A CRESCENT MOON

Chapter 3

I set foot in the overworld. I did it, I made it. I fumbled around my pocket until I got hold of the necklace. I looked at the gold pendant with flowers engraved on it and my eyes started to water.

"Mother, we did it, we finally escaped that monster. I wish you were here with me though..."

The tears that were building up in my eyes rolled down my cheeks. It didn't take long before I got pulled back to reality. I quickly wiped my tears away and looked around. I got to the part of my plan that needed improvising. I have no clue where I am or where I need to go. The only thing I know is that I need to get as far away from this portal as I can. I started walking, trying to put as much distance between me and the portal. I stumbled upon a building with a cross on top. I remembered seeing this kind of building in one of the books I read, it is a place for worship of God. My mother always spoke highly of Him so He must be able to help me. I went inside and knelt in front of the altar. My mother always told me how she prayed to Him so maybe that is what I should do as well? I closed my eyes and started to pray.

"Dear God, high and mighty in the sky. I pray for your guidance. My mother was a loyal follower of Yours and died in Your name. Don't let her sacrifice be in vain and offer me the guidance I need."

I felt the wind blowing around me and opened my eyes to see someone standing in front of me.

"You offend me, young one. How dare you disgrace my name with your pity words. You have filthy demon blood, there is no place for you in my kingdom."

"You are supposed to be kind! My mother dedicated her life to you! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Your mother strayed from her path. Now be gone and never speak my name again."

The person in front of me vanished and left me all alone. I was furious. Is this the God my mother spoke so highly off? The one she sacrificed her life for. Pardon my French, but this God is a bloody bastard. Defeated and angry, I walked out of the church. Lost in thought about what to do now, I accidently bumped into something or rather someone.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

I took a second to take in the person in front of me. She was wearing orange robes, but the most notable were her striking blue eyes. She offered me a kind smile before she spoke:

"Pardon my intrusion, but I heard what just happened. Maybe God won't offer you help, but I can. If you want a place to hide, I can offer you, my home."

"That is so nice of you. I would love a place to stay if you are so kind as to offer that."

"Great, follow me. I will show my home and get you something to eat, you look starving."

I did as she told me and followed her. Her house wasn't very far away, and it only took us ten minutes to get there. We went inside and the woman turned to me again.

"Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ayako. I will run you a bath and make you a meal. Afterwards we can talk and properly get to know each other if that is alright with you?"

"That would be fine. My name is Micah, pleasure to meet you."

Ayako excused herself and walked up the stairs, presumably to fill up a bath. I took it upon myself to explore the house a bit. It wasn't near as grand as the castle, but it already felt more like home than my actual home. There were old paintings on the wall and a small fireplace in the living room and there was also a bookcase filled to the brim with books. The house seemed like an organised mess, crystals lying everywhere, and beautiful cards spread out on a little table. I was looking around the kitchen when Ayako came in and told me the bath was ready. I followed her upstairs as she showed me where the bath was. Ayako then left me and went downstairs. I took off my cloak and folded it neatly. My eyes caught a mirror in the corner of the room and suddenly a thought hit me. How do I explain to Ayaka why I look like this? Won't this be too much for her to handle? But then again, she didn't seem phased about my conversation with God. I have a slight feeling she knows more than a normal human should know. I take off the rest of my clothes and take a bath. The water is nice and warm on my skin, and I feel my muscles instantly relaxing. I sat there for half an hour when I finally decided to get out. I find fresh clothes laid out on a stool for me and I put them on. I consider for a few seconds to put the cloak back on, but I decide against it and brace myself when I go downstairs. Ayako looks at me but doesn't seem surprised. Instead, she offered me the meal she just made, and I sat down at the table with her. We ate together in silence and when we finished, she finally spoke:

"So, do you want to tell me your story? Why were you running around the city in the middle of the night?"

"Speaking of that actually, where am I to be exact?"

"We are in Kyoto, one of the major cities of Japan."

"It's better than Tartarus, way more vibrant and alive."

"Tartarus? As in the underworld?"

"Yes, have you heard of it?"

"Only in myths, never been there myself."

"Trust me you haven't missed out."

"Who were you running from in Tartarus?"

"My father, actually."

"What happened?"

I look Ayako in her eyes for a few seconds, wondering if I should tell her the whole story. I tried to think of reasons why I shouldn't, but nothing comes to mind. So, I began telling my life story to this person I met like an hour ago. She listened attentively while I told the story and at the end she said:

"Well, you can stay here for as long as you like, but if I can advise you something, perhaps avoid going outside, your appearance is not common around here and some people might not react as accepting as me."

"I don't really want to risk being outside either way. I don't want my father to find me."

"Great, then everything is settled. Make yourself at home."

Over the next few months, I learned a lot from living with Ayako. She told me all about human culture and in return I taught her about things like Tartarus, demons, and angels. Ayako also thought it would be a great idea to change my last name, to cut myself of from my father. I asked her to come up with a last name for me and she came up with Deyato. Micah Deyato, I love it. It felt like a new chapter for me, changing my last name was the last thing I needed to let go of my past. Ayako and I were sitting in the living room, laughing, and talking to each other when there suddenly were knocks on the door. We both looked at each other in horror. Slowly Ayako stood up and went to open the door.