I knew something was wrong. That much would be obvious to anyone with a lick of sense. After all, there's no other way to explain why I'm so calm and composed in the middle of burying my own big sister.
The other attendees to this sham of a funeral were the last quarter of the village left alive. To their credit, there was an ample amount of tears flowing around everyone, but they all seemed more than ready to move on with their lives when the ceremony ended. A part of me wanted to believe it was because we had already spent the last few months burying the majority of the population, but I could feel that wasn't really the reason why.
We all just had too much hope for the future.
It was hard to say exactly when it started, but without any rhyme or reason, the villagers suddenly began to experience bouts of joy and motivation at random points in the day, regardless of time or place. At first they only arrived in short bursts, but eventually they stopped ending for some people. With that much energy at their disposal and the drive to act on it, they threw themselves into one piece of work after another, never taking even a moment to rest. From agriculture to architecture, more and more people felt the inescapable desire to improve the village in some way.
However, this beautification effort ran into a whole bunch of snags. Chiefly of which was the very nature of our village. In the first place, the population was pathetically small, with less than about 100 people actually living here. On top of that, most of the people who did live here were geezers with both feet in the grave, just waiting for a reason to lie down in it too, and the string of deaths by exhaustion was just the medicine to put them to sleep.
Day after day, I watched all the otherwise easygoing bonepiles push themselves to the limit making up things to work with on this dustheap of a town. With the nearest village being about 3 days away on foot, it wasn't like we could get what we needed for some cash we barely had either, and even if we could, they'd never really have taken the extra help, not in their state of mind.
Can't say I know why, but for some reason these mood boosts seemed to target the elderly first before eventually trickling down to the adults and finally youths like me after a while. Well, saying it like that isn't quite right. It was when the geezers started dropping like flies that the younger generation began to get motivated. It sounds inspirational for sure, but it felt freakish waking up in the morning, outright excited to dig graves, just because it was something to work towards. During the short period I was entirely hopped up on the good vibes though, I felt like I could handle everything all by my lonesome- No, it was more like I thought I had to for everyone's sake. I wouldn't call myself greedy, but I ain't that nice either, and feeling my own thoughts change like that felt… gross.
I was fortunate to be strong enough to snap out of it on my lonesome when I realized what was happening, but my big sis wouldn't be content with just something like that. I said I knew something was wrong, but she seemed to know what exactly that something was. When it became obvious that the energy surge around the village wasn't quite right, she did her best to get everyone to try and take breaks. Nobody got angry at her for it of course, thinking her as simply an overly worried neighbour, but when nobody felt like stopping after the villagers started keeling over in droves, their claims that they were 'going to be okay' could only sound careless and insensitive. Unfortunately for her, one of big sis's strong points was her big heart, and that big heart pushed her to work way harder than she needed to. Whenever the trading carriage bothered to come to our rundown village, she would go on trips for weeks on end, before finally coming back with stacks of books and papers I couldn't read, much less wrap my head around to save my life, much less anyone else's.
She cried every time I told her who had died since she was last around.
A few days ago, she suddenly started getting all sorts of loud, pacing all over the place and muttering like a lady possessed. It was obvious from her face that whatever she realized was revolting, terrifying, or both. Before I could even ask what was going on that got her so riled up, she had already begun to pack a bag with seemingly random stuff, before grabbing onto both my shoulders.
"Gil," She said, with a voice that both trembled and brimmed with strength. "I'm going to need you to go to bed alone tonight and not open the door at all, not even for me. Can you do that for me, please?"
I wouldn't say I was numb to all the deaths happening in the village at this point, but I had gotten used to finding out people had died when I woke up on any given day. However, the ominous nature of the things she was saying choked me up more than anything else that had happened up till this point, but I could only nod my head in response at that moment. Seeing me agree made her pull me into the tightest hug she could have possibly mustered.
"Live a long life for me Gil."
