Chapter Text
There was darkness, only because his eyes were closed. Then they slowly opened to view the clear blue sky with flying creatures. Kevin tried shielding his eyes from the brightness. He sat up and just as he looked around he rose in panic.
“What-WHERE AM I?!” He exclaimed as he didn’t recognize the area. He stood up in less than a second and rotated around to view his surroundings. He seemed to be in the middle of a forest. And it seemed like daytime but he felt different. Like his ability to physically feel was gone. Then two vicious creatures appeared. Kevin was already afraid. The creatures were blue, with bodies similar to that of a lion and they had angry faces like the face of Chinese demons.
Doing what anyone else would do if approached by dangerous animals, Kevin ran for his life screaming. The creatures chased after him. He knew he couldn’t outrun them but he tried to give himself false hope.
Then Kevin bumped into an elderly man. The man walked passed him and stood between the boy and the beasts.
“Calm down, this boy just arrived, show some hospitality”.
The boy stood up as the beasts walked away to where they came from. The elderly man turned to him. “Are you all right young man?”
“I don’t know how to answer that question right now”, he replied.
“I assume your name is Kevin, yes?”
The boy looked at the man suspiciously. “How do you know my name?”
“The moon spirit told me. She made sure you were brought here safely”.
Kevin found this as familiar. Moon Spirit, strange place, strange animals…
“Am I in heaven?” Kevin asked.
The elderly man burst out laughing. The boy was certain he was being serious when he asked that question. “What’s so funny?”
“No, this isn’t heaven. This is the spirit world”.
“Spirits? Wait…this is a place full of ghosts?!”
The man started laughing again. Kevin was getting annoyed at this and he needed answers. “I’m not trying to be funny so explain old man”.
The man’s laughter eventually stopped. “Come with me young man, I’ll explain everything”. He said as he walked forward. Kevin followed.
“This is the spirit world yet ironically the creatures that live here are not Ghosts, they are mystical beings with amazing abilities. Although there are a few humans like me who passed on centuries ago. I think it would be wise for you to stay calm and not let fear and anger take over”.
Kevin was looking around and then gazed at the old man. “Who are you?”
“My name is Iroh, I come from a civilization from another lifetime, years before your grandparents were born”.
Kevin only noticed right after Iroh stopped talking that he was in a meadow. Iroh went into a small cottage. Kevin went in after him.
“Here, drink this special green tea”, the old man said as he poured the tea into two cups. Kevin was skeptical but sat down and took a sip of the tea. It was soothing and relaxing. Kevin just felt like he wasn’t afraid anymore.
“I never realized how great tea was until now”.
“That’s the thing with your generation, you don’t stop to enjoy what the world has to offer”.
Kevin went back to being serious. “Am I…dead?”
Iroh looked at Kevin, unsure of how to reply.
Kevin could tell that Iroh was trying to say yes. Kevin felt afraid and placed his hand on his chest. He couldn’t feel a heartbeat. He felt like he was cold and it wasn’t a bad feeling.
“I don’t remember how I died…”
“Don’t think too much of it, but let me tell you this. You are the first American to be in the spirit world. That means the moon spirit chose you for a reason”.
Kevin was still trying to process but then anger came to his mind. “Isn’t it selfish?! The moon took me away from everything and everyone I ever loved and for what?”
“I think you should talk to her about it”.
Kevin looked away, he needed answers. “Where can I find her?”
“Oh, she is in another plain, in the oasis, if you are talking about Yue”.
Kevin stood up and cleared his throat. “Thank you for the hospitality, Iroh. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime”. And then he walked out of the cottage and headed out. Iroh went to tell him something.
“Oh! When you see the painted lady, tell her I’m still waiting for her to come to visit”.
“The what lady…?”, he turned around to see that the cottage was gone, along with the meadow. Instead, he found himself in an odd swamp. Then he looks down to see his reflection. What he saw was different from how he looked when he was still alive. He had dark blue hair with white ends, his eyes were glowing blue and his skin was pale.
The scenery changes depending on where the individual was heading. Kevin looked, dreading the fact that he was walking on murky water in his shoes. As he trudged he saw two blobs constantly shaping and whispering.
“Uh hi, spirit thingies?” he called out. The blobs formed in the shape of seals. They turned to look at the boy.
