Hurried footsteps echoed in the halls early in the morning. The noise was not loud enough to rouse others from their slumber, but the chatter and quarrel that followed made a few stir in their beds. Nobody batted an eye to that, nor did anyone complain about it. To everyone working or staying in the small hotel, those two blondes looked like a young couple enjoying their honeymoon trip on the beautiful island. With them sharing the same bed in the double room, some noise during the sleeping hours was to be expected of course. People knew when not to interrupt, after all.
Nothing of the sort happened however. Jin and Noel were lucky to be up early that day, saving themselves from the embarrassment of having to face those who got the wrong ideas. That was kind of given, as both of them were not exactly used to sharing a bed with someone else.
When they first checked in at the reception, Noel was beyond surprised to find Jin booking a double room for their stay. The idea of sleeping with him made her kind of nervous, yet her mind was busy turning down inappropriate thoughts that made her giddy. Jin, in contrast, remained nonchalant about it, saying 'nothing was wrong with sleeping with his own body'. It would embarrass him to death to admit to having overlooked the difference between a double room and a twin room.
Sharing a bed turned out to be a bad idea after all, as he found out the hard way this morning…
"Look at what you have done, trash!" Jin yelled as he pointed to a bruise on his forehead. "What do you think you are doing!?"
"…Sorry… I-I didn't mean to hit you… I was having a vivid dream…" Noel, after being forcefully dragged out of the bed, was rubbing her eyes. She was still woozy from the sleep.
"So you are into punching people in your dreams?"
"No… I was just having a dream where you tried to spread and strap my legs and-"
With his hand resting on his hips, Jin cocked his head slightly in confusion. What did she just say? Was that supposed to mean…?
All sense of drowsiness vaporized in an instant, as it dawned on Noel what she had just let on. She gasped loudly and covered her face with her hands. That still didn't hide her fervent blush, though.
"Well…" So it was what he thought it meant. "You… have a rather twisted mind."
"I-It was just a dream! I…!" Noel frantically waved her hands. "D-Don't take it so seriously!"
"Hmph… Whatever."
Unsure how to respond to that, Noel awkwardly scratched her head, looking for ways to get away from the embarrassing topic. "A-Anyways! Is it time for us to get up already?"
"Not quite, but we may as well be up earlier. Better not be late for the appointment with the Magister." Jin, hands still rubbing the bruise on his forehead, slowly made his way to his suitcase. "You better start dressing up now. I have no wish for my body to look unpresentable."
As the Magister's residence was on the opposite side of the island, Jin had his reasons for being early. With the 'help' of each other, they finished their morning routines and were ready to set off in just under an hour.
The light breeze in the countryside was refreshing, so much that it blew away the lingering memories of the awkward incident earlier. The weather in Ishana was impeccable as ever, but Jin was in no mood to enjoy it to the fullest.
Hell, his mood would certainly not make a turn for the better until at least he swapped his body back.
"Get off your lazy bum. We're going."
"…Omm… Nom… Just a minute, Jin!" Noel was stuffing herself with a ham sandwich. The breakfast was bought by Jin back in the town. He was not about to be amused once more by Noel suggesting to cook.
"Tch. What an obstacle." Jin had already finished his food a while ago. Left with nothing to do, he lay down on the lawn nearby, watching the clouds drift above him.
The countryside… huh. It had been a while since he had spent time in such a place. When he was small he loved to lie on the grass and watch the endless sky above him, like what he was doing now. Life was easy and joy was simple. Ragna did all the hard work around the church, like getting water from the stream and gathering food. That left him and Saya nothing important to do, so he just lay and relaxed in nature's embrace. Saya, on the other hand, like to spend her time under the shadow of trees, reading books and having picnics…
…Saya?
Jin bolted up as a similar figure caught his attention. From the corner of his eye he was almost certain that he saw his sister under a tree over there.
No. Of course that wasn't her. How foolish of him to think so.
That was just Jin himself sitting under the tree. More precisely it was his body, possessed by someone called Noel Vermillion.
That woman. That bitch. That monstrosity that impersonated his sister. He should kill her sooner or later. Nothing would stop him…
…Wait. There was never anything stopping him from doing that, right? Papers can be forged, witnesses can be bought… Why didn't he finish her meaningless existence already?
Jin clutched his head as his stood up. He was getting a migraine. All thanks to that woman, as always. Damn… Just what is the deal with that bitch? Every single fiber of him wanted her to vanish, yes? So there should be no problem offing her, right? Slowly he approached the figure who was happily chewing on a sandwich, mind bent with murderous intent. He mentally readied himself for the bloodshed that would ensue…
Suddenly a sharp pain jabbed at his head, as if being struck by a bolt of lightning. He screamed in agony and fell to his knees. The figure in front of him turned around in shock.
"Jin? Are you alright? Jin!"
