9 Dormancy ♤

Vex didn't need an explanation. She immediately placed her hand on the door and whispered an incantation, "Verspätet." Outside the room, time will move ever so slowly. While the inside of Jin's room, days may pass without an hour ending in the outside world.

"Hot and Cold. A Living Body and a Dead Soul[1]. Really, it just had to be this way." Vex said as she studied Jin and his soul.

"The world, it feels like it's spinning..." Xen said out of nowhere, her eyes were filled with agitation and she was somewhat trembling.

Vex frowned, "What are you...!" her pupils constricted as she realized what was happening.

"Oooh...

No wonder humans view death in such an ambiguous manner...

The feeling of wanting to live...

The feeling of wanting to die...

The feeling of this exhausting restlesness...

Seeing the other side but not really perceiving the other side..." Xen continued.

Vex looked at Aka as her heart pounded heavily, Aka's features were steeled as she voiced out the thoughts of Vex, "A Soul Link[2]. The soul is not... a mortal's..., Jin's..." Aka looked at Vex in the eyes, there was a wavering light in them. They could hear both of their pounding hearts. The air became tense.

*Knock Knock Knock*

Both Vex and Aka were alarmed. Aka's hands formed a fist and Vex looked menacingly at the door.

Suddenly, Xen spoke but it was Jin's soul that whispered, "To see[3] it and deny it. What a folly." His eyes was void of any emotion. Filled with the spirit of Apathy and defeat.

They both started to sweat, Aka then asked as her fists tightened, "I thought the door had an incantation?"

Jin whispered through Xen while the two sisters spoke, "Look at me now, I can't even change any of these things."

*knock knock knock*

"There is one." Vex replied as she calmed her raging heart. "I wouldn't mind committing an atrocious act. We still have to protect one of our own."

Both Aka and Vex's eyes constricted when they heard Jin whisper with Xen's voice, "Detestable."

*knock knock knock*

Aka couldn't help but swallow this dangerous predicament. There was a hint of worry in her eyes as she looked at Xen, they couldn't move her, it would be too dangerous for their sister. "Then who could be..." She said as she pulled out a spear in thin air.

The room was suddenly filled with silence when suddenly a shout was heard on the other side. "Open the door! This prince orders you!"

A magic circle started to appear on the door. "He plans to break a deity's incantation?" Vex scoffed as a bow appeared on her hand. She then pulled the string and suddenly a blue light shaped like an arrow could be seen on the bow. They both looked at Jin's sleeping body and Xen's possessed body.

Aka's eyes widened, there was something peculiar about this non-aggresive spell, she noticed that some parts of the incantation started to blur. She couldn't help but shout, "Dispell it! He intends to absorb the power of your incantation!"

As soon as the incantation was dispelled, the doors were flunged open from the outside. Before Ra could charge in, a blue light passed by him. He suddenly felt a searing pain on his left cheek. He touched his left cheek and saw blood on his hand, he could not help but glare at the one who fired an arrow. The danger contained in his glare made the already tense room more intense. Hearts were pounding all over the place and yet...

everything stood still.

Xen looked at Ra and there was a gentle light in the way she stared at him. She whispered, "Gisela?"

Ra was taken aback, the stalemate they were in was already bizarre. Now, one of the Fayes suddenly called him Gisela. Before he could process what was happening and after taking a few steps into the room, his eyes wavered for a second and the next thing he knew was Aka standing in front of him with her overbearing presence while pointing her spear at his heart, luckily he stopped his steps in time.

Ra then looked proudly at Aka as he said in a scoffing manner, "I thought you had no intentions of hurting me and Jin? Going back on your words so soon, Deity?"

"You arrived at a time were mortals are considered threatening to deities. Get out." There was no hint of panic, Aka spoke as cold as ice.

"This is my palace."

Aka looked clearly into Ra's eyes before she blurted out, "One is my sister and the other is also a deity. You are the only mortal here."

"What did you say?" There was uncertainty and disbelief in Ra's voice as he asked.

"You heard right," They stared into one another's eyes as she continued, "there is no need to repeat such words."

*Thud*

Suddenly Xen's body collapsed on the floor and Vex could be seen appearing by her side. There was an alarming look on Vex's face as she shouted, "Close the door, Aka. Jin is dying. We have no time for him!" She then looked at Ra with a look that made Ra feel fear of the darkness of his own heart, "And you, if you really care about Jin, then regardless of mortality or immortality, it shouldn't affect your so called judgement! An immortal saved your life, it's time to save his life back!"

Ra's pupils constricted as Aka vanished in front of him and reappeared behind him as she closed the doors to this room and immediately placed an incantation on it, "die Blütezeit Verspätet." Again, he felt that unbearable reality that he was just a gust of wind in front of these deities. He couldn't help but clench his fists. When he wanted to turn and look Aka in the eyes, she had already vanished.

He then looked at Vex and Xen, one of the Fayes held her unconsious sister. He then searched for Aka, a shocking sight beheld him for Aka suddenly appeared in front of Jin as she tore his clothing and afterwards she stabbed Jin's stomach using a very peculiar dagger, it seemed to be made of obsidion, with immense strength. He couldn't help but run forward and shout out, "You malediction of a deity!"

