|COMPLETE| Life after death, ironically enough, does not live up to expectations.
When the entirety of the afterlife is upended by unexpected chaos after the gods took a leisurely vacation, Death himself enlists Evyionne's help to find out what went...
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'Neath the Willow Tree
New illustration! It's a different art style, but I'm still experimenting. This art came out on a whim, so please pardon if it doesn't match the details in this chapter.
That morning, I helped Mistress Kora attend to our injured guest to change his bandages. He did throw me out a little while after, considering it was a guy he was changing. Apparently, he didn't want my eyes being 'soiled.' My 'soiled eyes' had to do a roll at that, but I made no protest. Our guest also seemed embarrassed with me being in the room, so I retreated. I took a peek though.
Damn, okay.
I wasn't able to take a good look at his body before, primarily because I was too horrified to watch Kora perform the surgery and stitching. However, aside from the wound under his rib cage that had recently been closed, numerous scars riddled his body. His bones jutted out of his skin and his stomach was caving under ever so slightly. No wonder he looked so slender—I would take it that he was malnourished. Whatever his life had been, surely...it wasn't pleasant.
Indeed, like Aunt Safia had said, his wounds had already pretty much healed. It was a little uncanny—but I suppose that was simply how things were.
To distract me, Mistress Veronika pulled me to the garden to check on my physical training. This was already pretty much my Zumba. The dance, however, consisted of kung fu...kinda. It wasn't really kung fu, but it sure did resemble one.
Actually, I didn't know much about martial arts. To me, they were all kung fu.
To make my days go easier when I had to work out, I just sing the song 'everybody goes kung fu fighting' in my head when I was moving—if that was even right. I only hear it in movies, I don't expect to know the lyrics.
Unfortunately, I wasn't born to wield blades. While I was sturdier than most kids—smarter, too—I didn't have the talent for it. So much for being a swordmaster in this life. Whatever martial arts I was taught by Mistress Veronika were only the barest bit to help me protect myself in case I needed it.
"Evy," Mistress Veronika began, sighing as I got into the stance she taught me. Her shoulders dropped as she bent down on her knees. "I know you don't like this, but I need you to try."
Whoop. I don't like that tone. "I am trying, mistress," I said, dreading what was coming next.
She sighed. "Okay. I know that face. I suppose six years is enough to see this isn't really your area..." She gazed at me defeatedly. "Well, maybe melee is not for you. I'm being very close-minded because swords are what I prefer. Consider what you've learned until now a supplement to a specialty. They don't necessarily mean that they have been wasted." She paused, thinking for a few moments. She scratched her head. "Let's think long-range. You have good focus and you have a nice aim in general. If you can knock people down before they get to you, you won't have any problem."
