LIMINALITY
Table of Contents
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 56 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 ENDChapter 22
Having killed the last cultist, Saomi felt relieved by the fact that she had managed to survive this whole ordeal after rooting out several of them guarding the entrance in this cave; worse yet, she had grown exhausted from finishing them off one by one.
With sweat pouring down from her scarred face, she gripped the hilt of her katana with a sign of fatigue from the battle she took part in. "That is the last of them...I hope," her strained voice muttered quietly within the faint darkness, catching a glimpse at the fallen cultist she had recently slain.
She was curious to know who was behind the mask, as judging from the strange attire they were wearing, there is no doubt in her mind that they belong to some kind of religious cult, judging by how hostile they were when they first laid their eyes on her.
All Saomi wanted was directions, and now they attacked her before she had the chance to speak. That is neither fair nor reasonable in her book. Wiping the trickling crimson fluid dripping from the blade's edge, she then carefully observed the mask's facial design, noticing several cracks and chipped marks decorating the ceramic object.
'Who would wear masks anyway?'
Questioning its significance, she remembered her father's words in regards to some dangerous cult running amok, causing trouble wherever they go in the name of the great darkness. And apparently, the masks they wore are supposed to represent their devotion to their twisted god.
If that is the case, then this is a bigger threat than she imagined if Saomi had encountered them firsthand, showing how potentially catastrophic they are to still be active if whoever their leader is is setting their sights elsewhere besides Celephais, her home.
Just then, the audible voices of two individuals behind her spoke to one another in a casual conversation: "Are you certain this is the correct cave?" Schrodinger asked, moving curiously at the pitch-black entrance with his slit blue eyes while waiting patiently for the reply from his companion.
"I am pretty sure it is," Janus answered, standing a few inches beside him with a spear in his right hand. "Wait, someone is here," he paused, pointing his index finger at the new figure standing a few meters ahead, staring curiously at her.
Knowing this is her cue, she spun in motion with a prepared mind in case she had to defend herself again from one of those lunatics; instead, what she got was a pair of odd individuals she herself had never seen in her entire life: "Your...you are not one of them, are you?" Widening her eyes, the grip on the katana was loosened a bit when seeing their confused faces.
"No," the white feline said calmly, tilting his small head slightly left from the response Saomi gave. "Who are you, might I add?" I am curious to know this stranger's identity and want to make sure she is not secretly working under a cult, as the possibilities are endless.
"My name is Saomi," she said, lowering her sword slowly and gazing at their apparel. "And yours?" She wants a confirmation from her new guest, as she doesn't want to result in another fight again. She has already gotten exhausted from how tough these cultists are to begin with.
"Janus."
The god of time introduced himself first, "And this is my pet, Schrodinger," resulting in a glare from his companion, feeling insulted for calling him something he is not, as the young woman blinked a few times from his introduction, raising her eyebrow at the claim.
"Pet?" She said with a growing smile, averting her eyes to the furious cat, "I thought Ultharans were independent cats?" Questioning their relationship between each other while Schrodinger just grows more annoyed every second of this conversation.
"I am. Not. A. Pet."
The cat hissed at the both of them, not finding amusing in the slightest for treating him less than he appears to be. "We are traveling partners and have a common goal," he said a few more times before calming himself from further embarrassment.
"And what are you doing here?" Saomi questioned, wondering what brings them here in all places: "It's a little dangerous coming here, especially when there are madmen roaming around in this cave," cautioning them about the dangers, remembering how aggressive and violent they are when she confronted them beforehand.
Janus scratched the bottom of his chin, recalling the reason for their arrival: "Well, we came here to meet one of their cult leaders." This immediately caused the woman to raise her eyebrows, dumbfounded by his answer: "Apparently, he was responsible for setting up a raid on a nearby village not far from here."
This caused her heart to freeze. "No." She began to fear the worst; the idea of innocents getting massacred brutally crossed her mind after they welcomed her to their homes. Clutching her fist tightly and gritting her teeth in anger, "There was a raid!? Why haven't I realized this sooner?" It became obvious now why a bunch of cultists dangerously close to settlement had begun to become clear to her.
The very cave they are in is their base of operations, housing hundreds, if not more, of them. Janus, noticing the visible irritation within her tone and learning he has triggered the wrong topic, starts to deescalate the situation by explaining what transpired after their arrival.
"We saved them," he announced, catching Saomi's attention. "The remaining survivors were rescued thanks to our quick thinking," complimenting themselves for being heroic while his partner rolled his slit eyes again, growing rather irritated by one another's presence.
A sigh of relief escaped her mouth, knowing her new acquaintances had managed to prevent an unnecessary tragedy from unfolding further. "thank goodness. You don't have an idea how relieved I felt, "smiling at the duo, genuinely grateful towards their actions, "let me accompany you guys; I wish to repay your deeds," placing her Katana back on her waist, she was determined to aid their cause.
"Why do we need her company?" Schrodinger commented, turning his gaze back at Janus, "We don't need another tagalong slowing us down." Refusing her request outright, Janus disagreed that Janus should let a complete stranger join their mission.
Saomi, hearing the cat's comment, expressed a slight offended facial expression, not pleased with his opinion towards her. "Oh, is that so?," she said, crossing her arms and staring down at him. "Maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, when you saw many of those dead cultists lying on the floor outside of this cave's entrance," she smirked, reminding him of the previous victory against overwhelming forces.
"Those cultists were weak," he said, licking his paw and wiping off the dirt from his fur, uninterested. "My kin would have easily won against their meager numbers." Claiming the cultists were simply beneath his claws, not impressed by their strength whatsoever, he dismissively waving his paw.
