world

Ludovica followed after Shoe, who apparently wanted to pick up the pace.

She figured Life was far off, but she was only human, right? She could only run so far until needing to take a break. Ludovica and Shoe, however--Shoe was a wolf, and Ludovia could take on the traits of animals, speed included. If they really wanted to, they could go much faster.

"We can go even faster than this, can't we?" Ludovica prompted, somewhat impatient.




Life was about to climb back onto Malin's back, but she paused. She wasn't out of breath anymore, and she could run on her own easily--at least, for a bit, she could. In the long run, it was probably better if they ran separately, but...

She bit the inside of her cheek. Being without any allies for so long, was it weird that she wanted to continue being carried? Was it something inside of her that missed being admired for creating all, or was it just a simple aversion to running?

Dismissing the first as stupid, she attributed it to hating running and climbed back onto Malin's back.

She paused for a moment. "Uh. Thank you, by the way."




Kayin stared at his mother, mind still whirring. She acted like everything was fine. She always acted like everything was fine, and it frustrated him, because nothing was ever fine.

He sighed. "Alright. Sorry. I don't want to weigh you down, so I guess I'll just go."

He was about to walk off, but he stopped, suddenly.

"But I have a quick question, if that's okay." His fists clenched, slightly. "What did you say she looked like again? Because thinking back on it, I ran into someone just a few minutes ago, and I infected them with a terrible and fatal disease and it might have been Life. I'm not really sure, actually."

Was that all a lie? Maybe it was. It definitely was, in fact.

But it'd get his mother's attention, wouldn't it?

Faster?

Shoe could do faster.

Shoe could outrun a human easily. Certainly she and her mother would be able to outrun Life.

She shook her head, tossing her fur about, and broke into a full-on sprint. I am good. I am a good daughter. Let's find Life.

Her nose pointed up in the air, sniffing for traces of Life's soul. They would find her. Shoe and her mother would find her.



Once more, Malin hefted Life up on his back, adjusting his grip. He began to run once more, not wanting to waste time.

"Don't sweat it," he insisted. "I've been looking for you as long as I can remember. This is the least I can do for the entity that brought life into the world."

He paused. Talking to Life felt strangely comforting...maybe it was just the joy of knowing he was no longer alone.

"The others don't understand." A strange feeling pricked in the back of Malin's throat, and he swallowed, trying to force it back down. "Always taking souls for no reason, always using their powers just for the heck of it to torment people, always taking advantage of the souls they take...treating them like they don't matter. Like no one matters but them. I can't even remember the last time I used my powers, I have maybe two souls up in my realm and it's because they were already dead and I just didn't want my family to have them. We play board games together. O-or whatever."



Fatal disease?

If Life contracted one of those, wouldn't she die? If she died, there would be no more souls. If there were no more souls, Bennie would be so bored.

"Small," she said, turning around. "Long, black hair. Asian, I think. She had fairer skin than usual, though. Short? Was that her?"

Ludovica sprinted after her daughter, her loose sleeves and long hair blowing backwards in the breeze. Again, running offered a kind of exhilaration nothing else did. Whether prey or predator, one always had to run--either to escape or to to tackle. Knowing that in that moment, Life was more likely than not running out of fear and uncertainty inspired Ludovica to no end.

She loved running. She loved chasing, and she loved invoking fear in people around her. Perhaps there was one thing she liked about life, after all--how much it feared death.




"Board games?" Life prompted. She thought for a moment, not sure how to feel. "Board games... what kind of board games? I feel like I haven't played one of those in forever."

She really hadn't touched one in forever, had she? And to think, humans had so much fun with them. Life had fun playing them too, in completely honesty. Which was weird, because in the end, all they were was a concept. Concepts, thrown into one larger concept and given elements of amusement to distract people from the world that was quickly dying around them.

Life furrowed her brow.

Board games weren't made to distract from misery. What was she thinking? Did she always have to take such a dreary, pessimistic look on things?

Board games were made so people could enjoy life. Which, perhaps, was the same as distracting from misery, but Life decided not to think about that.

