'I have travelled to the sea's darkest secrets, to places the Heavens so mercifully obstruct from our sight, lands beyond our limited reality, across time and space. I have raised demons, summoned spirits long gone, conjured sights that rendered weaker-willed men insane, and invoked deities spoken by the most obscure cults. I have spoken with all manner of spirit and daemon, communed with those far older and wiser than me and extracted secrets from those with literal armies of skeletons in their closets.
Yet I still not dare not search for the Tome written by the Great Old One of Knowledge.'
Abdul Alhazred, Necronomicon
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Chapter 11: A Hidden Witch, Ominous Writing And A Speeding Car
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
"Explain this!"
"And why should I?" Kid inspected his nails. "Certainly not because you said so-"
The man slammed his hands on the table. "Obey me, child!"
"See? That's the problem. You want me to translate the Book? I'll need to be alive for that. And moderately cared for," Kid quickly added the last bit. Despite his confident pose, he was mentally sweating bullets. "The last thing you want is your interpreter fainting halfway because of exhaustion."
They'd reached an impasse; the man wanted Kid to translate the book right here and now. Kid had argued for better treatment. The man had argued back; Kid had reciprocated the gesture. Then, the shouting began.
The boy hoped translating the Book would come of higher priority. Judging by the older man's outraged expression, Kid was getting somewhere. Where exactly was something he did not know.
Screw it. Might as well lay out his conditions now. "First you provide me basic necessities."
"No. First, you translate." If anything, the teen noticed that the elder man spoke with an accent, especially when agitated. Perhaps English wasn't his first language? If so, Kid was furthest away from home than he ever wanted to.
"Alright then," the boy conceded. "I will translate the first page. After that I would like a proper meal for me. And the Thompson sisters," he added the last part with some hesitation. Yeah, they had a falling out, but he wasn't that petty to deny them a chance of proper nutrition.
The elder's wrinkled face scrunched up in frustration. Kid kept his face neutral, but couldn't help gulping.
"Condenado mocoso creído," the man muttered under his breath. Eventually, he faced kid and muttered a half-hearted, "agreed."
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
It was about half an hour later that Kid found himself on a different part of the dungeons. On first glance, this cavern was comfier than the one he was before. Candles were placed in nearly every corner, providing ample light. Long coloured carpet-like fabrics covered the stone wall, from colours ranging from blood red to a subdued golden hue. There were a few comfortable looking armchairs, accompanied by low tables. At the end of the room was a worn medieval-styled writing desk.
If Kid wasn't now sporting chained legs, he would enjoy relaxing in such a place. It was quiet and organised.
Of course, the presence of Joe, acting as his guard again, and the heavy much-discussed tome laying on the top of the desk quickly shattered such wishes.
Suppressing a sigh, Kid settled in on the desk. Pieces of paper and pens were already laid out on one side, so the only thing he had to do was open the Book and do his part.
Still… he observed the Book's cover. It was rather exquisite –and most importantly of all, symmetrical. Brass was fashioned into an elegant arch-like design, replicated in all four corners. Another gold coloured metal –maybe it was actual gold- ran along the Book, in a cross-like pattern. In its centre was a crest embroidered into the cover; at first, Kid thought it was some kind of symbol he didn't know, but quickly realised that symbol spelt out 'Eibon' in the strange language he somehow understood. Above and below the crest was some writing. The ink was… flaky. The orange hue of the lights didn't help much, as it made it look like it was a reddish colour, much like blood.
"They lived a life of faith and now," the boy read in a quiet tone, as he ran his fingers over the dried ink, "you are reaping the rewards?"
…What? Was it the words of the author himself, or just some random scribble by a random person? The quote was in plain English, so Kid assumed the latter.
"Um…" Kid spoke up. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Joe perked up. "Oh that? Don't sweat it. The Book was in European possession for a while. Story goes, it was saved by a monk who found a way to read it…" the man hesitated. "They say he went insane after he read the thing in its entirety, and that he tried to burn it… It didn't work, so the guy gouged his eyes out and wrote the quote with his own blood. He died shortly after."
