The people lead Hirune to a large green lake. On the edge of the lake stood a woman with orange hair, the same shade as her scarf which contrasted with her green shirt.
She wasn't alone either. In front of her there was a floating girl, her figure barely visible under her large black dress. She clung tightly to a scythe as though she'd fall into the water beneath her if she let go.
The orange haired lady calmly turned towards the group, making instant eye-contact with Hirune.
"Well, well. You've brought me quite the surprise. Long time no see, Namulenza," she said with a wicked smile.
Hirune scowled, "Twice now you witches have gotten us mixed up. I'd say we don't even look that similar. Her hair is more silver than mine, the black in hers just looks like she took cheap sharpie to it."
"Well that's quite the way to talk about your...uh... I forgot the word but whatever--" the witch took a pause and shood off the group. "Just, respect your elders Hirune."
Hirune glared at her and took a step back carefully studying her surroundings.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
The witchs lips practically slit her face in half as they pulled back, "I'm Niye, the witch of adventure and hopelessness. It's my pleasure."
"That's just one of two questions."
As though sensing the danger, the devourers jaws decided to stop acting up and wrapped around Hirune's arms.
"I know who you are thanks to my friend here. Her name's Azrael, not the one in the Bible, she hates it when you mix her up with that one. She's one of Shisme's angels of death."
Hirune's eyebrows furrowed, "So, does that mean she knows of my prior two dea--"
She suddenly coughed up blood and kneeled down.
"Oh! That must've been because I'm here. Sorry about that! You're not allowed to speak about your death's to someone who doesn't have a time or death artifact," Niye explained with a sympathetic look in her eyes.
Hirune slowly stood up again, "You're fine. I shouldn't have assumed. Especially considering how Namulenza told me to keep it on the low, I should've listened."
"At one point you disrespect her the next you're speaking as though she was your mother and you just did something she told you not to do... Make up your mind."
"That's not the point. Why am I here?"
"Fuck if I know," Niye shrugged.
Hirune sighed. Azrael checked the time and flew towards Hirune.
She now got a clear view of Azreals face. Her eyes look tired, a pitch black line falling from the middle of her bottom eyelids down to her jaw. Part of her bangs were also being held back by two triangle clips, which made one of the two buns in her hair look like a skull.
"You... You are Hirune right?" Azrael asked squinting.
Hirune nodded.
"Okay good. So I don't have to feel bad for what I'm about to so," Azreal said stabbing her scythe through Hirune's neck then pulling it out again. "Don't take this personally, you just claimed a soul for me and I can't accept it."
Hirune calmy rubbed her neck. She was expecting to be bleeding out on the floor gargling and choking on her own blood after that. Yet she was fine. Her neck was a little numb but that was pretty standard.
Then as Azrael turned to ash and was swept away by the winds, Hirune felt a sharp tightening on all of her muscles. A cold grip holding her heart still and a hard compression on either side of her causing air to leave her lungs like a balloon.
Luckily this sensation only lasted five seconds, but Hirune still nearly passed out.
Niye shook her head and helped Hirune up, "Sorry about her. You must've sent someone's soul down to Shisme without meaning to. Tends to happen with your sort of artifact."
Hirune just nodded.
"So why are you here?"
She sighed, "I asked you this a couple seconds ago."
"I know. I mean if you have any ideas on why you're here."
"Here with you or on this island?"
"Preferably like both."
"How do I know I can trust you?" She said raising an eyebrow.
"You don't. But I haven't killed you, so that should be a hint that I'm not that bad. Right?"
She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever you haven't killed me."
"Watch your tongue young witch, it's rude to speak to your elders in such a tone."
"Shut up, you look like you're in your mid 20's."
"Oh why thank you!"
"Yeah whatever. I'm here because the group that brought me here to you thought I cane out of the crater with that delicious liquid in it. I'm on this island because Ellen screwed up."
"You sure come around fast," Niye smiled. "Alright, I got a couple things from that. One, I think your artifact is affecting you biologically, which is pretty uncommon. Two, your friends with a daughter of the Warden. Three, the people of this island think you're a descendent of Namulenza or Axia. As they view those two as gods."
"So they religiously follow Namulenza?" Hirune scoffed. "That's funny. But, who's Axia?"
Niye looked around, "Shush little witch. You never know when she's in or out of her cave."
"Can you stop calling me a witch?"
"That's right! You're a Wichuza since both of your properties are negative! My bad young Wichuza."
"Both of my properties are negative? What are properties?"
"You truly do lack a lot of knowledge of this world. Properties are the things your artifact controls. Like a fire artifact controls fire, a concept artifact controls concepts, so on and so forth. You have a Sin artifact that's mainly made up of the two subclasses of gluttony and sloth."
"I see. That's something worth remembering. But I'd rather you not call be Wichuza either."
"Well I don't like using real names it feels a little distant when I want to get close to that person. So, what should I call you?"
She got ready to tell her she didn't care about getting to know her, but that'd be rude. So instead she gave it a moment of thought and remembered how Tundra often calls her Hiru on accident.
Though, that nickname was a bit embarrassing for her because she actually found it cute.
"You can call me Hiru," she sheepishly said looking elsewhere.