Mystic Syn

As everything sped up back to normal around Elya and the girl, she glitched around, avoiding John’s shots and Elya’s slashes. There was no pattern to her glitching, appearing at any random moment at any point of time. Ji’s coughs faded as he tried to breathe. He slowed down, almost coming to a stop as he gasped for precious air. “Tick tock, tick tock,” the girl sang, smiling as the vial glimmering in the light. “The time is drawing nigh.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” she sang as she avoided the attack––coming out with a little slash on her cheek––holding the vial out. The girl rolled it around in her fingers, getting dangerously closer and closer to falling. “Why go through this trouble to heal one when you can save thousands, hm?” the girl wondered aloud. “Is there something else? Something I’m not seeing? Something you don’t want to admit? Perhaps involving him?”

“Ah ah ah, deals are a two way street,” she said, glitching toward her, narrowly avoiding Grace’s knife. “You can’t get something from nothing…” The girl reached out, touching her shoulder. Everything around them came to a halt, except her and the girl. “Isn’t that right, Elya Pherish?” the girl asked, tilting her head at her.

The girl actually laughed. She glitched toward John––unconsciously avoiding Grace––leaning forward and smirking. “I don’t think you have the time to make decisions like that,” the girl said, tsking as she glitched away from him before he could do anything. “If I wanted to kill you, my colleagues and I would’ve done so already and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I’m just offering the chance for you to live without any repercussions. “If you don’t want to make a deal, that’s fine,” she mused, bringing out the vial to swing around. “I would love to see how you deal with him without this vial and how you deal with my colleagues who don’t share my views on this.” The girl glitched to Ji, cupping his face in her hand gently. “Isn’t that right, my dear?” Ji heaved for breath, a stream bright red blood dribbling down his chin. His veins tried to glow, but they ended up flickering faintly before giving up. Everything was getting harder to do. Everything around him was going dark. “Tick tock, tick tock,” she tsked, glitching onto a window sill high up. “You have only a few minutes left.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” a soft voice said. In the blink of an eye, a Korish girl appeared in front of them with a hand on her hip. She looked at them all, studying them. As if glitching in and out of reality, the girl ended up right next to Elya, looking her up and down while rubbing her chin, before appearing next to John before Elya could react. She pursed her lips at him, then glitched right next to Ji on the ground. “Oh, so she did follow through with that,” the girl said, leaning over to study Ji. “What did she use, though..?” As if on cue, Ji gasped for air, what breaths he was getting coming in short bursts. His skin paled further as he broke into a coughing fit, blood coming up and onto the ground. “Arya, you never disappoint,” she smirked, standing up to look at the group. “Since I feel like it and it seems like you don’t have a choice, I’m going to offer something to you that my colleagues have advised me against: A deal. “It’s simple,” the girl continued, without waiting for a response. She looked at Elya, assuming she was the leader. “End your little rebellion and disband yourselves, and I’ll give you the antidote for his condition, spare your pitiful lives, and go on with life as if we all never met each other.” To prove she wasn’t lying, the girl reached in her shirt, pulling out a vial on a silver chain. Pure gold liquid sloshed around in the vial, glowing softly with Mystical power. She held it up for everyone to see, before slipping it back in her shirt. “If you should deny this offer… well–” The girl shrugged “–I’ll just smash the antidote and we’ll finally celebrate there being no rebellion for us to worry about after taking care of you.” Ji tried to get up on his knees, but ended up falling back down, hacking up more blood on the cement below. So dark. So cold. So alone. “I should mention that we’re on a time limit,” the girl mused, looking straight into Elya’s eyes. “His lungs are withering away by the second. Within the next five minutes, it’ll reach his heart, surely killing him… but that’s if he lasts through the lung withering. “I’m afraid that not even the best of Lifegivers could heal him, let alone whatever healing you mutts have. “Tick tock, my dears,” she said, grinning wickedly. “The time is drawing nigh.”

Ji shivered in Elya's arms, curling into a tight ball. His breaths slowly became more even, but were still coming out short. Voices echoed around him, trying to grab his attention, but he just couldn't understand. He allowed himself to close his eyes for just a little bit.

Compared to the rest of the pain, the cauterizing didn't feel like anything. He twitched, gasping and coughing up little drops of blood.

