Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to its owner, who is, by the way, not me.
"The afterlife?" Arthur stammered, "But I'm still alive! I have a heartbeat and everything!"
"Only because of these two," the reaper scoffed, indicating Yao and Alfred. "And such lawlessness is unacceptable. If you do not come with us willingly, I'm afraid we'll have to take your soul by force."
Alfred finally snapped out of his shocked trance, and burst out, "No, I won't let you take him! He's my friend!" He clenched his fists tightly, glaring at the reaper with defiant blue eyes.
"Are you challenging us, boy?" the reaper narrowed his eyes disdainfully. "Unlike you, I am a full-fledged reaper, much more powerful than a mortal human. I don't know how you found out about your half-reaper abilities, but apparently they've made you too cocky."
"I don't care if you're a reaper or not," Alfred maintained firmly, "If you want to kill Arthur again, then you'll have to go through me!"
"Hai, sacred law or not, we cannot sit back while you take our friend's soul," Kiku maintained seriously.
"Alfred...Kiku," Arthur murmured, staring at his fellow hunters incredulously.
As the reaper brandished his scythe wickedly, even Gilbert could tell that they were moments away from a fight, and unfortunately, the reaper was right. Even with the six of them, there was no way demon hunters could hope to match the strength of four armed reapers. Gilbert wasn't even sure if reapers could die. But when the fighting did start, Gilbert also knew that he would stand with his friends until the very end. Still, maybe...maybe there was some way they could escape with Arthur, or drive the reapers away. His red eyes scanned his surroundings, but even if they retreated, they couldn't outrun their superhuman opponents. Gilbert tensed, realizing his only choice was to hold his ground, and instead turned his attention to his adversaries...then he realized that he knew one of them.
He spotted the familiar face standing behind one of the other reapers, as if he were purposefully trying not to be seen by the hunters. Gilbert blinked and frowned, "Vladmir?"
The Romanian reaper flinched when Gilbert called his name, and looked away, pretending not to have heard, but doing a terrible job. The first reaper turned toward him with a stern, questioning look, "Vladmir, do you know this hunter?"
"Well, um," Vladmir flustered, giving him a uneasy smile, "Funny thing is, Juan..."
"Vladmir," the reaper, Juan, said with a warning tone. "Did you break our mandate without telling any of us?"
"Seriously? You're going to discipline me for this?" Vladmir huffed, irritated, "It's not like the rest of you haven't broken the mandate at least once!"
"I haven't," Juan scoffed.
"He's got a point there," one of the other reapers shrugged as he fixed his glasses over his golden eyes, then nonchalantly brushed his dark hair out of his face. "Most of the rest of us broke it at least once."
"Don't defend him, Chao, this is serious business," said another reaper, one with dark skin, a buzz-cut, square glasses, and a burly stature, as he rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I thought you were on my side, Jamar," Vladmir protested. By this point, none of the seven hunters really knew what to say, and just kept quiet, watching the conversation bounce back and forth.
"Stop talking about sides already," Jamar grumbled, "We're all reapers here, aren't we?"
"And yet none of you can ever follow the damn mandate," Juan exasperated, voice saturated in disapproval. "Anyway, we need to get back to the matter at hand!" With that, Juan turned back toward Alfred and Arthur, a fed-up glare on his face. "You can make this a lot easier on yourselves if you would just hand over his soul-"
He stopped abruptly in midsentence, before jerking his head up toward the sky, narrowing his eyes and cursing under his breath. Arsian also turned his head in that direction, raising an eyebrow. A moment later, two more bright streaks of light blinked into the night sky, aiming towards them at an alarming rate. Soon enough, with another blinding flash, the two entities hit the ground beside Juan, and when the light faded, there were two more reapers standing before them, serious looks on their faces that could only mean that they meant business.
