Private High March Eurydice

[Yugam]

It was in the gusty steppes of High March that Yugam had first found his reason for stepping into Arcia, his reason for growing himself in strength, power, learning what Dark Arts and Black Magics that the denizens of the land would've gladly hung him for, or burned him at the stake. It was here that his journey had truly began, and it was here that he would finally bring it to a close.

The wind howled through between the dilapidated alleys and streets of this long forsaken town, its streets abandoned by its people long ago. Since then, this place had been lost to time, forgotten by all except the crackling magic storms that split the skies above them. The small nine building village, constructed of stone and standing at the edge of High March's cliffs, overlooking the canyons, Titanius' grave. The long, wide canyon split the land like an immense scar on Arcia's face, the crevasse dizzyingly deep, and separating Astorea from Tertorian lands. No one knew that this place existed, save Yugam. And now, one more.

"There are handfuls of lost villages like this one," Yugam said to Jin as they approached one of the stone buildings. "I've mapped a few of them for the League. Not all of them are abandoned, like this one though." The wood door creaked open, it's rusty hinges threatening to give out at any moment, and drop the door on it's face with a bang. "The League doesn't know about this one though. I never told them about it."

@Jin

 

[Jin]

"Good," he replied. "Nothing stays hidden forever, and knowledge is power. You have to hoard it for yourself as long as you can, before someone steals your advantage away."

In this world where everything was out to get you, and every death you die is one step closer to imprisonment, those who played by the rules as society set them were the first to fall. Jin played far outside of those boundaries, however, he was discreet. No one knew. And now, it seemed, Yugam was showing an aptitude for the same type of moral ambiguity.

He didn't need to mention how that made Yugam a greater liability for the man to know he was now under greater scrutiny from the Bloodsworn. But it was not without reason that the man appealed to Jin. And it was not without stipulations that they had come to an agreement.

There was ancient power in this place, untapped for an age or more. He could tell from the relentless, wild energies that manifested as a storm overhead. To the untrained eye, it might just seem like a natural phenomenon, albeit with some strange colors smattered here and there. But those who could sense magic, and perhaps even some who could not (with the assistance of Investigation mode) would certainly know better.

This was a place that no one was meant to find, but just as he had said, someone inevitably had found it.

"It's incredibly well preserved for the obvious aging and lack of use," he observed. Had the other man been restoring and upkeeping it? Secrets kept from not only the guild, perhaps, but from those closest to him? Jin turned to his real life friend with a knowing smile.

Just how deep did Ari's rabbit hole go, this time...

"You must have been at a complete loss, looking to outsource for help."

...and just what was in it for Jin?

"You have my attention."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Under normal circumstances Yugam might have argued against Jin's staunch cynicism. Not everything was war and espionage, not all the time at least. But this was one of those times where his words rang true, if for no other reason because Yugam had made it so. He was taking a risk revealing his cards to someone, most of all to Jin. But the man was secretive, and reluctant to reveal any information he held. It wasn't safe a safe choice, but it was calculated.

"It's a shithole," Yugam countered. Walls, though intact, let wind in through the cracks in the mortar. The thatched roofs had rotted away. What remained of the furniture in the town was likely to crumble if disturbed. But it had kept together over the years, better than other villages of it's kind.

Yugam guided Jin into a cellar, it's rickety staircase holding their weight surprisingly well, as if the structure had gone through some repairs recently.

"You must have been at a complete loss, looking to outsource for help."
"Not really." It wasn't as if the Puppet Maker had many options when it came to people who might be able to pull this off. Fewer who would actually be willing to render their services. And just one who Yugam knew. "Was more worried you might flat out say 'no'." Not that Jin had said 'yes' yet either.

"You have my attention."

Yugam didn't answer at first, instead heading towards a far wall. A hand found one particular stone, seemingly no different from the others that made up the wall, and pressed it, his weight shifting as the stone sank into the wall. The sound of stone grinding against rumbled preceded a mechanical click, and a segment of the wall seemingly popped forward. Grabbing the edge, Yugam heaved open the hidden door, and then gestured for Jin to enter.

"Well, what you're about to see should intrigue you then."

