Chapter 118: A Stroll with the Hell Lady

Minutes passed in silence as they walked. Nia was growing more nervous by the minute. Rachel didn’t see much of a choice, examining the declining, polluted city that seemed to be one of the Hell Lady’s lands.

"Clever," Rachel noted after a time, piecing things together. "You have to finish the selection process, but when it starts is up to you. So, you’re explaining the rules to the crowd at length."

Izanami’s alluring illusion hid what the fallen creation deity truly looked like, yet held just enough of a similarity that it wasn’t hard to see the hellish inspiration she was using. The woman’s intelligent, Infernal eyes drifted to her as the ghosts bowed silently in respect at their passing. A curious curve came to her rosy lips before returning her sight to the city.

"It is not just the crowd, my dear. I must inform you, Aleka, Irida, and Thalia of the rules and conditions of this challenge. Yes, I could do this in a grand fashion to all those present, as Dionysus did, impressing the rules onto the creatures that were to enter the arena. However, I don’t find joy in such aggrandizing displays.

"In addition, it has been so long since I’ve had the chance to walk with a cute little girl, as well," she said, smiling down at Nia, who almost stumbled and fell.

"Don’t be weird! I’m not a little girl. I just...look like one right now," she grumbled, hugging herself under the Hell Lady’s entertained gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?!"

Rachel put a hand on the frightened bunny’s head, making her ears twitch. "She was a creation deity, Nia. Making kids was a big part of her job, so it’d make sense that she’d like them. But if I recall, you were killed by your own son? And if you didn’t want to talk about it, heh, I’m not going to press you."

"This is...correct," Izanami whispered, a distant smile moving her eyes to the gloomy skies. "Searching for answers to part the veil of mystery is something you excel at, Rachel. Is it a sorrowful topic for me? Yes. As a mother, it pains me that my husband turned all my children away from me, poisoning their minds. Death is not my torment... Isolation is."

Izanami fell silent, hands held at her front, carrying a grace and control that made Dionysus look like a child as she spoke about torture that the man would probably never understand; this was the cadence of a woman that didn’t need to pronounce her power because she embodied it.

Nia’s ears rose at the topic, poking her head around to stare up at the somber, quiet Hell Lady, eyes big with wonder. "Is that why they call you She Who Invites?"

"It is," she gently answered, holding out a hand with an inviting smile. "I know I might be frightening, but it is not my intent to harm the innocent. My ire is reserved for those who have wronged me, and this Hell... Yomi is a place that reflects me, born out of my death. It is a reminder of my misery."

"That’s so sad," Nia sniffed, trying to hold back her emotions as she innocently took Izanami’s hand, making the woman’s features soften. "Can’t you resurrect yourself or something?"

Rachel kept an eye on Izanami as the fallen goddess took the center position, Nia walking on her other side. The Hell Lady seemed genuine, but Rachel was not fool enough to think she didn’t have her own agenda. She was getting close and garnering sympathy for a reason, and all the stories she’d heard about the Japanese death goddess came to the forefront of her thoughts. It would be good to identify what carried over from myths and religion.

"Your husband, in his grief, murdered your son for killing you, and then he went into Yomi to resurrect you. He saw how corrupted your celestial body was and was revolted, right? You aren’t alone either, as I recall. Didn’t you make the eight gods of thunder from the maggots in your corpse? And you sent them to kill a thousand people a day in retaliation for your husband’s scorn."

Nia withdrew her hand, jumping around to Rachel’s side again. "That’s not nice!"

Izanami flexed her fingers, holding them up and seemingly savoring the feeling of Nia’s small grip. "A house divided is one of sorrow and heartache... And neither can accept each other as family. I created yet another scar on my heart through my loneliness, grief, and anger... To be rejected simply for my lost beauty did break something within me."

A pained sigh left the Hell Lady’s lips before turning her attention back to them with a more devious gleam. "You are certainly brash, Rachel, which is something I can respect about you. I did not come only to speak with you about the rules, as you have surmised. Am I right to conclude that you are seeking more insight into Cerridwen’s plots?"

Scratching the side of her head, Rachel shrugged. "I may be proud, but I’m not arrogant. I know when I’m out of my depth. And a game like this is something I do need some insight into. I’m not going to take everything you say as fact, truth or not; you’re smart enough to twist it however you like. I will piece things together from what she and everyone else gives me."

Izanami paused at the top of a hill to stare out across the vast wasteland that surrounded the city, the polluted river cutting deep into the distance. Her flaming, smiling eyes drifted to her after a few seconds of deathly silence that made Rachel’s gut twist as her instincts told her she was missing something.

"For this challenge, Aleka, Irida, and Thalia will be heavily restricted, but it is important to note that Hellhounds are not generally killers. It is their duty to guard and gather. Think of them as the shepherd dogs of Hades. Unlike most devils and demons, they can travel freely between realms because they fulfill a critical role in the passage dividing life and death, herding souls to the River Styx."

She made a simple gesture in front of them, showing the three grinning sisters. They looked more like wolves than dogs with their ears, tails, and ferocious features. The three looked nearly identical, except for their hair, eyes, and flame color, each wearing a formal business suit that contrasted with their colors.

"One thing these girls love is the chase," Izanami mused.

Nia gulped as a little bunny appeared between them, causing their lips to peel back in vicious grins that showed their sharp fangs. Yet, they soon were glancing at one another.

"They are as close as can be, and never apart...except when the hunt for something not concerning work comes into play. They’re quite vicious."