Mystic Syn

Ji sighed, laying back in his cot with his head in his hands, looking at the crumbling ceiling. "What's there to say?" he said with a shrug. "I grew up here, near the Center. Mom and Da took care of me well, except they never really noticed me, because middle child. They mostly looked after my sisters, especially since the Pacis was doubling down on their capturing Mystics; they only wanted to make sure that their girls weren't taken away, even though they were Mystics. Back then, we didn't know that I was one, but every single one of my sisters were one; all Lifegivers, if I remember correctly. They kept their eye on them most of the time, making sure that they weren't accidentally showing their powers in public, yadi-yada. "Even though I didn't know I was a Mystic, my family still loved me. They still took care of me. I just... had more freedom." His eyes followed a small crack in the ceiling, leading off to the right. "We were just a normal family, living life. Though we had to make sure my sisters didn't show their powers, we were as normal as they could come. Yeah, we fought and occasionally told each other that we hated each other, but in the end, they had my back and I had theirs." Ji stopped following the cracks, instead looking directly above him, his voice lowering to a whisper. "It was a normal day when she attacked. We were eating dinner, actually; rice with chicken gravy. Something crashed into our upstairs, and Da immediately went to check it out. He was a Deathgranter and could fight somewhat. Ma took my sisters and I to separate hiding places we'd planned out before, and they only placed me in the closet in the living room, as... well, if the Pacis found me and did their whatever, they would know that I wasn't a Mystic and would most likely leave." His expression and voice grew soft, something one would never expect from a person like him. "I remember Ma hugging me tight. I didn't understand, but she told me that she loved me... so much. No matter who I was or what powers I never got. She kissed me on the forehead. I asked what was going on, but she only said that everything was going to be alright and that I had nothing to worry about. She told me that Da was the seeker and everyone else was going to hide, and she reminded me to stay quiet so he wouldn't be able to find me. I obeyed, because who wouldn't obey their mother? She closed the door, leaving it cracked for me to breathe, and I did as I was told. "Except... after hearing so many noises, I couldn't handle it and looked out the cracked door." Unwanted and untold emotion came into his eyes. For the first time in forever, his voice shook. "She had them lined up, except that she already killed my father. His body was on the floor right by her feet. I still remember how fragrant the blood was. All of my sisters held on to each other, not far away from Mom, who stood as a shield over them. Anyways, the Angel asked where I was, 'cus I don't know how she knew. Ma said that I didn't exist, that she must have gotten her information wrong, that the family members in front of her were the only ones in the house. She called her a liar and... killed her, by a slash to the throat. Before Mom died, she fell and inched her way to Da, managing to hold his hand as she passed. "The Angel, not even giving a Lightn' care, turned to my sisters, who I remember being horrified. I couldn't see their faces, but I knew they were crying. The Angel looked disconnected, but she again asked where I was, and... Ko'ad bless them, they didn't give it to her, and..." Ji turned away from Elya, not letting her see the unnecessary tears roll down his cheeks. "Well, you know," he said, his voice shaking. "Anyways, she went into the other rooms, looking for me, but couldn't find me. It wasn't until I made the mistake of crying out for Mom, Da, and my sisters. She came in, darkness following it seemed like, and she opened the closet to where I was. A silver blade somehow appeared in her hand, and she raised it, but she didn't bring it down on me. It fell from her hands and disappeared, and she looked at me in disbelief, but shook her head. "'You suffered enough,' she told me, in a voice that wasn't hers. She then left without saying anything else to me." Ji quickly wiped his eyes, then looked back at Elya, his scowl returned. "You can figure out what happened next," he grunted. "Homeless, no family, went to the slums, figured out that I was a Mystic, and here we are."

"My past in general, or just involving her?"

"I'm not scared of her," he insisted, turning his nose up towards her. Ji furrowed his brow, raising an eyebrow. "A past, then?"

"Usually," Ji said, facing Elya, "when people get hurt, there is a good chance that they would want the person who hurt them to hurt, or to feel something like what the attacker made them go through." The cold came back into his eyes as he stared at her. "Are you just scared of her? And don't think about lying to me, 'cus I've seen you flinch and twitch when her name is mentioned."

He regarded the scar, sympathy showing in his usually cold blue eyes. "Beyond the point of vengeance?"

"Hmph," he said in agreement. Ji propped himself on his arm, looking towards Elya. "What did she do to you?" he asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"When you live in the slums for a good portion of your life," he said, waving a hand in the air, "you hear and see weirder things."

"It's like you got eyes on the back of your head," he whispered, but moved back in bed.

Ji sat up carefully, mumbling quietly to himself as he scratched the back of his head. He gave Elya a wary glance, cautiously moving to get up from his cot.

Ji mumbled something about his mother and angels, before giving in and falling asleep.

"Fine," Ji growled, his veins glowing brightly in response. Ghostly blades appeared behind him, arched towards Elya. But when he placed his weight on his wounded leg, Ji felt it buckle underneath him. "Timber," he said, promptly collapsing as his vision and blades gave out on him.

"You think I'm just going to kill her? After all she took from me?" he said, eventually settling down as pain kept shooting up his leg. "I'm going to make her go through every single ounce of pain she made me go through, and I'm not just talking about with fighting." Ji stared her right in the eye. "I can take her. I'm not that boy she met years ago. I can do it."

"I'll be fine. She won't be," Ji said, ignoring Elya's tone. A glare set in as he looked at Elya. "She needs to pay. She needs to know."

"You don't understand." Hatred bled from his eyes as he fought against her, grimacing slightly at moving his leg, but the hatred bled through. "It was her. I recognize the Angel's eyes from anywhere."

"Yeah, they looked like..." He trailed off, his eyes focusing, piecing together his memory through the muddled thoughts. Ji shot up from his laying position, cursing. "It was her," Ji said, his voice rising a bit. He moved to get out of bed.

"Yes, Mom," Ji muttered, waving her away as the glowing subsided. "Plenty of food, water, rest, yadi-yada." He muttered something along the lines of either: "Dimlight," or "I hate you." Ji rubbed his eyes with two fingers. "After the whatever we did," he said in very specific terms, "was I the only one who saw a shadowy person in the highways above the thingy?"

Ji growled as Elya stitched his leg, clenching the cot beneath him tightly. His veins glowed softly as he managed to pull off a glare at Raviid. "Verim," he snarled, "the Pacis' blood isn't going to be the only blood I spill today if you keep that up."

Ji glared at her, his veins flickering, before going out as he laid his head back. "Fine, whatever," he mumbled. "Not like I have a choice."

"Sleep now, argue with mom later," he muttered as he batted Elya away––though very weakly––and limped over to a cot, collapsing on it and curling up.