Though the short passage was dark, light shone from around a corner. The air was damp here, but strangely, there was no stench of mold or moss. Turning the corner, the tunnel opened into a large cavern, hewn from the rock, breaking through the cliff face in one spot to create a small, unfenced balcony. Throughout the space sat chests, overflowing with mundane items like notes, linen, the occasional garment of clothing or weapon. There were also desks, covered in papers, journals, glassware filled with what looked like preserved specimens of all sorts. One particularly interesting item sat on a shelf, pushed against the right wall, beside a stack of books. A glass jar, with a still beating heart floating in the center, glowing with a faint purple light.

The center of the room, however, was almost completely clear. The floor sank, forming a small pit with a smooth even floor, covered arcane markings, circling the perimeter until they met in the center, surrounding a full human skeleton. "Welcome to my lab."

@Jin

 

[Jin]

It's a shithole.

"But it's still standing," Jin mused. Normally, things that were under the duress of constant poor weather conditions, including rain and wild winds, they rotted quickly. Especially given the lack of a proper foundation and the prevalence of wooden walls, as opposed to the concrete and plaster that contemporary real-world housing construction utilized. No, it was far from perfect condition, as Yugam likely intended to point out- but evidence was there that someone had not allowed it to fall apart.

The staircase that led them into the bowels of the property was evidence enough. If those steps had not been modified recently, there was no way they would have stood the test of time. Dark and dank as the area was, it was a breeding ground for termites and other parasites. But that was far less interesting than what Yugam said next,

Was more worried you might flat out say 'no'.

"To a friend?" he asked with a wry smile. "Why, it must be truly something, indeed."

Both of them knew that with no benefit to Jin, it didn't matter who asked. It was clear that he had some motivation to come, but for what, only the next few minutes would tell. Ari knew that he could entice Jin more with the promise of something he had never seen or experienced than with a plea for help. That was why he was withholding on specific details.

He did not say anything at first, rather, he led the curious Bloodmage to the farthest wall of the room, seemingly no different from the others. Until with several precise motions in an exact order, Yugam slid a certain stone out of place and a door was revealed. When the other man forced it open, a passageway opened before them.

Well, what you're about to see should intrigue you then.

It looked to be a lived in hovel at first, with scraps of clothing and scant necessities strewn haphazardly about, but Jin had serious doubts that it was Yugam who lived there. Rather, it might have been someone before him, or dare to dream, it was plausible that the other Hemomancer engaged in his wicked studies on live specimens, which he kept trapped in this place while he was adventuring.

If that was the case, then Yugam would become infinitely more fascinating to watch in the future. As he looked around for evidence of a struggle, or perhaps a clue as to where some poor victim might be sequestered for the duration of this visit, the other man spoke again. Welcome to my lab.

"How very Victor Frankenstein," Jin mused. His own experiments were carried out on the spot, most often leaving little to no evidence of any interaction. The idea of keeping an entire facility on hand was... far too incriminating for his tastes. However, it held a certain merit, he had to give the man credit where it was due.

His gaze was drawn then to a curiosity that fixated him for several seconds. A still beating heart, pulsing with a light that Jin confessed likely fell outside the realm of Hemomancy. He could suspend the need for a heart to connect to the rest of the body and allow for it to sustain itself, but the body...

...was Yugam animating himself with a different kind of magic? No, if that was the case, he wouldn't keep the heart in a place that he would willingly show to Jin. That was too big of a weakness. He had helped someone else to animate their body without the heart.

Strange that he didn't take the same precautions for someone else that he would for himself.

Still, it was not his prerogative to question what the other man had been doing with his free time. He was much more immediately interested in... "So, what can I do for you?" he asked.

It was clear that in terms of Hemomancy, Yu's skills far exceeded the need for outside intervention.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"To a friend? Why, it must be truly something, indeed." It felt strange to hear Jin refer to Yugam as a friend, even in jest. The man had always gotten the sensation that, while they were indeed friends out of the game, within, they were something else entirely. Acquaintances? Confidants, perhaps. Or merely two people who had something the other wanted or needed at any given time. Property, skills, knowledge, something. But friends, no.

Yugam leaned back against the tunnel's wall as he watched Jin's eyes pan around the room, examining it closely, taking in everything in sight and likely mentally filing it away for future use. Yugam would have been more careful in concealing what he had in the space, what he'd been working on, if he wasn't about to reveal it all anyways. The sole exception to that was the jarred heart, glowing faintly from it's spot on the shelf. But with no name to attach to it, Yugam was unworried. Perhaps unwisely, the man could admit. Jin was resourceful, and one day, he might learn the truth of the macabre object. But by then it shouldn't matter. By the end of today, it would all come to a close, and that was all that mattered.

