Unwinding the Immortal Coil

[The Mood is Write]

"Dlake!" Kina's voice cut through the air, heavier on the accent than was usual.

The man flinched as he looked her way, and the smiling Chinese woman only beamed more brightly.

Drake stood in front of a bulletin board, hands grasping a note that described a mission with a skull at the top: a mission more dangerous than five stars. His yellow eyes looked Kina up and down before he finally spoke.

"Can I help you, Kina?" He bit his tongue to keep from commenting on her exaggerated accent.

"Mm!" She shoved her hands into her pockets and pushed her hips forward in a confident stance. "I heard you were back from your last mission. Not even an hour here, and going for your next? Did you even shower? Did you see Alsoome?" Bright brown eyes watched the male with a strange shine of predation.

"I reported, showered, ate, and saw Alsoome, but not in that order. Do you want something from me, Kina? This mission looks very important to complete quickly, before the Unifiers can put up shielding."

Kina tilted her head. "Well, we better hurry, then."

There was her hand, displayed so pretty on delicate lips.

Lips?

Drake glanced at her lips, then back up to her eyes as he scolded himself internally.

"Fine, but just remember that you are important to the survival of the Hunters and the Lady. If there must be a sacrifice, it will be me." He pushed his dark hair from his gaunt and angular face as he let out a long-suffering sigh, then reached into one of his pockets and withdrew a carabiner with loops of yarn and a string of beads hung from it. He set the beads into careful positions that matched the diagram on the mission sheet, then unclipped the carabiner and tossed the string toward the wall with a flick of the wrist that sent the loops flying open. It landed vertically against the wall and stuck in an elliptical shape, and on the other side, a deep, heavy forest.

Kina strode through as Drake waited, and once he came through, he pushed his hand back inside and looped it around the edge of the yarn, then pulled it through after. The portal disappeared on both sides, and Drake returned the yarn loop and its beads to the carabiner.

"I found the supplies!," Kina called, and Drake exhaled in a slow sigh before he followed her chattering voice.

This would be a long mission.​

~*~​

Shockingly, the pair infiltrated the Unifiers' sanctum within only a few hours, but something felt off. It was hardly an infiltration at all, since they wore their jackets openly, silver knives at one hip, silver-shooting guns on the other. None of the teal-clad Unifiers looked at them. None of them breathed. they looked paused in time. Kina led the way, hips swaying carelessly.

"Kina, what is this?" Drake scowled. Back when he was a paper-pushing admin, her files said nothing about stopping time.

"A gift for you, grumpy vampire. A show of trust."

Trust, huh? Drake's eyes narrowed at the back of the woman's red-wrapped head.

"Drake, since you're planning on getting yourself killed anyway, perhaps you can be the person I tell about myself."

The words caught his attention, and he stared still harder at the back of her head.

She remained quiet for several moments, and the silence between them stretched. "I lied about my name, and about whether or not I knew about a history of magical beings in my family history. I also lied about my age, all this when I was taken. The creature in my family's history is a divine beast known for protecting."

As she spoke, Drake felt his mind fill with confusion like fog, and it grew slowly until—"Shut up, Kina." He spat the words. "Nobody actually cares about that, because you're well-established as Kina." Curiosity ate at him, but the need for mental clarity came first. She was up to something, trying to do something to his mind. He had to shut her yammering mouth.

Drake continued. "If you're that cocky about it, you should perhaps tell Lady Jade you've been lying to her every second you've known her, or perhaps tell your friends like Kyoko that none of them even know your real name."

Unease. There was the scent he'd been trying to draw from the woman. If she felt uncertain, it would distract her from trying to affect him, he hoped.

The pair came to a room labeled 'records', and Drake stepped forward to hold the door for Kina.

~*~​

The next week was much of the same: walk in without being stopped, walk out with priceless information and stolen records, and then visit the nearest town for a drink and a meal so large it could have fed a family of seven, shared between the two of them, and leaving no leftovers. Drake even sucked the marrow from the bones, relishing the warmth it brought to his cheeks.

Drake and his partner tended to ignore the locals. Their strange clothing and distance kept most of the people at bay, and the mission progressed, though security measures seemed to grow each time the pair stole physical copies of their findings.

