Dear stranger, if you're reading this, thank you for your patience. I hope your holidays were wonderful days to remember. :)
I last left off with Jackal going away somewhere. Kyôka was last seen dealing with yet another cell cough case. Sayla and the rest of Tartaros Fairy still get together, brainstorming the unthinkable. Escaping through a riot is easier said than done. They still haven't quite organized more than, like, less than 15 prisoners out of several hundred.
What's Jackal up to now?
— ML
Chapter Seventeen: Séance, Part One
March 14, X792, 4:00 p.m.
Angelic.
Jackal sat in Yuichi Misono's office, shaking his leg to tap the heel of his foot. He seemed impatient and restless about something. I know what it is. I am just waiting for him to speak up.
The analog clock ticked quietly above Yuichi Misono's chair. Jackal watched the time pass by. 4:01 p.m. 4:05 p.m. 4:11 p.m. 4:13 p.m. 4:15 p.m...
It has been about fifteen minutes since Jackal arrived at the doctor's office. No matter the wording of his thoughts, he was incredibly worried about the higher authority learning about his mental plague. Nothing he could think of didn't seem a little bit disturbing.
'I think I'm possessed.'
No, that's just paranoid and crazy.
'I feel like there are voices in my head. My emotions are all over the damn place. I made a flower out of nothing. I've never even seen that flower before! I'm a sadomasochist. I'm also a flirt. I cry way too much; some people call me fucking Crybaby. None of it feels like me. But it kinda is me. Who is "me" anymore?'
Fuck, that's even worse...
Yuichi sat patiently as the minutes ticked by. Jackal looked anywhere but the doctor's eyes. His face was so punchable with those perfect glasses, neatly trimmed hair combed to one side, and those weird almond-shaped brown eyes. They looked innocent, wise, cold, and nurturing at the same time. Jackal could not stand or sit for that freakish human face.
If it matters, Yuichi is wearing a lilac purple dress shirt and a black tie with blue jeans and tennis shoes. I understand that the purple-themed holiday celebrates the monarchy. What a foolish celebration for a foolish society. The name of the kingdom basically changes with each passing queen, king, monarch, or other highest position of royalty. And they all stink.
Enough about that.
"I... I'm struggling," Jackal whispered at last. He rested his elbows on his thighs and his chin on his hands, staring into space. Yuichi shifted his sitting position to cross one leg over the other.
He could tell from experience that Jackal was deep in thought over his inner conflict. It was not easy being vulnerable in front of a human, much less a human on the "enemy" side. Yuichi understood the words caught in one's throat, the possible memories, dreams, or triggers that seem to play on repeat. Jackal could be thinking about anything.
"Can you tell me what you are struggling with?" the doctor asked.
"I... I don't know. My brain, I guess." Do I even have a brain?
Of course you have a brain. You're just bad at using it, Angelic wrote.
'Ugh, obviously I have a fucking brain. What a dumb question,' Jackal thought. I kind of chuckled a little.
"You're struggling with your mental health," the doctor said, attempting to confirm Jackal's response. But he had a feeling it was deeper than that. "As one of the few qualified individuals in this prison, I was allowed to learn certain things about you and your inner circle, such as a little "something" that might be going on in your head."
Jackal stood up abruptly, clenching his fists. He stared down at the relaxed doctor intently, taking a threatening step toward him. Finally, they made eye contact.
"Tell me what it is. Spit it out!" the blonde demon demanded. Yuichi hid a smug grin behind his poker face.
"Yes, I will tell you," Yuichi nodded. "But first, you need to sit back down and keep your volume low here. I do not want guards assuming the worst."
Jackal scoffed as he rolled his eyes, plopping back down in his chair. Yuichi cleared his throat. The blonde demon still sat up attentively, awaiting his explanation.
"So, this "something" that you're feeling; it is actually multiple things, although I'm not sure how many things there are."
The blonde was about ready to shout Yuichi down for keeping such a terrible secret. His fists trembled as he forced himself to stay calm.
"Well, what are they?" the blonde demon asked quietly.
Yuichi took a deep breath, bracing for whatever reaction Jackal may give.