"So, what can I do for you?" the Bloodsworn asked, the intonation enough to prove to Yu that he had intrigued Jin, just as he'd promised.

The man pushed himself away from the wall and began to walk towards the center of the room, around the skeleton on the ground and stopping at it's head. "How good is your Spirit magic?" Yugam answered with a question of his own. "I can bring the dead back to life, but you and I both know there's a difference between being alive and living."

The man took off his coat and threw it onto one of the nearby desks as he continued. "I wanna know if you can give the dead their soul back."

@Jin

 

[Jin]

You and I both know there's a difference between being alive and living.

If truer words had ever been spoken, Jin had never heard them. There was so much more to life than simply breathing, and the process of having an identity wasn't the same as having a soul. Poetic as it was, the truth was even deeper with the deep and ancient forbidden magic that Yugam had just invoked by name. It was relegated to a mastery that any Player character could take, but that didn't mean that on its own, it wasn't something fearsome. It just meant that in the proper hands, the possibilities that came with it beggared belief.

There was more to the magic than Yugam knew, however. It was not simply something that Jin knew; despite the fact that he had been unable to use it until he met specific conditions in the system, it was intrinsic to who the Bloodsworn was. It was part of the Threefold Oath, and a binding condition of the contract with his blade. The Blade bound him because it had to do so; but in so doing, it imparted him with similar power.

"The short answer is that what you want is not impossible," Jin skipped the stipulations. The most important details were the only ones that mattered given the question. "Several conditions must be met, however. The spirit must have existed within this world at some point, whether as a natural denizen, or as a Traveler who has translated their essence into the realm. Whether or not they have died the final death is irrelevant to that."

The implication being that such power did not govern only the souls of the departed.

"You must also have a token of the desired recipient's life," Jin explained. "Whether that be their body, a singular part of their body such as a hair or a disembodied limb, or simply an article that they once owned that has traces of their essence on it."

Much like the real world practice of Voodoo, relationships had power when it came to the dark magicks. Jin would not reveal specific details of what that made possible, however, because such information was not critical to the question that had been asked. He turned finally to regard Yugam with a critical gaze, wondering just how deep the aforementioned rabbit hole truly went.

He held his chin between two fingers, stroking it.

"And either the caster or a conduit for the caster's magic must have some kind of link to the target. A strong emotional bond, such as love or hate, or a debt incurred. It is possible to chain a soul that has no firm attachments, but the longevity of such a link has diminishing returns, and is wont to weaken over time, especially if not consciously maintained."

It seemed like the other man was more interested in a proper soul transference, from the great beyond to a living specimen. If he simply wanted the soul slaved to an inanimate object, it would be a trivial matter indeed. What Yugam was asking?

Far more enticing.

"But one must always ask themselves, when dealing in such things" he mused, as Jin often did. "If the price is worth the outcome."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"The short answer is that what you want is not impossible."
"And the long answer?" Such things could not be so simple, else everyone would be resurrecting dead lovers, parents, pets, and they'd have defeated death whilst creating a whole host of new problems. No, the balance of the world was not so easily upset. There was more.

"You must also have a token of the desired recipient's life," the Bloodsworn began to lay out the requirements. "Whether that be their body, a singular part of their body such as a hair or a disembodied limb, or simply an article that they once owned that has traces of their essence on it."

Yugam gestured towards the skeleton lying on the ground, complete and whole. "I think that'll do." There was no doubt in Yugam's mind who the blackened bones belonged to. When he'd first come upon them, out near the Dream Fields, a thread of fate blew ragged in the wind, it's connection severed. Much like the coil of red around Yugam's own wrist, unseen by Jin.

"And either the caster or a conduit for the caster's magic must have some kind of link to the target. A strong emotional bond, such as love or hate, or a debt incurred. It is possible to chain a soul that has no firm attachments, but the longevity of such a link has diminishing returns, and is wont to weaken over time, especially if not consciously maintained."

"A conduit..." Yugam muttered as he walked towards the desk that oversaw the ritual space. A white cloth wrapped item sat on a sword stand, almost three feet in length.