His eyes fluttered, beginning to close as his breaths slowed. Almost impossible to see, but there was indeed a small pinprick of black and white Light.

"What in Ko'ad's good name is that?" she said, holding her hand out for Thyella.

Her voice echoed in his head, as if sounding like she was yelling in a canyon. He tried to understand and decipher what in the world she was saying, but it all echoed away into pain. Ji squinted. Was everything becoming darker? He tried opening his eyes wider, but the darkness remained. Everything was becoming harder and harder to do, even just keeping his eyes open. He let himself relax a bit, the darkness increasing in size.

"What huff are you huff talking about..?" he asked, his legs finally giving up on him as his hearing started to fade. "I'm huff fine." Ji gasped for breath, becoming more labored by the second. He just needed to calm down, that's all; but when he tried taking in deep breaths, he just couldn't. His body wouldn't allow it. Even when he tried, it just hurt like he'd been dipped in acid. "It'll be huff fine," Ji said, his skin paling as he smiled at her. "I couldn't see huff you get huff hurt huff again. As long as huff you're alright huff everything'll be huff okay."

The corpses around them came to a halt as she gasped. One by one, they fell to the ground, disintegrating to fine dust that was quickly picked up by the breeze. A few seconds of panic, then realization touched Arya's eyes as she looked down at the blade penetrating her heart. The blade she held clattered to the ground, her grip slipping off the knife still embedded in Ji's chest. Her knees buckled underneath the weight that grew heavier and heavier, causing her to fall. Any source of life left her frame, leaving her limp. Ji took a step back, the gauntlet and blade fading away with his glowing veins. He breathed heavily, adrenaline still pumping in his veins; he just didn't know how long it would take for the pain to set in. He looked down at the blade in his chest, reached up, then stopped. Surveying the area, Ji counted everyone off... except Sapphir. Pangs of guilt washed over him, but he shook it away before it could have a firm grip on him. "Is everyone alright?" he asked, his breathing becoming shorter and shorter, feelings of needles being injected into his legs slowly making its way into the front of his mind.

As she entered the Enchanted Realm, a wide array of colors came off the people she looked at, besides the corpses; they, on the other hand, held a tiny pinprick of black and white Light. They all streamed from the same source, branching off of Arya into their otherwise dead forms. A few corpses ran out of Light, falling to the ground as Arya backed off from the attacks. Arya's chest was a beacon of black and white Light, swirling together as it worked hard and branched off to the corpses around her. Bright and dark red popped off in her head, desperately wanting to bleed out into the world around it. When Grace looked over Ji, his head was filled with a more subdued tone of red; more subdued than earlier. There still was an anger to it, but it seemed to burn with more of a purpose than just rage; and every so often, there were still little pops of pink appearing every here and there. Near the edges of the head colors were that dark blue and gray, almost in the background, but still taking up residence in his mind. For a split second, the corpses around them slowed. Arya shook her head, controlling her breathing as she looked back up at Elya. The corpses surged, attacking with newfound strength as Arya made her way through the ranks around Elya, holding onto her dark blade tightly as she snuck up behind her. Ji cut down more corpses, but there always seemed to be more where that came from. Looking up from the battle, he caught the smallest glimpse of Arya fading into the ranks of corpses behind her. A frown pulled his lips down as she disappeared in the fray, but he continued to fight against the bodies. He ran his blade through some corpses and bashed a few more with his gauntlet, leaning back to avoid their attacks. Ji rose, his eyes finally finding Arya. He pushed his way through the crowd––stabbing and bashing more corpses––then raised his gauntlet to meet Arya's dark blade with a harsh clang before it could hit Elya. Arya pushed against his strength, but Ji held firm as he grounded his teeth. "You're in the way," she snarled, driving and twisting her long knife into the middle of his chest. He couldn't feel a thing; probably was the adrenaline kicking in. He stumbled back a bit, but stood strong against the Deathgranter's pushes. Something warm and sticky ran down his chest––drenching his new hoodie––but Ji paid no heed to it. He, instead, stared Arya straight in the eye and grinned. "Elya!" he called out.

