Soul & Blood

     7th Era, 203.

Losing their sense of identity is the worst thing that could happen to a person. Those who lose their essence – whose emotions are manipulated and whose goals and desires are played with like clay, resemble wounded stray animals with no salvation: They don't know what tomorrow will bring, and they are tossed wherever the wind blows. 

As I was waiting in the line, a blue-haired girl caught my eye. She was maybe two or three years older than me. I felt like I've seen her before – but to no avail, I couldn't seem to remember her.

In the smudged windows, I could see my reflection between two students. My half-open eyes devoid of any emotion and my monotonous dull face was in harmony. I wasn't ugly, nor was I handsome. I was just some ordinary student of magic trying his best to survive in this harsh city.

"Goddess of Beauty, Dierman," Professor Yuu announced with a smile, "has blessed you with her power, Lore."

"Yes!" Lore jumped into the air, her excitement noticeable. "Thank you, Sir!"

"Thank your Goddess, not me," he replied, still smiling. "Next in line, please."

We were in a rather dusty and small library. Dead plants' yellowish ivies partly covered the only window in the room. To this day, I still have no idea where the ivies were coming from though; I suspect they were created with some sort of magic attached to them – magic that helps the students by calming them.

The next student stepped forward.

"Hello, Professor Yuu. It's an honor, sir." She bowed elegantly. "I'm Ayame Katto."

"Another Japanese student!" He chuckled. "How lucky of me. Now, get closer, Ayame. I'm going to see which god blessed you."

"Yes, Sir."

The professor placed his hands on her shoulders, closed his eyes, and waited. A crimson light enveloped Ayame's body, then slowly faded. A parchment materialized in the air as Professor Yuu opened his eyes.

"Mm," Professor Yuu took the parchment and read it aloud. "Ur, God of Life and Death. What a god to be blessed with, eh?"

"Quite, Sir. Thank you." Ayame stepped back, a sense of pride in her expression.

"Thank you, Ayame. Now, next in line, please."

The blue-haired girl moved quickly to the front, her steps sharp. She bowed with a quick, almost impatient motion. 

"Hello, Sir. I'm Nia Katav. It's an honor." Her tone was sharp, almost challenging.

"Hello, Nia. Now get closer, I'm going to see which god blessed you." Professor Yuu's voice was gentle, trying to ease her tension.

"Yes, Sir." Nia stepped closer, her movements stiff.

The process repeated, but this time, her body glowed with a very light purple light. It was so intense I had to shield my eyes. The power radiating from her was overwhelming.

"Wow," Professor Yuu rubbed his chin. "Goddess of Lust, Nierman."

"What?" Nia's calm demeanor shattered, and she ruffled her hair in frustration. "Please check again, Sir. It can't be!"

"Now, now, dear Nia. Millions of students would want to be in your shoes right now. Nierman is very selective. She only chooses those she believes can spread her name throughout Gum'n. Count yourself lucky."

"I…" She gritted her teeth. "Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir…"

"Don't be upset. She is one of the most powerful gods out there." He reassured her. "Now, next in line, please."

Nia walked out of the room, head down and eyes half-closed. Poor girl.

The next student in line stepped forward. He was probably the tallest one in the library, maybe 6'4. He towered over Professor Yuu.

"Hello, Sir!" His voice was full of excitement. "As soon as I hit sixteen, I enrolled in this Academy. It sucks that we have to wait until sixteen to get checked."

"Y-yes." Professor Yuu was caught off guard by the student's energy. "You are right, young man."

"Oh, shi – I mean, oh, crap. I'm sorry, Sir. It's an honor to meet you." He corrected himself quickly.

The professor chuckled. "It's okay. Don't worry. What is your name?"

"Ran Hyun-Ki. My elder sister is a teacher here."

"Oh, Ms. Ran, huh?" Professor Yuu placed his hand on Hyun-Ki's shoulder. "Let's see if you are blessed by Ur, like your sister…"

The parchment materialized again. Professor Yuu took it, narrowed his eyes, and read aloud.

"Goddess of Wisdom, Minra."

"Yes!" Hyun-Ki threw his hands up in happiness. "Thank you, Sir. I've got to tell my friends about this. May I?"

"Okay, young man." Professor Yuu said. "You go do that, I can understand your excitement, since I was in your shoes once."

Well – it was my turn. Even though I knew how this was all going to go, I had to act oblivious.

"Hello, Sir." I stepped forward and bowed. "I'm Soul."

"Hello, Soul. What is your surname, if I may ask?"

"Just Soul, Sir."

"Oh… okay. It's weird, isn't it? Why don't you have a surname?"

"I was born into a tribe. We are all called Soul there. We don't have surnames."

"Huh… okay." He looked at me for about five seconds before continuing. "Now, come a bit closer, Soul. I'll check which god blessed you."

He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I closed my eyes, counting to ten. The pain was unbearable. I felt like screaming and running aimlessly until it stopped.

"Mm…" There wasn't any parchment. The professor looked uncertain. "Yes, a god blessed you. But I can't feel their powers in you. They were probably one of the lesser gods."