"But one must always ask themselves, when dealing in such things if the price is worth the outcome."

Yugam picked up the cloth wrapped item and approached Jin, unwrapping it as he did so. "I've come this far in search of answers," Yu said as he unveiled the weapon. The man would recognize it easily, the black hilted sword the Puppet Maker always carried with him. "And I've learned some. But there are many more that need to be found. Only she knows them."

"This was hers," the man explained as he handed the weapon to Jin gingerly, eyes carefully watching his, unsure of what the man would do. "And she is now spirit-bound to it." That might've been a surprise to the Bloodsworn, as Yu was almost certain that he'd never Unmei in her human form. "Another spirit-speaker's work. But he admitted what I'm of you was outside the realm of his abilities."

"Hence, why I'm asking you. I don't want her to be bound to anything or anyone. I want her to have her life back. I'll pay any price I have to for that."

@Jin

 

[Jin]

Jin did not need to handle the weapon to feel the spirit bound to it. Such chains were powerful, undeniable, and oft times horrible to the point where they bled residual magic from one side or the other. It was a remnant of the manner in which the caster had pried open the rift between worlds and pulled something back. Something that had already found its rest, and summarily been deprived of it.

It was a form of agony that for a time, even the victim stayed blissfully unaware of. Jin eyed the object that Yugam held out to him scrupulously. "The cost I speak of isn't necessarily one that would be exacted from you," he explained, "but it would seem that she has already been unwittingly forced to pay it."

He took the hilt of the weapon in hand, and it resonated with his own energy. He could feel the bond in full, the way the soul had been tethered, and despite the spirit of the woman not manifesting physically, he could see her- inside of the sword. It overlapped her, as she overlapped it.

"Powerful indeed, this link," he murmured. He would have enjoyed meeting the master who forged such a chain, if only to learn more of the art from someone who stood at its apex. "But unmaking it, not necessarily an impossible task."

He paused.

"I do not believe you fully comprehend the cost of this magic, so I will speak plainly. A soul torn back from death does not easily find death again. To tether a spirit to an object is to shackle it. This type of magic is nothing short of imprisonment, and at that, a sentence that lasts for eternity."

Jin lifted the weapon between them, just below eye level, so that if the other man wished he could break eye contact and look down at it.

"I could deliver her to rest," he said, a much kinder, less characteristic offer than Jin normally made. He understood all too well what it meant to not have freedom, and in this way, he felt empathy... for a corpse. "I could see her to her final rest, something that she has long been denied."

He returned the weapon to Yugam's hands.

"What you ask, though..." he cautioned Yugam, "man does not have a second chance at life. There is only one candle to burn, and once burnt, the soul departs the body. The human form becomes as wax, which you well know- malleable, easily manipulated, returned to a former state, but the wick within can only be replaced."

In case the other Hemomancer did not understand, Jin continued, bluntly.

"It can be done. I can return spirit to body. But it will not be life in the proper sense. She will not be truly alive, nor will she truly die. It will be a hell of dependency, upon you to keep her body healthy, to restore it when it withers and rots, to do everything in your power to allow her to live a normal life... until it becomes impossible for her to see life in the normal sense. She will outlast you. She will come to a point where she must seek another spellcaster to fill her needs, lest she crumble and become skeletal remains once more, doomed to watch the world around her from wherever she happens to lay dormant until the end of time."

He folded his arms.

"But if that is what you consider to be fulfilling life, it can be done, yes."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"The cost I speak of isn't necessarily one that would be exacted from you," Jin said, eyes seemingly examining the weapon in Yugam's hands with a critical eye. "But it would seem that she has already been unwittingly forced to pay it."

There was a momentary flash of anger in Yugam, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth as the man suddenly felt a strong urge to break the other's nose. Or better yet, run him through. That assertation, insulting. How dare he claim that Yugam was forcing Unmei to stay, that he wouldn't release her if she asked.

The anger subsided quickly though. In the back of Yugam's head, some little voice told him that Jin was right. He'd never let her go. Never. Besides, the Puppet Maker still needed the Bloodsworn's help. He was the only one that might be capable of pulling off this Herculean effort.

Yu's eyes followed the blade as Jin lifted, their eyes meeting again as he did so. "I could deliver her to rest," Jin offered, and once again a quiet anger bristled beneath the surface of Yu's eyes. The idea alone angered him, he still had questions, needed answers. More than that, he needed her back. And he would not be deprived of her.