By the time they'd decided that the information was exhausted, they still had no idea the cause of a base in a low-tech world, and the lack of risen shields left Drake more and more nervous. His worries gnawed at him until his insides felt raw, but he kept his feelings to himself until, as they walked through the Unifier halls, surrounded by frozen soldiers and marching guards, Kina spoke.

"The longer we stay, the more I want to run far away. This is a trap." Unlike her usual cheer, her voice held no emotion. The scent that came from her body wasn't fear, though. She was excited. Not only excited, she was...

Drake closed his eyes in a silent sigh, then shook his head. "I agree. It probably is a trap. They probably hoped to lure Lady Jade in, herself. Still, we have a mission, and the Lady would not ask any Hunter to risk their lives cheaply."

"True. She loves us." Kina glanced back, and Drake could see a smile tease the corner of her lip. "Let's find something good before we blow this place." She grinned and nodded, and Drake was surprised to feel relieved at her words.

Was he growing attached? He had to put a stop to that.

~*~​

"Everything in position?," Drake asked.

"All ready and wired."

Drake watched as Kina began to pull herself from beneath the console she'd just set to explode.

"Alright," Drake nodded, then looked around the room thoughtfully. "In that case, get going and release your ability once you're out. I will activate them."

Kina looked up and her eyelid visibly twitched as she pursed her lips, however, he was right: the countdown would malfunction if she paused her ability to initiate the the timer, and if she stayed, Drake wouldn't be able to get out anyway. Outsmarted by a pencil-pusher. For a moment, she glared at him.

"Clever bastard." She clicked her tongue. "I will not go back until you walk from the wreckage."

Drake grunted, and after tense, silent moments, Kina departed.

~*~​

Drake laid within the rubble. Though he bled, he didn't die. Though bones were broken, he already felt them shifting back into place with his every coughing, unsteady breath. His eyes danced with magenta and teal each time he blinked, but he saw darkness and heard only buzzing as he tried to simply remain still, to keep himself from more pain.

Damn Kina. She must have anticipated him and put less explosive into that packet. Reckless! His eyes began to slide shut, but the sun above threatened to burn his flesh.

~*~​

She put too much into the package placed at the entrance. The explosion shot her upward and away, and she landed with a wet thunk on a jagged tree branch. Blood erupted from her mouth with a hoarse cough, and she looked back toward the burning rubble, deafened by the force of the explosion. A drop of blood slid from within her ear.

"Ow." The utterance came out faint and wet as Kina tried to push herself from the high, broken branch.

This was embarrassing!

 

[redblood]

"You are gonna drink yourself to death mate." A tall, well built man with a long beard said as he handed a much younger man a drink. The young man finished the glass within seconds. If anyone had guessed they would probably have believed him to be no more than thirty. That was quite the underestimation. Quite frankly he had no idea himself how old he was. He had all given up on guessing at this point. His earliest memories were all gone, that's how long he had lived. Did he have parents? Probably, but he had no clue if he had ever grown up with them or not. Whether they were normal humans or something more was also a mystery.

"One can only hope." He chuckled as he put down glass number who's even counting at this point. The reason he was there wasn't really to drink, but that was one way to waste his time while waiting. It wasn't like he got drunk either way.

Then they came. Two strangers had come into town a while back. The vibes they gave off had made the man quite... Curious. He had been watching them sneak into a strange building, or rather a fortress of metal, quite a few times already, though they also seemed to come out again immediately. What were they doing? He doubted they would just tell him. At the moment they were a way for him to pass his time, it wasn't like he had anything better to do, but there was something else with them as well. Somehow he hoped they could help him.

He wasn't completely sure yet if they were truly the right people to ask. He would watch them for a while longer and see what they did before approaching them. He was good at melting into the background, no one ever noticed him and when they did, they left him alone. He had quite the depressing aura most of the time, which probably turned people off from meeting him. At least that was how he interpreted it.

