"Humans?" Crux asked, bewildered.
"That's not what I need you to focus on right now," Jack replied dismissively. "With inanimate objects, it takes time and the command of respect to really drive out a spirit. Of course, it is not something that you will be able to do right away."
The blonde boy raised his thin hand to touch the glass between the two teens and the Chinese war sword. It was 7ft tall and thick with a blade that had the width of a car tire. The handle was leather brown with gold satin fabrics tied on the crevices between the finger holds that flew in the air every time the sword was swung.
After the glass disappeared from Jack's touch, the royal boy looked towards Crux and pointed his hand to the weapon.
"You should touch it first."
When Crux heard that, he clenched his jaw, gripped his fists, and firmly nodded before stepping towards the sword. He hesitated for a second but quickly shook off the feeling while lightly reaching out to touch the sword's blade with an ambitious hand. The grey blade almost glimmered at the contact, and a sound rang through Crux's ears.
*SHING!*
The young, silver-haired boy began his first interaction with The Channel. His eyes cleared, pupils nowhere to be seen as his mouth mindlessly hung agape. Jack watched, waiting for the outcome of this investment of his. He wished it to be successful, but kept a nonchalant exterior.
When Crux was gone for longer than expected, Jack almost started losing hope in the Traverser. Meanwhile, Crux was in a serene, mind-numbing state in which he didn't know up from down or right from wrong. It felt as though another existence was pulling his soul out of his body, lulling him into a trap with the blissful tranquility it drowned his consciousness with.
Crux didn't know why, but he had a feeling that alarmed him. It screamed to his senses to not be soothed. To fight back against the pacifying calm that stifled his soul's entire essence. Against the tempting heaven that Crux was being ignorantly guided to, he daringly turned his spirit away from the light before him. The silver boy was being tested. To see whether he deserved this second chance at life, or if he was going to foolishly throw it away at the first chance.
Good thing Crux didn't want whatever empty promises that were being whispered into his ear. He didn't care for finite pleasure and to live in a fool's paradise. He didn't care for heaven or the afterlife; It wasn't just because he knew he would not make it there, anyway.
It was because his will to stay in the living realm was just stronger. His will to live was too strong for anything to break. His spirit wanted to fight, learn, gain knowledge, allies, power, and love. It wanted to experience everything the world offered. The good. The bad. All of it.
Crux would be damned if he allowed himself to throw away this second chance before achieving his ultimate goal. His death had to send at least a 10,000-year wave of depression through the lands for Crux to be defeated!
*SHING!*
"Oh!" Crux's pupils rolled back into their place on his eyes. "Its name is Evegheden!"
He looked sideways to joyfully announce to Jack the information he had just received through the link that the weapon—or Evegheden, and he now shared... except Jack wasn't there. Crux heard rustling behind him only to look back and see Jackeonios entering through the door with a coffin in tow.
"Hey! You made it back." The blonde boy spoke in a pleasantly surprised voice.
Once Crux understood the situation, he jumped back from the sword to put up his hands into fists. He quickly took a fighting stance.
"What the hell! What's the meaning of this!?"
"Relax." Jack put down the coffin where it was and walked to an apprehensive Crux. "I just thought you failed, that's all. When creating a link, The Channel usually tries to lull you back into the Lunar River's flow, effectively killing you. Your soul leaves, and your body becomes a husk I have to tiresomely deal with."
Jack looked at Crux with a smirk.
"Thank god that wasn't the case, right?" He put out a hand to Crux.
Crux skeptically put his fists down to his stomach. Still tense, but giving Jack the benefit of the doubt.
"Why are you suddenly being so nice?"
"Cause you passed. You're worthy. Why should I waste my good manners which my father funneled insane amounts of money into etiquette classes with those who will bring me no benefit?" Jack chuckled, which gave the impression that this was his way of making a dry joke.
Crux delayed for a moment, but eventually put his hand into jacks to firmly shake. After that, Jack pulled out a hand wipe from his pant pocket to wipe off the hand in which he shook with Crux.
"You're such a pretentious prick," Crux spoke with a ticked-off smile.
"This is the start of our blossoming partnership, my deer Traverser. I own you know. You'll get used to it." Jack put his hand back in his pockets and walked out of the room. "Grab the Evegheden and come, slave! You got work to do."