Where after a failed chase and after surviving another, by pure coincidence Geno finds in the monster afterlife someone he would never expect to find and seeing by them something he wasn't meant to.

Geno's POV:
-

That round skull. These smooth cheekbones! These empty eyesockets turned to daggers that are right now staring at me serious and strictly, almost I think investigating me. That way the teeth are lightly clenched but in an also thoughtful way. These all are… familiar. No! That can't be! Or can it?

"Alter?" My mouth unexpectedly says out loud. The lady stops death staring at me. Her bottom jaw starts shaking as she stares at me with wide open eyesockets, her hands are shaking too.

"That's my eldest son's name…" She says. Wait a minute!

Alter's mom is right in front of me?!

What was her name again! Alter had said it from the first day we entered Lisbon, I know it! It's there! Why can't I remember that simple thing?! The monster afterlife definitely did something to my memory. Damnit! But the lady doesn't let me think. She suddenly turns her back and walks away with fast steps. I flinch.

"Hey! ¡¿A dónde vas?!" I ask and follow her. Instead of answering she starts walking even faster. I fasten my pace too. "¡Por favor deje de!" I try again. Seems the more I speak the more she goes faster, because she's now literally sprinting. I sprint too but damn, the dead woman is extremely fast! It's almost as if she's floating and gliding!

Now I really wanna remember her name and call her. But with the sprinting, my mind denies to work. I shut my eyesocket trying hard to remember the skeleton lady's name I'm chasing after. A few seconds later it actually hits me. Full of excitement I open my eyesocket to look at the Lady.

"Ca-!" Instead of the Lady, something flies towards my skull and at the very last moment I bend forward and avoid it, resulting to me roll 2 times and end up prone on the dark floor.

Groaning I raise head. I feel I'm turning even more pale. 10 steps away from me doesn't stand one skeleton but 2. The Lady and a much taller skeleton with long skull, one head taller than her. Their one arm is wrapped protectively around her waist.

Their other arm is streched to my direction. Suddenly they move that arm as if they pull something. And indeed, I hear something from behind me flying towards me. Unsure of what to do I roll to the left. With terror I see something stabbing the ground where I was laying a while ago.

It's white and seems to have 3 pointy edges. It's a trident! Was that the thing that would actually kill me if I was opening my eyesocket a second late a while ago?! Suddenly the trident as it's nailed to the ground shakes and flies towards the tallest skeleton who threw it at me. He holds it and death stares at me.

"§ Æ | Æ Đ Æ q υ | !" He yells then with a trembling voice that I'm pretty certain will haunt my sleep for the next days. I kinda understand what he says and hurry to stand up, turn my back and run with my soul in my mouth. I hear him making another terrifying sound and when I turn to look I see him prepared to throw his trident at me again.

When I thought I couldn't run faster than I'm already doing so, I realise that I'm wrong. I start maneuvering even, so I become a harder target. Hopefully. I run and run and run, God! I just can't stop, I feel like I hear the guy's breath on my nape and his trident flying towards me.

After a minute I fall on the ground breathing and gasping for air. I couldn't take it anymore. I hold my chest and feel my soul is going to burst from fatique. My vision is blurry, my whole body is shaking and I don't feel like standing up. I only can and dare to look behind me.

I see nothing. No one's hunting me. No flying tridents, no tall dead skeletons wanting to make me an actual part of this afterlife. Which kinda relieves me. I look down catching my breaths again. I don't know how long it takes for me to finally be able stand up. I look around me. I think I've been way too long around here. I start walking ahead thoughtful.

How do I return to the living world?When do I return?

…

Will I retu-?

"- UUURN!!!" My suffering and adventures in the monster afterlife weren't meant to end just yet and let me peacefully think of how to get out of here. The very next moment the ground beneath my feet retreats and I start rolling down something that feels like a hill. I start yelling, covering my face with my arms trying to protect myself. This situation lasts for about 10 seconds before I land on my face and start saying not so nice things in Spanish. I slowly get up. "Just how many more times am I gonna fall on my face?!" I think.