One of the two newcomers was another familiar face, a short girl with a pink smock and a red ascot. The other reaper was a woman, with long, dark brown hair that fell past her waist, coppery skin and chocolate brown eyes. Her clothing was simple and plain, though her dress appeared to be made from animal hide, but whether or not that was real, Gilbert couldn't tell. And both reapers had their intimidating scythes at hand.
"Paulette! Akira!" Juan reprimanded irritably, "What do you think you're doing here?"
At the name "Akira," Alfred's jaw dropped. Even Gilbert was beyond surprised to learn that this was the reaper who seriously broke the mandate all those years ago. Moreover, Alfred didn't look anything like his mother. Evidently, the American was having an insanely hard time processing that this was his actual mother in front of him, the mother he hadn't met for as long as he could remember. The mother he had been wondering about and imagining since he was just a little kid, the mother who had left him on the orphanage doorstep when he was two.
"We're here to stop you from making a mistake," Paulette asserted firmly, gripping her scythe for effect.
"What?!" Juan exclaimed, "If you two are also here, then who's out collecting mortal souls?! Just because we aren't doing our job doesn't mean that people stop dying! You're supposed to be sending souls to the afterlife!"
"Don't worry," Paulette waved off indifferently, "In case you can't count, there's only six of us here. Alfonso is still out there, covering all our shifts."
"You left him out there to do the work of seven reapers all by himself?" Chao gaped.
"Boy, is he going to be cranky tomorrow morning," Jamar mused.
"Well, if you guys would just get over yourselves and see what a big deal you're making out of this, then maybe we could all just get back to work like we should," Akira huffed, one hand on her hip.
"But this is a big deal," Juan persisted stubbornly, "Your son or not, he still broke life's most sacred law!" At this, all the other hunters save for Gilbert and Alfred gasped and glanced from Akira to Alfred and back to Akira. "I know you care for the boy, but he's nothing but trouble. We can't control him. Perhaps we should have killed him a long time ago."
"No, I won't let you hurt him while I'm here," Akira warned forebodingly, tightening the grip on her scythe, "You should know that by now."
"Your love for him impairs your judgment," Juan gritted his teeth, "If he's too dangerous, than we have no choice but to terminate him! Even you can't protect him then." He, too, brandished his scythe, its blade catching the moonlight ominously.
"Calm down, you two," Vladmir interjected, "You know reapers aren't allowed to fight each other."
"But this isn't just about me protecting my son," Akira insisted ardently, "This is about us as reapers protecting humanity!"
"How so?" Chao questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"You know that the demons are up to something," Paulette piped up, "They're going to attack the Academy, and we can't directly interfere! But Alfred can since he's not bound by a mandate. The humans need demon hunters even if they don't know it, and the demon hunters here need Alfred!"
"Makes sense to me," Vladmir remarked helpfully.
"The seal is weakening and his power still grows," Jamar pointed out, "How do we know he won't abuse his power once he reaches his full potential?"
Alfred opened his mouth to protest, but Paulette shot him a warning glare, telling him not speak. Then she turned to her fellow reaper, "Can't you see it in his soul? He has a warm heart. Maybe not the brightest intellect, but he shares his compassion with his friends. I've seen it! Besides, the compromise doesn't end until he's seventeen."
"That compromise is coming to an end soon, though," Chao said thoughtfully. "And he's not off to a good start, breaking the sacred law so soon."
"He didn't really know any better. I don't even think he knew what he was doing," Paulette shrugged. "Just make him swear an oath never to do it again."
"And if he breaks that oath, then he can face punishment," Akira affirmed smoothly, "But I don't think that will happen. But right now, the demon hunters need him to lend them his strength, since we cannot lend them ours."
"All right, fine," Juan sighed, "We won't kill the boy for now so long as he swears the oath. We'll continue the compromise until he turns seventeen and then decide whether he is too dangerous or not. But still, he cannot get off the hook so easily for such a grave offense."
"I wouldn't worry," Chao said darkly, "There are always retributions for breaking sacred laws, with or without our help. I'm sure they will pay a heavy price later on, and we might not have anything to do with it."
