20 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::------------------------------------------::
(Davian's P.O.V)
My focus was completely on the pull I was feeling.
I ignored everything else. Including what was happening around me.
No one stopped me as I entered through the large gateway. Once inside Nanda Parbat, I could feel every eye on me as I moved through the cobble-stone layered streets.
The unique blend of architecture registered briefly on my peripheral.
The buildings were a blend of the same silver rock as the statue outside. They also stood tall with multiple storeys.
Everything seemed to have been carved from the mountain side.
Male and Female monastics would stop on the way and bow to me without fail.
It was weird to see how reverent they were towards me, a total stranger.
"I'm not surprised. Much like the Jade Master, the people here are strange. They feel normal yet are not. Their sense of the supernatural is strong."
Chase like usual added his commentary.
I simply grunted absentmindedly at him. My focus firmly placed in what lay ahead.
A long and wide path towards the center of Nanda Parbat.
Finally, my feet deposited me on the bottom of a long stairway. One that seemed to lead to a pavilion that stood taller than any other building in the city.
Two guards stood, blocking the way by crossing their staffs together.
Unlike the middle aged monks I had seen around, these two seemed young. They also wore gray uniforms as opposed to the yellow and orange that seemed popular with the rest.
"Halt. Who seeks to enter the Shrine of Our Goddess?"
One of them asked, narrowing her eyes.
She had long black hair that fell to the small of her back while the other guard, a boy had his own cut short.
That being the other prominent difference between them and the monks. They had hair.
I stuck my hands inside my pocket, irritated but very careful not to lose my temper with the two of them just because they were annoying.
"Move."
I ground out.
They shared a look.
"None may enter without..."
"Move."
I repeated, this time letting my Reiatsu leak. Their eyes widened comically.
"Let him through. Elder Mao can attest to his identity. He...is the Great Spirit."
A voice said from behind me.
"Jade Master!"
Both guards called out, uncrossing the staffs and bowing sheepishly.
"We apologize great one. Please..."
They had begun to say but I was already up the steps, fighting the urge to use Shunpo to clear the distance.
This pull was getting irritating.
I was no one's plaything. Just because Rama Kushna wanted to see me urgently didn't mean I would hurry towards her like an eager dog.
"Chase, how do you kill a god?"
I questioned my Zanpakuto.
Was it weird that my first thought these days was violence first and foremost?
Not really. This world was a death trap. This could very well turn into a fight, so I had to be ready for anything.
Rama Kushna could have lured me here in false pretense so as to end my existence.
The incident with Barragan had shown me gods were not infallible. They had vices. They could deceive and they could lie. (Though Barragan could only very loosely be considered a god. Something told me he was still weak in comparison to the real deal)
"How do you kill a god?" Chase repeated the question. Then he gave a reply.
"Easy. You become one yourself."
Good answer.
Finally I reached the top of the stairs and entered through the arched way into the pavilion.
I breathed in, feeling my body pass through another veil. The sensation of cold water washing down my body this time was stronger.
The first thing I heard was the gentle sound of a brook. The first thing I saw was a beautiful garden with a bamboo pond that flowed gently throughout it.
The bamboo forming the Shishi-Odashi struck the stone bedrock as it poured water into a series of japanese styled fountains.
The fountains surrounded a central building in the middle of the garden.
All in all it was tranquil. I breathed in and the overpowering scent of nature and the pure energy around the garden suffused my being.
My soul felt at peace.
I breathed out and settled into a lotus position, immediately falling into meditation.
It was impromptu, it was unplanned. But somehow, the frustration of climbing all those stairs, of journeying this far, of getting annoyed by a weak demon...all of it washed away.
All that was left behind was the feeling that this was right. That I was exactly where I needed to be.
I reflected upon a lot. My unscripted meditation forcing me to look back at everything that had happened and think on it.
What could I have done better? Or not better but different?
Why was my hate directed towards Batman? Could it be as direct as I initially thought it was?
I remember promising myself a simple life upon getting a second chance.
Was I destined to forever fight?
Did I ever really deal with Raven's death? Or was I simply ignoring the pain and loss because I needed to show myself I was strong.
