Lie 31 – Intertwined Paths

This is a story that goes back to a time when the fruits of chaos are still being formed, the cruel fates yet to be revealed.

In another volume of his journey through the Underworld, the “Adam’s Heir” will fight memorable battles and meet people who might have the answers he is looking for.

Origins, convictions, and duties. Everything will be put to the test once more.

Naomi dramatically parted company with Yamir and Iduma. The blue-eyed girl was currently unconscious as she had one of those strange dreams of hers.

In this particular dream, Adam and Eve in their teens were seen sitting under the Tree of Science enjoying the stunning landscape of the garden. A lass from the village about their age approached them, shyly, wondering whether or not to show herself.

“Lilith? Come on, sit next to us” Eve noticed the girl’s presence and said.

“The view is super cool!” Adam said, smiling.

The young lady named Lilith sat next to Eve, albeit keeping some distance. The afternoon breeze and the birds chirping and singing on the branches of the colossal tree behind them was something heavenly.

“Seen from above is way better though…” Adam crossed his arms and said feeling disappointed.

“We’re not climbing to the top of the tree” Eve looked at Adam and reiterated what she had said earlier.

“Why? You wouldn’t mind if it were Nachash asking” the crimson-eyed boy said in a sulky pout.

“He’s responsible, unlike you” the turquoise-haired lady talked back to him.

Lilith just stood there, silent and devoid of emotion, as she listened to their conversation. Eve took it as a sign of discomfort and suddenly hugged her.

“I’m sorry, Lilith, for what happened to Ezekiel” the teenager said with great regret.

Lilith became listless, as if she was trying to understand the meaning of Eve’s hug and chiefly the importance of the name spoken by her friend.

“Eze…kiel” the young woman widened her eyes and said.

🐍🐍🐍

Underworld Level -7, Restricted Block, Dead Zone

Naomi woke up from her deep sleep. The lass got up off the floor and looked around – apart from her, there was no one else present. Luckily, she was only feeling disoriented and didn’t have any injuries.

Naomi started walking, still dizzy. Despite being lost, the young woman knew she needed to keep moving, otherwise she could run the risk of being overwhelmed by the endless darkness of the Underworld. That’s what Yamir often told her.

“Yamir… what happened to him?” Naomi, crestfallen, thought.

From the moment he saw Iduma, Yamir became strangely obsessed, and after a certain point it seemed like he was no longer the same person, as if he had been possessed by a demon. Naomi deeply regretted not having stopped their fight.

“If I had done something, Iduma wouldn’t have…!” she gritted her teeth and thought.

The young girl was tormented by the vision of the red-haired kid on the brink of being pierced by the snake’s sword. Naomi shook her head as she tried to forget all about it.

Silence reigned in the Restricted Block until chilling howls were heard coming from various directions. Naomi coped with her fear and remained alert as two scrawny figures emerged from the shadows driven by their animal instincts. It was a pair of type C Animus who were hunting the Level -5 fugitives.

“Enough. I’m tired of running away!” the lass clenched her fists and shouted.

Past experiences triggered Naomi as the spirit responded to her desire to change, thus awakening the power within: a turquoise aura surrounded Naomi and the moon-shaped bracelet popped up on her wrist.

“My power” the girl observed her own body “That’s right, I can fight too! You don’t scare me!” the bold Naomi then glared at the Animus.

One of the predators threw itself fiercely at its prey as if it had understood her words. The teenager waved her arms in an attempt to defend herself from its attack and unconsciously summoned a sword with which she cut the beast in a single blow. Much to Naomi’s surprise, the monster collapsed in front of her as the teenager didn’t even realize what she had done. She contemplated the sharp-pointed white weapon in her hand: it consisted of a beautiful, gleaming blade with a tiny moon attached to the hilt.

The lass felt that this was her time to shine and attacked the last Animus. The way she handled the sword suggested that it wasn’t the first time she’d wielded it, albeit a bit clumsy. With a little luck, Naomi dodged the monster’s claw and slashed the beast across its chest on the trot, amazingly taking it down.

“O-Oh my god!” the teenager exclaimed and examined the shiny blade she was holding in her hand “It’s so pretty…” Naomi said before she resumed her journey.

