Passing Through The Veil

Karyl was dead.

Night Haunter was certain of this.

His eyes were shut tight, his lips were pale, and there was neither breath nor heartbeat. By any standard, Karyl was dead. Even with his body intact, he had lost all vital signs.

Night Haunter was already well-acquainted with death; he could confirm the truth of this with absolute certainty.

After all, he had personally orchestrated many horrific massacres; though his intentions were good, his methods were cruel.

Night Haunter knew this was necessary. He had come to understand the meaning of fear—if those who committed evil were not made to tremble, Night Haunter could never become a name that carried symbolic weight.

The people of Nostramo needed a symbol that represented punishment. That was what Karyl had said.

Night Haunter did not understand it, but he could grasp the importance of the matter.

Yet, Karyl's death was somehow different from those other deaths. Night Haunter had never imagined he would die; in his eyes, Karyl was omnipotent.

How could he be dead?

Night Haunter lowered his head.

Sorrow and frustration surged through his heart once more. Moreover, the salvation promised by that voice a short while ago had yet to appear.

Have I been deceived? he thought.

+I have not deceived you, Konrad Curze.+

The voice rang out again.

For some reason, Night Haunter did not feel surprised. Furthermore, this time, when it sounded, he did not detect that cold shiver.

Who is Konrad Curze? he thought.

+You.+

That is not my name.

+Whether you accept it or not is up to you. I will not force you; I only hope that when we meet, you will have changed your mind. Besides, I truly have not deceived you.+

Then why...?

+Scientific medical treatment is useless for someone who has committed suicide via psychic means; therefore, the passage of time is actually meaningless regarding his resurrection. I have done what I could; what follows depends on whether his will is firm or not.+

What does this have to do with will?

+Because the pain a Ghost must face to be reborn is no less than dying once more. He will pass through The Veil again, and what he must face during that time are his own demons.+

Demons?

Night Haunter looked blankly at Karyl—or rather, at Karyl's corpse. The word echoed in his heart.

Demons?

+You do not understand what I mean. I see. Then, do not take it to heart. Wait, Konrad Curze. He will wake up. My brothers and yours are also arriving soon.+

Who are you?

Night Haunter frowned. And my brothers? Who are they?

+You have seen them, have you not? In the visions you have foreseen, you have glimpsed their forms. As for who I am, we shall speak of that when we meet, Konrad Curze.+

+Also, take care of yourself.+

I do not remember, but thank you, and goodbye, Night Haunter said in his heart.

Politeness was very important.

This time, the voice did not answer again. Night Haunter tilted his head in confusion, having no choice but to commit the name to memory—Konrad Curze?

What a strange name.

He turned his gaze back to Karyl, who remained in that lifeless state. With no other options, Night Haunter crouched down and began to keep watch, motionless.

The voice said he did not lie to me, Night Haunter thought. I hope he truly didn't.

I have been here before.

Looking at the darkness surrounding him, Karyl thought.

I have been here before. He repeated it in his heart, then closed his eyes and slowly took a step forward.

A bone-chilling cold arrived in the very next instant.

Then, a heavy sensation of being dragged came over him. His skin, his flesh, and even his bones were all seized by invisible claws. They permeated everything, piercing into every detail of his body.

In a flash, ten thousand voices erupted wildly in his ears.

"Stay!" they shrieked. "You belong here! Don't even think about leaving again!"

No, I do not belong here. I am different from you all.

Sighing, he endured the pain and took another step forward. This single step alone caused the world to undergo a cataclysmic change.

A familiar stench washed over him; the air unique to the Nostramo Underhive welcomed him in the most stifling way possible. Then came the sound of rain—a violent, torrential downpour.

Karyl opened his eyes.

He saw a boy, a wounded boy. He lay sprawled in the pouring rain, drenched in blood, his hands clutching two blades far too large for his frame.

His face was a mask of pure hatred.

The boy looked up.

"It's you," he whispered, his voice cutting through the rain to reach Karyl's ears with pinpoint precision.

"It is," Karyl nodded. "Move aside, would you?"

"Not until you have finished the vengeance," the boy muttered. "We had a deal, Ghost—I would give everything, as long as you killed them."

"I have finished," Karyl replied calmly. "And you, you don't need to keep saying that anymore."

He sighed and continued to walk forward. With every step, the sensation of being dragged intensified.

Accompanying it was an increasingly sharp pain; his flesh and bones protested loudly, his nerves spasmed, and blood spilled from his orifices and pores, leaving him looking utterly wretched.

Yet, Karyl remained unmoved.

He had to go back.

"You finished?" the boy asked skeptically. "Why can I see nothing?"

"Because... you don't actually exist, so you cannot see."

Karyl shook his head and suddenly began to laugh.

