Ying Zhen and Laryana followed the Alessian until they reached a cliff. This was the last place that all the souls would reach together. After this, they were on their own to explore the remnants of their past life and make their peace with whatever had happened. Only when that had been done would they reach the true gates of the underworld.
Ying Zhen didn’t hesitate when he reached this spot. He merely glanced at Laryana who still clinging to his waist with a worried expression, sighed, and then floated down the cliff with her in his arms.
In any case, he didn’t know what would come later on. It might be better to have her with him so that she could explain. Even if she didn’t want to show him the way, that much should be alright, shouldn’t it?
The further down the two of them sunk, the colder it got. Ying Zhen furrowed his brows and finally noticed that the stone behind them was covered with a thin layer of frost. It seemed what lay before them wouldn’t be that easy to get through.
He continued to float down and then reached the ground. The Alessian rushed down next to them, some of the water splashing to the side but it was almost instantly frozen as soon as it left the stream.
Ying Zhen looked at the ground and realized that even the grass had been covered with a layer of ice. Tiny crystals glistened promising at the tip of each blade. Maybe they would even make a sound when you walked past.
Ying Zhen smiled faintly when he saw this. "It seems the underworld is a much colder place than the world above." He had never laid eyes on a place like this up above. There should certainly be some but his life had never let him to any such places. Even though the cold was biting, it was a beautiful sight to behold.
Laryana also looked around with wide eyes. She had lived in the underworld her whole life, first behind the gates in what constituted the true underworld and then on that small headland at the bend of the Alessian after she got her task. It had been a long time since she changed the place where she lived but she still clearly remembered the bleak, gray environment that Heidan, Nilam, and her had once called their home. Now though … it had suddenly changed.
For a while, she didn’t know what to think. This place wasn’t the underworld that she remembered and that scared her. But then, she couldn’t help but remember what Heidan had once told her: 'The underworld is what remains of a life. Whatever a soul has to let go, they will encounter it here and they have to find a way to overcome it to finally pass the gates.'
She hadn’t quite realized what this meant back then and had only nodded to signify that she had heard and would keep it in mind. But now, it made sense. She actually understood. Demon or not: Ying Zhen was a living man. He certainly had things in his life that would be hard to let go of, even more so than the souls of the dead that usually came here. Naturally, the path to the gates would differ from the one she remembered.
Ying Zhen felt her gaze and turned to face her, his brows raising imperceptibly. "You have followed me this far. Does this mean you have decided to help me?" He still didn’t quite get what it was that she wanted to do. Clinging onto him seemed to indicate that she wanted to help but she hadn’t said anything in that regard so he was left to guess. By now, it was about time she made her decision clear.
Laryana pursed her lips. "No living man should enter the underworld."
Ying Zhen nodded and waited. Compared to the clear-cut rejection he had gotten on the headland where he met her, these words seemed much less certain. He didn’t know what had led to her slowly changing her attitude but he certainly wouldn’t complain. With a bit more time, maybe she would indeed offer to help him. That would certainly be beneficial. After all, he still didn’t know where to look for the others.
While Ying Zhen’s hopes were high, Laryana wasn’t sure what to do. She bit her lower lip, not sure if she hadn’t already made a mistake. In the first place, she had only followed him because she had been scared when she suddenly remembered the day Heidan had left.
Now though, she already was in the situation. Could she still turn back? Was it even the right decision to turn back? She wasn’t quite sure. In her mind, the souls that took this path belonged to Heidan. They were the ones who would fill the underworld and make this place come alive again. To have somebody take some of them back would mean to rob Heidan of something important to him. But then again, Heidan was long dead.
As reluctant as she was to admit it, it was the truth that he would never return. So maybe it was time for some change. In fact, everything seemed to point in that direction.
Her gaze swept over Ying Zhen’s figure. Usually, only souls could enter the path to the underworld this far. If somebody tried to enter with a living body, they would surely regret it. But so far, Ying Zhen had made his way through this place without a problem. In fact, he didn’t even seem uncomfortable. There had to be a reason for that. Maybe …
Laryana’s heart sped up when she thought of a possibility. She didn’t know exactly what had happened back then. She only knew that Heidan had been killed by the other high gods. A while later, the gods had started to create many new races across the world with the demons making up several of them.
Laryana didn’t know anything about them or any of the other races, save for the fact that they could die as well, but maybe there was actually a connection between the demons and Heidan if Ying Zhen had this ability. Or maybe there was even a special connection between this man himself and her creator.
She didn’t know and she had no idea either how she could find out but just the thought that this might be true gave her hope. Maybe even though Heidan had already had to leave this world, something of his had lived on.
