Heka was in a bookstore. He stood in front of the door. Before entering, he peeked out of the window and looked for Ansel.
Since Heka didn't see him, he was about to call him to say that he was beside the door. Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Then, he looked back and was surprised. He turned around and saw that the person was Ansel.
He felt there was something weird. At first, he did not hear the sound of footsteps walking. It could be that Ansel was deliberately walking sneakily and silently.
In the second, he didn't hear any sound of people who opened the door. The bookstore was not equipped with an automatic door. So if someone opened it, it would be heard. But he was sure that he didn't hear any sound.
His mind was swirling with a torrent of questions, each one more perplexing than the last. "Is Ansel really human? Why does it seem like he's invisible and could appear anytime in a sudden ?"
The thought lingered stubbornly, refusing to be dismissed. There was something otherworldly about him. An elusive quality that made him seem almost invisible
Ansel's presence was magnetic. As he greeted Heka with a wide, genuine smile, he reached out and took Heka's hand firmly but warmly. "Come in!!!" He said, his voice bubbling with enthusiasm.
Without a word, Heka followed. His curiosity was a silent companion, urging him forward even as caution whispered in the back of his mind. There was something about Ansel that defied explanation. Something strikingly different from anyone Heka had ever met.
Heka's gaze was drawn irresistibly to Ansel's eyes.
He remembered vividly the first time he had seen Ansel, lying pale and fragile in the hospital bed. Back then, his eyes were a warm, earthy brown, steady and human. But that memory clashed with the strange changes that followed.
At the Japanese restaurant, Ansel's eyes had transformed into a piercing blue, like shards of ice reflecting a hidden storm.
And now, standing here in the quiet sanctuary of the bookstore, Ansel's eyes were a soft, enigmatic gray, like the mist that blurs the line between night and day, reality and dream.
Therefore, he had thought that Ansel was wearing a contact lens. But, that assumption was completely useless, and it seemed Ansel clearly didn't use contact lenses at all. Right now, in the room, the color of his eyes has turned brown.
From the very beginning, he hadn't really paid much attention to the color of Ansel's eyes. At first, it was just a fleeting glance, something incidental, almost accidental.
Now, things were different. He no longer just glanced at Ansel's eyes; he studied them intently, almost obsessively. It was as if the eyes themselves were alive, changing hues like the sky at dusk or the shifting tides of the ocean.
"Am I rambling? Why does his eye color seem to change every day ? Or is something wrong with my eyes? Or is this the fact that he has eyes that can change at any time?" He wondered silently, a knot of confusion tightening in his mind. His thoughts trailed off, swallowed by a growing unease.
He struggled to find the right words to describe what he felt. Ansel was unlike anyone he had ever met. An enigma wrapped in layers of shifting colors and silent secrets. It was a journey into the unknown, and he was both terrified and exhilarated to take the first step.
Then Ansel reached for a book from the shelf, its worn spine creaking softly as he pulled it free. Leaning close, he lowered his voice to a whisper, careful to keep the quiet sanctity of the bookstore intact.
"Heka... Since we are in a bookstore, I'll speak quietly," he said with a gentle smile, his breath warm against Heka's ear.
Ansel explained in long words and in more detail about what things could cure Heka at all. Heka listened intently, his mind trying to grasp the unfamiliar terms and concepts. His attention sharpened on certain words. The words sent a chill through him.
I told Grandpa," Ansel said quietly, "and he agreed to help you. He will use Soul Delivery." He paused, watching Heka's reaction closely. "He said if you want Soul Delivery, it's better to start as soon as possible, maybe next week. Have you heard of Soul Delivery before?"
Heka's voice was steady, but firm. "Not yet, this is the first time I've heard that word."
Ansel nodded, as if expecting the answer. "Soul Delivery is the best way of healing than others. After that, you will definitely recover completely. And you will no longer have trouble sleeping."
There was a pause. Ansel took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slowly. It was as if he wanted to say something more, something heavy, but he held it back for a moment.
Then, with a quiet gravity, he continued. "Soul Delivery, you will receive the souls of the dead person. It is from Lexus. Lexus will bring the souls of the dead person to you."
The word was too terrible for Heka. Heka's voice trembled as he asked, "The soul of the dead person. Do you mean we have to kill first?"
Ansel's eyes darkened with a mixture of sorrow and resolve. "Of course not." said Ansel, with a little laugh. Quiet enough to blend with the stillness of the bookstore.
Perhaps he was aware of the sacred silence that surrounded them, knowing he couldn't afford to laugh out loud here. The sound was more like a gentle breath, a fleeting warmth in the cool air.
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a hushed tone as if sharing a secret meant only for Heka. "We don't have to kill anyone, so you just take it easy. All you have to do is stay silent in a room and wait for Lexus to come and give you a Soul Delivery. Then, Lexus will enter the soul into your body and your soul will be reborn."
The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. For Heka, the process seemed straightforward, quiet, patient, and hopeful. But Ansel's expression shifted subtly, as if there was more beneath the surface, something important that needed to be understood.
"Heka, do you understand Soul Delivery?" Ansel asked gently.
Heka nodded firmly, his mind grasping the concept as Ansel had explained it. There was no confusion, only a growing sense of anticipation mixed with a hint of apprehension.
Ansel's eyes softened with relief, and he resumed his explanation. "Soul Delivery doesn't just come. There are two conditions that must be owned. But if you don't have that condition, you won't be able to accept Soul Delivery."
Ansel stopped, and he turned his gaze the other way. It made Heka feel annoyed and bored. What Heka hoped for was that he was frank and threw it all away, not disjointed.
Heka's eyes locked onto Ansel's, a silent urgency urging him to continue. "What are they?"
Ansel returned to him with a sad look. It was clear that the conditions for accepting Soul Delivery were not easy. he asked, his voice barely above a whisper but filled with a desperate need to know.
"The first condition that you have is going through the level of spiritual awakening. It looks like you already have that." Ansel said in a very low, steady but firm. "Then, for the second condition… you have to be half dying." His words came out in a low, almost broken tone.