"Oh. How wonderful," Kid quipped, withdrawing his hand from the blood he thought was ink. "I should keep a pen near then, in case I lose my mind as well and end up wanting to scribble nonsense on the cover."
"You'll be fine. You are not supposed to read the entire thing." Despite his response however, Joe looked away the moment Kid opened the Book to its first page.
The boy scowled at the behaviour, but then took a brief glance at the text. Since he didn't feel the urge to mutilate himself, the boy grabbed the pen and began translating, while trying his best to ignore his handwriting.
Greetings.
To whoever is reading this, I welcome them. To be honest, I am not sure why I am writing this book in the first place. Perhaps it is a need to share knowledge with others, or venting mechanisms to record what I learn through the ages; the answer lies within the deepest reaches of my mind.
It was tricky. Translating was more complicated than he expected. The words on the book seemed more… abstract than the other languages he knew – so far he was aware he knew English, Norwegian (Marie's native tongue), Swedish (an extra language Marie also knew) and Japanese (Azusa's native language), though the fact that he could read the Book only made things more chaotic. Kid hated that.
Ahno matter. I have already started on this long endeavour; there is no point going back now.
The boy could empathise with the last part. It'd been a few days now and he was missing home. He could only hope his family, Maka, Spirit and the scythe-boy were safe.
As for you, foreign reader. Maybe you are a rare breed of human. Maybe an elder Witch. Maybe you are one of the myriads of creatures I describe in my tome. Maybe none of the above. No matter the case, you now hold my little treasure cove. The mere fact that you are able to read this shows you are of extraordinary intellect or origin since this tongue is arcane and long forgotten by mortals.
It was sentences like this that caused Kid to feel an impending identity crisis. Still, he continued translating.
Inside this tome is much knowledge about apocryphal beings, mystical phenomena, arcane magic, and long-forgotten knowledge. Tread with caution; this world is vast, and the beings that inhabit it can be terrifying even for the most powerful of mortals. Creatures beyond the mere bests described in folklore, and passed into myth. Such things are recorded in this book. Treat it and the information it contains with respect and a level-head and you shall benefit. Be abrupt and short-sighted, however… If I believed the influence of Gods can affect this Book, I would pray its spells will keep my tome in an adequate state. But, whatever you do, keep one thing in mind;
Below, in deep black ink, it wrote:
DO NOT TURN TO PAGE 666 AND DO NOT SEARCH FOR THE INDEX.
Well. Better keep that in mind.
"I'm done," Kid said as he placed his pen down and looked expectantly at Joe.
The man nodded. "Ok. Next time, see if you can find the part about Death."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
"Use the table of contents."
Kid looked back at the last part of his translation. "I don't think I should."
Joe frowned, as he leaned over Kid's shoulder. "Why do you not want to go to the Index-Oh…" The man scanned the last part of the translation. "That's… something."
"I'm not risking it. I did my part; now I'm waiting for my meal." If it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Kid didn't have the slightest clue. His circadian rhythm was that he didn't have one.
"Right. Let's get going then."
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
After a refreshing meal of canned beans and bread, Kid was escorted back into his cell. To his relief, it came equipped with a cot and even a blanket. From what little light there was, he saw Liz and Patty in their cells. Both sisters were sleeping at the wall where their cells were separated. Their hands extended out from the metal grid and towards each other.
After Kid was placed in his cell, Joe went around the corner. A few minutes passed and the man started conversing with an unseen person.
"And make sure you keep an eye on them, alright? I know you're new, but this is important," came the man's voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," came a female voice from around the corner. Kid was sure he'd heard it somewhere else before…
There was the sound of footsteps leading away, while a new figure appeared. She was rather short of an adult and judging from the shape, it was female.
Then, said stranger casually walked up to the cells, the light from a nearby torch illuminating her form.
At first, Kid thought he was hallucinating. But there was no mistaking that short pink hair, pale face, and arrogant expression.
"Kim?!"
The pink-haired girl's eyes went wide as she regarded the boy. A surprised snort and yawn from his left indicated the sisters also had been woken up.
"Kid?!"
"What the hell are you doing here, you're a Witch!"
"Shut up before the whole school hears it!"
"…the fuck is going on?" a rudely-awakened Liz grumbled.
