Realm Wraith (14 page)

A stray wave rocketed him out of the water, and he found himself flying across the ocean. He crashed back down, into the sea, but the sudden jolt snapped him out of his trance, and he saw shoreline off in the distance, obscured by fog. He swam towards it, less than thrilled about slowing down, and grabbed onto a small ice shelf rising over the waves. It chilled his hands when he touched it. He stayed there for a moment, half submerged in the water, trying to calm down after that incredible rush. A thick mist obscured much of this new land mass, while the ocean air behind him remained clear.

“You should not be here,” a voice whispered from the mist. Rayne looked up, yet saw nothing in the thick fog.

“Baines? Is that you?” he called out.

Someone stepped forward, stopping right by Rayne’s hand. Rayne looked past swirling black robes made out of ash and dust, and realized they’d met before. It was the strange, thin-faced creature that had been there in his hospital room, that only he could see. The creature now stared down at him, an amused grin on those white glowing lips. Rayne’s eyes went wide.

“You,” he whispered.

“Oh? You remember me.” The creature had thick voice like bones being crushed between rock. “Pretty careless, swimming around in a sea full of monsters. Your toes might get eaten.”

Rayne studied the creature. Perhaps it was the adrenaline still coursing through him, but as his initial shock faded, he wasn’t all that frightened. The skull-like leer on the creature’s face almost made it appear friendly.

“I take it you live here?” he asked the strange person.

The demonic being laughed, a long dry laugh that the howling winds swallowed whole.

“No one truly ‘lives’ here, boy,” he said. “You’ve come to a very dangerous place. Its guardian will swallow you up if you stay.”

“I can’t help it. Whenever I fall asleep, I always find myself here. It’s not like I want to come here every night.”

“You misunderstand me, boy,” the creature grinned. “I mean this realm. There are many other places in the Abyss you could have gone, but you chose this one, and neither of us should be here.”

“The Abyss? Is that what this world is called?”

“World? Oh, this is far more than any world. The Abyss is its own existence. Greater than any universe, in fact, all intermingled with the physical realm.”

“So, then, this isn’t Hell? I’m not here because I died?”

“Hell? Sure, mortals call it that too. But I prefer Abyss. This is where the damned come. Occasionally ones like you show up, sinners who haven’t died yet. You touched the face of death, so now your soul is called here when you lose consciousness, because, deep down, it’s your fate.” The creature nudged at Rayne’s hand with a clawed foot. “Now is not the best time to talk. If Tomordred finds us here, he’ll eat us both. He doesn’t like people encroaching on his master’s territory, unless they’ve been damned here.”

Rayne’s face fell. “Here? But this place seems so empty. I thought I was safe.”

The creature looked anxious, as anxious as a grinning monstrosity could look. He shifted, and scanned the fog for an unseen force.

“I do not sense his presence here now, but he could arrive at any moment, and it’s dangerous.”

“Then I’ll just swim away.”

“Do you want answers or not, boy?” The creature’s voice became forceful. Rayne chuckled at the idea that such a demonic entity could become frightened. “Are you laughing at me? Stop that!” The clawed foot raised up and slammed down on Rayne’s arm. The world shifted, and he sprawled on a barren grey plain of rock beneath a black sky, with the demon beside him.

“That was rude,” Rayne complained. “I take it this Tomordred doesn’t like you?”

“He’s never liked my kind. He considers us enemies of his master, and kills us on sight.”

“Your kind? So, you really are some manner of demon?”

“I am a hell reaper. But you may call me Darrigan.”

“Reaper? Like, the Grim Reaper?”

“I am he who gathers the souls of the damned once their bodies pass on, as all my kind do. Most souls come here willingly; they’re guided by an instinct that they belong here. But some resist, and it is our duty to find them and drag them down where they deserve to be.”

Rayne looked Darrigan over. “Is that why you were in my hospital room? To bring me back here?”

“If necessary. When that car hit you, I went to retrieve you, as you still maintained awareness, but then you showed up here on your own. By the time I finally found you, you’d returned to your body, and you were no longer dead. I was surprised you could still see me.”

“That’s not normal?”

“For a Realm Wraith? No, they usually can’t see the spiritual within the waking world. They only see me in dreams, when they become a part of
my
world.”

“A Realm Wraith?” Rayne sat himself up, more interested in his new companion. “Hold up, are you telling me I’m some kind of horrific apparition? Do I look like that to you? I mean a wraith, I would think that’s something more like—” he looked down at himself, then back at Darrigan, who scowled.

“It’s just a term I happen to like. You’re a specter that shifts between worlds and wanders among the damned while your body sleeps. I suppose you could call it something else if you want.”

“I have a name you know. It’s Rayne. Rayne Mercer.”

“Rayne, is it? All right.” Darrigan made rough scratching sound, as if he were clearing his throat. “Anyways, I’ve been watching you. It’s been amusing watching your terror every time you end up someplace new.”

“So this is funny to you?” Rayne laid flat on his back on the hard ground, staring at the black sky of the Abyss. “I don’t want to be damned! There’s got to be a mistake!”

“When people sin, they know deep down that they’ve done something wrong. It connects their soul to this place, and that connection grows deeper the graver the sin, as the person continues to dwell on what they’ve done. There is no true judgment, only a natural order that souls instinctively follow. When a mortal being dies, if their connection to this place is too strong, they come here, or we are sent to retrieve them, permanently removing them from the cycle of life and death. If you’re here, there’s a reason for it.”

Rayne tried to think, but nothing came to mind. “I’ve lost a lot of my memories. If I sinned, I wouldn’t even know what I did.”

“Some part of you must remember, or you wouldn’t be here.”

“So, can I escape this place? Can I redeem myself so I stop coming here?”