"Celestial spirits."
Jackal's train of thoughts screeched to a halt. Celestial spirits? Inside him? That was impossible. They are immortal weapons. They belong to a realm only spirits can access, right? They can't possess people!
Yuichi watched Jackal's horrified expression turn to borderline comical confusion. He did not want to believe the doctor. He was just a shit stain human, after all. What if he simply lied to throw Jackal off?
Yuichi continued his explanation.
"In some complicated process I was not authorized to study, the physical forms of some Celestial Spirits were absorbed and turned into a liquid form of lacrima. After that, it was injected into your body. Your magic power is limited within these anti-eterano walls, so they studied your psychological reactions instead."
Jackal slowly returned to resting his elbows on his thighs, trying to think. Trying not to think. He had spent weeks pushing everything to the back of his mind. He knew exactly what Yuichi meant by "studying" psychological effects.
It was painful to think about that all-consuming darkness, the blending of the days, and the smell of his starved, wretched body.
The fear still followed him after integrating back into the imprisoned society. Some nights were especially difficult when the darkness of Black Qora felt too close, like it would fester and suck him back into that space.
"W-what... what'd they find?" Jackal muttered. He swallowed nervously. Why was he so nervous?
You know why, you dodo. /
"You became soft-hearted to a much higher degree, hence the crying," Yuichi began. "But you also have enraged outbursts at times that did not happen as frequently before the study. A little birdie also told me about a moment with your partner, Tempesta," the doctor smiled a little. Jackal looked away, blushing lightly through a glare.
Right, sharing a kiss and a hug and, well... he trailed off inwardly, recalling his corny declaration of love. He was also in a really good mood that day.
"Compared to your Earthland profile, your affectionate gestures are completely out of character. At least they should be," Yuichi mused, writing in his notebook as he spoke.
"What do you mean?" Jackal inquired, eyeing the doctor's penmanship.
"These changes in your personality may not feel like you at times because it is your mind attempting to blend certain dominant personality traits of the Celestial Spirits in that lacrima. Expressions of affection, love, emotional fragility, pain tolerance, and even anger. They are becoming a new part of you as a result of the injection."
Jackal sat back in his chair, speechless from Yuichi's little speech. Somehow, someone in this world found a way to turn a spirit's magic into a physical, condensed form. They took away that spirit's physical form, essentially making fucking ghosts out of them. They were alive and living under his skin! Their power is inside his body like an unwanted organ. It probably won't come out, so they're stuck with him. No wonder his mind, heart, hands, whatever, did not feel entirely like his. Even now, his fingers tingled just a little bit.
"H-how many?" the blonde demon whispered.
"I don't know," the doctor answered truthfully, lowering his gaze. "As I said before, I was not allowed to conduct further research. It could be five, ten, thirty, or less."
Jackal remained quiet, unsure of what to think in that moment. Now that he sort of knew what was going on, what else was there?
Oh, come on! It's so obvious, wrote Angelic.
'I guess I could meet them; learn their names; figure out how to get them out,' the feline demon mused, furrowing his brows. Everything went wrong in that isolation cell. If he could set the tone he was subjected to before, could he lure a spirit out and talk to it? Could that really work?
"I... I-I need your help," Jackal confessed, meeting Yuichi's earthy brown gaze. "Help me... speak to them."
"A séance? I'm not a psychic, sadly," he frowned. "I have no magic of curse at all, actually."
"Well, you can't force them to come out. I think I need t-to... isolate again in the, uh, the exact cell."
Yuichi furrowed his brows in confusion. "The exact cell?"
"Y-you know!" Jackal insisted, desperately trying to convey his words well enough. "T-the first cell I was locked in! The writings and shit on the wall? P-probably literal shit..." Jackal mumbled towards the end, shivering in disgust. "I was... I was sick. Possessed. Something. I need to, I just... T-this should work, right?"
"I understand, Jackal," Yuichi said, raising a palm to stop him while fixing his glasses with the other hand. "I remember which cell you are referring to. After it was cleaned and sterilized, it remained unused."
Jackal sighed in relief. He was kind of glad Yuichi stopped him from going on a tangent about his past. The human should know enough anyway, with his dumb notebooks and all.