It hadn't always been like that. A couple of thousands years ago, he had lived quite a happy life. He had even had families and kids quite a few times during his life. Eventually though, they all died, and he didn't. No matter what, he just wasn't able to leave this world to enter the next one with his loved ones. The pain of life was getting worse with every century. It seemed impossible now, but he would probably be even more depressing in a few hundred years.
​

~
​

They had moved back to that strange building in the forest. It was always hard to follow them through it, but it was also easy to hide which was rather convenient when you didn't wish to be seen. One might think he would just stand behind the trees and watch silently as he always did, especially since they had a tendency to get out of there within seconds, but he didn't this time around. He hadn't done it before, but now he couldn't help himself. He ran to the other side of the building before those two had even entered. The thick collection of trees made him quite invisible.

Maybe there were some kind of backdoor he could enter through. Now he just wished to know what was in there to understand their weird secrecy. No door back there though. Damn it. Was the front door the only one? Maybe he could get in when they were gone.

Then suddenly, a loud noise deafened his ears and he was thrown forward into a branch of a tree. Something from behind him pushed him into it even further, his torso completely pierced. He could feel part of his head missing, a sensation he wasn't all that too unfamiliar with. Something must have hit him rather hard there. It took a few minutes before his brain recovered enough for him to move. As his body started to regenerate he gripped the tree and pushed his way out of the branch. After that he fell to the ground, not able to support himself on his legs yet. At the very least he was able to take a look back and saw the whole place destroyed. An explosion huh.

"So lame... Didn't even pass out." He mumbled to himself. Guess those two were dead now. Too bad, he really thought they could have helped him. "What to do now? Back to town? Find some new idiots to stalk for a few weeks?" He chuckled, his abdominal wound finally closing. "Naah, when will I ever see such oddballs again? Better keep going mate." Going back and forth in a conversation wasn't all that too unusual for him. "But their wine is pretty damn good, would be such a waste."

Finally he got up from the ground. His head wound wasn't completely healed, but at least his skull bone had recovered fully, which meant his brain was protected. Not that it mattered much. There was a wound on his shoulder he hadn't even bothered to pay attention to, quite a chunk was completely gone. No wonder his left arm had a hard time moving. That might actually take an hour or so before it would be fine again. What a pain.

Not wanting to bother with that fire, he walked around the rubble. He could just enter the forest behind him, but if he chose that road he would have to walk through the forest for longer to get back into town and get his stuff. It wasn't that much further to do so, but it was very hard to get through the parts closest to the building that it did take much more time no matter if it was just as close or not. Better get back faster.

Mumbling inaudible things to himself, eventually he stopped. That woman was the one he had stalked...

"You've chosen an interesting resting place." He said, seeming quite uninterested, which was his face's default mode. "Now I know it was a lame explosion since neither of us are dead." It just slipped out. Most of the things he said just slipped out. Which had been the cause of at least three witch burnings for him. Oh the middle ages, the times when people really enjoyed trying to kill him. Coincidentally that was the time during which he started to long for death as well. "Your boyfriend's around or did it actually get that lucky bastard?"​

 

[The Mood is Write]

Throughout their time in the world, their noses refused to stop dripping blood, though the pace was tolerable enough if they stuffed tissues into the nostrils. With the immortal stalker so near, and her own injuries, Kina's nose ran free with blood. "Not my favorite landing."

Her hearing was coming back, thankfully. She glanced toward the formerly large building and her body shuddered as the uneven wood dug into her anew. "I doubt... Drake would die from that. The joys of..." She hacked up a wad of blood. "Being a Hunter." She looked down at the man below, vision swimming, then grunted as she pulled a small saw from one of her pockets.

The Chinese woman began to work at the branch. With her strength, it took roughly twenty seconds, but that time was tripled by the spasms of pain each time the branch in her chest vibrated, until the wood under her snapped, and together she and stick fell.

She blinked as stars appeared in her eyes. "Little help?," she asked as she looked toward the mangled man. Her arms refused to budge, and every part of her shook. "I need to... find my partner." Kina's vision swam, switching between doubling and tripling as she struggled to breathe. "Hey, can you... anyone at all look alive in the wreck?"

 

[redblood]

Just like him, she just did what she had to do to get out of the mess as fast as possible, instead of waiting, thinking that it would be easier once one had rested. It never became easier. It became harder the more you waited. For most people it was due to blood loss, for him however, it oftentimes had to do with his body growing around and entangling itself with the object that had pierced him. Getting out of that mess once he had healed completely took hours of self mutilation. Of course he always missed a few small branches that had to be taken out at a later date. Clearly he had learned his lesson.

"I guess I can look for him if you want." He shrugged. "Though I would like to ask you for a favor in return. Not right this instant of course, but once you've recovered. It's nothing big, nothing that will hurt you or anyone else and nothing illegal, just a small favor, so don't worry too much about it."

He didn't straight out say what the favor would be, not now. People seemed to have a bit of a problem with killing others if they weren't the worst scum on the planet. Since he weren't sure of these twos stance on killing people just like that, he could as well make them indebted to him first. He saves her partner's life and she kills him. It was perfect. This had happened on quite the convenient time.

 

[The Mood is Write]

Kina nodded, though she really meant more than just Drake. If Drake wasn't the only one, she would need to execute them, and executions were... difficult. As the stranger walked away, Kina rolled onto her side, then yanked the branch from herself. It tore at her flesh, and she quickly stuffed her hand into the wound, clawing out splinters desperately as the gaping wound began to close around it. She yanked her hand out, then marveled at the blood that clung to it.

So pretty. It glistened in the afternoon sun as it dripped onto the packed dirt beneath her. A tiny giggle escaped.

No matter how old she got, how many injuries, how many times she'd seen her own innards, the sight of her own blood seemed too funny for words. The laughter came, quiet and gurgling as her chest heaved. Air bubbles escaped the hole in her chest as it closed, and she pressed her bloodied hand against her face as her quiet and wheezing laughter grew more intense.

The scent of her own blood, the sight of it, the pain, the sensation of healing: all of it conspired to drive her mad, but she loved every moment far, far more than was healthy.

~*~​

Drake himself remained under the rubble. He laid face-down, face pressed into warped metal flooring tiles. Several heavy things laid atop him, but his gaze refused to travel that way. His nosebleed grew as the stranger approached, but he wasn't sure if it was from his injuries, from something supernatural approaching, or merely dry air. He remained still. He remained silent.

The sound and scent were not Kina, but it was a woman. Shielded from Kina's sight by an intact wall and the rubble atop him, he didn't assume he'd be found easily, and began to close his eyes. His nosebleed grew, and heavy boots stopped beside him.

The pinning debris lifted, and he felt himself pulled from beneath it, and then flipped. He opened his eyes to see a face he'd not seen in...

"Heggala?" His voice came out in a wheeze.

She looked different. Her eyes looked ancient and bitter, her posture held a note of desperation, and her gaze held pity as she looked down at him. She raised an arm to her face and spoke into something on her lapel. "Reporting."

Heggala turned away from Drake. "Yes, the Hunters made their move. No big fish. Both downed. Suicide bombing." Her tone sounded crisp, but Drake could taste her fear in the air as well as he could smell the thick emotion.

Finally, the muscular woman ended whatever report she was making, then knelt beside Drake. "Don't you dare tell anyone you saw me. Don't you fucking dare, and don't... stop looking at me like you're happy to see me!," the woman hissed, then slammed a fist into his gut, only to repeat the same strike twice more. Drake curled and topped to the side as vomit surged up his throat, and as he laid there, staring with blurry, teary eyes, Hegga ran off. The entire interaction was less than a minute, but to Drake...

He'd been a trainee alongside her. She'd been his first kiss and first lover. Every part of him shook, and his own thoughts and emotions brought another retch, though nothing came forth. His nosebleed eased, but didn't stop. He didn't want to move.

 

[redblood]

He didn't bother asking if she wanted him to pull out that stick before leaving. That was non of his business. She had asked him if there was anyone alive out there, so that was the only thing he had to do. She seemed in control of her own situation. He knew the difference between self sacrifice and them knowing what to do to survive. It wasn't that hard to spot. Not when you had seen it so many times at least. Normal people made such a fuzz over the smallest injury.