Star Wars was a franchise Nick and I had grown up watching. It was one of the only fandoms that we both shared a love for.
One of the things that made us argue however was how the Jedi went about processing their emotions.
I naturally saw how they cast their negative emotions into the force to achieve inner peace as a very important practice.
It kept them free of distractions. Free of falling prey to the Dark Side.
Nick on the other hand saw it as running away from dealing with their fears and worries.
He argued that they were supposed to acknowledge those fears and dark desires, understand them fully and then and only then, could they cast them out into the force.
"I've been running away."
I muttered to myself.
I hadn't let myself really deal with all the bad things that had happened to me. I hadn't properly sent off Nick or Raven. I hadn't let them go.
A conversation I had had with Chase a few days ago came to mind.
He had said,
"You rarely smile anymore, my Wielder."
At that time I had scoffed his worries aside and told him I was fine.
In that pavilion, the walls surrounding my soul came down and I was forced to face myself.
And I found myself lacking. Pushing everything down and whatever I couldn't, discarding it to the side.
(I wonder, was my Reiryoku always this dark purple bordering on black...?)
I breathed out.
(No...no it wasn't)
And opened my eyes.
A blue skinned woman sat cross legged on a tatami mat infront of me. A cup of tea held in both her hands as she watched me with black pupiless eyes.
Calling her beautiful would have done her a disservice. She was beyond the concept of beauty.
A small smile graced her lips.
"My, such a brazen man, calling an old hag like me beautiful."
Her voice was like the gentle crooning of a mother, watching over her newly born child, love in her eyes and lips.
The smile turned from cheeky to gentle.
"Your true self is sweet."
Rama Kushna said, taking a sip of tea before placing it down with a sad sigh.
"Unfortunately you never let anyone see it. Not even your companion."
She added.
I blinked.
Could she sense Chase? That was...a first. No one had ever sensed Chase before. That in and of itself roused me from whatever state I'd been in, making me wary.
Chesha Neko found itself out of it's sheath. I placed the weapon beside me, ready to use it if necessary.
The woman followed it with her eyes. They lacked fear, only containing curiosity and a little sadness that made me sick to my stomach. I hated the feeling.
"Don't."
She said sternly.
"Don't push the shame and guilt away. You gave up a gun and picked up a sword. That was your choice Davian. You chose to come back to this life."
"For the first time in a long time, embrace it. Embrace it for the alternative is living a lie that will eventually consume you."
Despite the cutting words, they lacked no accusation.
"I..."
The hand around Chesha Neko's grip loosened.
"After prison, I begun saving up...for a restaurant."
The words left my lips before I could stop myself.
And from there, the dam broke. I told her my story. Everything except the reincarnation. Even in my muddled state, I knew that was something I would have to keep to myself.
Besides that, I told her everything. Most of which I suspected she already knew.
And at the end of it all, I felt strong but gentle arms around me, her head on the crane of my neck.
It was...warm.
"You pitiful child. You have endured so much. Yet will have to endure even more."
She said sorrowfully.
I felt like laughing.
"No rest for the wicked, eh Chase?"
I called out to my Zanpakuto, needing his presence to shoulder most of what I was feeling.
"I wouldn't have it any other way Davian. You are the Spirit King. Charged with a responsibility only you can handle."
He replied softly.
"Right. I am Death. There's no going back anymore. I've come too far to leave this path."
My hands came up around Rama Kushna, the Goddess had shown me my truest self without even meaning to.
The goddess who was nothing like I'd initially imagined.
I gripped her shoulders gently and pushed her away.
She tightened her hold on me. Just briefly. Then moved away with a sad look in her eyes.
"I was going to offer you sanctuary. A way out. A path to peace and understanding but I see now that I was foolish."
I shook my head.
"No, you're not foolish."
I looked at the gentle pond and the water flowing through the garden.
It was peaceful. Raven would have loved it here.
"I hope that one day..."
The statement that had left my mouth went unfinished.
She smiled.
"You're always welcome here."
I chuckled.
"Am I that easy to read or can you look into my mind?"
She raised a hand and placed it above my heart. Above my Saketsu.
"Not your mind, your soul. Your beautifully ugly soul. One containing a void of nothingness and an existence greater than anything."