Finally, he asked for help. I've been waiting all month.
I sank back into my corner, placing the pen in the spine of my journal. Technically, it belongs to Jackal. Knowing him, he will not turn to this page until he fills the book up to this point. He is not one to flip through empty pages.
Later That Night
Yuichi Misono was happy to help Jackal in any way he could. It was his job, after all. The doctor and patient agreed to begin the process at night so that there were minimal disruptions or distractions from the outside.
Jackal could faintly sense a phantom pounding in his chest when they crossed the threshold into the Isolation Unit.
He heard recently that Kyôka was relocated to the Infirmary Unit once her condition improved. That meant he would have the Isolation Unit all to himself for this little séance. Then again, the mere thought of being completely alone in that place made his stomach ache.
Yuichi and Jackal stopped at the cell in question. The feline demon stood frozen in place, staring the door down... in fear. He gripped his journal and pen in one hand.
Logically, he knew he could see in the dark enough to write about his experiences. The plan in place was:
a) Go back to where the changes began.
b) Trigger memories somehow.
c) Write whatever he might learn.
But now that the threshold was opened right in front of him, his confidence faltered severely. Yuichi noticed Jackal's bushy tail tucked between his legs. Even his hands trembled. The blonde took short, quick breaths.
"Jackal, we don't have to rush into this if you aren't ready," the doctor reassured him. Jackal took a deep breath, then a long exhale.
"I-I can do this. I have to. I... I'm not scared," he whispered. He took a cautious step forward. The walls and floor were spotless of any dirt, blood, or other biohazard waste. The faucet in one corner looked new, including the drain beneath it. And near that corner was a familiar box of food rations. Jackal eyed that box intently, gulping.
"The water is drinkable, and I brought the food rations that were provided in the first study," he explained, walking into the cell. He motioned with his hand for Jackal to follow. "Come. I'll stand with you until you are ready to be left alone."
"Hell no, I'm not a pussy!" the blonde grunted. "I got this."
Two Minutes Later
"Let me out! I-I need a break right now, you fucker!"
Jackal hammered his fists on the door. The pitch darkness was already too suffocating after a short time standing alone. He could not take it anymore. He had to get away from the dark.
Two guards watched Yuichi stand nonchalantly by the door, ignoring Jackal's pleas for release. The guards exchanged slightly concerned looks. They figured if the doctor was not worried, they did not need to step in.
"You must be brave in the face of fear, Jackal. Remember what you are doing this for," the human said through the door.
He nearly jumped at a hard bang from inside the cell. Jackal punched the door four times, shouting incoherently. The only reason he stopped was because his knuckles bled and hurt like hell.
He flicked his wrist as if the fast motion would ease the pain. He took deep breaths, trying not to cry out. The pain burned.
It fucking hurts. This is bad...
"Please, Yuichi, let me out," he pleaded, bumping his head on the door. His voice nearly cracked from the tears forming. Then he nearly fell backwards when the door cracked open. Light filled the cell instantly. Sweet salvation!
Jackal forced his way past the doctor, practically throwing himself at the opposite wall in the hallway. He gripped his chest over his shirt, panting. Tears fell from his terrified eye. The doctor quietly waited for his patient to relax again.
Jackal hadn't noticed his notebook drop on the cell floor minutes earlier. He managed to level his breathing, focusing on the book. This was different; nobody would force him to stay inside. He could leave anytime he wanted. He shot a glare at Yuichi.
"You denied me a break, you jackass! It's your fucking job to help me!" he growled. The doctor's eyebrows furrowed, then his expression went back to a neutral smile.
"I understand. I shouldn't have pressured you. I apologize," he said evenly.
"Tck!" the feline demon hissed. He pulled his hair back behind his shoulders. Yuichi took notice of the blood on his otherwise clean knuckles.
"Don't ignore me again," Jackal glared darkly at the human. Yuichi said nothing in response.
Angelic. Sheesh. Let's try that again.