The smoke did make it hard to see. It wasn't like he had super vision... Actually there was nothing special about him, except for his ability to heal way too fast and the fact that he doesn't grow old. People could say how amazing that was all they wanted, but healing powers doesn't make you strong nor did it make him unable to feel the pain when he got hurt. If he starved himself he lost weight and eventually wouldn't be able to move because his muscles would lack the strength. The same if he stopped moving for too long. Starving would never kill him, but eventually it became very difficult to get back to normal. It wasn't that easy to start eating again if you didn't have the muscle capacity to chew.

Soon he found someone. Well, he had found many someone's before that, but no one seemed to be alive before this one. "Oho, seems like you survived as well. Your girlfriend's waiting for you pall." He wasn't concerned about the state of the man, nor did he care about his feelings. The only thing he knew was that the woman probably wanted this kid back. Technically she only asked him to see if anyone was alive, but he was nice enough to go beyond, though it was only to reach a goal.

He grabbed the man by the arm and dragged him up, hoping he would be able to stand on his own so he wouldn't have to carry him. "You fine enough to walk buddy?"

 

[The Mood is Write]

Drake's nosebleed increased slowly again, and he kept his eyes open as he laid where Hegga left him. A stranger approached and commented on Drake's survival, and the Hunter watched him with mild curiosity. He remained quiet and watchful, until the stranger grabbed him by the arm and lifted him.

The Hunter grimaced as weight rested on his feet. "Just... hold me up if you can for a few seconds, please." He closed his eyes tightly, then winced, and then a few loud snaps suddenly had his legs straightened, though his corpse-pale face had somehow managed to lose what little color it had.

"Ah. There it..." The man shuddered, then nodded. "Yes, I can walk now. Thank you." His voice was tight with the lasting pain. He knew it would ease soon enough, and that the pain in the moments after healing were only a sort of after-sensation brought on by healing that happened far more quickly than was natural.

"And," he began, then paused for breath before he continued, "You mentioned my partner? She's safe?"

 

[redblood]

"Safe.." He seemed to ponder on the word for a bit, as if uncertain what it meant. Did he mean safe as in okay or just safe as in no one would hurt her? Maybe safe as in her wounds wouldn't kill her even if she had some. Maybe he should talk to people more often, his social skills were fading pretty fast.

"Safe as defined by her not being in danger of a potential near future threat, yes, that she is. Though depending on how slowly she heals, she might end up with quite the severe blood loss which could be a potential danger. But hey, at the very least she got to keep her brain intact, I think half of mine has become part of the vegetation." Could be true, could be a lie. It wasn't like he actually had put in his fingers to check how much of it was left after his skull was partly destroyed.

"You two are quite the oddity." Well, that certainly came from the right person. "Always coming here and always leaving within seconds of entering. What a weird couple." Because stalking them every time wasn't weird at all.

 

[The Mood is Write]

Drake lifted an eyebrow, then grunted. Good enough, he assumed, for someone like Kina. She was persistent in survival, like him. At mention of being stalked, Drake glanced toward the stranger and raised an eyebrow.

"You must be part of the reason we had constant nose bleeds," he murmured, then shook his head.

Ow.

No more unneeded moving like that, he decided quickly.

"I suppose it did look strange, however. Had we known we were watched, we likely would have been a bit more... cautious about being seen."

By that, he meant they would have finished everything the first visit in a rush that would have left Kina miffed.

"May as well go see her damage and let her know I've gone and survived." He clicked his tongue, eyes narrowed in disappointment.

 

[redblood]

"Nosebleed?" These people were so strange. This man seemed more bothered by the fact that he hadn't died rather than a stranger having followed him for weeks.

"Most people would be quite happy if they were in your shoes. Surviving an explosion so close to the source isn't an easy task." He said as he started walking. Could this man perhaps be like him? Unable to die no matter what? Well, if that was the case he might not be able to help him out after all. If he couldn't even get himself killed, how the heck would he be able to help another person die? Though there were still the girl. If she wasn't the same as well... "Shut it, you don't know anything yet you idiot." He snarled, forgetting for a moment to keep things within his head.

"Ah. Sorry. That wasn't directed towards you." He fast added much calmer, realizing his mistake, though not really explaining it. "Your friend was penetrated quite good. Though if she heals as fast as you, it shouldn't be a problem."

