Was Kai going mad?
Because no matter how he looked at it, he was the only one seeing it; or rather not seeing it.
How the hell could a gigantic statue such as the one he saw mere moments ago just....disappear?
Kai turned his head around, hoping someone was reacting; that he wasn't the only one experiencing this ridiculous thing. But no. Everyone was going about their normal routine. It almost seemed to him like he was the one that had disappeared.
What the hell?
[Ma....kai Do]
Kai's head turned at lightning speed. The mana that he was feeling- there was no doubt about it.
It wasn't human.
He inhaled before unsheathing one of his swords, eyes fixed on where the statue was supposed to be. He exhaled sharply, putting his leg down in the inner conduit.
Energy hummed in his veins. He saw the priest from the corner of his eyes. There was no mistaking it. They couldn't see him.
Or rather, this wasn't happening in real time.
There were two possibilities-
One, this wasn't actually happening and he was imagining it.
Two, this was happening inside his mind.
And if Kai was being honest, it was both. No human is capable of such a powerful display of mana. That only left one option.
Gods.
[Malakai….]
He exhaled, grabbing the hilt stronger.
"Who am I talking to?" Kai asked, his sound resounding to his ears.
There was a steady increase in mana then. Like it had entirely engulfed him. All Kai had to do was release his own. Maybe they would counteract. Maybe it would destroy the whole building.
[#$@!%^&#....defy]
Kai sighed exasperatedly. "That is not a language I understand."
Mana rose fumingly.
"You can get angry all you want. But it's true I can't hear you nor understand you." Kai shrugged.
He felt a static in the air in front of him before mist developed out of thin air, wrapping itself around him. His eyes wandered around, body not moving an inch.
He couldn't see anything before him anymore but that didn't mean it would make him vulnerable. Kai closed his eyes, releasing a long breath. His ears perked, senses tingling.
The front? No.
The back?
No.
From above!
Kai's sword clashed with tremendous strength against something midair above his head. His feet buckled against the ground, the marbles cracking and caving in. Kai grunted, clenching his teeth, eyes falling at the thing that scratched against his sword.
What the hell was that? A sword? No. It's too thin.
Kai didn't wait to figure it out. He pushed the sword with two hands now, mana bursting through his finger tips.
Whatever made him think he could stand his ground without mana against a god.
His sword twisted in his arms and snapped forward, cutting through whatever was above him. The blade met resistance for a moment before it broke free and pulled Kai along with it. Kai's mana curved along with his blade slamming itself into the ground back. It was a clean arc.
An almost too clean arc. The mist distorted violently, mana surging around him in an enraged clutter. Kai tasted the metallic stench of blood in the air before he registered the cut on his cheek.
"-Tch. It's fast." Kai clicked his tongue, already turning around, his blade slashing a fleeting opening.
He pivoted at the prickle he felt behind him, slashing the same thing again sideways with lesser resistance than before.
He paused at that, scoffing. He wasn't slashing it-no. The thing was withdrawing, changing its shape.
"Show yourself, you coward!" Kai screamed. He let his mana surge a little more, rawer and more uncontrolled this time.
"Or I will tear this place apart until you have nowhere else to run to."
The air cracked.
So it can understand him.
[You...will….@#$]
Kai's face scrunched. "I will what?"
Mana hit his face with a larger force as if it was screaming at him.
Kai grinned this time, crazily unhinged.
[Malakai...mie, you will die again...@#%$%]
Kai's jaw clenched, breath hitching. "What is that-"
[By my hands...this time.]
Kai's breath turned sharp, pressure forcing him to the ground. Unparalleled pressure, almost like what he felt when he met Cezne in his previous life.
So this is what you think I am?
Kai's fingers twitched against the ground before curling hard. Was it fear that he felt? Fear of truth? Fear of others' death?
Fear of his own death?
No. There was no way.
Like it said.
He had already died before. If death had scared him, he wouldn't have survived his childhood.
Fear of death?
Don't make me laugh.
"…Again?" he rasped, scoffing.
His mana snapped. It wasn't a surge. It snapped. It tore out of him in a violent burst, jagged and uncontrolled, ripping against the pressure like a blade with no direction but forward.
"No."
The word came low.
Dangerous.
The ground beneath him cracked further as he forced himself up, muscles straining, resisting every inch of that weight.
"You will have to try harder than this for that."
"So if you're planning to try," His mana flared again, colliding head-on with the force pinning him down. ",you better do it properly-"
His head lifted, eyes cutting through the mist with something feral.
"Moira."
For a single moment everything froze. The pressure. The mist. The presence.
Then it was pulled back. All of it. Ripped away in an instant like it had never been there.
Kai staggered forward, air slamming into his lungs as if the world had gone back to its right place.
He could hear footsteps and voices. His knee hit the ground.
He was back at the church.
The priest flinched, staring at him. Kai stayed there for a second, breathing heavier than he should've been. His hand pressed against the marble. There was no crack.
Was it not real?
He touched his cheek before drawing his fingers out to see. There was blood.
So it was real.
He pushed himself up, rolling his shoulder once like nothing had happened. The sting on his cheek lingered. His knee ached.
Kai glanced at the priest.
The man looked completely baffled.
"Are you… alright?" he asked carefully. "You froze suddenly."
Kai stared at him for a beat. Then exhaled through his nose.
"…Yeah." He said, almost unconvincing.
"Did you see anything?" Kai asked.
The priest blinked. "See… what?"
Kai held his gaze. He wasn't lying.
His eyes drifted barely towards where the statue was now back.
"Nothing," He said before he tipped his head slightly.
He walked past the priest and the lingering eyes and out of the church, the doors closing behind him with a soft thud. He tried to control his breathing to a more normal rhythm, rolling his shoulders to get rid of the sudden stiffness.
The world spun in front of him. He blinked. He took a few more steps down the path. Something didn't feel right. The ground felt unsteady beneath him.
Kai frowned. ".....You've got to be kidding me."
Why? Did I use too much mana?
But I didn't even use much.
Was it the pressure?
His vision flickered for a split second.
No no.
Not here.
It's far from the city, and Bella wouldn't go out for rounds for another two hours. It's too vulnerable of a spot to lose-
He sucked in a breath, sharper this time. His body felt heavier. Like something hadn't fully let go.
Aftereffect…?
His fingers twitched. Then went slack for half a second before tightening again. That wasn't good.
"Hey, you!"
Kai froze at the familiar sound.
No.
There was no way.
"Are you alright?" The voice faded inside his mind.
For the first time since he had reawakened, Malakai D'Yavol felt overwhelmed. As if he hadn't really accepted the fact that he was back in time, till this very moment.
As if even the last of his doubts had vanished without a trace.
He craned his neck to the side and he felt his world tilt. The ringing in his ear grew louder as he felt his vision blur at the edges.
His balance toppled at the speed of light.
And the last thing he saw before darkness consumed him were those same dark brown eyes that he had last seen before his death.
"Ben."
The name barely left his lips before the world went dark.
ARCANE CODEX
1. Mana – Energy used by the Gifted to enhance their bodies or abilities. Responds to intent.
2. Gifted – Individuals capable of using mana.
3. Denire – People who do not use mana and follow faith-based practices.
4. Moira – A Denire deity associated with fate.
5. Inner Conduit – A technique/pathway used by the Gifted to circulate and release mana through the body.