“Do you know anything about Yue?”
The blobs turned to look at each other and then back at him. “Boy, can’t you see we are having a serious conversation?” the green blob moaned like an angry kitten.
“Sorry, but I need to find Yue”.
“Then go find her”. The blue blob also moaned like a cat.
“…Can you tell me where or how…?”
“You see that flying bunny behind you?”
Kevin turned around to see a fuzzy creature with dragonfly wings for ears. It was hovering around the swamp. “I see it”.
“He knows where this Yue is, go both-um I mean to ask it”.
Kevin went after it. He found it playing with other spirits. “Hello? Can you help me?”
The bunnies stopped playing mid-air and turned to face him. They stared at him like puppies do when they see their owner carrying food. “Can you help me find Yue?” There was no response from the bunnies. One hovered closer to him. “Do you know where Yue is little thing?” The bunny didn’t reply but snatched his bracelet and tried to fly off. “Hey!”. He started running after them. “That was from my friend!” As he ran, he tried jumping up to catch the bunny. He soon realized he was lifted three times higher than the average human, by air which was even more unusual. He took advantage of this and caught the creature carrying his bracelet. “Gotcha you little thief!” He said as he took back the bracelet. Two other flying bunnies tried pushing him to a figure watching from a distance. “Uh…hello?” He called. Then the figure hovered over him. At first, Kevin was frightened but then saw that it was a woman. A woman in a spiritual tenne that wasn’t exactly like a goddess but still otherworldly. Her skin was powder white with red paint markings and long flowing raven hair, and she had a kasa with a transparent veil hanging on the round edges of it.
“Hello dear spirit”, she said with the voice of a mature wise woman. Kevin was frozen in wonder. “W-who are you?”
The woman formed a mist around her and hovered over him. “I am the Painted Lady, I will be teaching you everything you need to know about the spirit world”.
“Wait…Painted Lady? Iroh told me to tell you to go visit him some time”.
The lady chuckled. “As tempting as it is to have his famous tea, I will focus on what is more important…you”.
Kevin just stared at the woman and looked around. “Do you know why I’m here?”
The woman nodded. “You are unique and you have so much potential. But before I tell you any of that, I will teach you how to live in the spirit world. Follow me”. She said before turning around and hovering forward. Kevin followed her. As he was following he grew curious. “So where are we going?”
The woman kept quiet. Kevin frowned. “Y’know, when an adult asks a kid to follow them but doesn’t make eye contact and remains silent is known as a serial killer”.
“What does the word serial mean?” she asked. Kevin was shocked but soon realized that the painted lady must be too old.
“Uh, if I may ask…how old are you?”
“I am more than ten centuries old”.
Boy, this lady is a granny.
“Well for your first question, I’ll answer with my own question. Have you ever heard of Ted Bundy? Or Jeffrey Dahmer?”
“No, are they well-known Americans?”
“Well yes but not in a good way. Ted Bundy was known to use his charm and good looks to lure young women into his car and take them into deserted places to do...very bad things to pretty women.
The lady turned to face Kevin with a look of horror. “Why would anyone do such a thing to innocent women?”
“I would blame creepy lust for that, but the guy was executed before the eighties”.
The painted lady smiled in fascination, “I know a spirit who would love to hear your knowledge of American history, but first, you need to learn water bending and air bending before I take you to my friends, we are here”.
Kevin felt like sneezing, which he did, and that cleared all the mist. Doing that revealed a whole wooden surface standing on water. Kevin fell into the water that appeared below him. He tried to stay afloat. The painted lady lifted him in her arms bridal style. Then she levitated to the wooden path. As she went in Kevin felt embarrassed that he was being carried like a small defenseless child. “Okay, you can put me down now”. As he was let down he noticed how wet he was. “Ugh, I need to clean up”.
The Painted Lady hovered down and stood on the wooden floor, she waved at Kevin to follow him. As she entered a sento, Kevin knew that meant bath house in Japanese. As he went in he saw how vintage everything was, yet clean. “Go clean yourself up, then I will escort you to the inn keep, or as you modern humans call a motel”.
After bathing and being offered clean Japanese clothing, he was taken to the inn keep. Then he went to sleep.