How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Mysteries hid under the earth the living walked upon, or in the crevices that they passed unwittingly. The unknown, so strange and terrifying, filled with an unfathomable beauty.
Perhaps out of place, a disconnected puzzle piece that seemed to belong nowhere until you saw the full picture.
Kaden blinked at the endless garden, a utopia that seemed to reject negativity despite keeping records of death and terror. The pink spirit nodded calmly.
"While you associate death with terrible things, we see death as a conclusion, and a beginning to another path."
Kaden frowned. "Are you saying reincarnation is possible?"
Then he realized the irony of his question. He hadn't even entered a new body—no, against all odds, he traveled to another universe and then back in time.
"There are many things that are possible. But the living often chooses to deem the things they cannot understand as a fantasy, an unrealistic daydream."
The lavender spirit jumped in, glancing accusingly over at her... friend?
"Don't say that!"
"I am simply stating things as they are."
Kaden laughed lightly, smiling politely as he was careful not to accidentally tread over some sacred flower or anything. "Well, she's unfortunately correct."
The rose spirit stared at him observantly, her beautiful and sharp gaze scrutinizing his every breath. Then a pleasant smile graced her lips. "Seeing as your reaction is not to reject our existence, I will deem you as an outlier in that case."
"Thank you. I think?"
"Although your fate is twisted, I can see the lines scattered in many different directions. It's hard to tell."
The lavender interjected, her words filled with high praise. "My dearest sister has been blessed by the Watcher of Fate! Not all spirits here are blessed, but she is! She can see how fate connects people, and when their death approaches."
Then, the spirit added proudly. "I can sense the colour of people's emotions! Isn't that cool?"
Kaden paused, and a somber air filled his body in this delightful garden. He lowered his voice, both cautious and curious. "Can you tell me when I will die?"
Silence blanketed them, a tense atmosphere that made the surrounding spirits fly away.
The rose spirit's smile fell. "Even if I tell you, it is difficult to change your life's trajectory. It would be a self-fulfilling prophecy. In trying to change fate, you will lead yourself to that destined outcome."
Kaden shook his head, laughing helplessly, a deadness in his gaze. "I wouldn't try to prevent my death. I never had any intentions of doing that."
His words fell on stagnant air, and the lavender spirit shivered before she turned sideways to the masked figure that seemed to radiate the cold. Her eyes widened, seeing the flaring bursts of rippling black, dark and terrifying edges.
The aura spiked out aggressively, mixing a forced calm and then unrestrained anger that continued to fluctuate.
The rose spirit calmed down despite being startled by the bland words, before she glanced back at her sister, frown deepening. She spun her head to the masked figure.
Her lips parted to make a single order.
"Behave."
The man fell still, and suddenly dropped to one knee, sweat trickling down his neck as his breathing became laboured.
"I have the most authority in this place. Keep your emotions in check if you don't plan to do anything about it." said the woman coldly as her sister regained the pink flush in her cheeks.
She then turned to Kaden, who jolted in surprise at the sudden turn of events. Her words remained solemn. "I cannot predict your death—it is far too uncertain. However, things only become certain when death is near. You have much time to live."
"Isn't that great?"
His words had a bite of sarcasm, but they had been genuine.
Kaden recalled his death in both lives, in the agonizing solitude in which he lost his mind, and by a hallucination that beckoned him over the edge.
Neither had been a pleasant experience, and as one said, it was only after life that you could truly regret death. And though acting upon those words were a rare opportunity, he was a person who had been blessed with it.
How much had he missed, how much good had he passed while stuck in his own gloomy depression?
How many connections or people could he have spoken with if he simply raised his head and looked? Could he really say he despised living when he'd hardly lived?
Tap, tap.
Kaden jerked out of his thoughts, and looked over at the crouched man who slowly stood up, returning to his steady posture. He'd tapped his covered fingers on his mask.
Likely a random habit, or his relieving of the headache the rose spirit seemed to inflict upon him.
But the small action had prevented Kaden from sinking further into his thoughts.
His shoulders that had been tense from being around that stranger relaxed slightly, the movements reflected in dark pupils.
He felt for the cold golden coin in his pocket, gliding his fingers over the surface.
The rose spirit stared at the both of them. "Regardless, I advise you not to seek to change your unknown fate—instead, follow actions that you will not regret. The predestined is in fact undetermined. Perhaps happiness is your end."
"Also!" chirped the lavender spirit, smiling brightly. "There are many endings you might come across. We can see the variety, but can't determine exactly what it'll be!"
"In other words," continued the pink spirit. "Just live your life."
She turned around, robes delicately flowing against the ground, remaining unblemished. The flowers swayed slightly with her footstep, parting where she stood.
"Now, come pick up your classmates."
Kaden remembered his original intention of determining the students' situation, and nodded. He didn't dare to overstep in this unknown domain.
The purple spirit's steps laboured, hanging behind and closer to Kaden, eagerness evident. "We don't often encounter the living! Though they have explored that cave before, it is purely by chance that they might come across our space."
"Is that so?" He made conversation both out of politeness, and being unable to refuse such earnestness. "Do you often remain in this realm, in the Record Hall?"