"Lesser gods…" I repeated in a deadpan tone. "Okay. Thank you, Sir."

"Hey, check it out," said the guy behind me.

As I turned around, I noticed the unmistakable heat and the crackling sound. My long coat was on fire! The student behind me must have used fire magic and actually lit me on fire. Where was I, in an asylum?

I quickly tried to put out the fire with my hands, but it wasn't enough. The flames spread faster than I anticipated.

The blue-haired girl from earlier stepped into the room and whispered something. A wave of 'S' shaped water spell emerged from her fingers, splashing me like a whip. It hurt like hell, but at least I was alive. She managed to extinguish the fire successfully.

"Why didn't you use a water spell?" demanded the boy who lit me on fire. "Are you dumb? Are you trying to get me expelled from the school?"

"I can't use water magic," I replied, my voice monotone.

"What? It's magic 101, you dumbass! Water, fire, air, and earth."

"Enough." Professor Yuu held his magic staff and mumbled something. "I want no fighting in here."

Little spiders appeared from beneath the cracks of the wooden floor, crawling onto me. They weren't ordinary spiders; each one carried a thin thread in its mouth, leaving behind a trail of iridescent silk as it moved.

"This should do it," said Professor Yuu. "Sorry for the trouble, Soul."

The spiders repaired my burnt coat and then disappeared in an instant. I still wondered by which god Professor Yuu had been blessed, though. Apparently, no one knew, not even his daughters.

"Oi," the idiot who lit me on fire grabbed my arm tightly. "Don't get in my way again."

"Hmm…" I grumbled. "I won't."

I walked toward the door, averting my eyes from that weird bully. There, the blue-haired girl was waiting for me. 

"Thanks for saving me."

'Gods… now I remember her.'

She was the girl that nearly died in that goblin attack a couple months back. I was there too, resting in an inn after completing a contract for the Guild. The whole goblin attack was just – it was a bloodshed. The village was taken hostage by those little green creatures for two days. Countless women were raped, childeren were killed, men were tortured.

I didn't help them; helping them wouldn't have made any difference anyway. I was lucky enough to hide in a shed that was abandoned.

And plus, I couldn't risk losing the artifact…

If someone had to save those people by risking their neck, why would that be me? Like every commoner – every sane person would've done in that situation, I let the authorities handle the attack. Being a hero is… not my thing and never will be.

The villagers' deaths wasn't my fault. My conscience is still as pure as Sirenar's mercy.

"I remember your face, Soul. You were in that village, weren't you?"

"No."

She sighed in disappointment.

"Now I know why you didn't help the villages." she turned her back to me. "You are weak."

"That I am."

"And you have no shame."

"That I don't."

"Maybe I should've let you burn."

"That you should've."

"One more sarcastic sentence comes out of your dull mouth – you are done for, Soul." she was angry. Clenching her fist, brows furrowed.

Had to keep a low profile, couldn't risk sticking out too much. I hate unwanted attention like all people.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Oh, things are getting red there I see." Professor Yuu started to play with his beard. "How about a friendly competition?"

"I refuse," I said, eyes shut.

"I shall accept it," she countered, "I'd like to battle him."

"But sorry, Nia, that's not possible." Professor Yuu explained. "If he isn't willing to participate in the battle, I can't let you two enter the arena."

"Good day, Nia." I walked away before my sentence ended.

"Hey, stop running away from a fight like a coward." She stood in front of me. "Be a man!"

"I'd rather not. Thank you."

I sat down on a bench, sighed from exhaustion. Behind me, there was a frozen pond; and near that pond, a small burnt out cabin caught my attention. A mother cat was feeding her only kitten inside it. They both were skinny and had sad eyes, poor souls.

I stopped looking at the cabin and turned my head to the boys' dormitory. It was a five floor hotel-like structure that had lots of empty rooms. It felt weird to see a once blooming school like this – now… gone. In Gum'n, learning magic and its history was banned by high elves. We were under their reign for 5 years now.

When our empire was invaded by Sultan Khar, high elves helped us reclaim what was ours. But we failed to see the real threat that was in front of us all this time: The long eared bastards. They manipulated the nobles, infiltrated the king's rankings and forced us into submission. Our empire were weakened; we had no manpower because of the constant battles with Khar. Had we tried to counter them, it'd have been a nightmare. Morale was low, men were weak and supplies were depleted.

"Demon Queen." I said, feeling the artifact in my pocket with my index finger. "Do I really have to take a human life?"

Dense trees' branches were dancing along with the strong wind. It was snowy, cold and at the same time – warm. It's hard to describe, but nights like these always remind me of my step-sister. Her cute smile was the warmest thing in the world. But behind that smile, I could sense her cold sadness eating her up to the core.

"Wait for your brother…" I muttered to myself, squeezing the artifact. "Just wait."

The guy who set my coat on fire, along with his four lackeys, approached me. They all wore smug grins, the kind that said, 'We're stronger than you, and we know it.'

"Yo, retard." He cast a basic fire spell on his right palm and illuminated the vicinity. "How's the day treating ya?"

"I've been good. Thanks." I replied with a boring voice. "I'd like to be alone if that's possible."

