(9.A) Spooky, Scary, Scarlett Skelingtons

"Dreadful doesn't begin to describe how I feel Beckham. I only went out of respect for our familial ties and my responsibility but the whole situation is.... Tch, damn. One moment...", A middle aged man with a sharp tux and wispy mustache pressed a button on his larger than necessary desk. He waited 3 seconds until a green light flashed on the intercom.

"Horacio, get my evening suit. And prepare the flamethrower, this one needs to be burned ", he lifted a glass to eye level and swirled it. Well, swirled was a bit of an understatement. His entire body shook with an uncontrollable shudder. He set the glass down since it accidentally emptied onto his clothing.

"...I don't care about the connections I could make; I'm not going back. I have more than enough to live comfortably", The man slammed his hand on his desk. The earpiece crackled again.

"Disrespectful? Untoward! I don't care. They are a freak death cult. And that monster...", the man choked on his breath and looked over his shoulder with a jump. He felt a hand slide down the length of his back, or maybe touch his spine?

"You're yelling at me? You dare! I am merely stating facts Beckham. You are free to spend the money my mother left for you however you like but I won't help with that stupid plan. I don't need connections if it means dealing with things like that demon", the man roared. He slammed the desk and knocked his glass onto its side. The earpiece roared back.

"You really think so? You really think you are still in control. I've only seen the upper echelons for a few hours, and I can tell you are going to be forced out. That monster is going to do things that will force a blight on humanity...", the man shot out of his chair and roared. The glass smashed on the floor with a piercing screech and snapped him out of a mad rant.

"Don't patronize me Beckham. I know it's the proof I wanted. What I saw... what I saw was exactly what I expected but, can you not see how dangerous that plan is?... It will destabilize everything. You should be more concerned that the child invites. Not to mention the monstrositys in the world. I have to see and deal with all of that now, not you...", the man's voice came out as nothing more than a soft whisper near the end. The voice in his ear crackled one last time before it shut off. The man pulled the earpiece and threw it across the room with such force that it shattered.

"This fucking ungrateful bastard. Social parasite. Lowlife beggar of a shitstain. He wouldn't even be anywhere without mother's proclivities and my benevolence, yet he dares to break off our ties...", the man destroyed everything he could in his office. But, for some reason, he slowed to a stop...

A violent chill curled his toes and forced the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. Both hands trembled as a weight gradually pressed on his heart and choked his lungs.

Blood... so much blood... it was everywhere. It pooled in his eyes and stuck to his skin. It clung to his lungs and invited horror. Something just passed through his body, a viscous gel wrapped around each and every cell in a crippling ripple.

A sickening cacophony of cackling and screams rang out in the man's body. Each and every bone creaked under the pressure of this invisible passing force and pulled his strength away.

Scents and sounds he never knew before, drilled into his senses. His pupils ruptured as sights he couldn't understand printed into his brain.

Monsters, pallid forms lanky and gaunt, turned their eyeless faces towards his fallen body with gasps and growls. One of them approached and touched his shoulder. This naked, sharp toothed, leather skinned woman teared up and turned towards her allies as they huddled around with tears.

The man teared and sobbed endlessly. Caught up in emotions as the group hugged him. For a moment, the man saw the faces of other humans, of people who were there for him in this frightening time. He didn't know what was happening, but this human connection made him feel all the better....

That is... at least... until the screaming reached a crescendo. His very soul jolted with instinctual fear the moment he saw another tearful person walk through his office wall. Rational kicked in, "-Who are these people?-"

A second later, blood erupted out of his shoulder as one of the figure bit into him. The others swarmed like a pack of hyenas. There was no green flame at this time. In fact, there wasn't even a wisp of green particles in the air.

Instead, in his last moments. The man noticed how his vision was covered in a filter of reddish light. Particles of various brown, red, orange, and yellows swirled about without end, like a mist of gore enveloped everyrhing in sight. The only blue was instantly devoured as what escaped into the air was dyed bloodier colors.

Moments later, Horatio entered the room and called emergency medical services. His boss laid on the floor, bleeding from every facial orifice. Body limp, eyes bleeding, Horacio held his boss's head.

The reflection in the fallen man's eyes showed a different scene. One where monsters ripped at his organs and suckled his blood. The man didn't die, but when he woke, nothing would ever be the same.

