'Let's go,' Jin said. 'After all, we need to return back to the human realm.'
'Yeah, so I can be a hero,' the kid added with a grin.
'Right,' the girl agreed.
The three ventured into the cave. Its crumbling walls and oppressive darkness enveloped them like a shroud. A mysterious presence loomed in the distance, hidden deep within the thick fog.
'Everyone, stay focused. That thing could come for us at any moment,' Jin warned.
'What thing... the Soul Eater?' the boy asked.
'I've been meaning to ask, what made you so wary?' The girl asked, looking at Jin with her empty, formless eyes.
'It's... it's something that shouldn't be here. A Corrupt.'
'A Corrupt? What's that?' The boy asked.
'Those who serve the Outer Gods. That's what a Corrupt is.'
'Outer Gods?!' She was taken aback by the name.
'What are these Outer Gods?' the boy chimed in, curious.
'Hmm... they're beings of unknown origin,' she explained. 'In our family's records, it's said they're entities that transcend godhood.'
Jin glanced at her, deep in thought. 'She's not wrong, except for...'
His words trailed off as he sensed something ahead. They stumbled upon the corpse of a Soul Eater. To Jin, it looked like a dead giant fish. But to the other two, it appeared quite different.
'That... black cat... is it dead?' the boy asked, bewildered.
'The dragon...' the girl murmured, eyes wide.
Jin studied the corpse closely. Two large holes had been carved into its back. Judging by their shape those were bite marks. Purple blood oozed from the wounds, blood that might be useful for a certain ritual, if only there were a way to extract it from the Unseen Realm. It wasn't decaying, which meant it hadn't been dead for long. Though, Jin wasn't sure if things in this world even rotted at all.
'How strange?' Jin thought.
From his previous observations, Jin noticed that creatures hunting Soul Eaters usually devoured them completely.
'Maybe they were fighting?'
But Jin wasn't sure, until he sensed a familiar presence.
'No, it's a trap.'
Jin turned back to the others.
'Run, it's a trap,' Jin shared his thoughts, warning them to run for their lives.
Before they could fully comprehend what was happening, a massive serpent began to rise from the depths of the thick fog, its form slowly materializing before them.
The creature was colossal, body was covered in white scales, towering at least 100 feet tall. Each movement it made sent tremors through the ground beneath them.
Its eyes glowed crimson—just like Jin's.
'A... a snake,' the boy stammered.
Hearing him, Jin was taken aback.
'So the Corrupt looks the same to all of us,' he thought, surprised.
Without hesitation, the serpent launched itself at the girl with unbelievable speed.
'Damn it,' Jin cursed, helpless as he watched, unable to do anything.
[Holy Blessing: Blessing of Protection]
To his shock, the girl survived. She was shielded by a radiant barrier that enveloped her, saving her from what seemed like certain doom.
'Another blessing...' Jin muttered.
'Quick, run! It's coming for you!' the girl shouted, warning Jin as the serpent shifted its focus and charged at him with terrifying speed.
'Damn it! At this speed...!'
Jin froze, unable to dodge. He stood motionless, surrendering to his fate.
'Damn it. Why now? Why, when everything was going so well? I still have promises to keep. I need to find out what happened to Mother. So why... why are you interfering?'
He braced for death but then realized the serpent had stopped. Spreading his awareness, Jin sensed the reason. But he didn't want it to be true.
'Why did you do that?!' Jin yelled.
In front of him stood the boy, now trapped in the serpent's mouth, his formless psyche slowly fading away.
'Why?' Jin asked again, his voice breaking.
'Why, you ask?' the boy's fading voice echoed in Jin's mind. 'Because protecting someone from danger... that's what heroes do.'
Before Jin's very eyes, the boy's psyche was obliterated.
'Don't forget me... I'm Ru... a her—'
His presence vanished into nothingness, never to return.
'You fool... why for me?' Jin whispered, devastated.
The serpent attacked once more, but Jin stood there, too broken to move, unwilling to live.
'Careful!'
[Holy Blessing: Blessing of Protection]
The girl leapt in front of Jin, shielding him from the serpent's deadly strike.
'Hey, wake up! Wake up!' she pleaded, her voice filled with urgency.
But Jin was slipping away. Slowly, his form began to fade.
'What?!' The girl gasped, staring at Jin. A portion of his formless psyche had been consumed by the serpent, leaving him critically damaged.
