✦ Ikiryo ✦
You again...
The voice echoed from somewhere deep—too deep. It didn't come from behind me, or around me. It came from within. Inside my chest, vibrating through my bones like a second heartbeat.
"Did you think I disappeared?"
His voice coiled around my thoughts like smoke. Calm, ancient, knowing.
I clenched my fists. My body ached. My ribs still throbbed from earlier. My head felt like it had been split open and stitched shut with fire.
"What are you two sitting here for?"
"You must leave now."- he said
I snapped without thinking.
"I'm not enchanted to stay here either. Don't tell me what I already know."
There was silence for a beat. Then a low chuckle.
"I see you've got quite the attitude."
The tone in his voice—it wasn't just teasing. It was familiar. Like he'd known me longer than I'd known myself. That pissed me off more than it should've.
"You kids… you really don't know where your feet are taking you."
I couldn't take it anymore. The pain. The confusion. His voice I hadn't invited into my life.
I stood up from my seat without saying a word. I didn't look back. Not even at Yumi.
Maybe she thought I was being cold again. Disrespectful. Distant.
Let her think what she wants. Let her stay here with her new family.Pft.
I didn't stop walking until I reached the same hide-covered tent I woke up in. The cold hit me harder than I expected. Not the temperature—the loneliness.
"Young one. You seem… angry."
"Don't call me young one. I have a name."
"Ikiryo. Right."
"Pfft. Yeah."
"Mine is Jinrai. As you might already know."
I paused mid-step. Something about hearing his name aloud like that hit different.
I resumed my walk. "…So. About what happened back there. The bridge. My arm. The blood. The whole 'we are one' thing. You owe me a better explanation."
"Ikiryo… on the edge between life and death, choices must be made."
"What choices?"
"The choice you made to live. The moment your body failed, your spirit cried out. And I answered. You wanted to live—and to do that, we became one. Now, your soul is no longer just yours. It's fused with mine."
His voice deepened. It wasn't just inside me anymore—it was wrapping around the space like wind before a storm.
"This is a bond that cannot be undone."
My chest tightened. A strange heat coursed through my veins—like something ancient had awakened inside me.
"And the markings?" I asked, lifting my arm. "What do they mean?"
"They are seals. Proof of a pact. A blood-bond that links us beyond the mortal realm."
"And what the hell does that mean for me?"
"It means… when you're on the edge again—facing death—your arm will become a weapon. You'll have 15 seconds to use it. Fifteen seconds of my power. But that strength comes at a cost."
"What kind of cost?"
"Eighty percent of your energy. Minimum. You'll collapse the moment it's over. And if you push past the limit—if you abuse it—your body could die before your spirit even knows it."
I thought back. The bridge. The blinding light. The fire surging in my veins. My arm turning into something else.
That was him. That was Jinrai.
"So why give me that power at all?"
"Because I need you."
"You need your Stone..I know"
"Yes..I need you to reclaim what was once mine."
His words were quiet now. Almost bitter.
"…Jinrai," I said after a pause. "Do you think I can save my mom?"
There was silence.
"What I think doesn't shape reality."
"If your spirit is weak, your hope will shatter. But if your will is strong enough to defy the rules written for you… then maybe."
"But know this, Ikiryo—there is no going back. The moment you accepted my deal and spirit into yours, the path behind you burned away."
I didn't speak. I couldn't.
"I want to learn more," I said instead. "About you. About all of this. How the hell did a being like you end up sealed inside some dusty museum relic?"
He didn't answer.
The wind whistled behind me.
Then—
The air shimmered.
A faint blue light bloomed at the edge of the tent, growing brighter with each breath.
And just like that—
I wasn't here anymore.