10 Izanagi, Izanami and the Curse

"MY PATIENCE is nearing its end. I cannot wait any more, Izanami."

"A few more years, Izanagi."

"But I cannot leave the lands. And I cannot take care of it without you."

"I'll be with you when the time comes. For now, take care of these children. When we get out of Yomi, we must cleanse them. They will be the future of this land."

Three glowing crystals were seen floated in darkness. It flew from the depths of Yomi to where Izanagi was. One was full of warmth as the other two cling onto that light and warmth.

"They are our children, Izanagi, I saved them before death took me," Izanami's voice echoed from the darkness. "Shina and Naru are here with me. They already have manifested their Godly body. It will be troublesome for now to bring them back up there. As the malice of Yomi is already influencing them."

"Take them back up, Izanami, and I will cleanse them."

"No." Izanami protested. "You only have one chance in going down here in Yomi. If you left now, you wouldn't be able to come back."

Izanagi was silent for a moment. His wife was right. It was one given chance by the guardian of the Yomi and he wouldn't be able to get another chance. As for now, he would wait.

It had been years since he had gone down to Yomi to get back Izanami. It was their son Kagutsu, who bore fire in his whole body, that burn Izanami and died.

Now, he came down to Yomi to get her back. But he needed to wait. Until when? That he doesn't know. And he was getting impatient.

Izanagi closed his eyes as he clutched the crystals to his arms. After Kagutsu, there are more of them, of their children. He didn't realize that aside from Kagutsu, Izanami was still bearing their children. Izanagi looked at the crystals in his arms. His wife was so brilliant that she was able to save them.

{Five. Kagutsu has five more siblings}

Waited as he did, he didn't realize that he had dozed off. A light and soft melody woke him up in his lull. It was familiar and his whole being was reacting to it. No sooner than later than when he opened his eyes, he realized who was it.

"Izanami?" he asked as he continued hearing it as if calling him down to see her.

His heart longed for her for years. And he cannot wait any longer. Without thinking of anything, all he wanted was to take a peak. Even a little of her toes or fingers. It'll be enough.

With that in mind, ignoring all the warning bells and sound of caution, Izanagi gently wrapped the crystals in his sash and he secured it, and he has slowly gone down to the cliff. It wasn't that steep but it was sure murky and slippery. Izanagi did not dare think what was the slimy things that his hands touched. He was just determined to see Izanami.

As he neared the bottom, Izanami's voice grew louder. It was still the same as before. Calming and comforting. A few more steps and he finally touched the ground, if that's what it is. It was too soft to be called a 'ground'. More of like a puddle of mud, a quicksand. But the stickiness was sickening. It was as if sucking all of his strength. He struggled to move and lift his feet to walk but everything got ignored. His attention was drawn to that small light not too far from where he was.

Just a short distance from where he is, he could almost see where Izanami was. She was sitting near the lake of blue lava. In her lap, two children were sleeping on both of her sides. She was singing them a lullaby.

Izanagi almost cried as he watched his wife and children. How long was it that he last saw Izanami taking care of their children?

{Far long, Izanagi. Too long that you almost forgot about it.}

And he will end it now. He will take Izanami back. They will peacefully in the higher heaven.

The step forward was harder than he thought he could. The slime-like ground was stickier now as he moved forward as if saying he should stop. But determined that he was, he kept moving. He kept his feet moving forward to where Izanami was.

But as he kept moving, he could almost feel the heat coming from the blue lava. Blue and cold at it may seem, but it was too hot for his body. It felt as if he was a mortal. But no matter, he kept going, ignoring the pain.

The longing in Izanagi's heart started to subside as the space between them is getting shorter. The familiar black hair that tied with red string at her lower back. The movement of her hand as she gently stroke Shina and Naru's heads.

And with just one step, it was all ruined.

Izanagi stepped on something like a blob and the popping sound made Izanami stopped what she was doing. Naru and Shina both woke up and snapped their heads like porcelain dolls and looked at him.

Izanagi almost fell as he started to walked back. The eyes of Naru and Shina are all black. It was like staring at the oblivion where darkness was only left.

"I-Izanami. Izanami!" Izanagi called to his wife as he started to walk back. He was ready to run. He was ready to leave Yomi along with Naru and Shina.

