Chapter 255 Servant of Destruction
Joan went back to the Kokoro to Shinzou shop again, this time during nighttime.
There was a stark difference between visiting it with the sunlight casting away the shadows than visiting it when the darkness had fully enveloped it in its embrace. The lines of the shop seemed to go much deeper, and lights within flickered at random.
It was still open, and yet barely anyone in the streets seemed to notice. They always just ignore it, as if it is invisible until you start looking.
Like how you start seeing figures in the dark the longer you try to find one.
She inhaled deeply before entering the door, thinking 'here goes nothing'.
But to her surprise—
Someone else was in the shop. It was an old gentleman, wearing a crisp suit and holding a cane. He was very pale, from his pale white hair, to his pale white eyes and skin. But there were noticeable slightly red scars all over his body, stretching out like ferns.
He was struck by lightning, Joan thought.
This old man spoke calmly with the other old men that owned this shop. If they could even be considered as 'men', for all Joan knew, these twins could very much be the same hollow things that Aiden Moore was scared of.
Kokoro and Shinzou just continued to stand straight and smile while listening to the man's words.
Once he was done, Joan could see their mouths move to say 'Of course' at the same time.
This seemed to appease the old man, and he went to turn and leave. But he did notice Joan, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"You... What are you doing here?"
Joan raised an eyebrow. But instead of asking what he meant by that, she just asked:
"Do you know the burning lady?"
The old man made a dry laugh at this. "Ah, you seek the Lady in Red as well. How strange. I thought your kind did not like her very much."
"My kind? What do you—"
"Death and loss does not like constant suffering."
That was all he said, before leaving the door. The small bell hanging there crinkled as he did.
Joan blinked, and then shrugged. She had other matters to worry about, and she was used to cryptic asshole grandpas ever since she had met Kokoro and Shinzou.
"Welcome back!" Kokoro greeted her.
"Are you here to make a purchase?" Shinzou smiled, offering the ragdoll again.
Joan shook her head. "I'm here to finally ask you right off the bat. That broken window was made by a poor traumatized boy who said he had seen shadows from here. He was saved by some Lady in Red. I need to know who she is."
The smiles of these two men disappeared, and they whispered to each other. Yet it was still loud, almost as if they were just performing a comical skit.
"People treat us like we're the omniscient being now, don't they?"
"What do we know? We're just running an honest business here."
They started whispering in gibberish while laughing to themselves, but with no mirth.
"Ahegcruihi cu ioru ciiij xcihiojeexoxjj."
"Hahaha kehcriwhcriocoioomjijco jqxihwicxjoj!"
Joan grumbled, and then said:
"I will buy that stupid doll in exchange for information on that woman."
They suddenly stopped this hushed whispering, and turned to her with a smile.
Kokoro grinned. "Are you sure you can afford it?"
"It's pricey after all. Made of fine material." Shinzou added.
"Got a check?"
"We can also work with cash if you have it. But no credit cards, please."
They gave her the invoice, and Joan grumbled. It cost less than she expected, but it was a pretty hefty loss in her wallet.
She just took out her wallet and wrote a check. "How can I be sure you're not just overpricing this thing?"
They did not answer and merely smiled. Joan knew they're definitely overpricing.
She handed it to them, and the grandpas happily accepted it. But before they can hand her the doll...
Joan raised her hand. "I'm not taking it unless you answer my question first. Where is the Lady in Red, and how do I get to talk to her?"
The old grandpas chuckled to themselves.
"It's easy to lure her out, really."
"Ol' Pele will take any burning things of sentimental value….. or people."
"Are you sure you want to summon her, though?"
"She's not too keen on other women after all. Easily gets jealous."
"Might burn your face."
"Might burn you completely and steal your boyfriend."
But Joan did not care. She just went and took the doll from the counter.
"So this is my property now, right?"
Shinzou nodded. "Right you are. All yours."
"A great souvenir or gift if you have any younger sisters…. Even older ones might like it." Kokoro added.
Joan grinned at this, and took out her lighter.
"Alright then. Thank you."
And she burned the ragdoll that looked like Victoria without hesitation.
The grandpas' face twisted, and they tried to rush and take it from her. But Joan just easily dodged, and threw the burning doll onto the ground, singing their bamboo floor.
The fire suddenly grew into a tall pillar of flame, and formed the shape of a person. It was someone wearing a long, flowing dress, with fiery hair crackling in the wind coming from that broken window.
Soon, a fully formed person materialized. She was beautiful and curvaceous, with skin the color of fertile dark soil around volcanoes.
Her eyes were narrowed when she saw who had summoned her.
"What does a creature of Muerte want from me?" She asked with an accusing tone.
Joan turned to see the strange grandpas' reaction from this, but there was no one at the counter anymore. They were completely alone.
'Scaredy cats' Joan thought.
"I don't know this 'Muerte' you're talking about. But I heard that you helped this young boy from the creatures that lurk in the shadows and try to pretend to be humans—"
Pele went to reach for Joan's hair. "For a corpse, you are quite the looker. Soft and smooth hair, tight skin, hourglass figure….."
The strand she touched had burned, but Joan was unperturbed.
"Fire doesn't scare me. I have encountered fires before and survived." She said, her fists clenched.
Pele sneered. "Oh, but your parents did not. Your parents of whom you wished great harm. Who you just wished to die every single day in their undead life, wanting to be free along with those adoptive sisters of yours. The parents you hated so much."
"Hate is a strong word. I just couldn't care less about them." Joan said.
The Lady in Red lifted her chin with her long and delicate fingers. She was taller than Joan, possibly 7 feet tall or more.
She made her look into her eyes and said. "Don't lie, my dear. I like it. If not for this interesting tidbit about you, I would have immolated your perfect body by now."
Her touch left 2nd degree burns on Joan's skin. And it hurts.
The pain was different. It's not something that could be injured, or so painful that it's numbing. It was constant, and it never goes away. It sears deep into the core of Joan's very being, to the point that not just her body would cry out….
But so does her soul, burning with this anguish of guilt, shame, regret, anger, and dread.
And this woman's eyes twinkled at seeing her suffering, ablaze with pure malice and schadenfreude.
"Your little doll is not enough of a sacrifice. You have long forgotten about your sister, and have accepted that grief into your system. It wouldn't do. If you truly want my help in your venture of fighting the Imposters, then give me something else. Something that would truly hurt you."
Joan couldn't move, still dealing with that unbearable pain from her touch. Pele continued to grip her chin tightly, the fire spreading by the minute.
"So which will it be? Your lover? Would you give him to me? Or would you give up your love for him and burn the memories you had together?" Pele chuckled. "Maybe you would burn the other girl, the one of the Sea. Go on, darling. I want to hear what you could possibly give to satisfy me."
Joan choked as she inhaled smoke from her own burning flesh, and she said:
"I…. I can do you favors."
Pele seemed to be interested in this. "What favors, dear?"
Joan knew her love for burning and such, and so she told her:
"I will….. Burn offerings for you. Families. Forests. Friendships and relationships…. Anything you ask of me."
At this, Pele let go and covered her mouth as she stifled a very loud laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You want to be marked by me? A creature of death asking to be a creature of destruction? Why that's..."
She smiled. "That is indeed interesting. Alright then. But my dear, once we come into this agreement, that means you cannot say no. You must burn everything I tell you to. And I will sabotage the Imposters' schemes for you. Do we have a deal?"
She offered that hand, and Joan gritted her teeth.
Was she making the right decision?
There was no turning back anymore. She hesitantly shook the Lady in Red's hand….
And secured her fate as her servant.
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