SUBMIT

18

It was cold.

Chilly wind brushed his face and the air sang a haunting tune in his eardrums. A small jingle accompanied the song of the breeze, ringing every second or so to support its passing melody. A light weight was on his chest that did little in covering him up and giving him some sense of warmth to his body, but its texture was soft to the touch when he grazed it with his fingertips. His surroundings where he laid was slightly deep with sides that supported all around him as if to make sure he didn't jostle around.

His hands raised itself to touch the sides of the object cradling him, his fingers curling around it as he tugged himself upward.

The wind was blowing much fiercer now that he sat up, the sight of the night sky engulfing his vision. Little dots of yellow lined further down below, and it wasn't until he saw pointed tips did he realize that they were cities down below. He could faintly see the rolling of waves down below by the gentle cascade of the moonlight shining down on it. He turned his head to the side where the soft tinkling of a bell sounded beside him to see a young woman, an expression of impassiveness settled on her face.

"Menreiki."

The young woman turned her head at the sound of her name, the corner of her lips twitching upwards, "Nanamin."

She drifted over to him, four of her masks rotating around her like small planets around its sun. Her hands folded over the edges of where he laid to pull herself closer, her upper half leaning into the place he laid. Her right hand cupped his left face where he flinched from her touch which, in turn, caused her to bring her hand back to the edge she held. She blinked once as she tilted her head to the side, the headpiece hovering behind her head swaying, "How are you feeling, Nanamin?"

"Fine," He curtly answered before he looked down on what he laid. "What is this?"

"Is it uncomfortable?"

"Yes."

Where he lay rumbled under him like thunder after lightning, "Then die! Die, you human! The most powerful one to Menreiki will— "

"Please forgive our brother," A smooth, charming voice spoke near his head, a cadence of amusement bubbling up from the way they spoke. "He is merely upset that he lost in a game of chance. Please do not take his words to heart when he can do nothing against our Master's orders."

Nanami Kento had a lot of questions that needed to be answered, but he opted to stay silent for the time being to recount what was going on.

He remembered his body being charred by the Special Grade Curse, Jogo. He felt as if his body was struck with thousands of tiny needles that dug deep into his bones, and he could particularly feel every second of his skin being melted and charred in place. He could faintly remember aimlessly wandering around before he encountered the other Special Grade Curse, Mahito, and the way he felt it in his gut that his life would end right there and then.

Then a touch, soothing like cold water flowed in the center of his shoulder blades, temporarily pulling his consciousness awake with his body becoming numb. Her voice was like a fishing hook, capturing his mind with every word she spoke and feeling him back to reality.

He could barely remember half the things that happened afterwards, only that he saw Menreiki hovering above him, asking him to make a decision that decided his ultimate fate in the end.

To live or die.

He wasn't sure if it was some cruel joke she was saying at first. Any rational being would say to live instead of death. But to sorcerers who were constantly in a battle for their life, death was always a peaceful option so long as their bodies were free from negative thoughts and intent. As her face stayed positioned over his face, he thought something that no sorcerer should've ever thought about a being like her.