"Absolutely! I do love my job, and occasionally I'm granted permission to interfere in outside matters with regards to helping souls pass on."
"Are you unable to spend a long time outside?"
Her smile faltered slightly, before curving her gentle violet eyes. "The dead and living have a line that separates them. And while that line can occasionally be crossed, it's important to know that they are separate. I can only live alongside the dead."
Kaden's mind reeled in the information, lapping at the unknown facts. To think such a creature existed, that he could come across this by chance.
It reminded him that there was much in the world he still didn't know.
Much he couldn't even fathom.
The violet fairy laughed loudly, a musical melody that was pleasing to the ears. "You're thinking that my words seem impossible, or magical, right? In fact, my existence isn't a secret—but humans don't often hear about us."
"We are categorized into a linear category, 'fairies'. Often, a person doesn't care to learn more about our history, that 'fairies' have different types, as do all creatures. They conform us to their expected ideal and call it a day."
Her words were a little depressing, but true. Although in the Academy, various species of living things interacted, each group preferred to stick to their similar peers.
There were also those who thought of themselves as a higher existence than anything else, refusing to learn about things that existed outside of their little world of supremacy.
They stopped before a luxurious wooden gazebo, crafted clearly by skilled hands. It exuded a comforting feeling that made a person a little sleepy when approaching.
Kaden saw two figures lying on a bed of soft pillows on the ground, breathing softly. They curled up, no signs of injury much to his relief.
"It's our resting area! One of them." explained the purple spirit. "The best quality pillows for optimal rest... it took at least a year of researching the living world for us to mimic such feeling!"
Kaden internally praised their efforts, respecting the work put towards sleeping and lazing around.
Perhaps he could ask to steal one for his own bed...?
Although he didn't really sleep on his bed as frequently recently.... Though surely, the great dragon's son would appreciate a softer pillow?
His thoughts flowed naturally, showing no fluctuations of the idea of sleeping beside Noah, having adapted to it as a natural and expected thing.
The rose spirit spoke up before he could even consider asking. "The things of this realm cannot exist in the human world. The are all enhanced by magic."
"...that's too bad."
He cleared his throat, and approached the sleeping students. "Were they injured when you found them?"
"It appeared that they had ventured into the cave, and accidentally slipped down the waterfall. The red-haired girl was unable to swim, and as the boy tried to save her, they passed out and ended up floating to shore."
"Yes, yes!" added the violet spirit with a smile. "They were unconscious when we happened by them, but the creatures in the dark can be dangerous. We decided to bring them back until they woke, since we couldn't stay out too long either."
That clarified that the pair of students hadn't been attacked, and therefore he wouldn't have to worry about dragging back a corpse to one of the professors.
Not only would that make his rumours explode, the feeling of carrying a dead body that had been alive in the beginning of the day...
...it was a little too unnerving.
If anybody knew the thoughts of this professional assassin who had reaped countless of lives, they would question their hearing.
"How should I... hm, I can lift one of them but two might be excessive...." muttered Kaden. He wasn't weak, but his skills were more in his trained sense of awareness and combat, not specifically his strength.
To lift two reasonably sized students wasn't an easy feat.
As he was thinking, the masked man directly slung the limp bodies over his shoulder, indifferent to their comfort before he walked back over.
The three watchers felt a little speechless at such rough actions. Finally, after five minutes of staring, the masked man gritted out in a low voice.
"Leave now."
Kaden sensed something immediately and smiled slyly. "Is it a little too much for you too, despite trying to look cool?"
He could feel the hostility emanating from underneath the mask. He laughed, before deciding to not tease the man too much. He didn't really want to carry the heavy students either, so it was better to hurry and head back.
Bowing his head respectfully, he thanked the two spirits. "Thank you for all your help. And for taking care of my classmates."
"It's nothing~" chirped the violet spirit. "I was excited interacting with so many living things too! Here, before you go, let me introduce myself. My name's—"
The pink spirit's eyes contracted, and she hurriedly lifted up a hand.
"—Leonara."
"Sister." gritted the pink spirit with a sigh of exasperation, turning to face Kaden with a threatening stare. "The name of a spirit shouldn't be chanted easily in the living world. It's equivalent to summoning us."
Kaden realized why the spirit had raised her hand to block the other's mouth, and nodded in agreement. He had no intention of taking advantage of the spirits' goodwill.
"Hehe, it's fine~ They're a trustworthy pair, you know I can read emotions! They don't harbour any ill intentions towards us. Summon me to chat sometime, okay? I'll come, any night save for the night of the Devil's Moon!"
Kaden's smile softened. "Of course."
The rose spirit snapped her fingers sharply, before a burst of flower petals surrounded the two men. With the other hand, she flicked her sibling's head as punishment for being so careless.
"Whether you contact Leonara or not, do not speak of the Record Hall or her name to other members of the living. I can't promise you peace if you do."
With her final warning ringing in their ears, the storm of petals blocked their vision before parting away, settling onto the ground. By the time he opened his eyes, he'd already returned to the forest.