Humans knew what had been given to them, and they chose to enjoy it because they knew it was sacred. There was no point in moping when they had an entire life ahead of them, after all.

So why did Life mope so much?

Was there really a point in moping? What did it do? It didn't solve any problems, and it certainly didn't make life any more glorious. Looking at things optimistically was how you appreciated the rain. If things like death, darkness and tragedy didn't exist, then happiness wouldn't mean anything, so perhaps Life needed to take a new perspective on this.

"You know," Life said, "we should talk about something other than the entities. Well--maybe not entirely, because there's a definite possibility that they're on our tail, but we should talk about something enlightening as well. Otherwise, we're just going to be sad."

She paused, thinking.

"With that said, I go back to my question from earlier--what kinds of board games did you play?"




Kayin pretended as though he was trying to remember. "Hmmm, I'm not sure. The description sounds familiar, but I've killed so many things that it's hard to tell."

He closed his eyes, mulling over what to say next.

"Wait, it might've been. Yes, I think it was. Was it? Hold on a moment, I need to clear my mind. Like I said, I've killed so many people. I'm numb to the pain I cause. I don't even pay attention to who I kill, it's just kill and move on."

He started to worry again. He was always worrying.

Kayin wasn't sure how long he wanted to lead his mother on. There was a chance she'd grow anxious and start to seek out Life, leaving Kayin, or she'd get fed up with his game and leave, or maybe just totally dismiss him and his apparently fumbled memory, or...

Please stay, Kayin thought, almost desperately.

Talk about something other than the entities? Malin didn't even know how. His whole life had been dedicated to avoiding the entities, proving them wrong, complaining about them, hating them--well, except Life, of course. Did he even do anything else?

But Life was right. Wasting so much time on his family was stupid. They didn't deserve to be the focus of Malin's attention. For the sake of the two souls he kept up in his realm--Bailey Stanford and Gerald Helios, if he remembered their names correctly--he would abandon all ties to the other entities and commit himself to being a good companion for them and for Life.

A smile graced his gentle features. "Sure. We used to play this game called 'Trouble'--you have these pegs, and you hop them around the game board and try to get back to your own base, but if someone lands on you you get sent back to start. Bailey--she's a young woman, I think she died in her twenties--but she always gets so mad, because me and Gerald cream her. Oh, Gerald was hit by a car--he was twenty-six, I think. Nice guy."

Already, talking about something else was making Malin feel much better. "You ever been stargazing?"



"Sh*t."

Bennie couldn't afford to wait for Kayin to remember. If Life really was in trouble, she had to get to the girl before something terrible happened, and that meant she had to leave right at that moment.

It no longer mattered if anyone followed her. "I don't have time for this, kiddo. Sorry. I gotta run, gotta find Life, you can follow me if you want!"

She took off further into the woods, her heels sticking in the mud. Life was in danger. Her mind just kept telling her that Life was in danger.

That was all that mattered to Bennie.

Life tried not to think about how sad it was that the people he'd mentioned died young, and instead focused on good things. She focused on good things, because she'd spend far too much time moping if she didn't.

"Tons. I love watching the stars twinkle. Have you ever been stargazing in the dessert, or somewhere where there's no light?" She asked, looking up at the stars. It was a cloudy night, but from below the trees, she could still see a few stars peeking out. "It's so beautiful. You can see so much more than when you're stargazing out by a town, since there's no light pollution."




Kayin, in a panic, rushed after his mother. "I-I'll follow you, just in case. If we find her, I might be able to do something about the disease that she might not even have. Again, I can't really remember. Everything's just a blur. Everything's always a blur."

His heart raced. If they did find her, what was he going to say when it was revealed he lied? Would he just pretend he'd never run into Life, and it was someone else? Would they see through that? Kayin was a terrible liar. Well, not really, but he worried that he was.

Why was this always so stressful? Was he always supposed to feel so stressed around his parent?

He bit down on his lip, drawing blood.

