Koki slipped onto the boat, looking over the edge with an excited look. "I've never been on a boat before! Only planes!" She sounded so excited, I guess it was easier for a child to absorb the fact that she was now part mythical creature.
Ryuusei sank in his seat, looking like a beaten up dog, sitting further away from the edges as possible.
He felt a little bad however; as a human he used to love ponds, with all their colorful fish and whatever lay hidden at the bottom. As a matter of fact, the pond he met his end in was in fact, the very pond he used to go to daily to relax or catch fish. Pretty ironic.
After a few moments he realized the uncomfortable feeling wasnt as strong if he looked at the water in the distance, and not straight down at his own reflexion.
The second judge turned to the three passengers and while waiting for the last to get on.
”So… I think you should all know of the ten judges and how they have their courts around the afterworld. The place you’ll be staying at; a mansion and an extension under the fourth judge’s care and you all will be meeting her there after you are all healed up” the second judge explained, fidgeting with an emerald pendant he had with him.
(Note : The Ten Kings/Judges of the Underworld was originally all male but since this is my version of the idea, I made some changes to the concept so it will be a bit more… you know… my style :P)
(jalkfdnsnovn c l a s s e s just pretend she got on the boat lol)
Jennifer kind of liked the mist and the general effect it had; it made the entire experience seem a little cooler, if a little eerie. She looked across the water and was reminded a little bit of her hometown; unlike the city she had died in, her home was small and placed right in the middle of a forest. Jennifer tucked her hair behind one ear, wondering about the other people in the boat. Where had they come from before all this?
Shie stood up, grabbed the large wooden paddle and started the trip.
”Alright you all, I’ll see you around” the first judge who stood by the edge of the water gave them a smile and a small wave.
The second judge wave gave the first a little teasing wink before he turned back to the four passengers.
”As I’ve mentioned, your landlord will be the fourth judge and of course, your neighbor will be the third judge; they’re in a relationship so you would most likely see them together at times” the second judge mentioned.
The boat was about half way to the other side as another building faded into view in the distance.
The second judge pointed to the new building which have just appeared.
”That is my court; the second. I don’t usually work during daytime so I’m free most of the time, feel free to come over whenever you get the chance” he stated with a soft smile.
To the right of the boat in the distance were shadows of what appeared to be children stacking… rocks…?
(I shouldn’t be doing this but…)
(bump)
Ryuusei did his best to play it off like he was calm, though his tensed hands told a different story. He managed to keep his calm air as he looked at the surroundings, admiring them. The water was very calm and quite clear, allowing the eye to see halfway to the bottom, as much as the dimmed light revealed.
He looked at each of the buildings they passed by, listening to the judge's explanations in silence. The architecture of the buildings was quite simple, yet graceful and mystifying, a real delight to the eye. It made him wonder what it was like to live in such large mansions, with a lot of space and comfort.
"What are those?" he finally broke his silence, gesturing towards the preoccupied silhouettes in the distance.
(oh im here, dont worry, i just lose a crap ton of time writing cuz i get distracted a lot or keep changing my mind)
(Also, i've decided Ryuusei originally had brown hair, soon to turn white after he's healed or smth)
(Sweet! I'm here, I just don't really have much for Jennifer to be doing lol. Also if I'm offline for longer periods of time, it's not because I'm ignoring this, it's because I have classes)
”Ah, those? Those are the spirits of the children who died before they reach the age of fifteen—“ the second judge turned back to answer before he gestured to Koki ”—as for the young lady here, she is special because we needed people to take in mythical spirits so that was why she did not need to be there” he turned back to face the children in the distance.
”As parents are considered great figures in our culture and these kids were not able to give anything back to them, they are punished by stacking rocks until they’re able to balance the rock to be three times their height. If they can do that before their time is over, they’ll be reborn again as human” the judge explained, waving his hand around nonchalantly.
(Sweet! I'm here, I just don't really have much for Jennifer to be doing lol. Also if I'm offline for longer periods of time, it's not because I'm ignoring this, it's because I have classes)
(Noted)
(i smell child abuse lmao)
(It is what it is XD)
Koki frowned. "That's bullshit, first off. Of course, they weren't able to give anything back to them, they're kids!" She protested, her frown going bigger. "I wasn't able to give anything to my parents because I barely see them and I don't live with them!"
”That’s how it has been since forever so no one could change it. I know, it’s unfair, but who’s to judge really… this is the afterworld after all, and I didn’t know you knew rude words kiddo” Chujiang sighed at first but giggled a bit at the last part. He teased the kid on the boat a bit, thinking it would be a great way to break the ice.
Kaito just eyed at the kids with pity. They did not deserve it at all but as the judge said, who was really to judge. He did not have the energy to talk much anymore, hopefully he’d be feeling better after the doctors have healed him.
They were now getting close to the other side of the river from where they came from.
Ryuusei frowned slightly, looking in the distance at those unfortunate souls whose rebirth depended on balancing some rocks. It seemed it wasn't just life that was unfair. Even here, in the afterlife, not everyone was equal.
He felt sorry for the poor children, but there was nothing he can do except pray for them to be able to complete their task in the near future
Chujiang had noticed the facial expressions of everyone on the boat when he told them the sad truth the young spirits had to endure.
”A good thing though, Qinguang, whose court is closest to the kids come to help them a lot. He would also give them treats and play with them whenever he has the time. He has helped thousands, maybe ten or hundred thousands kids balance their rocks and gave them a second chance” the second judge claimed with a faded smile. It was nice looking back at how kind and friendly the first judge was when he wasn’t in his serious mode.
The boat was closing in against the shore and would soon be able to park by it.
(aww)
(My first judge is an adorable lil’ bean when you really get to know him •^•)
(i alr lov him)
(Then you’ll soon love him more)
The boy breathed a silent sigh of relief upon hearing there was hope for those children. At least they weren't left at the mercy of fate.
He eagerly waited for the boat to reach the shore, bolting out of it as soon as they stopped, nearly hugging the solid ground, happy to be out of the boat. The trip wasnt as bad as he had anticipated, but he still felt the need to stay on solid land for now.
Koki huffed before giving in. "I suppose that's good." She grumbled, she hated being proven wrong. "So… How much longer til we're there?" She asked, changing the subject after sending a final look over to the kids.
”Well uh—“ the second judge stared at Ryuusei, trying his best to keep his giggles silent ”—he just jumped so yeah, we’re here” the judge stated as he himself stood up and slowly walked off the boat onto the solid wooden platform.
Kaito soon followed, he looked a bit more refreshed than earlier. As he stepped onto land, he took a deep breath in then a loud exhalation that came with a sigh.
After calming down, Ryuusei stood up, dusting away some invisible dust off his already soiled clothes then walked back closer to the rest of the group, with a composed expression, as if his earlier actions had not happened. He looked back at the boat, then at the river, still finding it beautiful despite his nervousness.
He found himself closer to Kaito, who seemed to have regained some color (even tho he was dead). Despite the judge's lie regarding the pain of the soul transfer process, this guy had experienced it for real - none of the others had had the same problem.
"Is everything alright?" he asked politely, with a faint tone of concern in his voice