Mystic Syn

“What is it?” “I don’t know!” Ji screamed. “All I know is that it hurts!” The man blinked, tilting his head. “You can receive no physical wounds here.” “Nono. It’s a different type of hurt.” His hand moved to where his heart was, tapping it softly. His expression soften, growing sympathetic even. “You’ve forgotten what it feels like,” he whispered. “What what feels like?” Ji looked up at him with his tear-stricken face. “Tell me… please.” The man bit his lip, thoughts swirling in his eyes. “Well–” the man crouched down to Ji’s level, bringing his hands in “–people do some crazy things when they love someone.” “Love someone?” Ji retorted. “Please. Give me the real answer.” “I cannot lie. I thought we went over this.” “But… I can’t be. They’re just people I work with; people with a common goal.” “I didn’t use the plural of ‘someone.’” The man held up a finger. “Consider this, Ji Naito: If there had been anyone––and I mean anyone––besides Elya in that building when it collapsed, would you have saved them?” “Yeah, of course––” “Don’t lie to me.” “I wasn’t––” “Would you have saved them?” His mind played over the scenario, except without her in it, and… “No,” he whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “I wouldn’t have.” The man stood, offering his hand to Ji again. “No, I can’t be!” Ji said, ignoring the hand. “I don’t remember it hurting this much!” “Love always hurts, my child. It’s one of the things that people don’t like talking about. It’s the thing that drives people, especially you today on multiple occasions. As good as there can come from loving someone, there will always be that hurt.” “But… I…” “That is why you must leave.” “No. I can’t. Not now. They need me!” “Do they need you, or do you think she needs you?” Ji closed his mouth, looking back to his body, his heart aching upon seeing Elya. “Besides,” he continued, “you have no body to return to.” “They’ll find a way,” he whispered back. Ji, in the physical world, felt himself growing more limp by the second. His vision had given out on him entirely. His hearing was just gone. He could physically feel things, like when someone wiped something off his face. His breath began trailing away with every passing minute, each one becoming harder and harder to take in.

"It's time to go." The man from his dream that felt like happened ages ago stood above Ji, his hand outstretched. The air behind him shimmered, swirling peaceful white forming a portal to the unknown. "I can't," Ji whispered, sitting up, but avoided the man's gaze. His sight fell down at his own broken body, his spirit passing right through it. "Please." "Why would you say that?" The man tilted his head at him, hand still offered to him. "What about your family? Don't you want to see them again?" Laughter sounded from the other side of the portal. "I do," he admitted, then feeling something in him break. "But I can't." "Why, though?" "I... I don't know. I just need to." "Omni seems to say otherwise." "Does that whatever's opinion matter? It doesn't know anything about me or even the why." "It does," the man affirmed. "But I don't. So why?" "I don't know." "Is it because you still want revenge on the Angel?" "No," he said, surprising himself. "Is it because you want to find and spend time with a new family?" "No." "Is it because you want to prove that you're not useless, even though you are?" "No. Nonononono!" Ji clutched his head. "None of that, no." "Then, what is it?" He tried to say something––literally anything––but all that came out of his mouth were cries of agony. Tears blurred his vision, eventually streaming down his cheeks. He clutched his head harder, his shoulders tensing, his whole frame shaking as he sobbed. Nothing happened to his physical body, but it seemed that even his spirit was broken, almost beyond repair.

Ji's whole body was matted with blood, now coated with a fine layer of dust. Everything about him was limp and broken, especially when Grace held his hand. Smears of blood ran down the side of his face, a small stream of it tracing its way from the corner of his mouth. He stared heavenward, his eyes void of anything, spare for the smallest glimmer of life. His chest quivered for breath every once in a while, but it was getting slower and slower by the minute. Any physical wounds appeared to be healed from Grace's knife; however, it seemed to go deeper than that. A figure in white clothes peered down at him, unknown to the people around him. He offered his hand to Ji, beckoning for him to follow, but...

