The Heavenly Tale - Nameless God's

Chapter 11's

Before arriving at the border of the coastal city, the two still had to pass through the ruins of the rest of the city. The man had already reminded him that the final danger was the plague, it should be very simple to understand. But the girl still could not help her surprise when she watched along the way the scenery of people who were ‘stricken’ by the plague.

Their bodies paled and their lips blackened, the streaks of blood vessels around their bodies also blackened. Their eyes seemed to be covered in a layer of murky clouds, the girl was not sure if they could see or not. Their bodies are also taken care of and some people look like skin-lined bones. Sometimes, the girl saw people with strange bone shapes as if twisted. But they were all silent, not making a sound or move as the girl and the man passed by around them. They're like the undead.

“What kind of an outbreak is this? Does this outbreak have a name?” the girl whispered as quietly as possible after she passed three people who seemed to be gathering behind the rubble of the building. All three were both still alive and contracted the plague, crouching like lethargic corpses leaning against the rubble. The three just looked at the two until they were away. Although Faith wasn't sure if they could still hear or not, she didn't say anything until they were quite far away from the three.

“This outbreak is not only real, but also mystical. Normally everyone affected by the outbreak will experience several stages before reaching the most severe stage and die. A new plague came down to earth one day ago, but they were already this severe. This is not a good sign. Most likely what could happen is that they have come face to face with the outbreak directly.” The man explained calmly, but his eyes showed caution.

“Arabid is someone?” Faith asked again.

“Something that can take form as slander imitates human form,” replied the man.

That's something beyond Faith's understanding. He was often curious, always trying to find out and as a result he became aware of many things, although there were also losses that he felt. But he was young, there was still a lot he didn't know. In fact, the more he knows, the more he realizes that the more he doesn't know. But even so, he did not impose his will, especially to know things that he might not know.

They still crossed the capital for several hours, then as they entered the beginning of the eleventh day, they arrived at the border of the capital and the coastal city. In accordance with the information the girl received, the area was no longer filled with buildings or streets, all of them were wiped out by the big waves. There were some big trees and houses still standing, but that was the only one they could recognize. The rest is just the form of pieces of stone and concrete, wood chips, iron, and everything that has begun to be very weathered. The water was still standing high enough, although not so high, the girl was sure they would not be able to swim to their destination.

But among the chaos of the objects, the girl felt the man next to her was carrying her through the rubble carefully until their feet almost touched the water. How surprised he was when he saw a small boat of dark brown wood anchored silently before them, as if waiting for the two. From the size of the boat, it seemed like two people were enough to ride simultaneously.

The tall man gave his umbrella to the girl. “Can you keep this for a while?” said. When Faith was holding her umbrella, she got on the boat and hinted the girl to come along. The girl climbed up carefully, then crouched down for a moment as the man walked forward and took a paddle from the front of the boat.

“I can sit in front and show you the way. You'll have trouble seeing if I sit behind you,” Faith said.

“I'm used to seeing in the dark, so I'll be fine. You better sit down and don't take that umbrella out of your hand as long as I'm still paddling. If you want to sleep, sleep well, our journey will take time,” said the man gently. He did not spend time on pleasantries, because after that he immediately rowed his boat and they began to sail among the sea of trash.

Because at that time the sky was always dark, Faith felt she was sailing at night. But his words were too poetic apparently, for he realized there were no ripples of water or the sound of waves, and when he looked up he saw no stars. He was really just sailing in the dark. Sitting down, the girl leaned the man's red umbrella over his shoulder, and his hand held the lantern close, trying to enjoy the warmth of his little flame.

After a moment of silence, the girl began to say, “If there were people who survived this tsunami disaster, they might have fled to the capital or another city. If we meet the survivor, will we help him?”

The man paddled in silence for a while then said, “I doubt.”

That's an answer that should be ambiguous, but for Faith it is clear that the meaning in the words of the man means ‘no survivors’ and instead of ‘I do not know if there are survivors or not’. The girl closed her mouth, feeling the firmness in the man's voice. He immediately changed the topic. “If Mr Spirit feels tired, I can replace you paddled.”

Hearing this, the man softened and the girl could feel the softness in her voice. “I know you mean well, but really, you don't have to worry. I'll keep paddling until we arrive at our next destination.”

During their journey from day one to today, Faith felt the man in front of her had already done many selfless things for her. He accompanies the elderly Faith wherever she goes, finds a place to rest, and gives her messages and instructions to protect herself. Especially the one thing he had always done faithfully; nurturing her. Cuddling her seemed like an obligation to her, and she could not see the girl coming out of the shade of her umbrella. Only when she really had to part with him did she release the girl from the shade of her umbrella.