Arya cried out, backing away from Elya, feeling a bullet dig its way in her skin. Some of the corpses around her came to a stop, shuddering as they fell to the ground in dry heaps. She didn't drop her blade, but her grip began to slip. Arya gasped, managing to sidestep Ceph's attack, disarming him with her dark blade. She stood in between the three, the corpses around her shivering with life as they surged forward, desperate to separate the three. Ji held his other hand out, a long ghostly blade appearing by his side, floating in the air. He tilted his head from side to side, popping as he did so, then charged through the corpses to Arya. With each new corpse, he thrust his hand forward, the blade echoing his actions. It tore through some of the ranks of the corpses, slowly making its way to Arya. With his gauntlet, Ji pushed against the sea of corpses, ramming through any corpse that dared to try and come close to him. He maneuvered through the ranks, keeping his eyes on the next corpse.

Oooh yessssss. I love how you drew Elya.

Arya pressed her attacks harder, swiping at Elya when she had the chance. Bloodlust entered her gaze, blending with the anger and hatred. She didn't care how many times she was getting hit––even if most of the corpses were taking the brunt of the damage meant for her. All she cared about was seeing Elya bleed. Suffer. Hurt. Anything. Anything that would result in her feeling some level of pain. Some level of what she had put Saatvik through. Corpses pushed against anyone that tried to intervene Arya and Elya. More of them came when only a few were taken down. A good portion of them burned from Grace's fire, but there always seemed to be more where that came from. They took the brunt of the fire, protecting Arya from whatever harm was sent her way. With another burst of Mystical power from Arya, Sapphir's body rose and joined the ranks of the rest of the corpses, fighting back against her foes. Ji looked back to see if anyone was following, and not much to his surprise, no one was. He was met with a sea of corpses either way he looked. Ji continued to kick and punch away at them, mentally refusing to use his Mystical power. He looked toward Elya, seeing the Deathgranter and the pure rage practically bleeding off her form as she continued her attack against Elya. He bowed his head slightly, kicking another corpse. The only way he would be useful if he were to just do as she told. Maybe then would he be of worth. Nothing else could–– The corpse wall pushed against him, forcing him back to the action. He grunted, pushing back. He looked back at Elya, his eyes widening at how close-quartered the battle had become in the mere seconds he turned away. But he noticed... Ji considered his options for a second, then set his jaw, pushing through and leaping over the corpses. Arya avoided the attacks made at her––either by Elya or any of the other group members. She gripped the knife tighter, poking a few more jabs. This was what she needed. A bit more time. That twisted grin––awfully reminiscent of her brother's own grin––grew as she pushed against Elya. One of the corpses slipped something quietly in her free hand as she fought. Arya hid it behind her back as best as she could, but the secret would be given away here soon anyways. "You will understand," she snarled, raising a long dark thin blade to bring down on Elya, and–– CLANG Ji stood there with his arm raised, holding Arya's blade back with just that. Wait, no. A ghostly apparition of a gauntlet and arm brace formed around his forearm, glowing brighter as he held firm. Ji growled, the glowing veins finally touching his eyes, giving them a soft blue glow. He pushed the blade and Arya away, glaring at her as the gauntlet glowed brightly. "What the..." Arya whispered, reading both her knife and long dark blade. The corpses slowed for a second as if watching. "Not again," Ji growled, "not ever." He looked back at Elya. "Together this time."

Even in finals, I’ve been making sketchys and writing :pp

Did.. did you just place my art's value at $100 or more? Yesn't.

She growled, but pressed the attack. The corpses around them pushed in on Elya as Arya kept swiping at her. She appeared to have some training, but the emotions were making her attacks chaotic and unpredictable. Corpses flew in front of Arya, taking all the bullets for her. A few corpses branched off, charging towards John.

Ji looked unsure for a moment, but nodded anyways. "C'mon!" he yelled to the others, kicking another corpse away. "Let's get out of here." He turned just in time to see Sapphir get beaten down. His eyes widened, dark memories trying to force their way through, but he turned away, continuing to wave for the others. Arya marched her way through the sea of corpses. "You," she seethed at Elya. "You're going to pay." She twirled her knife, then charged at Elya.

Ji cursed, but... didn't summon his blades. He avoided the corpses' grasp, kicking a few and punching some more. Arya growled, pulling out a long knife as she began to approach Elya.