Chapter 3: CHAPTER THREE
Rion opened his eyes and closed them again and then opened them once more.
'Where am I?' he tried to sit up when a person rushed to him.
"Here…let me help you…" Eugene placed his arm around Rion assisting him to sit up "How are you feeling now?" the boy retreated to the seat beside the bed.
"Who are you?", Rion inquires.
"Ah…I'm Eugene and he's my senior, Captain Kai" the other replies pointing out to the man lying on the sofa.
"I'm…alive?" Rion meekly questions.
"No you're dead" Kai picked himself off the sofa tying up his shoulder length hair into a ponytail.
"Captain…"
"Then how am I here? Alive…is this heaven? ", Rion questions innocently.
"Pfft! Ha ha…" Kai bursts out into a laughter "you wish it was…" he continued laughing.
Eugene rolled his eyes shaking his head in disagreement. "Don't mind him…it is true you're dead and not in heaven but look at the bright side…you're not in hell either"
Upon hearing this Kai's laughter heightened in sound. He writhed about laughing whilst holding onto his stomach.
"Seriously Captain…you're not helping here", the spectacled teen shot him an offensive look.
Rion simply looked down feeling quite hurt and overwhelmed.
"Alright…I'm sorry…" the captain rose an arm in surrender "I'll explain" he leans back into the sofa, "You're in Purgatory."
"Purgatory…?"
"Exactly…the humans in your world believe that there is only Heaven and Hell" Kai flicks out his index and middle finger as he spoke of the two places " but then there is this place called Purgatory…here souls get another chance to purify themselves. If they succeed they earn a place in heaven and in some rare cases get to be reborn. So yeah…you took away your life that the Divine King gave you so you're soul is imperfect"
"Of course…I committed suicide…" Rion averted his gaze in guilt.
Eugene holds Rion's shoulder "you can still make it right…" he gives him an assuring smile.
"But first you have to make it through the auction" Kai cuts into their conversation.
"Auction as in bidding…" Rion blinked quite bewildered.
"Yeah…bidding but on souls…"
"I don't understand"
"This place is ruled by angels and smaller gods that have lost favor in heaven. They can neither remain in heaven nor can they be sent to hell so they are like the authority here. We as soul collectors are paid to collect imperfect souls to be presented to the authorities we call nobles, so that the souls can go through the purification process. Souls serve the nobles in the course of which they are tested to determine their qualification to be considered completely purified. Well some of them have weird tastes…they like being cruel because they think they are purifying the souls." Kai lit a cigarette taking in a puff and letting it out.
"My previous master was like that" Eugene interrupts causing Kai discomfort that immediately made him snuff out his cigarette "but master Lucien was different…he helped me and now I'm practically free… " he smiled exposing his canine teeth.
"Tomorrow you're going to be sold in the auction" Eugene forced out the words "if you're lucky you might be bought by a kind person"
"And if… I'm not?" the only response Rion got was silence and a very guilty looking Eugene.
Rion couldn't believe his ears but then he might as well believe it for he was dead, which a fact it was. He was quite overwhelmed by the information he had just been fed and he was so full that he began to feel sick. The thought of being sold in an auction like an object sent a shot of disgust through his veins. He wanted to escape but he knew better that it was impossible. He could only offer himself to the hands of fate.
"I want to be left alone"
"Rion…I'm sorry…" Eugene turned away displaying an apologetic expression while his superior simply picked up his coat and walked out.
The duo left the room and continued to walk on in silence until they were at quite some distance away from the room.
"Captain I'm worried…can't we do something abo-"
"You know we can't do anything" Kai cut him off quite sharply.
"I'm…sorry"
"Look Eugene I get why you're being like this…you feel guilty that his soul was taken when he could be saved…but it's on me…I ordered you to take it so you don't need to feel like you're indebted to him, alright."
Eugene simply nodded walking away but Kai was still bothered because he knew his subordinate all too well. There was nothing he could do for the person he wanted to protect which irritated him greatly each time he saw Eugene display concern for Rion.
"Did I do the right thing…?"
The next day Rion makes his way to the auction center with Eugene.
''You look nice in that outfit!'', Eugene smiles with a wink.
''This sailor style top?...it looks like what a girl would wear'', Rion tugs at his white shorts ''not to mention...it's kind of embarrassing.''
''It suits you...you got a girly face anyway'', Eugene adjusts his glasses clearing his throat.
''Not you too...'', Rion looks away with a sigh.
Eugene's gaze accidentally fell on the scars on Rion's left thigh, that looked like two slightly curved red strings laying parallel to each other. The lines were crimson red in contrast to his pale skin, like it had been freshly cut. Rion realized that his scars had been seen, instinctively he covered it with his hands.
"When did you get that? It looks deep"
Eugene couldn't contain his curiosity and without thinking blurted out.
"This...it's nothing", Rion tried his best to avoid eye contact while forcefully plastering a smile on his face.
Eugene knew better not to ask further, so he looked away distracting himself with the scenery outside the car window.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone