11.2 — THE SOURCE

ELEVEN PART II

"Human," it said, voice reverberating around, sounding more ethereal. Definitely not the Priestess. "Such a weak, fickle thing."

He snorted at the insult.

A little bit like her, then.

"Who are you?" Kaizo bit back a groan as pain shot through his ribcage. "W-Where's the Priestess?"

"Who . . . am . . . I? Who am I?" It melodiously drawled as if the question was as much as a huge joke, gaze flitting down to his midriff. "Take a guess, human." Its crazy smile never waning as it flicked hard at his aching left side.

Kaizo bit down the hissed in his throat, teeth gritting and jaw clenching so tight he briefly forgot to breathe.

"As I said, weakling."

A seething glare was all he could manage to respond. He wasn't dumb enough not to surmise it all. Whoever he was talking to and was currently taking reign of their country's Priestess body, it sure was some kind of entity his mere prowess could handle.

"Feisty yet nonbelligerent, but weakling nonetheless," it added as if inspecting a specimen.

Kaizo almost wanted to scoff at its face, but kept it down. "Only because I don't want to hurt her."

Its grin widened. Then it chuckled. The chuckled then died down to a sweet smile.

Kaizo gulped, looking anywhere but her. As much as he'd like to think it wasn't actually the Priestess doing so, his traitor damn heart did a merry somersault in his chest. Damn it! He better ingrained it thoroughly in his mind that she would never ever do that. Sadistic and sarcastic smiles, she could, aced it even. But a genuine one? Nah. He'd eat a dozen bottle of pickles if so.

"You're adorable."

Heat crept up into his ears as he glared profusely. "I'm glad you find my state adorable. Maybe when I'm barely alive in an hour or two you'd find me charming then . . . dashing even." Sarcasm laced his words but Kaizo didn't bother correcting it.

To his surprised, it laughed heartily at his reaction, hand wiping the corners of its eyes. "Oh, I've changed my mind!" It managed to say in between laughter. "I like you now, human!"

"I'm afraid I can't reciprocate the feeling."

It burst out laughing again, and Kaizo had no choice but to wait until it finally calmed down. "Oh, barnacle beans, I've never got a good laugh like this before─well, except for that time when this silly girl begged me to save those part of her previous life. Utterly nonsense if you'd ask me, but I do her favor, anywa─oh, I have a brilliant idea!" it exclaimed snapping its fingers enthusiastically. "A perfect one!"

It eyed him up and down, mumbling under its breath all the while he remained confused at the sudden shift from its psychotic, serial-killing personality to a mirthful, nosy one. Was it too much to ask to revert itself back to its former bearing? Because he'd sure as hell didn't like the mad glint of glee it was presenting.

"You are to be this silly girl's Source, human. You certainly are qualified for this!"

Whew! And here he thought it'd be more grueling─hold that thought there!

"What did you just say?" Kaizo had all but exclaimed right into its face.

Wiping the spittle on its face, it frowned at him. "I just said you'll be my vessel's Source. Deaf, aren't you?"

Vessel's Source . . . This malignant persona before him starting to sound like those ones he'd know of in their history.

"I'm bloody damn knowledgeable what a Source is."

"Excellent! You just save my breath there."

"And you expect me to accept it without hesitation?" Kaizo rasped out, noting the subtle shift in the atmosphere as it finally dropped its smile. "You must be in need of tinkering there." He eyed its head. "I'd rather be executed than be one."

A calculating silence ensued.

"Impressive. Foolish, but impressive nonetheless," it drawled stoically. "Killing you isn't a feat, human. Finding one like you is." Its brow knitted together, eyes squinting. "Though it truly perplex me why. Such opportunity doesn't always fall straight out from the Heaven's Will for everyone. But you . . . you just right out refuse it. The least I'd expected from you is to feel honored."

Had the proposition happened in an entirely different situation, Kaizo probably would be. After all, to be chosen as a Source was one of the vital reason why Romulus bloodline existed for. It's the duty that fell upon second born children of their household─to be the lifeblood for greater good. He cringed at the exact line his father and his predecessors taught him.

Qualms─he didn't have any. He'd prepared himself for this possibility all of his life. His deceased father would be extremely thrilled had he knew that such opportunity finally came during his son's time. Something that didn't happen for their last four generation. Something Kaizo didn't expect would fall upon him.

Kaizo's lips thinned into a straight line. "How about her? Aren't you a bit concern if she'll coincide with this? She hates me. You should know that more than anyone else."

"And so?"

He must've heard it wrong, didn't he? It didn't just dismiss the serious matter as if it was flat out inconsequential to begin with, did it?

Aghast to utter another word, Kaizo simply listened as it went on again void with emotion.

"As much as I admire your thoughtfulness; you're foolishness also astound me, human."

Kaizo's nose scrunched. The plethora of colorful insults he had been receiving for the last minutes had him thinking if he was really talking to some ancient entity or the Priestess herself; certain they both had the same way for words.  Or maybe the latter had gotten it from the former?

"Whatever we want doesn't have anything to do with our vessels will. They might be a figure of great importance for you mortals, but to us they're not. They're merely empty shells housing divinities' will and purpose. Their input doesn't matter. None of you does."

His hands balled into a fist. Its' statement royally ticked him off to edge.

Was that the full extent of relinquishing their past for serving the gods? Just like how the Priestess told Tauriel that night? Renouncing their freedom and will?

A nasty bile seemed to bubble up in his throat. The thought made him queasy.

"And she hates you? Doesn't matter," it dismissed with a sway of a hand. "She'll wither away in a matter of time without a Source to invigorate her. But her purpose would be over and done before then," it said with a shrug of shoulders as if offering a great consolation.

"Shut up."

"A waste, but such is life. All mortal forms eventually ended up there─death."

"I said, shut up!"

Vines of shadows whipped forth at the smirking entity. Yet before it touched the Priestess face, Kaizo caught himself up and willed it to veer a millimeter over the shoulders, grazing the brass epaulet. He caught his breath in his throat as his wide eyes lingered at the kitchen wall behind where the shadows impaled themselves instead.

The entity guffawed promptly at his antics, slapping its knees while the other shot up to dry the tears shimmering the corner of the eyes. "Oh you should have seen your face there, human! You're so . . ." it paused, eyes flitting above before laughing uncontrollably again.

Shadows receding beneath his still aching body, Kaizo was about to give it a piece of his mind when it beat him to it as it glanced outside with a small sheepish smile.

"Regretfully though, I'd been out here long enough." Turning to look at him, it continued, "It's a pleasure playing with you, human. Next time greet me better with all you've got, eh?"

"There's no more next time, I'm afraid," Kaizo gritted out, but it only grinned at him.

"Never underestimate the Fates, human. Not me, at least." The white in the Priestess's eyes slowly started to return while the blacks crept back to the pupils as it said those words. "So long."

As the Priestess' amber eyes reverted to normal, the overbearing presence vanished as if it never had been there to begin with. Life crept back upon the Priestess' face and for a brief second, Kaizo thought she'd snap at him for what he had done before all this mess happened.

"You're . . . alive."

Was Kaizo dreaming or that was genuine relief he picked up there?

"Praise the gods," the Priestess last wheezy words before collapsing straight into him, earning a loud groan and curse at the electrifying pain shooting in every corner of his body brought about by his attained injuries.

"Damn it!"

Somebody just kill him now.

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