Where Geno interacts with the dead monsters and the last 2 of them will be his first most interesting encounters. But they are only his first...

No one's POV:
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He gasped and woke up inhaling and exhaling loudly, placing hands on his chest. Many seconds later, Geno decided to focus on the environment around him. The first thing he realised was that he was surrounded by many white figures. His iris disappeared stood up fast and summoned 2 bones in his hands.

"STAY BACK!" He yelled as he stood on guard and looked around waiting for any of the figures to move. But he soon realised that they weren't moving.

Just staring at him. That kind of let Geno relax and observe the figures better. They were all monsters, different kinds. They didn't seem to be disfigured or anything and if he wanted, he could easily tell what monster was each. But there were 3 similar things to all of them which were telling Geno something was clearly off.

First their eyes. They were dark and hollow, without any sign of life in them. No eyeball, no iris. Second, the fact the small skeleton could see through them. Transparent and great difference from the dark void they and Geno were in. 3rd, from top to bottom as said, they were all white.

"What the hell are you?" He murmured as he slowly approached one of the monsters, a horse one.

Animalistic. Hesitantly he stretched out his hand after he unsummoned the bone he was holding on it. He was about to touch the horse monster since it didn't seem to do anything else like its companions. But he never prevented to do so.

To his surprise the monster jumped back, slowly and gently landed away from him and made an opening to the circle it had made with the other monsters around Geno. The skeleton looked at it as it shook head left and right, without any emotion on its expression. He saw all other monsters shaking head left and right too.

"Don't tooouch the dead if you are not yourseeelf dead too." They told him in sync.

"DEAD?!" The small skeleton's mind yelled. Now he knew what was off with these monsters. They were dead. In all honesty, Geno had never reached such point to enter the monsters' afterlife. He had faced 6 extreme bleedings before in the village he lived, but none of them had send him there.

He could remember that he would just pass out in pain and stay unconscious without feeling anything later, nor dreaming. Just lonely darkness. He was simply falling into a slumper, from which he would just wake up later. These slumpers could last from a day to a week even!

Yeah, it had happen on his 3rd time bleeding to death. When he woke up, some villagers had told him he was unconscious for a whole week. And he could recall, he was feeling nothing, he had no touch with the environment around him. This was his 7th time. But this time, he had gone too far.

He was in the land of the dead monsters now. He hadn't hear much about it. Perhaps because he hadn't go near the church of his village. If Alter was hearing that, he was certain he would start educating and lecturing him on it. Before Geno could laugh by his own thoughts, the monsters started talking again.

"If you're in falleeen down state and can't waaake up in the alive realm, you still haveee matter and magic in yooou." An otter monster said.

"But onceee your body dusts and yooour soul shatteeers, you will be considereeed dead too." Another monster said.

"And goneee." A 3rd added.

"Wait wait! No no no! This must be a mistake, I have business to do!" Geno said confused and panicked looking at the monsters.

"You don't seem like a necromanceeer to us."

"Only them can roam from theee terrestrial to the deeead monsters' realm."

"It's ok if you dooon't want to acceeept it that you're dead."

"You'll make peaceee with it."

"And find yooour dead father."

Geno's head turned literally 180° hearing that last comment being told too without emotion from one of the monsters behind him.

"How did you know that-?!" He cut his sentence unable to complete it.

"The dead monsteeers in this reaaalm hear daily many storieees."

"Of how previooously alive monsters dieeed."

"How theyyy lived."

"Who were theeey."

"Stephaaan, wasn't it?"

"The naaame of that smuggler, with a soul ooof gold. Right."

"What a great oxymorooon."

"Imagine if he was a piiirate."

"But he was saving mermaaaids in his alive days."

"As terribleee as if it would be if heee had become a pirate."

"Hey! Keep your thoughts to yourself about my dad! Whatever he did with his life is none of your business!" Geno said pointing at all monsters and hissing. But that didn't seem to stop them from keep monotonously talking.

"Ah yes. The monsteeer that fell in love with a siiiren."

"And not just anyyy."

"One who would bring 3 greaaat legacies. Through her childreeen."

"And yeeet here is the firstborn already."

"Alas."

Geno really wanted to punch all monsters for not shutting up, whether that was actually possible or not. But he sucked it up as a question popped in his mind. But of course! If he was in the dead monsters' realm and the deceased knew what was going on with every dead monster, they could tell him about Error and Fresh!

"Wait! Can you perhaps tell me then about my brothers? Error and Fresh?Are they around here-?"

"EVERYBODY RUN! IT'S THE INFERNAL!" One of the monsters screamed suddenly so loudly, it made Geno shut his earholes. For the first time the dead monster that screamed was expressing and showing terror.