Ten Minutes Later
Jackal sat up against the door, hugging his legs. His eye was tightly shut, his face hidden between his legs. His tail was bushy from fear. The darkness behind his eyelids was not as overwhelming, so he did not dare to look anywhere else.
"Are you alright in there, Jackal?" Yuichi asked through the door.
"Y-yeah, I'm good!" he replied.
"Do you want me to stay here?"
"Obviously! I don't trust those shitty guards!"
Jackal wanted to punch the doctor just for asking such a stupid question. He still did not forgive the human for letting him get drugged to sleep that day he was pinned to the cafeteria floor. The guards always treated him like a rabid animal. He did not like their hands, their faces, or the stench of their gear. He used to like the color black until black was associated with rape, sedation, and torture. Those shitty guards ruin everything.
The blonde demon had not realized his fear of the dark was slowly replaced with anger towards the bastards in charge. Whoever they were, he would fuck them for the fun of it, then sedate them until they don't wake up. See how much they like this... this cruelty.
"Your sobs are so sweet..."
Jackal could not move his body. He at least felt his body react to sensations around him. His limbs were nothing but numb attachments. His one-eyed vision had become the two perfect eyes gazing down at the swollen, beaten face of a complete stranger.
The stranger sobbed quietly, pleading for mercy. His clothes were torn from an obvious one-sided battle. Someone had gone through the effort of only targeting this man's face with kicks, punches, or any attack that might have defeated him. Both eyes were swollen shut, busted lips, black, purple, and yellow bruises, blood, snot, and drool dripping everywhere, damaged teeth, and a broken nose. There was a chance this man suffered a concussion as well. His crooked jaw was also a concern. Jackal felt disgusted, yet satisfied with his handiwork.
His handiwork?
Suddenly, the scenery switched to somewhere underwater. Someone drowned. Multiple choked, rotting faces floating like masked phantoms. Their terrified screams and the muffled, watery noises of struggle were silenced by bursts of oxygen bubbles. The hopelessness made his stomach churn.
In another scene of his dream, someone or something activated three spell circles around an opponent who honestly did not stand a chance. Combined with the power of something bright (light or fire, he wasn't sure), that triangular border became an inferno. Three points of hell on Earth for that weak target.
He did not know who these people were. He just needed to watch their pain over and over until he was satisfied.
Triangulum
(Inflicting pain gives me life. I want nothing more than to make them all suffer for what they've done to us. I'd do anything just to see through the eyes of a mortal I plan to torture.)
Jackal jolted upwards, snoring loud enough that he woke himself up. Did he fall asleep? How long was he out? He slapped his cheeks, then wiped his mouth in case he might have drooled (he did).
"Doc?" he questioned aloud. There was no response. "Yuichi!" Silence. That damn bastard wasn't supposed to leave!
But then, he noticed his journal in his lap, nearly slipping off his thigh. He held it more securely, looking down at the open page.
Triangle... What?
He furrowed his brows while squinting at the ancient Potemelian script. It was certainly not his handwriting. This was too square and squished together. He must have written in his sleep. Although he could not remember whatever he dreamed about.
"... Triangulum? What is that?" he questioned. A part of him expected a ghost encounter of sorts. But there was no response. Jackal frowned, closing the journal. He closed his good eye, hoping to slip back into another odd slumber.
No sleep.
He opened his eye to dark nothingness, glaring in frustration. He bumped the back of his head against the floor.
"Fuck!" he shouted at no one, tearing up. He was completely alone. Of course the doctor would leave eventually; humans required sleep just as much as the shitty demon guards. His shoulders shook with each sob he let out. He shut his eyes again, his face contorted in pain. He banged the back of his head again and again, harder each time.
I want to leave! I want to fucking leave!
"I-I'm sorry..."
His eye opened at the sound of a soft whisper. It could have been somebody outside. It could also be his imagination. He definitely hallucinated back then. He sat up, staring ahead. He wouldn't dare move an inch until whatever spoke to him was gone.
"I'm sorry... really sorry!"
Jackal inhaled sharply, recoiling away from the freezing cold suddenly touching his face. His tears might have frozen over because it was so cold. He scrambled towards the wall, pressing himself into a corner.
