The Deities of Hell

T/N: This story will now continue from Ria Yumeno's pov.

In Tokyo that had turned into a sanctuary of hell…

7 years had passed since Lars last appeared.

However, instead of Lars, another devil had taken over in bringing despair.

It was a devil called “Witch” who took the shape of a beautiful woman.

The witch, like Lars had done, led people into the Sanctuary.

***

Ria Yumeno was a healthy 14-year-old.

She was living together with her mother in a caste-like house.

“Wait!”

“I’m embarrassed!”

“Caught you!”

“Woah! You caught me!”

“Accept it, Pommie.”

Ria’s only friend was a polar bear plushie called Pomkichi.

However, it wasn't an ordinary plushie.

It was a plushie that could walk and talk.

From what Ria could remember, Pomkichi has been with her since she was born.

It was a plushie in the size of a basketball.

“Ria, dinner is ready.”

“Yay!”

Ria loved her mother, Yua.

Her mother was a young woman in the first half of her 20s, which to Ria who didn’t know about the outside world was completely normal.

“Wow! Hamburger! My favorite food!”

“There’s a lot so eat as much as you want.”

“Yay! But, Pomkichi, you can’t, okay?”

“Why!?”

“Haha.”

“Haha.”

She lived together with her mother and Pomkichi.

And she had no interaction with anyone else.

“Today, when I went to the forest, I saw people.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! But I immediately ran away.”

“Come on, don’t go near the forest anymore. Don’t I tell you all the time that humans are frightening beings?”

“But the humans in the picture books don’t look scary at all.”

“Those are fabricated by humans. The only kind place in the world is here, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“We gods are the only kind beings.”

“And the angel Pomkichi! This child is dumb but kind!”

“Right.”

Ria liked the time she spent with Yua.

Usually, Yua would go to the outside world to do work, so she treasured the time they were together.

***

“So, I’m going to go now. Be good until I come back, okay?”

“I will!”

“I’m counting on you, Pommie.”

“Leave it to me!”

When Yua went to the outside world, she would always go to the third floor.

The third floor was off limits, so Yua and Pomkichi weren’t allowed to go there.

“Yua, what do you want to do today?”

“Hmm, bullying Pommie?”

“That’s a great idea! Let’s get right to it! To Pommie!”

“Got it!”

Accepting Pomkichi’s proposal, Ria kicked him away.

“Woah! I forgot Pommie was me!”

Ria spread her wings to go to where Pomkichi had flown.

Pomkichi had flown until near the basement door.

“My foot is stuck.”

“I won’t save you.”

“No way!?”

Pomkichi’s foot had gotten stuck under the basement door.

Ria watched Pomkichi struggle for a moment, but then felt bad for him and went to help.

Pulling the door handle, Pomkichi’s foot got free.

“Huh? I can open it… Even though it’s always closed.”

At that moment, she noticed that the door hadn’t been locked.

Ria opened the door out of curiosity.

“Let’s explore.”

“N-no! We were told by Mama not to!”

“I can’t just go back when we have gotten this far! Let’s go, Pomkichi!”

“Wait! I told you no!”

Pomkichi frantically chased Ria who walked down to the basement.

It’s because they are breaking the orders they have been following until now.

“It’s so dark… I have no choice.”

Ria created a tiny sun in the palm of her hand.

Her palm grew warm, and their surroundings became brighter.

“What’s this? It’s like a laboratory… How exciting.”

Suspicious chemicals were scattered around the laboratory-like room.

Further inside, a man laid frozen in ice inside a glass casket.

“Woah! W-what is this? H-human?”

“It’s a human! It doesn’t look like a god nor an angel.”

“Well, it certainly doesn’t have any wings but… this is a human? It’s the first time I’m looking at one.”

A handcuff was fastened on one of the man’s wrists.

Looking closer, he didn’t have any ears and he wore a peaceful expression.

“But why is a human here? Why freeze it… Is it some kind of experiment?”

Ria looked around curiously and reached for a piece of paper she had noticed lying on a desk.

There were pictures of Ria and drawn diagrams on it.

A journal lied beside it.

Ria opened it and skimmed the pages.

“What’s written in it?”

“In order to bring Mizuki back to life, a heart with blood ties is necessary. Ria was created with mine and Mizuki’s genes… There’s no issue with her heart. However, her body isn’t developed yet so it can’t be transplanted… I’ll have to wait until she grows up. I have to prepare medicine so Ria doesn’t regain even a single of her memories back. There seems to still be a lot of things I need to do.”

“This ‘I’... is Mama?”

“My heart… Mizuki? This person?”

Ria was baffled.

Although she couldn’t comprehend it, little by little, she was able to understand the contents of the journal and diagrams.

“This information is the process to resurrect this person called Mizuki. It’s easy to understand if you look at the drawings…”

“You mean…”

“I… Just what am I looking at?”

“If this is true, I’m dead if she finds out I have seen this…”

Ria felt like she had just witnessed the underworld

She was thrown from her everyday into hell.

Believing her own mother was using her for her own benefit, she felt despair and fear.

“Ria! Where are you?”

They heard Yua call from the first floor.

“Oh no! That’s Mama’s voice.”

“Why!? Why did she get back so quickly!?”

Ria put the journal and diagrams back in place, then exited the basement together with Pomkichi.

“So you’re here, Ria?”

They met Yua as soon as they had exited the basement.

“What are you doing here?”

Yua’s voice sounded scary.

Her legs froze from fear.

“Pomkichi’s leg got stuck here so I got him free.”

“I see. Never ever enter the basement, okay?”

“Of course! I’ll never enter it!”

Ria acted as normal as she could. Cold sweat ran down her back, and she couldn’t move.

“I only came back to get something I had forgotten.”

“Uhm, Mom? Do you love me?”

While tormented by fear, Ria asked without thinking.

Yua looked at Ria in silence for a few seconds.

“Of course, I love you. More than anything in this world.”

She smiled.

“I-I also love Mom! T-then we’ll go outside to play!”

Ria hugged Yua, then ran out of the house as if to run away.

Yua gave a troubled smile.

“Strange child…”

Yua said and put her hand on the door to the basement.

The door opened, and she narrowed her eyes.

“...So it really was unlocked. Ria seemed strange too… So that’s what happened,”

Yua muttered and watched Ria run outside the window.

Then, she created a small full moon in the palm of her hand and brought it to her lips.

“κόρη πιάστηκα¹”

She said to the full moon in a low voice.

Then, while watching Ria in the distance, she put her hand on the window.

“Come back safely… Mizuki’s heart,”

Yua said with a sorrowful expression.

1. Greek meaning “daughter I got caught” ↑