"And what about the formerly deceased one?" Jamar frowned, regarding Arthur quizzically, making the Brit flinch involuntarily.
"I say we let him live," Paulette said confidently.
"That's pushing it, Paulette," Juan shot her a pointed look, irked. "What part of sacred law do you not understand?! Honestly, how you became a reaper, I have no idea."
"The Academy needs him, too," she replied somberly, "And killing him again wouldn't be right! We're reapers, not murderers."
"But letting him live wouldn't be 'right' either," Juan grumbled, "That would be unfair. What gives him the right to have a second chance at life while all other humans only get one? Besides, I doubt one mortal would make that much of a difference for the whole demon hunter population."
"His life would make a difference," Akira advocated, "The Academy is going to need all the hunters it can get, especially Class A hunters. As for the fairness of it all, well, you're right, it's not fair. But perhaps nothing in this mortal world is fair! Is it fair for the humans to have their souls eaten up by demons, never to pass on to the afterlife?"
"As much as I hate bending the rules," Chao mused, "She's making a lot of good points there, Juan. It would be more beneficial to the human race if we let this one live to defend the Academy."
"But-" Juan started in objection, before Paulette interrupted him.
"Juan, we wouldn't be breaking the rules like this if it weren't absolutely important!" she insisted unwaveringly, "I know you love humanity just as much as the rest of us do! If you didn't, you wouldn't have been chosen to become a reaper to help mortal souls. And right now, those human souls which we hold dear are in terrible danger!"
There was a moment of silence, and everyone seemed to be holding their breaths, most especially Arthur, before Juan answered with a disgruntled sigh, "Fine, we won't kill him again." The rest of them let out a collective exhale of relief, before Juan turned to Arthur, and said sternly, "Hunter, you've been granted a special gift of circumstances. Perhaps fate is on your side, or perhaps you are simply very lucky. Whatever the case, do not waste this life."
Arthur blinked, then his expression hardened and he nodded firmly, "I won't."
Juan glanced over at Alfred, "We are letting you go for now, boy. But don't think you're off the hook that easily. The compromise ends on your seventeenth birthday. If by then, you have not proven yourself worthy of your tremendous power, well, you know what happens. I need you to swear that you will never, under any circumstances, use your power to bring the dead back to life, you hear?"
Alfred hesitated at first, but then realized that this was something he had to do if he wanted to walk out of here with his life. "I swear it."
"Right then," Juan nodded, "I guess we're done here for now." He turned to his fellow reapers, "Get back to your shifts as soon as possible." With that, Juan twirled his scythe once over his head, then struck the ground with the blunt end of his shaft, creating a bright flash of white light, and the next instant, he was gone.
Jamar rolled his eyes, "He always has to go out with a bang, doesn't he?"
"Just to make his point," Chao shrugged. Even as the reaper spoke, his image began to fade, until within seconds, he too disappeared.
Jamar's form blurred, before in a small shower of sparks, he had vanished into thin air. Vladmir threw Gilbert and Alfred a wink and a knowing smile, before he teleported away in a puff of red smoke.
"Bloody hell, that almost gave me a heart attack," Arthur said, sounding drained, his shoulder slumping as he relaxed his tense muscles.
Kiku sheathed his katana as he spoke, "Hai, that could have easily gone very bad for us. We couldn't have won a fight against a reaper."
"Seriously, though," Paulette told Arthur pointedly, "Don't waste your second chance. We're counting on you guys."
"Wasn't planning on it," Arthur reassured her, "And we are going to save the Academy, no matter what the demons throw at us!" Then he gave the young reaper a grateful smile, "Thanks for helping us."
"You're welcome," Paulette grinned with a thumbs up. "You can repay me by not letting me down. We were serious when we said that humanity needs you guys. If this Academy falls to a demon alliance, then demons across the globe will band together to topple all the other demon hunting academies and possibly wipe out all the demon hunters. If that happens, the mundane mortals will be doomed. And...I never want to see the day where my services to humankind are no longer needed, all because the demons have left no souls behind to be guided to the afterlife."
