Episode 20: D r o w n i n g
As soon as she whispered those words my eyes shut by themselves and when they opened again I was sinking into a black sea with minimal force.
My hands thrashed around as tiny air bubbles escaped my mouth. It would've been great if I had learned to swim, but I, unfortunately, didn't take any lessons before since the last time I had tried I was at risk of dying by the hands of the ghost children
at the kiddie pool. Now, I was stranded in the deep sea and I didn't know what the hell was happening except that fear was ringing against my throbbing neck and any minute I'd be run out of oxygen.
My mouth released the air I had trapped inside like a deflated balloon and my weight felt heavier as I continued to sink into the endless pit of darkness. I couldn't do it anymore, my body was giving out and my arms ceased movement. I felt myself submitting into the cold water willingly.
"Hanul." A voice called out to me. It was someone I knew, a voice I recognized, but I couldn't really match it to who right now. "Hanul!" It called out to me more urgently this time.
My vision started to blur and I fought against the urge of my closing eyelids when two strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind. The fluidness of the water allowed me to twirl around and face the man who was calling me.
"Jimin." I silently mouthed staring at his concerned face from the small slits my eyes could open up to. Instantly my hands went up, resting against his face as his brown hair waved across it like seaweed.
I nearly choked on water when his hair turned black, horns growing out of his forehead, and suddenly I was looking into the Lustful eyes of his demon smiling back at me.
I panicked, trying to push against him while using his chest to boost me away, but his arms were tightly holding me in place. I shook my head with fear and clutched my neck looking up to the nonexistence surface of this sea, feeling the burning sensation come back to me.
"Dalia."
I looked back down and it was Jimin again, but this time he looked devasted. Red tears slowly bubbled from the stream of tears flowing down his face. They floated away in the water like small spheres of a jelly-like substance before they dissolved into the deep darkness.
My head snapped back to him but now it was V. His blond hair pushed away from his face revealing insanity in his eyes and a mad grin. "Dalia."
But what I hadn't noticed was how he had a beating heart in his claws. My heart. My mouth spurted out a cloud of red blood, obstructing my vision of him, and slowly my eyes faded into black.
____
When I woke up, I found myself staring into a blue sky, blinded by the heat of a yellow sun shining directly into my eyes. I sat up and gasped for air, quickly patting around my chest. There was no hole. I pressed my palm against it for reassurance. My heart was still beating inside.
Sitting on the grassy plain and taking a moment to register my surroundings, my hand flinched at the green grass stalks grazing it. A soft wind breezed through my hair, tickling the bare skin of my chest. I was wearing a laced black vintage dress that portrayed a rather busty image of my chest. My brown hair rested down to my hips as I stood up looking at the clear view ahead from what seemed to be a simple farmhouse on a hill. Across were neighboring huts forming a tiny village that stretched down to a path where noise from a busy market and a few rowdy kids seemed to travel over with the wind.
Where the hell was I?
I grabbed the length of the dress in the clutches of my hand, lifting it up so I wouldn't trip as I jogged over to the door, past a grazing horse who didn't seem to mind my presence as it munched on the grass gracefully. There was a small white puppy that seemed to be nestling beside it as if the two were good animal friends. Apparently, neither of them minded my presence. It was as if they both were familiar with me.
Just as I was reaching out for the doorknob, Jimin stepped out of the farmhouse. He was wearing a loose-fitting white chemise held down by a brown waistband across his abdomen with beige cargo pants tucked into leather brown combat boots.
"Oh god, thank you! Jimin!" I breathed out in relief of seeing a familiar face. He broke into a warm smile. "I don't--", before I could finish he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up, spinning me around in a hug before he set me back down to the group and kissed my lips. My eyes widened with surprise at the amount of passion and lust he pressed into me before pulling back with a drunken smile.
"Good morning, dear." He whispered to me, pressing his forehead against mine and chuckled.
"Jimin, what the hell?" I scoffed and leaned away fearfully. What kind of twisted joke was this? His brows twitched up with surprise.
"What's the matter, Dalia?"
Dalia?
My blood grew cold.
I should've known. I should've recognized from the moment I saw him that this wasn't the real Jimin I knew. I looked around me again and back at our old-fashion attire. This wasn't the time period I even lived in.
"Let go of me." I pushed back, my heart thudded with anxiety as he looked at me with pure confusion. My vision spun into panic as I ran past him, rushing into the farmhouse. I looked around, scanning a small bed, a steaming plate of food prepared on a wooden table, and a small brick oven glued to the inner wall of the room.
When I turned back around, that's when I bumped into an angry looking V. Unlike how I knew it, his hair was dark brown rather than blonde.
"V!" This was probably the only time I'd feel happy to see him. If it was even really him. My happiness halted to a stop when I saw a tear spill down his furious face. The white puppy ran in, panting and barking.
"You...how could you..." he growled with anger.
A sharp pain sank into my chest. When I looked down I saw his arm buried into my chest. The dog's cries wouldn't cease. It kept barking, running up to V's leg, whining and barking. V's hand curled around my beating organ, and before I could do anything, he had already pulled my heart right out of my body.