Why was he still holding on? It was better and easier to let go. But why couldn't he? Did he fail? Was he not able to save her? Snap He opened his eyes to the memory. Wind rushed in his face as he held on to his power. Ji felt himself catch his breath, slowly looking down at the person he just caught with the rope. He squinted, but couldn't tell whether or not she was alright. With a grunt, he allowed his ghostly blades to lower to the ground. As soon as his feet planted on the ground, he rushed over to the girl, carefully holding her. "Hey," Ji whispered, tapping her face softly. "Hey hey hey. Thana?" Her eyes––once full of life––stared towards the heavens, looking into nothing. Her chest didn’t move. Dark blood dribbled down the corner of her mouth and nose. "Thana?" he asked again, shaking her limp body. "Hey… Hey. Stay with me. Please. Please. You're okay. You're going to be okay. Stay with me." A small rush of peace fell over him for a split second, but it was immediately chased away. His breaths trailed away as he tried to wake her. His lungs felt like there were thousands upon thousands of tiny needles embedding themselves in them. It hurt to keep his eyes open, even if it wasn't reality. Something muffled called out his name, but he paid no attention to it. Everything just... hurt.

Dark. So dark. He couldn't tell if his eyes were even open at this point. His ears rang. His lungs hurt. His eyes stung. He couldn't move. Ji tried his best to sit up, but just couldn't. But he couldn't give up like this. There was still–– A voice. Familiar. Who..? Elya? His muscles loosened. She's... alright. He felt his eyes begin to close. Maybe... I can... rest... after all...

Falling. A sensation he was too well aware of. The sensation triggered something, wanting him to think back on the last time… No. He held on to Elya as tight as he could. Debris fell with them, sometimes ramming and hitting his armor, other times hitting him, but he didn’t care. Ji watched the ground approach closer and closer, his mind trying to pull him back. He swerved in the air, positioning himself to be on the bottom. Ji hugged her tighter, closing his eyes as he… THUD Impact. All around them, the walls groaned, giving in on themselves and on them. Glass shattered, their shards spraying everywhere. Screams of anyone who stayed in the building were suddenly silenced as the cement caved in.

The few Pacis trying to contain the building broke their concentration. A couple widened their eyes, the other audibly gasped at the crumbling building. Shouts of evacuation sounded around them, abandoning their original plan to flee. A handful of Pacis lingered, herding or yelling at the other members to move faster, before following them out the exit. Ji stood in the chaos, debris falling like the crimson droplets off of him. He blinked at the sudden emptiness of the room, furrowing his brow as his vision began clearing up further, his muffled hearing still taking its sweet time to come back to a semi-normal state. Did everyone really disappear, or was he just imagining things? If they did just up and leave, why? Sounds of walls crumbling finally reached his ears. His breath caught. Ji looked around, frantic for an exit, till his eyes fell on… His legs were already moving before he could even muster up a fleeting thought. Ji fell into a half sprint, half limp to reach Elya, wrapping his arms around her, being her shield when his veins glowed. Light blue ghostly chest piece and back part of a helmet––much like his blades––materialized into existence, taking the brunt of the debris’ damage. He shook violently, wanting to give in to that ever inviting darkness, but he held on, literally and figuratively.

The Pacis hammered down on him. Ji deflected as much as he could, but too many of their blasts were making through his barrier of blades, not to mention the whatever that was that hit him earlier was making it difficult to do anything. His strength waned, and he hated it. He couldn't Lightn' handle himself. Maybe he did bite off more than he could chew... Why–– Another bullet embedded itself in his arm ––can't. I. Summon. That. Lightn'. Armor? CRASH Something... well, more of someone burst through the window, taking down Pacis one by one. Several Pacis screamed as they were cut down. More just replaced them, focusing on both the targets now. Ji couldn't exactly tell who his savior was, but he didn't care. Anybody that fought against the Pacis at that moment was his ally. Ji got up on his feet, but fell back down. Did the building just... rumble beneath his feet? The Pacis stumbled, their attacks waning as the ground quaked. One shouted at a few, who immediately fell to their knees, trying to reverse the effects of the quaking as much as they could.

