The Red Hand

Chapter 153.5 – Resurrection.

Once she was done inspecting the bodies of Hito and the other victim, Akagi brought up Misha, the girl killed earlier that day.

"Ahh yes..." The old coroner looked sad. "What a tragedy, such a young life cut short."

"Can I see her body?" Akagi asked.

"I suppose so, but may I ask why?" The coroner was a bit confused by her request.

"I'm going to bring her back." Akagi's statement caught everyone off guard.

"Wait, what?!?" Mixu exclaimed. Interrupting her call with Aoi. "You can revive people?!?"

{Why the fuck haven't you done that BEFORE?!?} (Mixu)

"I mean, I'm pretty sure I can. If its possible, then this girl would be the first." Akagi shrugged.

"Things just keep getting stranger and stranger." Nakagumo shook his head.

"I uhhhh..." The coroner had no idea how to react. "Should I... who do I even call?"

"Well, let's see if it works first." Akagi laughed. "No reason to alert her parents if this fails. That would probably end up badly."

{Giving them hope and then pulling it away would be a bit much, even for me.} (Akagi)

The coroner took Akagi and Mixu into another adjacent room where Misha's body was sitting in a bag on a table. Nakagumo wanted nothing to do with this and left to speak with his officers.

"Alright, first things first. We gotta fix the body. Otherwise, she'd just die again." Misha's neck had been torn open quite well, and the damage was extensive.

"Well, I don't have healing magic and I don't think a potion is going to do any good with her being dead." Mixu sighed. "Unless your Demon Lord powers allow you to heal?"

"They do." Akagi smirked.

"Of course they do." Mixu rolled her eyes. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"I'll let you know when I find out." Akagi laughed as she allowed a small amount of dark power to flow from her hand to Misha's body, causing her wounds to slowly close.

"Well, I'll be dammed. You can heal." Mixu whistled. "Should I start classifying you as a Cleric now? Poor Excel is gonna be out of a job at this rate."

"I think rather than Cleric. I'm the being that provides the Cleric with its power." Akagi laughed.

{Though it might be more accurate to call me something akin to a Warlock patron instead.} Akagi laughed internally. {Hmmmm, technically, I think Yumi might get her priestess power from me now, so who the fuck knows anymore.}

After thinking about it for a bit longer, Akagi pushed that thought process to the side since it didn't really matter what label you placed on her anyway. Once all the wounds closed up, and she cleaned off Misha's body, Akagi grabbed the girl's soul from inside her shadow.

"Alright, now to figure out how we place this back in without causing problems." Akagi ran through her knowledge about souls.

"So that's what a soul looks like up close." Mixu leaned in to inspect it. "It looks about what one would expect, to be honest."

"Yeah, souls are just balls of light and energy." Akagi shrugged. "Though they are generally not something mortals can mess with, for obvious reasons." She tapped on it, channeling a bit of her dark power into Misha's soul.

"So are you going just to smash it into her chest or something?" Mixu asked.

"That would not work." Akagi laughed. "The bindings which attach her soul to her physical body have been severed. Thus, I'll need to rebuild them before reinstalling her."

{What is she? An OS update?} (Mixu)

Akagi began channeling a large quantity of dark power into both Misha's soul and her body while waving her hands around to direct it.

{Alright, here goes nothing.} Akagi lifted up Misha's soul with her power and gently placed it over her chest before allowing it to sink down and out of sight.

"Her soul is attached, so now we just wait and see if she wakes up." Akagi walked over to the body and tapped Misha on the forehead. "Wakey wakey!"

{As if that's gonna-} (Mixu)

"Ugh...." Misha's body began to twitch as her eyes slowly opened. "W-where am I? What's going on?"

"Holy fuck, she did revive her!" Mixu's eyes went wide. She genuinely didn't think Akagi could do it.

"I-I'll go call her family!" The coroner bolted out of the room.

"Everything seems to be fine." Akagi sighed. "However, it looks like we've got some side effects."

