Demons, part 12
Yona was determined to get out of her new prison. She simply refused to stay put. She really couldn't understand why Jasper had given up in the first place. Several failed attempts at force ended with bruised hands. If she were using her actual body, there would have been blood. Jasper had pleaded several times to get her to stop injuring herself, but her will was a force to be reckoned with. Now he silently stood aside and winced at each bone crunching sound. Tired and running out of energy, Yona sighed. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she turned her focus on the incubus. "Maybe if we try it together", she ventured. Jasper had already figured out there no use in arguing with her once she had made up her mind, so he ceded with a nod. One strong blow was all it took. Their hands were now in the void that separated the crystal from the outside world. Yona smirked in victory. Without warning, she grabbed onto Jasper's free hand and pulled hard as she leapt forward.
Between worlds, Aldegund watched with interest as Yona emerged from the black vortex. She was holding onto something. It wasn't possible...Was it? "What have you done?", asked the witch skeptically. The dragon slayer ignored her as she struggled to free her new friend. "I said - ", began Aldegund. Without turning, Yona hastily replied, "I heard you, you old wind bag. Now shut up and let me focus! This is harder than it looks." he old witch sat in silent awe. No one ever dared speak to her so before. She now questioned if she would even be able to suppress Yona's spirit given the chance. Yona let out a forced grunt as she pulled with all her might. Finally, Jasper came crashing back into reality.
"Ow", whined Yona, now flat on her back and below her comrade. In sheer panic, Jasper frantically tried to get up without touching her further. His face had a soft landing, but it didn't much for his shy personality. Bright red, he apologized profusely once free from entanglement. Yona sat up with a laugh. "Dude, it's all right. You're lighter than you look", she said. "Ye-yes, but-...", trailed Jasper. A loud sigh sounded from the witch. "I see. Perhaps you two should have stayed in privacy", taunted the old woman, only furthering Jasper's discomfort. Not missing a beat, Yona got to her feet and sassed, "You're just mad because mine are still perky." Jasper struggled to his feet. This assault on his senses was making him dizzy.
Taking a serious tone, Aldegund stared down the mages. "Do you realize what you've done?", she asked coolly. She glanced back a the shimmering vortex that led into the crystal's phsyical field. "You've managed to undo a powerful binding. How did you do it?" Yona and Jasper exchanged looks briefly. "Nobody can keep me where I don't want to be. That includes you", sneered Yona. The witch sneered toward them. "What's the matter? Scared?", taunted Yona. "Hardly", scoffed the proud old woman. "You are. I can see it", said Jasper. "And what would know about it?", asked Aldegund, annoyed. "The simple fact that you're here means my father successfully exorcised you from my body. That leaves you vulnerable. Unaware of where your own bones lay, you could be trapped in limbo forever...I can see it written in your aura", said Jasper as if reading a page from a book. Aldegund smiled eerily.
Maintaining her calm exterior, Aldegund said, "It matters little. With the black heart, I can still reclaim the demonspawn's body." Jasper seemed to merely stare at the floor at with a sad expression. "What'd you call him?", asked Yona, annoyed. "Demonspawn. He's a child of the darkness. There's no use denying it", replied the witch, grinning faintly that she'd managed to get under the teen's skin. "Is that right?", scoffed Yona, a distant look in her eyes. Keeping her gaze fixed on the witch, she called out to her new ally. Jasper looked at her in question. "You said this was her 'mind', right?", she inquired. He nodded, unsure where she was going with it. A cocky grin crossed her lips as she slowly strode toward Aldegund. "I may not understand all this 'energy fields' bullshit, but I do know that means one thing. I can touch you", she smirked, launching herself forward.
Jasper watched in shock as Yona gave the witch a good thrashing. "That's for starting all this in the first place! This is for hurting my friends! And this is for trapping me in your stupid scheme!", she shouted between punches. Shaking himself into action, Jasper ran forward and grabbed ahold of the dragon slayer. "Yona, stop! She's just an old woman here!", he pleaded. Yona continued to fight on despite his efforts until he stopped holding back. He was much stronger than he looked. Hauling her backward, he held on tightly. "Please stop", he repeated. Aldegund seemed unconscious at this paint. "All right!", snapped Yona, forcing herself to relax. Ignoring the fact that he'd just had his hands on her, his mind was settled on something else. "Why did you do that?", he asked, still taking it all in. "If I had to guess, I'd say you're the kind of guy that wouldn't hit a woman. So I did it for you", she said, not meeting his eyes. "But why?", asked Jasper once more. Yona chuckled faintly. "You really are dense...The entire guild went to war for you. Someone had to do something. Kavi wouldn't let me kill her, either...Don't realize what will happen if she gets back to her own body?"
