Page 4 of The Other Side

“Show yourself!” I yelled, spinning around as my eyes frantically searched for her. The gator hissed as I whirled back to face it, watching as the center of the fiery waterfall began to part, something stepping from within it. Not something—someone.

It was a woman—a naked woman. Her skin was a dark ash tone nearly absent of any color, yet somehow it reflected the wavering flames as if it glistened from her flesh. Her hair looked as if it were made from the same hellfire residing in the pool I was standing in, the tips burning and behaving like flames. As she stepped further, I noticed her eyes—vibrantly glowing, the same fiery blue as the alligator’s. The ungodly sight of her took my breath away as I watched her stroke the head of the beast like a pet. It even purred at her touch. The striking woman turned to me, smiling in a way that made my heart skip a beat as my spine tingled with fear. The overwhelming emotions instinctively caused my hands to flicker with what little magic flowed through my veins, revealing myself.

“What a feisty little human you are.” The woman tossed her hair from her shoulder, sparks of blue fire blazing. “It’s been a long time since Bastien has brought me a lost soul, though I do not think I’ve ever encountered one with such—” she raised a brow, “spark.” The woman lifted her hand, moving her index fingers as she beckoned me closer. I lightly shook my head, refusing to move. Something in my gut told me to be weary of her, even if she was one of the most appealing creatures I had ever laid my eyes on. “Humans are so defiant. You see, my Underworld is never ending. You can run as far as you’d like, but—” As the words left her lips, a smile branched along her grayscale skin, her white teeth exposed as if taunting me. “I’m afraid there is nowhere else to go. But by all means, you are most welcome to try. It has always amused me to watch you humans scatter like ants.”

Underworld?I glanced around at the impressive cave, understanding what she meant. Somehow, I must’ve stepped into the other side of my world, the side in which gods and demons resided, the very same ones from my childhood fairy tales and bedtime stories.But how?My eyes returned to thewoman, truly noticing her unnatural appearance, dissecting it as I began to question who she really was.

“W-who are you?” I asked, wading through the water in her direction, my curiosity growing. I stopped at the base of the dais, looking up at her as she sat gracefully on her terrifying throne. She crossed her legs and gripped the armrests, leaning back as she played with a flame from her hair.

She can’t be human. But if she’s not human…what is she?

“Why, how proper of you to ask. Most people who wind up down here don't offer me any such courtesy when we meet, though that might be because ofhowwe meet.” She raised a single brow. “I am called many things and known by many names. You humans love to perceive me as a monster. I have been described as both a demon and a siren, and even once referred to as unseen—the list is rather long, each story more preposterous than the last. It’s awfully sad, really. You would think after so many years in existence, humans would eventually learn the truth and tell it as so, but the only truth they tell is of…well, theothers.”

The others? There were more like her?Her words made little sense to me, made clear by my expression. The very idea of standing on the other side of my world alone had tangled my thoughts. I couldn’t think straight let alone keep up with her words.

“Forgive me, I seem to have rambled.” The woman cleared her throat. “I am the keeper of souls, the queen of the Underworld, but most importantly—” Her eyes flashed with power as her grin grew, her nails digging into the armrests of her throne as she glared down at me. “I am Cypress, the goddess of death.”

Cypress?

“Cypress? I’ve heard of you.” She raised a brow, smirking as she watched me, the flaming ends of her long hair burningbright. “You—you're not the keeper of souls… You’re the soul eater.”

“A rather insulting title, don’t you think?” she tsked, gripping the armrests tighter. “I do noteatsouls, at least not the way you humans think. I consume them. Not because of hunger or for sustenance, but to preserve their true nature. It’s part of my duty as queen of the Underworld.”

“I don’t know anything about your duty, but back home, we learned about you and the other gods as children from stories.” She huffed at my words. “Stories and fairytales repeated to teach and warn children from misbehaving and playing with things unknown.” Cypress groaned and rolled her eyes. “I remember hearing aboutyouspecifically. Cypress, the queen of the Underworld, banished for making deals with humans. You trick them into offering you their souls in exchange for a wish—but you cheat.”

“I do not cheat! I merely,” she waved her hand around, “play by my own rules. Besides, it’s not my fault humans are so easily led astray. They ought to know better when making contracts with a goddess such as myself.”

“No, you trick them and steal their souls, keeping them here for eternity. You’re not a goddess, you’re a villain.” I stepped onto the lower step of the dais, and the gator opened its mouth with a hiss, freezing me in place.

