Book 1 Chapter 35: A walk amongst the gaze of purgatory, part 2

Chapter 35: A walk amongst the gaze of purgatory, part 2

Jaeger had an inkling towards who would be the one, as it was needed to fulfill what had been given before as well as who would need to be in the fort.

However, things could play out in a multitude of ways.

Cadence and Tom got up and walked through the front gate, leaving Jaeger standing beside a tree in thought. As dusk fell further, his body slowly moved towards the gate and with a *creeeek*

opened it wide.

Within the compound night appeared instantly as a golden light came from the second floor. The same feeling from before came forth up into Jaeger's stomach like ants. He didn't have the same subconscious fear as before, it felt more melancholy.

Jaeger moved towards the school's student building and opened the front door. Up the steps, the golden light came forth from the stairs and moved up towards the dorm of Serenity and Becca he had first been to as he arrived at the top of the stair case. The golden light stopped and slowly took the form of Tom. However, this wasn't the alive and well Tom.

Jaeger gazed into his eyes that were semi transparent.

Tom stepped towards him and pointed at the door to Serenity's room, "I don't know what happens after this…I can slowly feel my body…my spirit fading. Whatever you did, you changed the future that's for sure…what I remember, and what has occurred don't line up…I remember dying at the church, and arriving here…I haven't been able to hold out well against that…curse…I failed to stop my friends from dying…but when you came well…I knew something was different…"

"I am sorry this all happened to you…I really am" Jaeger didn't really know what to say.

"Its okay…as long as they live…its okay." Tom smiled brightly, before fading away for the last time.

It would seem that Tom had been the one to show him the scenes of the past this whole time, and with the hope of Jaeger's help had kept the curse in the present at bay. However, with him not dying at the church the same occurrence of him protecting the school in death gone, his form couldn't not hold up.

The reason for this was because that time line didn't exist now.

Jaeger's gaze focused to the dorm rooms door, he slowly crept forward and placed his ear against the door only to hear people bickering back and forth.

"No! You can't just sacrifice yourself!" This was the simultaneous voice of both Serenity as well as Cadence.

When Cadence had come inside with Tom, Tom had gone to his friends to asked what had happened.

Last night when they were patrolling the school, a storm had taken place and countless fears had assailed them. Halfway through the night, the storm miraculously shifted and disappeared. They never slept at all, and had stayed awake. The next day right before Tom had arrived they had convened to prepare themselves for the next night only to find Tom had come back. That was the jist of it.

Jaeger probably would've seen far more if he had stayed rather than go with Tom.

After Cadence had told them what Tom had said, albeit with him trying to cut in, they had stared daggers at their friend.

"That is the only way to close the door to purgatory…that is what the spirit told me." Tom didn't know what else to say.

Brent must've just been staring at Tom for a long time because he didn't say anything after hearing his friends story.

Becca was the one turning down the whole thing, while Serenity was trying to nail Tom to the wall.

"But…you'll die Tom, you'll fucking die" Serenity spat out.

Tom didn't reply.

Cadence calmed Serenity down, "He doesn't have to…" The stirring of seats sounded out as people turned to her.

"What?...no…" they murmured.

"What else then, what suggestions do you all have? If this is true, then in several weeks all the students will go missing, and this place will be upheaved into a state of purgatory. What is worse? Id rather step forth into the well, and stop all this then die anyway"

Tom shook his head, "I am the one to go…I must be."

Nobody spoke for a while and even Serenity kept her mouth shut. The stakes were high, the tension was high. A sigh rang out as Brent let loose a long breathe, "that isn't all…"

Everyone turned to him.

"Think about the after effects…even if someone is on the other side to close the door they would be trapped there, or maybe they would move on in the afterlife only they would know…however, someone also has to protect this side from the curse ever trying to create the same situation again…if what that valiant spirit said was true…then the curse has a life of its own."

"So…two must die…" Cadence murmured.

Jaeger hadn't thought about that either.

"Brent…" Tom looked over to his lifelong friend.

Brent looked into the eyes of Tom for a long time before he nodded once, "Fine…I'll see you on the other side."

*crash*

*ding*

The sound of a storm blew forth outside the school; letting loose bullet like rain that shattered countless windows. Wind howled, thunder raged, lightning struck like a swift sword and amongst it was the soft call of the watch on Jaeger's wrist.