She shook her head.
"A cosmos collapsed onto itself. You are a child of enigma, Davian Mabuz. Greater than a god but lesser than a human. For you are a bridge. A servant with a sacred duty. Much like my own. More important than my own."
She said with unfiltered awe.
My lips parted in shock.
Rama Kushna saw the question on my face and retracted her hand, her expression changing from the awe to one of deep thinking.
"Tea?"
She asked, but proceeded to pour it before I could give an answer.
"The Moon Flower fish exudes a refreshing and gentle ki. Ki that is absorbed by the emerald mountain tea plant. Mixed with white pine and sweetened by sweetgrass and sage, it nurtures the soul, opens up it's nodes...builds fortitude and brings tranquility and clear thinking."
She offered the cup to me and I received it with a nod of gratitude.
Even without a deep understanding of culture, I knew it was rude to drink first.
So I waited until she brought her cup to her face and breathed in the scent.
I imitated her and the tranquility from earlier hit me ten-fold.
"This is... really good."
I complimented her after only the first sip. My body felt relaxed. In sync with my soul.
"Mmmh. It is. Especially when discussing matters of grave importance."
Rama Kushna replied.
"Tell me Davian, What do you know of the Graveyard of Gods?"
She enquired.
I raked my brain but came up short.
"Nothing."
She nodded at my response.
"Understandable. The graveyard of gods is the final resting place of all forgotten and dead deities."
She explained.
"Think of it as an afterlife to the old gods. The ones left behind by humanity. The ones who lost their will to continue, growing weaker in the presence of children who no longer needed guidance."
Her voice was sad.
"Pan, the god of the wild...Harpocrates, the god of silence, Helios the original Sun God... Oceanus, the Titan God of the sea. Prithvi...my dear sister, the goddess of Earth and Fertility...all gone."
She sighed heavily.
"All unneeded and unwanted by the modern world. Their fates, destined to live out an existence of madness until they finally pass onto oblivion, joining the primordial entropy."
She went silent for a few seconds before speaking once more.
"That, is the Graveyard of Gods."
20 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::------------------------------------------::
(Davian's P.O.V)
My focus was completely on the pull I was feeling.
I ignored everything else. Including what was happening around me.
No one stopped me as I entered through the large gateway. Once inside Nanda Parbat, I could feel every eye on me as I moved through the cobble-stone layered streets.
The unique blend of architecture registered briefly on my peripheral.
The buildings were a blend of the same silver rock as the statue outside. They also stood tall with multiple storeys.
Everything seemed to have been carved from the mountain side.
Male and Female monastics would stop on the way and bow to me without fail.
It was weird to see how reverent they were towards me, a total stranger.
"I'm not surprised. Much like the Jade Master, the people here are strange. They feel normal yet are not. Their sense of the supernatural is strong."
Chase like usual added his commentary.
I simply grunted absentmindedly at him. My focus firmly placed in what lay ahead.
A long and wide path towards the center of Nanda Parbat.
Finally, my feet deposited me on the bottom of a long stairway. One that seemed to lead to a pavilion that stood taller than any other building in the city.
Two guards stood, blocking the way by crossing their staffs together.
Unlike the middle aged monks I had seen around, these two seemed young. They also wore gray uniforms as opposed to the yellow and orange that seemed popular with the rest.
"Halt. Who seeks to enter the Shrine of Our Goddess?"
One of them asked, narrowing her eyes.
She had long black hair that fell to the small of her back while the other guard, a boy had his own cut short.
That being the other prominent difference between them and the monks. They had hair.
I stuck my hands inside my pocket, irritated but very careful not to lose my temper with the two of them just because they were annoying.
"Move."
I ground out.
They shared a look.
"None may enter without..."
"Move."
I repeated, this time letting my Reiatsu leak. Their eyes widened comically.
"Let him through. Elder Mao can attest to his identity. He...is the Great Spirit."
A voice said from behind me.
"Jade Master!"
Both guards called out, uncrossing the staffs and bowing sheepishly.
"We apologize great one. Please..."
They had begun to say but I was already up the steps, fighting the urge to use Shunpo to clear the distance.