“Maybe. I’ve never seen it, but I usually don’t follow the affairs of Realm Wraiths.”

“And if I die, before I can redeem myself—?”

“I think you know the answer to that.”

Rayne began to stand up. Darrigan offered an arm for him to grab on to.

“It’s been an eternity since I’ve had someone to talk to,” the reaper mused. “Demons want nothing to do with each other, the damned lack the reasoning capacity for conversations, and most Realm Wraiths run from me screaming.”

“Well, myself and a few others thought about finding someone to give us some answers. I guess you found me first.”

“Ah yes, I’ve seen you meet with other Realm Wraiths. In fact, I just encountered that black-haired fellow, but he ran away when I approached him.”

“When was this?”

“Shortly before you arrived.”

“Oh really? Where was this? Can you take me to him?”

“I suppose I could. But then, what’s in it for me?”

“For you?” Rayne scratched his head. “I don’t really have anything I can give you. I doubt money would be of any use to you. Why can’t you just help me out?”

“I’m not a charity. I can’t just help you if I’m not getting something out of it.”

“Well, how about I just owe you a favor?”

Darrigan paused to think. “Acceptable. Very well, I’ll be your ferryman.” He reached out and Rayne saw for the first time something resembling clawed fingers wiggling from beneath the blades on his arms. He snatched Rayne up by the wrist, and once again the world shifted around him. Rayne grasped the sensation of passing through many places in the blink of an eye, as if they were everywhere and nowhere all at once. He closed his eyes for a moment, becoming used to this feeling, remembering it.

When Rayne opened his eyes, they stood on warm ground caked in blood. The rocks and trees all around him were drenched in entrails and bones. A foul, decaying stench filled his nostrils and he retched in disgust.

“This place is within the realms of Othgar, the glutton lord. He has a fondness for rotting things,” Darrigan spoke from beside him.

“So these places all have rulers? Is there some kind of government, dare I say?”

“Government? Not in a place like this, boy. The Abyss is presided over by the Abyss Lords. They are creatures far beyond demons. They’re the dark, twisted gods who create this existence, and rule over all demons. Each is master over a different part of the Abyss. They and the Abyss are intrinsically linked.”

“Demon gods—?” Rayne remembered the being he’d first encountered, that great eye, and the immense power emanating from it. Could that creature be one of these gods?

“Yes. They are beings best left unbothered. Get on their bad side, and they’ll swallow your soul without a moment’s thought, erasing your existence entirely. That is, if they’re feeling merciful. It won’t be quick if they’re not.”

“They eat souls?”

“Many powerful demons feed off the damned. They’ll feed off Realm Wraiths too, so you’d best be on your guard.”

“What about you?”

“Me? Yes I suppose they could eat me too, if they wanted. The strong feed on the weak here. And sometimes even on the strong.”

“No, I mean, do you eat souls too?”

“Oh. No, no, we reapers are powerful demons, but we do not feed on souls. We merely collect them.”

“I see. So you have no authority to harm me.”

“I never said that.”

Rayne glanced around the decaying landscape, but saw no sign of Gabriel. He wondered if he was still here, or if he’d moved on to another part of the Abyss. He cupped his hand around his mouth.

“
Baines!
” he screamed. “
Baines, where are you?
”

Darrigan flinched. “What are you doing?! Are you trying to alert the entire Abyss to our presence?”

“He found me last time because he heard me yelling. I thought it might work again.”

“Be more careful! What did I just warn you about?!”

“Sorry.”

Rayne walked forward, and a glob of some meat-like substance fell off the tree above him onto his shoulder, causing him to twitch. He brushed it off and kept moving. Fog formed at his feet as he walked, growing thicker and rising higher, until it swallowed his legs. He couldn’t see the ground anymore, but he felt the blood-soaked earth squishing between his toes.

“Is that him?” Darrigan asked. Rayne followed his pointed blade, and saw someone walking towards them.

“
Baines!
” he yelled. He heard Darrigan curse beside him. The figure ran down a red, pulsating hill in their direction, and Rayne recognized Gabriel’s face once he drew close enough.

“There you are!” Gabriel exclaimed, slapping a hand on Rayne’s shoulder. “You found me! I’ve been stuck in this rotting place all night. Kept running into all these monsters trying to kill me. I mean, I know we can’t really die here but still, it’s goddamn terrifying!”

“Monsters? You mean like this chap?” Rayne jerked a thumb behind him. For the first time, Gabriel noticed Darrigan standing there, and his face went ashen. His mouth opened in a ragged gasp and he scrambled backwards, tripping over his own two feet and falling back into the mist. Darrigan waved his arm to say hello.

“It’s all right,” Rayne reassured him, reaching down to help Gabriel back on his feet. “I met him a little earlier. He’s not such a bad fellow. He actually told me quite a lot about what’s going on.”

“Is that—is that so?” Gabriel stammered. “You seem kinda cheerful about it.”

“Do I?”

“Anyways, do you seriously think we can trust that thing? I mean it, it’s a—what is it?”

“He says his name’s Darrigan. He’s like a grim reaper of some sort. But I suppose he’s a demon too, if you want to look at it like that.”

“A demon. Then we really are—?”

Rayne explained what he’d learned. “—And when we die, I suppose that means we’ll—”

“Don’t say it, I get the idea.” Gabriel looked very on edge, his face panic-stricken. Rayne noticed how his hair had started falling out in patches, and there was indeed a cut across his forehead, just like he’d seen earlier that day.

“What happened to your—” He ran his hand across his own forehead, indicating. Gabriel reached up and touched the cut on his face.

“It was about a week ago. There was this swarm of
things
. Like, demonic little bat things or something. They chased me down a mountainside and I lost my footing, tumbled over the edge and fell down for about forever. I cut myself open on a rock, and it’s just stayed like that.”