Jaeger looked down to the watch with a grimace, with a flick the final fate of the four was displayed before him.

'Quest: Protect Tom directly from the curse and its spirit amalgamation, change the future, and the destiny of this plane.

Boon of mystery: Successfully brought Tom to the school. End the curse With Tom or Cadence, and close the door to purgatory with Tom or cadence. Reward previously will compound for the reward received after this quest.'

"Reward" was highlighted in gold, Jaeger clicked it with a raised eyebrow.

'So I could receive the reward now huh…'

'Fuck it…ill gamble, better than some big reward anyway'

'Boon of mystery: Rolling the odds…'

Jaeger lit up the vanilla smoke, and puffed out a large cloud as he knocked on the dorm door with one hand. A bunch of the students scurried to the door with any object they could find in hand, while Tom and Brent slowly opened the door.

Jaeger looked at the four directly for the first time, "First…give me back my lantern"

Everyone gave a confused look while Tom opened his eyes wide, "You left it there?"

"Sure did…know those bites in the ass you felt? Small pebbles" Jaeger dipped his hand into his trench coat pocket before spilling out the last 4 pebbles that remained there.

"Well I'll be…" Tom rubbed his neck and was about to speak further but Jaeger cut him off, "I was sent here to stop this thing…in about ten seconds I'm guessing I'm going to find out whether or not you have to 'die'… before then, I want you to ask yourself what you are leaving behind as well as the future that you are letting go of"

Tom looked at his friends, and then back to the mysterious stranger.

"I was confused for a while as to where I ended up…but then I figured out in the cycle of rebirth, that where I was sent next…was merely farther back down the line. You had died at that church Tom, that is what I changed…when you arrived back at the school in your ghost form, you weren't able to stop the curse and your friends died not long after…that was when all the students disappeared, and about that time... I was sent into the past further after finding out what 'result' would happen.

By changing that, I changed the students disappearing and thus nobody has died yet except for that boy…however, during this…I found out that Cadence would've sacrificed herself at the church to seal that door, but nobody would've been able to seal this one….thus, the pulling of this land into purgatory would've occurred, and cadence would've been on the other side becoming the protector of the side of the door she ended up on…the third boss"

A small mist appeared next to Jaeger, and out from it a peculiar looking frog.

"Little guy… go on a rampage and ingest whatever you can…"

Everyone stepped back further into the room and slumped onto the beds as they heard Jaegers words, none of them knew what to say.

*crash* *warp*

Sounds could be heard up and down the hallway, but Jaeger payed them no heed.

"The curse took on a life of its own, once it had gathered enough spiritual energy…it became an entity, but with only one purpose that it knew of…that of the purpose of expansion…it is not at fault, Tom's heroic choice of killing the five was merely a tipping point that would've happened later down the line…its only 5 bodies right, give it several hundred years and this would've happened anyway…anywho…

When I heard that 'a spirit' must go to the other side of the door and seal it, I had my givings to the context of it…"

"What do you mean?" Cadence asked.

"Why is it Tom…that a conscious being must be the one to close the door? If the 'curse' wasn't a human first, then why is it that it is able to open the door?"

"I…" Tom shook his head.

"It doesn't matter that's why, its merely inserting itself into a space like an expanding flame. It doesn't care the direction, as a door is there…it merely seeks to enter that space to expand. So why not let it?"

"What?" Everyone asked at the same time with confused looks on their faces.

Jaeger walked over to the window, and pried the door open against the volley of rain. Serenity and Becca didn't seem to mind a stranger was smoking in their dorm.

"Because…if its opens the door, I can close it from that side without having to die…or rather, I can fold it in unto itself…so that you all won't have to."

"You mean…let it open the door, pull it through…and then close it?" Tom asked.

Jaeger nodded as the glow of orange illuminated his turned away face in the window.

"Only a spirit can enter the crack in the door, but both the ques…the people who sent me, as well as that valiant spirit never thought of the fact that I entered 'purgatory'…technically"

Crashing sounds continued to ring out across the school, and none of them knew where that Frog had disappeared to.

"So…we need to wait, and when it opens…ill dive into the well and seal it."

Everyone looked at the floor and then each other, could this really occur? What about this side then?

*ding*

Jaeger looked down at his watch and flicked his finger over the top, none of them could see what he was seeing, but under the orange glow that illuminated his face periodically they saw a smile.

