The Art of Being a Creature

Chapter Four: Strangers, yet Familiar

"HEY!" I shouted really loud, my blood was pumping so hard that my I could feel my head being rushed. From sprints, but mostly from the expectation of seeing my kind first time in twenty three years of this life.

They didn't seem to hear my voice. They did not move, the smoke-well it is the Hell's fire but as far as I know they only work for humans or animals that feels guilty from their sins.

"Hey!" I screamed, my voice was really hoarse.

You know, my mother warned me not to give any other people "that look", the sharp pupil in red eyes.

They didn't seem very human like, and if I could not catch their attention this time, I had my instinct that they would just hide themselves just like I did.

I tried to shift my eyes, into original eyes engraved in my nature. I hope, I prayed to something I hadn't sought, never once for long long time.

I want them to know me.
I want them to notice me.
I want to know them.

I want to go back.

"You must know that you can not go back so easily once you are in this life." The voice just behind me suddenly rang my ears.

It was the monk. Standing behind without making any sound of walking.

Was I being followed?

And, did he hear my thoughts?

"May I ask again, are you a passerby?"

"I-" what should I answer?

What is the answer?

"Why do you act in this human body? What are you?" The monk asked, not in a kind voice, but still peaceful. There was strength in his peace.

I was shown to this monk.

I lost all the effort, my practice to hide myself among people. My knees won't move, and my eyes were still all red with sharp, snake like pupils.

Is the smoke people gone?

Then I felt the slight touch of very long fingers.

There were the three family members, I knew they were, but with different body. The body from their dimension, the Hell.

They were incredibly tall, the shortest was like 2.5m, and the tallest would be 4m. with very long limbs and fingers, all black like their fire, sleek bodies, like a lizard, but in form of a general man. But they did not have eyes, nose, mouth ,ears, or hair. There seemed to be no holes in their bodies.

They put a very long index finger on the place where mouth would normally be, as if were to say "sush."

Then pushed me back a little from the monk, and towards them. The smaller one touched my back and patted three times.

Their actions assured me.

The feeling that I never had inside human society.

Comfort.

There are from where I belonged.

I took a deep breath, and became calm. Calmer than ever.

And I answered.

"I am among them."

"I don't understand what you mean by 'passerby', but I was just born here. In this wrong place. I've been living, as if I'm punished. Like a systemic error, and now I want to go back."

Yeah. And I'm an Asian, if you hadn't noticed, all black hair, normally Koreans have blackish brown eyes.

And this sleek lizard man softly ran its fingers through my hair.

And the black fire seem to smear, which I wasn't afraid of, nor felt guilty of any sins, and as fingers go off, my hair turned red, blight flaming red. And grew a bit longer. My hair tie was burnt away.

And monk was on his knee. On knee on the ground, like bowing down.

"You are here." The monk swallowed.

"The red Asura from our prophecy."

He sipped a short breath.

"Our temple, 潛龍寺 (Sleeping Dragon Temple, 잠룡사) has received prophecy 1000 years ago in Goryeo dynasty. Please come inside. I'll explain and answer to your questions."