"Don't care, I'm going back to sleep sis!" chimed Patty, as she put her hands over her ears and was off to dreamland again.
Meanwhile, Kim and Kid were continuing their unscheduled freakout.
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
"I could ask you the same thing!" the girl shot back. "How on Earth did you end up as the DWMA's prisoner? The fuck did you do, eat a soul?!"
"That's not funny!" Kid protested.
"And who's this bitch?" Liz's voice came from her cell.
Kim looked at the elder Thompson, Liz glared back. Then Kim turned to Kid with an outraged expression.
"You teamed up with them?! Are you nuts?!"
Liz´s glare intensified. "Oi-!"
"You're the one working for the cult of psychopaths, and I'm the irrational one?!"
"That's not what the Academy's about!"
Kid gestured wildly around him. "Are we not talking in a dungeon right now?!"
"It's an old building!" The Witch responded unconvincingly. "I mean, they say Death founded the whole thing, so they're trying to maintain the atmosphere and stuff…"
"I was threatened with having my soul taken!" Kid indignantly shot back.
"T-The Head Priest has uh... effective negotiation techniques!"
"Careful you don't sprain a nerve cell with those mental gymnastics you're doing!"
"At least I'm doing something!"
"…What?!"
"What?!" Kim shot back, equally confused.
Kid shook his head. "Whatever. What the hell is a Witch like you doing in this place?"
"Will you stop saying I'm a Witch already?!" Kim hissed.
"Depends, I want answers. You give some in order to take some."
Kim looked like she was torn between strangling him or storming out the hallway. Instead, the Witch let out a long-suffering groan and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh… How on Earth did you end up here?"
"I had a run in with Medusa during school. I think she wanted to kill me, but I escaped. Things escalated after that."
"Understatement of the fucking century," Liz murmured, rubbing the sleep off her eyes.
Kim huffed indignantly. "In that case, you freaking owe me big time, Kid."
"Why?"
Kim huffed. "That little rumble back at the school? That was me and Jackie, causing trouble to show the guys here we're on the Academy's side. I'm guessing that's why your head is no,t on Medusa's platter right now."
That made some amount of sense. But speaking of the Academy…
"Who the hell is that old dinosaur then?"
"Who?"
"The guy with the fucking robes, who else?" Liz spoke up. "The one with wrinkles as deep as the Grand Canyon."
Kim frowned. "That's Theodore Barzai, the 'High Priest'. Technically, he's the Head of the Academy."
"Technically?" Liz drawled. "The fuck does that mean?"
"Well, remember when I said Death founded the Academy? That ain't a fairytale; the Head of the academy is supposed to be the Grim Reaper. But, seeing as they were ..." the Witch grimaced, "kinda torn apart... the Head Priest serves as the Head, in place of... Death, or whatever."
There was a pause.
"Fan-fucking-tastic," Liz hissed. "We were actually abducted by a death cult."
"Naigus said the Academy searched for the Book to revive the Grim Reaper..." Kid whispered to himself. "Kim," the boy spoke up, as the Witch focused on him. "Do you know if the Academy has any plans... about the Grim Reaper?"
The pink-haired Witch frowned. "What do you mean, 'plans'?"
"About the Grim Reaper. Any sort of... agenda?"
"How the heck am I supposed to know? I'm just a new student here-"
"Don't play dumb. You've managed to portray yourself as a normal human. You must have adapted here quickly."
"I-well…" Kim protested. "I know rumours at best."
"That's something," Kid conceded. "Do you know if they have any plans anything related to the Grim Reaper?"
"When you put it like that, no. But I do know they're planning something midnight of October 31st."
Liz scrunched her brow. "Isn't that...?"
"When Death was defeated by the Kishin," Kim explained. "Yup, that's the date."
It was also his 16th birthday, Kid mused as he felt his heart give a painful clench. His birthday was a weird matter. Marie and Azusa insisted on celebrating it the day they found him, despite the connotations that date brought. The Witches celebrated the day and magical fireworks tore through the night sky. For that reason, Kid's birthday was celebrated on November 1st, when all the fanfare had died down.
"Crap," was all Liz said.
