This chapter contains some elements of Greek Mythology but may not be as accurate as those in the Mythology Books. In fact, some are downright bullshit, if you will excuse my language.
She could hear voices ringing in her ears, making her head pound mercilessly and painfully. Go away! She wanted to shout, but her parched, dry throat could not utter even a little peep, much less say out this two-worded sentence. Slowly, very slowly, she opened her eyes to stare at the noisemaker. However, it seemed as if her eyelids were stuck permanently by some kind of super-strong glue. She was afraid that if she forced them open, her eyelashes would be torn off.
"Eva...Eva! Wake up right now, or it will be too late!" A soft female voice was whispering in her ear, but it sounded like thunder to her.
"Huuuh...whaaaa...?" Eva finally managed to barely open her eyes to a tiny little slit.
"What are you doing here? You should still be on the earth!" Eva exclaimed, on seeing who was the visitor. Indeed, this place only accepts the dead; any living person would be torn to pieces by the three-headed celestial dog, Cerberus.
"Don't ask so much, just take my hand and follow me!" Eva was led towards a small hole in the wall. Unknown to Eva, it was an opening which led to the outside world.
Eva neither protested nor resisted . It's not as if I have anything to lose by it! I am already dead! She thought ruefully, a tinge of sorrow coming over her features.
Skylar stiffened a little as she led Eva toward her journey back to the living world. She could sense the sorrow that was clouding Eva's thoughts. She could relate to this feeling, for she had had the same feeling too many times; this heart-wrenching, bitter sensation which always struck heavily at her heart, rendering her breathless and helpless. No one could save her, for she did not want to save herself. And when the only one who could save her finally abandoned her for another girl, she really felt that the whole world was crashing down around her ...... but that is another story entirely.
Skylar shook herself. How could she dwell on the past at a crucial time like this? Tightening her hold on Eva's arm, Skylar led her through the small hole to a vast forest of maple trees that seemed to stretch on forever. Only a small pool of light steeped through from above. Skylar pushed Eva towards that pool of light and motioned her to stay in that position. She then turned towards another direction, nodding her head at someone who had hidden himself in the trees.
A tall, dark figure emerged from the shadows. He had put on a black cape with a hood that masked his face in its shadow, such that Eva could only see the glint of his eyes and nothing else. In his hand, he carried a sceptre of some sort. Slinking about at his side was the famous three-headed canine that was rumoured to have torn many a head off of intruders to the Underworld.
Eva gasped. In all of her time spent here (actually it had only been one week), she had not seen the God of the Underworld of Earth before. Not even when she first arrived at this gloomy place (It was the autumn season and Persephone was away at Olympus). Perhaps Hades knew of her status and decided to leave her alone.
While Eva was thinking of all this, Hades was already conducting some strange mysterious ritual. Waving his sceptre about and mumbling a foreign-sounding chant of some sorts, a force started to gather in a ring around Eva's feet. It seemed to be floating her up and pulling her towards the sky, above the maple forest. Eva panicked, and looked at Skylar for an explanation. But Skylar only looked at her with sad eyes.
"Skylar! What is happening? Where am I going? Why are you staying there? Wait! I can't go yet! How can I abandon you here ?? Yaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!"
Eva screamed as she was transported with increasing speed towards the sky and into a vacuum. There was a sickening sensation in her stomach as she entered the vacuum, passing through it at breakneck speed. It was as if the whole world was turning around her.
Just as she felt herself about to faint, Skylar's gentle voice sounded in her mind.
"Do not worry, my sister. I will be fine here. It would be of more help to the Yisheigai Gods if you were alive instead of I. In fact, my presence here would be of greater value to Arian, Mother and the rest. So do not cry for me. Just pray for me, for the peace of my mind. And for the hope that I might be able to forget Arian while I am here, however futile it may seem ......"
And with that, Skylar's voice trailed off, leaving her words echoing in Eva's mind.
"SKYLAR!!" Eva shouted as she was swooped off to an unknown place in the distance, beyond the horizon...
"Well, now that I have fulfilled my part of the bargain, you shall fulfil yours!"
Skylar nodded her head, fixing her gaze on the fallen leaves on the ground as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.
Her face was forced up by rough, dark fingers and her lips were thrust upon his. She did not protest, only did comply weakly.
Eva opened her eyes slowly. Her head was pounding again. I seemed to be suffering from a lot of migraines recently. She thought. Must be the stale air and gloomy atmosphere in the Underworld that is causing this. Faintly, she could hear someone crying out Skylar, and something wet was dropping onto her cheek. She could smell the familiar scent of spices and lilies, a perfume someone close to her used to wear. The beautiful face of her mother appeared before her; she gasped when she realised how much this face had aged. There were wrinkles that were never there before, and a few strands of silver hairs in her once luxuriously black hair.
Eva reached up her hand weakly to wipe the tears running down her mother's cheek, which was useless, of course. The tears never stopped coming. She tried to feebly smile at her, but this created an opposite effect. Eva reached up and tried to hug Ulaine, but slipped off and fell to the ground once again. I am getting more and more useless these days! I don't even have the energy to hug my mother!
Ulaine hesitantly peered at her daughter's face. The face was Skylar's, but the expression belonged to another daughter.
"...E...Eva? Are you Eva? Does that mean......"
Skylar nodded.
"W...we won't be able to see her again, would we?"
Again, a silent nod.
Ulaine's lip quivered as she tried to restrain those dammed tear glands. She succeeded this time, for it seemed that she had cried herself dry.
"I...I'm sorry, Mother... It should have been me down there. Instead, she sacrificed herself in my place. It seemed that she had made an agreement with Hades, the Underworld God of this world. If only I hadn't interfered in Arian's matters, this wouldn't have happened ....... It's all my fault...all my fault ......"
"Shhh......Eva...if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. For bringing up Arian to the way he is now. I have failed my duty as a mother, as Head of the Yisheigai Gods. And yet, after the way he has wrecked our lives, I have to let in him into our plans of Operation World Domination. Because I can't let Skylar's efforts go to waste...I can't, I just can't! You understand that don't you, Eva? You will understand me ...... tell me you will!" Ulaine rambled on and on, so unlike the omnipotent, all-dominating Mother God she usually was.
"I understand Mother ... I too share your predicament! However much I love Mariteus...I will have to be his enemy...for I have promised this to Skylar and myself!"
The two goddesses, traumatised by the recent turn of events, held on tightly to each other, while cursing their creator, and praying her to let them off at the same time......
The creator looks on coldly......
Creator: Do you think I should or would let them off? Naaah, that would be too boring. I like a little bit of spice in their life. This is, after all, a story involving more up and downs than a roller coaster ride......Wahahahahaha! Call me a sadistic witch, I'll be all the more happy!! *evil cackle* Till the next chapter......wait with bated breath, you mortals!
Mikamiko: Errrr......the above statement does not represent the views of the author, so if you want to blame, blame the creator. What am I talking about? Leave it to your imagination.
Hooked? Here's the rest!
The Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Beginning
Chapter 2 - The Awakening
Chapter 3 - Claudine = Mikamiko?!!
Chapter 4 - Journey to the Centre of the Jungle
Chapter 5 - The Second Condition is......
Chapter 6 - Skylar
Chapter 7 - Old Flame Attack!!
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 16
The Yisheigai Gallery
