Heresy (formerly Dogma)

Act 3 - Reita's Savior

Reita groaned softly as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the light reaching from the door into his dungeon. His chains dragged and slid across the floor and his aching body as he shifted to try to find any position that relieved some of his agony. His captor had restrained him for "witchcraft" after he'd given his daughter a crown made of flowers. Reita had simply been trying to use aromatherapy to calm the sick girl enough to slumber. In Reita's opinion, his captor was far more terrible than he was.

The man kept Reita chained to a cross constantly and claimed that his god would strike Reita down for such devil worship. While on the other hand, his captor beat, starved, and raped Reita constantly. And it had been going on for more than a few weeks now. Reita had begun to seriously give up whatever hope in a god he had left. His head drooped as blood slipped from the part of the mask covering his eye.

"Please... If there is a god...any god...help me... I don't know what to do. Yes, I play with herbs and medicine and meddle with magic, but I don't curse people. I try to help people... Surely, I don't deserve punishment this bad..."

"You're right. You don't. I know you only wanted to help that little girl. Yet her father captured you and did all this to my beautiful child."

Reita's light blonde head jerked up as he heard the unfamiliar voice. Oh god, please not another captor... He wasn't sure his body could take i- Wait. "You know I wanted to help her? How could you possibly know that? I've never seen you before in my life."

Ruki's lips curved upwards as he took a step forward and cupped the blonde's face softly in his hands. "I'll be your god. Yes, I know you wanted to help her. Pure, magical, sweet boy. Reita, I will get you down from here and maybe dirty my hands for you, if that's what you desire. It'll help me get rid of some garbage. In return, you must follow me until the end. I will never abandon you like all those other unseemly gods I deal with on a regular basis."

Reita felt his stomach tighten anxiously as his eyes stared into Ruki's. Was this for real? Had he imagined Ruki? He decided to try it anyway. "Please...anything for you. Just get me away from here. I just want to go home." Ruki's smile turned dark as he flicked his wrist and Reita's chains immediately fell away.

He had a rough landing and groaned as he fell to his knees. Ruki only continued to smile at him as he bent to help him up. "So, dear child, should I get rid of this thorn in your side? His thread is wearing quite thin anyway." Reita bit his lip before he nodded shortly. "Very well, child. Go back home. To where you belong. But do not forget my kindness."

Reita nodded straight away, but paled as  he saw the shadow move across the light on the floor. His captor! Reita felt his blood begin to run cold as the heavy footsteps swiftly entered the room. Ruki remained as tranquil as he had been before.

"What the hell is going on here!? How did you even find him!?"

Ruki sneered morbidly as he turned to the voice. "So, you're the one who has treated my child so inhumanely. I feel sorry for you. Especially now that you've met me. Begone revolting shadow. Seppuku is the only honorable thing you're worthy of." Ruki slid his thumb across his own throat slowly before the captor began to choke and gurgle loudly.

Reita watched in bewilderment as the man began to choke on his own blood and suddenly his head fell from his shoulders, blood beginning to spurt and spray everywhere. Reita rapidly cast his gaze down, unable to watch any longer. Ruki suddenly turned back to him and smiled up at him gently, as if at a tiny toddler. The forthright change in Ruki's mood almost unnerved Reita, but Ruki's words soothed him.

"No one shall hurt you anymore, dear one. My grim reaper, Uruha, shall take over handling things now. Go home. Now. And don't look back."

Ruki watched as the male finally stumbled away and definitely did not chance a glance back. Ruki nearly jumped as Uruha stepped forward from the shadows with tree-like growths extending from his body. They stared at each other for a moment before Ruki nodded and stepped past him. Uruha didn't like to be watched as he reaped souls. The silent reaper checked that the god was gone before he drug one of his willowy appendages down the chest of the body.

An onyx  smoke slowly billowed up from the body with a circular formation at the top. Uruha smiled obscurely as his branches slowly surrounded the orb and drew it into his mouth before he swallowed it whole between his sharp teeth. "Ugh, repulsive..." he choked out softly. The soul had a dark muddy  and musky taste to it that made  his tongue feel like he'd licked a sheet of sandpaper. He was actually more genuinely happy that the task had been finished sooner than later. It had been very close to the soul's departure time anyway. Uruha withdrew his growths gently before he turned and left back to the underworld.

Ruki was already calmly seated in front of Aoi when he returned. "I have something for you, Aoi." Uruha announced as he pulled the dark crystallized soul from his pocket. The demon excitedly held out his hands as Uruha dropped it into them with a soft "plop". Aoi smiled devilishly and brightly as he stroked his thumbs over the orb.

"Oh, you and I are going to have so much fun!" the demon shrieked excitedly with a wink.

Uruha made a funny face as Ruki watched on bemused. "How do you manage to do that anyway? You have never disclosed that before." the god inquired. Uruha shifted uncomfortably as he toyed with the cloth around his pants.

"I'd rather not talk about that one."

Ruki laughed loudly at the grim reaper's flushed face before he focused on the demon happily playing with the soul orb like a cat with a ball of yarn. "Aoi, enough. Get that thing out of my temple. You're polluting my nice odd smell in here." Aoi rapidly gathered himself and stood up before poking his tongue out at the god.

"Oh, so sorry. I'll just take my rancid, stinky soul back to my room then~"

The grim reaper and god both laughed boisterously as the demon left the chamber.