---EARLIER THAT DAY---

Like a certain princess, Aaradhya truly was locked inside of a well-insulated glass coffin. Inscribed on a metal plate, deep within the scorched chamber of an airlock, "Only the best for Death's Champion. - Your humble servant".

Today, however the coffin resembled a display in a museum.

"-Hm. It would seem my stirring caught their attention. -", Aaradhya's mind raced at a few thousand meters a minute under the pressuring and uncomfortable gaze of three... figures.

"-Something seems to be very wrong with my eyes. Everything is covered in a green tinted sheet of light. Not only that, but these people are also mostly glowing with a visible blue corona. Is it more appropriate to call it an aura? Also, let me revise that observation. Help center, is this visual change consistent with the effects of soul sense? -", Aaradhya's mind raced as he connected the abstract knowledge within his mind to the system entries.

"-I can see the utility of seeing someone's soul. But not being able to control it is a pain. Their physical and spiritual appearances overlap...-", Aaradhya looked over and through a sheet of heavy green light, he faintly made out a few dozen golden flames with fragmenting blue rings in the distance.

"-For right now, it's detrimental. Cool, but not great. Help center, does soul sense also augment my other senses? -",

"Hm. Good, I can mentally prepare for these changes, or adjust to what's already different", as he spoke, his body shuddered. A breeze washed through his body like a fresh summer wind. It reinvigorated him. The bright green tint periodically flashed out of sight like a broken lightbulb. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, the radiance dulled to the point where he could see the people behind the soul-lights.

One of the guards, the eldest of the group, didn't stare at him and only shot a cursory side glance. The other two guards looked at him in a mesmerized silence.

"-Hm. My nose is starting to itch, it also smells a little...-, *Gag*, *Sneeze*, *Sneeze*, -horrible-", without missing a beat Aaradhya's physical senses returned.

"I'm sorry my lord!", the youngest of the group banged his head on side of the coffin and cried with an ugly expression.

"Forgive me. I was impudent. Please punish me for my insolence", the second youngest jumped back and shot down in a 90-degree bow. She didn't cry but a violent smile spread across her face cheek to cheek.

"Please do with me as you wish my lord. I know it's presumptuous but please, spare the children of your wrath", the eldest prostrated on his knees with deadpan expression.

"-... Are these... no. Please, no. Please don't let these guards be idiots. *Sneeze*...-", Aaradhya closed his eyes and stifled the tears and sobs caught behind his internal voice.

"-No... I refuse to believe Death would supply me with idiots. They are Fanatics, *Gag*, steadfast minions that I can control at a whim. Their intelligence is directly equivalent to how I use them, so they aren't dumb-. *Sneeze*", Aaradhya paused. The air in this coffin smelled... wrong. As he focused on it, his senses sharpened. Rather than sharpen, it was more like his sense of smell just now registered the scent. The air refreshed every so often but...

"*Dry heave*, -Oh God. Oh my God. It smells like a rotting corpse in a musty basement-", his empty stomach did a dozen backflips.

"-Help Center, is there something that can filter scent or replace it altogether-", *Choking gag*", Aaradhya silently choked on the air in his coffin but none of the guards noticed off in their own little world's.

"-Help Center, can you find a match that is available to me now and make sure that match won't restrict my growth in the future-"

"*Choking groan*, -Open it-", pictures of a four-legged humanoid with a barrel chest, a fan like mouth, and holes all over its body showed a technique that could be used to improve and control ones breathing. Each picture had some writing that rolled out across his mind.

"-I CAN'T USE THIS. Useless help center. I can't read whatever chicken scratch this is...-", Aaradhya teared up unintentionally. The putrid stench burned his eyes and clogged his throat.

The dilemma of needing to breath but being incapable of bringing yourself to do so nearly tore his body apart. Thankfully, as he suffocated himself, two sets of steps echoed throughout the hall outside.

"What is going on here?", an old grumbling voice boomed out.

An old man in military grade combat gear led the way for another man in an elaborate outfit. This second man didn't try but still popped with grace and pomp. His luxurious silver half robe with black and gold accents fluttered and glistened like a cicada's wings. Numerous accessories that denoted high authority, if not some kind of royalty, flashed with a polished sheen in this man's hair and on his wrists.

The militant old man stared at the coffin and nearly collapsed from a heart attack. He motioned toward the coffin then at the guards, then back at the coffin.

"None of you thought to call this in!", the old man bellowed.

"This is not the time, open the casket", the high priest, Aaradhya's father, commanded the old man without so much as a change in expression.