Janus sighed, "Schrodinger, enough of this nonsense," ordering his companion to stop antagonizing the young woman, tired from their childish argument, "she has shown herself to be a capable fighter after seeing her left-overs," showing some level of respect towards the female warrior.
"She is a capable fighter!?" Schrodinger scoffed, finding the statement unbelievable: "Those cultists were not worthy opponents. Her kill count would have amounted to zero had it not been for the assistance of others," mocking the woman's skills and capabilities, believing the slaughter outside was contributed by weak men and women.
She was ready to throw another insult towards the arrogant cat until Janus intervened, "Come now," trying to convince the feline to reconsider his options, "having her around could benefit us greatly," and attempting to persuade his accompanying friend.
"My name is Saomi."
The two quickly turned their attention on her after her sudden introduction, finally introducing herself after spending a while arguing, "Saomi?" Janus spoke, tilting his head curiously, "interesting name you have; is that Japanese by any chance?" wondering where she got her moniker, unfamiliar with foreign origins.
Nodding her head, she acknowledges his answer by saying, "It is." She confirmed his answer, informing him and the cat of her cultural background: "I was born and raised in Japan," clarifying her nationality, and telling the duo she had oriental origins, "until the day I was mysteriously transported to the dreamlands before being adopted by a loving father." Her recount ended there, briefly summarizing her backstory.
Schrodinger huffed, unimpressed by her introduction, "Who cares?" Scoffing at this useless conversation, he walked forward by himself, "If the two of you are going to continue chit-chatting," heading deeper inside the cavern, "then leave me out of it." Not participating any longer, he continued onward in the dark all by himself.
Leaving the two alone, Saomi asked, "Is he always like that?" She wonder why this specific cat is so rude to her just by starting a conversation with them. Not finding that appropriate, she didn't appreciate the feline's attitude toward how he was treating her.
Janus sighs, shrugging and responding, "Unfortunately, yes." Confirming her question, answering it straightforwardly, "we might as well follow him encase he got lost or something," told the Roman god as he began to catch up with the impatient cat, following the path the Schrodinger had taken.
Saomi shrugged, agreeing of his response, slowly trailing behind him, walking together inside the growing damp, moist cavern, "so Janus," calling out his name, wanting his attention, "Tell me about yourself," requesting his information, "What is someone like you doing here in the dreamlands in the first place?" Questioning the Roman deity, wanting to hear his own story.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he chuckled, denying her curiosity and believing her reaction would not be pleasant. "Just know my presence here is necessary," he said, vaguely explaining his sole reasoning for being there and keeping his story ambiguous despite how much it disappointed her to hear this.
She then challenged him, doubting his obscure answer as she refused to accept his vague excuse, wanting to hear his personal tale, "you will be surprised at how open-minded I can get," expressing her flexible mindset of the chance to listen to anything she hears, no matter how bizarre it sounds.
A brief silence ensued between the two as Janus contemplated his decision, deciding whether to share his personal history or not, weighing the odds carefully. Sighing, he gave up, accepting her challenge, "I am God," an answer that would definitively make anyone question themselves and their sanity.
But to his surprise, she didn't flinch at it, "that's cool," no hint or sign that she had mentally broken down such an implausible answer, simply taking it in stride, surprising Janus from such notion, "By the way, your Roman, right?" Causing him to also be impressed by how the woman took that remark without much difficulty.
Although confused, he nodded his head, thinking it didn't matter anymore. "Yes, I am indeed from the Roman pantheon," he confirmed to the young woman of his culture, letting her know where his roots had spawned from. "How did you know?" He asked, very curious about how she deduced him.
Smiling, she replied, "The name refers back to my sources," referencing her own research in the history of such information and having knowledge of different gods in the pantheons, including the Romans, "although why would a god of beginnings and transitions be interested in a place like this?" Finding this more interesting by the minute.
He has a lot of explaining to do, doesn't he? This is one of the many reasons why he dislikes having affairs with mortals; their insatiable questions to seek answers that are beyond their own capabilities of comprehending have made him truly regret making himself known to the Romans.
"Nyarlathotep brought me here." The answer had made her completely stop her tracks, gripping the hilt of her sword tighter than before. "Is something wrong?" He turned, looking at the young woman's frightened expression.
"You are working with that monster!" She accused, drawing her blade and pointing it at him, accusing the deity of aiding the entity and causing suffering for all life, demanding an answer that she wanted: "Why?!" Angered by what he had done, betraying her expectations of a good person, she asked, "Are you on that mad god's side?! Or what!?" Furious at the fact that she is being betrayed.
Janus was bewildered by this claim, making him question if this woman is going insane by referencing the kidnapper's name in front of him. Resulting in the voice of offensive Quirinus being questioned with such audacity for raising a blade against God.
"How dare she?" Angered Quirinus, rambling loudly about this sudden accusation, "After all of that polite talk, this is how she treats us! Let's smite her in the name of—"
"I think you are misunderstanding me," Janus said, silencing him, "I don't know that entity you speak of," telling the truth as he still had little idea who Nyarlathotep is to these people who hate him, "nor am I associated with him. All I know is that it was some evil god who had forcibly brought me against my will." This immediately calmed her down.
Sheathing her sword, regret filled her visible face. "I'm sorry, my mind must be playing tricks with me," she said, apologizing for the terrible mistake she made, lowering her head towards him, feeling shameful for assuming he was responsible for that monster's action. "Please forgive my terrible first impression for all of this."
"Don't worry, this isn't the first time it happened," he said, understanding her misconception and shaking it off as a minor error as he understood the circumstances. "But we should get going; confronting that cult leader is our top priority, remember?" Urging to proceed forth.
Saomi smiled, agreeing to the offer, "Your right, let's go, Janus." Following the deity upfront, the pair ventured deeper into the underground catacombs together with no stopping them.
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