 

[The Mood is Write]

The vampire-based Hunter lifted an eyebrow, but let the strange snap and apology slide. Mention of Kina getting penetrated brought to mind something entirely less dangerous than what probably did happen, and his cheeks reddened slightly. "Ah. I see." He murmured, then thought back to the comment about most people being glad to survive.

"But you're right, most would say they're lucky to escape alive. I'm a relic of an... unfortunate time. I know several sure ways to die, but those ways are useless. I want my death to have meaning, at least, because much of my life did not." Why was he talking so freely about this to a stranger? Did he hit his head too hard? Even Kina hadn't heard these things before.

He shook his head. "Never mind that. Shall we find my partner?" With that, he let his eyes scan about, until they locked on...

Fucking hell, Kina.

"I forgot she got like this... Might be best we just wait here." His face reddened significantly as he turned his gaze from Kina. "So." He cleared his throat. "What brings you here? I expected a local would be..." He trailed off a moment, then continued. "More shocked, given the current technology of this world."

 

[redblood]

Ah, so he could die after all. Meaning huh. He couldn't particularly relate to that feeling. While he once had believed his life had some meaning, now he knew it had just been an illusion. There was no meaning to life. Why would your death be any different? If you were tired of this meaningless life, you should just go if you have the chance.

The man put his head on the side, almost curiously looking at the other man. "You get flustered really easily for someone most likely far older than a normal human." He noted. That fact hadn't been too hard to catch onto after their short time together. "And I'm not a local. Well, I probably would be considered one since I've been living within the few closest towns for the last hundred years, but when you're my age, a few hundred years doesn't really mean you've settled down. It's just that the days passes so fast you forget that you're supposed to continue walking sometimes." He explained. How old was he now? That was a very good question. It wasn't like he counted his birthdays anymore.

"I've seen quite a bit in my time, I've seen people building gigantic monuments for their rulers, things seemingly impossible for the times. I was there when the first people started to sail and explore more of the seas than they ever had before. I've seen weapons go from simple swords to smaller, but far more effective bullets just fired from a gun. I've witnessed the massacre of cities and the extinction of whole folk groups. Whatever happens does not surprise me. Things change, things are created and things are destroyed. That's just how the world works." From his earliest memories he would have thought it impossible to fly, then the hot air balloon was created. It wasn't that long ago, and it hadn't surprised him in the least when it happened. It was just a matter of time, because that was how the world worked.

 

[The Mood is Write]

Hm. Maybe the nearby town was all that was primitive in this place? Either way, the fact a local was here, and a local person who didn't age, at that, could be a problem. "Hm. You mentioned only 'the' world. I'd say you're a local in the sense I meant: a denizen of this universe."

Unlike some other Hunters, Drake saw no issue in telling someone that there were multiple universes, especially if it was possible they could understand the implications. If this strange local could manage it, Drake pondered recruiting him as an ally to the organization.

Having allies who didn't age or easily die would be a large boon for Lady Jade.

From behind them, Drake could hear Kina growing louder, and he covered his face with one hand, embarrassed for her as much as by her.

He removed his hand and forced a deep breath. "Anyway. Yes. We come from another universe. The people from this building came from still another, or maybe multiple. We seek to protect, while they seek to forcibly combine all universes into one." He closed his eyes. "Honestly, it would probably kill every living being if they succeeded. There are more dead or non-life-supporting worlds than living at any given point."

 

[redblood]

If his mind had payed any attention to the woman in the background before, she was completely erased from his consciousness now. For some time he did nothing but stare at the man in front of him, his interest finally peaked and confusion quite clear. He got to admit, this stranger was surprising. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"This is the first time... I'm taken aback. Congratulations." It was probably hard to tell through his monotone voice that he actually was rather happy. "I really shouldn't be this surprised. Through the ages, many religions have spoken off other realms. Worlds beyond human understanding. Places the Gods will take you to once you die. Tales of ragnarök, the apocalypse created by the Gods from a different realm has long been spoken of. I knew it all were metaphors, but it seems like they could be taken more literally than anyone would ever know."