____
When I woke up, this time, I was sinking in the black water again. For some reason, my eyes were brimming with tears. I blink them away feeling the rush of adrenaline knock into my heart once more. It was still there, thank god.
"Help!" I silently cried but I was too weak to try and fight against the water. My arms floated above my head as I lost the battle of keeping my eyes open, sinking in deeper.
Someone pulled me up. Their grip hardened against my wrist, dragging to the surface. I squinted my eyes open, trying to make out the shadow floating up ahead. When its face turned to me, white light slowly began to break from the top of the sea. I squinted hard and blinked twice. One moment I saw blond hair, the next it was brown. But I couldn't make out the face in time before he shoved me up to the surface.
____
I opened my eyes, taking in a lengthy and painful gasp. I coughed out, clutching my neck as if I could almost feel excess sea water still pooled into my airways.
Leyla sat in front of me, her face in distress, as the tattoos receded off her body. I could only make sense of two image, the horse and the cottage house, and then they rapidly disappeared into her palm. But before her grip could loosen away from mine a sudden chill overtook me. I squeeze her hand, grabbing it tightly before she could pull away.
"What the hell is happening to her?!" Jimin yelled faintly in the background. I looked back at him with confusion.
Small village. She held a bundle in her trembling arms. Rocks pierced into her pale body, littering it with more bruises. She huddled over the bundle, protecting it with her body before everyone throwing rocks burst into flames.
"LET GO OF ME!" She screeched, tugging her arm away as she stood up, panting with horror. "Wh-What the hell is she?!"
My chest quickened with panic as I looked into her fearful and wide eye.
"What happened? Hanul, what just happened to you?" V grabbed my arm. I screamed, prying myself away as I quickly stumbled back into Jimin.
"Hanul relax! You're back to reality! This is real! You aren't in her visions anymore!" Jimin consoled.
The horror of seeing V pull my heart out twice quickly had me placing my hands against my thudding chest with protection. I looked up at his pained expression with tears welling in my eyes. I blinked them back in confusion, watching his gaze glare at my hands resting atop my heart.
"Don't you dare touch me!" I whispered at V. His lips tightened into a thin line as he looked at Leyla with intense anger.
"What exactly did you show her?" He demanded. The lady shook her head and gulped down before she spoke up.
"I...I couldn't even control it. It was like she was barging into the doors of her own visions without my permission! Whatever she wanted to see she'd force me along into it...and...and just now, she managed to get into my own visions." She regained her composure and stared at me with deep interest and wonder. "And you're actually telling me that she's human?" She laughed and shook her head. "Well, there has never been a human with a soul like hers in a while. That's for sure. If you ask me she almost seems like a--"
"You crazy bitch! You and your son's stupid visions have brought nothing but doom to our family. If she isn't human, then what the hell is she?!" V growled before he quickly turned and disappeared out of the golden arch behind us.
"Hanul, are you okay now?" Jimin turned me towards him, pushing a few loose strands of hair away from my face.
"I-I think so." I lied, feeling nauseous. After what I saw, there was no way I'd be okay for a while.
"Get out of here." The lady spoke up, sitting back in the chair as she gathered her robe with trembling hands. "Whatever energy it is, it's frightening. Even for me. I don't want it lingering around."
"Let's go." Jimin held my hand tightly. Somehow, it filled me with a strange kind of reassuring warmth. I nodded and followed him out of the magical room, stepping out of the arch and back into the long hallway. This time, the creepy hooded people weren't there.
"Hanul...what exactly did you see?" Jimin finally broke the silence as we stood atop the stairs, his hand ready to open the door up to the club.
There was a hint of worry hidden behind his composed mask.
"I..." I furrowed my brows and looked down to the floor, shaking my head. "I can't really remember...it's vague, but..." I shut my eyes, continuing on with my lie. "I don't want to think about it. I'm too scared."
"It's okay. Don't think about it. It'll be better if you forget it altogether actually." He forced a smile and opened up the door.
____
Jin smiled, drowning down his glass as he sat on the bar counter. He had been preparing a plea thinking about the kinds of punishments he'd have to battle against when V finds him, but thankfully his older brother seemed to be too disheveled to reprimand him for bringing Hanul and left quietly. Soon after, he saw Jimin and Hanul follow him out from Leyla's place.
Jin placed the glass down, twirling it around in his fingers. "My, my I wonder what has my strong brothers in such a pinch?"
"She's not such a pleasant company, that Leyla woman."
Jin frowned and turned to his left, watching the woman suddenly appear next to him, sipping a glass of apple bourbon. This time, she was in a cropped white leather corset and shorts, wearing white knee-high boots with stiletto heels. Jin took a moment to an unshameful moment to observe her full curves and smirked, rolling his eyes away and taking a sip from his absinthe.