Malin chuckled. "A few times. Once I watched the sunset from the top of a mountain. The view was breathtaking. Why would anyone want to destroy that?!"

Sh*t. He'd started talking about the other entities again out of instinct. Malin adjusted his grip on Life's legs. "S-sorry. I'm so lame, my life revolves around proving them wrong so to stop talking about them...it doesn't come naturally. A-anyway, so what's your favorite thing about earth?"

Something felt...strange. Almost as if they were being followed. But they were, weren't they?

At this pace, it wouldn't be much longer now before they reached the village. Malin just had to hang on to hope that they would make it in time to stave off the incoming enemies.



She had to find Life.

Bennie had to find Life.

Her heels kept getting stuck. Annoyed, Bennie stopped to take them off. She continued barefoot.

"You can fix her if she is sick, right?" Bennie blurted. "You better fix her, or so help me--she was your 'father', you know? She deserves better than this."

Of course it was a bit harsh, but Bennie didn't have the patience to be a mother right now. If she couldn't reach Life before the others did, there would be harsh consequences for this world, and her boredom would skyrocket. That just wouldn't do.

No matter what, Bennie never broke a promise. And she had promised to protect Life.

Life shook her head sympathetically. "No, it's okay. I understand. It's hard to focus on the beautiful things sometimes, especially when those things are dying before your eyes. But, ah... let's see, my favorite thing?"

My favorite thing...?

She didn't really have a "favorite thing," did she? She loved everything. It was all hers, and it was all beautiful or intriguing in some kind of way. Then again, she supposed she did like some things more than others, but... be them complex humans or something simple as a bumblebee, she'd never really thought about favorites.

"Trees," she said, suddenly. "I love trees. They start out so small, as only a seed in the earth, and end up ginormous. Their leaves can be orange, green, red or purple, they can sprout beautiful flowers of all kinds, and they provide homes for so many different things. They, in a sense, are life-givers of their own, embracing the beauty of nature and harboring all kinds of unique creatures. Even when turned into wood, they provide shelters for humans, and let's not forget, forests wouldn't even exist if there were no trees."



Kayin followed after Bennie, nervous.

If Kayin really had infected Life with some sort of disease, he wouldn't be able to reverse it. When you mark something for death, one can't simply take it back. It wasn't that simple. But what was he going to tell Bennie?

He continued to gnaw on his bottom lip. "Uh, well, no. Not really. Well, I mean, maybe I'd be able to come up with something, but..."

Trees. Malin did quite enjoy trees; the way they seemed to bring life and happiness to all who laid eyes on them, the way they represented shelter to so many people...

"Trees are nice," he admitted. "I've always liked trees. And, uh, flowers. I-I know they're kinda traditionally girly or whatever, but...I like beautiful things. I-it's stupid."

That feeling of being watched was growing. Malin risked a glance over his shoulder, uneasy.



"If that girl dies..." Bennie couldn't even finish the sentence. She bit her lip, pushing past trees and stumbling over roots. Life couldn't die. Not now that Bennie had finally found her. She COULDN'T die.

Bennie wouldn't let her die.

Life nodded. Flowers came in so many different varieties, colors, and styles. She committed so much time to designing each one--deciding how the petals looked, how long the stems were, where they thrived, and what colors they'd come in...

She sighed, whimsically. It was easy to get lost in those days. This nonsense wasn't going on then, and she and Death got along--to an extent. Did they ever really get along?

For the entire time she'd known Death, Life had always, at least secretly, hated her. Death was the end of everything Life created, and it was often cruel and painful. She knew that life wouldn't mean anything without death, and in the beginning she tried to accept that, but... how could you not hate the person whose entire purpose was to destroy everything that was yours?

You're letting yourself get lost in negativity again, she reminded herself. She sighed, again. "Flowers are pretty. So many things are pretty. Speaking of, what's your favorite type of animal?"




Yet another problem--she was focused on Life more than she was him. Kayin bit his lip, then decided to do something risky.

