Purgatory [Bleach Fanfiction]

10. Damned

[N]estled in a landscape of pure white, the land stretched out flat and blanketed in snow.

The nearby lake was frozen solid, trees encased in ice, and the sky itself seemed to gleam with a flawless silver hue. The frost could easily symbolize bitterness; portraying someone distant, aloof, and unyielding.

It was beautiful, yet carried a dangerous and formidable presence.

To her, however, it was peaceful.

Especially after enduring countless nights plagued by haunting nightmares, tormented by voices that cursed her relentlessly.

"It's just like before," she murmured to herself as she surveyed her familiar surroundings.

Although the area appeared somewhat desolate, she couldn't bring herself to despise it, she realized.

"We meet again," a soft voice, reminiscent of a gentle breeze, echoed through the air, accompanied by the delicate strumming of a koto.

Almost instinctively, Karin's head snapped in the direction of the sound, her senses on high alert.

As she pondered her situation, a thought crossed her mind: was she unconscious?

Why else would she be here?

The woman's presence, clad in luxurious black kimono, remained with her back to Karin, just as before.

"Who are you? And why am I here again?" Karin inquired, the semblance of a grim frown creeping to her brows.

The mysterious figure in the black kimono abruptly halted the melancholic melody, her hand resting on the instrument like an ominous omen.

"How long will you linger in indecision?" she questioned, her head tilting slightly, her features still obscured from Karin's view.

"I... I don't understand," Karin stammered, a sense of foreboding creeping over her.

"Do you truly not?" The woman's words hung heavy in the air, casting doubt upon Karin's convictions.

"Delve into your roots, Kurosaki Karin, and all will become clear," the woman urged, her voice carrying a chilling undertone.

"Clear? What do you mean?" Karin's voice quivered slightly.

"Everything," the woman declared ominously. "Your true origin and the curse that shadows your path."

"A curse?" Karin's disbelief was palpable, yet a shiver ran down her spine.

"It has already begun," the woman's ethereal voice whispered as her head shifted to stare at the silver sky. "Do you not sense it, Karin? The darkness weaving its way into your fate. It began when you crossed paths with him again."

"I have no freaking clue what you're talking about," Karin confessed truthfully.

Despite her confusion, she found herself inexplicably opening up to this enigmatic stranger. There was a strange familiarity between them, as if they were two sides of the same coin.

The woman regarded Karin with an inscrutable side-glance before posing a haunting question, "Do you intend to let history repeat itself, or do you believe you can alter your fate?"

Kurosaki Karin's heart nearly skipped a beat as the weight of the woman's words settled over her like a heavy shroud.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous lurked on the horizon, threatening to engulf her in darkness.

Although uncertain of the specifics, a part of Karin found herself inclined to believe the woman's words.

Perhaps it was the desperation to escape the looming darkness that drew her in.

"Okay? How do I avoid it?" Karin conceded, her voice tinged with a mixture of anxiety and determination.

"Do you have what it takes to be my master?" the woman asked firmly, her stern gaze piercing through Karin's uncertainty.

Even though her face remained blurred, Karin felt a grisly stir in the pit of her stomach, akin to the feeling of claws gripping her innards at the intensity of the woman's stare.

"Become my master. Do not resist. Embrace it, Kurosaki Karin, and defy your fate."

As the woman's words echoed again, black flames erupted from her location, spreading across the landscape with a menacing intensity.

Karin instinctively recoiled, her heart racing with fear as the flames crept closer, threatening to engulf everything in their path.

Retreating to the snowy side of the landscape that was yet to be consumed by the flames, Karin sought solace amidst the tranquil whiteness, hoping to escape the looming darkness that encroached upon her.

"Persist in your stubbornness, and you'll meet your end," the woman's voice resounded through the crackling flames, her warnings reverberating with a hint of finality. "Cease your blind faith in him. He's your greatest curse. Remember this well, Kurosaki Karin. Do not become entangled in his grasp. Do not place your trust in him... for he is the harbinger of your downfall."

Shielding herself from the fierce blaze, Karin cried out amidst the chaos, "Who is this 'him' you speak of?"

But the woman vanished into the darkness without a trace, leaving Karin to grapple with the unsettling revelation, the shadows descended upon her surroundings once more.

Like the countless restless nights she had endured, the spectral voices resumed their haunting chorus, their words dripping with malice and despair.

"You're doomed... You cannot escape your fate," the voices whispered, their curses chilling Karin to the bones. "It will consume you, dragging you into the depths of despair. You are cursed. You are the harbinger of doom."

Collapsing to her knees, the raven-haired young lady covered her ears with trembling hands, screaming in desperation for the voices to stop. "Please! Please! Please! Make it stop! Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"

As the lurking shadows closed in around her, swirling like a hurricane of spectral darkness, the figure of Karin could be seen, writhing in agony, her demeanor reflecting the depths of her budding trauma as the darkness threatened to consume her, swallow her into its depths.

***
~ Author's Note ~

I know, I know this is a fairly short chapter, but in my defense, I hope this was interesting.

Don't forget to comment and let me know of your speculations about the flow of this story in the comment section below.

See ya in the next chapter, and thank you for reading.

Aramis