'Boon of mystery: The reward for the previous quest has been completed, this will not compound with the next one. As your choice impacts that in which you receive…and the intention affects that in which it is perceived…

Spirit Protector: One time use; lay a specter to guard an entrance or place for eternity. Its will is based off of that of the user'

A small talisman appeared in Jaeger's hand like a magicians trick; Jaeger swiveled and handed the talisman to Tom.

"Tom…think real hard about that in which you love and want to protect…this talisman can only be layed one time, one time okay? So be sure that when you place it…you're all holding hands and singing kumbaya" Jaeger smiled and flicked his cigarette onto the ground, "This talisman will invoke…my spirit to protect this place for eternity, cherish it well…and uh…give it offering and such"

Everyone's eyes focused determinedly, "We promise!" They shouted in a uniformed manner. Seems that speaking through their society let them understand Jaeger's intention, it was a deception yes, but one that the societies here would respect.

"Okay…I'm going to go piss off this 'curse' real bad, and when it reaches the peak…I need you all to run to that well, and slap that talisman onto it. Okay?" A looming figure stood in the door way, as Jaeger's eyes looked over to it and he raised an eyebrow everyone's eyes followed his gaze, before clammered yelling rang out.

Frog.

Had.

Gotten.

Real.

Fucking.

Big.

"Damn…you ate a whole fuck ton, better have saved dessert."

*RIBBIT*

Frogs natural animal sound shook the walls, every mouth but Jaeger's hung open widely. Several dings were ringing out from the watch but he didn't care to look at it this moment, and simply walked forward before patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Let's go buddy…we have a train to catch" Jaeger smiled and put out his smoke on the door frame. The last thing the 5 saw were Jaeger's arms moving from under his trench coat and the glint of several guns in his hands. No…it wasn't his hands, it was as if two invisible hands were holding the guns and pointing down each end of the hallway. Jaeger grasped the chain blade from out of thin air, and then shut the door silently behind him.

"Who was that guy…" Someone asked after several seconds of gun fire outside their dorm door.

"I…I think…my guardian angel" Tom said while gripping the golden talisman in his hand tightly.

Each eye in the room looked to the golden talisman, its straight edges made it look like a book mark and yet the aura it gave off was one that they all felt. The longer Tom stared at the door, the greater the golden glow was. A circle with a dot in the middle slowly pushed out from the middle of it before zig zag lines shot out all over the talisman, creating this strange array of symbols.

The gun fire ceased.

Becca slowly got up, and looked out the window to see a figure dash by at speeds her eyes could barely perceive. It was as if the figure was a lightning bolt, and before long that stormed ceased as the drenched earth gave way to the smell of rain.

"Let's go!" Tom shouted as he burst out into the door and down the hallway.

2 steps turned into 4 then 6, 8, 10.

5 strongly beating hearts slipped and ran through the mud outside the school, not daring to look at the large holes in the school walls or all the shattered windows.

As everyone neared the well, they saw a gigantic Frog standing there, a large mist appeared over its body as it disappeared within. The mist slowly enveloped the well and then sank into the depths below.

"What did he do?..." Cadence asked as she looked down the well into the abyss below.

Tom grabbed the top of the wells cover with Brent before clattering it down onto the top rim. "He…pissed it off by cussing, kicking, and beating it as best he could without a care in the world…and then when it reached a boiling point used it as an awl to smash through the door in the well...or so I think…he bypassed the need for accumulating spirits, because it never needed them to open the door. It merely needed to push against the door itself…that's why he was saying what he did."

Becca stood over the well, now covered in the grass like lid with several inches of cement hidden beneath, "He knew more than we did…and he was here the whole time…I think…whatever was moving him around was showing him the cause and effect of things…and then ultimately that people didn't need to die."

Tom nodded, "If I knew that…I wouldn't have asked Brent to stop you two, and let me and cadence die…I would've done it solely myself."

Serenity wanted to speak up but Brent, Cadence, and Becca, shook their heads at her.

"He didn't hesitate in his choice…I did…I won't now." Tom slapped the top of the well hard with the talisman. As he brought his hand away the grass on top of the lid faded away into dust, and the golden light of the talisman spread out across the well. As if golden veins had appeared, they pulsated rhythmically before fading into the concrete, leaving etched lines across its surface.