With that order, the four guards ended their antics and swept their emotions under the rug. The solid gold handles along each face of the glass lid twisted and pushed into the larger alter as the guards worked in unison to twist the top of the entire pyramid- like altar. Once the gears snapped into place, the locks on the edges clicked.

The entire structure rose with a hydraulic hiss that echoed throughout the room. The youngest guard fell unconscious as a deathly stench rolled out of the huge elaborate casket.

The guards gagged or held their noses once the rotten air wafted out. The old man chose to scrunch his nose with dissatisfaction rather than disrespect his lord.

The priest's expression did not shift in the slightest. Instead, he pushed toward the coffin cradle and reached out to hold his son. Immediately after touching Aaradhya, a shell of dead skin and clotted blood cracked. A blinding emerald light flashed and swirled into the fog.

Aaradhya closed his burning eyes and grimaced almost unnaturally for a baby. Sadly, even with closed eyes he could see the spiritual light. In fact, the light, presence, and particles of the spirits around him increased.

"-Damnit...-"

The stench disappeared a few seconds after the shell cracked. In the span of these few seconds, the guards all dropped to their knees in fervent prayer. The priest took his robe off and loosely covered Aaradhya.

"-This is all too much stimulus. Everything is happening too quickly. No wonder normal babies cry so much. Help center, for the spirit guide, is there a technique I can use to adjust my spiritual senses without locking myself out of anything in the future-",

The data flashed in Aaradhya's analytical mind and in moments, he found the crux of his issue. He was too sensitive to the spirit world, to the point where it overpowered his physical senses to a violent degree.

"-Does this mean I will automatically grow my spiritual strength? If so, I should focus on developing my weaknesses. If I were to forcefully adjust or train my soul, it would grow out of proportion. My body wouldn't be able to contain my soul. If that were to happen, I believe I would spend more time In Death's sleep than necessary-", the green tint around the room died down once more. Not by a lot, but enough for Aaradhya to physically see further than just two or three meters.

"-I have been placed in a shrine, in a cave, Death knows where. Death also pointed out some narrative beats I should meet but I'll get to those when I need to...-", though he couldn't see the whole cavern with his physical senses, the spirit world more than made up for it. Green particles gushed out of the walls in rushing tides, outlining the room at the edges of his vision....

Then he moved. His father gave some orders to the guard then departed with him in tow. The prayers of the guards rang through dark cavernous halls as a haunting siren's call.

"*Sneeze*, -frightening. They show the makings of zealots-", Aaradhya took in the actions of these crazy people as food for thought.

"-But it would seem that this priestly father of mine is even more interesting. How can he see in the dark...-", rolled about in his mind for a few moments. All of a sudden, the outline of the walls at the edges of his vision tightened to show the caverns. Some spots remained dark, but the walls were perfectly outlined with green light. He could even see the walls behind the walls and even make out some dead ends at some of these routes.

"-He likely has has soul sense, but how? This world only has the foundations for powers. None of it should already be active... right? -", His father walked far enough to no longer hear the calls of the guard. In the meantime, Aaradhya found his mind shrouded by some sort of cover.

"-Oh, could it have been, the foundations were set and over time they could have developed to the era we are currently in? So, some people might have developed some powers throughout the history of this world and those teaching must have been passed down in some form-", Aaradhya felt he was on the right track and kept the thought in mind. Right now, his mind and eyes were trained on what was currently in front of him.

"Father's aura is covered in green so I can sort of make out his face. There is some denser azure where his eyes should be. Alot more where his ears are. They are more detailed than anything else. Does that mean he can hear the spirits and sort of see them? If so, would the detail in the aura of other people show the same features... -", the priest broke the newly entered silence. He spoke for a while then trailed off in thought.

Aaradhya couldn't see his father's actual face but the aura around his soul vibrated in accordance with his emotions.

"-I think I understand. You are happy but also scared. The problem is, I don't know if you are talking to me or monologuing. I don't understand your language-", Aaradhya raised an eyebrow in the dark. The priest continued to talk but all his words fell on deaf ears.

"-I am so sorry. It would seem you are talking to me-", Aaradhya shook his head. The priest felt Aaradhya move and instantly thought the child shook his head in displeasure. His even cadence rushed and staggered to a near hurry as he explained himself using words Aaradhya didn't understand.

"-...I don't have the heart or the means...-", Aaradhya wore a soft expression and teared up unintentionally. There was no way he could tell his father... it was physically impossible.