Soon, the other dead monsters' eyes from hollow and empty showed clear fear and terror too. They all looked at the same direction but Geno couldn't see well due to being shorter and seeing through the monsters wasn't giving him clear vision of what they were staring at.

Or who. But soon the view would clear when all monsters that were previously surrounding him would turn and run away. One of them upon its hurry and panic ran through Geno. The small skeleton shivered so badly it could almost seem as if he had a seizure.

He fell on his knees from the shock of how cold the dead felt. As it had been said, he liked cold. But the big amount of it he felt at once, he couldn't handle it. Also it felt way more bad than the cold he knew, it burned his bones at the same time. He had paralysed and couldn't even raise head.

While trying to calm down he could hear slow footsteps, which with every second were growing louder. He only closed his eyesocket tightly, feeling that something bad was going to happen. While at the same time the name the dead monster screamed was brought back in his mind.

"Infernal. As if Pyros and Tefra Infernal? But no, they are alive and well. Who else has that last name again?" From the moment Geno had entered the land of the dead monsters, his memory was a little messed up. But he tried to think and after a while his mind whispered a peculiar yet interesting name.

"Salazier Infernal."

Salazier?

Where had he hear that name before?

...

"SALAZIER?!" The realisation hitted him like a sack of bricks and his eyesocket widened up. Salazier. Of course! Back in that realistic dream he saw after the one of his mom blessing another future guardian! Salazier Infernal. Or as that pirate woman called him, "The famous merchant and scientist, known even to the West Indies."

Why were these dead monsters fearing him so much though?

He suddenly realised the footsteps stopped being heard and now Geno could see a pair of white paws in short fur and small claws on the toes, in front of him.

"Are you Genocide, the firstborn son of princess CQ?" He heard a voice above him asking.

Very hesitantly Geno mastered enough courage to look up and face the monster in front of him. His iris disappeared on the sight he had. His fur was grey like the ashes a fire leaves behind. A sharp fang from the upper jaw of his mouth could be seen on the right side of it.

The fringe, grey just like his fur too that was covering his forehead seemed a little messed up, the hair were falling on wild and disobedient strands. These characteristics were already grotesque enough by themselves. But the worst part of his face was a scar that was passing through his right eye, leaving it a plain white, like milk.

His eyebrows were a depressing gloomy golden color. He was wearing a dark green jacket, underneath a black turtleneck shirt and blue trousers which in the darkness of the void however Geno was in, he could barely see them.

The skeleton recalled that the goat man he saw yesterday night in that dream was wearing glasses. Now he wasn't. In all this darkness and the grim colors, only one part of that goat man's appearance was still warm and truly bright though. His left eye.

That seemed to be the only thing not affected by whatever he went through. Even if there was a soft scar underneath there, it was taking nothing from the impression it was giving. Emitting the same spark Geno had seen in the goat siblings' eyes, mostly Pyros'. Even if it was nailed right now at Geno with seriousness and some grim.

That was now Salazier Infernal. A version of himself more dark and grim than how Geno had seen him the first time. His mouth had stayed opened, staring at him. The other wasn't that creepy after a while. But still, Geno didn't know what to expect from him. Why was he asking for him?

"Calm down Geno. Calm down. Calm down..." He tried to tell himself.

"I repeat myself. Are you Genocide?" Salazier asked again, his look even more intensive. Geno's tongue knotted and untied many times before he manage to speak while smiling awkwardly.

"That is... m-me... h-hey, please, don't try k-killing me, we're already in the l-land of the dead m-monsters. Infernal... am I allowed to call you Salazier?" The goat man stepped back gasping gently from surprise.

"You know my name!" He said.

"Uuuh... Short of heard it somewhere?" Geno said smiling awkwardly. The goat man placed hands behind his back.

"I thought no living soul could remember me anymore! You are not dead yet, but you said my name!" Salazier looked up with hand on his chin, but a while later looked again back at Geno smiling. "You really are who the dead calls: the dreamer. There is no way you would have know my name. Only if you were to dream of me, or..." He looked away, sadness filling his eye. "... if she... was telling you about me..." He looked again at Geno. "But that is impossible. She would never talk about me when no one remembers me except her." He became more serious. "That is. You heard my name in your sleep. And you perhaps violated her memories while sleeping."

Geno had understood for who Salazier was talking about all this time. On his last words he rolled his eyesocket.

"Pardon me sir, I can't control it when I see someone else's dreams!" He said. The goat man sighed.

"Of course you can't." He said in such tone it made the skeleton feel offended.

But before he could say anything, Salazier suddenly placed hands behind his back again and started walking. He went behind Geno and the skeleton shivered. He really wanted to look behind but he was still paralysed from that dead monster running through him. The goat man though did nothing to him. Soon he stood again in front of Geno.