"Don't you worry, Paulette," Gilbert assured her with a smirk, "These demons picked the wrong school to mess with. If there's any Academy out there that can beat them, it's this one. And we've got a half-reaper on our side, right Alfred?" He waited for a cheery remark in support from the American, but there was none. The albino glanced around, only to see that Alfred was no longer with them. Instead, he was tentatively making his way off to the side of their conversation, towards the reaper Akira.
Alfred couldn't remember a time when he was more nervous than he was right now. This was his mother, standing before him, and now the two actually had a chance to talk, face-to-face, just the two of them. And now that he had this chance, he didn't know what to say. Akira, on the other hand, regarded her son intently, analyzing his every feature, with an unreadable expression. She had a very fierce presence, undeniably passionate and a bit intimidating, and he didn't know what to make of it. Finally, Alfred spoke, unable to bear the silence any longer, "All these years, I've tried to picture what you would look like. And, boy, not once did I ever once come close. I really thought you would look...more like me."
Akira gave a small smile then, and Alfred felt as if he soul became a tad warmer, cozier even. "I suppose that is because I have no genes to pass on to you," Akira said softly, a musical voice that was tender, and loving. "As you know, I have no human body, and not even a true form. I can change my appearance to be whatever I want it to be, but this one is my favorite. It's the one your father came to know." She gazed into his blue eyes wistfully, nostalgically, "You look so like your father, you know. Even your soul bears a remarkable resemblance to his."
"Except for, you know, he was human and I'm..." Alfred trailed off, unsure how to put this. What was he exactly? Was there a name for something like him? A reaper-human hybrid of some sort?
"You are human, too," Akira corrected delicately. "Only with powers deriving from reaper energy. And that is a blessing and a curse in itself." Her brown eyes were sad, and even a little weary.
"What do you mean?"
"You have a great strength within you, that you can use to protect yourself and those you love, but that power will also cause you strife, as it almost did today, when the other reapers almost punished you for saving your friend. Be wary, for that is not the last time such power will bring you misfortune. And for that, I must apologize. When I fell in love with your father...I never intended for this to happen. I'm so sorry for what I've done," she murmured.
"Sorry?" he echoed, fists shaking at his sides. Suddenly a storm of emotions swirled about within him, coming out of nowhere, and he could not comprehend why he felt this way, but he could not stop it. "Are you saying you're sorry you had me? Is that why you left me at an orphanage?"
Akira blinked, shocked, then shook her head, and amended earnestly, "No, Alfred, I don't regret having you one bit. You're my son, and I love you dearly. If I could have raised you myself I would have." She took a deep breath, then continued, "Alfred, do you know how reapers come to be?"
Alfred shook his head.
"It's a sacred process, and a complicated one. Reapers were once humans, but had died long ago. There have always been seven, to guide the souls to depart this mortal world into the afterlife, but when a reaper must be replaced, one departed soul is chosen, recalled from the afterlife. The consciousness of that soul is granted a special honor to be placed into a reaper body, made completely from condense energy. Reapers' souls remain in the afterlife, but their consciousness is in the mortal world. That is why reapers cannot die. We do not have mortal bodies, and our souls are well out of the demons' reach. But I could not raise you and hold true to my mandate. Breaking the reaper mandate is a serious thing, Alfred, and I was lucky enough to secure your life and remain a reaper. And now, even though you are not a full reaper yourself, you also carry a tremendous responsibility to abide by the sacred laws. I know you only did what you thought was right, but that was a reckless action; if you had not mended his anchor properly, you could have severely damaged his soul. It's very lucky that you didn't. You must not use your powers to bring back the dead anymore."
"All right, I get it," Alfred nodded solemnly for once.