Ying Zhen raised his brows. He would usually consider himself a patient man and could wait until the other person had decided for themselves but his circumstances didn’t allow for that this time around. After all, he clearly remembered the words she had spoken to the souls in the ferryman’s boat: The souls had only seven days before they would perish. He didn’t think that this applied to him as he wasn’t just a soul but a living person instead but the same couldn’t be said for his comrades. In seven days, the last chance to save them would have been lost. Thus, he needed to hurry.
Thinking of that, his expression turned grim. "Not to urge you but if you still can’t decide, then I am afraid I can’t wait any longer. Time is of the essence right now."
Laryana looked up at him, taking a deep breath. There’ll be a reason he possesses this power. My master never believed that the underworld would stay forever how it came to be. He always imagined how it would turn into a lively world just like Heaven and Earth. How could that happen if we don’t allow change? No, my master would want me to use this opportunity.
Thinking it through, she finally nodded. "I will help you." There was determination in her eyes, showing that this decision of hers was the final one. Still, she wouldn’t unconditionally help him. "I will help you but I will not bend the rules of the underworld for you otherwise. If you don’t manage to reach your goal in seven days, you have to leave again and you cannot take the souls with you that you were searching for." In any case, if they hadn’t entered the underworld in those seven days, then that was because they couldn’t let go of what had happened in their last life. If he found a way to take them out at that time, they would turn dangerous. She could not allow that.
Ying Zhen nodded. "After seven days, I wouldn’t have reason to stay here anyway. Let’s go." He turned away and gazed over the frosty ground into the distance where a snow desert spread out. His black brows furrowed slightly. "How does one find a soul in this place?"
Laryana looked at him silently.
Ying Zhen turned around and requited her gaze, not understanding. "What?"
Laryana pursed her lips. "That could prove difficult. Each soul follows its own path after getting off Nilam’s boat."
Ying Zhen nodded. Nilam should be the ferryman. "Then we will have to seek them out one after the other." He did not think that this should be a problem. In any case, with each soul that they found, finding the next one should become easier. After all, there would be one more pair of eyes there to help them spot the others.
Laryana shook her head though. "You think of this as much too easy. We are both alive, so at least we can see them but the path to the underworld is long. They could be anywhere. And as long as you don’t coincidentally share an event with all of them that still haunts them as it haunts you, then you might not even be able to encounter them on this path at all."
Ying Zhen’s brows drew further together. He hadn’t thought that it would be easy but this sounded downright impossible. Still, he didn’t want to give up. "But you are a part of the underworld. You certainly know how we can find them on this path?" Surely, she had to have a way.
Laryana shook her head though. "Only Heidan was able to do that."
Ying Zhen’s face fell. "So I can’t save them?" He couldn’t allow that! The mightiest warriors of their race had fallen in the last battle and they wouldn’t be able to recover fast enough. If he wasn’t able to bring them back …
Laryana once again shook her head. "It isn’t impossible, just difficult. We should follow your path first and keep our eyes open. Maybe we will be lucky and encounter them. If not, there is one other way: We can wait at the gates of the underworld and stop them before they can step through. But that sounds easier than it is as well."
Ying Zhen took a deep breath and then sighed. Well, it had sounded a bit too good to be true. "What are the problems if we try that?"
Laryana felt relieved when Ying Zhen didn’t rush into things and listened to her. "For one, they have started on their journey before you. So you will need to hurry on the path. You need to reach the gate before they do or they will be lost to you. Then, you also need to convince them. When they reach the gate, they will have managed to put the things behind them that happened to them before. It might not be as easy as you imagine it."
Ying Zhen sighed. He wanted to believe that their men would be willing to return no matter what but he also couldn’t deny that they were souls now, not living demons. Who knew how they thought? In any case, he had no other choice. "Let’s give it a try." Even if I can’t save them all … every one of these men that returns to our people is a relief and might allow us to survive at least a moment longer.
Laryana nodded and Ying Zhen turned around, leading the way. The frost beneath their feet turned to ice and snow. White crystals descended from the underworld’s ceiling and the wind cut into their skin. It seemed to carry images along, memories from long-forgotten times, and without noticing, Ying Zhen got slower and slower, his thoughts completely lost in the illusion.
Far behind them, on top of the cliff and even further up the Alessian, Nilam’s boat returned from the dock. As always, he steered it toward Laryana’s small headland. Silently, he looked at the spot on the ground where she would usually stand to greet him and the souls and then at the lights that were still buzzing through the air. Then, he sighed, pushed his boat off the bank, and continued on his way.
For the first time since the underworld was in charge of the souls of the dead, they were left without the lanterns to measure their time. What may come of that … Nilam did not dare to think about that too deeply.
