

  He had been through hell, and the person he loved most had been behind it all. But he didn’t hate her. He could never hate her. She had her reasons that, while they would never hold up in court, he understood. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would have done the same if their roles were reversed.

  He smiled to himself. She was an amazing person, no doubt about it.

  Later

  22

  Serika was brought into the Golden Chamber and made to kneel before Lord First on the other side of the veil. Two Shinigami stood on either side of her while Mary stood behind her. “Serika,” he said. “You have been accused of multiple counts of interfering with the mortal world, using a forbidden technique, and tampering with Shinigami property. How do you plead?”

  Without hesitation, she said, “Guilty as hell.”

  He was silent for a moment. “Why did you do it?”

  “I already told Mary everything.”

  “I want to hear it from you,” he said.

  “Because,” she said, her eyes watering, “I hate this world. I hate everything about it. I hate dealing with death all the time. I hate what it’s done to me.” The memory of her
recent orgasm flooded her mind.

  “You could have just quit. Being a Shinigami isn’t mandatory,” he said.

  She shook her head. “I needed to be a Shinigami to kill Martin. Being a Shinigami gave me access to Aogami, the World Library, everything.”

  “Why was it so important to kill him?”

  She explained, “I was happiest when I was alive. I was so incredibly happy. But my happiness was taken from me. It’s not fair!” Her voice began to break. “I just wanted to get it back.”

  “And you think killing him would have made you happy again?”

  She stared at the ground, her tears falling on it. “I just thought, if he was here with me, we’d be able to make our child whole. We could be a true family.”

  Lord First was silent for a full minute. Then, “Two hundred years incarceration. Take her away.”

  She was dragged to her feet and escorted from the room.

  * * *

  Serika was escorted to Kaikaku Prison, the home for Yomi’s criminals which already held Daniel Fargas because of his sins in life. The prison, located on the outskirts of Yomi, consisted of a central building surrounded by high walls. The copper-colored interior of the building was filled with cubes of the same color, and each cube was a cell, some specially reinforced with haradium to keep super-powered prisoners in.

  Two Shinigami walked Serika into her cell. It was completely bare; no beds, no urinal, no nothing, just a bronze box. “I see you got me a sleeper cell,” she said.

  Mary entered behind them. “Lord First has decided to be merciful. You will sleep off your sentence.”

  For the first time ever in Yomi, Serika felt relief. She would sleep this off, and when she awoke, Martin would be there to greet her. “I’ve never said this before to you and meant it, but thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me. Thank Lord First when you get out. If it were up to me, you’d be serving hard time.” She turned around to leave. “Oh, and you have a visitor.” With that, she left.

  Serika was perplexed. She had no friends in Yomi, and no family that even knew of her existence. Who would want to visit her?

  She didn’t have to wait long to find out. A strange man with a horned cap and ornate beard entered. He definitely wasn’t from around here. “Hello, Serika. My name is Nabu and I’ve come to talk to you.”

  “Nabu…” She searched her memory. “I think I’ve heard of you. Aren’t you the god of history?”

  “Basically. More specifically, the history of the gods, and I find your story to be a fascinating one. I’m going around talking to everyone involved in it. Would you tell it to me?”

  “Why do you care?”

  He shrugged. “History needs to be written down, or else it’s forgotten.”

  She didn’t know why it was so important to record her story, but maybe future generations could benefit from it in some way. “Sure. I’ve got time to kill.”

  * * *

  After he was done listening to Serika’s story, Nabu left her to her slumber and made his way to the Golden Chamber. Amenominakanushi sat in his usual spot behind the veil. Nabu sat down across from him. “It is good to see you again, old friend,” Amenominakanushi said.

  “And you as well,” Nabu replied.

  “I just wish it was under happier circumstances. Did you get everything you needed from Serika?”

  “Yes. Her story is important for the future.”

  “If there is a future,” Amenominakanushi said. “Did you tell her why you wanted her story?”

  Nabu shook his head. “How could I? How could I tell her war is coming and it’s largely her fault?”

  “Indeed. Using the Zettai no Konpaku system may have sealed our fates. Belial and Ares noticed and they are up in arms. There is no reasoning with those two. Alliances are being formed between the gods. They are even creating giant soldiers to fight on their behalf. The Shinigami will have to enter the fray. Our power supports this world; if the Shinigami fall, Yomi will become a dark void.”

  “You could simply stay in Yomi and avoid the conflict.”

  “That is not our way. We are responsible for this situation. We cannot leave our allies to be slaughtered by madmen.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Nabu asked.

  “Yes. If Yomi falls, please change its name. I don’t want the name Yomi being associated with an airless wasteland.”

  Nabu replied, “Rest assured I will honor your request. I pray it doesn’t come to that.”

  “And to whom do you pray?”

  Nabu chuckled. “I don’t know. A wiser god than myself.”

  “Then please pray for all of us.”

  “Will do, old friend.”