Those were the last words she ever spoke to me.
The next morning, we found her body collapsed in front of a grave she had already dug out for herself, still gripping onto the shovel. I couldn't keep myself all too composed at the sight of that, and I ran to her side, holding her lifeless body close to mine. It was hard to believe she was dead, and not just because I was in denial. Even as a corpse she was radiant, but this wasn't her usual radiance that came from her kind nature and beauty, it was something sickeningly sweet and undeniably foreign. Holding onto her felt as warm as the sun, and being near her felt like it was filling me with strength, and I really couldn't stand that.
Soon enough, we wrapped her up in cloth and lowered her into the grave she had dug. Much like her, the position she had picked was beautiful. It was right underneath the tree both our parents had apparently been buried near as well, so that she could be put to rest beside them. If whatever curse this was got to me too, our family would be all together for once.
Which meant I just had to smash up this creepy curse and live. For her sake.
Luckily, she had left me more than enough clues to do exactly that. My house is currently full of them even. I just had to read through whichever ones had made her go out last night.
Just need to find the right ones. In the mountains of books all over the house. That I've never read beforehand.
Anything for her. I guess.
It took a good while of throwing myself into the pile of knowledge big sis left behind while also navigating the condolences from people who would be next to kill themselves if I didn't act faster, but I finally unearthed the final chain in the link.
'Apparitions each have individual patterns and preferences amongst themselves, but some are known to defile derelict places of worship. The reason why is unknown.'
It was in her handwriting, so it served to reason that big sis had discovered that from within all the books she had gathered. Even moreso, she seemed to have figured out that whatever was causing the tragedies in their village was called an 'Apparition'. That was all the information I needed.
Storming out of my house, I could feel that gnawing joy and energy crawling up my skin again, as if sensing I had become a man with a mission. The feeling quickly became fuel for the fire of rage within me as I continued my march, growing even more determined to see an end to this vile happiness.
The destination was obvious, especially considering the fact big sis must have also made a beeline to the same place I'm going to. When I was just a kid, I remember there used to be some sort of shrine in the mountain near the village, dedicated to something or the other. It eventually stopped being used after the White Knights came and sanctioned the worship of unknown deities. The only reason I know this is actually true is because the image of their scary looking horses and on the nose white cloaks is still burned into my memories. Ironic that they'd come all the way here to tell us off about a dingy shrine, but not to do anything about people dying. Talk about priorities.
Lost in my thoughts, I only just realized I had already reached the shrine when the entrance came into full view. It had been sealed off for a few years now, but whoever worked on it hadn't done a very good job of doing so. The wooden boards that had been haphazardly nailed over the entrance had been rotting for more than a while already too. Big sis probably ducked under them to preserve the shoddy barricade, but smashing through it with a good old kick fit me better. I could fix it after I finish up here anyways.
As expected, the shrine was totally rundown in just about every way, with moss growing on all the walls and water leaking all over the place. It was sort of sad, but I'd never been much of a cultural guy anyways. Walking deeper in, a sliding door at the end of the shrine was all that stood between me and the freak that killed my sister. The familiar sickly sweet feeling was already working in full force, and it only got worse the closer I got.
Fortunately, I'm a strong enough guy to power through something this small with a little guts. Flinging the door open, I came face to...
Describing what I could see with my own two eyes would simply be impossible, but I'll make a level of effort all the same. In a way, it looked like everything I had felt over the past few months. It looked like radiance. It looked like energy. It looked like happiness. It looked like Hope. It had reduced my village to a shadow of itself.
After coming this far, it's not like I would back down, but I had to admit it might have been better to read some more of big sis's books before coming all the way here, because fighting a concept didn't feel like the most practical idea in practice. I simply stood there for a while, unsure how to proceed, and the creature seemed willing to do the same, even if not for the same reasons. For a moment, I did consider beating a tactical retreat and trying again in a few hours, but the idea of someone else dying in that time stopped me from taking a single step back. Understanding that, all I could do was move forward.