"You're not too excited to see me like you were the first time. Shame! I had even put some effort into deciding what to wear for our second date." She sighed, running a hand through her wild brown mane as she stood up and walked closer to Jin's seat, seductively leaning her upper half against the counter table like a stretching cat. Jin could clearly see the tattoo etched onto her lower spine and it soured his mood altogether.
"An Angel of War?" He observed the tattoo of two clashing white and black swords forming into an X. When she stood up straight, it disappeared back into the waist of her shorts. She plastered a sly smile and glanced at him sideways with a mysterious gaze. "What are you here for. I don't particularly like to fuck around with Angels. Especially an Angel of War." They held tense gazes. "Oh, you know! Bad history, crazy ex." Jin played it off smoothly but he was dying to claw at her for an answer ever since she left him the note saying how she knew where the last ancient stone was.
"I don't know where it is." She smiled, lifting her leg up to rest on to the empty spot on the stool between his legs. He glared back at her.
"Perhaps you don't know much about what exactly Gluttony in the past did, but I'm sure word spreads quickly up there. You'd know about how dangerous the infamous seven demons. So, in nice and simple words, do not tempt me, you vile bitch."
"Oof." She furrowed her brows and chuckled. "Well, let's see. I assume you know what exactly an Angel of War is judging by your reaction. If so, then perhaps you really shouldn't get way over your head and assume that you still have authority over me." Her tone subtly changed and in a minute Jin's neck was curled into her hand, her knee planted into his chest, pinning him back into the counter behind them. "Because as calm and hot as I can appear to be right now, I also tend to have a very hot temper." A burning white energy seeped out of her hand, curling around Jin's neck as he laughed back.
"Was that suppose to burn me or something?" He growled, his pupils turning pink as his fangs bared into a devilish grin.
"Oh, not at all. But if I had intended to make it hurt, you'd definitely not be smiling right now." A sharp jolt had her quickly pulling her burning hand back as it smoked up from the pink flame seeping out of him.
"Tell me, Angel, I wonder what the Holy Trinity would say if they knew who you're spending your nights with?" He caught the wavering ear in her eyes, confirming they had a rendezvous.
"Listen here you bloody hellhound." She growled. "I'm doing anything I should be ashamed of. As much as I would hate to work with a filthy demon, this is the only option that we both have to stop this world from crumbling into hell's pit."
Jin furrowed his brows, "what are you talking about?"
She paused at him, blinking with surprise. "You really don't know, do you? Hard to believe that none of your brothers haven't noticed it either."
"What is it?!" He lost his patience as she fed into his curiosity.
"There's a huge imbalance happening among the three realms. The barriers between the worlds are quickly eroding. And you know what would happen if Savannah's barrier falls to hell right?"
"Father..." Jin mumbled back, his memory flashed back to the incidents that were happening to Sera and the Black Dove symbol.
"That's right, your daddy dearest is going to destroy this world with all of you in it, then wreak havoc against Xapahm, all the while, he could care less about what who or what he loses in the middle of it all. He's always been brutal and extreme, but this time he's waited long enough for this and you know very well that once he starts he won't stop. Satan is going to have it his way this time. That's if we don't stop him."
Jin, unlike his eldest brother, didn't seem to care about the realms or maintaining the balance really. He originally came to Savannah to satiate his curiosities about the worlds. However, Jin did care about the lack of empathy his father would have towards them. He knew very well that her words were accurate. Satan could care less about his own sons when it comes to accomplishing his plans. He'd even used them as pawns in his own battle, and now look where they had ended up. Exactly where he planned them to be.
"What do you expect me to do?" Jin spoke up, wondering why she had contacted him out of his brothers. She crossed her arms together and looked him in the eye.
"The only way we'll ever beat him is when we find the last ancient stone. And we have to find it in time before he manages to manifest in Savannah. If we don't, then you could forget about starting your next new collection, darling. Satan is planning on destroying everything and starting all over again. There won't be anything left to admire when he's done."
"Well, miss smarty hot short, any clues as to where I can start? Because I roamed the entire planet by now and managed to find absolutely nothing. Besides, how are you so sure that these stones will help? It was a mere collection hobby that I picked up along the way."
"Interesting. Do you think this is just a mere hobby? Well, spoiler alert, the ancient stones aren't attracted to my kind."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that they've deliberately found their way to you. They're attracted to your kind." Jin's brows twitched with confusion. "But that's all I know about it so don't ask me why it was you. However, it is up to you, as a demon, to figure out where they could be. And when that happens, I'll definitely feel it." She suddenly looked around the bar, putting her guard up. "What the hell is he doing here..." She mumbled.
"Who?" Jin glanced around.
"I have to go." She quickly announced, turning around.
"Wait! Why are you hiding this from the Holy Trinity?" She stopped and looked back with a small smile.
"Sometimes, angels have no choice but to riot against those stubborn elders. They'd rather have Satan destroy the world before they make up their almighty minds and team up with his demonic sons. Either way, I hope I had made the right decision in telling you this. Don't let me down, Jin." And just like that, she disappeared into a puff of white smoke.