"Do you know why they specifically need the Book of Eibon?" Kid asked. He remembered Naigus' conversation in what felt like aeons ago. Still, maybe he could find out something new.
"I don't know exactly why, but I know a few things about that Book," Kim muttered. "You know of the legend of the Necronomicon, right? Scary tome which can be used to summon even scarier stuff?" The two awake caged teens nodded. Myths of scary artefacts travelled fast in a world where creatures with inhuman strength roamed the streets. "Well, the Book of Eibon is equivalent to the Necronomicon, only much more ancient. The Necronomicon was written by a man. The Book of Eibon, however…" She toyed with a strand of her pink hair. "Some say Eibon was a wizard. Others say he was something much… scarier."
"You're not filling me with confidence," Kid muttered.
"Hey, I'm just relaying gossip!" Kim protested. "You're the weird one who can read this stuff!"
"And you're the undercover Witch in a death cult."
"It's not a death cult-!"
"No, just Grim Reaper Enthusiasts Anonymous," Kid shot back.
"I- Gah! Just hear me out for a moment!" Kim yelled. "They say the Academy was founded in order to take in Weapons by the Grim Reaper themselves before their battle with the Kishin, though I think the last part's rubbish."
"Why Weapons?" Liz asked.
"Do you know how Weapons came to be?"
"Fuck if I know," Liz admitted. She hadn't thought much of where her heritage came from. Probably her mother, as she and Patty both had identical Weapon forms. Still, Liz didn't care about that prostitute, the same way she never cared for them. Where her dead-beat mother had gotten the Weapon heritage from, she didn't know or even care about it.
"I thought it was a natural variation?" Kid said with uncertainty. "Like the same way Witches came to be?"
"Well, we're involved." Kim let out a deep breath. "So, say about eight-nine centuries ago you had Arachne, the eldest of the Gorgon sisters. At the time, she was a powerful Witch, though not very famous… I don't know where she found the knowledge, or if she invented the method itself, but Arachne experimented with souls."
Liz grimaced. "I thought that was Medusa's thing?"
"They're sisters. I'll be more surprised if Shaula doesn't try any wacky mad scientist stuff as well," Kim commented. "Anyways, Arachne wanted to make a powerful legion of humans who'd fight for her, or so the story goes. She made a human able to transform into a scythe. Most say it was to mock the Grim Reaper as she used the scythe against them, but…"
"But?" Kid asked.
"It didn't pan out. There was… something. I read in an old book of the escapee's accounts that the first Weapon Arachne had created went rogue and… drove people insane. Something about everyone unleashing their inner anger and acting like animals. Weird stuff," she said absent-mindedly, before focusing on the matters at hand. "But yeah, a lot of the Weapons she had as prisoners made it out alive and spread throughout the world. They mixed up, had kids, then their kids had kids and that's how we ended up today."
"Right…" Liz drawled. "The fuck are we supposed to get out of this?"
"This is a school for Weapons and Meisters."
"We know."
"Well, that's why I wanted to come here in the first place! I met Jackie a while back and..," her voice became more high-pitched and frantic, "s-she then… she was gonna get her soul taken, and I freaked and…" Kim stopped herself, taking a deep breath before assuming her usual smug expression. "I mean… stuff happened."
Kid gave her a disbelieving glare. "So you two are here now and it's all fine and dandy?"
"Yeah… that's not exactly. I mean, Weapons here aren't in danger of having their souls eaten like in Kishin-controlled territory, but…"
"Of fucking course," Liz grumbled. "What's the catch to this place?"
Kim looked away. "Some of the more extremist view them as Witches' artefacts and well… you can guess how it goes."
"Oh, good, we're hated here too, whoop-de-fucking-do," Liz murmured in resigned irritation.
Kid frowned. "Where are we?"
"You are in Mexico. Close to Tapachula city, to be more specific."
"Tapa-what?"
"Tapachula," Kim repeated. "It ain't close to the border, if that's what you wanna ask."
Liz let her face fall to the floor. "Fuck everything about this…"
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Back into Mexico's neighbouring country, a van with more people and driving faster than should be acceptable or safe, was making its way towards the border.