At first, when remembering all these good things, the girl felt that the man was not a man, actually a good figure but was mysterious. Everything he did was always careful and conscious, so he never harmed the girl. However, presumably the term ‘because indigo a speck of broken milk sebelanga’ is true. The girl remembered why she had met this man and led to the next events; this man would take her soul.

If you think back, it could be that everything the man did was through his calculations carefully to bring the girl to her death. It could be that he is lying, or pretending to be nice so that the girl does not fear him, and then deceives him. It could be that he was actually just a passive actor accompanying the girl, things had been arranged by the gods for the two to meet, and then their journey took place. That man can be anything, including the killer, after all, he's not human.

In his mind, he weighed the worst possible and the best chance he had. In fact, he would die anyway someday, no matter who or what killed him, he thought. So even though this man had actually deceived her and led her to her own death, she had no choice but to follow him. He will feel sad of course, but he must not run away. If later this man really tricked him into killing him and taking his soul, then he had to accept it, he himself agreed to walk with the man. However, if luck was siding with him and it turned out that this man was truly a sincere figure, then he would be very happy to accept his death. Whichever path the girl has to go, she has to accept her death.

When it awakens to his daydream that almost puts him to sleep, Faith realizes that their boat has stopped moving. He looked up, for a moment stunned when he saw the man also stopped rowing. His body looks tense.

“Master of the Spirit?” he's vocal.

“Ssh!” the man sizzled telling him to be quiet. He was fixated for a while, then suddenly turned around while exclaiming, “Turn off the lantern!” while hissing. He crawled to the side of the girl, then the two sat clinging to the shade of the umbrella. The lanterns were dead, and darkness and silence enveloped them. For a moment they fell silent tensely, then the man lowered his head cautiously. “Close your eyes.”

His words again sounded resolute, and the girl immediately followed the order. He lowered his head while closing his eyes tightly, just in case something incomprehensible to man would happen again, just like the incident of the rock hill basin. The man's hand on his head then moved down onto his shoulder and grabbed him firmly, but did not hurt him. “Do not open your eyes. Don't talk.”

Not long after saying so, a white figure flashed from their right direction. The figure seemed to be walking from a distance away from them, but the distance was getting closer and finally it was seen that the white figure was going to cross them. Not only was that becoming clearer, but the form of the figure was also becoming clearer, and actually the white figure was not walking, but floating above the water. The figure was tall like a human, wearing a long white shirt that covered it all the way to the tip of the foot. He had a head, but his head was all wrapped in some kind of bandage, and the edge of his bandage hung behind his head. His face was covered in a white mask, and there was only a small eye-hole in the mask. As big as his shirt, he seemed to have no hands. The floating white figure drew closer, then as he stood a few meters before the man and the girl's boat, he stopped. His head turned in an odd way, staring at the boat.

The man tightened his grip on the girl's shoulder, pulling the girl deeper into her arms, but she said nothing. His free hand moved to the blindfold on his left, then raised it and stared back at the white figure. His eyeballs were fresh blood red, redder than the previous sky, decorated with tiny lines around his pupils. Because it was so dark, his eyes seemed to be shining. His forehead shriveled for a while, looking angry was also challenging.

The white figure that was also staring at him looked wide-eyed, yet it was not like how humans had swerved. The small hole for the eye in his mask was rounded big slowly, and streaks appeared from inside there, so that his eyes looked like tangled threads. The two figures exchanged glances for a while, but nothing happened there. At least that is what can be seen with the naked eye of a human.

Faith opened her eyes and blinked a few times before looking up. He immediately looked around to check if something was happening, or he could not understand it. After that, he looked at the man. “What happened?” he said calm, but confused.

The man seemed to weigh for a moment before answering, “Then it was a plague, it seemed to be enjoying its time.”

A flurry of confusion on Faith's face appeared then disappeared quickly and she’ria. He wanted to ask a lot of things, but he held himself back. “Is that why you forbid me from opening my eyes?”

“True.” The man looked at her calmly while nodding small.

“Thank you,” said the girl.

The man replied with a smile. They still held on to the previous position, the man's hand was coiled around the girl's shoulder, and the girl looked up at him. Just a few seconds into such a position, Faith suddenly spoke.