This pull was getting irritating.
I was no one's plaything. Just because Rama Kushna wanted to see me urgently didn't mean I would hurry towards her like an eager dog.
"Chase, how do you kill a god?"
I questioned my Zanpakuto.
Was it weird that my first thought these days was violence first and foremost?
Not really. This world was a death trap. This could very well turn into a fight, so I had to be ready for anything.
Rama Kushna could have lured me here in false pretense so as to end my existence.
The incident with Barragan had shown me gods were not infallible. They had vices. They could deceive and they could lie. (Though Barragan could only very loosely be considered a god. Something told me he was still weak in comparison to the real deal)
"How do you kill a god?" Chase repeated the question. Then he gave a reply.
"Easy. You become one yourself."
Good answer.
Finally I reached the top of the stairs and entered through the arched way into the pavilion.
I breathed in, feeling my body pass through another veil. The sensation of cold water washing down my body this time was stronger.
The first thing I heard was the gentle sound of a brook. The first thing I saw was a beautiful garden with a bamboo pond that flowed gently throughout it.
The bamboo forming the Shishi-Odashi struck the stone bedrock as it poured water into a series of japanese styled fountains.
The fountains surrounded a central building in the middle of the garden.
All in all it was tranquil. I breathed in and the overpowering scent of nature and the pure energy around the garden suffused my being.
My soul felt at peace.
I breathed out and settled into a lotus position, immediately falling into meditation.
It was impromptu, it was unplanned. But somehow, the frustration of climbing all those stairs, of journeying this far, of getting annoyed by a weak demon...all of it washed away.
All that was left behind was the feeling that this was right. That I was exactly where I needed to be.
I reflected upon a lot. My unscripted meditation forcing me to look back at everything that had happened and think on it.
What could I have done better? Or not better but different?
Why was my hate directed towards Batman? Could it be as direct as I initially thought it was?
I remember promising myself a simple life upon getting a second chance.
Was I destined to forever fight?
Did I ever really deal with Raven's death? Or was I simply ignoring the pain and loss because I needed to show myself I was strong.
Star Wars was a franchise Nick and I had grown up watching. It was one of the only fandoms that we both shared a love for.
One of the things that made us argue however was how the Jedi went about processing their emotions.
I naturally saw how they cast their negative emotions into the force to achieve inner peace as a very important practice.
It kept them free of distractions. Free of falling prey to the Dark Side.
Nick on the other hand saw it as running away from dealing with their fears and worries.
He argued that they were supposed to acknowledge those fears and dark desires, understand them fully and then and only then, could they cast them out into the force.
"I've been running away."
I muttered to myself.
I hadn't let myself really deal with all the bad things that had happened to me. I hadn't properly sent off Nick or Raven. I hadn't let them go.
A conversation I had had with Chase a few days ago came to mind.
He had said,
"You rarely smile anymore, my Wielder."
At that time I had scoffed his worries aside and told him I was fine.
In that pavilion, the walls surrounding my soul came down and I was forced to face myself.
And I found myself lacking. Pushing everything down and whatever I couldn't, discarding it to the side.
(I wonder, was my Reiryoku always this dark purple bordering on black...?)
I breathed out.
(No...no it wasn't)
And opened my eyes.
A blue skinned woman sat cross legged on a tatami mat infront of me. A cup of tea held in both her hands as she watched me with black pupiless eyes.
Calling her beautiful would have done her a disservice. She was beyond the concept of beauty.
A small smile graced her lips.
"My, such a brazen man, calling an old hag like me beautiful."
Her voice was like the gentle crooning of a mother, watching over her newly born child, love in her eyes and lips.
The smile turned from cheeky to gentle.
"Your true self is sweet."
Rama Kushna said, taking a sip of tea before placing it down with a sad sigh.
"Unfortunately you never let anyone see it. Not even your companion."
She added.
I blinked.
Could she sense Chase? That was...a first. No one had ever sensed Chase before. That in and of itself roused me from whatever state I'd been in, making me wary.
Chesha Neko found itself out of it's sheath. I placed the weapon beside me, ready to use it if necessary.
The woman followed it with her eyes. They lacked fear, only containing curiosity and a little sadness that made me sick to my stomach. I hated the feeling.