"What if I told you," he started, hesitantly. Was this really the best course of action? This probably wasn't the best course of action. He was going to regret telling her, but it'd keep her attention, wouldn't it? "That I lied and haven't seen dad at all?"

So many things are pretty.

Truer words were never spoken. So many things--flowers, sunsets, clouds, grass, Life herself--

Malin was glad he wasn't saying anything out loud.

"I have to say birds," he admitted. "They sing and they're pretty. What more could you--"

The howl of a wolf caught his ear. Malin skidded to a stop, looking around wildly. They were being followed.

In such a situation, only one word would do.

"Sh*t."



Bennie froze, torn between tearing Kayin apart for lying to her and just being relieved. In the end, her relief won over. She heaved a long sigh.

"Well, you could have--she's safe? Why didn't you just--you know what, it doesn't matter. She still needs to be found. Um, the urgency is off, I don't...geez..."

Bennie laughed, running a hand through her hair. She continued walking, her heartbeat thundering in her chest. Everything was fine now...wasn't it?



Bam.

Blood splattered on the wall behind the man's head. Brain matter exploded out from the hole in his head, and from his fallen body, a soul rose. Cherry Blossom reached out to take it by the wrist, the poor soul dazed and expressionless.

"See?" she cooed. "Now you don't have to worry about those pesky grades or anything. You're gonna come live with me!"

Suicide by eating their gun...Cherry Blossom had seen it a million times before. She had long since become numb to the desperation in their eyes, the explosions of blood, the pleading way their gaze lingered on her as they pulled the trigger, or kicked out the stool, or jumped off the bridge...

She hummed a little ditty, dragging her new pet soul up with her to her realm. It was a paradise, really--she gave these poor souls a place to go after they gave up on life.

She was Justine Trautwein.

She was Afterlife.

She was Cherry Blossom, living proof of the transience of life.

Just as Cherry Blossom dropped off her soul, a flash of white caught her eye. With a cry, she rushed to catch the intruder, grabbing his arm.

"Alfonso! What are you doing here, you big bully?! This is my realm! Cherry Blossom's realm, not Alfonso's realm! Only Cherry Blossom is allowed in here!"

Alfonso--her half-brother--looked down at her with something between a smile and a grimace. "Ah, Cherry, my dear!"

"Cherry Blossom." Cherry Blossom hated when people tried to call her "Cherry". Did a name like "Cherry" properly convey the story of a fleeting human soul that joined forces with an entity who created the very concept of the Afterlife? No. It did not. It conveyed the image of a fruit.

Alfonso shrugged. "Want to hear something amazing? I found Life!"

Life? Afterlife recognized that name, and Cherry Blossom felt it resonate. Justine couldn't have cared less, but Afterlife? Afterlife desperately wanted to know more. Cherry Blossom swore her pocketwatch was ticking a little faster.

"Where?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "She's on Earth, yeah? I was just there. Why didn't I see Life? Huh? Huh?"

Alfonso puffed out his chest proudly, sidestepping a wandering soul. "She's in the forest west of the village of Quagmire. I'm on my way to Death to tell her."

"'Kay." Cherry Blossom released Alfonso's arm and pushed him hard towards the exit to her realm. On her command, a swarm of souls arrived to push the man out. He spluttered. "Well, you've been kinda useful for once! Hooray for you! Now Cherry Blossom's gonna go meet Life."

Alfonso uttered a response, but she didn't hear. Cherry Blossom was already on her way to the village of Quagmire, ready to descend upon the souls and meet up with her "father".

There was much to discuss, and Afterlife looked forward to discussing it.

ingore

ingore

ingore

Life's breath caught in her throat.

So much for positivity. They were in danger. Now begged the question--it was clear Shoe was there, but who else? Alfonso or his daughter? Perhaps both?

"Ah, you don't think there's a chance that was just a regular wolf, do you? No, probably not. Clearly, we are very unlucky people." She bit her lip. Luck was such an odd concept. She hadn't given it any thought until the humans did, which was part of what she--no, now was not the time to fawn over her own creations. "Wh-what do we do?"