"YAHOO! GO FASTER!" came the yells of an excited blue-haired boy, half his body out of the speeding vehicle. The other half was on Tsubaki, who had resigned to her fate as the assassin's only thing that kept him inside the car.
"This is not… cool…" an out of breath Soul wheezed, currently seated –or more appropriately sandwiched- between Maka and Tsubaki. Then he noticed he was face-level with the brunette's plump chest. "Or maybe it is kinda cool… silver lining and all that…."
A green-faced Spirit appeared out from the back, his head in the gap between the front seats. "Hey, Azusa, maybe you should slow down-"
The woman scowled, as she pressed further down on the speed pedal, causing the car to accelerate even further.
"That's the opposite of what I wanted you to do!" screeched Spirit, as he was soon crushed by 80 kilos of solid zombie mass. "Marie, Stein, do something!"
"DRIVER, BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER!" Black Star's voice came from the front.
"SHUT UP, YA BRAT!" the red-haired man yelled back.
"Nah, I'm guessing we'll be alright," a squished Stein replied from the back. "I don't know how to drive, Sid can't control his limbs properly, Naigus is still injured and Marie said she'd punch anyone who tried to take the wheel from Azusa."
Speaking of which, Spirit threw a quick look back to the blonde, holding Sid's body at arm's length with minimum effort. Her one visible eye was scrunched in determination, as she stood on her knees to look at the road to Azusa's left.
Spirit gave a pleading look to the blonde. "Marie, do something!"
"Azusa is the best driver among all of us, and the fastest who can get us to where Kid is," the Norwegian woman responded.
"That won't do if we arrive there in a pulp!"
"We won't be involved in a car-crash," the driver calmly replied. "I am taking the route with the least traffic and compensating by increasing speed. Statistically speaking, it is one of the safest options."
"It doesn't feel safe!"
"The illusion of safety is too costly to maintain at our current situation."
"The heck is that supposed to mean?!"
"Spirit!" Marie yelled. "This is Kid we're talking about! He is in danger! What if… What if Maka was the one kidnapped?!"
The man fell silent.
"Azusa…" Spirit eventually spoke up, face forlorn in determination. "You're not going fast enough."
The van's engine reached its breaking point as the car sped up even more.
"You are all crazy, this is crazy, why did I even agree to your crazy plan…?" Soul muttered as the temporary inertia caused him to nearly fuse with his seat. Next to him, Tsubaki's frown had deepened, as Black Star would have gotten pulled out of the car if it hadn't been for the female ninja's quick reflexes. Not that the young assassin noticed; if anything, his shouts became even more excitable.
Soul leaned his head back in resignation. Well, he was the one that wanted in on a Meister-Weapon group. Apparently, part of his membership was having impromptu trips throughout the continent.
…It was still better than back home. Sure his brother might miss him and all that jazz, but Soul wasn't a burden anymore.
Soul shook his head. Nah, he shouldn't be thinking of depressing stuff like that. It wasn't cool.
Speaking of not so cool things, his Meister, Maka, had not said a word throughout this crazy adventure. The girl had just put on her seatbelt and, despite a sharp yelp when Azusa first went above 100 mph and further attempted to break the sound barrier, she had otherwise remained silent.
"Oi, Maka," the albino boy said, his words strained as it felt this car would travel back in time any moment now. "Why the long face?"
"Oh. I'm just… worried," she muttered, a thoughtful expression on her face. "And I've been thinking of… things."
Yeah, she was probably worried about her friend, the thin guy that got stabbed. Soul wouldn't blame her. The albino never really had a 'best friend', but he could empathise.
"Ah, don't worry. We'll get him. Then we'll… I don't know, go live in the 'South', or something," he said nonchalantly. "I heard there are still some cities left which humans still have control over."
"Right," the girl muttered distractedly. "Humans…"
Maka didn't like the situation they were in one bit. Yes, she'd ended up with a Weapon partner and he seemed like a cool guy, but at the same time, Kid was in danger. Judging by Marie's and Azusa's reaction, the boy was in a big risk. Not much had been said out loud between the adults; what the blonde girl understood so far was that Kid had been kidnapped by the Academy, a Meister-Weapon organisation. Initially, that didn't sound so bad; after all, all the people there were either Meisters or Weapons. The Academy should be on their side, right?