Jin continued, likening the body to a candle, a metaphor Yugam understood well. However, the thing that concerned the man the most was the method by which Unmei would be restored. No better than the undead the man could summon on his own, fleshier, perhaps with a whole mind. But still not her, not unbound. Not given back the life she deserved, even if it was only within Terrasphere. "And there is no way to return to her her natural life?" the Puppet Maker pressed, unsatisfied with the paltry potential that Jin claimed capable of. "Give her back her allotted time, and die of old age like she should have?" 1:38 AM "Nothing can be done?"

@Jin

 

[Jin]

The curious thing about Ari, he had noticed over time, was that despite how great the man was at hiding how he felt, there were small ticks that made certain feelings apparent. Anger, for instance, in the gaze that Yugam shot at Jin when he mentioned the horrific nature of binding a soul to an object, and the difficulty in laying such a spirit to rest once the process was already set in motion. The involuntary response prompted a faint smile on the Bloodsworn's lips.

But of course he wouldn't be pleased with that revelation.

What made it most delicious of all were the questions that followed. Was there no way to return her to a natural life? To give her back the time she had lost, and let her live out her days?

The crazed words went beyond obsession to zeal. Was this not Aristotle, a man who had a doting girlfriend, not to mention a gaggle of affectionate hens who regarded him as a friend? So malcontent was he with everything good in life that he sought to steal something back from death? Oh, what kindred spirits they were.

He'd had no idea.

"We both know that her death was not a result of anything in this world," he elaborated. "And even if it were, the threshold for returning a soul to its body without exacting a heavy cost is a very thin window. Anything beyond it moves into the realm of the profane arts, that which you have knowingly sought me out."

Jin held up a finger.

"More to the point," he said, "the consciousness that still exists in this world is something detached from the spirit that departed from the world that we come from. At some point, their fates deviated. This-" he gestured to Yugam's weapon, Unmei, is not the same as the woman that you knew. A carbon copy, yes, and with all of the same memories up until the divergence, certainly- but she did not die in the same way, in the same place, nor at the same time."

Jin folded his arms and closed his eyes contemplatively.

"Therefore, it cannot be said that it was her time. The moment her reflection abandoned her, and her mind quit her body and left her for dead, her fate was stolen in the manner in which you speak." He knew that to simply quash the other man's hopes would dash any chance of learning more about the strange magicks that Yugam had stumbled on. He had to give him some hope. "Speaking purely theoretically..."

The Bloodsworn paused as he considered how he should present his thesis to the other Bloodmage. When his eyes reopened, he smirked. "Such a duality does mean that this version of her is not a Traveler. Insofar as, resurrection spells do not function on the Starcalled after the final death. For all intents and purposes, she should be treated no differently from the Landers for such a function."

But could he do it? That was the real question. Could he remake someone, and give them back a life proper? Jin had never heard of such a process being successful. He would need to make preparations, as well as do more research. For now, however...

Jin turned. "You know, the other day I heard something most interesting, about a girl who is purportedly seeing you on a consistent basis," Jin recalled Nico's words, about how he had a girlfriend, and about how she thought that she was good for him. He glanced back over his shoulder. "Does she know you're still obsessing over a dead flame?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

There was this manner by which Jin conducted himself that always made Yugam uneasy. On guard. It was a marked difference from the Theo he knew in the real world. The slightest smile formed on the man's face as Yugam stared daggers at him. He took pleasure in knowing he had an effect on others. Often times, that only had yet another effect on them. It was a vicious circle which Jin had full control over.

"We both know that her death was not a result of anything in this world," Jin began to say, "And even if it were, the threshold for returning a soul to its body without exacting a heavy cost is a very thin window."
"But it's possible then," Yugam interrupted, pressing with a sense of urgency.
"Anything beyond it moves into the realm of the profane arts, that which you have knowingly sought me out," Jin ignored Yugam and continued with his explanations.

