He had been drifting for a long time, that much he knew, but for how long, well, he could not say. Besides, he might have known he was not supposed to be conscious, but the reason why he was, was a different mystery altogether — considering the unknown young woman that had just appeared before him.
Even during the time he was but another simple mortal with a very particular gift, Kol Mikaelson had always been a devotee of Magic and the Powers That Be, and greedily coveted knowledge of all its kinds. It was for this reason alone that he somehow felt the air of familiarity the mysterious Asian woman exuded.
She was a pretty thing, seemingly soft but no doubt with sharp edges hidden within — she wore a traditional kosode and hakama set, both in beautiful reddish and earth tones that could rival Kyōtō's autumn forests, embroidered with rivers of sand, combined with the gold lotus hairpin that crowned her head, keeping her elegant updo in place, barely a jet black lock of hair in disarray. His eyes widened, taking in the scene. The young woman was gracefully sitting in seiza with a copper chalice and a black tantō floating before her, eyes closed and humming what could have been either a spell or a mere song. 「 美香、ここに来てください。」 she whispered under her breath, calling for someone. ( TL: Mika, come here, please. )
He was equally bewildered as he was curious. It is not everyday that one succeeds in inadvertently fleeing oblivion without any active intervention of their own, after all. However, before he could utter a word, a beautiful auburn owl made its way into the room —were they even in a room?— and neatly perched itself on the woman's now extended arm. He had not heard the flap its wings, nor had he seen the woman offer her arm. Something certainly felt off, considering that he was still an Original even in death.
"«Eall souls moste return whither they boren», quoth the gods. Your flesh may have become nothing but cinders, your mind on the other hand? It has remained. Is it not curious?" She started, her eyes still closed. She then vanished both the chalice and the knife, and proceeded to arise. Her alluring voice was not forceful, but strong enough to command his attention. "Thus, it is not your time yet, Old One. And so you shall walk upon the Earth once more — you still have a duty to do, after all, one that is yours only."
Kol stifled a gasp when she finally opened her eyelids — absorbing, shimmering amber irises with little specks of green, sweet yet firm, like an ocean of honey with sunk emeralds coming afloat. Even as a vampire, he was still somewhat sensitive to magic, and this woman had an aura as dense as a black hole — with all its gravity, but none of its darkness. However, it did not feel entirely like magic, did it? It felt like more. Meanwhile, the owl on her arm hooted quietly, tilting its head curiously as if trying to read his mind.
The woman slightly waved her unoccupied hand in an imperious manner, prompting him to follow her. "Guide me and my escort to where you died, since it is the place wherein you shall be born anew."
In all honesty, this did not clear out any of his confusion, and so he voiced as much. "Not to be rude or anything", truth is, he actually kind of was, "but the least you could do is to introduce yourself before giving any orders", he said pointedly, giving her an expectant look. He has killed for less, but something tingling on the back of his mind was telling him that it would not be a good idea in this instance.
"Oh, I cannot believe I forgot to, my apologies. The name is Inazuma-Jinshi Yaeko, or Yaeko Inazuma-Jinshi if we are to follow the Western customs. You can call me Ayaka, though, so as not to confuse me with my earthly counterpart."
That certainly gave him pause. He had heard of the Inazuma Clan before, albeit not much. He did know they were magical, an ancient bloodline that stemmed from the Land of the Rising Sun, spanning over thousands of years. He however had no knowledge on the kind of magic they practised, nor did he know a thing about the Jinshi —though based on her introduction, he could infer that they were a family closely connected to the Clan.
Kol considered his options; it did not seem like this "Ayaka" was lying to him — he could not detect any trace of treachery from her. Plus, she had implied she was capable of reviving him. The issue was, however, that he was not privy to the method she would use to bring him back, nor to what this so-called duty was about. And he did not like not knowing, not at all. His eyes darkened minutely.
( In front of him she stood contemplating the subtle changes of expression on his face — she noticed his hesitation. There was obviously something heavily weighing on his mind, holding him back from following her. She supposed she could understand — trust must not come easily for a thousand-year-old creature, surely. )
"Should my methods or motives be of concern to you, I will do my utmost best to explain, as long as it does not go against the wishes of my Patron." She nodded to herself with concealed determination. "Yes, I shall enlighten you". For his part, Kol just arched a brow. Internally though, he was bubbling with scarcely contained wonder, if only stopped for the sliver of weariness he still felt. He was still a big fan of magic, ability to wield it or not.
