Fred Hall- Imaginaria

The next morning felt like a whole new life has unfolded and the past was forgotten. Fei couldn't sleep at all, not even if she tried because of all the events that have happened in the last few hours. She glanced at Dohyun's peaceful face and couldn't believe how bold he has been. She bit her lip and caressed his jaw with her fingers, smiling at the way he was making everything else disappear. It was definitely a talent. Each action he took was like a tight rope that was bringing her closer to him and further away from her usual aloof way of living. There was so much anger in her and yet he could easily melt it and transform it into love.

Feeling like her emotions were suffocating her, she got dressed quickly and moved on the front porch. She sighed and looked up at the same moon that she admired in the past. It was just as bright as when she lived in Crete and it made her feel safe. Fei smiled softly and a gust of wind blew her hair, making her close her eyes in order to fully enjoy it.

"Something very bad must have happened for you to come after me." She replied before even being asked. One leaf falling on the ground was enough to inform her of his appearance.

The tall spirit approached her with a meek expression and with eyes filled with empathy. Fei chuckled as she realized just from his demeanour that he was not the same Death as before.

"The registry is a mess. Names are being crossed out while others are added in. Hell is so loud that I can barely hear anything else. Worse than all, the balance of the living and spiritual is growing weaker." Death said as he stopped in front of her and leaned against the railing of the stairs.

"The weight of the world is too heavy for Icarus."

Death looked down and sighed. The wind blew softly and the whole forest moved in synch. It was the calm before the storm and they could both feel it.

"I'm sorry."

Fei chuckled understanding from his tone alone that he had remembered everything. She turned to the tall spirit with a sympathetic expression.

"If it wasn't for my mother then..." Death added sitting down next to her. "You know what the irony is? I met my demise because of Lee Hyang as well. I shouldn't have helped him back then but he was such a pitiful sight."

"I know. One thing that is great when regenerating is that I can still vaguely hear and see what happens in the world. You’ve been working hard, Hun. Don’t worry about the past." She said with a soft and reassuring smile.

"But I'm not sorry for hitting you, Fei. There are rules that need to be followed or else everyone will rebel." Death added feeling slightly guilty for what he did although it was out of his commitment for his job.

Her bemused expression was enough to make him feel awkward for what he said. He did break the most important rule just now and yet he had the bravery to still sprout that nonsense.

"I'll be waiting for you in my office. We have...a lot to do." He said and disappeared.

When Dohyun opened his eyes, he was expecting to at least see Fei inside the house but she was nowhere to be found. He got dressed quickly and walked out, spinning all ways in order to catch sight of her. Finally, he found her near the pond.

"What are you doing?"

Fei glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled. He must have been surprised because he came out barefoot, with his hair all over the place and looking very alarmed.

"Nothing. We should get ready and go home."

The road back home was tense and not because of the steamy night that they spent together. Dohyun knew something was amiss with Fei because of all the troubles in the afterlife. She was still as a rock and her expression was really hard to decipher.

The bus they were in suddenly stopped and Dohyun looked up, like most normal people do when something unexpected happens.

"What the-" Dohyun looked at all the passengers and noticed that they just froze. His eyes widened at the way they seemed to be statues. He turned to Fei who seemed to be just as confused.

Fei got up and walked towards the front of the bus. She noticed a figure standing in the middle of the road and she sighed heavily.

"What is that?" Dohyun asked over her shoulder, following her closely.

Fei was very uncomfortable. She opened the door and got off the bus. As they approached the figure, Dohyun noticed just how peculiar it really was. Looking around him, he saw that nothing was moving, not even the wind. Right there, waiting for them with a sceptre in his hand and barely dressed was the body of an imposing and strong man but with the head of a jackal. Dohyun’s eyes widened when he noticed just how big this creature was now that he was standing so close.  

"Should I be alarmed now that you’re here?" Fei asked, dreading the answer.

But the jackal did not answer Fei, instead he focused his attention on Dohyun. The human swallowed nervously as he felt himself grow smaller in front of this authoritarian figure.

"We need to place everything back in order." He spoke in a low voice but he didn't seem to have moved his mouth.

"What do you want me to do?" Fei asked already preparing herself.

"Not you." The Egyptian God started, "There is a seed of a God in this young man. It will be enough to reduce the trouble for a while."

"What?!" Fei was outraged. "He is human. He might crash under the weight of the sphere!"

"We don't have a choice. People like him are rare nowadays, Fei. He needs to do it. He will be able to hold it enough time for you to push Atlas back to his place."

"But Anubis..."

Anubis didn't flinch at her begging look.

"It needs to be done. Ares will be with him."

Fei doubted that.

As soon as Anubis left, time started to move normally again. However, Fei and Dohyun did not continue their way home. They were both standing on the sidewalk, one more worried than the other.

"If I need to do it, I will. I have this feeling that I am invincible if I believe in myself." He said looking at his feet.