The man spoke for some time, only pausing to close his eyes and formulate his thoughts cohesively. Calculate just what to say to achieve the result he desired. "Such a duality does mean that this version of her is not a Traveler. Insofar as, resurrection spells do not function on the Starcalled after the final death. For all intents and purposes, she should be treated no differently from the Landers for such a function." It took a mental effort for Yugam to quash the anger he felt rising in his body. As much as he hated it, the man knew that what Jin was saying was true. Though he'd denied it to himself, some small part of him had hoped that she would be more than just another Lander, some strange amalgamation of life and code in this strange game. But moreover, Yu refused to give Jin what he was looking for.

The man turned away slowly, the topic of conversation changing suddenly causing Yu's ears to perk up. "You know, the other day I heard something most interesting," the man said with slow, measured words, "about a girl who is purportedly seeing you on a consistent basis." Blood began to boil beneath the Puppet Maker's skin, a corner of his lip pulling itself back into an ugly form. "Does she know you're still obsessing over a dead flame?"

Yugam stepped forward, grabbing the Bloodsworn by the shoulder. A hand gripped Jin's collar pushing until the man's back met hard stone. An awful cracking sound split the air small pieces of debris began rain down on the pair. Skeletal hands broke through the rock wall, clawing, searching for Jin's limbs to pin him in place. "Don't go there. Just fucking don't," Yu said sharply, drawing one of his revolvers and pressing it beneath Jin's chin. "Just tell me if you can fucking do it. If not, get the fuck out of my sight."

@Jin

 

[Jin]

Jin stared back at Yugam, not with amusement, not with fear, but with the deadest eyes that the man had ever seen. It was like a joke had fallen flat. He'd made no visible attempt to defend himself, despite every ability to do so. When the man put his weapon to the Bloodsworn's cold face, Jin spoke in a quiet voice.

"Whether or not I can do it," his voice rattled out like wind through bones, "you may have the power to take life, but I have the power to make sure you never get what you want." The bones that had molested and torn at Jin to pin him down had not been visibly touched, and he had made no sudden movements. Instead, as Yugam held him there blinded by rage, ambient mana had fouled around Jin. Bone that was supple withered into frailty where it touched his body. The residual spirit energy that instilled it with life was drawn hungrily into the curse bearer as it revitalized his form, cracking and popping as it rapidly broke down and crumbled.

Yugam could summon more restraints, but Jin would not abide the same joke a second time.

"We are not the same," he said, letting his hand rest on the hilt of his blade. Perhaps most interesting of all, Jin did not waver from the firearm, nor did he attempt to divert its course. "Now stop embarrassing yourself," he said as he began to step forward to walk through the man. "My point should have been obvious. We haven't spoken in almost a month. You've never told me that you had a new girlfriend. How did I come by that information?" he asked.

"Whether or not you cared if it got back to me, it did," he said, not looking back at the man. "You already have secrets that you need to take better care of. Before we enter into something even more volatile, you need to reassess how well you keep them."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Neither man seemed particularly amused by the other's actions, dead eyes staring back at Yugam's furious ones. Neither man broke eye contact as the skeletal hands that clawed at Jin's clothes, his limbs, his neck began to crumble to dust, and his voice made itself barely above a whisper. Not meek, but stern, and certain of himself, not needing the volume or bombast of other's they'd known.

"You may have the power to take life, but I have the power to make sure you never get what you want," the man said, more an empirical fact than a possible threat. Nonetheless, the hand gripping the Bloodsworn's collar tightened slightly as the last of Yugam's puppets faded away, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. A little seed of detest for Theo's in-game persona was beginning to sprout itself.

Yugam released the man's collar as he began to move forward, stepping to the side, eyes following him closely as he holstered his revolver once more. Jin had made his point. More than one, in fact. Though Yu did not approve of the method or manner, the message was received. "Wasn't exactly trying to keep that secret," the man said, unable to keep a hint of lingering venom from tainting his words.

Nico. As far as Yu knew, she was the only common thread between them who also knew about Val. The two must've started speaking recently. Surprising.

"I've kept this secret well though. Gimme some credit, if I don't want someone to know about something, they won't."

"It sounds like you've made up your mind though," Yugam noted, crossing his arms. "What is it that you want," the man asked, cutting straight to the point, "I know you don't do anything without weighing the pros and cons, without making sure you get something out of it. So what is it you want?"

@Jin

 

[Jin]

He could feel the anger, more palpable than ever. So, with the right provocation, even Ari was made malleable by emotion. First the act of laughing at his death in Isulus and now vague possibility of a threat to his relationship, the long-winded, two part evaluation confirmed those results. It had taken Terrasphere to give him a chance to even find a metric, because outside of this world, the other man was almost as stoic as Theo.