"Don't."
She said sternly.
"Don't push the shame and guilt away. You gave up a gun and picked up a sword. That was your choice Davian. You chose to come back to this life."
"For the first time in a long time, embrace it. Embrace it for the alternative is living a lie that will eventually consume you."
Despite the cutting words, they lacked no accusation.
"I..."
The hand around Chesha Neko's grip loosened.
"After prison, I begun saving up...for a restaurant."
The words left my lips before I could stop myself.
And from there, the dam broke. I told her my story. Everything except the reincarnation. Even in my muddled state, I knew that was something I would have to keep to myself.
Besides that, I told her everything. Most of which I suspected she already knew.
And at the end of it all, I felt strong but gentle arms around me, her head on the crane of my neck.
It was...warm.
"You pitiful child. You have endured so much. Yet will have to endure even more."
She said sorrowfully.
I felt like laughing.
"No rest for the wicked, eh Chase?"
I called out to my Zanpakuto, needing his presence to shoulder most of what I was feeling.
"I wouldn't have it any other way Davian. You are the Spirit King. Charged with a responsibility only you can handle."
He replied softly.
"Right. I am Death. There's no going back anymore. I've come too far to leave this path."
My hands came up around Rama Kushna, the Goddess had shown me my truest self without even meaning to.
The goddess who was nothing like I'd initially imagined.
I gripped her shoulders gently and pushed her away.
She tightened her hold on me. Just briefly. Then moved away with a sad look in her eyes.
"I was going to offer you sanctuary. A way out. A path to peace and understanding but I see now that I was foolish."
I shook my head.
"No, you're not foolish."
I looked at the gentle pond and the water flowing through the garden.
It was peaceful. Raven would have loved it here.
"I hope that one day..."
The statement that had left my mouth went unfinished.
She smiled.
"You're always welcome here."
I chuckled.
"Am I that easy to read or can you look into my mind?"
She raised a hand and placed it above my heart. Above my Saketsu.
"Not your mind, your soul. Your beautifully ugly soul. One containing a void of nothingness and an existence greater than anything."
She shook her head.
"A cosmos collapsed onto itself. You are a child of enigma, Davian Mabuz. Greater than a god but lesser than a human. For you are a bridge. A servant with a sacred duty. Much like my own. More important than my own."
She said with unfiltered awe.
My lips parted in shock.
Rama Kushna saw the question on my face and retracted her hand, her expression changing from the awe to one of deep thinking.
"Tea?"
She asked, but proceeded to pour it before I could give an answer.
"The Moon Flower fish exudes a refreshing and gentle ki. Ki that is absorbed by the emerald mountain tea plant. Mixed with white pine and sweetened by sweetgrass and sage, it nurtures the soul, opens up it's nodes...builds fortitude and brings tranquility and clear thinking."
She offered the cup to me and I received it with a nod of gratitude.
Even without a deep understanding of culture, I knew it was rude to drink first.
So I waited until she brought her cup to her face and breathed in the scent.
I imitated her and the tranquility from earlier hit me ten-fold.
"This is... really good."
I complimented her after only the first sip. My body felt relaxed. In sync with my soul.
"Mmmh. It is. Especially when discussing matters of grave importance."
Rama Kushna replied.
"Tell me Davian, What do you know of the Graveyard of Gods?"
She enquired.
I raked my brain but came up short.
"Nothing."
She nodded at my response.
"Understandable. The graveyard of gods is the final resting place of all forgotten and dead deities."
She explained.
"Think of it as an afterlife to the old gods. The ones left behind by humanity. The ones who lost their will to continue, growing weaker in the presence of children who no longer needed guidance."
Her voice was sad.
"Pan, the god of the wild...Harpocrates, the god of silence, Helios the original Sun God... Oceanus, the Titan God of the sea. Prithvi...my dear sister, the goddess of Earth and Fertility...all gone."
She sighed heavily.
"All unneeded and unwanted by the modern world. Their fates, destined to live out an existence of madness until they finally pass onto oblivion, joining the primordial entropy."
She went silent for a few seconds before speaking once more.
"That, is the Graveyard of Gods."
