Honesty can be practiced. With courage, it can be honed. But strength is something you realize on your own. At least that's what Vin thought before he decided to drag Rem along with his impulses. It was quite out of character, but because of what seems to be an impending danger for him, his body moved before he could even think. Luckily, Rem leads him to a shortcut since it's going to take them longer to get to the cemetery if they take the regular route from deep into the forest. Rem was quite regretful he underestimated Vincent's persistence.
"You know..I'm starting to regret that I took you too deep into the forest..." Rem mumbled.
"We've been running for quite a while now..are you sure we're on the right shortcut?" Vin asked, holding the end of the devil snare which wasn't tied to Rem.
"I'm positive. I take this route out whenever I train in the forest. It's just this is my first time running out, I'm usually enjoying the scenery here."
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.
.
"I'm not apologizing after this, okay." Vin glared at him with dead eyes.
Rem chuckled awkwardly, "I wasn't hoping for it. But...don't you think this is a bit overdone?" he said glancing at the devil snare wrapped around him, "It's not like I'm going to run away since I'm also curious of how Prim and Sig is now. It's just bothersome to run with this on."
Vin deliberately lets go of the devil snare on his hand.
"Thanks," said Rem who immediately tried to let himself free by clearing his thoughts, then he realized the tie wasn't loosening.
"Hey, Vincent.."
"Hm?"
"What did you do to this? It's not responding to my clear thoughts."
Vin grins all smug, "It took you a while to notice."
"You brat...what did you do?"
"That vine..or whatever it is. Earlier in my training, I noticed how that devil snare reacts to 'clear thoughts', but it doesn't only respond to how your brain is fumbled with thoughts, but it also reacts to how calm your wavelength is. I just messed with your wavelength a bit."
Rem now remembers what had happened, "Now I understand why you were staring at me so intently while you wrapped this thing on me." he sighs, "For a moment there, I almost forgot you're the genius spirit tamer. Remind me to not get on your bad side."
Vin shrugs smiling, "Adults just love to underestimate us kids."
"Then let's see you catch up then." Rem said speeding up, the wind bustling on his path and the leaves clashing on each other.
"You finally show your true nature, you cocky uncle." Vin sped up locking his eyes on to Rem's back that was slowly disapparating due to speed.
Earth. Wind. Air. Fire. Light. Dark. For Vin, everything has an explanation. With every situation, there must be some kind of information that links to everything. In both his education and training as an exorcist, there has been no idea that he cannot explain. He's always been the type to stick to the books and make those ideas work on its own. But Prim was something that he could not explain. Her existence and ability defy the structure and her rare power is not written on any book. But Vin knew that Rem was right. Despite how undeniably curious and unrefined Prim is, her wits are incomparable. She does not like staying in one place and stick to the books. Rather, whatever information she could get her hands on, she goes beyond the conventional to discover more that is usually risky or unheard of. That girl is impossible to understand. However, while the rest of the world may have given up on understanding her, Vin is that one of a trillion that is more than willing to go down that road to hell with her. After all, he's the only person she's able to open up to now.
The boys finally reached the end of the forest and found themselves east of the cemetery but already outside the entrance of the village. The air suddenly felt heavy and is making him queasy. He looked around and it was awfully glum for a morning.
"Something's wrong here." Rem mumbles.
"You think?" Vin replied as if he hasn't seen worse.
Rem frowned, "Okay, we have to find the edge of the barrier."
"And that is?"
"Look for insignias. It's usually shaped like boxes with swirls and letters."
Vin sighed, "Gee, how simple is that with a 6 yard."
The two immediately run around looking for an opening to where Sig and Prim were. Rem had been feeling quite nauseated for a while now. He's gotten curious as to what has been happening since this is the first time he felt this way when they've been repairing the protective enchantment for years.
Vin, on the other hand, is feeling fine. Rem had worried about the effects of this to Vin but he seemed to be doing better than expected.
"Found anything?" Rem said as they met up.
Vin shakes his head, "No."
Rem starts to worry.
"Well, this is the first time I see that face." Vin grinned.
"No. It's just odd. Sig's insignia should be here somewhere. We won't be able to locate them if we can't find the edge of it."
Just when they were about to spread out to look for it once more, the same pulsating energy vibrates the ground.
"There it is again!" Vin exclaimed.
"Wait," Rem crouched and touched the ground with his hands, "This isn't Sig's barrier."
"What?"
Rem stands up, "No doubt here Vin. You know what I mean. We've already experienced this back when we first met. There's only one explanation."
"It's hers." Vin remarked staring into the sky that's been in an odd color since earlier.
"Well," Rem squats on the ground, "There's only one thing left to do. We wait."
"Rem, we can't just sit here. For all, we know she could have gone berserk by now." Vin stomped as he made his point.
"Sigmund is in there, Vin. I know that you know how hard it is to penetrate this. You feel it don't you? The reason why this whole area is pulsating in mana is that she has the whole area covered. And not with a thin barrier, a highly saturated one. Even the original seals won't hold out if she isn't controlling this enough. Which could only mean she's doing what she can. We just have to trust her."