Inching towards it step by step, I got as close as I could take myself to the thing, but couldn't do much other than mean mug it. Its aura felt like it was eating away at my soul, probably the same way it did to big sis. There were no wounds on her body, and she seemed to be as full of life as she was the day before- maybe even moreso, but if this thing did something to a part of her people couldn't see, then it's simply unforgivable.
Entirely unforgivable. Completely unforgivable. Totally unforgivable. Unforgivable.
"Hey you malformed bastard, I'm here for payback, so you better grit whatever the hell you call teeth and square up!"
I have to assume it was because of my declaration of war, but the Thing finally responded to me. Somehow, it answered back with an earsplitting, noiseless cry. I tried to cover my ears, but I somehow understood that whatever I was hearing wasn't actually sound. Frankly, it's one of few things I probably won't figure out in my life.
While I was stunned by the noise, it seemed to reach out to me, even if that itself was hard to tell because of the lack of any visible hands, legs, tendrils or any of that stuff. Once again, I just seemed to know it was reaching for me, and a part of me was happy about that. It felt revolting to feel that way, but I couldn't help it at such close range. It took all my willpower to deftly dodge out of the way of whatever was reaching for me, and as I tried to get on the other side of the doorframe to get my bearings, I tripped over the uneven ground in my hurry, falling on my ass.
In its newfound activity, the Thing continued moving towards me, reaching out once more. I didn't know what exactly would happen if it actually got me, but the radiance from big sis's lifeless corpse, alongside the fact she didn't die on the spot, made it clear that whatever it was would probably drive me crazy before doing me in.
I tried once again to put more space between me and it, scrambling across the floor to get a more opportune moment to stand and fight, but it refused to let up the chase, following me all the way to the opposing wall. Somehow, I had gone from cornering to being cornered.
Had I gone together with big sis last night, she would have definitely had some sort of plan to take this freak of nature down, but there was no way for her to do that now. This thing had taken that from everyone, and she wasn't coming back.
Tch. Who cares about thinking up a plan? That didn't work despite all of big sis's brains, and right now I'm face to face with the monster, not the books. Using the wall to steady myself back up to my feet, I knew this could only end with my victory or my defeat. And I was starting to feel like a winning ticket.
Bouncing off the wall, I lunged at the creature that seemed to be pulled straight out of the Before. I hadn't bothered to learn what an Apparition actually is, but if it's in front of me, that means I could punch it. And if I could punch it, I could beat it. That's all that-
In the next moment, it was obvious that, despite the fact it didn't seem like anything had happened, I had been run through by something. It was the most obvious thing in the world that a foreign element had been inserted into my body, and that it would kill me. Before it began to take my life though, it spread through me like an erupting blaze, filling my body like water would for a parched plant. I felt full of power that wasn't mine, and it felt like I could do more than anything.
But something was wrong.
I felt a part of myself I had never felt before, yet felt had always been there, open. And in the next moment, all the energy that had been filling into me had gone into that part of me. More than that, the creature that had stabbed me with that power was getting drawn into that part of me too, and it was all getting stuffed in there somehow. I don't know how I knew any of this, but I knew that I knew.
What I didn't know was when I had collapsed to the floor, or for how long I had been screaming. What I did know was that my throat felt rattled and sore and my eyes were growing heavier by the second, so the screaming stopped soon after, and I drifted off to sleep. It wasn't the best place to take a rest, but my body already felt worse for wear, and I couldn't quite control it either way.
.
..
…
"Magic Circle ****, confirming ********"
"***** hate ***** boss."
"Stop whining."