"Do you think you can stand up?" He asked and to Geno's surprise he saw him lending his right paw, waiting for him to take it. Geno really didn't want to hold the goat's paw, for not only it had pointy claws on the fingers and the pink beans seemed dirty, in general he wouldn't trust him. Also,

"But you are dead. And I'm not. How am I gonna take your... paw." He asked.

Salazier sighed loudly and to the skeleton's shock he bended, grabbed him from his wrist quite violently and lifted him. Geno snapped out completely from his paralysis. He started squirming, hissing loudly and tried to make the goat man let go of him. Despite his efforts, the other didn't even flinch.

"Do I look dead to you? Do you see through me as if I was a miserable monster's essence walking around here?" He asked quite abruptly. Next he sighed, relaxing a little. "I am just half dead. My essence, physical matter and magic matter are here, while my soul is still on the living realm. You on the other hand, I sense you're between living and dying."

"Ok! Got it! Let go of me now Sir pretty pleaAAaAaaAAAse!!!" Geno yelled. Salazier scoffed, looked away and let go of Geno's wrist. The skeleton managed to stand on his feet and looked at him surprised. "What was that for?!"

"If I was wearing my glasses like I used to, I could see you clear as day. In front of me now, I see the blurred, just a tiny bit, fragile frame of a small skeleton, dressed in white as if you were already dead, a melted eyesocket and a long scar on your chest. Hmmm... I shall assume everybody is misjudging and underestimating you for your outside appearance."

"So are you right now?" Geno asked looking away, but not thinking of running. As if he had forgotten he could do that. Salazier shook head left and right.

"Not really. After all, that ocean prophecy wouldn't talk about you if you were weak." He said. He bended over Geno, who bended backwards seeing his serious face approaching. "You have much more strength and potential than you seem to. I feel it in what's left of your soul..." He continued, his eye moving to look at the skeleton's chest. Geno covered it with his hands.

"Sir, look at your own soul, not mine!" He hissed. Salazier let out a sound which sounded more like somebody dying. But pretty certain he had laughed.

"I would perhaps do so, if my Captain wasn't holding it now. Now that I've met you, I see..."

"See what?" Geno asked raising bonebrow. The goat spoke only after a few seconds.

"... I see why my Captain wants your whole soul."

The skeleton's iris dissappeared and stepped back.

"What?! Who exactly wants my whole soul? What do you-?!"

"I remember. Hondarribia. 1526. The year when my Captain sensed your soul. She sailed for there. She and her crew slaughtered anyone they were seeing. And then she spotted you..." Salazier pointed at Geno. "The cause of your own badluck. I was there. I saw it. I am already 22 years in her crew. She did this to you. The maiden of death and darkness slashed your chest and teared your soul apart-."

"STOP TALKING!" Geno yelled as he saw very clearly one of his most traumatising moments of his life playing in front of his eyesocket. But Salazier kept talking.

"Unexpectedly, one small fragment of your soul, she didn't take it. And she was about to try again while you were defenceless on the ground. But then, an explosion threw you away. Very quickly she considered you dead. She left with her stolen souls and sailed. And even though you were still alive, with only a fragment of your soul, it was supposedly a matter of only hours until you truly died." There Salazier gave a small smile which however seemed more evil than he probably wanted it to be. "And yet you've managed live even today. I sense it even now. You will not die today either. Even if right where we are, I could simply claim that last fragment by myself, even if I posses fearful powers to take what's left for my Captain to fulfil her deepest desires..." Geno gulped and took a step back. Which made the goat man chuckle. "... But I won't. The trait in you... that abstract meaning which is rare even for humans... It is what keeps you alive. As long as you keep it, you will not truly taste death easily. But you also have a destiny to fulfil first. And I think, these are the reasons why you didn't die 7 years ago and my Lady never managed to take your whole soul." He completed. Geno scoffed and placed hands on his hips.

"Hah! Sir, just so you know, no fate or destiny will tell me when it's the time for me to die! I die when I say I die! I have been through tons of illnesses for being sickly, your Captain as you said teared almost all of my soul and I have experienced my 7th extreme bleeding just today because what's left from my soul doesn't maintain me 24/7! I survived the previous 6 without medical care and so I'll survive the 7th. And guess what else! Imma keep living for one more reason now that you reminded me in who's crew you're in: hopefully your Lady feels strong successful and lucky, because if our paths ever meet, ! m m æ τ ə æ r h ə r τ œ § h r ə đ § £ o r ω h æ τ § h ə đ ! đ τ œ m ə."

Despite that last threat, Salazier covered elegantly his mouth and laughed. The skeleton looked at him offended.

"Good luck with that then young one."

"Don't you believe me?!"

"I wish I could. But don't get all cocky. she can't be killed with normal weapons..." The goat man said and looked away, his smile slowly disappearing. A few seconds of silence later he looked again at Geno. "... Tell me something else, young skeleton."