“Easy, Bastien,” Cypress cooed as the alligator closed its jaw. “I am not a genie, Iris-Marie, nor am I a trickster such as yourself. I am the goddess of death. Humans should learn that before they come to my underworld, searching for someone to grant wishes. It’s not my fault you keep telling the wrong story, and I have no time for humans who insult someone as powerful as me. It’s quite rude. Begone. Return home to the other side and go back to being a poor, weak little witch. I only make deals with those worthy of my presence, and you, my dear trickster, arenot.” She stood, elegantly stepping around the throne and back towards the waterfall of fire.

“Wait,” I called out. Cypress didn’t stop, ignoring me as her beast shadowed her. The flowing hellfire parted as she suddenly froze. “How do I even leave here?”

“If you wish to return home, simply snap your fingers and will it so. But, if you wish to recant your toxic tales and hear what I have to offer, then I suggest you tame that sharp tongue of yours and follow before I change my mind. Either way, you should be grateful I do not smite you where you stand.” She disappeared into the waterfall as I stood there, baffled, biting to know more.

I could return home? So easily? It couldn’t be that simple…could it? But why? And why was I brought here? Did Cypress choose me for a reason? Or was I just another soul for her to add to her endless collection?I stared up at the parted waterfall of fire.

As kids, we were warned not to peer into the shadows or play with fire, but now, I was standing in hellfire and drenched in darkness. Something about Cypress began to draw me nearer. The curiosity of her very presence and existence had somehow slithered into my being and gripped my interest, desperately tugging at it. It felt as though I had no choice but to humor it.

Why would the goddess of death and keeper of the Underworld drag me down here just to walk away? Was I truly so insignificant? Or was she playing me?My head tilted as I lifted my foot and stopped on the first step of the dais.Would she give me a chance to simply listen to her offer and see what she has to say? She has to have a reason to bring me here. I could humor both of us and then simply turn her down.I stopped at the very idea. Turn down an offer from the goddess of death…what a thing to consider.

Swallowing, I made my choice and continued up the steps, cautiously approaching her throne. It was even more striking up close, the entirety of it made of absolute darkness, as if constructed from the blackest of shadows.

“How fitting,” I whispered to myself, playing with the opaque frame. My fingertips brushed through the shadows as if they were nothing but clouds. My eyes trailed, moving as they looked to the still-parted waterfall, as if it patiently waited for me to step through. “Here we go,” I exhaled.

I braced myself, walking through the parted hellfire. I stepped out of it into a cold room with a stoney balcony. I noticed Bastien waiting for me alongside a new person, standing as far away as possible. His head was hung low, his scarred, pale skin nearly glistening as his blue hair covered his face. Bastien walked to my side, nudging me away from the waterfall as my eyes reluctantly moved from the strange man to Cypress standing at the edge of the balcony, her back to me.

I obeyed Bastien’s aggressive nudges, walking towards the goddess as I admired her figure, noticing the glistening of her flesh was her skin itself covered in sparkling blue flecks. Up close, I could see her hair transformed from fire to threads of blue.

“Come,” she commanded without even looking in my direction. Her eyes remained fixated, looking out into a massive, sprawling cave. I approached her side, gazing at her striking beauty before forcing my eyes to see what she was staring at. At the very base of the cave was another sea, only this one was not made of hellfire.

“Do you know what happens to weak human souls who cannot protect themselves?” Her question took me by surprise as I simply shook my head, her cloudy blue eyes meeting mine. “Look there.” She motioned her hand out to the water below, her movements dripping with fire. My eyes followed her aim—thewater not only glowed, butmoved. Strange things swam within it—creatures. My brows furrowed as I looked closer, realizing the moving things in the water were in fact...

“Are those—”

“Yes, they are. This is the deepest, darkest pit in all of existence. It is called the Abyss, where the souls of the most wicked and vile are cast to wither for all eternity,” Cypress responded cooly. “Such helpless creatures humans are. It’s no wonder someone, such as myself, is condemned to tending to the ghosts of your measly existence. All because of a misunderstanding… A truly pathetic task, if you ask me. Do you knowwhyBastien brought you here, Iris-Marie?” I turned back to her, shaking my head. “My pet brought you to me because you, much like those down there, are a lost soul. You have become weak, unable to protect yourself. You have potential but no real power. Imagine if you could possess such a power. One that could amplify your silly magic into a force feared by all.”

“I am not weak.” My fists balled at my sides, my temper sparking as Cypress raised a brow.

---