Ganeden

Tatsuo was surprised by his son’s absence when he came home. The veteran detective called Susumu, but he didn’t answer the phone. The father was starting to worry.

…

Underworld Level -8, Restricted Block

Naomi and Yamir went down one level as they had walked a lot in a short amount of time. Indeed, there weren’t any means to directly transport people from one place to another on that specific block, adjacent to the floors where Lied and Susumu were. It was a bitterly morbid area even for the Underworld, so much that not a single guard could be found. As for the dwellers of death, they didn’t pop up anymore.

“Is there something wrong with my face?” Yamir asked upon seeing Naomi staring at him insistently.

“Somehow you remind me of him…” Naomi said.

Before she noticed, Naomi’s lips were nearly touching Yamir’s lips…

“D-Don’t you get embarrassed?!” Naomi blushed.

“I…” Yamir was saying.

“Yeah, that’s something you two have in common!”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Lied, a boy from the ‘surface’.”

“I see, you and that boy have a particularly close relationship…”

“N-No, we don’t! We first started talking just a little while ago!!” Naomi’s cheeks turned red again.

“But what do we have in common?”

Yamir’s question made Naomi focus once more on the snake’s pretty face.

“The eyes. They… how should I say…”

The girl felt devoured by his fiendish eyes whilst Yamir showed an equally devilish facial expression. Naomi laid curled up on the floor as she was flooded with recent memories…

“(…) a man who shed blood in order to go against his fate (…)”

“Your name is Naomi.”

“A-And your name is Lied, right?”

“(…) and those who opposed him.”

“Who… is this person…?”

“(…) the name’s Martyr.”

“Nachash (…)”

“First of all, who are you?”

“The truth is, I don't remember anything besides my name, Yamir.”

“…also known as ‘the Talking Serpent’.”

“Don’t go thinking you’re innocent, though. We are all bound together, either by different or the same links. The sin… is shared.”

“Who am I? My name is…”

“Lilith!”

“Naomi! Naomi!” Yamir called her over and over.

The teenager stood up somewhat dizzy and leaned on Yamir’s shoulder. It wasn’t unprecedented inasmuch that time when she did clash with her schoolmate…

“E-Everything’s fine…” Naomi said painfully.

“I couldn’t understand at the time, or didn’t want to, the reason Lied, Yamir and Martyr appeared in my vision. Without even realizing it, it was at this moment… that my tragedy truly began.”

Yamir was worried about Naomi’s health for the next few minutes. The latter took the initiative of easing the tension in the air.

“Hey, Yamir, you should come to my school!”

“‘School’? Is it a dangerous place?”

“Hum, it can be, I guess…”

“Dangerous” in many ways…

“I’ll go one day. Does Lied often attend it?”

“Yep, he’s supposed to be here somewhere!” her smile faded away “I just haven’t found him yet…”

“He may be up there, there’s another block above us. However, the likelihood of confronting more dwellers of the death increases as we move.”

“That’s where you come in, like a knight protecting his princess!”

“A sort of guardian?” Yamir crossed his arms thoughtfully “Alright, I will protect you. You have my word.”

Yamir lifted his chin and looked beyond the horizon, Naomi grinned happily.

…

Yamir and Naomi continued their trek towards the Lower Block when they suddenly engaged in combat with five dwellers of the death.

“Y-Yamir!”

“Stand back!”

The lass obeyed and stood back. The beasts assaulted their long-standing prey that activated the Spirit Mode on the spot, a dark green aura enveloped him. Meanwhile, a dweller of the death bared its fangs and growled at the easiest target, taking advantage of the fact that Yamir’s attention was placed on the other monsters.

“NAOMI!!” Yamir shouted.

That’s when a brisk light covered the entire shadowy area, the dwellers of the death were in a daze, in the meantime Yamir hid his face so that the deep blue glow didn’t hit him. The dazzling light dissipated seconds later, Yamir finally slew the enemies.

Yamir rolled his eyes seeing a dweller of the death unconscious while Naomi simply remained standing. The teenager wore a moon-shaped bracelet on her right wrist, her body was surrounded by a mystical turquoise aura. Watching her, Yamir saw someone else – a relatively older blue-haired young woman wearing a necklace practically identical.

“Yamir!” the beautiful, smiling lady said.

Naomi’s sudden awakening didn’t go unnoticed. At the end of the day, all the ties that bound them together formed a single, large tie called “destiny”.

…

“Adam!”

Lied ran with Zaccharias to the reception area. The kid abruptly turned his head to look behind him, he swore he heard a voice.

“What’s wrong?” the talking crow said.

“…Never mind” Lied said.

…

“Mesh!”

In his office, the God of Death took part in this tide of connections…

“Hm? Did you say something, Golgotha?” the Shinigami asked.

“No” his assistant replied.

Was work driving Mictlan crazy at last?

…

Martyr and Core split from Varius at the reception area since they had different goals. They proceeded to the lower floors of Mictlan along corridors on the opposite side of Lied and Zaccharias.

“W-What the…?” Martyr sensed a funny vibration.

The male noted a glowing moon bracelet on Core’s wrist. The bracelet, as well as her whole body, shone brightly with bluish flashes of light.

“My Spirit Mode… activated itself?” Core was the most confused.

…

Underworld Level -8, Restricted Block

After arriving in Mictlan, Iduma smirked as he relished the wave of nostalgia. He wasn’t far from Naomi and Yamir.

“So, you’re right there…”

…

Aqua

“Nachash!”

A dimly lit room with a blonde-haired, dark green-eyed lad that sat on a bed. Zechariah was seen beside him, quiet.

“Somebody… is calling me…” the blonde whispered.

“Lied?” Zechariah asked him.

“No… this is…”

…

Yamir had the name of that turquoise-haired woman on the tip of his tongue. It was a memory stranded on the bowels of his mind.

“What happened? My body… and this bracelet…” Naomi inspected herself closely and thoroughly.

“It’s the same kind of power that I have” Yamir asserted.

“Really?!”

“Yes. Differing characteristics, but I’m sure of it.”

In danger, the spirit evolved. Or… woke up from its deep sleep. Naomi loosened up a bit, which apparently turned off the spiritual form.

“Let’s keep going. Standing here won’t do us any good” Yamir stated.

More dwellers of the death could crop up, drawn by their fellows’ defeat. Naomi nodded and both got back on the road.

…