"Yeah?"

"You are on a path to fulfil your destiny. And I've understood you've been in Olissipo, right?" Salazier asked and his left eye started betraying wonder and more emotion.

"Oh. Well, you see, I almost bled to death today here. Yeah, I'm in Lisbon. 2 days now." Geno said with some sarcasm at first and then with curiosity of what the goat man wanted to know. The other looked away again but turned soon fast to face Geno.

"So, if you already have heard of my name, you have met 2 goats named Pyros and Tefra. Right?" He asked. Geno nodded raising bonebrow.

"Yes. We-... Me and a friend befriended them." He said simply. The goat man's eye glowed and emotion appeared.

"Tell me, how are they? Please..." He said and suddenly sounded so sad, he was nothing like a while ago, all smug and cheerful. Deep inside, Geno felt sorry for him right now. He kinda understood him.

"But what do you want me to tell you exactly? I know too little things. And not detailed."

"I've heard very few news of them. I only know that they are both royal guards, the best from São Miguel of Azores. Is this true? What else do you know?" Salazier asked. Geno decided to speak. Carefully he tried to bring back in his mind all he heard about the siblings' life, whether he had hear by them, whether by other monsters.

How they went through life, their personalities, the families each made and how much they were loved and respected by the other monsters. By that he kinda described also the conditions the monsters of the Capital had and how the Infernals and the other monster guards were trying their best to help them.

"Oh? This bad? I don't remember these conditions in my days. How come things turned like that?" Salazier asked with his hand on his chin. Even though Geno wasn't sure how to explain the whole situation, he was in somehow good terms with that half dead goat man and was ready to speak.

"Salazieeer Infernal! Saia da terra dooos monstros mortos neste instanteee! Você não é beeem vindo aqui." A female voice was suddenly heard speaking Portuguese and the tone was betraying strictness and anger.

The goat man raised head and looked above Geno somewhere far away. As much as the short skeleton wanted to turn and see who was behind him, the next things Salazier said caught his interest. Plus, his serious and almost condemning expression.

"Oh! Her! The 'fatal' woman! Her reputation in her alive days had reached even the stones, so much that even them feared her, begging for her to not step on them! Pretty certain the generations that came from her are just like her: all seemingly sweet and innocent until you push their limits and meet their π æ § τ γ side!"

These last words, especially the way nasty was said, made Geno gulp. At that moment Salazier turned his attention to him. Despite his eye was still betraying condemn, he smiled at the small skeleton.

"Don't mind my words. She will do nothing to you. She keeps her guard up against me because of my... condition. Have fun with one of the 'queens' of the dead. But, I am really glad we talked, prince Genocide. Thank you for telling me about my children. If we're lucky, we'll meet again here, in the land of the dead. If you're unlucky, well... we'll meet while you are completely alive." He chuckled deeply, turned his back and raised hand, waving it as he walked away. "Adeus. Até a próxima vez que nos encontrarmos!" He said.

Geno managed to understand what the goat man had said. He watched as he slowly walked away, until he was only a small dot in the distance. The small skeleton placed his clenched fist on his chest and exhaled. That was... mysterious creepy and interesting at the same time. His eyesocket turned to dagger as he stared in the distance.

"Until next time we meet. Wherever that is, indeed." He murmured. "Whether here, whether while beating the sh*t out of your Capt-"

"Inversão deee marcha esqueleto pequenooo." He heard the voice of the woman from a while ago very close to him. Geno who hadn't understand a single word, except from the last 2, gulped and his iris dissappeared.

"Señora, no hablo muy bien portugués. Por favor no me mates." He unconsciously stuttered in Spanish not daring to look behind him. The woman sighed, but at that moment it sounded more like a howl.

"Giro de vuelta." Geno flinched. She knew Spanish! Slowly and still very hesitantly, he turned to face the woman behind him, see who Salazier decorated with so many 'compliments'. The first thing he saw was the waist of the dead monster. He looked down and saw a white skirt of a dress, long to almost cover her feet.

They were still noticeable and to his surprise, these feet were of a skeleton's! Geno's surprise grew a little and slowly looked again up. In front of the lady's chest, the small skeleton saw 2 crossed arms, dressed in long puffy sleeves. The hands could be seen and they were bony. His surprise grew even bigger.

"Chico, lo entiendo. Los monstruos muertos se ven espeluznantes. ¡Pero mira hacia arriba ya!" The woman said again, a little stricter she sounded. Shaking, Geno decided to look in the eyes the woman. And what he saw!

only in the next chapter you'll know! 😄. goodbye chicos *pat pat pat pat pat*

4000 words.

the most hot-headed readers after seeing where the author decided to finish the chapter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWJSw7GIhi0