The newly obtained sword lit the dark path. During the several minutes that followed, Naomi constantly fought the Animus and was forced to find a fighting style best suited for her. At this moment, the girl pondered whether it was better to wield the weapon in her right or left hand. Meanwhile, the three monsters were roaring impatiently and peeved her.

“Shut up! I’m trying to make up my mind” Naomi scolded them.

One of the predators, type C, didn’t miss the chance as it immediately lashed out at its distracted prey. The young girl was leaning against a wall and, in one of her experiences where she shifted her sword between hands, Naomi knocked the Animus down.

“Yep… it’s better with the right hand” Naomi smiled and faced the other two beasts.

Stolen story; please report.

A thin and smaller Animus came forward. It was a type B, more elastic than type C, and therefore the second strongest in their hierarchy.

“When I was with Yamir, you seemed weaker and… taller?” the lass made a forced joke as she tried to damp down the tension between them.

The monster in question was quick to target Naomi. Against an above-average opponent such as the type B Animus, the girl had no other choice but to step up her game.

“Okay, this is the time when I must stay cool. Feel the opponent, just like Yamir taught me…” Naomi thought and closed her eyes as she concentrated on the task at hand.

🐍🐍🐍

We step back in time to Naomi’s training with Yamir…

Occasionally, whenever they stopped to rest after a long walk through the Restricted Block, Naomi received practical lessons in the use of her ability and on how to enhance it. Basically, Yamir moved quickly in his Spirit Mode while the lass focused on using her senses to predict when his snakes would strike her.

“The dwellers of death are somewhat impulsive and tend to follow their wild instinct. In this case, sensing the opponent is key” Yamir explained.

🐍🐍🐍

Naomi remembered the snake’s teaching as she made use of the Sensitivity property and successfully sensed the Animus’ attack.

“Next, avoid it, just like Iduma taught me…” Naomi thought and opened her eyes.

🐍🐍🐍

We step back in time to Naomi’s training with Iduma…

From time to time, Iduma took advantage of the fact that they had nothing to do and “played a bit” with Naomi, who saw him as a training partner. The child controlled his roots and the human’s objective was to dodge them – not entirely possible given the speed at which they were moving as one might have expected. Regardless of this, the most important thing was to get her eyes used to it.

“Hey, do ya need glasses? Here they come!” Iduma spurred her on.

🐍🐍🐍

Naomi put the knowledge acquired into practice and used the Visibility property against the Animus. The girl gradually learned to block its attacks at a millisecond cadence.

“Now!” the teenager shouted as she found an opening and hit the beast with her blade.

The creature collapsed onto the black pavement and seconds later disappeared into spiritual particles. Naomi was panting; using the properties drained a lot of stamina, which didn’t stop her from defeating the last of the three enemies.

“I really did it” the human said and stared again at her sword “And it’s all thanks to you. Will you keep me company, ‘Lumen Orbis’?” she finally cracked a smile and went on her way.

The mind might forget, but the spirit won’t…

The corpses piled up in a line and left trails behind as she beat the Animus that barred her path. Precise slashes from the blade ended the creatures’ lives in mere seconds. Naomi was starting to lose count of the number of beasts she had killed. The human walked and walked aimlessly through the floor, always gripping the Lumen Orbis in her dominant hand. No matter how many she cut, the monsters persistently appeared one after another.

“So, this is how Yamir felt” Naomi thought with a tired look on her face.

The mental fatigue was appearing to take its toll. Naomi could no longer bear the smell of death and above all her loneliness, the emptiness that not even the sword’s light filled.

Exhausted, the human finally fell to the ground. All she wanted was to dive into the darkness and embrace the void in which sensations canceled each other. Naomi closed her blue eyes as her orange hair was sucked into the entrails of Mictlan.

At last Naomi was magically transported to her soul where she laid, helpless, under the titanic tree at the center of the dimension. A female silhouette emerged from the depths of the soul as her image became progressively clearer. The woman had long turquoise hair and her enchanting eyes crystallized anyone who looked into them.

“E-Eve?” the teenager murmured.

“Please… stand up!” the woman beseeched her to not give up.

🐍🐍🐍

Underworld Level -7, Restricted Block, Dead Zone

On the first half of the floor, still relatively far from Naomi, the Illuminatus’ party consisted of Core, Martyr and Nemo were heading to the lower levels where Iduma, their original target identified by Zechariah, supposedly was.

