When we leave

Seven years had passed since Shade left. Norman came to visit the kids from time to time to teach them some tricks.

Rumor has begun to spread around the world that there is a white maiden in Kogane valley that can make your passing much more safe than it would be without her. Norman wasn't the one who leaked this information, but it was someone he knew. The demon prince Rahasia. Norman knew that another demon prince could sense another one's presence, should they be near enough. And since Rahasia has many eyes and ears, she could find that person very easily. As to why she had spread the rumor, one can only guess, but the most likely reason was that she wanted to see what will the new demon prince do.

The Kogane family are aware of the rumor and they know who it is being referred to. They have mostly been unaffected by it, but a couple days ago, a person who was on his dying bed wanted to see if it's true. Shiro was asked if she wanted to go, and she simply said.

- "If it's man's dying wish to see me, then who am I to take away his wish?"

She went to the house that the man was in. Once she entered the room, she saw a ghostly figure with black robe and a small dagger with it. The figure didn't seem to have a face and was only a spectral presence. It soon came apparent to Shiro that no one else saw it, as they walked right past it, so she let it go for now. She didn't sense any hostility from the figure.

She went near the dying man and took hold of his hand to soothe him. She asked.

- "Why did you wish to see me?"

- "I simply wanted to see if the rumors were true. And it looks like I was right."

- "Why do you say that?"

- "I can feel at peace when I feel your presence. I don't know how to explain it, but I just feel safe."

- "I wish I could save your life instead of letting you die here."

- "You are already doing me this favor by visiting me. It's an honor. I'm ready to go now."

- "I see. Then rest in peace."

Shiro suddenly felt something in her that would help the dying man. She used whatever power she had to make the man die peacefully in her presence. The hooded figure came closer to the man and stabbed him gently. Shiro could see that that stab didn't physically harm him. Instead, it simply brought an end to his life and the soul parted from its body. She saw the man's soul coming out of the body and soon after, the hooded figure offered it's hand as to guide him to his afterlife. The man took the hooded figure's hand and then they both disappeared. Shiro didn't know what she saw, but she knew that it was now over.

Shiro told Mira about this strange thing she saw and Mira became confused. She asked Aino, who was with Shiro when she met the dying man, about if she saw something. Aino responded that she did not know anything about this and this concerned Mira. She would later ask Norman if he knew something. She wasn't happy asking him, but she knew that he would eventually come, so she would just ask him while he was there.

Today Norman came to visit the kids. It was, however, getting late, so he couldn't teach them much. Once he got to know about the dead man's wish, he decided to ask Shiro a couple of questions regarding that.

Once the two sat on the balcony while looking at the backyard, Norman asked a question.

- So, do you fear death?

- Honestly speaking, no.

- Interesting. Perhaps it is something that I should have expected you to say considering your circumstances.

- What do you mean?

- It's nothing. Let me ask another question. What do you feel about death?

- Hmmm… I think it is something natural. You should live your life to the fullest, but to not get overly concerned over death. Something like that.

Then Rika comes and says.

- Oh you two talking about death? Can't wait to hear what teach has to say about that.

Then Raka and Aino also come in, saying.

- I want to hear too.

- Me too.

Then Norman gives a chuckle and then starts speaking.

- If you kids want to hear me talk so badly, then I happily talk about things all night if you'd like to. But back to the topic of death. Let's see. Why do you think people fear death?

Aino answers.

- Because it's the end of your life as you knew it?

- You aren't wrong, but that's not the whole issue. The real reason is because of the uncertainty of death. No one can know what happens to you after your body dies. Your body will rot, but what of your soul? Many things can happen to a soul that has parted. It can simply find its way towards the afterlife you seek or deserve, but it also can become lost and not find its place in this world. Becoming trapped. In the worst case, your soul can become trapped by someone and they are free to use it however they wish. Plenty of scary stuff.

Raka says.

- But won't the God Mors make sure your soul will be guided to the afterlife?

- Not always. Mors does what he can, but there are many things that even a god can miss. The situation that Shiro described, it sounds like she saw one of the reapers that make sure dead people get safely to the afterlife. They are servants of Mors and they will be there when something dies. They make sure that even if the god of death doesn't see you safely off to the afterlife, the reapers will make sure you do.

- And even with those reapers' help, some still become lost.

- Sometimes the dead soul simply overpowers the reapers, some call deathmen or valkyries even, and when that happens, the soul will become a ghost that can affect the living world. So in other words, if your will is strong enough, be it for good or bad reasons, you may be able to stay in this world and do things that affect the living. This is why places that have seen much suffering see many undead such as zombies and ghosts.

Rika says.

- Huh… Didn't expect to hear how ghosts become a thing.

Aino says.

- This is indeed useful information.

Raka says.

- So if I die and still want to do something super bad, I can stay in this world even after death.

Shiro says.

