Kanasei walked over to the massive stones Yasashisa had pointed out.
Up close, they were even larger. Rough and heavy slabs waiting to be shaped. He was supposed to carve them into the forms shown on the wall, but as he stared at them, his mind went blank.
How am I supposed to do this…?
He looked around, searching for anything—some kind of instruction, some hint. His gaze swept the area once, twice… then stopped.
A hammer.
A chisel.
They lay against a rock nearby, their metal dulled and scarred with use. Kanasei crouched and picked them up, testing their weight. He straightened slowly, turning them in his hands, then glanced back toward the wall.
The first image was simple. A smooth triangle, its sharp tip pointing upward.
Okay… that's not so bad.
The next few shapes were manageable too. Basic. Clean. Then his eyes reached the end of the wall.
His breath caught.
The final carving was a monster's head. Fully detailed. Its mouth was stretched open impossibly wide, rows upon rows of jagged spikes forming its teeth. The hollow eyes seemed to stare back at him even as a flat image.
Kanasei's heart sank.
Is that…a monster head? I'm not an artist! How the hell am I supposed to carve that?!
Panic bubbled up fast, tightening his chest.
Then—
"Oh my god, you're new here?!"
The voice was loud and bright. Extremely cheerful.
It came closer.
"Eeeek!!" it squealed, vibrating with excitement.
Kanasei flinched and turned to his left.
Another demon stood there.
On his abdomen, heat-branded into his skin, were the words:
興奮 (Kōfun)Excitement
He wore only black, baggy pants with no pockets. Around his waist was a smooth, shiny golden wrap tied at the front—thin like a belt, but styled like an obi. He bounced on his heels, grinning ear to ear.
"Hi!!" Kōfun waved enthusiastically. "I haven't seen a new person here in LOOOONG time—"
He suddenly slumped forward dramatically.
"…Well, not really."
He straightened just as fast, grin never leaving his face.
Kōfun's eyes lit up the moment he noticed the hammer and chisel in Kanasei's hands.
"Oooh," he said, his grin widening, and he bent forward slightly, hands clasped behind his back, leaning over at a playful angle—just enough to make his enthusiasm almost too much. His posture was exaggerated, like a performer about to put on a show, and it made Kanasei's chest tighten with unease.
"You're gonna carve those stones?" Kōfun asked, straightening suddenly, eyes sparkling. "Do you… know how?"
Kanasei shook his head slowly.
"No…" he muttered.
Kōfun's grin widened further, stretching almost impossibly across his face.
"Alrighty then… I will be teaching you how!"
Without another word, he skipped over to the stones with exaggerated excitement. He stopped right in front of Kanasei and stretched out his right hand, palm up, waiting for the hammer and chisel. Kanasei hesitated for a heartbeat, then reluctantly handed them over.
"Perfect," Kōfun said, his voice bubbling. He placed his hands on his hips, stepping back to inspect the scene. "So! First, we start with the basics. Like the triangle."
He nodded confidently, clearly thrilled to demonstrate something he likely didn't need to.
-----
Hours later,
Kōfun stepped back from the stone, breathing a little heavier than before. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his left hand, leaving a faint streak through the dust coating his skin. His clothes and hair were dusted pale from hours of carving.
"Whew…!" he exhaled cheerfully. "That was tiiiring…"
Kanasei stared at the stone.
It was perfect.
Every edge was smooth. Every angle exact. It matched the image on the wall so precisely that it looked like it had been copied, not carved.
Kōfun spread both arms wide in a dramatic flourish."Tadaaa~!"
He strolled over and leaned against the finished sculpture, resting his elbow on it casually. His eyes half-lidded as he wiggled his eyebrows, a smug grin stretching across his face.
"Well?" he asked. "Whaddya think? Ain't I skilled?"
Kanasei lifted a hand and rubbed his face slowly.
"…Yeah," he said automatically.
What the fuck is this place even about?
Kōfun let out a long breath and patted the finished stone a few times, as if saying goodbye to it.
"Well," he said casually, turning away, "everything I taught you applies to every one of those other shapes."
He sighed dramatically and gave a loose shrug. "Yup. All of 'em." Then, just as easily, he started walking off.
"Well, now I gotta leave…" Kōfun added, setting the hammer and chisel down as he passed. "Sorry, but you gotta finish the rest yourself."
And just like that, he was gone. Kanasei was alone.
He rubbed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Well… now what?
His gaze drifted back to the wall.
The next picture was simple. Just a cluster of spikes. No curves or faces.
Kanasei shook his head and sighed.
He picked up the hammer and chisel again, and walked over to one of the untouched stones.
The first strike rang out sharply as metal met rock. He began to carve.
Days—at least, Kanasei thought they were days—had passed since he'd started carving. He barely rested. Not that it mattered. None of the leaders ever told him to stop.
Now he sat on the ground, his back pressed against the cold stone wall, knees drawn up, arms loosely wrapped around them. Dust clung to his clothes. His hands ached, fingers stiff and sore.