"-I don't understand whatever language you are speaking. But you seem so caught up in this cult that I can't bring myself to break your world... view? You happy crazy man, be glad that mother was the first to enter my blessing. My mindset towards you is more forgiving than I'd like to admit-", Aaradhya looked away, a single glistening tear fell onto his father's hand. That was likely the very last expression of his mother's soul. Her echo probably completely entered his blessing's control now.

Aaradhya's father quieted down and reconfigured his composure mid-sentence. His flared soul trembled in sorrow, discontent, anger, and hope. The priest also seemed to cry but how could Aaradhya tell? Regardless, the man said a few more things then went silent.

A few more moments later, Aaradhya noticed the spirit world slowly faded to the edges of his vision again. Down this winding hall, light reflected off the wet walls.

He immediately noticed a bright blue and yellow moss that clung onto the walls, ceiling, and floor. The yellow was on the floor and more rubbed down but upon a closer look, he noticed how the green light floated up more violently than the walls because of his father's steps. This moss seemed to filter the fog into that green particulate.

The duo traveled a few more slight turns as the LED'S brightened. Aaradhya noticed that the moss dulled to a stone grey further outside of the cave. The particles they made also dropped to a near useless amount. Actually, as he observed the light he noticed that it started off green and upon passing the brightly colored moss, it paled to a more ghostly white shade.

They rounded one last corner, where they reached a giant stone door. Aaradhya noticed two things, the first being green light particles rushed straight through the doors. All of it flooded towards the depths of the cave from outside. They swirled through the walls and entered into the deeper parts of the shrine. The already minty green particles darkened to a dark emerald as it passed through the moss toward the alter.

The second thing he noticed was actually a bit more surprising. Aaradhya knew he would have followers but, five dozen or so men and women in Kevlar armor greeted the duo.

"-Talk about excessive. Each of them has at least five guns and the face of an action hero. How do people Ike this actually exist... Hm. I'll run that back considering what I now know-", Aaradhya scanned the group. One of these soldiers stepped forward with an evil sneer. A splash of scarring spread across the right side of his bald head and face. This man bowed his head, kneeled, and prayed with a fervor no less if not more fanatic than the guards from earlier. All of the soldiers stepped forward and followed suit.

"-This is too much. If this is the Normal greeting for me, I don't like it -", Aaradhya almost couldn't handle the sheer display of what these people did. Luckily, the momentum was interrupted by an incoming call. One of the soldiers stood up and passed a satellite phone to the priest.

"Good morning First Elder... yes, my absence is inexcusable...", the priest said. Aaradhya's head snapped upward in shock, though not written on his face.

"-You do speak a language I know-", Aaradhya didn't know this but many of the soldiers observed his every movement, his every breath. These people noticed that once the high priest called the first elder, their lord looked at the brick sized satellite phone with a frown. In their minds, their lord already knew the first elder and that frown was a look of displeasure.

"I will surely return immediately... greetings second elder... yes, I will receive thirty lashings and five hours of repentance when I return...", the priest spoke with a deadpan expression, but anger could be gleaned from his posture. Aaradhya heard the conversation on both sides and rolled his eyes with a headshake.

"-Uppity idiot. Does he not know Cults only work if the end goal is believable yet unattainable? If they believe I'm their god, any power dynamic already established will shift over to revolving around me if it hasn't already-", the soldiers narrowed their eyes. In their minds, their lord found it laughable a mere elder would try to punish the high priest. But similarly, the absurdity wasn't even worth laughing so a dismissive eye roll and disappointed head shake was all the elder deserved.

"No first elder, I am not dissatisfied with yours or the second elder's guidance. I feel it's appropriate if not a showing of your humble benevolence", the priest closed his eyes as the phone crackled nonstop with the voices of two different elders. From time to time, some other voices would chirp but they were quickly drowned out.

"Third elder?", Aaradhya raised an eyebrow and nodded. His father switched up and spoke a third language.

"-English too? How many languages does he know, very impressive-", the soldiers noticed their lords nod of approval and noted down that the third elder was to be spared any trouble.

"... Of course, thank you for your understanding, I just so happen to be fulfilling my sacred duty as appointed to me by the council of elders. I have gone on my daily pilgrimage to commune with our lord. Our grace and I will return shortly so I can receive my punishment...-", Aaradhya's father didn't change his voice even an octave throughout the verbal lashing.