- You can, but don't do that without thinking. If you do, then you are going to cause trouble for people.

Norman continues.

- You can stay in this world as a guardian spirit. One time in history there was a necromancer that made a pact with the guardsman of the city that they would willingly fight even after death to defend their home. The man was later called soulmender.

Raka asks.

- What happened to the city?

- It still exists, though the ghosts haven't been seen for a while since no one has attacked the city for over a millennia. Perhaps people don't want to take chances on battling the undying ghost army that will protect the people of the city from any invasion. Though they mostly guard the necromancer's tomb so that it won't escape.

Shiro asks.

- Wait, don't you mean that they protect the tomb from outsiders?

- Well they do, but the reason why they are there is mostly to prevent the body of the necromancer from escaping and causing havoc. You see, the necromancer was someone who had been cursed to live eternally even if the soul leaves the body. The soulless body would cause much havoc and kill everything it sees if it were freed. This is why the necromancer made sure to lock the body in a coffin with a seal and so that the coffin would be buried deep underground in a tomb. So even if the seal on the tomb would be broken, it would have to unearth itself from the bottom of the tomb. HIs lover, who was an elf that still lives to this day, was the one who put that seal in place. I trust that the body will stay there given how strong the seal was according to my brother.

- So the soul of the man hasn't suffered.

- Mostly no, but he is unable to become part of the cycle as long as the body still exists.

Raka asks.

- Isn't there a way to end the necromancer's suffering?

- The power of the curse lord is something formidable.

- I see.

- Well, back to the topic at hand. What do you think happens to animal souls that die?

- Won't they just become part of the cycle or whatever happens to the souls that disappear?

- Good guess, but not entirely true. The souls of animals mostly go to their own afterlife that is inaccessible to any mortal. A sacred place of nature. The souls of bugs, plants, mushrooms and other lifeforms go there as well. The place is called simply The Paradise.

Rika asks.

- Why is it inaccessible to mortals?

- It was something that was simply agreed upon. There are exceptions to the rule that all animals go to The Paradise. Some animals go to other afterlifes for one reason or another, but most often they are animal companions of people. But as for why it was agreed that it should be inaccessible, it mostly comes to the nature of that afterlife. It holds much power and if it would be accessible to mortals, it would be abused and eventually destroyed. The Paradise is a very delicate system that doesn't need humanoid interference. The place is mostly looked after by Vita, the god of life.

- So no bite from that venture.

- Better not try. If you manage to anger Vita, you'll be in deep trouble. She is something that is comparable to my sister in terms of lectures and rants. And now to another question. What do you think will happen to a person who doesn't believe in gods or any afterlife?

Raka says.

- What are you talking about? Who wouldn't believe in gods or anything at all? There is proof everywhere, but if you need absolute proof, go to Aeternus and you'll just see it for yourself. Honestly, who would still not believe in any gods or higher power?

- You'd be surprised.

- What?

- What do you think will happen to a baby who wasn't neither blessed by any godlike entity nor capable of making an opinion of gods and deities?

- That's… Huh.

- Well the simple answer is that they return to the cycle. And there are people who don't believe in gods and whatnot. They can be people who simply don't question things like "What will happen after I die?" or "Where did all life come from?". Some simply live their lives day by day and not question things that aren't important. This is how all animals, except humanoids, live. Your mortal brain wasn't made to understand those questions even if you have the capacity to ask them. They are something that no living being can understand even in the afterlife. The question "What does it feel like to not be?" Or "What was it like for me before I was born?". You can't answer those questions because you weren't made to do so. You should just live your life to its fullest while you still can. When you become part of the cycle, then it is all over. Take from that what you will.

- Wow.

Aino says.

- I'm speechless.

Rika then says.

- And you still haven't told us the reason why little Shiro saw that reaper.

- That is something that you will know in due time.

- But now is not the time, huh. Okay teach, I play with you on this one.

Rika rises up and tells others that they should go to bed. The kids went to bed but Norman still had conversation to be spoken. Norman was called to Mira's room by Aisha, so he followed her there. Once he was in, Aisha went to her lady's side and then Mira spoke.

- You are hiding something from us.

- Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?

- I speak of Shiro's condition.

- Figures.

- Speak.

- Now should I be a devil or an angel?

- What?

- Devil, in the sense that you would know something that would potentially ruin your love for Shiro. And angel, in the sense that ignorance is bliss.

- You think that my love for my children is that shallow? Unlike certain someone, I care for my family unconditionally.

- Well devil it is. Do you have a fundamental understanding of what a demon prince is?

- Demon prince? They are godlike entities that reach out to this world from their own dimensions.

- So you don't. They are a concentration of original power, or void as you know it. They are mostly formed by my brother's, Destruction's, energy. That means that they are more prone to destruction of things than most. Their being is concentrated in a dimension between Norbul and Origin, or void, and as long as their being is connected to that dimension, they are virtually unkillable. They can be killed, which makes them lose their power and become a more immature version of themselves. meaning that they will regress quite significantly should you kill their main body. Do you follow me so far?