Jin stared up at himself right in front of his face. Hahaha… Of course he can't kill her now… How stupid can he be? He needed her to return to his body!
Yes. That sounded perfect as an excuse to push away the conflict in his mind.
After getting Jin back to his feet with Noel's help, the duo continued their journey across the island. Ever since Ishana lost its glory decades ago, public transport on the island slowly vanished as well. There had been a monorail connecting the two sides of Ishana, but that fell into disrepair years earlier. No one bothered to patch it up again, cause hardly anyone needed that to get around. Without such convenience, Jin and Noel had to trek along the base of the mountain for an hour to reach their destination. Well, at least the scenery along the countryside path was nice.
"You are going first, trash." Jin curtly turned to Noel as they reached the base of the mountain. The path ahead looked rough and rather steep.
"Ehhh? B-But I don't know the way-"
"I don't see any crossroads around, scum. Anyways you are walking too slowly behind me. This way at least I can shove you on if you are not going fast enough."
"But that's-" Noel tried to protest, but Jin already jabbed her at the waist to urge her on.
Noel had no idea why she had to take the lead, especially the way ahead involve some rock climbing. If she were in her own body, she would have totally thought Jin wanted to take a peek at her panties.
Tentatively she made her way up some rocks. Jin's body proved useful in such physical exertion, as it felt easier than she expected. Soon she reached the top of the path at the lee of the mountain, chiseled along the cliff overlooking the valley underneath. At least she didn't make a spectacle of herself in front of Jin! A while earlier she was almost certain she would lose her grip and fell right on top of him.
"…What are you so happy about?" Jin looked puzzled as he dusted himself off after the climb.
"Hehe… That's a secret!" With a grin on her face, Noel walked on ahead of Jin.
As Noel planted her foot near the edge of the path, the ground shook slightly underneath her and let out a loud crack.
"Ew. Did you just fart?" Jin frowned as he came to a stop a few steps behind her.
"No!" Noel was so flustered that she was not aware of the soil slowly breaking loose at her feet. "T-That was-"
And all hell broke loose at that instant.
The rock and soil that made up the path moments earlier came loose, cracking under the additional weight. The crack reached all the way across the narrow path, and the entire outcrop broke away at Noel's feet. She tried to move away from the collapsing path, but gravity prevailed and the rock beneath her fell before she can take a step. In mid-air, she frantically waved her arms, trying to take hold of anything solid. As the dust settled, Noel was hanging on for dear life at the edge of the cliff.
And on the other end of her arm was Jin, locking his grip with her arm.
"Aaah! Aaaaaaah!" Noel still hadn't recovered from the shock, it seemed.
"Don't…let…go! Dammit, you idiot! Pull yourself up!" Jin caught Noel with his other arm. With the fire of determination in his eyes he pulled with all his might and they slowed inched back away from the edge.
At long last Noel got safely back onto solid ground. Exhausted, Jin and Noel both sat on the rough ground panting.
"Hah…hah… T-Thank you… Jin…" It seemed to Noel she was destined to look clumsy in front of Jin, after all. "I…I owe my life to you…"
"Hah… Don't thank me for something like that… I think I told you earlier when we were having dinner in that restaurant?"
"But… This is different! I could have died without you!"
"…Tch." Jin looked away from the teary eyes of Noel. "I said I never did anything for you… and I probably never will… so…"
"You aren't being honest to yourself… are you?"
"… You trash! I saved you just then because… because that is my body! Y-You happy now?!"
Noel opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She can easily write off every other insult Jin threw to her before, but this… this was different from those petty words. So Jin really saw her as a worthless someone who carries absolutely no meaning for him? Not even enough for him to save her life in a pinch? Slowly her head drooped, and tear flowed from her eyes.
Jin was silent as Noel sobbed uncontrollably next to him. While he wanted to ignore her like always, he couldn't stop thinking about whether he would save Noel if not for her having his body. Would he still save her without hesitation like what he did just then?
Despite the sullen mood hanging in the air, it didn't take them long afterwards to reach the other side of the island.
This side of the island was not too different from the side they came from. It was easy enough to locate the magnificent garden from a distance. Enclosed by the lush greenery all around, the residence itself was a remarkable building, resembling a huge cathedral on the outside. As Jin and Noel entered through the front door, they were greeted by an impressive marble hall adorned with candles on the walls. It was a majestic place for sure.
"Hello, strangers." An old man with a cane staggered out from an alcove nearby. "What are you here for?"
"Greetings." Jin stepped forward to the man. "We are here to see the Magister."
"Oh… so you two are the guests of the Magister." The old man stopped and looked up at them both. "But you still haven't answered my question, dear. I asked 'what' you are here for. Not 'who' you are here for. Hm?"
"We were stuck in a curious condition, so we hope to find answers here."