Then she recalled other little details throughout her life. Details that, if put together, would make for a disheartening Big Picture.
If the Academy was such a good place for them, why weren't they there? Why didn't her dad stay there? The only logical reason for that would be that the Academy was somehow worse. Now, how could that place be worse than New York, Witch hotspot and HQ for the Kishin Council? She didn't know, but she could make an educated guess.
The next question/clue about the whole thing was how her dad came to know Marie, Azusa and the rest of the adults in the vehicle. From what little she could make out, they were classmates, or at least grew up in the same environment. Since they were all Weapons or Meisters, the most likely candidate would be the Academy.
So, at one point, they were part of the Academy. But, something had happened. Something big. Something that made them decide to stay off the Academy's radar.
At this point, she did not have many clues, but then again, educated guess. It was the battle between Death and the Kishin fifteen years ago. She didn't know much about it; it was very hush-hush. What she did know was that somehow, perhaps the Academy was involved, Death was released from the seals placed eight centuries ago –how those seals came to be was a question for another day. There was a fight between the two deities, and perhaps between the supporters of both. It couldn't have been pretty. Regardless, the Kishin won, either by chance, or pure strength and Death was destroyed.
That last part irked her. How do you destroy Death? How do you kill the End? It sounded like an oxymoron. Yet many claimed that people did not die anymore. That they were 'free from the shackles of mortality' and all that jazz. Well, problem was that people still died, kind of. The difference was that their souls stayed in this realm than do whatever souls did before.
She had no idea why things came to be the way they were. She didn't really believe in fate or all that nonsense; the world was too chaotic for that. She believed in consequences though, and the butterfly effect.
Maybe the catalyst was Maka proposing her daring plan to infiltrate the Library. Maybe not. Maybe it was that weird pink-haired teen, Crona, which caused Maka and Kid, with their respective Weapon partners, to be separated. Or maybe that was the result of something bigger building up to an unexpected revelation, like in one of those detective novels she liked to read.
But, from Stein's words, it seemed as if the Academy specifically targeted Kid. Thing is, what made them target Kid? Why specifically him? More than that, the Academy wanted the Book as well. Could the two be related? Not really, and Kid hadn't said anything about that. Besides, it seemed the Academy's interest in Kid happened after they first interacted with the organisation. So, what was it?
Maka didn´t know when her thoughts became jumbled and convoluted, but she found herself going through old memories. While contemplating the moving landscape, pondering the last part of her 'investigation', she remembered a certain conversation she had years ago…
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
They were young, Maka remembered. The girl had just started training with her dad. She had also met up with Kid after a long period of him being away, something about Marie and Azusa taking full-time jobs on a construction site.
"Maka?" she heard a timid voice. The girl lifted her head, to see Kid staring at her from his covers. "Oh, you're awake."
"What is it?" She asked, confused. Kid didn't talk a lot, much less go out of his way to make conversation.
"Um..." the boy hesitated. "Do you know... what other types of people are out there?"
That question came out of the blue. "Huh?"
"Um, I know you read a lot," the boy said in a low tone -as low as his childish voice allowed. "Do you know, besides humans... if there are other intelligent beings?"
"Eh?" Maka asked again. She still had no idea from where Kid's question came from. "I know there are Witches, and humans that eat souls get turned into Kishin Eggs..."
"No, not like that!" Kid protested, before looking down and fiddling with his covers. "I mean, besides them..."
"Uh..." the girl drawled as she thought. "You mean Weapons and Meisters?" That was the only thing that came to mind.
Kid didn't look up. "Nah..." Eventually, the boy receded further into his covers. "It's nothing."
"Ok..." the girl said carefully. "Hey, Kid."
The boy looked up.
Maka flashed him a big smile. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm your friend, I got your back!"
The boy gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Thank you, but it's nothing. I was curious. Goodnight."
"Goodnight and sweet dreams!"
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Humans
On Earth, humans are the dominant species. What makes them unique from the rest of the mortal beasts is their relatively advanced brain which personally, is mildly impressive, yet nothing to write home about.
