Song

Chapter 27: Omen

A hollow void spans as far as he can see, as far as he can feel. Through the seemingly absolute blackness, traces of faint purple crackle in the distance. Song focuses, trying to make sense of the mysterious sparks, trying to tell if it's real or just another figment of his hallucinations. The sparks are still there, but its meaning alludes him. Tired, he relaxes, letting the silence engulf the empty, sunless world around him once more.

Am I dead? Song had never believed in the afterlife, or that there was a god above that watched over them like some sort of parent. In fact, the only reason he was able to survive his childhood and be the strength he needed to be to protect Shu was because of the sense of self-worth and strength that he got from his atheism. There was nobody he could rely on to protect them. When he first met Shu and realised he had to protect him, he had decided to carve out his destiny relying on nothing but his own two hands. And despite all that, Shu eventually turned to a deity for spiritual support. It angered him, and it made him a little envious.

There is no god, Song thinks to himself once more. Kiin wasn't a god. This isn't the afterlife. There is nothing left for me. And yet, the pain that's been seeded in his heart grows the more he thinks about these things. If there is truly nothing left for him, then he would never be able to see Shu again.

"It's fine, isn't it?" Song whispers. "It's my fault for getting into that duel with Kiin; it's my fault for getting Shu and the rest into all that trouble. I deserved this. I just... want Shu to be okay..."

When Song looks up again, he realises that the world is no longer the pitch black emptiness that it was before he drowned himself in thought. Now, he's standing on water, water that's so still that it could've been mistaken for a floor made of pure, milky blue marble. Or a massive blanket of silk. The water stretches to beyond the horizons, every inch reflecting the clear skies above.

"Is this where I'm spending the rest of eternity in?" Song scoffs. There is no confusion or fear left in him. Something about the knowledge of being dead has caused him to be unreceptive to those emotions. When you're dead, there's nothing left to lose or be afraid of.

The water gently ripples beneath his boots as he makes his across, yet it never feels for a moment that he might sink. With no sense of direction or purpose left, the only thing he can do now is to go forward. After walking for half an eternity, he notices something shimmering in the waters ahead. A reflection. There, scenes of Song's childhood play before him. The times he had to fight off bad people from the streets during their Initiate days, the times he had to steal food with Shu to survive; the times he fought to protect Shu from being bullied by the other Purgers; the times they fought tooth and nail against the Void Seekers for their lives; the times he saw people getting cut down or eaten by the Seekers, while others changing into the very monsters they've sworn to destroy. It's as if the water surrounding him is a theatre, replaying his life with a clarity that no stage actor ever could. As the scenes continue to play, Song wonders why there weren't any good moments being shown to him. There were many horrific moments in his life, but it wasn't as if he didn't have good ones either.

It's at this moment where he can sense a change in the air. Suddenly, Song can taste the rancidness of the place. The blue waters are now purple, with the skies dark as dusk with ripples of mysterious purple waves. A massive purple moon peeks over the horizon. Song didn't even notice when the scenery had changed; it all happened in the blink of an eye. Now, he can feel something else in the air, an ominous vibe that is oddly familiar to him, as if they belonged to him.