Akira smiled then, her eyes softening, "My dear Alfred...Even though I was forbidden from entering your life, I was able to watch you from time to time. You've grown so much, and I have all the faith in the world in you. And you really do look so much like your father. I can see him in you."
"Mom," Alfred started, with a determined look on his face, "Please, you have to tell me. What happened to my dad? Which demon killed him?"
His mother became evidently uneasy, averting her gaze from his eyes. "Why do you assume he was killed by a demon?"
"I know Paulette said that he wasn't," Alfred said unfalteringly, "But I know that's got to be a lie. And I don't blame her for lying, since she was probably just trying not to hurt me or anything. But I know he was killed, or else, he wouldn't have left me all alone! I just know he wouldn't have!"
"Alfred, I cannot tell you what happened to your father, nor can I answer any other questions regarding his death," Akira maintained austerely. "I am sorry, but I know your father wouldn't have wanted you to dwell on him instead of living your life to the fullest. Please, just put him out of your mind, at least for now. The Academy needs your strength, and you cannot afford to be distracted."
"I can save the Academy and think about him," Alfred huffed indignantly, "If you tell me which demon killed him now, I promise I'll go after it once the Academy's safe."
"No, I will not tell you, and that is final," she replied tersely. Seeing his frustration, she took a deep breath, then looked at him gently, almost melancholy, "Alfred, though I cannot tell you that, I can tell you this: Your father loved you with every ounce of his being, and I know that he would be proud of you, of the person you've become. The compromise is coming to an end soon. Please, my son, do what you think is right, and do not let him, or me, down."
Alfred took a deep breath, then met her gaze with his unwavering blue eyes. "I won't."
Paulette came over to them then, and stood side by side with Akira, giving Alfred a friendly smile, "We have to go now, but we'll be rooting for you, I promise! You have the power to save those you care about, Alfred, don't forget that."
"This farewell won't be for long, my son," Akira said kindly, "We will see each other again soon. Now that you know about your true nature, I can sneak in a visit every once in a while. Until then, take care." Even before she was done speaking, their forms blurred, and Alfred soon found he was unable to focus on them, until finally, they blended completely with the dark forest and disappeared from sight.
"Bye, Mom," Alfred whispered.
After all the reapers had vanished and gone away, everyone else went back to sleep, Arsian assuring them that there were no more supernatural beings heading their way. Gilbert, however, couldn't return to slumber. He tried to, shifting restlessly on the couch, before giving up and trudging outside and sitting on the porch steps. The forest was calm, and peaceful. There was still a strange, mystical aura about the air, and though he could definitely feel it, he could not name what it was.
It didn't bother him, so instead, he mind wandered off to other things. He wondered with an aching heart how his brother was doing. He hadn't seen the blonde for three whole days now. It was probably the longest they've ever been separated, since Gilbert had been so determined all these years to protect his younger brother. The thought never left him that Illedris still had a desire to eat Ludwig's soul, though she considered Gilbert's soul deal more important. On more than one occasion did his master describe the blonde's soul as tantalizing, more so than most mundane souls, and every time Gilbert grew more and more protective.
The albino's train of thought was derailed when the front door opened, and Yao stepped outside, a bit surprised to see Gilbert sitting all by himself. "Couldn't sleep either?" Gilbert asked, moving over to give Yao some room to sit next to him.
"Yeah," Yao sighed as he took his seat on the step, "I'm still too worked up from earlier to fall asleep. And I can't stop thinking about everything else that's going on. The reapers kept saying how important it was that we save the Academy, but I just can't believe that the demons are actually going to do, they're really going to attack. The Academy was always...like a safe haven for us demon hunters. It's destruction...it's unimaginable! I mean, the demons have never dared coming near it, especially since Mr. Vargas is the headmaster. But I guess with a demon army, they think they'll finally be able to overcome a Purifying Light hunter."
"What is a Purifying Light hunter, anyway?" Gilbert asked curiously, remembering how Illedris cursed when she heard Mr. Vargas's name.