Kayin continued to follow after his mother. "I'm not saying that's the case, of course, whatever made you think that? I'm just kidding, I never ran into anyone. I only ripped off the wings of a butterfly, which was quite fun. Mom, what have you been doing with your day?"

He was going to stop there, but he couldn't quite help himself. "Why do you never talk to me?"

Malin's hands tightened on Life's legs. He took a step back, cautiously moving towards the village.

"We need to get out of here," Malin muttered. "We can't outrun a wolf. I need to--head towards Quagmire, okay? I'll meet you there."

He had already begun lowering Life to the ground. Hopefully by now, she could handle running on her own. Malin could handle Shoe, and if his mother was there...well, he could handle her.

"Promise me you'll run, and I promise you I'll catch up."



His last question caught Bennie off-guard. Figuring the danger was over now, she allowed herself to face Kayin. "What do you mean? We're talking now, aren't we? What do you call this?"

"I--are you sure?" Life asked, planting her feet onto the ground. She glanced in the direction of the village, then back at Malin. "I can promise I'll run, but I--will you be alright? I don't..."

She took a deep breath, then adjusted her scarf. "Please be careful. I know this sounds selfish, but I'm going to be all alone if something happens to you, and frankly, I'm terrified of that."





"We--well, we are talking right now, but..."

Why are you even trying?

"And I guess that's more than enough for you, huh?" Kayin asked, closing his eyes.
"I guess that's how it's always going to be. Right, mom? Do you--- do you even remember what my name is, mom? You're the one who named me, aren't you? Or did dad? Where is he? I..."

He sighed, exasperated. "Do you even love me?"

The bushes rustled. Malin knew Shoe was approaching, and he knew what had to be done to keep her far away from Life.

"I'm sure," he promised, flashing Life a genuine smile. "Just trust me one more time, okay? I'll see you soon. Now that I've found you, there's no way I'll lose you so easily. So--"

Shoe burst out from the leaves, her jaw open. In a heartbeat, Malin flung himself at the pouncing wolf and knocked her onto the ground, prompting a yelp from Shoe.

"Run!" he shouted, wrestling with Shoe in the dirt. Shoe clamped her jaw around Malin's shoulder, but Malin refused to budge.

If this was what had to be done to keep Life safe, he would do it. She was worth it to him.



Bennie smiled to herself. These were easy questions to answer--of course she remembered her own son's name. It was easy as pie.

"Krampus," she declared proudly. "See? Of course I love you, Krampus. You're my only son."

Life didn't need to be told twice. She broke into a sprint. He'd be okay. She'd be okay. It was all going to be okay, because she wasn't going to let it turn out any other--

"Not so fast, you disgusting f*cking pig."

Life screamed, something digging its teeth into her leg. Panic welling in her throat, she tried to shake it off, but before she could do much of anything, something fell from the trees and latched onto her arm. Several more things came from what felt like everywhere, dragging their teeth and claws along her skin.

"A-and Shoe, stop! That's not--M-Malin, why are you--brothers shouldn't fight!"




"My name isn't Krampus. Weren't you the one who named me? Didn't you help pick out the name? Why don't you even remember my own name?" Kayin asked, fists balling slightly. "Does dad even remember my name? Did he mention me at all, or am I just out of the picture in every conversation?"

He inhaled sharply. "You don't love me, do you?"

Malin kicked Shoe away, scrambling to his feet. "Life! Mom, leave her alone!"

Things could not end this way. Malin made a promise, and he wasn't about to break it. He took off towards Life, trying desperately to reach her and tear the vicious bushy-tailed monsters off of her body. Behind him, Shoe took off and leapt at Life; Malin blocked her with his own body, wincing at the strong claws digging into his back.

Shoe growled, barking.

"Call them off!" Malin nearly begged. "What do you want with her?! Why are you monsters still trying to kill her?! Has she not suffered enough already?! Gosh, this is why I hate this stupid family!"



Bennie scrunched up her face, pondering. Did she really not remember her son's name?

