Deal

Nia kept nodding, as if what she was hearing was news to her. She already knew Soul was a blood magic user and that he could open rifts to the Void, an endless nothingness. But she had to act oblivious.

"Are you sure about this?" Nia asked, her voice feigning shock. "This sounds... unbelievable."

"I'm certain," Ayame insisted. "And this other blood mage, the one with silver hair – there's a connection, I just know it. Her name is Soul, too. This isn't a simple coincidence, I'm sure."

Nia sat on her bed, scratching her head. She was a bad liar, so she needed to quickly end the conversation and think of her next move. She wasn't sure about the face she was making; whether she was overreacting or doing the opposite.

She opened her arms both ways, mouth poised to say something, but then she stopped herself. Taking a deep breath, she let her arms fall to her sides.

"Look, Ayame, it's late," Nia said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "We should get some sleep and talk more about this tomorrow."

"Get some sleep? I just told you Soul might be a murderer. A blood mage. A monster." Ayame's voice rose with disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Nia hesitated, her eyes darting around the room. "I just – I don't think he is a blood mage… I think."

"How come you are so sure?" Ayame leaned in, her eyes narrowing.

"Because…"

"Oh, you know something, you dirt," Ayame interrupted, quickly sitting beside Nia and grabbing her arm. "Tell me everything. I'm going to lose my mind if I don't get answers about Soul and his blood magic."

Nia pulled her arm away, shaking her head. "I don't. I really don't."

Ayame's frustration bubbled over. "He resisted your charm. He resisted The Topple's spell. He resisted my teleportation spell. Everyone knows blood mages have incredible resistance against spells. And I saw another silver-haired person – her name was also Soul. She was a blood mage. I am not wrong, Nia. I. Am. Not." She grabbed Nia's cheeks, forcing her to look directly at her. "Tell me if you know anything."

Nia squirmed, trying to escape Ayame's grip. "Just stop! Ugh…"

"Tell me!" Ayame's voice was almost desperate.

"Fine!" Nia blurted out, wrenching free from Ayame's hold. "He is."

"I knew it! I kne –"

A dark, pulsating orb of blood magic floated up from Ayame's clothes, glowing dark red. It hovered for a moment, then descended to the ground, landing softly on the rug and staining it.

In the blink of an eye, Soul appeared in the room, a teleportation spell circle glowing beneath him. His dead-looking eyes swept over the room before he created a rift, shoving Ayame and Nia inside it and then stepped in after them, closing the rift just as quickly.

"What a bother."

In the Void, there were no landmarks or physical structures to delineate space. Instead, it was a featureless expanse, shrouded in darkness that seemed to swallow all light. The ground beneath their feet felt unnaturally smooth, almost as if it were composed of an invisible substance that yielded no resistance to their touch.

The air was thick and heavy, devoid of any sensation or movement, as if time itself had come to a standstill. Strange, indistinct shapes loomed in the distance, their forms constantly shifting and morphing in the darkness.

The trees in the Void were twisted and black, their branches extending like gnarled fingers into the darkness. A viscous, dark substance dripped from their bark, pooling on the ground below.

"Shit, I was right," Ayame exclaimed, her eyes going back and forth around with excitement. "This is the Void. And you are a blood magic user. I knew it!"

"Oh, I'm gonna pass out…" Nia muttered, pressing her hand to her temple. "I'm in the Void. Nierman's tits, I'm in the Void. What the fuck!"

"You killed those students in the bo –"

"Yes," Soul cut Ayame off abruptly. "I killed them."

"Good, good. And you used your blood magic to win the Family Match? In that smoke, I mean."

"Yes, correct."

"And you resisted my teleportation spell on purpose?"

"Yes," Soul confirmed as he paced a tight circle around Ayame. "You sound happy. Not surprised or scared."

"Do I?" Ayame responded.

"Keep that up, and you'll be just fine," Soul advised, turning his back to them. "Because you two will stay here for ten years. The Void erases human memories every ten years. So until you –"

"What?" Nia interrupted, her voice rising with disbelief. "I did nothing wrong! Ayame, too! We are innocents!"

"Do I look like I care whether you are innocent or not?" Soul retorted coldly.

"You can't!" Nia said. "I just talked to your sister. And her nurse, Melissa. They both told me you were a decent guy. They told me you care for them. Why don't you take new people into your life? Why are you such a dick toward everyone but Ruby?"

"Just to be clear," Soul's eyes looked lifeless even further. "I don't give a damn about Ruby. I'm only helping her because I owe her. Until my debt is paid, until I buy her a house and give her enough money, I won't stop. After that – she's nothing to me. Just another nuisance in my life. I wouldn't lift a finger if I were to see her in trouble."

Nia took a step back. "You… you are not real. You can't be this cruel. Why? Why? Why!"

Soul turned to face them, his expression unreadable. "Why, huh? I was locked in the Void. Every ten years, my memories were erased. For 389 years. 389 long years I was trapped here. And the worst part is – after I escaped, I remembered everything. Every person I was. One decade, I was hopeful Soul, not losing faith. One decade, I was sorrowful Soul. One decade I was rebellious Soul. One decade I was the class clown Soul. Everything jumbled together in my brain. I lost my identity."

"Ruby gave you a second chance…" Nia said. "That's not a debt you can pay with money."

"I know." He smiled, sending shivers down Nia's spine. "But do I look like I care?"

Nia and Ayame opened their eyes wide. They didn't know how to react to Soul's almost empty-as-the-Void smile and harsh words. Nia had thought he was just a bit antisocial, but she quickly realized how wrong she had been. He was a monster with no connection to the world, a selfish man who could only think of himself. He was neither hero nor villain. He simply didn't exist in any meaningful way.

She shook her head, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. She refused to believe that someone could be this selfish and cold.

"Just kidding. I'm not a monster. And I love Ruby." Soul said, opening a rift back to their room. "This was just a warning. I hope I scared you enough."

"What?" Nia blinked in confusion.

"Ayame, will you keep it a secret that I'm a blood magic us –"

"Yes!" Ayame launched forward, grabbing his arm in excitement. "Can you use your magic on me? I gotta take notes. How does your power work? You need to open a cut, right?"

"I…" Even Soul was taken aback. "Huh?"

"I won't tell anyone that you're a blood magic user. And you'll let me run some experiments on you. Deal?"

"Sure… as long as you keep it a secret."

'And I thought I was the weird one…' Soul thought, bemused.