  Back to Class

  23

  “And now you know what happened,” Nabu said. “Any questions?”

  Maya raised her hand. “What happened to Serika?”

  “I can only assume she perished when Yomi fell. The only Shinigami survivor of the war took on their name and eventually joined Zero Grade. He was killed by the Nephilim during the Stiftung Crisis, and so the Shinigami are sadly extinct now.”

  Jaysin raised his hand. “What about Martin? What happened to him?”

  “I lost track of him after the war started. Oklahoma City was devastated by the fighting, but he may have survived. Nor do I know what happened to their child. This may sound cold, but we sadly didn’t have the luxury of looking after them.

  CiCi raised her hand. “So… no more afterlife?”

  “I’m afraid not. Not that anyone knows about, anyway.

  “Anway, I hope you all enjoyed the story and can learn from it. One person’s actions can have catastrophic repercussions. Never forget that.

  “All right, that’s enough for today. I have a faculty meeting to get to. See you all next time.”

  They exited the classroom. Out in the hallway, they stopped to talk while other students walked to and fro. “What a horrible person,” Maya said.

  “Who?” Jaysin said.

  “Serika. She caused so much suffering, and for nothing.”

  “I don’t know,” CiCi said. “I think it’s kind of romantic. She risked everything to be reunited with her true love.”

  “Give me a break. She didn’t even accomplish anything,” Maya said.

  “They got reunited, didn’t they?” Jaysin said.

  Maya scoffed. “For like, five minutes.”

  “Maybe that was enough,” CiCi said. “Maybe that gave her the strength to face her prison sentence. Besides, you’re supposed to be training to become a goddess of love. You should appreciate this.”

  “There’s love and then there’s insanity. If you love someone, you need to let them go and live their life,” Maya said.

  “Well, I’m no expert like Freya,” CiCi said. “But I really do think Serika loved Martin.”

  Rolling her eyes, Maya said, “Whatever. I just know I never want to meet her. Ever.”

  “Well, she’s dead, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Jaysin said.

  Maya replied, “Good thing, too. Just the thought of her running free again gives me the creeps.

  “Ev, you’re being awfully quiet. What’s wrong?”

  Ev sighed. “That story. I just know he told it because of me.”

  “What makes you think that?” Jaysin said.

  He explained, “We just recently finished a war that started because of me. Nabu wanted to hammer that point home. And the worst part is, he’s right.”

  Maya put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault. It was all Zeus. He was going to attack whether you provoked them or not.”

  CiCi nodded. “It’s not like Zeus was going to say, ‘Oh, we can’t invade yet. Ev hasn’t made us mad enough.”

  Jaysin added, “They’re right. You may have pissed the Flawless Few off, but their plans were already in motion. No sense beating yourself up about it.”

  “Maybe,” Ev said. “But I didn’t help things by running off with
Arcturus Reich and going along with his plan to remake the world.”

  Maya pointed a Bingo! Finger at him. “Exactly. That was Arcturus Reich’s plan, not yours. Blame him.”

  Ev rolled his eyes. “Have you forgotten that big speech I made afterwards? The very same speech in which I kinda implied we’re all responsible for our own actions?”

  “Look, you learned from the experience, didn’t you? Just don’t do it again and you’ll be fine,” CiCi said, giving him a friendly jab to the shoulder.

  Ev furrowed his brow. “Well, I guess you three have a point. But I still don’t feel right about what I did.”

  “You don’t have to,” Maya said. “It shows you’ve grown as a person and I’m proud of you.

  “Now, if you’re done sulking, I believe we have a date at Holy Pizza.”

  Epilogue

  The man stood in the darkness. The little girl, dutiful as she was, stood next to him. “Whatcha lookin’ at?”

  He seemed to stare out into nothing. “Something’s coming. Something they’re not ready for.”

  “Well, I guess they’re screwed, huh?”

  “No. They can fight it, but they’ll need her help.”

  “Her? Hmmm. Oh, you mean the woman I’ve never met but I’m supposed to love.”

  “Heh,” he said. “You take after her. Anyway, we have to warn them.”

  “I thought you wanted her to stay asleep.”

  “I did. I felt she was much better off in that dream world than in this dark abyss. But they need her. She can give them the advantage they can’t win without.”

  “Well, then,” the girl said. “What are we waiting for?”

  A vast multitude of people appeared around them, giving their silent assent.

  To be continued.

  Afterward

  I first got the idea for Aragami a while back. Its original title was One Week to Kill You. After I came across the concept of an aragami, I changed the name.

  This wasn’t supposed to be a Divine Protector novel. I was initially going to have it be a stand-alone story. Also, I envisioned it as a sort of comedy. But I had previously included Shinigami in previous books, and I thought if I did an unrelated Shinigami story, people would be confused as to whether it’s part of the same series as Ev and friends. So, I made the decision to craft this story into a Divine Protector prequel. This gave me a lot more freedom, as a different universe means different rules. I wasn’t stuck adhering to Narska rules.