"What are you talking about?" Mixu asked as Akagi pointed to Misha's eyes. "Ohhhhh. Ohhhhhhhhh."

{That's probably not normal...} {Mixu)

"Yeah, well, it's fine." Akagi shrugged. "It's a miracle this even worked, and it's not surprising that using my power had some side effects." Misha's eyes had turned orange like Akagi's and Kana's, though her sclera was still white.

{I guess this is better than death.} (Mixu)

"Where am I?" Misha tried to sit up but found herself too weak to move.

"You are currently in the morgue." Akagi smiled.

"The morgue?" She looked down at herself. Most of her body was still in a black bag. "I... that's right... I died..."

"Yup, and after you got bit, you were taken here where they put you on ice." Akagi laughed. "They even put a tag on your foot with your name."

"You... you really did bring me back!" Misha looked like she was about to cry. "You really saved me!"

{Oh boy... here come the waterworks.} Akagi looked over to Mixu, who mouthed. You revived her, so you handle it!

"Saved is a subjective term, but yes. How does your body feel?" Akagi asked as she pulled some clothes out of her inventory. "Vampy, help me dress her." The two pulled Misha out of the bag and put some pajamas on her before laying her back down.

"I feel cold..." Misha was visibly shivering.

"Well yeah, dead bodies go cold real quick." Akagi chuckled as she cast some warmth on her and took out a blanket. "And you've been dead for what? A good couple hours I think."

"This might be insensitive to ask you right after everything, but I gotta know. What was being dead like?" Mixu asked.

"I could kill you and let you find out directly." Akagi chuckled.

"Not interested!" Mixu shook her head vigorously.

"I-it was cold and dark... and there was nothing..." Misha shivered. "I couldn't move, or see, or hear, or feel anything... It was just... nothing... and it was scary..."

{Makes sense to me.} (Akagi)

"That sounds horrible." Mixu got a shiver through her spine. "I never want to experience that."

"But!" Misha exclaimed. "In that darkness and cold, there was a bit of light and warmth! It enveloped me and drove away the cold!"

{Ohhh nooo. I don't like where this is going...} (Akagi)

"It was you, Lady Akagi! You came to me when there was nothing! In that dark awful place, you were warmth got through like a blanket that protected me." Misha's eyes now went slightly crazy. "Lady Akagi, you were the beacon of warmth that pierced through the darkness and pulled me back. Your warmth is what kept me going!"

{Great. She has now found faith. IN ME!} (Akagi)

"Your warm touch pulled me back from that horrible place! You saved me from the cold embrace of death!" Misha wanted to sit up but was still too weak to move. “I can never repay you for your kindness!”

"What did you do to her?" Mixu looked at Akagi, judging her.

"I didn't do anything!" Akagi didn't like being accused here. "I just revived her from certain death. You know how stories of peopling dying and resurrected go!"

{And people wonder why I don't do nice things...} (Akagi)

"Lady Akagi, please do not be angry! I have merely been shown the truth of this world! That in the darkness that surrounds us, your warmth keeps us safe while we drift between life and death. That there is nothing to fear in the dark as long as one has you!" Her time being dead seemed to have traumatized her severely, most likely because souls are not supposed to linger for as long as she did. Also, she was placed within Akagi, a Demon Lord who eats souls, so probably not the most happy and hospitable of places.

"Pffff!" Mixu laughed at that comment.

"Mixu, if you tell anyone what she said. YOU will be getting to experience death personally." Akagi glared at her.

"Hmmm, I mean, telling everyone might be worth it." Mixu couldn't stop laughing.

“There is nothing to fear in death as long as one believes in Lady Akagi!” Misha smiled. “Her warmth was comforting, it was as if I could fall asleep peacefully and nothing could harm me!”

{Great, now to deal with this mess...} (Akagi)

“Was my power really that comforting to you?” Akagi asked.

“Yes!” Misha nodded slightly. “That place was cold and scary. But the moment your power poured into me, I felt a sense of calm and warmth like I was being held in my mothers arms!”

