Jerona: Lessons in Psychopomping

[KonokoHasano]

Jerona attempts to knock the gem out of the boy's hand and slash through it with her scythe.

[Blaze]

"Hey, don't!" the boy snaps as the gem falls to the ground... and shatters! Contained within was some kind of shadowy creature with red eyes... that seems to be grwing rapidly! Already it's bigger than it was when the egg broke!

[KonokoHasano]

"A creature of death and decay?" She muttered as she pointed her scythe at the thing and unleashed some of the poison stored within from her last battle.

[Blaze]

The poison... phases through the beast! And looking around, it looks like daylight is streaming through the windows... but it's still night outside! The boy also looks less gaunt and seems to be ignoring Jerona entirely, too fixated on the creature.

"Cool..." he murmurs, bending down to pick it up.

[KonokoHasano]

Jerona is startled for a moment, but then realizes something. "I see... perhaps this is just the past playing itself over..." She decides to watch some more.

[Blaze]

By this point, the creature is as big as Jerona on all fours and still growing! It shrieks in the boy's face, causing him to fall backwards before shooting some kind of black goop from it's mouth! It clings to whatever it hits and expands, breaking whatever it was down!

[KonokoHasano]

"Poor kid..." She muttered to herself with a small look of sadness.

[Blaze]

The boy screams and tries to run, but the beast slams him to the ground with its paw, then sprays more of the goop on him! The boy shrieks in pain as the door opens, the two parents rushing in! The beast's tail whips around and skewers the man, continues through and pierces the woman too! Giving a terrible shriek, it spreads it wings and smashes through the wall before flying away.

A light fills the room and fades, leaving it as it was in the real world. Gutted by fire with a large hole in the wall. Shed dragon scales covering the floor. The ghost of the boy kneeling where he died sobbing pitifully.

"I just... I found the egg... I thought I could have a cool pet..."

[KonokoHasano]

"..."

Jerona watches the ghost for a moment before kneeling down and patting him gently on the head. "There there..." She said, in what might seem like an unusually soft voice. "It's not really your fault. It was a sinister creature that would have caused terrible problems if you brought it home or not." She proceeds to give the spirit a hug. "The idea is probably scary, but I can help you pass on, so that neither you or your parents are stuck here reliving the same memory."

[Blaze]

The boy wraps his arms around Jerona and sniffles.

"R-Really? You can?" he asks, hope creeping into his voice

[KonokoHasano]

"I can, yes." She picks the spirit up. "Lets get you to your parents so we can do this, okay?" She walks towards the dining room.

[Blaze]

The boy is very light in Jerona's arms as she carries him back to the living room. The mother rushes over and takes him from Jerona, holding him close.

"We... overheard. You can help us?" the father asks

[KonokoHasano]

"I can, yes." She pulls out her cross. "I can use this to allow you and your family to move on, to not have to linger around any more in this place."

[Blaze]

"Then please do..." the father says eagerly, the wife and child nodding in agreement.

[KonokoHasano]

Jerona nods as she concentrates upon the cross to activate it.