Memory for You 4

Memory for You
Author: Elle Doki
00000000000000000

“There are many instances in one’s life in which the idea of intelligence comes into question.” Came a familiar man’s voice to Sajiko’s ears, clear and strong. “What you choose to do with your life determines what kind of person you are.” A pause followed. “The natural decay of one’s state-of-mind is an inquiry many seek to answer, but are never able to. Demons and humans were separated years ago, and their only feature to tell them apart from each other were their eyes.” Pause. “Should another demon set forth in the land of the humans, his eyes as crimson as a flame, he shall be burned by that flame and sent back to his world.”

Sajiko sat up instantly, screaming loudly.

“Whoa! Chill out!” Allen said, pushing Sajiko to lay back down into the pile of hay. “It’s ok! It’s okay!”

Sajiko stopped to gasp for air, blinked a few times to adjust his sight, and then looked about him. He could clearly see Allen’s worried complexion, and the clear sky of dusk above them.

“Are you okay?” Allen ask, shifting back to let the other sit up.

He nodded, shifting up. “Y-Yeah… I just… Was that you talking just now?”

Allen raised a brow. “Talking? No… I was just packing the hay into the wagon.”

Sajiko looked around, noticing he was on the floor of the barn in a pile of hay. Then he looked behind Allen to see the wagon ready to go, and at the front were the two horses ready to pull it.

“You sure you’re okay? You can rest in the wagon if you want.” Allen said, patting his shoulder.

“I’m fine.” Sajiko nodded, pulling his hood and cloak properly over him so Allen couldn’t see his face as clearly anymore.

“You sure?” Allen asked again, resting a hand on Sajiko’s forehead. “You looked pretty frightened there.”

Sajiko nodded, pushing Allen’s hand away, then stood up. He walked over to the wagon, pulling himself to sit on the pile of hay in it. Allen scratched his head puzzled, following the other.

“What do you know about demons?”

Allen shrugged, going around to the front of the wagon. “Not much. The High Priest and his followers all say that demons are bad. Supposedly, demons and humans used to live together here on earth, but something happened and the demons were exiled with a powerful force of magic.”

“Do you think… I’m a demon?”

Allen turned to look back at the other from opening the barn door. “No. You may have red eyes and the skin tone that isn’t human… But that doesn’t mean you aren’t human. Demons have longer and pointed ears, for one.”

“I have pointed ears, even if they aren’t long.”

“All humans do.” Allen laughed, pulling himself to sit at the front. “My guess is your soul is a demon’s.”

“Really?” Sajiko looked down sadly.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “But that would mean you’d had to have been born from some powerful man or woman of the church.”

“Huh?”

“Only church-members have the magical abilities to summon and exile demons and their spirits.” Allen explained. “It was told to us in our capital city, but they don’t mention it on this side of the Bamboo Wall.”

“Why not?”

“This side is where the Emperor lives.” Allen shrugged, starting the wagon into the dusk light. “If it were known that his most trusted follower, the High Priest, were able to summon and exile demons, he wouldn’t be able to trust him.”

“Why not?” Sajiko asked again, climbing closer to the front of the wagon.

“He’d be seen as corrupt.”

Sajiko pulled himself to sit up next to Allen. “Then… Then can I meet with him?”

“Who?” Allen asked, looking to the other.

“The High Priest.” Sajiko answered. “If I am a demon, and I don’t belong here-”

“You do.”

“But you just said-”

Allen chuckled. “I said that the High Priest and them believe that humans belong here and demons belong in the alternate world.”

Sajiko stared at him, not understanding.

“But see, that doesn’t mean they’re right.” Allen smiled. “Originally, they lived together in one world.”

“How’d the other world come in then?”

“The High Priest of the time was the most powerful magic-user, and she created a vortex.” Allen shrugged. “The story goes something like: giant vortex appears, leads to an identical copy of our world minus humanoid inhabitants, demons are exiled to this world.”

“Why?”

“Humans fear that which is different.”

“How do you get to that world then?”

Allen shrugged, scratching the back of his head. “You’re asking the wrong person, Sajiko… All I know is you have to be a powerful magic-user…” Sajiko stared at Allen for a moment, trying to intimidate a better answer out of him.

It eventually worked after they were out of the village and back on the dirt road.

Allen sighed, giving in. “To get into the alternate world, you have to be burned and ‘die’. To get out, you have to die there and have someone on this side summon your spirit.”

“Do you think that’s what happened to me?”

Allen nodded. “I’m guessing you died somehow over there, and while your soul was wandering for the ten days before it’s reborn, it was summoned here.”

“Intentionally?”

“Doubt it.”

Sajiko frowned.

Allen looked to him, “Why would the High Priest want a demon here?”