"The Magister answers to no one, young lady." The old man smiled and shrugged, walked past them to the other side of the hall. "Surely not to someone like you."
"You…!" Jin was getting impatient with this man and his antics. "Who are you to talk? Bring us to the Magister, we had an appointment."
"Not so soon, dear. I'm 'fraid he is not ready for you at the moment." The man slowly sat on a bench and started reading a dust-covered book. Having nothing else to do, the duo sat in another bench as well.
There was still no sign of the Magister after half an hour. After pacing back and forth in the hall for a while, Jin finally went back to the old man for a word.
"Excuse me." He said coldly. "Do you mind at least telling the Magister of our arrival? This is an urgent matter."
"Urgent? I'm 'fraid I don't see why your matter is in any way urgent, young lady."
"Please, sir." In a timid voice Noel joined in the conversation. "We are trapped in this… condition… and we need the help and knowledge of the Magister to return us to normal."
"Now, now." The old man placed a bookmark in the book and closed it. "That is the right attitude to ask for help. How I am glad to see someone who don't 'demand' help and answer from others." The old man scoffed at Jin. "You can never get what you want if you keep that nasty manner up, young girl… or should I say 'young man'?"
"Wait… How do you… So you are the Magister?"
"No, not really. Don't compare me with that great gentleman." With his cane in hand, the old man stood up shakily. "I can never attain what he had achieved in his life."
"So… he had already passed away?" Noel was confused by what the man just said.
"Technically he didn't, since no one saw him dead. His fate was unknown to all since he disappeared a year ago. In his absence I act as the Overseer of this place."
"I'm sorry to hear that…"
"It's fine, dear. Well, back to the curious situation you two are in. While I am not the Magister you expected, I believe my magic can still be of help." The Overseer grinned, eyeing the two youngsters before him. "I suppose I am correct in sensing your minds being switched?"
"That's right, Overseer. It had been a few days since then." Jin, while still not pleased by the unwanted lecture, tried his best to sound respectful.
"Soul transferring is not something new in magic. But to swap two with each other does require great skill… Don't worry, though. I am more than capable to reverse its effects. Come closer…"
Again, the Overseer opened the book he was reading a while earlier. It contained the necessary runes for casting the spell. On his command a blue magic circle formed around Jin and Noel, and within seconds both of them went unconscious.
Noel opened her eyes to a bright ray of light. She was in a strange place, with nothing but endless white space. Hesitantly she looked down to check her body.
The chest was… kind of flat. Sadly that didn't give her any useful information. She slowly reached behind her neck… and felt her familiar long hair.
Awesome! She got her body back!
As she looked up again she saw a figure at a distance before her. It was Jin, alright. With a smile on her face she pranced to him.
Wait. Was she having another erotic dream like last night?
Shaking the thought out of her head, she continued on to Jin. Slowly but surely, she was getting closer to him. But as she got closer, the bright white space around turned to a dull grey, and then to pitch black.
"Jin? Are you here?" Noel waved her hands in front of her face, yet she saw nothing, not even her fingers.
"Ugh… You, trash… Go…away!" That was Jin's voice all right.
"Jin…? Are you-"
"You…worthless scum! Just get away and die already!"
Noel, struck by the memories of the earlier incident, felt her heart miss a beat. Should she just back away as Jin said? After all, he told her he can handle his own matter. She had absolutely no place in his heart. So, why bother?
Noel found herself stopping in the middle of the dark space. Yes, there was no reason for her to go on. Slowly she turned back and walked away.
"Arghhh! Hah…hah…" Jin's cracked voice echoed in the eerie space. "Ugh… No…"
Was Jin suffering? Or was he...dying? Noel pondered as she felt her feet slowing down once again. Should she just look away and let him be as he wished? After all, she would be doing him a favor by not being his obstacle. But still…
No. There is no way she can do that.
Noel swiftly headed back into the midst of the darkness.
Even though Jin may think her to be a worthless person, it would not change how she sees him. He will always have a special place in her heart as someone she respects and loves. She will try everything she can to help him…
…And save him if need be.
She can never come to terms with herself if he died in front of her.
Tear from her eyes streaked down her cheek. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. It didn't matter actually, as she can't see a thing in front of her.
Countless thorns brushed against her face and her body as her ran towards Jin's voice. That wouldn't stop her. Nothing would.
After what seemed like an eternity, Noel noticed the surrounding got brighter as she ran onwards. Was the worst over?
"Jin!" Noel shouted at the top of her lungs. "I'm coming for you!"
There he was. The familiar figure of Jin Kisaragi.
"Noel?" Jin turned to her, his face lit by the bright light surrounding him.
"Jin!" Noel leapt towards him with her arms open.
A dazzling light burst around Jin and Noel, enveloping them in its brilliance and warmth.
A/N: And thus ends the first half of this story. Brace yourselves for the incoming roster of characters!
