Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

His foot was on the first stair while his hand was on the wooden railing, he was struck with fear and panic when he could not recall the secret word.

And he knew she would not let him in without that word. He stayed silent and she waited for him to say the word.

"Don't give me that 'I forgot.' crap. Seriously," she said.

He could imagine her standing near the door with her wand drawn and a frown on her face. How was he supposed to tell her?

"I forgot the fucking secret word," he told her.

"Okay. You are out. You are not coming in till you get me to tell me the word." He could imagine her pouting.

And he could imagine someone else too. He did not know whether it was his imagination or not, but he heard IT again. IT was calling him from the woods– a whisper from far away.

Kakashi took a step down. He walked to the middle of the area in front of Hitori's house and searched for the voice.

Of course, it would not stop after once. Why would it? He put his hand on his wand as he scanned the area for the owner of that voice.

The voice's owner was human, he was sure due to IT's voice. But he was not sure if IT was human enough to be denoted by the pronoun 'he'.

"Are you there, Himbo? I need the word, you hear me? I am ready to go but I won't unless I hear you say it," she continued.

'Bring him to me…' He heard the whisper again. 'Bring Tengoku to me… please…'

When the command turned into a request, Kakashi doubted IT's intentions, and his grip on his wand loosened on its own. Where did it come from? Where did the voice come from?

Kakashi looked at the house's roof and saw something move on the tree behind. He clenched his wand and drew it in front of him. He pointed it at the roof but held onto his fire.

Say it, he thought, say it one more time. Kakashi was sweating from his forehead and the wand's end was wet, too.

'Bring—'

Then she shouted and the whisper faded under her shout, "Kakashi! We are already late! Just spill the word!"

He clicked his tongue and lowered his wand. The voice had disappeared, he tried to listen again, but could not hear IT anymore.

He looked at the door in anger. "Stay quiet for a minute," he muttered. "Tsk. It is gone."

He put the wand back into the sheath and walked towards the stairs.

"Kakashi!" she shouted again.

"Yes, ma'am, yes! I am com—"

He heard IT. Cutting through his shout, he heard IT repeating the same sentence with a 'please' at the end.

He stopped on the second stair and closed his eyes. He concentrated his mana on his forearm.

He heard through the trees, through the branches, through the vines, and the leaves. He saw what the trees could see in the darkness. When he was immersed in the woods, he could not even hear her shouting.

"I can't keep shouting at you, she will wake up. I am sitting here till you tell me the word– or just tell me something only we know. Of course, I will be on my guard– so think twice, if you are Onogi or sent by Onogi, before entering."

He went deep into the woods, he went past the leaves and branches and the vines growing on the tree trunks. He was sure no monster exist in the woods, if it did, he would know.

And something was different about IT. If Onogi or anyone else would attack or even come close to the woods, he would know the instant. The woods would tell him.

But IT… has either been in the woods before it was enchanted or it was someone— it does not make sense. The woods would attack anyone and everyone who has not spent a week in the house or has been approved by him.

He went a hundred meters into the woods and now he was convinced it was his imagination. It was his new view about the Haunted House that made him see IT in the woods and hear IT's voice from the woods.

He started stopping his flow of mana to the forearm. He was slowly stopping the incantation and getting out of the woods. He stretched his arm with his eyes still closed and held his breath.

He could not just exit, he had to walk his sub-consciousness back to his physical body standing in front of the house to wake up from the incantation.

He followed the same path he used before coming back. He saw the woods again, then he saw the backside of the house, and just when he was about to cut off his mana flow totally and get his subconscious back, he saw a silhouette.

His heart skipped a beat. He panicked and forced mana back to his forearm. He was sure he saw something and it was not his imagination.

But what if it was? What if his eyes betrayed him and made him see something that is not real? Does not matter. It is worth it, he thought.

He leaned forward as he accelerated to the house's backside. He looked around, trying to catch the spot where he saw the silhouette.

Right behind the house, where the woods were dense and the sunlight never fell, was someone hanging from the trees.

He saw a blur vision of IT, then his vision cleared up. Green vines were holding IT in the air. IT's legs were stretched to the sides as were IT's arms, forming an X in the air.

Vines fell on IT's back and IT's face was covered with IT's long hair. The trees on the side supported IT. It was as if IT was the heart of the system.

He wanted to take a look, he took a step forward and flew under IT. IT? No. That man is a human. It is human enough to be denoted with a pronoun.

So HE said, 'Why are you here? I want Tengoku. Have you brought him with you?'

That was enough to creep him out. Kakashi stepped back. He realized at once it was not a good idea, but his eyes fixed on the man.

He was taking steady steps back when he saw movement. The man moved his neck and continued moving it like a robot. Kakashi knew he would be looking at the man's face in a few seconds, but he did not want to.

He turned and rushed down the path he came from– still hearing the man say, 'I want Tengoku!'

What is his bloodlust for Tengoku? Who the fuck is he? He could feel the man's stare from behind. Even if he turned around he could not see the man, he felt his stare all along the way.

Kakashi clenched his fist and stopped the flow of mana. His mind saw the light in front of it, just a jump and he will be out.

So he took his right hand and squeezed the part right below his elbow, stopping the flow abruptly while jumping out of the woods at the same time.

His subconscious entered his body and he opened his eyes. Panting for air, he felt his chest burning in pain. He could feel his legs getting weak, making it hard to sustain his weight anymore.

But he stood straight– he ordered his legs to have some strength. He looked at the house, the door was closed and Eya was inside for sure– still wondering when he would tell her about the secret word.

After all this? Even if I knew the secret word I would not waste time telling it. I am going in.

He tightened his back and glanced over the house to check whether the man was staring at him with those grey eyes while hanging several meters high in the air.

But he was not. Kakashi checked for his wand, it was by his side. He suppressed the terrible fear and made his way to the stairs. His heart jumped with every step he took, he felt the man would jump over the house any second, and ask him for Tengoku.

He did not want to see those eyes again. He did not want to. But he was sure it was real. The voice from the woods was REAL.

He climbed the three stairs at once and jumped on the veranda. He heard Eya jump to her feet, but he did not give her time to say anything.

He banged on the door and shouted, "Let me in! It is an emergency!"

She took her time to reach the door. "Yeah. It is not going to work, you know it. How can you forget the secret word? How do I trust you? Ask a question, Himbo," she said.

He was not in the mood. He grunted and banged on the door. Any more banging and the world would crack. Then he would have to repair it. Ugh, no, thanks.

He thought that he should spill it. Spill it to get inside and be saved from the woodman outside. "Someone in the woods," he said, his voice coming weak, "I saw someone in the woods. I heard a voice from the woods. Open the fucking door!"

He raised his fist to bang on the door when it suddenly swung open and he saw Eya staring at him blankly. His fear vanished and he was horror-struck when he saw her face– a face that said, 'I know what you are talking about.'

"Eya-nee…" He lowered his hand and looked at her with rapid heartbeats.

She gulped, her eyes were wide, and her hand on the handle was trembling. He could see the horror in her eyes when she said, "Tengoku… IT said IT wants Tengoku… did not it?"

His mouth dropped open.