But as he was determined to do that plan, Izanami looked back at him. He looked at her with horror. It wasn't what he expected. He almost heard his heart got broken. Izanami wasn't the Izanami he remembered. It wasn't his Izanami.

The Izanami in front of him was decaying. Her face was white as snow was now covered by maggots and rotting flesh. Eyes were absent from its socket. Hair was fewer than the grass when winter.

"Why?! Why?!" Izanami shouted when she stood up. "Why did you go down and ruin everything!"

"Izanami snapped out of it!" Izanagi shouted as he continued his way back from where he was. "We…we could leave now."

Izanami shouted as cries can be heard from her voice. There were no tears but the pain in her heart can be heard. "Why? You only have to wait for a few more years. Why?! Why?! Why?!"

"Izanami," is all Izanagi could say. He wanted to ask for forgiveness for what he did but what good could it make?

"A few more years and my body would go back to normal. A few more years I could be whole again. But look what you did?! How can I go back now?"

"You can still go back. You can continue to regenerate."

Izanami now laughed. Laughed so hard that she threw her head back up until she cracked her neck and back. And like a bamboo in a fierce storm, she bends and breaks as she laughs. And stopped as she stood straight up.

"The God of Yomi gave me a chance to go back only if you, my husband, could wait for me without asking anything. Without seeing any part of me for millennia."

Izanagi stopped his tracks. What has he heard was right? His knees almost gave up when he heard what she said. A few more years, a millennium would end. His waiting would have ended and they would have been together.

The truth came down on him like rain. Regret. Anger. Hurt. Everything dawned on Izanagi's shoulder what mistake he had made. "I'm sorry. Forgive me, my love."

"How?! How could I forgive you?!" Izanami was all rage. The sea of blue lave was moving as her anger explode. "I will now rot here, Izanagi. There won't be another chance!"

"Forgive me. Forgive me!"

But alas, Izanami isn't hearing anything. Anger, rage, wrath, hatred. Izanami was full of it. And it was flowing like the blue lava.

Izanagi didn't hesitate to turn his back and run. He quickly grabbed the highest he could jump to start climbing.

"Izanagi, help me," the pleading voice of Izanami made Izanagi stop and looked back down.

There he saw the old Izanami, carrying Shina and Naru who were trying to get away from her arms. "save them. Save them. At least let them leave this damning place. Let them be free before you seal this oblivion. Seal it with me. Don't ever let me escape for the wrath of the undead will spill to our children." Izanami pleaded with all her might before she succumbed to the monster that she was.

Then she was gone. All was left was the monster.

Izanagi remembered the three crystals. He cannot stop. He did his best, the fastest he could. He needed to get away from Izanami. He needed to get out of there. He needed to seal it.

He did his best to climb. When he reached the top, he ran as fast as he could. He was halfway from the mouth of the mountain cave when he felt the chill in his back. And he wasn't wrong that Izanami was already catching up. He ran all his might. He ran as if he was leaving his God's soul inside.

He didn't think twice as he started to roll the stone door close when he reached outside. He didn't want to look at Izanami anymore for the moment the stone door started moving, his heart ached. He didn't want to leave Izanami inside, he didn't want that to happen but he should.

"I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry." Izanagi all could say. As the stone almost shut close, white hands grabbed his hands and made him stumble down.

"I.Za.Na.Gi."

The hollowed and deep voice of Izanami called him. A ghost of Izanami was peeking. Her dark eyes were peeping in that small space. No--it wasn't her eyes but just a socket where her eyes were. Black blood was spewing out from there and in her mouth. The maggots were swimming in her rotting flesh as the others were falling on the ground.

"Don't. Leave. Me."

"Forgive me. Forgive me." Izanagi closed his eyes and chanted an exorcism spell. Bit his finger and drew a seal. "Begone!"

A gust of wind escaped before the stone finally closed its door.

Izanami was saying something but Izanagi cannot understand what it was.

And then she was gone.

The noise of the raging blue fire. The wails of Izanami. Were no more. There was only silence.

Everything was so fast. Everything was out of control. Even to him, the higher God of creation cannot do anything.

"Izanami. Izanami. Izanami!!"

Shout as he might, he cannot bring her back.

***END OF CHAPTER***

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I added a disclaimer as I used Japanese Mythology as a reference for the story. The characters are from their mythology. If this story/novel in any way disgraces their history/legend/mythology/religion. I am willing to take down the story. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated all the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination to be used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.