"Get away! You're not real!" he shouted. That same touch of frozen nothingness brushed his shoulder. His other shoulder. His chin. He had to stay still. He did not know why it was so cold. So damn cold, he couldn't move. It wasn't safe to move.
'You must be brave in the face of fear. Remember what you are doing this for.'
That stupid fucking doctor!
The feline demon heard nothing but his own panicked breathing. It felt like thousands of tiny hot needles stabbed his skin. He forced his eye to stay open. He had to face it if he wanted to be "brave" or whatever. However, he closed his right eye again when the pricking cold rose up his scarred cheek.
"You are... very pretty," that soft, feminine voice whispered. Then the freezing touches were gone. His ears pricked at the sound of his pen dropping on the floor.
"H-hello...?" he rasped. His throat was suddenly drier than cottonmouth.
Quickly and quietly, he crawled toward the faucet corner, forgetting about the pen. His hands soon touched said faucet, turning the handle. Water trickled, then flowed smoothly into the drain. Not filthy dark oil, but real water! He put his lips near the water, drinking.
By god, it was the tastiest water in that dump.
Aries
(I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry! I was so happy you finally heard me. I hope we can be friends. Sorry!)
Jackal eventually found his food rations. This time, he kind of cared what type of food was in the box. He removed the first single-serving bag. He ripped it open, sniffing its contents. It was something with chicken, or some other meat that smelled like chicken seasoning. Whatever it was, he scarfed it down, bread slices and all.
He wasn't hungry, but the food was good enough to fill the gap of silence. He had to resist the urge to eat from another bag. Once every other day was enough for now. Authenticity and all.
Once the first food ration was empty, he lay down on the floor. The floor was definitely cold on his exposed skin despite the even temperature of the rest of the cell.
He also read Aries' handwriting. The dark was still difficult to see in, so he held the journal close to his face. In the end, he preferred to "read" the words by feeling each groove on the page. He placed the open book on his chest and then folded his hands on his belly. His belly was back to its normal flatness, rather than sinking in and starving like his first isolation. He subconsciously rubbed his fingers on the ribs that still faintly showed, staring up blankly.
Aries... huh. I think Franmalth bragged about absorbing that spirit. Fluffy pink hair, the horns. Oh, the ram!
"Heh, yeah, that one."
Jackal tensed up, his eye wide. The freezing cold cupped around his face. He couldn't move again. He didn't want to move. Was it Aries? Triangulum? A hidden third presence?
"I don't remember how to feel."
Jackal thought he heard himself whisper aloud. The tension in his muscles subsided. Suddenly, he shouted in pain, gripping his chest. He curled his body in agony, letting his journal fall while he lay on his side, holding himself in pain.
What the fuck?
What the fucking fuck!
It felt like something struck him hard in the stomach. Was it a phantom kick? Whatever it was, he could not see, hear, smell, or touch it. But it touched him, and it fucking hurt.
He shakily climbed to his hands and knees. In that moment, the ground was hot. His whole body trembled. His chest felt so heavy. He lifted his head to a pair of boots stopping a few feet from him.
Something in him sank with dread at the sound of armor moving to the stride of that seven-foot-tall warrior.
"I'm sorry... s-so... so... sorry..."
Jackal's lips definitely moved, but it was not his voice. Something spoke in his place. A soft, timid individual. He did not understand anything happening around him. One moment he was lying down after a meal. And now, he was pleading for mercy from some stranger with a, uh... weaponized clock hand?
The clock hand contained many carvings of ancient Potemelian along its surface, spiraling into a hole at the round center of the device. It looked more like a longsword in this giant person's grasp. They wore bulky white and dark blue armor with a matching helmet, boots, elbow pads, the whole shebang. Huge fucking boots and big, gloved hands.
The sword raised above Jackal's head. The pleas turned to screams of terror, immediately silenced by a nasty puncture through the blonde demon's back.
Jackal awoke to the sound of keys jingling outside the cell. He covered his eye with his arm when the hallway light lit up the isolation cell. He was relieved to see his own hands again. He raised his brows in surprise. Brown spots on his right forearm. They did not resemble cracks like his old Earthland body, just splotches of dark brown on light skin.
