The Veil

Chapter # 35

(Name) was falling through the darkness, the deafening silence making her head cramp. Her world was spinning on its axis, over and over like a broken record player. And then it all came to a halt.
Everything was sluggish, making her head spin. She tentatively opened her closed eyes.
She was alone, as expected. She walked a few steps, taking in her surroundings. The sky was grey, and the land was barren with no sign of life.

"This is the prison realm, huh?" She strolled around, "I was sure it was more dangerous." She took a deep breath, emptying her head from any intruding thoughts and uncertainties, she needed to find Satoru and take him with her.

She walked into the unknown, it was the beginning of her journey in the prison realm.

(Name) was sure she has been walking for hours no end and it was evident from the cramps in her feet. She switched on her senses, still no sign of any being.
The sky was still, the color was never changing, and it was impossible to track time inside the prison realm. For the umpteenth time, she looked at her wristwatch, it was stuck at the same time she has arrived in the prison.
She set the bag she has brought with her to the side and sat down.
A foreign dizziness captured her senses, making her vision blurry. She stood up abruptly only to trip and fall on her face.
"What..." Soon, (Name) was nothing but a carcass on the dry barren land.

An unknown figure appeared over the sleeping figure of a woman. Her breathing was even as her chest rose and fell with every inhale and exhale.

He observed her with interest, his red eyes gleaming with intrigue as his lips were set into a grin.

He made sure she was set on the most plush surface he owned, that being a pile of old papers he has gathered from the books that didn't catch his interest anymore.

He knew who she was, her name, and every little detail of her from the books he owned had to offer. He was surveying the area where he has felt a breach in his realm.

He didn't know it would be her. like every being in her realm, he has observed so far, he admitted not one came to being as peculiar as her. She captured his interest the day she was born, just as the six eyes have.

With a last glance, the man in black robes walked away, disappearing among the tall bookshelves.

(Name)'s head hurt, and she felt groggy, the same feeling she has felt the first time she drank alcohol, needless to say, she didn't touch that accursed drink ever after that.
She opened her eyes, focusing on the ceiling. She felt something jabbing her side, and she moved away, trying to find the offending object. It was a hard-cover book, she couldn't read the title. The encryption was foreign to her. When she gained her senses back, throwing the book somewhere, she looked around.

The place was nothing like she has ever seen. There were tall bookshelves everywhere she looked, even the ceiling was made out of bookshelves. How these books were suspended above her was beyond her. With her mouth agape, she took in the details.

'Does anyone live here?' She asked herself.
She walked through the gaps between bookshelves, trying to find a way out of the never-ending library.

"Does this place ever ends?!" She yelled, frustrated.

"You are finally awake?" A voice, no doubt belonging to a male, asked. She tensed, and the voice echoed, "no need to get uptight..."

"Says someone afraid to show themselves." She retorted, her statement was met with hearty laughter.

"Look around, darling, I'm all around you."
 
She was dumbfounded, looking around for the source of the voice, "stop fooling around and show yourself, stranger!"

"Why would I?" For being just a voice, it sounded smug, "can't you find me with your gifted senses, (Name) (Last Name)?"

"How did you---"

"I know more than that." The voice spoke cutting her off, "your birthday is on (birthdate), your mother was stabbed when she was pregnant with you by a man who later was murdered before your clan was able to investigate the event further. I also know the identity of that man and which clan paid him to kill you in your mother's womb." (Name) mouth fell open, with every detail this person was giving her, he couldn't be any normal being.

"Who- no, what are you?"

"You trespassed my territory and are asking me who am I?"

"I trespassed..." She realized she was in the prison realm, "you live here, in the prison realm?"

"I don't live here, I own this place."

"Ah, I get it, mister. Do you want me to leave? I will once you gesture to the exit." She played the card of flattery, it always seemed to work on her behalf.

"No."

"But why!?"

"Because I can."

"Just because you own this place doesn't mean you have to behave like an asshole." She responded, with a huff.

The other side was silent for a while. She considered maybe the voice was bored of bickering with her. She walked around the place a bit more, still no sign of anyone, the voice didn't try speaking again as well.

There was a murmur, as if someone was talking but there was just one voice and it was familiar. (Name) immediately hid behind a bookshelf and peeked through the lines of books. She was only able to see the back of the person, "I expected more from the chameleon than hiding behind the bookshelves." The familiar voice echoed but this time it had a source and the source was standing with its back turned to her.
(Name) stiffened, thinking if she should combat or run away. The bookshelves moved on their own, exposing her fully to the man.
He was facing the opposite direction, she can take him down if she stabs him in the back. Her finger brushed where her knives holding belt was supposed to be but found it nowhere.

"I took away your weapons, they were quite fascinating. It's been a few thousand years since I touched a blade, almost cut my hand." He twisted his neck to the side, she was only able to see some of his cheek from behind the curtain of dark hair.

(Name) realized, the man was too comfortable in her hostile presence, he was either underestimating her skills or maybe even a little stupid, or just stronger and confident in his skills, "Who are you?"

"I don't have a name."

"Didn't your parents give you a name?"

"I never had parents,"

This was stunning as well as ridiculous, "I mean what do people refer to you as?"

"Yes, they called me many things when I walked among the mortals." He slowly  turned to face her, "but you can call me Chishima-sama." His red eyes gleamed at her as he barred his fangs into a grin.

Author's note:
Hello, Chisima is my original character, he never appeared in JJK Manga written by Gege Akutami.

Bye~