A mist appeared on top of the wells lid, and from it a strange spirit.

"A…dog?" Brent asked.

"Its…it's a pug! He's so cute!" Becca shouted out.

"That's…that's your will?" Cadence asked as her jaw dropped while looking at Tom.

"i…" Tom watched as the dog spirit sniffed the air and looked towards the school. Everyone turned their gaze to find 5 spirits were hiding inside the glass house behind them with sneers on their face. "Those bastards!..." *whoosh*

In less than a second the small 'pug' turned into a dog the size of a car, its large mane cascaded in an unknown wind. It let loose a roar that shook the surrounding trees before furious eyes that blazed in judgment fire gazed upon the five spirits quivering inside the plant house. It disappeared inside, and what the 5 saw would haunt them for life. Or rather, it would cement the idea of giving offerings to this spirit until they left the school.

Plants flung inside towards the walls, dirt cascaded against the ceiling, and the dismembered body parts of 5 figures were flung outside the reaches of the glass house before fading away.

Seconds later, the normal sized pug came trudging around the glass houses corner. It trodded up at a leisurely pace before sitting down on the wells lid to take a nap.

"What are we going to name it…" Brent asked, everyone turned to him before 4 slap sounds rang out and a miserable scream.

Becca stood over Brent, "Your mother! That cute little guy will name himself!"

Tom whispered into Serenity's ear, causing her to giggle.

"What?" Becca asked turning to the two.

"Oh nothing…we were wondering if you two wanted to go on a double date." Tom asked frankly.

"Wha…" *Slap* Brent didn't get a chance to speak up before Becca placed a foot on his chest, "I would love to"

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Minutes earlier Jaeger had indeed pissed it off. The second he had left the dorm, he had Frog spill all the contents of talismans he had stocked up on. After slapping several of them onto his body, he slapped the rest onto the outside of Frog. With so many on him it looked as if Frog was wearing paper armor, comical, but hopefully affective.

A strange shadow looked towards the second story window to the right of the courtyard as Jaeger approached the closest classroom, before peeking out a window. There gazes met, before a hailstorm of bullet rained down onto the shadow.

Jaeger was reloading his pistol and Derringer when the shadow whirled across the earth towards the left most hallways back entrance to the courtyard. Jaeger's heart began to race as his fingers nimbly pushed bullets into the pistol.

*BOOM*

The classroom door was blown apart, as a shadowy energy shot past frog and struck Jaeger's body in full force. His broke through the window and out into the rain at a high velocity, the first thing Jaeger felt was blood rushing up his throat and then the light prickly sensation of rain landing against his body.

*BAM*

Jaeger landed through the adjacent buildings windows into the classroom, he tumbled several times against desks and chairs before coming to a stop.

"Cough…fuckin…shit…" Jaeger slid up from the floor and drank back the 2 potions he had stored for himself. The blood in his throat receded, but the pain in his side didn't. A 'magical potion' could only do so much.

"Ya know…when you remove the whole thriller feeling…this reminds me of the times before" Jaeger smiled.

*BOOM*

The classroom door exploded again, but this time Jaeger was prepared and sent his chain blade out with lightning bolts dancing across its body. It struck the shadow in a glorious wave before jumping back towards Jaegers awaiting palm. The blade didn't seem to do any harm, but the lightning energy sure did. Jaeger flicked the bracelet to refill back up his sigils.

*whoosh!* The shadowy energy shot forwards and shattered countless desks before striking the wall behind Jaeger.

It swiveled around to see Jaeger across the classroom, *whizz* the chain blade came flying towards it, but with the previous incident, it sent out shadowy energy before latching onto the chains body.

"Tsk tsk…you think that's all I have up my sleeve" The chain blade disappeared into thin air, before reappearing in his hands and flinging out again.

The shadowy energy convulsed at the sudden strike before enlarging itself.

"Come on you stupid fuck!" Jaeger ran out of the classroom at the fastest speed below L3 he could muster.

The hallway was silent until the shadow broke through the wall and began tearing the floor up to the ceiling with its body. Everything it touched disintegrated as if it was aging endlessly. Jaeger figured that if this curse had been let loose into the state of purgatory this land would become, that the land would end up as the swamps and decayed trees that he had previously seen.