"You don't know?" Yao raised an eyebrow incredulously, then chuckled to himself, "Well, I guess you haven't been enrolled as long as the rest of us. Hmm...how to explain this...well, I guess it all goes back to the legend, aru. According to legend from long, long, ago, there was a time where it seemed that all civilization was going to crumble under the evil might of the demons. The demon hunters weren't strong enough to fend off all of the wicked creatures, and the future looked bleak. That's where the angels come in. What do you already know about angels?"
"Not much," Gilbert admitted, scratching his head.
"Angels are forbidden to cross over into this mortal world," Yao explained, "At least that's how the legend goes, since no one's ever seen one. It is said that they long to rid this world of demons, but coming here would defy their mandate. But when humanity seemed on the verge of extinction, they could not sit back and do nothing. Yet they could not come fight themselves. So instead, they were able to touch the souls of demon hunters before they were born into mortal life. The angels chose each soul carefully, and if they deemed that soul worthy enough, they would give that demon hunter a blessing, called the Purifying Light. Within these special souls was the power to use the light of the angels to destroy demons like never before, however, not just any demon hunter could possess this power. If a soul was not pure enough, the light could destroy them instead. But those who could accept the blessing became powerful enough to reverse the demons' success and bring humanity rebounding back with life. Those dark ages past, and the angels stopped giving their gift. And the legend says that when dark days are soon upon us, the angels select a few souls to give their rare blessing, in the hope of guarding humanity."
"So the angels chose the headmaster?" Gilbert gaped, awestruck.
"It's only a legend, but I believe it," Yao nodded, "Mr. Vargas is one of the most powerful demon hunters on the planet. There have only been a handful of Purifying Light hunters in recorded history, and he's one of them."
"And this angels' light, could it destroy your curse?" Gilbert asked, unable to stop a little excitement from escaping his voice. He also wanted to ask if it could be used to destroy his soul deal, but he didn't want to get his hopes too high.
Yao gave him a sad look, and his heart sank a little. "No, and I know what you're thinking. This light was designed to hurt only demons and not hunters. But for us, the light is extremely dangerous. Our souls are both tainted, touched by evil, so the light would destroy all of us, not just the tainted part. It would kill us."
There was a somber silence, and Gilbert just stared at the stars in the sky. He should have known escaping his deal wouldn't be that easy. Perhaps everything Orexis said was right. His fate was sealed the day he sold his soul for his brother. And he could accept that. If he was going to die, well, he supposed there were worst things to die for. But Yao...he shouldn't have to die. "It's not fair," Gilbert murmured, "That you were cursed."
Yao blinked, surprised by the sincerity in his words, then said softly, "I used to think that this curse was my punishment for losing Tao. Sometimes, I still think it is." Gilbert opened his mouth to protest, but Yao held up his hand, "I know what you're going to say, that it isn't my fault Tao's gone, but you won't change my mind. You should know how I feel, as an older brother yourself. I thought you would understand the most. When I heard why you made your soul deal, I couldn't hate you...because if that's what it took to save Tao, I wouldn't have hesitated one moment to sell my soul. But instead I have a curse...and no brother."
There was another moment of silence, because Gilbert didn't know what to say. He could try to console Yao, but he couldn't do that without lying, and that wasn't what Yao needed. Finally, he asked, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but, how did you get that curse?"
He paused, before answering, "I'll tell you, since Antonio told us how you made your soul deal, and it's only fair that you know my story. It was about six months ago, and Kiku and I got an assignment to slay the demon of nothing, Nihilum. This demon does not have a tangible form, like an invisible ghost, which is why it's so hard to track it. However, in that form it can't touch anything and can't feed on souls, so it possesses corpses. Dead bodies don't feel pain, and there are no souls left in them to resist Nihilum. It often changes corpses so that no one can locate its whereabouts. However, Nihilum had revealed itself for a brief time, and it was our only chance to slay it."
