"You're that viel…"
"And you're the vessel that Salem is protecting," Kou responded.
The vessel exploded with a menacing dark aura that flooded the cabin. The shackles teetered from the suppressing winds. Jinx shook like a leaf. Not only was he staked helpless but he would also be sandwiched in a battle of two creatures that were products of inhumane sources.
Was it possible for him to die in the afterlife? Was that the only way for him to stay dead?
Two white feathered wings sprouted from Kou's back. His body flickered on and off from sight. He grappled the vessel, their figures wiped away like a fire on a candle blown off.
Jinx's breaths shuddered until they unwillingly halted. A cough was forced out his throat when his stomach received a twisting impact. His head snapped to the left and then to the other side from punches that came out of nowhere. Three of his ribs shattered in a second from a series of blows that rammed his chest.
"Help…" Jinx whispered. "Master!!!"
Jinx was swaddled in a blanket of complete tenebrosity. The attacks stopped when sparks of pink currents fluctuated in front of him. It grew silent again.
"I ca–can't see. Where is everyone?!'
It hurt breathing. It seemed as if each breath pulled a knife to stab him in the lungs.
A flicker of thunder erupted in the midst of the murk. It was followed by a low rumble. Jinx's chest tightened. He gasped as soon as the plane of frosty water reached his feet. The level was steadily rising. He pulled against the shackles, only managing to tug them like an animal caught in a bear trap and was left to mewl for its mother for rescue.
"Kou…save me!"
No response.
His breaths hastened. Half of his body was already submerged.
"I don't want to die…God…please…NO!"
He sobbed sharply , gathering what strength he had left to raise his head up as soon as the water licked his chin. His wailing got louder.
"Help me…Someone…" Jinx whimpered a moment before the waters ate him completely.
His voice was replaced with spumes. The dearth of oxygen enfeebled him until he was left with lungs inflated with ice cold water. His movements wavered. Soon he became perfectly still, a forgotten effigy underneath an icy lake.
'You're a unique one…'
The voice that belonged to the man who raised him reached through the barriers of oblivion.
'Master? Thank goodness!'
His vision returned, he was facing a younger version of Salem. Despite a young age, he towered over most adults. He wore the Ecclesia Academy's uniform with the crest still unscarred. He could be mistaken as an 18 year old when in reality he was 12.
'A curse level 1 with no intent to rip me apart? You must have recently consumed human flesh.'
'Master? What are you talking about? It's me Jinx! You won't believe what happened. Kou can tell you the same thing!'
The sky was tinted with a mixture of bright red and orange. The sun was setting and he was on his way home.
'Hm? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you need to say something?'
Jinx realized that his words never got through. He was speaking through his thoughts. By the looks of it, he was seeing and interacting through the eyes of the vessel that Salem was engaging with. Salem reached down to pet the sheol as if it was a domesticated animal.
'I won't hurt you because you are harmless for now. I'll see you again.'
'Wait…wait! What's happening, I don't understand…crap!'
Days and nights went by in seconds, memories of their encounters at the same time everyday flooded Jinx's head. Salem neither hurt the vessel nor did he show signs of planning to. Often he tried to feed it with normal food. Surprisingly, the vessel accepted the offer from Salem's bigger hand in its tiny, filthy, and pale ones.
'Is it good? Vessels should be like you. In that way, we could all live in peace, don't you think?'
Why was his master being so kind to this demon? Jinx could only watch. He could hear the thoughts of the vessel he was inside in. It was so happy with Salem. He never would have thought that these things could think and have opinions.
'Hyu…man is back!'
'Bread…bread!'
'Play with me!'
'Emmm don't go yet! Don't leave Seo!'
Over time, his master had named it Seo. Time went fast forward. Salem returned bigger while the vessel that he was seeing through evolved to curse level 2. They became closer. Salem taught it things in which a vessel would never be expected to understand; he taught it compassion. The vessel became the guardian of the forest. The animals never fled from it, they enjoyed its presence. No malice could be discerned. It welcomed Salem with an embrace to the leg and the young human held its hand in his warm ones with a snack held in another.
'I won't be able to come visit you tomorrow. I will try but I have an exam coming up.'
'Seo will wait for Em.' It never spoke out its words but it nodded in understanding.
They ate their afternoon snacks in solitude. It was a nice day to have a picnic with one of humanity's biggest threats. Salem didn't think much of it. He wasn't betraying mankind. To his belief, there was nothing wrong with domesticating a creature from the underworld. The vessel was attached to him but he wouldn't take advantage of that bond.
Despite the uncertainty of Salem visiting it again the next day, Seo anticipated his return. A squirrel comfortably rested in its hands. It was waiting for its nice human who gave it snacks. But instead of Salem meeting him there, an older man wearing the same uniform in black color, plodded to it with cold eyes.
Salem was a kind human. He told Seo not to approach other people and hide but humans were nice because Salem was nice. The vessel ran up to him with the intention to give it the usual embrace it would give Salem every time. The man scoffed and struck the creature with his foot.
'Ow…ow! Why are you mean to Seo?'
'I knew that boy was keeping something horrendous but I never knew that it was this bad.'
He brought out a silver rod with the markings of Elysian blessing.
'A vessel does not deserve a place in this world. Go back to where you're from."
Seo cowered in the shadow of the priest. The squirrel fled, the bread it held had been soiled by the dirt.
'Em…Em!'
Jinx could feel its genuine fear. He wanted to close his eyes but there were no eyes to close, he was forced to witness it.
At that same forestry where the vessel encountered the kindness of a human soul, it also beheld humanity's cruelty.
'Hyuman is good. Hyuman is good. Stop hyuman!' Seo screamed in its mind.
The priest could only hear its whimpers and demonic squeaks which irked him to hit harder. The whips of the holy metal landed with a simmer to its skin. The priest shouted "cleansing" yet his laughter was far from righteous.
He struck it down with the intention to torture it. The kind hands that Salem petted it with were replaced by ruthless ones. Seo was on the ground, unmoving, yet the batterings carried on without rest.
'Seo…will wait for Em…Seo will eat bread with Em…'
The priest snickered and spat at the severely wounded vessel that was drowning in its obsidian-colored blood. He raised the holy rod, ready to finish his masterpiece, but the rod was grasped from behind and a knife was pierced through his back.
Salem sauntered to the vessel, tossing away the blood-stained rod to the ground. His face was void of expressions. The priest fell forward on his knees with a sneer on his face.
'You traitor. I will get my justice, such insolence!'
The seminarian blankly stared at the heaving vessel, kneeling beside him and stroking its face lightly with his thumb. He pinned his flat gaze towards the injured priest. The older man tensed when Salem glowed with holy light, like an angel that was sent from Elysia.
The young man tightly grasped his face, causing his lips to pucker from the tightness of his hold. Unsympathetic eyes glanced down at him.
'What justice?'
He grabbed the knife from his back, skewering it in the older man's eye. The squelch of flesh caused the vessel to wince. The priest's jaw hung open from a cry that he wasn't able to express. He collapsed to his side. Salem brought his fingers between his lips to whistle, infernal snarls responded to his calls.
'Some humans neither deserve equity nor a humane way of dying.'