"Caleb? Craven? Um...Kaitlyn?"

Life knew. No, even worse...Alfonso knew.

"Kameron? Kaiden? K...Kathy? I'm getting there. I know I am, I'm gettin' there."

Sure she cared, but just not...

Enough.

"Listen, kiddo, I...just have too much going on, okay? I still care. It's just, y'know, that whole 'getting pregnant' thing was kinda spur-of-the-moment? You understand."

Alfonso was the better parent. At least he remembered his daughter's name while he was banging her.

Ludovica bit the inside of her cheek. Shoe had warned her that they'd run into someone else, but of all people, for it to be...

She inhaled sharply. "Malin, I love you with all of my heart, and you know that, but this is something that I want to do for me. So please, get out of the way, and allow Shoe and I to kill Life without any additional trouble."

Why did he side with her?

What was so special about Life that it put her above his own mother? Ludovica narrowed her eyes, slightly. She couldn't describe the feeling she felt--it wasn't betrayal, and it wasn't despair. It was something closer to anger, but not quite. Her stomach knotted. Was it jealousy?

"Why even--wh-why even bother?!" Life spat. She winced, then screamed again. "If you kill me, my soul will--will just find another body! It's pointless!"




You have too much going on to remember the name of your own child?

"I don't understand," Kayin muttered, eyes askew. "Having a kid isn't a 'spur-of-the-moment' thing. It's something you're supposed to care about, and yet you don't. You don't care at all. And you still can't even remember my name."

His fists clenched. "You still can't remember your son's name!"

Malin hissed, advancing forwards to keep the little squirrels from ripping Life apart. "You don't love me! You love this vision you have of me where I help you with your stupid schemes or whatever!" he cried. "If you loved me, you would stop constantly trying to tell me I'm wrong and you would just accept that I love Life!"

Well--to say he "loved" her was perhaps a stretch, but he really did care deeply for this entity that had created all his favorite things. He had to protect her somehow. No one else would; not his parents, certainly not Death, not even his aunt Bennie who claimed to love Life as much as he did.

Shoe howled, prowling around the pair as her paws scratched the dirt, caked with blood. Malin hissed at her, meeting her gaze with a harsh glare.

"Just leave her alone!"



Bennie bit her lip, scuffing the dirt with her bare heel. "Listen, baby, I'll explain one day. It's a big girl thing. And a lesbian thing. And a boredom thing. I just need to focus on getting your dad back, and then things will calm down and we can work on this. OKay?"

She dreaded his response. Holding her head up high, Bennie continued walking. Once Life was found, everything would work out.



Waiting was boring.

Sure, there were tons of cute souls in Quagmire to occupy Cherry Blossom, but so far there was no Life. And neither Justine nor Afterlife wanted to sit around and just wait for her to show up. How long did it even take for a person to traverse through the woods? (Never mind that Cherry Blossom had only been waiting for around five minutes. Any waiting was bad waiting.)

The woods to the west, Alfonso had said. Singing softly to herself, a train of two or three recently reaped souls following behind her, Cherry Blossom proceeded into the woods to look for something fun to do.

Even if she didn't find Life, there was plenty to do on Earth.

Ludovica's eyes widened in fury; her mouth curled into a snarl. "How DARE you say that I don't love you?! There--there is no 'version' of me in your mind that isn't you! I love you for being you, even if your current ideals aren't quite right. But you know what makes me very angry?"

She stepped forward, anger apparently vanishing. Taking a deep breath, she regarded her son with a controlled smile.

"When you don't listen to me. So if you and Shoe could just--just stop fighting, and you could just let Life die, that'd be wonderful. Because in the end, there's nothing you can do. I'm your mother, this is the reality you've been given, and let's face it--the world would be so much better without her."

"You b*tch," Life spat, body trembling and tears forming in her eyes. Ludovica watched as her furry creatures slowly but efficiently tore at the girl's skin. She felt nothing--no pity, not even satisfaction as she watched the disgusting entity crumble to the ground. Life wheezed. "Wh-what did I... ever do... to deserve this?!"