Yuichi peered inside, watching his patient look at his forearms in a close inspection. He too noticed new color on his right forearm. If his knowledge of Earthland was correct, those spots were another small part of his old body.
"Good morning, Jackal. How are you feeling?"
"Oh, uh, hey," he mumbled inattentively, turning his hands over a fourth time. The memory of his dream still lingered. It was so real he could feel the blood gushing from his body. Dreams were nothing, though, so it wasn't all bad.
"Someone said you cried out in your sleep," the doctor said.
"Yeah, a little bit." Jackal knew what the doctor had referred to. It was probably when that cold, invisible Aries tried to talk to him and ambushed him with her creepiness.
"Have you learned anything about your spirits yet?"
"Kinda," the blonde replied. He finally looked up at Yuichi. The same spectacled face. This time, the rims of his glasses were pink and black. Yuichi must have noticed Jackal's confusion at his face. He detached the rims from his plain black glasses.
"Magnetic accessory," the doctor said, placing the decorative rims back on. Jackal nodded slowly.
"They're kinda ugly," he commented. The doctor let out a slight chuckle, more of a short exhale than anything.
"Now, what did you learn while I was gone?"
"Triangulum, this crazy motherfucker. He likes hurting people. And this other one," he trailed off, looking at the simple, apologetic message. Her handwriting was easier to read and properly spaced out. She also wrote hard. Jackal figured the text would be visible on the next page too. She might as well have written through the damn page. "Aries. She wants to be my friend, for some reason."
"Two spirits, that's impressive for the first day," Yuichi Misono smiled. He leaned against the doorframe. "How much did they write to you?"
"Only a little bit," Jackal answered, showing him the page. Yuichi pushed his glasses up, getting down on one knee to look closer.
The blonde demon also got a closer look at the doctor. He still wore that stupid white coat. He noticed a pin on the right lapel of said coat. It looked like a triangle inside of a snake that was eating itself. Jackal recognized that symbol from a black card Tempesta used to carry around.
His dress shirt was black this time with the top button undone. Adam's apple looked average. No stubble, and moisturized. It mildly infuriated Jackal how plainly beautiful this human was compared to others on the "enemy" side. Still, he wanted to bruise his perfect face.
"That's enough. Get away from me," the blonde demon glared at Yuichi, slapping the book shut. "Can you even read Potemelian?"
"Oh, not at all," the doctor replied with an innocent grin. Seriously? The fucking idiot was staring at nothing!
"Were you even looking at the page?" Jackal asked in an accusatory tone. Yuichi did not answer the question. Instead, he opened the door wider.
"You need a shower."
"I do?" He smelled inside his shirt, wrinkling his nose. "Euch!"
"No worries. There is a bathroom just down this hall," the doctor said. Jackal looked outside the cell before cautiously stepping out. He had not realized how tense his body was, exiting the cell into better air. A weight lifted off his shoulders. He planned to savor it while it lasted. He still hated that dark place.
Angelic
In reality, the doctor also inspected Jackal's appearance. He wondered if those brown spots were birthmarks, larger moles, or vitiligo. He looked at your face when you were paying attention to his clothing (that shade of his black shirt is very nice).
Your pupils adjust quickly to the change of lighting. Thin, wide, and thin again. Your hair is a bit unkempt, and you smell a bit musky.
'I'll lead him to the shower after this,' Yuichi noted to himself. The doctor refrained from smirking a little when Jackal's nose twitched. It was a human's, but not quite. He saw faint texture of a cat's nose, black near his nostrils.
And speaking of hair, Jackal's split ends were hard to ignore. He saw one odd string, then another, then a head full of hair in desperate need of a trim and a proper salon treatment.
'Prisoners are not allowed to handle sharp objects, not even in the presence of guards. I'll just encourage him to use conditioner at least once a week and comb his hair from the ends up.'
'Goodness, his fingernails are uneven and dirty. That is an infected scratch waiting to happen.'
'Dental hygiene.'
'Clean clothes.'
He needs a blanket and a good pillow for his neck and shoulders.'
That is nice of you, Yuichi Misono. :)