Strena Animéga Part Eight

 The Town Of Grudges 

It was on Strena’s birthday morning when they had arrived at Yukino’s Town, Shirochi. It had been a good few months and nothing of interest had happened. Only that was of interest to the group was the Anuméganese was slowing Dark Lord Gajellidor Darcrogh and Dark Lady Grasharlo’s progression quite a lot. 

It was composed of a large group of buildings. All were stacked upon each other and had different levels. Almost like they were built one at a time, wherever they could fit at the side of the cliff. Yet all of them were damaged, their windows were all smashed in, the hole coated walls and rooms were coated in moss and mold. All the doors were either gone or ajar. 

“My! Is anyone home?” Both Niko and Cerpheres asked.

“Nah! Doesn’t seem like it.”

That was when Yukino became deathly pale as shock and denial were in his eyes. He shook his head as he almost shook as he looked around and ran into town with tears building in his eyes.

“No! I’m too late! I’m too late! I was supposed to go and get Ryu Kitsuné and bring him back to save all of you! Why couldn’t you have lived until then?! Why did you have to die?” He wept and wept.

They all looked at him in shock.

“What did you just say?”

“So, he’s in the same boat as I am!”

Yet it was all too clear that they were not going to get anything out of him; they went to explore the rest of the town to look for anyone that was still alive. Yet all they found were decomposing bodies. They all checked all the places only to confirm their deaths before then they all gathered the bodies that they found and cremated them.

“Why not bury them?”

“This country cremate their dead.”

Strena nodded as she cried.

“I think that I’m going back to Yukino. He needs people to help him.”

Yukino placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re so kind Strena-”

“Arielsa. On my birthday I’m called by my real name.”

He nodded.

“Arielsa, let me help. It’s the least that I can do. After all, I failed them. I failed them all!”

She placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You did what you could. And, yes, you can help me.”

“Good.”

“But don’t push yourself.”

He nodded and smiled weakly.

“I won’t.”

“Arielsa!” Zaryb called.

She looked up with a frown.

Did he just call me by my true name? Yeah! I believe he did!

“Did you just?”

“Yes. It is your birthday!”

“Who’s birthday is it?”

“The girl’s. Just like she told Chash, if you were paying attention! I call her that every time it is ever since she became a Dark Lady.”

“But you didn’t do it last time!”

“But we were asleep last time!”

“Well in that case, let’s do it for the next two days.”

“Fine!”

“Okay, how’d you like that?”

Arielsa shrugged.

“I don’t even know who Arielsa Zuvé even is.”

“You are, of course!”

She let out a sigh.

“But the majority of my life I’ve been Strena Azlok.”

“Then let’s take this time to get to know Arielsa Zuvé.”

“Hold on. Wasn’t Arielsa Zuvé the name of the missing princess of Emperor Nazon and Empress Arana who were brutally murdered?”

“Yes, but Arielsa, get over here now.”

She looked back to see a group of people behind her. They all had what looked like a white thong of a prostitute on their heads. There were chains dangling from their wrists. When she looked down she saw that they did not have any legs but a tail like a lizard that wagged as it pointed to the ground. She was about to take a step back, only to see sorrow and anger in their eyes. All of them were as thin as a rake with their bones showing and they were not breathing.

“What are you?”

“We are the town’s folk that were starved to death. Now, to satisfy our grief we must take all of you!”

“No! Jaku, don’t. They will avenge us!” Yukino shouted.

“Yukino. You set off to find the power to save us. Didn’t you?”

“Yes. But I am sorry I was too late.”

“Mr Jaku?”

“Yaminaki!”

She took out her quill and journal.

“Mr Yaminaki, can you tell me what happened?” Arielsa asked.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Please, if you want to kill us, to ease your grief, the least you should do is to share what that grief is.”

He looked down and they sat.

“I used to be a rice farmer. I used to live next to Yukino. We were childhood friends. As a man I worked hard and I had a lovely wife and children. We were about to flourish in prosperity. That was when we had a new Lord, Kurochi Yamishi. He was cruel and claimed all the land was his last four and a half years ago. He stole our rice farm and our money. We all were forced to work for him until we could not work. He killed our elderly, after Yukino left, and all that could not work due to our injuries. Then he took all our food. We all had to sell our children into slavery just to keep them fed. Yet he took my wife as she was pleasing to his eyes. Yet upon her refusing him, he killed me and my soul somehow was pinned here where I was for education to watch him force himself on her and drink my blood. He then killed her too when he was done with her.” He said as she wrote it down, feeling the fire of anger being lit.