Not that this revelation made him religious nor would he worship these two strangers from a different realm, or universe as they called it. It was still a metaphor, the Gods spoken of were of flesh and blood just like him, but the stories were based in more facts than actual fiction.

"Damn..." He was staring out over the burning rubble. "My salvation was so close, yet I followed the Gods of life, not seeing the truth. What a ridiculous twist." A bitter smile was plastered over his face. Those people might have been able to kill him, those who could destroy the universe itself should have no problems with an immortal like him.

 

[The Mood is Write]

Drake wanted to correct him, that it wasn't stuff like afterlives or anything like that, though those did exist, in a sense: those were more like a 'waiting queue' for reincarnation. Still though, the man seemed capable of comprehending the basis of 'there's more than just this one place'. That was good.

Not so good was this guy's commentary about following the wrong side. "There are better ways to get what you want than destroying the lives of countless others, I'm sure." He frowned. "Do not align yourself with the Unifiers. I can guarantee your disappointment." His thoughts returned to Heggala, how she'd looked when pulling him from the rubble, when reporting to some Unifier somewhere who held her leash, and then how she'd walked away. She walked with false pride she didn't feel.

He yanked his mind from that and pushed his hair from his face. "Back onto the topic of the multiverse, there are an infinite amount of worlds, one for every possibility in existence. There are worlds where there is no line between fantasy and reality, and worlds where magic does not exist. There are worlds still forming and worlds long dead, and it is... vast. I've seen only a few small parts: glimpses on missions such as this."

 

[redblood]

Talking as if he knew huh. Most things had been tried to kill him, and nothing had yet succeeded. At this point, the end of all worlds seemed to be the only way. Whatever, those people were gone now, so it was just to continue with plan A.

"An infinite amount of worlds. An infinite amount of suffering. Great. As if this one didn't have enough of that already." A true optimist, wasn't he. "An infinite amount for every possibility... Which means there are millions of me out there, suffering through this never ending hell. I wonder if any of them got out of it. Not that that's a realistic possibility. It would be more realistic to think some me out there is destroying it. The dark ages was quite chaotic for my mind. Wouldn't be that surprising if I went through with it." It was quite clear he had begun talking to himself. Philosophizing was one of the few entertainments left in life for him. This was the first time in a long time he had actually gotten something to think more deeply about.

"These worlds... Are you only able to travel between them, or can you also travel through time within them?" Not that he thought he would ever get to see any other world, nor time for that matter, not with these people at least, but if there was a possibility for them to travel like that, maybe he could find a way to travel within his world. All he had to do then would be to find the people, or whatever they were, who gave life to him and kill them. No parents, no life. He could get rid of himself before he was even born. It was quite an interesting concept, but completely useless if it only was possible to go back in time through another world, as that would destroy another him instead. That was if he had understood this multiple worlds thing correctly.

 

[The Mood is Write]

Drake raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "I'm not sure about time. I know it moves differently between the worlds, but I have never heard of anyone trying to adjust when they arrive in any way but forward, though I do know one who can can pause and speed time in a given world."

He assumed it wouldn't hurt to mention. "There are likely solutions somewhere for you, depending on the cause of your condition." Clearly, this stranger was immortal and didn't want it. Worse: he'd become so cynical he thought nothing of anything but his wished-for death.

Annoying.

Granted, Drake himself wished for death, but his death would at least serve a purpose, even if it came from killing himself. He also still had some sense of wonder and optimism, though both were admittedly in short supply that had grown steadily shorter over recent years.

Was Kina done yet? This felt more and more like a hassle.

As though summoned by the thought, Kina wound her arms around Drake from behind him.

The male looked down, then sighed heavily. "Well. At least this shirt was already ruined."

"Don't be sour," Kina chided as she turned her head to look at the stranger. Her eyes narrowed as her smile grew, and her voice grew warm and sweet. "Thanks for finding my partner. Our boss would be very upset if he got himself killed on such an easy mission." She offered a slow wink as Drake tried to ignore her presence.