Ludovica closed her eyes, still smiling her smile. "You existed."




Kayin hesitated, though still following close behind. "Why do we need to work on it in the first place? Why don't you just love me? Do I not matter enough? What about dad, has he ever cared?"

His mind was always racing with doubts. He wondered if Bennie could ever understand how that felt, and after a moment decided she was too uncaring to care about anything, herself included. No--no, she cared about herself. She just didn't care about him, and that was the sad truth of it.

"Are you ashamed of me?" He tried, twiddling his thumbs. "Why don't you just tell me why you don't love me, so that way I can try to fix myself?"

Growing more and more desperate with every passing second, Malin flung himself at the gaggle of squirrels and began trying to physically pull them off of Life. Shoe growled loudly and jumped at him, teeth bared. With a roar, Malin turned and shoved her back with a surprising amount of strength.

"Whose world?!" Malin demanded furiously, returning to his attempts to pry the squirrels away. "Yours? Death's? Dad's? These humans need her! What makes their lives so much more worthless than ours?!"

As if something had suddenly occurred to him, Malin suddenly reached into the pile of squirming animals and attempted to yank Life out, moving as if to shield her with his own body. "Just...just leave her alone! Why don't you get it?! You and Dad don't understand, you don't understand that everything Life has created is beautiful and Life is beautiful and there is nothing that'll get me to change my mind in that!"

Shoe returned to Ludovica's side and nuzzled against her leg, as if sympathetic. She growled accusingly at Malin, but at least the young wolf pup seemed to have abandoned her direct fight with Malin for the time being.



Dunno what I expected.

Bennie couldn't say she was surprised by her son's words. He wasn't completely wrong, admittedly--which was probably the worst part. Still, Bennie wasn't sure how she could explain she really did care about him without having to also explain that she had basically just given birth to him to see what it felt like and had then decided having kids was the actual worst.

"Your father cares," she assured. "Probably more than anyone else in this messed-up web of a family. That's why we've got to find her, okay? And I...I care too, kiddo. It's just...complicated. It's not that I don't love you..."

What is his name?

She bit her lip, then nodded confidently, a sudden spark igniting in her mind.

"Kelly."

Life practically flung herself at Malin, trembling, covered in gashes, and squeezing her eyes shut as more squirrels sunk their teeth and claws into her flesh. While it was true she'd suffered much worse throughout the several human bodies she'd been stuck in after years and years of roaming the dying Earth, this was far from pleasant, and apparently, this tiny body did not have a great tolerance for pain.

Ludovica gritted her teeth, fury flickering in her eyes. "I'm the one who doesn't get it? I'm the one in the wrong? Honey, Malin, please. If you'd just listen to what I had to say for a moment, my words could clear your mind and you'd finally get it. Life--life--is nothing worth saving. It's all...disgusting. Disgusting, rotten, poisonous, useless, and pointless trash, and she's no better. In fact, she's worse for even letting it all exist. This is the last time I'm going to warn you--"

"Will you shut up?!" Life suddenly gasped, something in her suddenly snapping. "Why? Why?! Why do you hate me so much?! Why does everyone hate me so much?! 'Existing'? That's--that's my crime?!"

"Perhaps if you had any use at all, then things would be different," Ludovica said, smiling a serene but deep down dark smile, "but you don't. All you do is ruin everything you touch, so clearly you must die. That's the way the world spins. ...Our world. Death's world."

Death's world?

No.

Life twitched.

No. I did too much. I did too much for this world. I put in too much thought, too much care, too much detail, precision and love...this isn't Death's world. I won't let it be. She clenched her fists, frustration, fear, determination and the emotions she'd buried over years and years building and bubbling up. "Don't you dare act like Death did anything for this world! All she did was--was watch as I built up everything and smirk as she got to destroy it all! I'm the reason why you have souls to steal! I'm the reason we're standing on grass, that we have these trees, that you have these squirrels to--t-to attack me with and other animals to maul humans with, I'm sure! You owe me everything!"