“And what happened to him?’

“I cannot say I know. He vanished when all of us were dead.”

“Then we will find him and kill him. Now please, rest it’s over now.”

His chains broke and he disappeared. That was when the next one came as Yukino started to cry again.

“What is your story?”

“Yukia? Is that you, little sister?” He asked.

She nodded, at this he just burst into tears. She just looked at him in anger.

“But-”

“I was born shortly before my mother entered her menopause. I was a seventeen year old seamstress and I wanted to get married and have children. I met a man my age and we were about to be married the day after I turned eighteen, but Lord Kurochi Yamishi saw me and saw I was very beautiful. He had enforced a law that made all women of the town wanting to get married must have his permission. So I went to him to grant permission and he told me to sit on his knee and tell him that I loved him but I did not and I told him. He had my lover killed and forced me to drink his blood along with something that tore my womb apart. He went to force himself on me as I writhed in pain but I took his knife and stabbed him and killed myself before he could violate me. Yet I found that I could not pass on.”

Arielsa looked aside as she felt the murderous rage building.

“I will make sure that he would never do that again.”

The chains broke and she vanished.

“I’m sorry Yukino.”

He nodded.

“I should have protected her! I should’ve taken her with me and her lover. I should have dropped them off somewhere nice where they would be protected and live a happy life!” He wept and wept. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Arielsa looked up to the next one.

“I am Sango Kuran. I was taken by him along with my little brother Ryu along with many others on my street. We were given weapons and thrown into a ring. He told us that he took our parents, who were in a cage next to him, and if we wanted to free them then we were to fight to the death. The one that won would be able to reunite with our parents. So we did. It came down to me and another girl and I killed her. Yet when he let mother and father go, he killed them in my arms. Then I was forced to clean it all up and his bedroom, where I found out that the only reason he did it was because mother and the mothers of the rest refused to bed him. After he threw me in the ring with snakes and he laughed as I was crushed by a boa.”

“Then go to your parents.”

The chains broke and she vanished. Then another came. Which was a younger child.

“He took me from my parents. He told me to lie on a table where he hurt me.”

He rolled his arms up showing a collection of scars.

“He told me that if I fought back he would hurt my parents. So I let him hurt me until I wept. I begged him to stop but he didn’t! He always laughed and made me say it again and again until I died. I couldn’t move on and I found out that mummy and daddy were dead!” He wept and wept.

“It’s alright. Nobody can hurt you again.”

He nodded as a group of children’s chains broke and vanished.

She moved onto a man with a mauled face.

“I am Ryo. I was the most handsome man in the town. All women wanted me. I was offered the hands of many women by their fathers. Yet Lord Kurochi got jealous and invited me to his palace where he broke my legs and ate my face and when I tried to fight back, he broke my arms. He did not stop until my face was devoured and I had been crippled. He ended it by feeding my eye to the crows and threw me to his harem and told them not to stop until I bled to death.”

“Don’t worry, it will not happen again.”

“I know. I just hope those women were okay after that. Also, after this, go to the library. I think you’ll like the books there.” He said before his chains broke and she touched her own scar on her face as he vanished.

She went onto the next one and the next one. She spent the whole day with them, chronicling all their stories before they all vanished. By the end of the day her hand ached and it was night.

“Now what?”

“We find this Lord Kurochi and kill him.” Arielsa said, as she got up.

“But we don’t have time!”

“I know, but I think he’s with Gajellidor. Which means we will be able to kill both birds.” She told them as she walked on. “Yukino, where’s the library?”

“Follow me.”

“Why go there? I want to see your greatness again.”

“Master Cerpheres, did you not hear him? He mentioned the library, so I think we will find something there.”

She walked to the library and Cerpheres followed.

“Looks like you found out who you are!”

“Looks like.”

Soon they arrived and then read all that they could and as she did both Yukino and Cerpheres taught her how to read the characters and language. Yet as they worked on Cerpheres started singing.

“Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Arielsa!

Happy birthday to you!”

She and Yukino looked at him, puzzled.

“What! You’re supposed to sing that on someone’s birthday.”

“Oh.”

She looked away.

“What now! Never celebrated your birthday?”

“No.”

“Then-”

“No time. Sooner we get this over with, the sooner that we can leave this town.”

“But what would you like?”

She frowned as she read. Then a sad smile spread across her face.

“I know it sounds girly, but hair bindings.” She said, before looking around for Kurochi Yamishi only to see that he was not there at all. So she returned to the library to see if there was a clue to where he was there, only to find none. Once they had finished reading the library, Arielsa left her early journals there.