Afterlife Department

Chapter 124 - Obsession

"So, yao are demons that are of any form, most of the time representing evil?" Huo Ling said after the man explained to him about the mermaid earlier. "Ghosts are also a yao, but we aren't evil…" he muttered.

"Yao is a general term. In this world, there're only the humans and yao." Yi Bing said as he looked at Huo Ling who's contemplating his words. "Demons aren't necessarily evil. Evilness are from one's thoughts, not their heart. Since our heart is our soul." he said. "Only one's mind can affect – taint their heart, thus tainting their soul after." He explained.

"So, as long one has a clear conscience…." Huo Ling said..

"They won't turn evil." Yi Bing said. "Yao is just a classification." He told Huo Ling.

Huo Ling didn't speak anymore regarding the topic. The humming of the ship is buzzing in his ear as the ship started to move. Even if it is a ghost ship, but it looked – and now, sound, like a real ship. He remembered that, before he died, the ship violently rocked, causing it to tilt and later be shipwrecked. Could it be, the ship had an engine failure? He thought. It is most likely. "So, this ship…" he said and looked at the floor beneath his feet.

"It is another form of yao." Yi Bing said. "It is a possessed object. The obsession – which possesses it, is what made the ship 'alive'. So, the ship has become a yao." He explained.

"So, it is an obsession that makes one a yao?" Huo Ling asked.

"Generally, yes." Yi Bing answered.

"… what do you mean, 'generally'?" Huo Ling asked. Could it be… "There are other ways to become a yao?" he stared at Yi Bing.

Yi Bing didn't answer, but his silence confirmed Huo Ling's question. "The souls have their own obsessions, thus they became 'alive' again… ghosts." he said and looked at Huo Ling.

"'obsession'…" Huo Ling muttered and frowned.

Obsession is an emotion stemming from envy. One wanted something they do not have. However, after obtaining it, they felt it wasn't enough thus it turned to greed. Later, their greed becomes unstoppable thus it turned to obsession.

"I don't remember I have one." He told Yi Bing.

Yi Bing already expected Huo Ling's answer. "It is normal to not think of anything. Amnesia occurs after one dies." he patiently told him as they passed by the crew of the ship. The ghost ship has begun to sail after they boarded.

Huo Ling turned and saw the island where they were before has disappeared, including the mermaid. "Amazing…" he muttered.

"That mermaid is one of the good yao." Yi Bing said as he also looked at the place where the island has been before. "That island is her obsession and she's tied to the island." He explained.

"She cannot leave?" Huo Ling asked. He felt she is pitiful.

Yi Bing shook his head. "If she can let go of her obsession, then she can move on." He answered.

"That mermaid… she's a monster, right?" Huo Ling said.

"Yes. The difference between the West and the East is the way they address something. Us, the East, we call them yao while they, the West, call them monsters. But, both are demons." Yi Bing explained. "The mermaid is a yao of the West, so it is explicable she is called a monster." He said.

Huo Ling stared at the place where the island before. Then, he followed Yi Bing when the other resumed walking. "How did she turn to a yao… a monster?" he asked.

"As I've said before, she has an obsession." Yi Bing said. "However… that's not the only way to become a yao." He looked at Huo Ling. He knew, Huo Ling is smart so he can figure out some things from his words.

Huo Ling didn't speak and just waited for Yi Bing.

Yi Bing didn't fail him as he spoke. "The mermaid is a sea yao… a sea monster." He started. "One's monstrosity is, of course, related to their death. The mermaid died related to water, obviously." He said and glanced at the sea before he continued. "Most common death of them is a shipwreck. Worst death is that they were thrown to the sea." He said and paused.

Huo Ling, after interacting with all kind of people as a waiter, could, of course, guess what Yi Bing meant by 'throw'. "That island… could be where she swam to." He silently said. However, the island is in the middle of the water. How can a person survive?

"Could be." Yi Bing just said. "As I've also said before, a yao… or a monster, doesn't necessarily have to be an evil." He said. "One's appearance, despite a monster, is related to this. If one harbors evilness, their form would become ugly, depicting their evilness. But, like the mermaid, she didn't harbor evil thus she looked like that." He explained.

Huo Ling nodded when he remembered the mermaid's beautiful tail and face. "She helped us." He said.

Yi Bing hummed as an answer. "However, there are some that can change their appearance to deceive others." He said.

"Huh?" Huo Ling turned to Yi Bing.

Yi Bing didn't speak anymore. Huo Ling will soon know about it. He opened the door, leading to the dining hall of the ship.

Huo Ling, after accepting the fact he turned to a ghost and has seen the ghost crew of the ship, has finally calmed down. Thus, he wasn't that much surprised when they entered and was greeted by a large number of ghosts. The people in the first floor are ordinary people – groups of families, friends, classmates, or a group of strangers who were in a tour. It is a pity that this cruise became their last trip in this lifetime.

"The passengers of this ghost ship are the same passengers before it met its demise." Yi Bing told Huo Ling who was standing by the door. Huo Ling is watching the people… now ghosts, interacting like they were still alive and didn't die.

Huo Ling watched as a child run towards him and bumped him before he resumed running around. Seems like, ghosts can still touch, but it's another ghost they can touch. "Then, how can you board the ship?" he asked and turned to Yi Bing in surprise after what he heard him say.

"… the ship is also open for the yao." Yi Bing answered as he lowered his gaze to avoid Huo Ling's eyes.

Huo Ling pursed his lips. He has an inkling the man is also a yao, but he felt that this man isn't just an ordinary yao. He decided not to ask the man. He knew he will just evade his question. "Is… everyone… really dead?" he quietly asked as he looked at the peaceful family eating and laughing on the side. He's referring to the passengers of the cruise ship.

"Yes." Yi Bing answered.

"… they're pitiful." Huo Ling said as he looked at the baby on the mother's arms. The ghosts inside the ship, their appearance is their appearance when they died. It is one of the cause of their resentment, causing their soul to turn as ghosts.

The family consists of five – a father, a mother, a boy, a girl and the baby. How much pain and despair they had suffered when they knew the ship is sinking, and that their death is inevitable? They must have regretted going to this cruise. The children are innocent, and the parents grieved for their family's fate.

However… Yi Bing also looked at the family. "They died together." He said. "You are also pitiful." He told Huo Ling.

Huo Ling didn't answer. Everyone is just the same – they will die in the end. The only difference is if they'd die earlier or later. "Where are we going?" he asked after he had calmed his emotions.

Yi Bing paused when he heard Huo Ling's question. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"I – " Huo Ling said before he remembered Albert. "I want to see a friend." He said and went up the stairs.

Yi Bing didn't speak and just followed Huo Ling. He remembered Huo Ling was a waiter. Huo Ling must be going to see his acquaintances.

Since Gu Shi told him he can watch Huo Ling while Huo Ling is still alive, he immediately went to this world after he left Gu Shi's office. Huo Ling's life was written in the Death Note. One's autobiography would appear in the Death Note only when they're about to die. Thus, Yi Bing knows how Huo Ling lived in this world.

This world is a Special World. Humans and yao coexisted, but most of the time not peacefully. The humans who knows the yao's existence are prejudiced to hide their fear of them. Some yao who are arrogant and evil oppressed the humans and, worse, kill them. This heightened the animosity between the two races.