"How do you kill it?" Gilbert wondered, since corpses are already dead.
"That was the part we were never sure of," Yao said darkly, "We assumed you had to destroy its host body. Kiku and I accepted the job, and to our surprise it wasn't hard to find the demon. But slaying it was a totally different matter." Yao shivered at the memory, "It was practically like fighting a zombie. Nihilum had taken the body of a dead young woman, whose flesh had long been decaying. When we fought it, landing any solid blows was impossible, since cuts and slashes didn't affect it. But we weren't losing. Then, I had a chance, but...I blew it. I should have severed its head, but I wasn't thinking. I drove my sword through her heart, assuming it was like any other demon. But it didn't do a thing. Instead, my sword got stuck in her body, and I was within the demon's range of attack."
"So you couldn't stab a heart that was already dead," Gilbert shuddered. It really was like fighting a zombie. "What happened then?"
Yao continued, "Kiku pushed me out of the way in time, but he got fatally injured instead. I wanted to heal him but I had to fend off the demon. This time I made sure I cut its head off, and I did. I immediately rushed over to Kiku and began to heal him, thinking the fight was over."
"Nihilum was still alive after you beheaded it?" Gilbert gawked.
"Yes. I didn't realize it in time, but Nihilum and had left the corpse the instant before I decapitated it. I couldn't see its ghost form in the dark, but it began to laugh at me once I started healing Kiku. It scorned me, saying that my soul skill was cheating, and told me that no hunter should have a skill to counteract death. That's when it cursed me. I still couldn't see it, but suddenly I felt a burning sensation and there was the beginning of an Ouroboros on my collarbone. Before Nihilum disappeared, it said that when the Mark was complete, I would die."
Gilbert balled his fists in rage. How dare that bastard?! And the winged snake... "I have an Ouroboros, too," he muttered.
"Really?" Yao blinked, "That's your Mark, too?"
Gilbert nodded. Then a thought occurred to him. "Let me see it," he said.
"What?" Yao's face fell, and he bit his lip.
"Your Mark. Show me." Gilbert indicated his collarbone.
"No," Yao shook his head stubbornly. "It's none of your concern."
"Yao." The two glared at each other, each obstinate and unwilling to back down. "Yao, I'm asking as your friend. Please."
There was another tense pause, and finally Yao caved in. He pulled down the collar of his shirt just enough to expose the base of his neck.
And Gilbert's mouth fell open. "Holy shit," he whispered, voice cracking.
There was barely half a centimeter between the serpent's mouth and its tail.
"W-what happened?" Gilbert stammered, "Last time there was only three fifths of a circle. I thought you could at least use your skill five more times...and you've only used it twice..."
Yao read the alarm in Gilbert's eyes, but he no longer looked afraid and maintained his steely composure. His voice was calm and steady, "Healing Arthur used up a lot more energy than I thought. It accelerated the Mark. If I use my soul skill one more time, I'll die."
From the Author: Lots of new characters, and new info, right? Hopefully that shed light on a lot of certain things to come...any guesses? Maybe some of you already know how this will play out...or do you? ;)
Arsian is Mongolia, Juan is Cuba, Vladmir is Romania, Chao is Macau, Jamar is Cameroon, Akira is Native America, Paulette is Wy, Tao is Hong Kong, Alfonso is Portugal
Sorry for the late update, I ended up being really busy until now! Speaking of busy, it is to my regret that I must say that due to my tighter schedule, updates might not exactly be every Friday for the next three to four months. I will try my hardest to post every weekend at the least, but I can't guarantee it, and I'm not sure how often they will be. But I can promise a chapter next weekend if anything! Sorry for any inconveniences.
Anyways, thanks for reading, faving, following, and reviewing! BTW, all your reviews have been wonderful to read and I love you all for it! wintercandyapple has an amazing audience! That said, I'd love to hear what you have to say, so don't be afraid to review~ Thanks again and until next chapter!