The Lonely God (Rosekook)

9

"And just why isn't this working now?" Jeongguk inquired testily. He had been anxiously pacing back and forth as Irse concentrated all her powers on the floating human body whose blood was currently gushing out from a slit artery in the wrists, dripping to the ground and leaching into the soil.

Irse peered down at the unconscious man. "Hmm...mhmm....interesting....oh I see..."

"Well?" Jeongguk said impatiently. Irse straightened up from inspecting the corpse.

"Seems like Ginger here has a twin. Also seems like the spirits aren't allowing me entrance because they're being greedy and wanting the both of them. How crude."

"Well, give them the both of them!" Jeongguk exclaimed. "You picked the guy from prison, get his brother then! Should be easy enough to locate! What price another human piece of filth to open this damn portal?"

"You sure you'll be able to handle offering another one?" Irse had a curious lopsided smile playing about her mouth. Jeongguk bristled.

"Are you taunting me right now? I've gutted countless bodies and now you're asking me if I'm turning squeamish? Pull the other one! Let's get this over with..."

His eyes shone with manic energy, glinting as he gazed into the depths of the opening. He had never seen portals like this one before, like a floating upright, black disc. The darkness felt alive somehow, like something was hovering just beyond the opening, waiting.

Irse had said it was a very rudimentary inter-dimensional portal and warned him not to touch it for fear of it breaking apart before she was finished with her summoning.

The magic circle that held Ginger's floppy body in suspended animation had a purple fire barrier protecting it from intrusions. Actually the whole place was out of bounds for any outsider who wandered too close- Irse had taken care of that with the cemetery's crows that would attack anyone who came too close to entering, and also padlocked the cemetery's gates as well.

Ginger had screamed and begged for mercy, calling out God have mercy and crying like a child as Irse's shadow bonds tightened over his mouth and eyes and limbs. Jeongguk had quickly knocked him out and slit his wrists, the job done cleanly and precisely-it wasn't the first time he had slit corpses' wrists to study the vessel network.

While Irse was gone, Jeongguk was bored and wandered to Ginger, observing the unconscious man hovering in the circle. He couldn't help noticing the man's features reminded him of a certain amber-haired girl—

"Jeongguk!"

His heart stopped, his mind froze.

"Jeongguk!" she screamed again.

He whipped around, biting his lip foolishly as he stared at the girl struggling in Irse's shadow bonds.

"What a small world," Irse cackled, "turns out Ginger's twin is little miss Rosie herself!"

"Ros...Rosé?" He could barely speak.

"Kookie what's happening? Help me!" she cried as she struggled in mid-air.

"Well, she's our ticket back Jeon. Shall I let you do the honours?"

But Jeongguk didn't hear, the blood-stained knife of dark obsidian heavy in his hand. He glanced between the wriggling girl and the guy currently gyrating slowly on his back within the stone circle.

You...you're a twin?" he whispered.

This had to be some sick joke...

In a cold flash he remembered her words: We're technically the same age, but he always wanted to be the older brother...