What came as a surprise was Yugam's interest in restoring life to the lifeless, and perhaps more to the point, willingness to seek him out for the endeavor. Yes, perhaps the rage made the man more of a wild card, but the desire, the need for results- these things ultimately trumped his anger.

In short, it seemed that the other man would make a suitable tool, given the need.

I know you don't do anything without weighing the pros and cons, without making sure you get something out of it. So what is it you want?

"And so it is that we dispense with the pleasantry of formality," he spoke without turning to face Yu, instead looking around at various items in the laboratory. "I won't spend the time or effort it would take to lie to your face. If you've figured that out, it saves us both a great deal of grief."

He paused, stroked his chin and tilted his head back, eyes on the ceiling. "What indeed, though?" he mused. "The things I want are intangible, largely, and that makes it difficult to relegate any of them to a singular, simple task."

Jin snapped his fingers.

"I have it," he said. "A sufficient middle ground, I believe." He turned at last to face Yugam. "In exchange for the task you would have me do, and of course, for my discretion in keeping your secret," Jin added that layer of stipulation for the other man's benefit. He had no intention of revealing that truth to anyone to begin with, but the sort of Pact he was about to invoke made consequences far more dire if he were to do so.

The same fell just as true in the inverse, after all.

"I would have you owe me a debt," he spoke evenly, eyes locked with the other man's. "Its circumstances and details to be determined by me, at my own discretion, from now unto perpetuity. Once completed, you will be freed of its weight, and our agreement held fulfilled."

The magics within the Curse of Spirit wove themselves through his body, twisting around his arm. Cold fire burned his palm as he extended his hand, offering it to Yugam to shake. If he took it, the pact would be sealed with Yugam bound to Jin- and more accurately, to Eschaton.

If either man violated his part of the agreement, the sword would stop their heart and take one of their lives, without question.

He didn't mention that to Yu immediately, of course.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"I won't spend the time or effort it would take to lie to your face. If you've figured that out, it saves us both a great deal of grief."
"C'mon now, we know each other well enough to know that that's not necessary." How long had it actually been since Ari and Theo had met? A few years, at least. Though in the real world, Theo was more...restrained than Jin, the way they operated remained the same. And that was the one thing that Ari could always count on. A fair exchange, even if he didn't know the full extent of what that exchange was.

"I have it." The sharp click of Jin's fingers snapping echoed in the stone chamber as he turned towards Yugam. "I would have you owe me a debt," he said, red eyes locked onto Yugam's with a mischievous look. Yugam didn't even need to hear the rest, already knowing what the man intended to say, though he allowed him to lay out the terms for brevity's sake.

The taste of magic filled the room, like sparks alighting the air, as Jin stretched out his hand towards Yugam, the offer made. Yugam's eyes flicked from Jin's eyes, to his hand, and back to his eyes. A Pact, by all rights. Surely a retribution should one party or the other fail to uphold their end of the bargain. What retribution? No matter. "A favor for a favor," Yugam finally said, stepping towards the Bloodsworn. "Seems fair." He clasped hands with the other, the deal now struck.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

Simple enough, in theory.

In practice, the ancient laws of magic in this world ran deeper than any 'simple' explanation. The curse that bound Jin not only in body but in spirit to the blade was a double edged sword in its own right. It would not let him be free, but it gave him the freedom to shackle others. When Yugam took his hand, the unseen chains snaked their way across his body, cold as the grave. The heat of his own blood coursed through his palm and ran parallel to the frigid sensation that crept across the other Hemomancer's flesh, like a Thundercats.

It happened in an instant.

It was a disorienting sensation for someone who had not been bound by the curse or wielded the blade themselves. Nauseating, feverish, abhorrent. It was a feeling not unlike hopelessness, like being enslaved or sentenced to life imprisonment. Fortunately for Yugam, his sentence was far shorter than Jin's own. It had a method that allowed for exit.

If only for a moment, though, Yugam caught an inkling of the fate that his friend had willfully bound himself to.

Only Jin would be twisted enough to find freedom in this curse.

"Fair indeed," the Bloodsworn replied. "Now, your secrets are safe, and you will have my cooperation."

Mostly.

@Yugam