Most of the stones were finished. Only one remained.
The monster head.
Kanasei groaned and dragged a hand down his face.
How long have I been doing this…?
Above him, on a cliff overlooking the workspace, someone crouched.
Kōfun.
He squatted easily at the edge, chin resting in his palm, watching Kanasei like this was entertainment.
"Still not done?" Kōfun called out. "Lazy much?"
Kanasei didn't even look up.
Kōfun straightened and peered down over the edge.
The cliff was tall. Unforgiving. A fall from that height would turn anyone into a smear of broken bone and dust.
Then,
Kōfun jumped.
Kanasei's head snapped up, eyes wide, breath catching in his throat.
He's going to—
Before impact, a pair of yellow lightning wings faded into existence from Kōfun's back. With a single powerful flap, his descent slowed. Electricity cracked outward as he landed, lightning streaking briefly across the ground before dissolving into nothing.
Silence followed.
Kanasei stared. His mouth hung open.
Bro…
Kōfun looked at him, grinning.
Kōfun walked over and stopped in front of Kanasei, extending a hand toward him.
Kanasei stared at it with a flat, unreadable expression before finally taking it. He rose to his feet. For a moment, Kōfun just looked up at him, then sighed and shook his head.
"Hah… we know you're tall. No need to show it off."
Kanasei raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He hadn't even been trying.
Kōfun's gaze drifted past him to the stone wall. Several rough sketches were pinned there, each one slashed through with a bold X—finished. Only one remained untouched.
The monster's head.
Kōfun's lips curled into a mischievous grin as he glanced sideways at Kanasei. "Well, well, well… guess who's a newbie at stone carving."
Kanasei rolled his eyes. "Oh, c'mon! Not even you can do that!" he snapped, pointing sharply at the image. "It's a literal monster head!"
He tossed the chisel to the ground with a clatter.
Kōfun folded his left arm across his chest, resting his right elbow on it as his fingers tapped his chin. He hummed, thinking. Then, his eyes widened slightly.
He paused, considering the idea for a moment longer than usual before finally speaking."I could help you. It'll be easier…because even I can't do that alone."
Kanasei blinked. "Nice one," he said plainly. Expressing emotion through words had never been his strength, but the quiet breath he released afterward said enough.
Kōfun retrieved another hammer and chisel, and together they returned to the stone.
They started with the mouth, the hardest part, chiseling deep, jagged gaps for teeth before anything else. Everything after would build around that mistake or success. The stone rang endlessly under their tools as they worked, fast and focused, fully aware this would take days.
Hours passed.
By the time they paused, the mouth was only halfway complete. A rough hollow had begun to form, sharp stone spikes deliberately left behind instead of a clean, empty cavity.
Then—
A horrifying, bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.
Kanasei jolted, his head snapping toward the sound. His breath caught.
In the distance, Kinyoku stood near a cascading lava waterfall, forcing someone into a pit formed by molten stone. The condemned demon looked… different. More refined. More like the leaders themselves.
Nearby, another demon collapsed to his knees, sobbing openly.
"Oh, poor soul…" the demon cried, voice breaking. "You did this to yourself…"
As the figure was pushed into the lava, the scream didn't fade—it snapped into silence, like something had crushed it.
Kanasei's stomach twisted.
Burned into the back of the condemned demon's neck was a single, unmistakable mark:
絶望 (Zetsubō) Despair.
Over his heart, faintly visible beneath scorched fabric, lay another brand.
指導者 (Shidosha) Leader.
He wore a fully black mofuku kimono, bound with a dark blue obi belt now singed at the edges.
Kanasei stood frozen, confused and horrified before slowly turning to Kōfun.
"What was that scream?"
Kōfun exhaled, the usual spark in his voice gone. "That, was a sinner," he said quietly. "Receiving his punishment."
"Sinner?" Kanasei frowned. "What do you mean? Am I not a sinner? If not…why am I in hell?"
Kōfun looked away. "Because this isn't hell."
Kanasei blinked. "What…?"
"This place," Kōfun said at last, meeting his gaze, "is what we call Good People's Hell."
Kanasei's mind struggled to catch up.
"This is where both good people and bad people come after death," Kōfun continued. "Righteous souls work here to cleanse whatever sins remain. Once they're clean, they move on to heaven…or back to earth, if they never truly died."
"And sinners?" Kanasei asked quietly.
"They're punished," Kōfun replied. "Lava pits. Fire. Torture machines. Until their sins are wiped clean." He paused. "After this… they're sent to real hell. Eternal suffering. What happens here is mercy by comparison."
Kanasei stared at the ground, his thoughts spiraling. Relief crept in. He was considered righteous.
But the horror of what surrounded him swallowed that relief whole.
"Well," Kōfun said lightly, already turning back to the stone, "let's get back to work, shall we?"
He raised his hammer and struck the stone again.
As if he hadn't just shattered Kanasei's understanding of the world.