Sureiyazu

Episode 61: Aftermath

Akuma fell to her knees and fainted from exhaustion. 

~~~

The next thing she knew, she could feel air around her on all sides, almost like she was falling . . . 

Then she opened her eyes, and she found that she was in the air. Around her, there was a white, shimmering protective bubble, which she awkwardly floated inside. Below stretched a vast landscape of farms and fields, touched by a light snow. 

"Ah, you wake." 

Nearby, each of her friends floated in a similar way in the air, along with the men from the Army of Sekai. 

In front, Sukai, the Creature representative of the sky and the protector of the Army of Sekai, soared with her white feathered wings, blond hair streaking behind. 

"Er . . . yeah," Akuma agreed uncertainly. 

"Never you fear, I will take you to the Army of Sekai's headquarters. There, we can tend to the injured, and bury the dead." 

Akuma suddenly realized herself. "D-dead?" 

Sukai became quiet. "Yes, it is my duty to ensure that the bodies of dead soldiers of the army I am a patron of will find peaceful graves." 

"But . . ." 

"Ah, the Sureiyazu? They are alive." 

"Oh," Akuma breathed. "That's good." 

"Gravely injured, some," Sukai continued, "but not dead." 

At this Akuma said nothing and so they traveled on in silence for a few minutes. The landscape below was rapidly changing, from the vast fields into snow-covered hills, and soon, mountains were visible in the distance. 

Finally Sukai turned her head back to Akuma. "You're powerful, for a human, you know." 

"So I've been told," Akuma smiled humbly. 

"Souruk has been incapacitated, at least for a short while. That's a feat to boast of, I would say. Not slain, but . . . incapacitated." 

"And how long is 'a short while' to you?" Akuma asked. "When . . . when will it come back?" 

"Hard to say," Sukai admitted. "It could take months. Then again, maybe only a few days. Jufuku is growing ever stronger, despite our attempts in Yurei and yours in Sekai to keep them away." 

This was altogether unsettling to Akuma, but she was stuck on a particular phrase that had sounded odd to her ear. "And Yurei? Is it growing stronger too? Or getting weaker?" 

Sukai averted her gaze. "Admittedly, our power is growing as well. In dark times, humans turn themselves to their faith. All creatures of Yurei feed off of this reverence. Without it we would cease to exist." 

Despite the blatant and straightforward explanation, something in Akuma's mind shifted in that moment. Since Aya had first bound Tora, and since even before then, all things of Yurei had seemed simple, sometimes fantastic in their sheer power. But they took on ordinary forms, and they had appeared plain and peaceful. 

But now - now she saw them in a new light. 

And suddenly the creatures of Yurei seemed as strange and otherworldly as the creatures of Jufuku did. 

~~~

Akuma attended the ceremony for the dead soldiers, along with her teammates and friends. Rin and Michi had survived, and both gave lengthy speeches about the bravery of their fallen allies. Even through their curt formality, Akuma could sense their grief and sorrow.