I woke up to the sound of boots echoing across the shrine's walls. At some point in my sleep, I seemed to have forced off my shirt, which had become damp from either me sweating or all the moisture in the cave. Regardless, I wasn't really fond of the idea of putting it back on, but I wanted people staring at my bare chest even less, so I sprinted back to the inner room the Thing had been hiding in and closed the door behind me. It wasn't much of a hiding spot, but it'd be enough to wait out any villagers coming to check on the place. There was so much to think about in the meantime, but I'd have to put that aside until they left in any case.
"There's been a lot of fluctuations in the past few days, but the source of the qualia is definitely here."
"Then let's just start the ritual already. Going face to face with Apparitions is the worst."
"If you feel like setting the array up again if we fail, feel free to give the order."
It was a little hard to tell, but it sounded like a man and woman talking to each other. The words they were saying flew over my head, but 'Apparitions' had shown up in the note big sis wrote too, and unless some of the villagers had let themselves into my house, these people were total strangers. Not very trustworthy ones either. They were clearly after the Thing too, but it'd be impossible to know why without asking, and that'd eventually lead to them asking where it is. And right now, the answer to that wasn't one anyone would be happy with.
For now, the best thing to do would just be staying perfectly still until they left and then trying to gather my thoughts. Hard to say how long that would take, but it wasn't like I was in any rush to think about anything that had happened today.
"Hey boss, I think-"
"Yeah, I know. Everyone fall back!"
"Wha? No, I meant-"
"Do not question a direct order out in the field. Now fall back."
"...Yes ma'am."
A few seconds later, the boots began to move out of the shrine, heading somewhere else. Makes sense, considering they weren't going to find what they were looking for here anyways. For a few more minutes, I waited for the beating of my heart to calm down. Considering it was a glorified cave, it's always dark inside without any candles, but the sun had already begun to set when I began my trek here, so night should have completely fallen by now. It would be the perfect time for me to slip out unnoticed, bringing an end to this day from the Before.
Bundling my shirt under my arm, I slowly slid the door out of the way, and creeped back outside. The people who had been here before were definitely gone by now, but that wasn't a reason for me to let my guard down-
In the next moment, a boot crashed into my ribs, sending me to the floor in a heap. Before I even had a moment to gasp for air as my body registered the pain, I was already pinned by my assailant. It was too dark to make out any features, but they were clearly wearing an ominous black robe.
"Ugh." It was the voice of the woman from earlier. "Makes me sick to even get close."
Her aide on the other side of me spoke soon after, with only slightly less aversion in his voice.
"But boss, he's just a vessel."
"Not that, I mean the fact he's leaking everywhere."
Leaking? It wasn't the most calming experience, but I'm fairly confident that I'm not pissing myself over this. More than that however…
"Let me go!" was all I could get out before the woman forced a roll of cloth into my mouth, stopping me from saying anymore.
"Saves us the trouble at least." the woman's smirk just barely visible through the gloom, she brandished an axe from the holster on her hip. "Hold him down for me."
For a moment, the grip the woman had on my hands was freed as she shifted to holding down my legs. Before I could capitalize on that freedom though, the man working under her had me pinned down even tighter.
"We moved onto execution pretty quickly didn't we boss?"
"Like I said, it's a Fallen Class Apparition. There's no point risking the vessel having a bad attitude."
"I feel like it's more than that~"
"I didn't know there was a second bad boy looking to get his head chopped off tonight."
Head chopped off? I'm gonna be beheaded? I instantly started thrashing around to try and get away from these psychos, but their grip on me was ironclad. There wouldn't be any way out on my own.
"Don't curse me after you die," the woman said, raising the axe over my neck. I struggled more and more, but there was still no escape. "You just really gross me out."
As the blade swung down on me, my life attempted to flash before my eyes, but all I saw was my big sis. She was still so young, but she died all the same. I had avenged her, and now I'd get killed. We both lived in an unjust world, and both of us died fighting against it. I got to bury her with our parents, but it's hard to believe I'll get the same privilege after all.
At least, if the After really does exist, then it'd be nice to see big sis again.
"Live a long life for me Gil."
*thwack*