Rem knew he had to at least do some damage control. If he hadn't said all that, Vin could have gone marching in risking the breaking of the seal. Right now, Rem can feel that Prim is trying her best to remake the seal, but even when he said to trust her, fear wells up inside of Rem.
As the boys do their best to keep their patience in check, Sig has been trying to keep Prim in check too. The girl broke down and he had to do whatever it took to at least delay the deterioration of the seal she had started as she was still recovering from the shock.
"Prim! Answer me! Are you okay?" he yells at the girl who was down on her knees.
Because whisperers share the darkness of death, it was no wonder that a part of her had woken up when she saw the serpent crawling beneath her pedestal. Sig knew this was a risky training, but he had to push her to do this to ready her of whatever would come her way by the time her mission begins.
Sig then notices Prim's body being swarmed my malice. Knowing that leaving his footing would cancel the ritual, he screams at the girl to wake her up.
"Prim resist it!" he repeated over and over despite knowing she couldn't hear him anymore. The serpent on her feet had also grown in size. Sig quickly mumbles a few words that flip the serpent terrifying it on the ground. It may have to hold it for now, but the more malice Prim's spirit attracts, the weaker the power of Sig's enchantment will become.
"I won't be able to hold on much longer," Sig said stomping his feet and a ring of his insignia flares out of his pedestal, "This'll slow down the remainder of the old seal to disintegrate."
He glances at the girl who is yet to move, "Wake up faster, Prim."
The serpent wasn't going anywhere. Sig had begun to worry that his sutra didn't work so he hurriedly prepared a talisman from his sleeve but Prim started yelling. He couldn't quite get what she was saying but she was yelling at a direction where there was nothing. Sig thought it was just one of her hallucinations again, but no...she was talking to someone. And before he knew it, Prim stood up and a bright light pulsated from her dispersing all the malice that had enveloped her body earlier. What surprised him more was that she started singing. But it wasn't the same 'attraction' singing she did before. This time it had a lighter feeling as if she was..."Purifying" he mumbles.
The serpent had disappeared the moment her voice echoed throughout the cemetery. The barrier had strengthened and Sig realized that her song wasn't just purifying the malice, but she had also rebuilt the protective enchantment on her own. It didn't have the same dispelling concentration as it had for years they've rebuilt it, but this time she made it into a stronger one.
Sig closes his eyes to analyze what she has done and found out that it's those barriers that the first generation had used to keep both humans and spirits alike from entering the area. A protective barrier that even makes you forget whatever you have seen if you are not one of the lot who resides.
"She created the 'mirror' barrier." Sig's voice shuddered.
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"The sky is clearing up!" Vin exclaimed from where they were sitting.
Rem looked up and realized it too, "Wow, it is true. But wait..." he closed his eyes, "What is this feeling? This is..." he gasped.
Vin was about to ask what had happened but before Rem could respond, he stood up and faced the barrier they were waiting to wear down. The protective barrier slowly melted into the air and they could already see Sig and Prim walking towards them.
"That took a while." Rem said with his hands on his hips.
Sig chuckled, "We did it quite differently this time." he said glancing at Prim who was awfully quiet.
"Flower. You alright?" Vin said approaching her.
Prim smiled, "Yeah. I'm fine."
"You didn't take off your limiter right?" Vin said examining her.
"Don't worry, she didn't remove it or had a motive to take off her headphones even once," Sig interrupted, "Prim did great today. She's just a bit tired, but she met the goal of the training."
Vin sighed in relief, "I was getting worried she'd gone berserk again and collapsed."
"This is why I told you to trust her." Rem patted his shoulder.
"Now," Sig claps, "Both of your training is done, wash up and we'll meet at my house for a meal. And we better suit up for tonight." Sig winks at his last remark.
Vin excitedly smiles realizing what he meant, "Copy sir!" He walks to Prim who was just listening, "Let's go, Flower." he said assisting the exhausted Prim and walked their way back to the village.
Vin nodded in respect to bid their mentor they'll be going ahead. Sig waved smiling brightly as he watched the two walk away.
"They got closer huh." Rem said standing beside Sig, "I was worried too you know. She isn't even an exorcist and yet you let her do a purification. I felt it from where we were waiting." he chuckles but his laughter died down when he saw Sig's face turn dark.
Sig turned to Rem, "I didn't tell her to do a purification.."
"You mean..she did it on her own? But I thought her ability was attraction."
"That was what I thought too at first. She enhanced the removal of the first seal while creating a stronger barrier different from what we have been maintaining here." Sig sighed, "She did the first generation's mirror."
Rem gasped, his eyes filled with fear, "But isn't the first generation..."
Sig nodded pain in his eyes, "I can't be sure but she could be one of them."
"What in the world is headquarters thinking sending such a high profile here?" Rem mumbled.
"Commander Chang did tell me she's going to be our key to finding the truth about everything, but who would have thought.." Sig looks up to the sky, "Prim could be a hybrid."