He stared in wonder. Half of of him was amazed at how many strangers endangered themselves to save him and half of him suspected another reason. Gathering his nerves, he stated, "I won't let that happen." Yona watched as he strode passed her and lifted the witch in his arms. "What are you doing?", inquired the dragon slayer. "Just watch", said Jasper as he carried Aldegund to the crystal's vortex. Pausing in front of the energy field, he stared with mixed emotions into her face. She had done so much to him, his friends, and his family. With one deep breath, he let go of his anger. "Go back to your soul", he said as he gently passed the witch into her own prison. Yona had come up behind him. With a sigh, she said, "So now what?". Looking into the black abyss, Jasper replied, "We should get back to our bodies." Yona glanced around briefly before asking, "And how exactly do we do that?". Jasper grinned slightly as he turned to face her. "Your mind, though severed, still has a strong connection with other parts. Once you get close enough, they're should be a slight gravitational force that will pull you in, completing the whole", he explained. She gave him a funny look. "Sooo, walk over and I'll get sucked in?", she ventured. "More or less", he ceded, suppressing a laugh.
Yona turned to go back to her skin, but a faint tug halted her in her tracks. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see Jasper staring passed his red cheeks into the floor and holding onto her wrist. "Yona, wait", he stuttered. She turned to face him, a light smirk on her face. "What?", she teased. He'd let go of her, but still avoided eye contact. "When we get back to our bodies, everyone else will be able to see us again...", he trailed. She looked around at the seemingly frozen faces of her friends, almost having forgotten they were there at all. "And?", she said. "I'll be too shy to do this, so let me do it now", replied Jasper, pulling her into a tight embrace. For once, she found herself blushing as he whole-heartedly said, "Thank you." Unable to pull anything witty from air, she simply said, "You're welcome." He offered a grateful smile as she slid free from his arms. She nodded toward where his body was bound. "What are waiting for? They're all waiting for you", she said with a soft grin. He seemed uneasy about something still. Yona watched him carefully. "The black heart?", she ventured. Jasper nodded. "What does that even mean?", asked Yona, confused. Jasper sighed, "It's the physical link that binds her mind to my body." She seemed unimpressed. "So? Get rid of it. Done, right?", she asked. "Something like that...But I can't do it alone", said Jasper, staring toward Puck. "You now he'll help you. We've already gone this far", said Yona. Giving him a faint shove, she said, "Go." Jasper nodded and took a deep breath as they both headed for home.
Moments later, Yona sat up with a huge gasp for air. Everyone seemed to dart their eyes toward the sound. "Yona-chan!", cried Rani, pressing herself as close as possible, tears streaming down her tiny face. "Welcome back", grinned Ronen, letting Rani have her moment before hugging their friend himself. "I was starting to worry about you", sad Blythe, offering a friendly smile. "How's Jasper?", asked Yona, looking toward him. Blythe simply pointed and the duo watched as the incubus slowly came to. He remained bound until they could be sure it was him. Veda approached slowly with hopeful eyes. She gently stroked his face and waited for a response. Jasper lifted his head. With a soft smile, he said, "Hi, Mom". That was all she needed to hear. Veda wrapped her arms tightly around her son and Puck released the restraints. Unused to being in a body, Jasper toppled to one side, but his brother was there to catch him. "Welcome home", grinned Kavi. Within moments, Puck joined in and the family stood as one, glad to be back together. Nearby, Yona realized she was being stared at and turned to see Blythe's goofy grin awaiting her. She had her own smile, which she quickly put away. Playfully pushing his face away, she said, "Say anything and I'll kill you." He laughed as he fell over. It was god to see she remained unchanged by the experience.
Yona got her feet and quickly lost her balance, saved only by Blythe's quick reflexes. "Are you okay?", he inquired with worry. Puck was watching her. "Don't worry. It's just a side effect of being away from your body. It'll wear off", he assured. Yona nodded, annoyed at her weakness. Puck turned in surprise as Jasper grabbed ahold of his arm. "Dad, the black heart...", he said weakly. He'd been 'in pieces' much longer than Yona. She could imagine the strain. "Rest now. We'll take care of it", said Puck. "No", said Jasper, shaking his head. "Do it now...I don't want any traces of her left in me", he said through labored breaths. Puck glanced to his wife in question. Veda nodded. It had to be done. Blythe helped Yona get closer as Puck set to his task. A few swift tugs in the right places freed Jasper from his tunic. It slid to the ground with a heavy "thump". Yona grinned to herself. That sly bastard had weighted clothes...Just how strong was he?