"Blame that head of yours; he told me the truth," Karyl said with a smile. "But I'm afraid you won't be seeing him again."

The boy stared at him, uncomprehending, coughing as he lay on the ground in the rain. Blood flowed from his wounds, yet even so, he did not loosen his grip on the two blades.

After a moment, he asked, "How did they die?"

"I killed them."

"No, I want to know the exact way they died."

The boy insisted stubbornly, his features suddenly twisting in the rain like a washed-out oil painting.

"We had a deal, Ghost, we had a deal!"

Here it comes.

Karyl lowered his head and replied, "I promised you I would kill them, but that did not include describing the details of their deaths to you."

"But how do I know you aren't lying to me?!"

The boy roared. "You took my body! I gave you everything, Ghost! I only wanted revenge!"

Yes, I took everything from you, yes.

Of course I know what I have done.

Karyl stopped walking and breathed calmly, a complex emotion rising slowly between his brows. It looked like regret, yet it also resembled a cold, unwavering resolve.

He sighed softly and said to the boy, "I have already completed the revenge you wanted."

"But I didn't see it!"

The boy shrieked, his form gradually becoming terrifying within the rain. A power flickered, infusing this temporarily shaped memory with a sense of genuine reality.

They came from the darkness, and now, they made a memory become the darkness itself.

In the rain, a massive monster stood upright.

"I didn't see it!"

It roared, its voice like thunder.

"You failed me, you deceived me, Ghost! You are a liar! You simply stole my body, my name, and used them to do what you wanted!"

"I do not deny that."

Karyl answered calmly, though his hands had clenched into fists at some point. "But the revenge you wanted, I have already completed."

"Then let me see! Let me see their corpses! I want to see every person who participated in the destruction of House Lohars dismembered with my own eyes!"

"I cannot do that," Karyl shook his head. "The dead are gone."

"I cannot let you see what I have seen, child. You died a long time ago, and I... I never considered you to be alive. Therefore, you are merely an echo from behind The Veil."

He pursed his lips and repeated himself.

"You come from behind The Veil, and for that very reason, I cannot let you see my memories."

"Liar! Traitor!" the monster roared in fury and lunged at Karyl, its hands now two sharp, silver-glinting claws.

It swung them, and the rain was shredded in an instant. The howling wind merged with its roar, turning into a far more terrifying duet.

"You may call me whatever you wish."

Karyl stepped back, dodging the strike with ease, as if he had foreseen it. He made the movement look effortless.

He looked up at the monster's twisted face and spoke calmly: "But we both know that is not the truth."

The monster returned his words with a terrifying glare. It wheezed, laughing in a low rumble amidst the curtain of rain.

"Lies of a deceiver!"

No, I am not. And I do not lie.

Karyl closed his eyes, falling silent—words were useless in a situation like this; he was not facing a rational creature that could be persuaded.

That child had died thirteen years ago, on that rainy night. He had been born from sin and the blood of his victims, growing up by suckling on their flesh. Before he died, he had summoned a drifting Ghost.

Through boundless hatred, boundless evil, and his own blood.

The fierce sound of wind struck again, and Karyl tilted his head slightly, dodging the blow. Continuous roars echoed through the rain. The monster launched a fierce assault, yet it never once landed a hit on Karyl.

"Fight back, deceiver! Are you feeling guilty?!"

No, I am not.

"Fight me! Kill me, or suffer here with me!"

The monster shrieked, its voice shifting once more. The ten thousand voices that had been screaming in Karyl's ears earlier joined in, mingling with its roar, becoming increasingly deafening.

"You belong here, you cannot leave!"

No, I do not belong here.

Karyl opened his eyes, a faint golden light flickering in his pitch-black pupils.

He gritted his teeth, and a burning heat ignited from his fingertips—then, golden flames erupted into the rain, scorching it all away.

A scream followed.

The monster recoiled, retreating again and again as its massive body began to shrink. The darkness was dispelled, and a stench distinct from the sour rot of the Nostramo Underhive hit him, followed by a crackling sound.

It was like rotting bones being incinerated.

"The child who made a deal with me died thirteen years ago. You are not him."

Karyl spoke in a low voice. "I want to leave, so I will leave. No matter how many tricks you play, it is useless."

"Traitor! Deceiver! Self-righteous fool!"

The monster in the darkness shrieked in a cowering voice, thin and ridiculous. "The Fire Thief will devour you! He will leave nothing of your bones; he will show you no mercy!"

"The Fire Thief. Prometheus?"

Karyl was slightly stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Golden flames erupted once more; The Veil was scorched and shaken, and a cold tremor followed. He closed his eyes, letting the pain carry away his remaining consciousness.

Then, the next second—amidst the unwilling roars echoing in the darkness, a real light shone before Karyl's tightly closed eyes.