Open Your Eyes, Mother

What?

Who is that?

Someone was calling me. The voice was so raw with longing that I rubbed my eyes and forced them open. I was the sort who almost never woke once I was out — except for those occasional nights when Kabe shook me because she was thirsty — but it called to me with such aching desperation that my eyes opened of their own accord.

"Who…? Kabe?"

I didn't know who it was, but the voice settled somewhere deep in my chest. I sat up, and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment my feet touched the floor I found myself looking around.

A landscape drowned in thick, rolling fog.

What is this…? This isn't my apartment.

And yet it was a place of profound, almost impossible peace. I didn't know where my hometown was — or if I even had one — but this was how coming home must feel. A warmth that wrapped itself around me and refused to let go.

Where… was this? A place drowned in fog. A place I couldn't name, whose very nature I couldn't grasp. And yet, somehow, a place of such complete and utter peace.

"Mother."

"This is your land. Those around you call it the Underworld."

This is the Underworld?

"Who are you?"

"I am your most precious creation, Mother."

"Creation…?"

"I am Vespredel Amori."

"No, you're not."

"I… beg your pardon?"

Well, I had to say something if it wasn't true.

"My most precious creation is Kabe."

The voice was silent for a long time.

"Then I shall call myself your second-most precious creation. It seems I cannot hope to outrank a Shinsallang."

That wasn't exactly what I'd meant, but if he was willing to accept it, I wasn't going to argue.

With every step I took, the fog parted to the left and right as though it possessed a will of its own, opening a path before me. The voice that had introduced itself as Vespredel Amori spoke up whenever I paused, as if it had been waiting for just that moment.

"I have waited for you for over a thousand years, Mother."

"Have you."

The strange thing was that I felt no particular dissonance at Vespredel Amori calling me Mother. If anything, I probably should have recoiled from the title. But the kids had been calling me that for so long that maybe I'd just gotten used to it.

"Before the cruel gods cast you down from heaven, you poured the last of your strength into creating me."

I see. I'm sorry, though. I don't remember any of that.

"And as you stroked my cheek, you said to me: when the day comes that I return, you shall answer my call."

I did?

"And so I answered your call, and returned to your side."

"I don't remember calling anyone."

"No, Mother. You did call me. Now that the master of the Underworld has returned — come back to your mother's side, my son Vespredel. That is what you said."

I really hadn't said anything of the sort. I'd never said those words in my life.

"Uh… is it possible you've got the wrong person?"

"From the moment you set foot in Miteran's Garden, there could be no doubt that you are Mother. No one but you can set foot in this garden."

Miteran's Garden — so that was the name of the place I was walking through.

A sudden burst of birdsong swallowed the rest of the voice.

"—only that one may set foot in this garden."

"Ah. Right."

My face was starting to itch.

After walking a little farther, I came upon a table and chairs that looked thoroughly antique — Baroque, maybe, or something in that vein. Medieval, at any rate. Roses bloomed in thick vines all around, arranged in a circle, so that the spot felt less like a clearing and more like a hidden flower garden.

"Think I'll sit for a bit."

If Amori was telling the truth, this garden was mine. Who was going to stop me from sitting down?

The moment I settled into the chair, a tea set appeared on the table. As though it had been waiting, the teapot lifted itself into the air and poured. I lifted the steaming cup and took a sip. Something in my chest opened wide, warm and clear.

"Mint tea. It was always your favorite, Mother."

"Good thing it isn't chocolate."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. Never mind. So — you dragged me all the way here for a reason, I assume?"

"I simply wanted to see you, Mother."

I set the cup back down on the table.

Ah, no. Don't do this to me. I'm terrible with lines like that. Now my chest hurts all over again.

I had to stop and let my heart settle before I could speak again.

"You did well. If you missed your mom, that's reason enough."

"Every child of the Underworld has been longing for you, Mother. It has been a thousand years since you left. In that time, more children than I can count have died in the name of the gods' game."

"Amori."

"Yes, Mother."

"I have a lot of questions."

"I imagined you would."

"First — if I'm the goddess of the Underworld…"

No. Bad idea. He probably doesn't know I used to be a man, either. If I asked about that and things got weird, it'd be a whole mess. Better to skip it for now.

"Why don't I remember anything?"

"A thousand years have passed since you fell to the Human Realm. In that time, you would have been reborn as a human hundreds of times over. More than enough for memory to weather away to nothing."

That… tracked.

"Second — why can't I use magic?"

"That… I do not know. You are the master of the Underworld, and the master of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dark magic besides. I cannot say why."