Ji was not holding out. The more Pacis he deposed of, even more came to replace the few. His attacks were slowing. His breath becoming heavier and heavier. Hoodie drenched in his own sweat, perhaps a little bit of blood. The more the Pacis shot and dissipated his blades, the harder it was becoming to concentrate on summoning more. The powers they wielded became more varied, from growing plants to shooting random bursts of energy before backing away. They chipped away at his blades, getting closer to him. Grace was picking them off––very well, in fact––but there always seemed to be more. It came to the point of his inner layer of shorter blades, fending off the Pacis that surrounded him. Ji panted, throwing his hand to the side, the blades following suit and taking out a few Pacis that were replaced in seconds. CRACK Something struck his shoulder, sending him flying across the room. A flash of burning pain shot up his left arm before disappearing completely. His ears rang with a high pitched whine; his ragged, quick breathing being the only thing he could hear clearly. Blurs surrounded him, focusing as time went on. One of them seemed to have electricity crackling up their hand? "Do you give in?" the Pacis soldier said, sounding very muffled, as if they were trying to speak through fifty layers of blankets. "As long–" His chest heaved for breath as Ji slowly got up on his feet "–as long as... I'm breathing... I won't... give in." The Pacis' devilish smile showed through, sending a small spark of panic through him. "Good." Screams echoed across the bare walls. Black entering his vision, filling it up quickly.

Doing everything and nothing at the same time.

The Angel watched her flee, the past tugging for her to follow, but she refused. She sat on the ground, William and Elya’s blood––and more blood not even associated with them––staining the ground below, slowly making its way to her. That went horribly, Krow said, disappointed. “No duh,” she whispered. The Angel turned to William’s body. “I’ve hurt her too much. Her reaction is given.” Mmm. And you still want to say those words to her? The Angel nodded, getting on her feet as she heard Pacis soldiers shout and get closer to the alleyway. “It doesn’t matter if she accepts it or not––frankly, I don’t expect her to accept it––but it still needs to be done.” Pacis soldiers filled the alleyway, a few of them saluting to the Angel. She let out a breath, and turned to them, relating the story of how William died to a rogue Mystic, saying that the Mystic fled before she even got there, let alone figure out her facial features.

She tilted her head at her response, sorrow and regret shining in her eyes. It was only a matter of time before she recognized her. She still put on a smile––though pained––sitting calmly on the ground as a blade was pointed at her. “Hey, Elya,” the Angel of Death said. “Been a while.”

“Calm down,” the Lifegiver chided, gently pushing Elya to settle. “Give your body a second to reboot.” The girl breathed out a sigh of relief, watching the Lifegiver check Elya for anymore wounds before she stood up. The Lifegiver looked towards William’s body again, pursing her lips before looking back at the girl. “Anything else I can do?” she asked the girl. The girl shook her head. The Lifegiver shrugged. “Alright, then.” She saluted with two fingers, beginning to walk away. “See ya, then. Maybe you’ll remember what happened here, hm?” She waved in farewell to the Lifegiver, still watching Elya. The girl moved away from her, allowing Elya the chance to breathe.

"Save your strength." Before the footsteps reached her ears, the girl whipped one of her knives out and pointed at the person at the end of the alleyway. The Lifegiver threw her hands up, cursing softly. "Lights!" she swore. "They didn't tell me you were this on edge." The girl scowled at the Lifegiver, who just walked up to her, crouching next to Elya. "What happened?" she asked, glancing to Williams body. "Not sure," the girl responded. "Found them like this." The Lifegiver shrugged, placing her hands on Elya's hand, breathing deeply. Her hands glowed with a soft golden light, washing over Elya entirely. . . . Soldiers fell by the seconds, both from Grace and from Ji's blades. Ji rammed his blades through the last Pacis that chased him, letting their body fall to the ground. He looked up at the rest of the soldiers, letting his blades ran wild with them.

"No," she answered after a moment of hesitation. "Just... an old friend."

"Stay awake, at least a little bit," she comforted. "Please." The girl reached up and tapped her comm. "Sage, is there a Lifegiver on call?" "Oh, so now you want to talk to me." "Didn't ask for your sarcasm." Sage sighed. "Yeah, there're bunch on call." "Any on call that won't take any Mystics?" "Not if they don't know." "Good." She looked down at the girl in her arms. "Send them my way and hurry." The comm clicked off. The girl searched for any more wounds, patting any droplets of blood that hadn't completely dried. "Just a little bit longer."