She watched in fascinated horror as the 'black heart' was revealed. It was no code name. That's simply what it was. A small black mass pulsed beside Jasper's own heart, just below the skin. Dark lines twisted in various directions where it had taken hold. Puck hesitated. "Do it...Please", pleaded his son. His heart was breaking. He had no choice. A nod to Veda and Kavi got them into position. They each took an arm and held on tight. "Blythe, get ready", ordered Kavi. He nodded and helped his team mate into a sitting position before standing by. Puck raised two fingers, a spark beginning to glow at the tips. A swift puncture and blood began to pour. Jasper winced and twisted with pain, but his kin held tightly. Yona stared in awe as a small, unknown creature was pulled from Jasper's flesh. It was pitch black as if light simply vanished around it, whatever it was. Long tendrils of darkness were pulled from Jasper's skin. Once it was free, Blythe placed his hand over the wound and concentrated. Jasper remained conscious just long enough to see the horrid thing squashed before succumbing to the pain and fatigue.
Veda held her son in her coils and tenderly stroked his face as he rested. Yona stared at Puck's hands as the last of the blackness evaporated. "What was that thing?", she asked, mildly disgusted. "A curse of sorts", replied the elf. "Is he gonna be okay?", inquired Yona, trying not to appear worried. Puck glanced at his sleeping son and nodded. "He'll likely sleep for a few days while he recovers. He was separated from his flesh a long while. It will take time for the natural bonds to regenerate", he explained. Turning, he said, "I'm a little surprised you're holding up so well yourself." He only got half way through that statement before Yona blacked out, too.
-
When Yona woke up, she was not in her room. It looked like...Veda's? Slowly stirring, she found her loving exceeds curled beside her, one sleeping on each side of her body. Jasper wasn't far. Veda's bed was fairly large. It had to be to accommodate her anatomy. "Good evening", said a familiar voice. Yona struggled to focus her vision. A pair of glasses and a kind smile drifted out from behind a book. "Kavi? How long was I out?", she asked, yawning with a stretch. "A few hours. It's not surprising", replied Kavi. Yona shifted her gaze around the room, unsure of what she was supposed to be doing. Her name called her back to her team mate. She looked at him skeptically. "Is this the part where you get after me for traumatizing your brother?", she teased. Surprisingly, a faint laugh met her question. Kavi set his book aside and pulled his chair closer. "No...I know I'm hard on you most of the time, but you did something amazing today. You gave me back my brother...Thank you", he said, catching her off guard with a hug. Her words settling in, he pulled back and gave a stern look. "You didn't do anything traumatizing to him already, did you?", he inquired. "Nah. I'll let him get his land legs back first...Then I'll traumatize him", she replied with a playful smile.
"Kavi-kun, get some sleep. We'll let you know when Jasper wakes up", said Blythe, peering in from the door. "Blondie's right. Got get some rest", said Yona, glad to be able to tell Kavi what to do for once. Giving in, he nodded and made his way back to his room. "Are you feeling all right?", asked Blythe. Yona glanced at her sleeping companions and the exhausted incubus. "Yeah, I'm fine." She carefully got to her feet, glad to have her balance back. She handed Rani off to her team mate and took Ronen into her own arms to leave Jasper to his rest. She glanced back on last time as she left the room. A light smile crossed her lips. What would his return mean to the guild?
-
A few days later, Yona made her way down into Veda's sanctum. She hadn't seen Kavi lately and, while not surprised, she was curious to see how the newest addition to the guild was doing. She paused outside of the door and listened. A grim conversation was finishing up inside. "All of them?", asked Jasper, still reeling. "I'm afraid so...I saw to their funerals myself", replied Kavi solemnly. A few minutes passed in silence. "That must of been really hard on you...I'm sorry I wasn't here", said Jasper. "Don't be. If I'd have been able to help you all those years ago...", trailed Kavi. "The past is over. Time to look forward to the future, right?", ventured Jasper. "I suppose you're right. I'll leave you to your thoughts...Just focus on getting better. Everyone will be there to meet you when you're ready", said Kavi. He didn't bother stopping when he passed Yona. He clearly saw her, but said nothing. That made her a little uneasy. Had they been talking about her? What had they said?! A hand on her shoulder made her practically jump from her skin. "Are you going in?", asked Veda, a wide smile on her face. Yona caught her breath with her hand on her chest. "Didn't mean to startle you", laughed Veda. "Here. Take this with you", she said, pressing a plate of food into Yona's hands. Yona nodded as Veda gave one more grin before departing.