- I do, but what does that have to do with Shiro?

- After the experiment where we balanced her being with the abyss, her form greatly changed and she became a completely different entity in a sense. Where she once was just a mortal demon, she now stands as an immortal demon prince of death.

- A demon prince…? You mean she…

- She became a being that outclasses you significantly. As far as my observations go, she has formed Norbul as her base dimension. That means that as long as Norbul exists, she will also exist.

- She… No… NO!

- And there goes your conviction.

- This can't be happening. My baby girl has become something like that. How… How am I going to continue moving on like this?

- So are you going to abandon her?

- That's… No… NO! I will not!

- Even if she is virtually a monster compared to you?

- She.. She is still my child. That hasn't changed. I… I will care for her like I always have.

- I wonder how well you will handle this. Will you simply ignore the fact or will you acknowledge it? That is something I can wait to see.

- And you… You intended to keep this fact hidden from me.

- As they say, ignorance is bliss.

- Does Shade know?

- No. You two are the first people I told this fact outside of entities like myself and gods.

- So what did the gods say?

- As long as she doesn't disturb the natural order of this world, they say that she may stay as is. Though there isn't much that they can do to end her either.

- Aisha, make sure no one outside this room knows of this.

Aisha answers.

- As you wish.

Norman says.

- So you are going to keep this hidden as well I see.

- Only temporarily. I want to let Shiro live her life as a normal girl as much as I can.

- Then you better keep her protected. Because if there is a godlike entity that can make things better in this world, people are going to seek it. Even if it's just a more certain path to the afterlife.

- I keep that in mind.

And so eight years pass without an incident. While the rest of the family has lived peacefully in Hokori, Shade has faced many dangers and saved many lives as he has been going. He even adopted a dark elf girl that lost her parents due to their negligence. He has taught her many things as they have traveled around the world, facing many dangers and saving many lives along the way.

Shiro is now a woman who has developed into her teens. She is now 33, meaning that in terms of growth, she is now about 16 years old when compared to humans. Aino has already reached her adult form and has stopped aging significantly. Raka and Rika are still growing a bit, but are almost at their final point of physical growth.

Rika, Raka and Aino help their mother to govern the Kogane valley and its happenings. Shiro has become someone who people worship, which has created a cult following. She is now constantly asked to see people pass on in an arena and sometimes while they lay in bed. For you see, the cult that came to worship Shiro as their guide through death, had built an arena where people fight mostly to death. The arena isn't in Kogane valley. Instead it is on the same island as Gamide, the capital of Hokori. The city is named Tahúr.

Shiro's siblings are a bit worried about how things have turned out, but since Shiro has told them she was fine, they didn't do anything other than support her.

The Kogane clan had received a call to aid an ally of Hokori in combat. In the continent of Ehstos there is a kingdom called Rugym. It is facing a civil war after they faced defeat in another war with the kingdom of Idomnas. Idomnas is supporting the people that are against the crown of Rugym with one of their titans. Despite titan being a race though lost to time, the titans of Idomnas are people in high regard that are granted aid of a great spirit. Only one of these titans has come to aid the rebellion.

As for who will Hokori aid, they will also aid the rebellion side, as one of the families that are on the side of rebellion were in high regard by dragon lord Fontiá in the past. The second sun emperor of Hokori is of the opinion that they should support the family that was their lord once thought worthy of praise. They won't send too big of a support in fear of provoking the other side too much in case the rebellion loses.

That's why Mira, Rika and Raka are going to begin their journey to Ehstos with a force of 300 people. The journey will last about a month, which can mean that once they get there, the battle could be over.

Mira is leaving Aino to handle everything in Kogane valley with the aid of Aisha. Aino said to her mother.

- "Why is there a need for you all to go, but not me. I have trained my whole life to one day take your place, so why are you making me stay?"

- "It is precisely because you have trained to take my place one day that I can leave you to handle things here. I couldn't trust anyone else to take on this job but you."

- "But you could have sent me to fight so that you could stay."

- "I wish that my children would not see war, but now my hand is forced. If I can keep even one of my children from the horrors of the battlefield, I would do it gladly."

- "What about Shiro?"

- "She has faced many things that I wish that she wouldn't have seen at her age. You are the prime candidate to replace me if something goes wrong. Please trust my judgment and stay peacefully here."

- "But… If you never come back I…"

- "I will make sure we will return safely. I promise you this."

- "If… If you break your promise, I will make sure to laugh at your funeral."

- "Sure, just don't do that to Rikasha and Rakasha."

- "I will only laugh at you."

- "Good girl."

Mira places her forehead against Aino's forehead and says.

- "Stay safe."

- "You too."

Then they part ways and leave for that month-long journey.