“Stand up…” Core stopped walking and said in a low voice, involuntarily.

“What’s wrong?” Nemo eyed her bewilderedly.

“Hey, why are we stopping?” Martyr sullenly asked the lass.

Core turned around and beheld the inexhaustible darkness. Not even the aztec herself comprehended the look of concern on her face.

🐍🐍🐍

Back to the haunting world of Mictlan, Naomi opened her eyes and stood up slowly as her spirit was filled with motivation again. It was almost as if she’d taken an elixir of life. The meeting with Eve had been exactly that kind of stimulus.

“I have to find Lied… and save Iduma and Yamir” Naomi latched on to the Lumen Orbis and regained her balance “I can’t give up now!” the human said and continued her own mission as she had no doubt in her heart.

A few minutes later, Naomi arrived at Level -6. The teenager was tired out as she leaned against a wall and loosed her grip, lowering the tip of the blade to touch the ground.

“Is that you, Lilith?” a thick voice echoed through the walls.

The call prompted Naomi, who could barely breathe, to gaze at the single prison cells ahead of her. On the second cell, she saw a tall man with white beard in a meditation posture.

“…An old man?” Naomi said.

🐍🐍🐍

Susumu lost consciousness shortly after shooting the ceiling and demolishing the floor he was on. His objective was to kill two birds with one stone, that is, to whup both Martyr and the Animus. Right now, the detective was dreaming about the past…

Ganeden, Regenbogen Orphanage, eight years ago

Susumu, a 9-year-old orphan at the time, stared curiously at a couple in their 30s who walked into the institution, and especially at the lad about to be adopted by them. His name was Lied, and he arrived at the orphanage a few months ago.

Little Lied avoided eye contact with his new parents. Susumu, who had never spoken to him, noticed his gloomy, blank mug, which did not match his mother’s gentle expression. It was as if that boy didn’t know how to smile.

Meanwhile, Lied also aroused the curiosity of the Chains Man residing inside the future detective. Susumu entered his soul.

“Lied…!” the silhouette said, startled.

“You know him?” the kid asked the Chains Man.

“Yes, and to think that we would meet here. It can only be… fate” Zosimus replied, intrigued.

Susumu returned to reality after speaking with the Chains Man. He gazed at Lied, a child devoid of empathy and distant from the world around him.

“His eyes are so cold” Susumu said, not seeing much difference in them compared to his own eyes.

One hour later, it was Susumu’s turn to become a son. His father, Tatsuo Shinichi, was single and apparently a well-known figure on the island.

🐍🐍🐍

Underworld Level -5, Restricted Block, Prison

Susumu woke up from his dream on the same floor where he nearly lost his life. The teenager was in pain, not surprising since the wreckage was on top of him. He noticed chains wrapped around his body; an armor made by Zosimus to lessen the damage.

“L-Looks like I won the bet” Susumu said, he could barely speak.

“At the last second, and with my help. Guess you really are a lucky man” the Chains Man said.

“Heh, luck is a skill itself…” the human said, with difficulty, then made an effort to get up.

“Don’t move yet” the aztec said and summoned his chains.

The silhouette carefully removed the debris from Susumu’s torso and lower limbs.

“Slowly. You are seriously injured” Zosimus said.

The boy followed his shadow’s advice and simply sat on the floor. The chain armor he wore acted like bandages that stopped the bleeding.

“I don’t see Nemo and the others. So, they managed to escape” the detective surveyed the surroundings, and neither the Illuminatus members nor the Underworld guards could be seen.

“What’s your plan now?” his shadow asked him.

“I will go after them. Martyr is very dangerous. If I let him loose, Ganeden will surely be destroyed…” Susumu said as he remembered the threats from the snake.

“It became very clear in your fight that you cannot defeat him” the aztec said.

“I know. However, I can’t just stand by and do nothing” the human said and clenched his fists.

“Don’t get me wrong, Susumu – I’m not throwing in the towel, my goal is still the same as yours” the shadow said.

“What?” the detective said, slightly surprised.

“It’s time to review the basics” Zosimus flashed a cheeky smile and said.

[END OF CHAPTER]