"...yes, I did. Those stationed at the shrine, and I will have the immense pleasure of joining our lord on the journey back", one of the elders on the other side of the phone yelled so loud his voice resonated throughout the room. He switched back to the first language Aaradhya knew.

"By chance first elder, you are not upset with the lords awakening, are you?", the priest opened his eyes with a sharpness that caused the soldiers to shrink down and bow their snooping heads once more. It was already enough that the loud phone echoed through the cave entrance, they shouldn't be greedy and try to glean anything other than the info shared through the conversation.

"... Your body was filled with intense euphoria you say? Very well then. Elders, since I have you, and it seems you are all already gathered, let's call a conclave in honor of the lord's awakening. It would also be a great opportunity to announce this to all of the patrons who were hesitant... Yes.... Yes.... Today, tomorrow, and the day after.... On this third day, we will announce our plans going forward under the guidance of our lord... yes. We will return now", the priest returned the phone.

The next thing Aaradhya knew, the soldiers packed up and loaded onto heavily armored vehicles in the span of minutes.

"-...wow. Just, wow...-", In the time it took for his father to walk from the stone gate to a personal limo, a convoy had already been prepared and waiting. The drove in relative silence. The hum of engines and song-like prayer pierced the silence, but Aaradhya ignored them.

"-An island? It's rather big too...-", Aaradhya stared off to the side from his father's arms.

"*Frown*, -Now that I think about it. I can hold myself up. -", Aaradhya looked down at his hands and noticed that they were larger than a newborn by quite a margin. The priest said something but all he received was a blank stare from Aaradhya. After a 15 or so minute drive up an incline, they finally reached the base of a small mountain.

"-Rather than a cult, it looks like an island resort for the wealthy-", Aaradhya observed enough to realize that the power behind this cult was nothing to scoff at. On the beach, he noticed at least 12 castle like buildings not including the hundreds of other cabanas and huts. A few minutes later, they rilled up to a guard post at the base of the mountain. He spotted row after row after row of mansions, each one poked out of the lush mountain forest.

All of a sudden alarms and music rang out and legitimately shook the mountain. Birds raced out of the forest as confetti cannons and streamers shot out at this post. The convoy continued on as prayer rocked the very earth.

As they drove up, Aaradhya noticed people lined the snaking road. They all prayed and threw flowers, a fervor unlike anything he had ever seen swept through them. In an almost violent faith, some of these people tried to rush the car and meet their god. Luckily, they were stopped by a military car that sped up and cut them off, but it happened too many times for it to not be concerning.

The crowd became even larger and screamed with wild abandon as soon as someone pointed at the back window. One person with a bowler hat, a heart under his eye, and a playful smile just so happened to lock eyes with Aaradhya.

The military cars pulled up to either side of the limo and forced the followers to part. The military people shot into the air then pointed guns at the crowd. Aaradhya's father said something but, again, none of it made any sense.

They drove up to the peak of the mountain, through tunnels and woods. In an almost cinematic shot, Aaradhya gasped.

"-This, is remarkable. I owned an Island villa in my life, but this! This is just mind bogglingly stunning-", the sun rose on the horizon and reflected gold and purple rays off the sparkling sea. Not only that, but a white spiritual glow also swirled and spread across everything in sight at the horizon. A green filter around the island gave everything a gemstone like glitter.

"-Hm. There's a bubble of green particles centered on this island...-", Aaradhya pursed his lips in thought. For once, he didn't think on something any further than an initial observation. Which, in hindsight, was probably a red flag that something was wrong... well. Not really. The sight was just so beautiful that he couldn't really think about anything else.

Anyway, they went through one last tunnel. When the convoy came out the other side, miraculous couldn't even begin to describe the atmosphere. They stepped out in a square built at the center of the entire island and moved out on foot. He saw this place from a distance but being inside the villa's complex was an entirely different experience.

"-I am in awe. It must have taken years to carve this place out of the stone. Probably even longer to carve all of the details-", the military people drove off elsewhere. All that remained were Aaradhya, his father, and their personal guard who were hidden off in the shadows nearby. Aaradhya only saw them because of his soul sense.

Sadly, his sense of peace and wonder crumbled.

"-Everyone seems to be in a state of panic. A conclave to these people must be an extremely important affair...-", Aaradhya could see a group of at least two or three hundred souls spaced out across the villa. More if he counted the golden lights that were not human shapes.