Are you happy Tristian(Last installment of 'Are you ___' series)

Chapter 9

It soon became night time.

Utopia and Eden were in a deep sleep when Tristian slowly and quietly got off his bed. He lifted the mattress and took out a few bags that contain his clothes and other essential things that he may need. His hand went inside one of his pockets, taking out a goodbye note he wrote earlier. He placed it on the ground before walking out of the room and eventually, the dorm.

This is it, he will soon be on his own.

Tristian shuddered. Despite wearing long and thick garments, along with a jacket, Tristian felt cold. Maybe it was a warning sent to him by someone, but even if that was the case, he didn't care. If there was a way to see his family again, but most importantly, find out who killed Florist, then he will take that chance. As he walked even more further away from home, Tristian noticed Diane on her knees and mumbling something. When he got closer, his hearts clenched painfully.

"God...I know I never was a person who prayed or was religious. But I just wanted to say again that I miss King...I love him...I wish I can see him again. Even if it's just once." Tristian bit his lower lip. He had this urge to invite Diane along. But he felt that not only that Diane could be a potential liability, but that he would rather be the only one to find this exit. As selfish as that sounds.

But at the end of the day, seeing good people like Diane most likely cry, is a weakness. Causing Tristian to relent.

"Hello? Diane?"

The girl stopped and turned to face him, soon sporting a bright smile on her face. "Tristian, hey! What brings you here late at night?" The male smiled softly, "Well...I'm going back home. In the real world. I actually want you to come with me." Diane was surprised but skeptical at the same time. "But we're dead...and even if that was possible, it's only for God and other beings like him." Tristian only shrugged, "Well...it was worth a shot. Again, it was nice meeting you. Diane." With that, he continues on walking.

She watches as he goes off to who knows where. Tristian doesn't really know where to start, but he's confident that he can find a way somehow. "Wait....if it's on the other side of Purgatory, then all I need to do is continue going back from which I came from...right?" Tristian whispered to himself as he kept walking. It could be true to an extent, but he knows that there's more to that. He slowed down a bit and secretly looked behind him to see if Diane changed her mind.

She didn't, oh well.

Tristian wandered around for around ten more minutes until he started to notice the sky getting a bit darker. Is he getting there? He suddenly saw someone ahead who was sitting against a tree. Maybe they can help him. Tristian started to run towards the figure until he started to hear growls. The young man was on high alert and he slowed down a bit. With each step slowly taken, the louder and more menacing the growls get.

Once Tristian almost reached the figure, which looked like a middle aged man, the direction of air shifted a bit. Tristian soon noticed two three-headed dogs snarling at him as they leaped. "Why didn't mom buried at least a sword or two with me, huh?! Oh well...he didn't want to do this but there was no other way. Tristian flexed his hands and cracked his knuckles. When the dogs got close, their growls turn into whimpers as they were punched far away from him.

He ran towards them while they were down and punched each one repeatedly. The dogs continued to whimper and whine in pain until eventually, silence claims them. Black eyes turned back to green as Tristian looked down at the motionless animals and their loosened jaws. The bodies looked like as if they were dead.

But this is the land of the dead, so that wouldn't be possible, right?

"So you want to go back to the real world that bad. Those dogs were protecting the gate ahead to the other side of Purgatory. But now you temporarily killed them..." Tristian whipped his head quickly towards the source of the sound and found out that it was the middle aged man he saw earlier. Looking straight at him with golden eyes.

Tristian was confused by the last sentence the other uttered out. "What do you mean by that? We're on the land of the dead." He asked and briefly explained to the man.

The man sighed, "I can try to explain it but it's a bit complicated. Yes, we are dead. Like, for real, dead. But we still have a conscious....or is that the right word to use. Oh well, I'm sure you understand. It just transferred from our bodies on earth to our spiritual ones here. It's like...we're alive and can feel things like emotions and physical pain or pleasure. When you temporarily kill someone, you!re basically shutting off that consciousness and the ability to be awake and perform for a very very long time. My wife had been temporarily killed in a boating accident here. It has been four years since then. Forty six more to go....and yes, depending on the person and the act or you can say, the cause of death along with the reasoning behind it, you will be dead for a certain amount of time. The longest someone or something has been dead was for around 100-1500 years. We don't know because it reportedly hasn't awakened yet." Tristian pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows as he collects all of the information that he can get.

"Do you know what species it was or if it can talk?"

The man shook his head.

"I only know that it has the ability to talk but doesn't want to speak."

Tristian nodded his head again, "Thank you sir...I am willing to take the risk..." The man suddenly interrupted him. "Young man...don't be like me...who was foolish enough to go on this suicide mission. You know...if you get killed by those people on the dark side, the number of years that you would stay temporarily dead will be added by ten additional years!" That young man only smiled and shrugged his shoulders as he finds a map near the middle age man and picks up, looking it over before stuffing it in his pocket. The middle aged man let out a Yelp followed by a 'hey!' as Tristian starts walking away. The demon boy looked back with a smile.

"Just like I said....I'm willing to take the risk."

With that, Tristian is gone and officially on his own, at least for now.