“I know it's very dark and it's kind of impossible to justify my view, but this is the first time I've looked at you up close and I can't help but notice things. You look radiant, and actually you're like. pull.” The girl paused and twitched once, questioning whether she should continue her words or not. On the other hand, the man raised his eyebrows, surprised and astonished.

“Your skin is pale, but there appears to be a white light shining from inside there, your black hair is blacker than night, yet she is lustrous like silver. You wear red and gold prominently, but you don't hurt your eyes. But I'm not saying that you look feminine, no, you look charming in a masculine way. If I could describe you in one word, maybe I would say ‘ilahi’. I say it as a compliment from an ordinary human woman, you are like the most charming divine being I have ever seen.”

Hearing this the man was getting more and more stunned. His eyes could not turn away from the girl's eyes, and his body could not move. His eyes were still showing shock and astonishment, as if he was still trying to digest what the girl said just now. The praise that flowed from the girl's mouth was a sincere compliment, because she was completely stunned, and it was all reflected from the girl's eyes. Thus, the girl was free from any feelings other than admiration when she said so. He is also free from accusations or hidden intentions, because his words are so clear and uncomplicated, the meaning he wants to convey is in accordance with his words.

The girl almost seemed to be tilting her head. “Did I offend you?”

Instantly the man shook his head. “Oh, no, not that.” He stopped again, his eyes were still staring at the girl, and his mouth was slightly opened. “I have many names and are famous for many things; the appeal of my physical appearance is one of them, and I am nicknamed the Red Lily From the Valley (Red Lily of the Valley). Many beings praised me, but they always hid a certain intent, so I was so used to receiving empty praise. Hearing you say it that way, I felt pulled from my senses and I was at a loss for words. I guess.. thank you.”

“Oh...” Faith nods. “Mm, I think you deserve it, congratulations then,” he said then rather awkwardly. “But it's a pretty name.”

The man then chuckled softly and withdrew his hand. “Actually the flower is a poisonous flower.” He went back to the front of the boat and started rowing back.

The man's last words made the girl dissolve in his mind again. If the pretty name actually meant poisonous flowers, would she be allowed to assume that all the good the man did was a trap and a trick? Is it true that this figure of a man is actually someone who is dangerous?

“Master of the Spirit, may I ask you something? At the beginning of our meeting, you said you'd take my soul. But now we are together through Judgment Day to this day, the eleventh day. You kept walking with me tirelessly, even protecting me with your advice, and last I knew, you healed my wounds. Do you really want to lead me to my death? Or do you really want to save me?”

Faith finally voiced out the contents of her head and heart. He was just curious, to answer his confusion. But if the man refuses to answer, he cannot and will not force it. He had already made up his mind to accept any path, including his sure death, so he would not be daunted.

To his surprise, the man answered the girl. “I've come to take your soul, and I will do it at the end of your life. I also told you that even though you are destined to die today, if you do good and want to make amends, the god can give his mercy and prolong your life. You've asked me before, whether you're going to die during Cleaning Day or not, and I said we should see for ourselves. Behold, now it is entering the eleventh day, and you are alive. Remember, today is not over. In the next few hours no one knows what will happen to you, whether you will survive or have to die. I cannot answer you simply whether I protect you or not, but I tell you, that everything I do is my own will, and I do not lie.”

A soothing feeling of relief and joy enveloped the girl's heart upon hearing this answer. Again, he was fascinated, but not to the face of the man, but to the sincerity and courage in his words. He could not describe how the sound of someone making him creep, but that was what happened to him.

“Master of Spirits, I don't know what you really are, maybe I don't deserve to know or judge it. But whatever that creature is, I believe you are a wise and sincere and honest man. I can see more goodness than you even though I can't mention it.” His words flowed like water.

Faith did not see him, but the man smiled. “Thank you. You are truly a brave man.”

The girl smiled too. “I will feel very grateful and have the honor if Mr. Spirit will take my soul. I hope that with my death, I can remember all your kindness, and all about you.”

“I will make you remember,” replied the man calmly.

Still smiling, Faith let the warm feeling in her heart seep deeply. As a joke, he asked, “How do you plan on taking my soul? Leave me alone and come back after I die? Or watch as I'm dying?”

Hearing that, a big smile fell on the man's face. Her smile that was so wide was even felt in her tone. “I will make you a god.”

Whahuh?

Despite asking as a joke, the girl could not pretend to be indifferent and considered the man's words to be as funny as his questions. He could not help his confused face. “Is it serious?” he was weighing in and it seemed that this question was the most appropriate.

“Who knows.”