"The Inazuma Ichizoku is one of the sorcerer clans from Ōyashima, alongside the Hanarashi and the Akagawa. They were founded when three siblings made a pact thousands of years ago, back in the last years of the Jōmon Period, when the land was still plunged into the chaos of the uncountable wars for territory that were taking place. They were actually the ones who introduced the concept of kami, spirits and gods, to the general population, you know? Same with the yōkai. Way earlier than even the Sumerians. It is thanks to them that centuries later, Hieda no Are y Ō no Yasumaro were able to come up with the Kojiki at the Empress Gemmei's behest. But I digress." She casually waved a dismissive hand. "Long story short, our ancestry is a fundamental part of this plane, our very reality, and we are instrumental for keeping its balance. Which is why, thanks to you still having a task to perform, and a combination of divinity and magic, I will be able to revive you, even without your body. Your ashes and death location would suffice." A small pause, and gave him a meaningful look. "We are agents of true balance, you see, Old One."
The vampire looked like he wanted to ask a million questions and some more. His mind was quickly processing and sorting out all the information he had just been given, and trying to think of what he did know about sorcerers. He already knew their magic was different to that of the Wiccan witches, or even the dark ones. But it seemed the real difference was the divine component of it. How much of it was really true, he could not infer, but if this presumed user was to be believed, then she certainly had the power to go through with her promise of giving him back his body.
"Suppose I believe you", he said with a lazy drawl, intentionally injecting all the scepticism he was sure she noticed. "Would you be giving me my Original Vampire body or a mortality restored one? Would you be able to give me my Original body but reconnected with my dormant magic?"
He saw her inclining her head in hesitant acquisition, but he did not pay too much attention — he was mostly focused on his thoughts, racing a thousand miles per second as they were. Honestly, this last question was the one thing he was genuinely curious about. Nik might have had his wolf side sealed, but it was still possible for him to get it back after breaking the nasty curse that was placed on him. On the other hand, when he was turned, to him it felt like he lost part of himself, the most important one — his magic.
Out of all his siblings, he had undoubtedly been the one more in tune with his magic while human. Inherited the gift from his mother, and with the strength of that of a firstborn despite being the fifth child. He practised his precious witchcraft, much to his father's dismay, in spite of his numerous efforts to steer him away from it —besides, he was much more adept at performing small miracles than he was at wielding a sword. His eldest brother Finn had inherited it as well, and so would have had his littlest brother Henrik were he to live past his thirteenth winter, but neither were nor would ever have been as strong as his. His very soul yearned for the part of it that was lost, so much so that it was no wonder he took the change the hardest. It reached the point where he was probably the first ever vampire to turn off his humanity switch.
One moment he was devastated, the next he was but the most bloodthirsty of the lot. No remorse, no regrets, no yearning, no pain due to the lack of self… However, life works in strange ways, and so does death. After the doppelganger's brat of a sibling murdered him, he found himself in a peculiar position — a ghost trapped on the Other Side, in the supernatural limbo, and with his humanity back on but still with no returned feeling for magic. If there was a way for him to come back with his link to Nature reconnected… Well, it certainly was food for thought.
In all honesty, he did not really trust Ayaka, and his reasons are very much justified. Considering his track record of lacking any veritable and reliable allies —because not even his siblings fall into that category—, the rare thing was him actually trusting her with no questions asked. So yes, he did not trust her, but there was this small nagging feeling that compelled him to actually give it a try, if only for the sake of reviving.
"What, exactly, would you need to pull me back to the living plane? And how long would it take?"
"Your spirit and soul, whatever is left of your original body, the location of your death, the magic of a full moon, and for my counterpart to prepare a beverage attuned to you", she explained, with a patient cadence to her speech. "The first part is the easiest, seeing as the gods themselves have sent you to me and not to a member of any of the other clans. The location and full moon are also fairly simple to acquire, considering one is a natural occurrence and you already have knowledge of the other. I would need your ashes, however, as I would need for you to follow my escort back to my earthly self once we've already determined everything else."
She spoke pleasantly, as if knowing what was crossing his mind at that moment. He had never felt so seen, and he was unsure whether it was a good or a bad thing. The thing is, he has virtually nothing to lose and nigh everything to gain, so he decided he'll temporarily trust that small voice that tells him it's worth a try.
"Mystic Falls, Virginia, in the States", he responded finally after a short while of pondering his very much reduced options.
Little did he know that it was not the first time he encountered her, nor that it was this decision the one that would change everything.
