He has been drifting for a long time, that much he knows, but for how long, well, he cannot say. Besides, he might know he is not supposed to be conscious, but the reason why he is, now that is a different mystery altogether — considering the unknown young woman that has just appeared before him.
Even during the time he was but another simple mortal with a very particular gift, Kol Mikaelson has always been a devotee of Magic and the Powers That Be, and greedily coveted knowledge of all its kinds —truth is, he still does. It is for this reason alone that he somehow feels the air of familiarity the mysterious Asian woman exudes.
She is a pretty thing, seemingly soft but no doubt with sharp edges hidden within — she's wearing 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 widen as he takes in the scene. The young woman is 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 whispers under her breath, calling for someone. ( TL: Mika, come here, please. )
He is equally bewildered as he is curious. It is not everyday that one succeeds in inadvertently fleeing oblivion without any active intervention of their own, after all. However, before he can utter a single word, a beautiful auburn owl makes its way into the room —are they even in a room?— and neatly perches itself on the woman's now extended arm. He has not heard the flap its wings, nor has he seen the woman offer her arm. Something certainly feels off, considering that he is still an Original even in death, and the lack of magical prowess does nothing but cement his belief.
"«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 starts, her eyes still closed. She then vanishes both the chalice and the knife, and proceeds to arise. Her alluring voice is not forceful, yet 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 stifles a gasp when she finally opens 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 is still somewhat attuned to the feeling of magic in the air, and this woman has an aura as dense as a black hole — with all its gravity, but none of its darkness. However, it does not feel entirely like magic, does it? It feels like so much more. Meanwhile, the owl on her arm hoots quietly, tilting its head curiously as if trying to read his mind.
The woman slightly waves 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 still does not clear out any of his confusion, and so he voices as much.
"Not to be rude or anything," in fact though, he actually kind of is, but who cares, certainly not him, "but the least you could do is to introduce yourself before giving any orders", he says pointedly, giving her an expectant look. He has killed for less, but something tingling on the back of his mind is 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 gives him pause. He has heard of the Inazuma Clan before —amongst those who pursue the great knowledge of all things Magic, who hasn't?—, albeit not as much as he would have liked. He does know they are magical, an ancient bloodline that stems from the Land of the Rising Sun and spans for over thousands of years. He however has no prior knowledge on the exact kind of magic they practise, nor does he know a thing about the Jinshi —though based on her introduction, he can infer that they are people closely connected to the Clan.
Kol considers his options as carefully as his tenseness allows him, patience hanging by its last thread; it does not seem like this "Ayaka" is lying to him — he's unable to detect any trace of treachery from her. Plus, she implied she is capable of reviving him. The issue is, however, that he is not privy to the method she will use to bring him back, nor to what this so-called duty is about. And he does not like not knowing, not at all. His eyes darken minutely.
( In front of him she stands contemplating the subtle changes of expression on his face — she notices his obviously displayed hesitation. There is obviously something heavily weighing on his mind, holding him back from following her. She supposes she can 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 nods to herself with concealed determination. "Yes, I shall enlighten you".
For his part, Kol just arches a brow. Internally though, he is bubbling with scarcely contained wonder, if only stopped for the sliver of weariness he is feeling. He is 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 waves 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 gives him a meaningful look. "We are agents of true balance, you see, Old One."
The vampire looks like he wants to ask a million questions and then some more. His mind is quickly processing and sorting out all the information he has just been given, and trying to think of what he does know about sorcerers. He already knows their magic is different to that of the Wiccan witches, and even to the dark ones'. But it seems the real difference is the divine component of it. How much of it is really true, he cannot infer, but if this presumed user is to be believed, then she certainly has the power to go through with her promise of giving him back his body.
"Suppose I believe you," he says with a lazy drawl, intentionally injecting all the scepticism he is 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 observes her as she inclines her head in hesitant acquisition, but he does not pay too much attention — he is mostly focused on his thoughts, racing a thousand miles per second as they are. Honestly, this last question is the one thing he is genuinely curious about. Nik might have had his wolf side sealed, but it is still possible for him to get it back after breaking the nasty curse that has been 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 undoubtedly is 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 used to practise 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 yearns for the part of it that was lost, so much so that it is 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 doppelgänger'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 is a way for him to come back with his link to Nature reconnected… Well, it certainly is food for thought.
Truth be told, he does 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 would be him actually trusting her with no questions asked. So yes, he does not trust her, but there is 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 explains, 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 speaks pleasantly, as if knowing what is crossing his mind at this moment. He has never felt so seen, and he is unsure whether it is a good or a bad thing for him. The thing is, he has virtually nothing to lose and nigh everything to gain, so he decides swiftly he will take his chances and temporarily trust that small voice that tells him it's worth a try.
"Mystic Falls, Virginia, in the United States," he responds finally after a short while of pondering his very much reduced options.
Little does he know that it is not the first time he encounters her, nor that it is this decision that will change everything.