Yona opened the door without knocking, a bad habit. She stared despite herself as Jasper slowly pulled a shirt over the two long scars on his back. "Sorry", said Yona lamely. "It's all right. Come in", said Jasper, tying up his lengthy hair. "Your mom made lunch", she said, setting the plate beside him. She took a seat and idly glanced around the room. After several moments of awkward silence, Jasper ventured, "You saw them...Don't worry. Those scars are from a long time ago." Picking at her nails, she asked, "What happened?". As Jasper sat with his shirt undone, poking at his meal, it was obvious from his lack of panic that he was still extremely exhausted and likely in a lot of pain. Lowering the food back onto the plate, he said, "I lied." She sent him a confused look. "When you asked what else was different about an incubus...I lied...We're born with wings", he said sadly, inadvertently tugging at his shirt. "The witches?", inquired Yona, reading the look on his face. He nodded. "The couldn't risk me getting away, so they took precautions", he replied, slowly resuming his meal. A million things ran through Yona's mind, but the only thing that came out from her mouth was, "Ouch."
She tried to think of something else to talk about, to lighten the mood, but nothing came to mind. Eventually, her eyes settled on his old clothing. He said it was a uniform from the Nightmare Regiment, but was there more to it? "So, you always wear weighted stuff?", she asked, poking at the clothing. Jasper grinned faintly. "It served its purpose in those days. By now, Yona had taken the entire outfit into her lap and was inspecting it closely. She found a strange pocket in part of the back. "What's this for?", she asked bluntly as she held up the over skirt. Apparently Jasper was starting to feel better. He was blushing again. "Well...", he trailed. Yona could have sworn she saw something move beside him. Nah, maybe her eyes were just playing tricks on her. "The uniform was designed to minimize our monstrous appearance so the humans would feel more confident around us", sighed Jasper. Yona was looking over the make shift stitching on the back of the shirt. There were clearly wing slits at one time. "Veda must have closed them up", she thought. "Okay, what is that?", she spurted, pointing to the sheets. "I swear I saw it move!", she added, making sure he knew she wasn't crazy. Like a cat on the hunt, she zeroed in on whatever it was and pounced. Outside, Veda ignored the loud crash from within her chamber as she made her next chess move against Blythe.
Back inside, Yona stared at her hands. "What the - ?!", she began. Finally, Jasper said, "That kind of hurts..." Realizing it was attached, she let go. Jasper's lithe tail pulled itself closer to his body to avoid further damage. Yona sat back in shock. "It's a tail pocket", she laughed, putting it all together. She could see now why Aldegund had called his people demonspawn. A long tail with a forked end was gently being nursed in the incubus's hands. "Why don't you leave it out?", she asked. He blushed again. She clearly didn't understand how people reacted to him in the past. Eventually, he uttered, "The ears, teeth, and gray skin are usually enough to scare most folks sufficiently." "Oh", she said. She may be a dragon slayer, but she was still human. No one knew anything else by merely looking at her.
Trying to restart the conversation, she asked, "How long do you think you'll be stuck down here? The guild really wants to meet you." He shook his head, unsure of an answer. Despite her presence, he'd managed to get his food down and was now hiding his tail again back under the sheets. With a deep breath, he was ready to face her...At least he thought. He he turned to see her, she was freakishly close, prompting another red reaction across his face. It looked like she was sniffing him..but why? "Yeah, I can smell magic on you now that we're in our skin again", she said, as if replying to his unasked question. He was running out of room to back away into. She had his back to the head board of the bed. "Wh-why are you looking at me like that?!", he asked through panicked breaths. "Isn't it obvious?", she asked, a calm expression over her face. Jasper quickly shook his head. What was with this girl? "Now I know what you smell like, so there's only one question left to answer", she stated. "Th-there is?", he uttered, shying his gaze. "Yup!", she beamed. Slowly looking her in the eye, he ventured, "And that is?..." She let out a brief laugh. "Duh! What's an incubus taste like?". He couldn't turn any brighter red if he tried and she dove in for the kill move.
-
Back outside, Blythe peered passed Veda toward the newest loud crash from Jasper's location in question. "Should we do something?", he asked nervously. "I wouldn't worry. Sound like they're getting along fine to me", beamed Veda, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. Truth be told, she knew what Yona would do and she was letting it happen. After all, if Jasper was to rejoin team one, he'd have to get used to her eventually.
-
Jasper laid breathless beneath his attacker. Yona stared with wide eyes and she pulled away from his lips. "Whoa...", she uttered. Realizing she was blushing, too, she quickly scrambled to her feet. Avoiding eye contact, she spoke very fast. "Well, that answers that question. Feel better soon. I'll catch you later. Bye!" As she hurried from the room, she took her time to catch her breath once the door had closed. She touched her lips without thought. What was that just now? Shaking the feeling, she hied passed Veda and Blythe. Noting the pink hue on Yona's face, Veda simply smiled to herself. "I supposed I should have warned her that incubus are mildly intoxicating to humans", she chuckled. Putting it together, Blythe did a double take between Veda and Yona's shrinking form. "You mean - ?", he began. "Ah, to be young again", sighed Veda, not saying anything else about it.
Only time will tell where these roads will take our mages. 3
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The End