She tore a squirrel from her shoulder, shaking now from both pain and rage. Blood dripped down her face and she wiped it off with her scarf, sniffing. A strangely empowering feeling overcame her--against all common sense, she suddenly broke away from Malin, getting to her feet. The squirrels clung to her skin and continued to sink in, but she ignored them, numb to the pain for the few seconds she felt strong.

"You know what? If anything, this world is mine. I raised it, I cared for it, and without me, it's rotting. All because of Death and the people like you that follow her. So don't you f*cking tell me that I shouldn't exist! D-don't you tell me that I'm worthless! You're the one who should be praising me for what I've given you!"

She'd resorted to screaming without realizing it--her shrill and frustrated voice carried through the woods, and with the cluster of emotion building up in her small body, the ground around her reacted. Rumbling slightly, the ground shifted. Trees and their branches shookk, vines and plants shuddered, flowers and greenery everywhere bloomed as a wave of power awakened from where Life stood. She screamed in frustration, pulling at her hair--the squirrels quickly retreated, and both Ludovica and Shoe were suddenly ensnared by vines and tree roots, putting all movement on their part to a halt.

The strength that had formed within Life for but a few seconds faded. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath and suddenly in tears.

...Everyone...e-everyone just thinks I'm worthless...

What's the point of trying anything anymore?!

---

"If you loved me, you'd get my name right," Kayin muttered miserably. Disappointed. Again. Did I really believe for a second that she'd get anything right?

He sighed, starting to wonder if she enjoyed his misery. "I just told you--if you don't love me, say so. Say so and tell me what to do to fix myself. Then at least I'll be able to figure out what to do to make you really love me. If...if that's even possible at this point. ...What does 'complicated' even mean?"

As much as he wanted to hope his father could be better, his expectations weren't very high. How many years had it been since he'd bothered to give him even a 'hello'? Granted, he had been sealed away in humans for centuries and that could've been considered a minor setback, but Kayin chose to believe that if Life loved him enough, he would've found him already. And he didn't. Instead, Kayin was the one looking for her, just as he was often doing with his own mother.

What even is my life? Just as he started to contemplate his meaningless existence, the ground suddenly began to shake. He blinked. It was hard to tell if it'd just been his imagination or not--the shaking had only lasted for a few seconds--but what came next was most definitely unmistakable. Trees straightening their posture, flowers blooming, plants springing from near dead to what looked like the primes of their lives.

"Dad? Is this--?" Kayin wilted, realizing what this had to have meant. "Oh no. This was a sign. As soon as I thought in my head that Dad didn't love me, the forest grumbled in agreement..."

Panting, shuddering with some of the power Life had seemingly released, Malin crawled towards the fallen entity and brought her into something resembling a hug. Behind him, Shoe yelped and began whimpering, clawing uselessly at the vines binding her and her mother.

She’s covered in blood. Not for the first time, Malin grew to resent the power he had as an entity. What good was magic that could drive humans to murder to the one entity who actually wanted to protect Life?

He couldn’t lose this chance. With Ludovica and Shoe currently incapacitated, they had a tiny window of opportunity to escape before both of them succumbed to their wounds. Malin wouldn’t die, of course--as a death entity he’d merely regenerate in his realm--but by then it could be too late.

The village they were bound towards wasn’t far now. Steeling himself, Malin got to his knees, scooped Life into his arms bridal style, and stood. Through the searing pain from Shoe and Ludovica’s squirrels scratching up his back, he took off in a run.

We’re almost there. Hang on. I’m not losing you now.

---

Life.

“Let’s go,” Bennie ordered briskly, running off towards the direction the sudden burst of life seemed to have spread from. “That must be Life. We can find her and you can ask her yourself, I...she’ll be happy to see you, I promise. Once we’re all together, then we can talk more!”

Life had to be her number one priority. For whatever reason, Life’s power had bypassed Xenos’ seal and acted once again.

Now that it had, there would be a bigger target on the entity’s back than ever before. Bennie had to protect her before the souls all vanished for good.