**********************
"Jin... Jin, wake up."
A voice resonated in his mind, pulling him abruptly from his slumber.
Jin's eyes flew open, and he was startled to see his own hands.
"What? I'm not in my psyche form!"
Fully regaining his senses, Jin found himself engulfed in darkness. He looked around frantically, but all he could see was an endless void stretching infinitely in every direction.
"Does this mean... I'm dead?"
"No, you are not," a calm voice responded.
Startled, Jin turned sharply, trying to find the source of the voice.
"W-What?! Who... who are you?!"
"Have you forgotten me already?"
A ball of golden light manifested before him, glowing softly and illuminating the darkness.
"You... you're the Angel of Hope," Jin realized.
"Yes," the Angel confirmed with a warm tone.
"Where are we?" Jin asked, confusion deepening.
"Inside your soul realm."
"But... I don't have a soul," he replied, puzzled.
"True, but your soul is still connected to you. That's why I brought your psyche into this realm. Here, you can heal."
Jin paused, absorbing the explanation.
"Then why do I have a form here? Shouldn't my psyche be formless?" he asked, glancing down at his physical body.
"It's your domain. You can take any form you desire," the Angel explained.
"Then... why did you save me?"
As they spoke, the entire realm began to tremble violently.
"What's happening?" Jin asked, alarm creeping into his voice.
"We're running out of time," the Angel said urgently. "I will grant you an ability, but remember—you can only use it once."
"But why are you helping me?" Jin pressed, desperation in his tone.
"Because... dusí sky dt ir it do it fk…"
"What? What did you say?" Jin asked, confusion mounting, but before he could receive an answer, his consciousness began to fade.
And then, everything went dark.
*****************
Jin's psyche returned to the Unseen Realm. Right in front of him stood the girl, protecting him from the serpent.
'Keep it in place for a moment,' Jin shared his thoughts with her through their thoughts sharing.
The girl turned her awareness toward him.
'What? You're healed.'
Jin realized that his damaged psyche was completely restored.
'Yeah, I think so.'
He rushed over to the corpse of the Soul Eater.
The creatures of the Unseen Realm are formless, they don't possess any physical body. Neither do the psyches. Yet that Corrupt was still able to bite them, which means it possesses a skill that bypasses the laws of this realm.
As Jin examined the dead Soul Eater, he noted that, despite its lack of a physical form, it was still bleeding—something a non-physical creature shouldn't be able to do.
'Its skill must permanently reverse their spiritual form into a physical one.'
Jin recalled how the boy had died. His body had not possessed a physical form either, raising numerous questions in his mind. Was it due to a human psyche? Or because he lacked a soul? Or was it something else entirely?
Jin knew he didn't have much time left, so he pushed those thoughts aside for later.
He reached the corpse of the dead Soul Eater and placed his hand on it. Now that it had a physical form, he could touch it.
[Spirit's Gift: Possession]
Jin's psyche entered the Soul Eater, allowing him to possess its body and control it as if it were his own.
'Possessing a dead body is easier than a living one,'
The creature's body responded to Jin's commands as it stood up. The fish-like creature with a large fin rose once more.
Tears fell from its eight eyes.
'Am I... crying for him?' Jin sighed, 'No, it must be a biological response to its death.'
Jin took control of the Soul Eater, charging toward the serpent.
The girl noticed the creature rushing toward them and sensed Jin's presence within it.
'Is that... you?' she questioned.
Jin, possessing the Soul Eater, charged at the white serpent with crimson eyes. Floating effortlessly in the void, he aimed for the serpent's vulnerable underbelly with his sharp fins.
The serpent twisted and unleashed dark energy, narrowly grazing Jin as he dodged. Ignoring the pain, he spiraled upward and prepared for one final attack.
With a powerful thrust, Jin drove the Soul Eater's fins into the serpent's side. The creature roared in agony, dark blood oozing from the wound as it writhed in pain. As the serpent faded into shadows, Jin caught his breath.
The girl's psyche stepped closer to Jin.
'Is that really you?'
Jin released his possession, allowing the Soul Eater's lifeless body to fall to the ground. His psyche appeared right in front of her.
'So... Ru... did he?' she asked softly.
'Yes, he died protecting me,' Jin replied, remembering all the time they had spent together. 'He was right. He truly was a hero.'