As with most mortal creatures, humans are quite fragile. They need to breathe, or they die. Too much, or too little oxygen in the air and they die. Too much carbon dioxide in the air and they die. An increase or decrease in pressure, such as underwater or in space, and their bodies catastrophically fail. Not enough food, or food without the proper nutrients and their bodies wither away…
The rest of the page was filled with details of how one could die. It was disturbingly extensive and articulate.
Of course, they can create life, as all other mortal species, though the labour is much more intensive due to their oversized brains. In fact, the new-born babies are premature by general species standards. Both minds and souls continue developing for some period after exiting the womb. This vulnerability and plasticity would make the new-born ideal victims of possession, or body theft. The maternal and paternal instincts help alleviate that.
Admittedly, they are quite adaptable as a species and relatively flexible. Witches and the changes their souls undergo when eating another human soul are interesting variations. Such ingenuity should be acknowledged. Though not remarkable in terms of strength, or 'power', they are the dominant species of this planet at the moment. I look forward to seeing whether they self-destruct or reach further greatness. Both futures are equally intriguing.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Kid went to rubbing his wrists the moment he entered his cell in the dungeons. The skin was a bit raw from the handcuffs, but nothing his abnormally fast healing couldn't handle.
Speaking of wounds, Kid looked down at his stomach. Careful not to accidentally poke the area, the boy slowly undid a few of the lower buttons on his shirt to reveal fresh bandages where the wound was. Initially, Joe had insisted on applying the bandages himself, but after Kid's incessant protests and constant nagging, the boy had been handed some fresh bandages and antiseptic and left to his own devices. That was a small victory; last thing he wanted was for the Head Priest to find out, which would bring more severe corporal punishment since they would know Kid could heal it off.
True to what he knew of himself, the wound had healed plenty. It was still rather gruesome, after all Kid had been run through, but the stitches -courtesy of Joe after his first session with the priest- had held strong. There were also some signs of repair, especially at the edges of the wound. Kid didn't know if it would leave a scar though; if it did, it had better be symmetrical, like the one he had on his upper stomach region.
Ah, yes, that. Another curiosity of himself, though nowhere as extreme as his other 'eccentricities'. It was hardly noticeable, just a small faint line of discoloured skin on his upper abdomen... it was a bit hard to see now, what with all the blood and torn flesh, but if one was to pay close attention now they'd notice it.
Kid had no idea how he got it, only that he always remembered having it and that it was fortunately symmetrical. When he asked Marie and Azusa, they'd both said it was because of a wound he already had when they found him... However, ever since Kid found out about his healing factor, he didn't know what to believe anymore. If he did heal so fast and scar-less, then how on Earth did he end up with that scar in the first place?
The boy ran a hand through his black hair. A lot of things had come up which made him doubt his identity. First, there was the Soul Perception and the scar. Both things occurred in humans, though the former was rare. That was acceptably believable.
Then, however, came his revelation about his fast healing. That, he was sure was not a characteristic of a human being, abnormal or not. Then there were other things, major and minor; lack of appetite, seemingly impenetrable immune system, his knack for languages, the surprising strength he had... they were all adding up to something, but Kid had no idea what it was.
His first guess was that he was a Witch. However, Kid was fairly certain that wasn't the case. First of all, Maka, that mad scientist or Joe would have noticed it with their Soul Perception -Joe had mentioned something about 'Soul Protect' but Kid was in a state of emotional turmoil to pay any attention at the time. Second, he didn't feel any more magical, or any new ability. He knew Witches could also transform into an animal, in accordance with their type of magic, but that hadn't happened with Kid. The teen was also 100% sure he wasn't a Kishin Egg, as he hadn't consumed any souls and wouldn't do so at gunpoint. So, that left him with zero possible explanations.
He had a faint hope he might find something in the Book of Eibon. Despite its dark origins and apocryphal secrets, the Book claimed to document all existing life on Earth. From the way the author phrased it, there was more to this world than humans, Witches and Kishin Eggs. The most obvious one was the whole Grim Reaper situation, but Kid hoped there'd also be a clue, an indication of what the hell was going on with him.
It had to.
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Beta'd by Sakura23165. Feedback is appreciated.