I will go to Spiritual Realm

(Trigger warning: Death, torture, trauma) 

~

"Why… why… why…" 

Asahi continued to dig out the mud relentlessly from that dead child's cremated grave. It was three in the morning. He shoved the shovel to the ground and started to throw out the damp, dark soil in the air, releasing his frustration in physical form. 

The sweat drenched his hair and the back of his shirt. He forcefully dug out the mud, and in the meantime, cool rain started to fall upon him. 

The pitter-patter rain continued to fall upon him, but he didn't stop. He continued to dig the grave until he hit a hard surface. He promptly stopped his actions and rather closed the distance, positioning an Asian squat, and then he started to softly wipe the excess mud off the solid box. 

The box had sticky, damp mud that stuck close, and he had to dirty his hands to get all of it. Although he hated being dirty, he hated more the things where he couldn't work by himself. Long ago, he used to stay with his family in the village of Omyoji. 

The village omitted high spiritual energy, which gathered many demons. Often, they were just a few trivial yokai, but that full moon night, everything changed for him. It was just a normal Sunday evening for an eleven-year-old Asahi. 

He had gone to the nearby town to meet his friends and play cricket with them. As he returned, his clothes were fully dirtied, and his face had a few streaks of mud. 

"Tsk, I'll get scolded by Mom if I go home like this," he murmured. Right then, he started to roll up his shirt and wipe his face. Once he was satisfied and didn't feel the mud when touching his dirty hands, he started to head home. 

There was huge smoke in the air. The trees were all on fire, and young Ashai, startled by the wildfire, stood frozen. It was the day his grandfather was supposed to come to visit them, and they would be having a big feast. 

His breath started to get heavier, but his limbs were the heaviest. He couldn't even lift his limbs. He was a brave boy! He ought to help in times of need! Were the thoughts in his mind, and yet, physically, he could only gulp down his internal thoughts. 

The fire continued to spread, and he could even hear the cries of humans. Instantly, goosebumps sent chills to his bones as he perplexedly gazed towards his village. 

"KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" 

He heard the blood-curdling scream of a woman. He could feel his heart sink and start to pound loudly, while the conflict in his mind was overwhelming. He needed to save his family; they needed him! But he was too petrified to even step into the village. 

Taking a long breath, he closed his eyelids. This was his village; he knew the way even if he didn't see it. Thus, he ran towards his village with his eyes closed. His heartbeat had accelerated, and his forehead started to sweat due to the heat. 

As he continuously moved forward, he could hear the bone-chilling cries of the people. He didn't know who they were; he didn't want to! The smoke was filled with the stench of burning humans. His breath started to get heavier, but he still ran through the narrow path. 

He crossed the shallow stream and as he ran his feet got tangled in a threat which was tied like a hexagon. "Tsk, this damn rope" He cursed while trying to lift his left foot. He continuously raised it but the rope didn't break at all. 

"Damn it!" He raised his voice and hastily lifted his leg with all his strength and the rope was finally broken. A few beads fell off to the ground but without caring Ito Asahi resumed his run.

He finally reached his house which was burning. 

"MUM! DAD! GRANDPA! WHERE ARE YOU ALL?!" He breathlessly curled up. His hands were on his knees, and his face continued to face down towards the mud. 

He gasped for air. His legs were about to give up. His mind felt foggy, and he wanted to run towards his mother, but no one answered his cries. 

"MUM DAD! GRANDPA!" He continued to raise his voice, and despite his trembling feet and hands, he walked towards the house. I was hoping that maybe they were still alive. I was hoping that perhaps he could rescue them. 

If only he was stronger, if only he was older, such thoughts consumed his mind while he bit his lips nervously and gazed around vigilantly. His feet never stopped, and he continued to run. Run. Gasp. Run. 

As he reached the courtyard, all of a sudden, the house blasted. The sound was terrifying and loud. The shards of the house's wood, glasses, windows, and other things started to get launched into the air. Asahi could feel himself being flown away. 

He shouted out loud. Terrified for his life, yet he could see his mother and father. They were being held by a large Nigawarai and an Ushi Oni. The Nigawarai had a tall body with two horns. Its face was covered in a pale mask, which had a bitter smile. The yokai had huge claws from which blood dripped. 

The Ushi Oni had the body of a spider and the head of a beautiful woman. He was scared witless as the spider's eight limbs started to move towards his mother's face. 

'Thud' he was thrown to the ground. His body landed parallel to the ground, which injured his elbows and knees. 

"Ouch," he whimpered. The Ushi Oni started to wrap her thread and tied his mother's hand to his father. While the Nigawarai raised its claws and started to scratch his father's body, With each claw, his body started to drip more and more blood; his father did not scream or ask to be saved, but the pain from the claws started to affect his body. 

In the next few minutes, his father's body started to freeze. In the meantime, the Unshi Oni used her threat to slowly cut his mother's flesh. Her threats were drenched in blood. 

"NO...NO...PLEASE, MOTHER! FATHER!" Asahi got on his feet and tried to run towards them. Tears started to flow through his eyes as he saw his mother cry while his father's body was smashed into pieces when it was fully turned cold.

He wanted to save them; tears continued to taint his cheeks, but as he continued to run, someone suddenly placed their hands on his shoulders and then took him away from there forcefully. 

He resisted, kicked the air, punched, and did everything he could, but soon he lost consciousness.

~

It was a bitter past he wished to never remember, and yet, the demons had taken everything from him. His hands turned into fists as he remembered the look on his mother's face. Fury boiled in his blood. 

"I will go to the spiritual realm," he vowed while tying the coffin with a thick jute rope. 

~

Vocabulary list

1)Nigarawai - They are the yokai with big bodies, ugly, with horns, green tinted bodies. Since they have ugly faces, I decided to have them put on masks. 

2) Ushi Oni - It is a yokai which had the head of an ox and the body of a spider and has a scary appearance but here, I changed it to the head of a woman. 

(This book is set in the 2000's in Japan. In a traditional Japanese family, which used to work for royal families, so you will see the protagonist wear traditional clothing on special occasions which in normal likes it's like the normal days.)