*click* *click* *clack*

Jaeger's ripped his way down the steps, and flew towards the right direction before rounding the left wings bottom floor main hallway. He sprinted towards the end of it, even as lockers and pieces of windows flew up and assailed his body. If he wasn't able to dodge the high speed of the curse spirit he would teleport 10 feet ahead of it while running.

His hand gripped the corner of the small hallway leading into the courtyard before flinging him towards the door. His body bashed the double doors, splitting them open wide before he tumbled onto the ground.

"HA YOU STUP…" *Bam* Jaeger was slapped to the right, his body flew and snapped off the statue of the cupid with his shoulder. The feeling of blood coming up his throat was felt again, but Jaeger simply used his ethereal arms to shoot the pistols at the shadow energy.

*Boom* *Boom* *RAtaa* *RAtaa*

Both guns were emptied before Jaeger moved his good arm into a pocket for bullets. The spirit flew towards the fountain, breaking it into a million pieces.

Jaeger held his breathe and counted the seconds before teleporting backwards.

*BOOM* A massive frog came shooting through the left wings wall, breaking the classrooms windows and sending glass everywhere, it collided heavily with the shadow energy and sent it flying.

Countless weak ended talismans burnt up into ash as they made contact with the deathly energy.

"Good…it might work…cough…" Jaeger loaded the last round into the pistol, and then placed them back into the holsters under his arm pit and trench coat inner pocket. Frog leapt forward with a strong kick to the earth, and then swallowed whole the curse spirit. It then leapt into a large waterfall of mist and disappeared. Jaeger whirled the bracelet on his wrist and just as the third rune of lightning glowed on his wrist, disappeared from the spot.

The rain slowed to a crawl, if not stopped all together, his body fought against the air and currents like they were water.

Through the back side hallway, into the left wings main hallway, around the corner and out the front door and around the building towards the glass house. He glanced at the second story window to see the frozen image of Becca looking out the window. He smiled and zoomed across the final stretch towards the well. As the energy dwindled in his runes, he spun the bracelet once more to fill back up two runes of lightning.

Jaeger breathed hard as he held his chest, the cape flexed out into wings and hugged the inner wall of the well as his body fell forward into a nose dive. Before he struck the abyss that layed deep in the earth the cape stopped him from going further. Frog appeared from a mist above the well and spat out the creature that was held back by the last remnants of the talismans upon frogs body.

Frog watched as the curse spirit came spiraling down the well and towards Jaeger. The curse spirit grew larger and larger, as if it wanted to exercise its strength, but as it did tremors and cracks appeared in the abyss below Jaeger.

*CREEAKK*

The sound of an old door opening sounded out below Jaeger, without needing to look the cape tucked inwards and covered his body in a protective layer before the curse spirit latched onto him and sent them both flying downwards. The ash of talismans burning was the only remains left in the well as Jaeger disappeared into the abyss below.

Frog looked towards the figures of teens coming around a corner before it slowly moved its body into a mist and faded away.

Jaeger whipped out from a door and tumbled on the earth as the curse spirit spiraled out after him.

The bracelet whirled on Jaeger's wrist again before his body shot forward and slammed shut a door behind the two. As he let go of the handle of the strange door that stood erect in a barren landscape, it faded into thin air never to appear again.

"Fuck me…no…fuck you!" Jaeger shouted out into the air.

The curse spirit seemed to 'look' around for a while before landing its eyes on Jaeger. It moved off from him and out into the distance before disappearing. It seemed to be under the threat of something. Jaeger turned around and came eye to neck with a familiar valiant man.

"So… how's the kiddo?" The valiant spirit asked with a monk hanging from his hands.

"After I listened to what you told me…I caught several clues as to what you were letting onto…if I wasn't up to the task, then Tom really did have to die and pass through the door…closing it behind him, and yet sealing the spirit on the other side. Although this would close the door, it would be inevitable to open again…when you also said the words of the quest I was on to stop all this, I knew they had a relation…and that I was the catalyst to fix it all."

The valiant spirit nodded, "I wish I had the chance to actually talk with you…would've been nice."

The valiant spirit lifted a leg and kicked Jaeger backwards, a strange confused looked passed over him as arms wrapped around his body from behind and pulled him through a door way. The faces of Tao and Ito staring down at him greeted his eyes, as smiles broke out onto their faces.

A certain shop keeper looked at Jaeger from afar, 'Well I'll be damned…'