“Pfff!” Mixu was still trying hard not to laugh, and Akagi smacked her on the head.

{I wish I could record this!} (Mixu)

Figuring that attempting argue with Misha was pointless, Akagi decided to just roll with her ravings. "Yes, you understand well mortal.” She put on a haughty air and allowed her voice to distort. “I am that which lurks within the darkness between life and death. What you felt was my protection, something given out only to those I deem worthy.”

{IS SHE ACTUALLY ROLLING WITH THIS?!?} (Mixu)

“I knew it!” Misha cried out. “You were protecting me! Thank you my Lady for such benevolence in saving me from death! I am forever in your debt.”

{Should I feel bad for this girl? I'm not even sure anymore.} (Mixu)

“Think nothing of it, I simply saved a wayward soul at the request of a friend. Put simply, it was not your time, and thus I extended my grace to you.” Akagi smirked. “If you wish to thank anyone, thank Mika, as she was the one who requested me to share my warm embrace with you.”

{You caused this, Mika. So I'm dragging you down with me!} (Akagi)

“I see. Mika must be one of your most ardent devotees if she was able to make such a request.” Misha said. “I shall endeavor to repay her kindness once I am better.”

“Good. Though I doubt she will want such things. Mika is most charitable.” Akagi was struggling to keep this act going.

“Then, in exchange, I shall spread the word and inform everyone about your warmth within the darkness!” Misha seemed raring to go.

“I will ask you to refrain from such things.” Akagi wanted to stop her before things got out of hand.

“But why?!?” Misha cried out. “Shouldn't all know of your warm embrace?”

"Because, Misha." Akagi said. “It is important to maintain balance in the world. Ordinarily I do not interfere within the cycle of death and rebirth, but you were a special occasion. It would trouble me if more were to come seeking special treatment, and its possible that reality might become imbalanced if too many are saved.” Flying by the seat of her pants was a generous description of what Akagi was doing.

{Oh my god. She's just making this shit up as she goes! I'm impressed that she can make it sound so coherent and so bullshit at the same time.} (Mixu)

"Imbalanced?" Misha tilted her head.

"Yes, but I am afraid it's too complex for a mortal to understand." Akagi nodded. "Just know that it's best that people never ever find out what we discussed here today!"

{This... I'm so glad I came with.} (Mixu)

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Lady Akagi!" Misha apologized. "I will never speak of these events again!”

{WHY ME?!? Is it too late to just kill her again and never speak of this?} (Akagi)

"I am glad to see that you understand." Akagi nodded.

"But!" Misha exclaimed

{Oh great... more...} (Akagi)

"I must still spread the word about you, even if I must conceal the truth! I shall gather others worthy of your grace and we shall-” Misha was cut off by Akagi.

“No! We're not doing this! I don't want a cult, a religion or anything like that, capish! If you want to personally pray to me or something, go ahead. But DO NOT EVER SPEAK TO ANYONE ELSE ABOUT THIS EVER!” Akagi put her foot down.

"But-" Misha was cut off.

"NO BUTS!" Akagi shut her down. “You may speak to Kana, Mika, Naomi, Hishya, Yumi Mixu, myself or my family about such things, but no others! That goes for you too Mixu!” She glared at the vampire, who just smiled and nodded.

"Fine..." Misha sulked. “If that is what Lady Akagi wants, then I shall abide by your wishes.”

{Next time I see Mika, I'm going to hit her. I know this isn't technically her fault, but I'm still going to hit her.} (Akagi)

A little while later, Misha's parents barged into the coroner's office and were greeted by a revived Misha. At first, they were concerned about her eyes, but Akagi informed them that it was simply a product of her power being used to bring her back. There was a bit of arguing, but Akagi shut them up by saying that they could either have a dead child or one with some orange eyes. This very direct method made them agree that having Misha alive was better than not. While she was a bit off due to her newly found devotion to Akagi, she was normal for that was worth.

{I have a feeling that Misha is going to cause me headaches later...} (Akagi)