 

[redblood]

The man clicked his tongue slightly annoyed. No time travel backwards so far huh. Gotta wait another ten thousand years for that one to find you. Likely and somewhere wasn't really reassuring words. They were filled with too much doubt, and most likely a very long waiting time. The only cause he could imagine was his own birth. Maybe his parents held the answer to his mysterious condition, but if they were alive, unable to die like him, he had no idea where they were. Though considering non of his children had become immortals or even healed faster in the slightest compared to normal humans, he might just be an oddity.

Ah, that woman was back. He hadn't even noticed that she had gotten silent over there. He had pretty much shut her sounds out of his mind though.

"Ouch, tough boss. Doesn't seem like people will leave you alone even if you die 'meaningfully' mate." In comparison to him whom didn't know anyone that could care about it anymore.

"So, about that favor I talked about. After having spoken to your partner I think I've made a mistake, I doubt there's anything you can do for me. It was foolish of me to guess there was a chance that you could end my life. I seem to be clinging to straws nowadays. At the very least you've given me some ideas to what I might need. Eventually something more capable than you will come around." He explained to the woman. It probably wasn't the first time he had used those words. Once they got him pierced through the heart by an offended witch. Well, she might have been angry about it, but she proved one thing, she wasn't capable of killing him.

The ideas he had gotten was either someone destroying the universes, or at the very least his universe, or passing by a time traveler. Either would fit his needs perfectly and with enough time he would come across one or the other eventually.

 

[The Mood is Write]

"That's a dumb favor to ask, anyway." She laughed and pulled away from Drake, purposefully wiping her hands on his shirt before she stepped closer to the helpful and over-honest stranger. "But I wouldn't kill you. No, if you're immortal like that, there's not a single way you can be killed, but someone like me, I have contacts. I could arrange for you to be put into a deep sleep in a slow-moving world until it gives out from heat death, but that won't kill you, I don't think. There won't be anything to breathe, but I assume you'll simply keep reforming in the nothingness, probably leading to matter coming together and gaining movement, and probably even recreating everything in your struggle to breathe."

She trailed off, unaware of the disturbed stare Drake shot her, and then she shrugged. "Why go to the hassle?" Her smile didn't fade, even as she went on in Chinese. "Dāng jú zhě mí, páng guān zhě qīng. It's good you're seeking outside help, but it is useless if you only ask of one possible solution to the problem of immortality." She tapped her cheek, and then leaned her head against her finger.

"What are you going on about?," Drake muttered.

"There is a way for immortals to pass on, but it is not through the direct route. I do not think it will be wise, however. Fate and Lady Luck do not look kindly on those who resist their will, and with rebirth you may suffer still more as punishment." She swayed back and forth, rocking on her heels as she let her words sink in. "I offer that solution, but only if you can prove it is the only thing that will make you happy."

Drake spoke slowly. "Kina, what are you planning?"

The Chinese woman didn't look back at him. "I have contacts."

"Please tell me you don't mean what I think you mean," the man groaned.

"I do, though. He has done me a favor, it is only fair I make effort," Kina finally looked back at Drake, her smile broadening. "Besides, I am very curious to get to know a person who would ask for an impossible death from a pair of impossible murderers without expecting success."

Drake grimaced and fell silent. His face turned away, but yellow eyes remained on the suicidal immortal.

("The spectators see more of the game than the players.")

 

[redblood]

The woman might have been able to peak his interest more than he'd like to admit, though her first suggestion, even though he could not fully understand it, was a quite terrifying thought. If he understood it correctly, he would be unconscious for an eternity. Not dead, but definitely not alive either. Though it did sound as if he might even become conscious, with her talk of struggling to breathe. He had never been fond of suffocation. It was quite uncomfortable.

Never passing on to whatever was beyond this plane of existence. If that was his only other option, he'd rather stay conscious and bored for the rest of eternity. The woman wasn't done though.

Rebirth? How could one be reborn without first dying? By definition you had to leave your current body before you could be reborn into a new one.

"I have suffered through hundreds, maybe even thousands of lifetimes, one more wouldn't do a difference. Though I have to confess, I'm not convinced that your proposal is even possible. Reincarnation is meant for those who has already passed on. How can I move out of my body while still alive?" There were many things he did not understand. It had been a long time since someone challenged his knowledge and philosophical skills like this. He wasn't quite sure if he was annoyed or intrigued by it.