"That's the strength of Ares. For some reason, he gifted your family with a bit of his energy. Your grandfather must have truly impressed him." She said in a grumpy tone. "Good for you, I guess."

"Don't worry, Fei." He said softly and moved a string of her hair behind her ear. "I'm not going to die. Right?"

"No. I will push Atlas back in his place. It is his punishment, not yours." She said, her eyes gleaming with self-assurance but also fear.

"Well? Where to now? We missed the bus."

"There is a place not far from here where I'd like to take you. Come on."

They walked for a while, almost an hour and a half, until they stopped in the middle of nowhere in an empty field. Dohyun spun around, searching for some type of magical hint but there was nothing remotely supernatural.

Fei watched him bemused for a while until she grabbed his hand.

"Step at once with me, alright?" She said and he nodded. "Three, two and-"

They took a step forward together and Dohyun gasped at how the field came to life. It was as if they were transported into a completely different place with flowers, tall and strong trees, a waterfall that fell into the cleanest and most beautiful lake Dohyun had ever seen. It was all so beautiful and so full of life.

"Is this Heaven?" He asked without a second thought.

"No," Fei said with a chuckle. "This is Crete as I remember it. This is home. After I was ordered to remain in Korea, I wanted to have a reminder of how my life was before. It probably looks different now but still...I created this illusion to make me feel better."

One glance and Dohyun knew that it was a special place for his girlfriend. Her whole expression softened and for a few short hours it felt as if nothing was wrong in the world. Dohyun was careful to look at every flower, leaf, every little detail that could later on help him with his work. And of course, probably what was his biggest inspiration was Fei herself. Several times he almost swore he saw her true form but maybe the magic around them was not strong enough to keep the illusion of her appearance for long.

"The sky is really pretty," Dohyun said as he lied down in the field next to her. "Is it for real or just part of the decor?"

"It's a mix, I guess." She mumbled.

"Why did you bring me here? Is this some sort of farewell?" Dohyun asked leaning towards her. "I'm not going to die."

"Of course you won't. I will make sure to push Atlas back in his place. But holding the sphere will not be easy. It's not just some object that you need to hold but the worries and burdens of the whole world."

"This godly seed inside of me will protect me. Besides, I trust you." He said with such genuine emotions that Fei felt like crying. "Don't worry, Fei. Better, tell me who that was in the street. He looked different than all the deities I met."

"Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife and mummification. As you have already seen, there are many gods in the afterlife but they do have very specific chores and targets. Anubis doesn't usually bother with anything outside his work line. He is the one with the scales, he helps decide where you go. It's a whole process, not just balancing your soul with a feather." Fei explained, rolling her eyes at all the shows she had seen that concentrated only on mythology rather than facts.

"So that's why he seemed so sure that Ares will be with me?"

"In theory. Ares is still not able to materialize in this world and will not help you in any way. But you do have these special little powers that your family has received and they will aid you but they won't make you immortal." She said sounding more and more concerned with the aftermath of such a huge mission.

"How does one receive a gift from an ancient god?" Dohyun asked turning to her and leaning his head on his hand. “Does he descend from Olympus and place his sword on each of your shoulders, like a knight?”

Fei laughed loudly as she imagined that scenario in her head. It was funny particularly because Ares was not at all a formal deity, but more of a spontaneous troublemaker.

“Didn’t your grandfather tell you? You don’t really do anything, he visits you in your sleep and stabs you.” Fei explained watching as Dohyun went through a lot of moods in just a few minutes. “You don’t die nor do you bleed but that’s how he transfers some of his strength to a human. That or through .”

Dohyun’s narrowed his eyes, his whole thought process mirroring on his face.

“It wasn’t like that with me since I’m not human. He didn’t stab me nor did he sleep with me, although back then I would have done anything to receive what I wanted.” Fei added teasing Dohyun since he was so expressive, “You saw the scar. He literally ripped my eye out and left me with an ugly scar. But sometimes the price must be paid in order to achieve your goal."

"Was it worth it? It sounds like you went through a lot of pain for it."

Fei mirrored Dohyun's position and rolled so that she could face him directly, leaning her head on her hand. The magic that was used to mask her crystal eye fell and he could see just how old and deep was the scar. Dohyun was not aware, but once he looked at her crystal orb, his own eyes changed and Fei could see the faint glow of the god running through his body. 

"It was worth it. Every drop of blood and every life I had to take. It was all worth it since all my actions led me to this point right now, with you." 

Dohyun's face reddened slowly to the point that even the tip of his ears were the same colour as a tomato. He swallowed nervously, his heart beating so loudly that he swore Fei could hear it and that was why she was so bold. But, honestly, she has always been rather mischievous with him. Fei chuckled and poked his nose, her eyes gleaming into the sunlight. As the wind blew, everything started to drift away as does an old memory and the two found themselves standing in an empty field, back in the burdensome reality.