A shiver went down her back. Good. The girl slid her knives out, blood dripping from the tips. She watched William fall, his blood mixing in and out of reality. It would only be a matter of time before he would join the regular faces. That foolish hope sparked within her, trying to convince her that she wouldn’t see him, but she knew better than that. She knew better than to hope for something better. “May Mors guide you home,” she whispered, crouching next to the body, closing his eyes, “and find rest in the Beyond.” Quickly getting up on her feet, the girl rushed over to the other person, getting to work. Her hands flew on instinct, applying pressure to the bleeding wounds, reaching on her own body for some bandages. Thank Ko'ad there wasn't too much bleeding. She didn't pack away a whole lot of bandages, and it was a miracle she managed to find these in her pockets. Well, any of it wasn't going to do much good if the person didn't stay awake and alive. She didn't care if she was a Lifegiver or whatever, it was just for the best to not risk falling asleep right now. The girl carefully held the person’s face, then caught her breath. She knew… How…? Images of the bunker of a basement came to mind, her own blood spattering on the walls. Unfiltered rage from him showing through her when she fought, not even caring about who in Ko’ad’s name was on the other side of the blade. No, she told herself firmly. This can’t be. Figment of your imagination. The girl carefully slapped the person’s face, trying to wake her. “Hey,” she said. “Stay awake. You’re not going like this.” . . . The Mystic gasped, his fire extinguishing. He fell easily, not even trying to fight back as he shivered. Where was those reinforcements? Why was he alone? Where was everyone? Everything was getting harder to do, even just thinking. He tried recalling his home, family, anything, but he just… couldn’t. The earliest memory he had was with… His breathing slowed to a stop, his limbs fell limp, his soul fading away. Ji ducked another attack, sending a blade into one of the assailants, downing them in seconds. He focused on the other, making jabs at her without much success. The Pacis fell on the defensive when he became more aggressive, studying him for some reason.

Probably Sazed, and honestly talk about anything.

Decisions, decisions, the voice mused. She set her jaw. But you’ve already decided, hm? The girl darted forward, the shadows clinging to her figure. An obsidian knife fell into her right hand––ivory in the left. Blood spattered on the ground in the corner of her eye, flickers of bodies appearing not long after. She ignored them, pushing forward in silence. Her footsteps were a mere whisper, breathing quietly as she came up to William, jabbing her obsidian knife into the back of his throat, pushing it in farther with a grunt. With the ivory, she rammed it in where his heart was, pushing it as deep as she could. Something within her wanted to cry out, for using that cursed strategy ever since the last time she used it, but she had no choice. Grunting again, the girl pushed deeper, twisting the blades in him. The Mystic looked around where she’d gone off to, unaware of her creeping up on him. He shot fire in wild directions, none of them hitting their mark. Ji danced with his opponents. Each time they got close, he always managed to dodge and swerve out of the way. It was taking more energy than he liked, but such was a thing in the midst of battle. He tried using his blades close quarters, but they swerved out of the way, coming in quickly for some more jabs. He cursed softly, ramming another blade into another Pacis that tried to join the couple fighting him.

A Pacis ran, then stood in front of the wall of fire before it could hit them. He planted his his feet, pushing out with his hands. The fire swirled around his hands, following his gestures, then dissipating into smoke before it could hit them. He looked up at Grace, determination settling in as he pulled back his sleeves. Fire ran up his arms as he summoned more of it, then sending the flames her way. As the bullets rained down on Ji, blades surged around him, deflecting the bullets, a few of them hitting their shooter. The few it hit stumbled back, gasping as red soaked their white uniforms. Ji grunted, thrusting his hands forward. Ghostly blades zipped toward them, impaling themselves into them with ease. Pacis screamed, their shouts of pain filling the room. A few of them send their own lightning at him, but the blades shot forward, taking the blows, dissipating the blades into nothing before being replaced by more blades. A couple Pacis rushed forward, avoiding the blades to get in close quarters with Ji. One of them brandished their polished knives, while another summoned shards of sharp ice. They fought off his blades, inching closer and closer to him. Ji leaned back, narrowly dodging a swipe made at him by the one with ice, feeling the cold wash over his face. He backed off, dodging the two again and again. Blades swirled around him, keeping the Pacis busy. Ji looked around, gritting his teeth as he sent more blades. He kept a wary eye on Grace, impaling lesser Pacis with his outer blades. . . . The figure leapt through the air, the wind catching her short hair. She landed on another building, finally at the alleyway where William was fighting. Slowing down, the figure looked over the edge, watching the other person ram their blade into his sternum. The other person was taking care of themselves just fine, then. Perhaps they didn't need her... But a shiver didn't go down her spine. She walked away a bit, getting behind William, then jumped off the edge. Ribbons of pure energy silently shot themselves into the building she stood on, slowing her descent. The figure landed softly a few length behind William, watching both him and his assailant in the shadows quietly.