But surprisingly, despite I rolled, I feel no pain. I shake my arms and legs lightly. Luckily, I can still use them. Cool. I look at the environment around me and stay with my mouth open. Where am I?! This is nothing like the dark void of the monster afterlife! It's suddenly all bright, there are colors and environment.

I'm surrounded by trees and bushes. I focus on the surrounding sounds. Chirps of different birds can be heard, cicadas monotonously singing and a river running. It must be summer. After a while I start walking ahead. Am I back to the living world?! It feels so much like it. But… where is Alter then?

"Guido?!" I ask out loud as I start walking ahead, looking around and trying to find Alter. Or even any monster, human the least. Where even am I??? I suddenly hear a loud cheerful laugh of a kid. I walk faster following the sound, only to realise that there is more laughter, of women from what I recognise.

Probably all playing together. I see some bushes ahead and hide behind them. I start observing. What I see surprises me. Kinda. There is a big open valley with not many trees scattered and even less bushes. And I see 5 skeletons there! The 4 of them are playing with a ball and seem to have fun.

The other is sitting beneath one of the few trees of the valley and is reading. Right now she pushes back her glasses. It's a female. I can distinguish characteristics of her dark pink dress and a big white hat with a pink ribbon around. Nothing too important here. I look again at the 4 playing.

The 3 of them are very tall and wear dresses, females too. The one skeleton is wearing a cyan dress which on the skirt fades to white. She laughs louder and more cheerfully than the other skeletons and is more energetic. The second skeleton wears probably the most impressive dress, which is white and has golden mosaics all over it.

She seems to enjoy the game too and plays like a little girl, but she's more calm. Then there's the 3rd skeleton who doesn't wear a dress but a short with long puffy sleeves cream color shirt that uncovers her shoulders and a cyan almost white skirt above the knee long.

On her right arm she wears a glove long to the elbow. That's strange. And even more strange is that she has a black spot on her right cheek. It is difficult to say what that is, I'm too far away. Suddenly that skeleton kicks the ball so hard it flies to my direction and stops only a few feet away from where I'm hiding.

"Thafero ewo tibala manula! Perimenetatherfules!" A small kid's voice is heard, possibly a boy. What on earth did it say?! I try to make myself even smaller in my hiding spot and wait. Ah yes. I see the 4th skeleton I didn't observe yet coming towards me.

At first I pity him. I understand that he probably said he'll bring the ball. He sounded so willing but there's uphill. He's gonna get tired. That's what I thought, until as he ran towards the hill he bended his knees and jumped. To my surprise he jumps very high, but also very slowly and soon, after doing a flip, he's on top of the hill.

He stands proudly with opened arms like Jesus crucified and then exhales. He opens eyesockets and I observe him completely. He is absolutely different than the other skeleton ladies. More than the fact he's a boy, it's also his clothes. He doesn't wear bright colorful colors. They are all literally black.

Shirt, trousers, boots, gloves. All black. He seems about 4 years old. The irises inside his eyesockets are scanning the area around for a few seconds until he walks towards the ball and grabs it with his hands. They are bright white and full of life and happiness. He seems familiar…

"Katapliktiko pidima Haronda!" I hear the skeleton lady with the long glove on her right arm saying. I hear the very next moment applause from all ladies, even the one reading under the tree. The small skeleton turns excited to look at them all and OH MY GOD, he's so cute!

"Thato kano pali!" I hear him saying as I struggle once more to understand what he and the ladies say. He takes a few steps back until he's only a breath away from where I'm hiding. And then he runs, jumps and starts falling down the hill slowly. "Pia seme manula!" He says giggling excited.

The very next moment the skeleton lady with the white and golden mosaics dress starts moving while looking up to the small skeleton falling down slowly. She reaches out her arms smiling and soon the boy falls in her embrace giggling EVEN MORE CUTELY.

"Zoire mou esi. Thisavre mou." She says and rubs her forehead against his, with the boy responding the same way. My Lord, after all agony and anxiety I went through in the land of the dead monsters, this right here is my therapy. Even if it awakens me… memories of mine. A happy family of skeletons.