Figures. I'd been hoping, just a little. The disappointment was unavoidable.

"Third…"

I started the sentence and then hesitated. Was now the right time to ask this? Was I about to open a door I shouldn't? They always say that if you're on the fence, you shouldn't do it.

"…Never mind. It's nothing."

"Mother."

"Yeah."

"I have missed you so terribly. I wanted to see you so much."

"I see."

I couldn't say I missed you too. I had no memory of him. Saying something like that would have been wrong. It would have been a lie.

If Vespredel Amori had appeared in front of me — really appeared, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the flesh — I probably would have pulled him into my arms and stroked his hair.

"Thank you for coming back, even now."

"Yeah. I wish I could get my memories back sooner."

Miteran's Garden was a place only the master of the Underworld could enter — and I was standing in it. The fog that wrapped the world around me parted left and right with every movement, as if it wouldn't dare stand in my way. And more than anything, I had never felt this peaceful, this completely at ease, anywhere else in my life.

Add it all up, and what Amori was saying — that I was the master of the Underworld — probably wasn't wrong. Knowing it didn't change anything dramatic, not right now. And that was more or less how I felt about it, too.

So I'd been a goddess. It wasn't some earth-shattering secret of birth. It was just… oh. Okay. I see. Even I thought I was being strangely calm about the whole thing. But what was I supposed to do? That was just how I felt.

"Dawn is approaching, Mother."

"Already, huh."

"As for why your magic has been sealed — I will look into it."

Everyone who said they'd look into something never came back with an answer. I wasn't holding my breath.

And then I opened my eyes, and I was back in the apartment. I had no idea how I'd gotten there or how I'd come back. But I remembered being there, vividly.

Goddess of the Underworld, huh. Not that knowing it changed a damn thing.

"Unni, are you up?"

"Did you sleep well too, Dusick?"

At this point I wasn't even sure whose house this was anymore — Dusick's or mine. Ever since Eve had gone back, Dusick had been in and out of my place constantly. To put it in perspective: except when she was sleeping, you could pretty much assume she was at my house. It had gotten so bad that even Kabe had started asking if Unni lived here now.

"I'd love to, but I don't think Mom wants that."

"Obviously not."

If Dusick moved in too, I'd have no space left to myself. That was a problem. I loved Kabe, but I wasn't about to give up the simple pleasure of tucking her in and then cracking open a beer, flipping on the TV, or browsing the internet by myself. If Dusick lived here, that free time would be gone. That was not happening.

"Here. Coffee."

I'd barely sat up in bed and there was already coffee in front of my face. Times like this, I had to admit it was nice. Instant mix, water poured to exactly the level I liked, the sweetness and the coffee flavor still holding strong. Dusick held the cup out to me and grinned — hehe.

"Ah… yaaaawn."

Didn't feel like I'd slept at all. Probably because I'd gone to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that strange place.

"Thanks, Dusick. Oh — hey, Dusick."

"Yes?"

"I'll be downstairs this afternoon, so if anything comes up, give me a call."

"With Karin?"

"Yeah."

The day after Eve had gone back, I'd started calling Karin over to learn a grab bag of miscellaneous techniques. The only weapons I had were Bespredel and a rocket punch. I'd figured it made more sense to learn how to use what I already had effectively than to pick up something entirely new.

When Eve recommended Karin for marksmanship — "Karin's a great shot," she'd said — I'd thought she'd finally lost it. Anyone would think the same thing if you told them a unicorn was an expert marksman. A horse that can shoot. That's just weird.

In response, Karin had quietly aimed his horn at the target. A beam of light fired from the tip and punched a hole dead through the center of the bullseye. I shut my mouth.

Guess that's just how it is.

There was still some time before Karin was due to arrive. Ah. Right.

"Dusick, go get Keru for me."

"I'm right here."

"If you're here, say something!"

I dumped every ounce of irritation I had on Keru as he crawled out from directly under the bed. He'd scared the hell out of me.

"Keru. Do you know what Miteran's Garden is?"

"How do you know about that?"

A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Keru's face.

"Came across it while I was looking through some records. The name was pretty."

"Ahh. So you read Lady Cyclone's diary. Miteran's Garden…"

"Do you know or don't you? Stop setting the mood."

"I know. Of course I know. There isn't a soul in the Underworld who doesn't."

"Why?"

"What?"

"It's the goddess's garden. A garden only she can enter. I heard that while she was still here, she kept it open for the people of the Underworld at all times… but it's been a thousand years since she vanished. No one has set foot in it since."

Well. At the very least, it didn't seem like Amori had been lying.