"Don't test me, boy. I'll mess you up if you do."

'What did I even say to anger you...'

"Hmm." I got up. "I don't want any trouble. Please, just go."

"Go? Are you mocking me?" 

He shoved me and I stumbled backward, hitting the bench and falling down onto the muddy ground. There was no one near us, that meant no one would be able to see if they were to just… drop dead and simply disappear. 

'Yes, I think they'd do just fine, Ruby.'

After standing up, I adjusted my hair and let out a sigh. This seemed to anger the fool who had set me on fire, because his eyes widened and his fire spell intensified.

"Running from a fight," he sneered, "and what worse is – running from a damned woman, huh?"

"Nia is strong, though. She defended that village with the guards."

"Sorry I can't – I can't remember." The fire in his palms disappeared and he punched me in the guts. "I can't remember if I gave you the permission to speak, boy."

I put my right knee on the ground and groaned in pain. Son of a bitch got a helluva right hook. What was the last time I was punched, ten years ago? 

He pulled my silver hair back and forcefully made me look at him. 

"I heard you have a little sister. Mind if I have some fu..."

Suddenly, black branches rose under the ground and wrapped themselves around the five idiots' necks. They were all surprised, I could sense their anger disappearing into fear with every second.

"What is this?" asked the short one.

"Release me! I order you to re…"

The branches tightened around their necks, making grotesque sounds as they kept constricting. Their faces turned a sickly purple, eyes bulging as if they might burst from their sockets at any second. With a force, I severed their heads, making the branches squeezing even tighter. Blood sprayed into the air, defying gravity, as life drained from their bodies.

Just like that, in mere seconds, five of them were gone, lying on the cold ground.

With a flick of my finger, all the blood in their bodies fused together like a ball and sat on top of my palm. I saw my reflection on the dark red blood for a brief second; I wasn't happy, nor sad. Just empty.

Branches with black goo dripping from them slowly retreated where they came from. And the blood that was sitting on top of my palm started to enter my body through my eyes.

"Don't talk about my sister, filth."

The triangular artifact in my pocket emitted an ear-piercing noise that felt like it would make my ears bleed and knock me unconscious. Thankfully, neither happened; the noise eventually softened, likely because my ears had adjusted to it.

"Mortal," said an intimidating voice inside my head, "you have finally taken a life and filled me with enough souls. I congratulate you."

"Demon Queen Lilith." I kneeled and put the triangle artifact on the bench. Some sort of smoke was coming out of the thing. "Thank you for hearing me." 

Suddenly, all the stars in the sky opened their veiny eyes and looked at me as if they wanted to kill me. The crows started to caw like they were in immense pain. Two cats in the cabin hissed as if they were seeing monsters beyond their comprehension. I was no longer in Gum'n, I could feel it in my bones.

The smoke coming out of the artifact became stronger. So strong that I actually went blind for a few seconds. The only thing I was able to see was my nose and the snowy ground.

The ear-piercing sound stopped. When I lifted my head, I saw Demon Queen Lilith standing in front me, looking at her surroundings with disgust. 

She was wearing a gray dress with red high heels. Her curly and long hair was the same color as her sharp eyes, black like an endless void. I thought she'd have like – like a thorn sticking out of her head or something. I didn't think she'd look… I don't know, like a human.

"You, mortal, woke me up from my eternal sleep. Aren't you a human? Why would you wake a demon up?"

"Demon Queen Lilith," I said, "I'd like a reward for resurrecting you."

"Oh?" she got closer to me. "What is it that you want? Unlimited power? Knowledge? Richness? Wenches?"

"A High-Priestess in this country put a curse on my little sister. I'd like you to cure her… please."

"Cure your sister? Is that it?" she sounded surprised. 

"Yes."

"Then I shall kill you. And give your life to your sist…"

"I accept it." I nodded. "Please look after my sister, she's in the KCO Hospital nearby. Her name is also Soul. Soul Ruby. And please… make it painless."

"Are you even listening, mortal? Your sister can keep on living even with a curse."

"I – I know. But I'm the older brother. She's my responsibility. I have to do it."

"Very well then. Get ready, I shall grant you your wish."

"Thank you, ma'am."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Well, I thought I'd live for at least twenty years, though. Was my life good? No, I wouldn't say that. Was it bad? No. It was – normal. Ordinary. I didn't fall in love, I didn't make any friends, I didn't laugh or cry. Wow… I'm super boring, huh? 

"Or rather…"

She put her index finger under my chin and made me look at her beautiful face. I'm not going to lie, it was my first time being close to a woman. My heart was racing.

"I like your eyes, Soul," she said, "your eyes remind me of my dead cat. They are cute. And your aura? Something is – off."

I didn't say anything back. A dead cat? That's a new low for me.

"I'll cure your sister. But I do want something from you, too."

"I accept whatever that is."

Queen Lilith leaned forward and pressed her forehead against mine. I thought I was about to get lost in the blackness of her eyes.

"Become my champion." she had a frightening smile on her beautiful face. "You and I… We will kill all the fucking degenerate worthless beings that call themselves gods. The false gods."