Chapter XII - Astral Hell

Takayama, Japan

- For a moment you reminded me of someone... For whom I have a lot of hatred.

Covered in glowing flames was the creature next to Noah, with the sword he wielded stuck in the boy's shoulder he said these words slowly, applying an emphasis on "hate".

- Who are you? - Using the last remnants of strength he possessed, Noah questioned the flaming being.

The place taken by flames now had a contrast of blood splattered all over the floor, the purest human nectar. Noah's body had shallow and deep cuts all over, now supported by the wall behind him also stained with blood, the sword across his shoulder helped him to stand firm because it sustained him.

- At the end of your life you deserve to know who it was that ended it, well. I am Yamata no Orochi. - The answer was transmitted with conviction.

Noah's immediate reaction was a smile.

- That crazy woman... She... - Noah had already lost so much blood that he could not speak lucidly.

Orochi pulls his sword quickly and with an uncommon force applies a diagonal cut that started on Noah's shoulder and crossed all his chest, with this the boy's body falls suddenly on the ground without showing any reaction.

???

Noah woke up in a desert full of dunes and more dunes of clear sand and completely white, the sky was different than usual he was basically divided between two colors, one side was completely dark, a total pitch, but the opposite side was orange as the twilight band, the dark side there was a scarlet red sun, on the other side a golden moon surrounded by black stars, the vision was dazzling and frightening at the same time. The boy was confused, he didn't understand what had happened, he clearly remembered Orochi almost cutting him in two.

A sandstorm suddenly begins, however in a completely unregulated and senseless way, the winds were pointing everywhere, they didn't seem to be coming or going in any direction. Noah makes the decision to get out of where he was, then gets up and begins to explore the desert where he was, walking a few steps to any direction the boy realizes that; going towards where the sky was darker, the temperature increased, already going to the opposite side the feeling was below zero, walking between both the Noah's body felt frozen at the same time that his skin seemed to melt. The air in the place was heavy almost as if there was no oxygen to breathe, but strangely Noah was not bothered by this.

After walking in a straight line for some time (Noah's sense of time was completely messed up), the boy spots what seems to be a person, naturally he decides to get closer, the closer he gets, the clearer the image becomes, it was what seemed to be a man in a meditation position, it is also noticeable that the winds that cause the sandstorm are coming from this stranger.

- Don't come any closer human. - In a clear and imposing tone, the stranger orders Noah to stay where he is, immediately the storm ceases and the whole place is in absolute silence and what seemed like an eternal calm.

Noah stops his step where he was, that order sounded as absolute, he tries to say something, but his body feels fear that he doesn't know how to explain.

- Are you afraid, human? - The voice echoes everywhere.

The being that was meditating notices the boy's fear and immediately questions him. Noah tries not to be intimidated immediately, he gathers his strength in order to answer the question.

- Wh-Where am I?

- That's not what I asked.

- Why would I be afraid? - He answers the question asked initially.

The unknown man gets up from his measuring pose, staring into the abyss in front of him, for the place he was standing was a rock facing a cliff where all the sand descended and got lost in the immensity.

- This place is called the Astral Inferno.

Noah is surprised by the answer that soon causes him another question.

- So does this mean that I died and ended up in hell?

- No. At least not yet, your body is in a half-dead state, bleeding on the ground.

The unknown man who had his back to the boy turns around revealing his face, traces of his face and hair resemble Noah, with the difference that his eyes had indigo purple irises and the sclera ironically was black, and his hair was long and followed until the end of his back in a mixture of colors between sky blue and black, his differences continued in the physical shape, besides having greater stature, his muscles were more defined, every difference was visible because the man was not wearing anything on top, just a pair of ragged pants.

His presence was imposing, the man walked towards Noah, the boy felt an enormous pressure, it was as if a giant was coming towards him.

- If I'm not dead... Then what is all this? - Even though Noah is known for his intelligence, he was confused by the situation.

- This hell is for me, it works as a kind of prison for my soul. - After walking a few steps, he stops in front of Noah. - And this whole place resides inside you, human.

- What? - A reaction of surprise again, is ripped out.

- Humans are for us like little walking prisons, inside each one there is an Astral Hell.

- Who is "we"?

- Immortal gods like me, our bodies can be destroyed, but our souls are immortal, apparently this is like a curse, when we die we end up here.

- All of this... It's too much for my human head to absorb.

- The reason I brought your soul here was not to explain the origin of everything, but because the being that almost killed you, Yamata no Orochi, was my responsibility from the past, we have a score to settle.

- Is Yamata no Orochi also a god?

- No, he is one of the powerful creatures from my era that apparently also stopped in an Astral Hell, it must have happened to others from that time, but that is not the point I want to get at, I never cared about humans, I am just a spectator and never wanted to interfere in their previous battles, however Orochi is a responsibility of mine, which I have the opportunity to settle here and now.

- What do you want me to do?

- Let me out, when everything is resolved, my soul will return here.

Noah was confused and didn't understand the god's words, but looking quickly around the place he noticed something he hadn't noticed before, everything in the place was attracted by the abyss the god was looking at before, the boy's body starts to move automatically to the precipice in order to look at what was there, the god naturally opens a passage that indicates he wanted the boy to look.

When he got closer the force of attraction was stronger, and when he reached the tip he could see the bottom of the abyss, there at the bottom was a huge eye and everything was attracted to the center where the pupil is, this giant eye moved observing everything. A strange sensation is caused in Noah, staring at the eye his head seemed like it would explode, suddenly a cluster of information arises while the eye stared at him.

Takayama, Japan

Orochi was walking around looking for another victim, even though he has killed almost all of them already, when the almost dead body of Noah that he had left behind rises up.

- What a persistent hum... - The sentence is interrupted by the creature's surprise.

From the body that was full of cuts and blood, it now emitted a smoke and the wounds closed quickly, a completely different presence than before emanated from that boy.

As he turned around the creature that was almost expressionless now had rancor in its eyes.

- It's been a long time, old friend. - Noah said with a different tone of voice.

- You bastard, I knew this piece of shit had a connection to you, but now that you're here I can chop you up and take what you stole from me. Susanoo.