Before he could reach them arrows of blue light rained in front of him and he had no choice but to stop. There was a savage light in his eyes as he cast a spell. But before he could finish it, Vex was already infront of him and she moved like time could not catch up to where her fingers hit, his acupoints were sealed.

"I should've done this earlier. You're a waste of holy arrows." Disdain reverberated in her voice.

On the other hand, Aka saw the blood pouring out ever so slowly. 'How come the blood isn't rushing out after that stab?' She sighed and internally realized that now wasn't the time to answer this question. She positioned her left hand in the knife hand position at the stabbed area. As her hand was precisely and quickly going down, a pale but firm hand stopped her when she was just millimeters away from the opening she made.

At the same time Ra was struggling from the disablement he was in. The way that Vex hit his acupoints was precisely perfect. "Struggling is futile. The three of us are also SHINIGAMI NO ZENMETSU[4], if you don't want me to destroy your future," Vex suddenly faced Ra with a smile so devastatingly peaceful, but her eyes held the apathy of her words, "Don't struggle." She then giggled, but this laughter could not hide her sense of distaste.

Sweat started to trickle profusely all over Ra. 'SHINIGAMI NO ZENMETSU, these sisters are those Reapers? How much power do deities even have?' "Living so long, so many titles, are you happy with the prominence of your names?" He asked while looking down on the ground.

Vex noticed the apparent change in Ra. "Prominence? You humans name us. We never asked for it. We never even wanted to meddle with your kind. Isn't it your kind that shout out to us, 'if there is any god or deities out there, please help me?!' And our mercy is always perceived as either a blessing or a curse. Gisela is one of the proofs of this vicious cycle that your people started..."

"Vex! Sto..." A sharp inhale was all the room could suddenly hear. "..p"

The stupor that Vex and Ra were in after hearing that raspy voice made them look towards the bed were both Jin and Aka were at.

They saw Jin's face, as pale as death itself. "Ra..., they mean... well. Please... get out..." His whisper seemed like it was taking his life. His right hand was still in a deadlock with Aka's left hand, both hands shaking, one stopping an attack, the other increasing the strength of her attack. Only Aka and Jin were aware of this deadlock.

Blood could be seen trickling down the bed creating a small puddle. Aka's formidable back created a striking imagery with the dying but handsome face of Jin. It was an oddly tantalizing and yet terrifying scene.

Ra's face turned pale. "You..."

The clear voice just a few days ago was now husky and painfully enduring, "I'm very... mortal." He smiled and continued, "Trust me." Jin inhaled deeply after his last words and sweat was evident on his face.

He suddenly felt intense pain on his acupoints as he saw a wisp of a hand before he heard Vex's shout, "Get out!" The dazed Ra fell to the ground face first. The pain made him move his body, he noticed that he can move again. He looked at Jin one last time and he saw him giving a very weak nod.

He stood up awkwardly, his acupoints have been unsealed but the tremors of Vex's force was too oppressive and precise that the feedback on his body was enormous. He slowly went out. 'I need to... become stronger. How many times will he... save me.' Ra thought as he remembered Jin's fight with Lucien, and now how he stopped the Fayes.

When he was finally out, the doors slammed shut. Standing still and somewhat at a loss, had it not been for the cut on his face, he would've thought of this as a horrible nightmare. Time seemed to have stop in his eyes.

~Inside the room~

"You've got a good grip." Aka complimented the dying Jin.

"I got it ... from my... brother." Jin smiled while he replied weakly.

"You...!" There was worry and a hint of annoyance in Aka's eyes.

"Pouring your... essence... will assure... my death. You... will break... my soul." Jin said as he looked at Aka, his eyes as serene as a pond in the yard with the breeze ever so pleasing and sweet.

Aka pulled her hand from Jin's grip by brute force. "What then do you suppose we do?"

One can see Jin's adam's apple moving, Aka assumed him gulping. She observed this very striking mortal. Immortal, rather. She then saw him looking into her eyes as he whispered, "Dormancy.[5]"

Vex and Aka's pupils constricted.

[1] Dead Soul: They aren't like human souls whose life comes to an end, then moving unto the other side. Corrupt souls belong to the Deities deemed to be at the border of no return, their souls are called Dead Souls. Their souls are susceptible to the darkness of the human soul.

[2]Soul Link: When a pure soul and a corrupt soul come into contact while one or the other is asleep, they will not know that the pure soul will have spoken of the origin as to why the soul became a corrupt soul. The pure soul will then use its body to help bring out the reasons as to why a soul became corrupted so as to see if there is a chance of purification. In all the history of deities, there has been no dead soul redeemed. But there is a certain Achille's heel when a soul linked is being conducted. They can die.

[3] This was a curse or gift that all deities possessed. To have a glimpse of a future they never wanted.

[4] 死神の全滅: SHINIGAMI NO ZENMETSU, whenever there are outbreaks of war, plagues, overthrownment of a Ruler of State, etc. The deities called SHINIGAMI NO ZENMETSU will take part in the outbreak causing the percentage of deaths to increase exponentially. This specific function of these deities were made so humans will prefer to keep bridges rather than burn them. Death inflicted by the immortals were more overbearing to souls. Their power to oversee so many lives could even destroy the very existance of these souls breaking their chance of reincarnation.

[5]Dormancy: A vegetative state. But through this, the soul and the body will slowly heal and become one again. It takes 5 years or more. Depending on the Body and Soul.