They play together, laugh and have fun. I didn't meet such thing for long. Only my first 7 years of my life were the happiest ever. A complete family… The parents left so soon, the brothers later… I lower my head feeling the thoughts ready to consume me. But then I hear footsteps.

I look again and see another figure standing at the edge of the hill, staring at the happy skeleton family. They are a shadow in the bright nature. They wear a long cloak which seems ripped at the bottom and the edges of the sleeves. A hood is covering the stranger's head and a rope seems tied around the neck. They stand barefoot on the grass.

"Mu lipete…" They say and have a deep echoing voice which betrays sadness. There's something familiar to that voice…

But I'd rather not stay to find out! I take a step back facing the stranger. But by the first step only it makes a crunchy sound from the leaves scattered on the ground. Well, f*ck. In an instant all colors and life dissappear. It's like they were drained away. I see again the dark void of the monster afterlife. Where did the skeletons go?

Before I can think I feel something wrapping around my ankles and I fall on my back. When I open eyesocket, I see inches away from my face something sharp. I gulp. It is a big curved blade glowing cyan, much bigger than a sword's. On top of it I see something like a bony wild animal. But there's more. It has a cane connected to it.

And a hand is holding that cane. A pale, white one… like a skeleton's! My look falls on the holder of that blade. Half their face is covered by their hood. Where the eyes are supposed to be, I only see 2 cyan orbs of fire, with a dot in the middle death staring at me. Their teeth are clenched. They're not very tall.

"Good evening. Ya looking to eat my soul? Don't bother, it is very small." I say sarcastically just to cover my surprise and fear. But the other flinches. Their mouth slightly opens and their hand that holds the weapon starts shaking. Suddenly they step back and whatever was tying my ankles together, dissappeared.

I take a better look at the weapon. Now that it is not shoved on my face I can see it's a big scythe! And I've seen that before! It can't be… They take their hood and I see their face completely. It is my turn be shocked. The moment I point at him with my finger, he points at me.

"¡¿TÚ?!" We yell at the same time in Spanish. Except I yell also in indignation.

It's that cursed pirate, that damn Captain of the crew which has his name, Captain Reaper! I stand up quickly on guard staring at him with hostility. He on the other hand, doesn't stop staring at me surprised. Shocked. With terror in his empty eyesockets. His mouth moves, he tries to speak. I wait.

"¿Por qué…" He starts and pauses again. The scythe dissapears from his hand and stands showing a lot more agitation. "¿Por qué estás aquí, en la tierra de los monstruos muertos?" He eventually asks me, even more terror in his voice.

"I have nothing to explain to you-." I'm about to say pointing at him. But then I see my whole arm glowing in white light. I step back surprised and see that my other arm is pure white too. And my legs. And my torso! What is going on?!

"¡Tú eres reviviendo!" The Captain says, staring at me now surprised. Am I?! Does this mean I will come back to life?! I suddenly feel light, like a feather, my feet leave the ground and a start flying up. Everything darkens around me while also blurrs. I'm not sure what's going on.

But I let myself fly up free and close eyesocket.

No one's POV:
-

Geno slowly opened his eyesocket. The first thing he saw was a blurry ceiling. He blinked a few times before his vision clear. Slowly he got up groaning quietly. The blanket he was covered with slid down revealing to him that his bandaged ribcage was exposed. His iris dissapeared. Why was he exposed?!

"Rise and shine even though it's afternoon." He heard a female voice to his right saying bluntly. He sharply turned to look. On the edge of Alter's bed was sitting Atalanta, facing the small skeleton with crossed arms.

perfect. after touring himself around the monster afterlife, it's time for geno to tour himself now to the living and escape a possible investigation from the mermaid who has understand his real identity. ain't that just great 😃👌🏽

2600 words. goodbye bembehs, have a great day, evening, afternoon or night, stay determined, cute, adorable and safe. 👊🏽 the 🌟 button if you TRULY liked the chapter and generally this fanfiction. *pat pat*