[ username. .kaede ] [ name. 江桂英 ( jiāng guìyīng - river, cinnamon, brave ) ; typically called guiying ] [ gender. male ]
greatest fear.indentblinking rapidly at the sudden question that ligonem had posed to him, guiying furrowed his eyebrows together and crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing in slight suspicion. the four eyed male had noticed the other viscet's sudden change of mood, and quickly hurried in an attempt to dissipate the sour mood that had fallen onto the other male viscet. "hey now, guiying, it's okay if you don't tell me. i don't mind at all, i was just curious, so i'm sorry if i asked something that i shouldn't ha--"
indent"it's fine," guiying mumbled, turning away from ligonem as his hair fell over his face, effectively concealing his expression, not that ligonem would've been able to read the necromancer's feelings, anyways. necromancers were always so secretive about their craft, and more so about their private life, and the lightning patterned viscet wasn't the least bit surprised that guiying had been hesitant to share information about his greatest fear. after all, such a piece of information could serve to harm him in the future, right? guiying had been right to withhold that fact. as ligonem was about to open his mouth to apologize again, guiying cut him off, saying something that ligonem wouldn't have expected the other viscet to say. "it's really okay, i don't mind. i don't have many friends due to my profession as a necromancer, but since i'd have to work with you and the spirits in the future, there's no problem with me sharing a little bit about myself. i just ask that you don't spread this anywhere else, okay?"
indentligonem was more than just surprised. he really hadn't been expecting the horned necromancer to be so compliant with his wishes, and with a small, almost uncertain nod of his head, the four-eyed viscet watched as guiying began to fiddle with his paws. what would a necromancer even be afraid of?
indent"death."
indent"i... i beg your pardon?"
indentguiying appeared to be almost chagrined at the idea of having to give an explanation to his perplexing answer. after all, what sort of self respecting necromancer would fear death? the very thought was preposterous at its core, and based on the other viscet's facial expression, ligonem knew that he didn't have to voice his thoughts out loud for guiying to understand.
indent"it's a bit of a long story, so please bear with me, ligonem. i know that saying how i'm scared of death is ridiculous because i'm a necromancer, but this fear is partly why i became a necromancer." he paused in order to let his words sink in, and after a few silent moments, guiying took that as his cue to continue speaking, tail tip twitching in apprehension as he did so. "i... i have lost viscets i loved because of wars. there have been viscets who died because they had been murdered in cold blood, or died due to causes that i cannot control. you must understand how exceedingly frustrating that must be, right?
indent"i didn't want them to just go without ever saying goodbye to me. i fear death because it could strike at any moment, and there would be nothing we could do to prevent it. i've even had my own share of encounters where i've nearly faced death." he barked out a gruff laugh and shook his head, letting his soft locks of hair fall into his eyes once more. he stopped again, raising his head to see if ligonem would say anything else in response. when the lightning patterned viscet didn't speak up, guiying let out a soft sigh and leaned back into his chair, allowing his purple and teal ringed eyes drift towards the ceiling.
indent"... i get that," ligonem uttered after a moment of hesitation, and as guiying's eyes flicked towards his direction once more, ligonem frowned slightly and rubbed his paws against each other. "my younger brother, emil; he's dead because of my mistake, and i never got to apologize or say goodbye. i've managed to get in contact with him because he's now a ghost, and it's all thanks to my ouija board, admittedly."
indent"yes!" guiying shouted out suddenly, scaring ligonem slightly as he slammed his paws down against the coffee table, sending vibrations through the dark coloured wood and into the coffee cups, which in turn started to shake. "you see, necromancy isn't all bad! sure, there are evil necromancers who revive viscets for the sole purpose of turning them into puppets and war machines, but in my case, i temporarily bring them back to life so they can sort out any issues they had with the world before departing once more. i'm still very much afraid of the concept of death, but ever since i embraced necromancy, i feel that i'm slowly starting to understand that it's a way of life. ironic, isn't it? this entire conversation is so ironic."
indent"at least it's interesting," ligonem commented, in an attempt to make the necromancer feel slightly better about himself. guiying flashed him a grateful smile as he stared down at his paws, and as the butterfly tufted viscet pursed his lips together, he thought about what he could say next. "i'm not gonna lie; i think it's strange that a necromancer such as yourself is afraid of death. however, i do agree with your reasoning, and everything you've said is valid."
indentguiying's crestfallen expression had instantly brightened up at the unexpected validation that ligonem had given him, and he soaked it up shamelessly. "is that so? in that case, i'm glad to hear it. when i die, my only regret would be to not have helped more viscets out..."
indentligonem swallowed back a lump that had formed at the back of his throat, and as he let out a small sigh and clasped his paws together, he glanced towards the necromancer who was sitting in front of him. "now that that's out of the way, we can begin talking about the plan in question..."
indent"yes, of course, ligonem."
[ 1000 / 1000 words ]
extra 1 - lost letter.indentdear __, _i_:
indentit's been a while, but i hope the two of you are well. re_, i hope you're taking care of yourself as a spellsinger should, and r_n, i hope the flower shop is still flourishing under your capable paws. i don't know where i'm going to go with this, but i do know that i am shameful for not meeting the two of you heads on. there's a reason, you see, a reason that would make me lose even more face than i already had.
indentneither of you would ever approve of the path i had decided to take. i could've... had a happy life with re_, but i messed up and threw it all away in a night of panic and worry. and for that, dear ren, i'm sorry. rin... i hope you're taking care of your sister whenever she falters. i don't want to seem presumptuous, but if your older sister is still the same viscet that she had been five years ago, then my sudden absence must've hurt. and for pushing all the responsibility onto you, dear rin, i'm sorry.
indenti wish i could justify my actions, but i can't. i acted of my own accord. i needed to make my peace with the viscets who had cared for me and protected me up until their very last breath. my revenge had been delayed. then, i realized that revenge wasn't as glorious as i had made it out to be.
indenti'm not a killer. never was, never will be. i am, however, just a mere, shameful necromancer who can't even face the two viscets who had helped me out during those dark times, and i hadn't even helped the two of you. i just got up and walked out of the life that the three of us had together. sure... it wasn't nice at times, but those moments were the most comforting that i'd ever feel in my life. honestly.
indentit's weird, how things can change so quickly in just a blink of an eye.
indenti'll come back if i have time and if the two of you are willing to have me back. for the time being, i'll be going around through the kingdoms, taking on requests to help other viscets the same way you two had helped me. my methods may not be conventional and as hospitable as one might expect, but my purpose is to help other viscets make their peace with the ones who passed away before they had a chance to express themselves.
indenti've come to terms with myself. i've said my final goodbyes, and i've finally let them go free. my regrets and thoughts no longer belong in the past. i may not have matured much, but i have grown in ways that wouldn't have been possible if i hadn't left.
indenti'm sorry for leaving, but i don't ever regret making this decision. i'll send another letter when i can, if you two want me to.
indentbest wishes, gu__in_.
[ 500 / 500 ]
extra 2 - sacrifices must be made.indentfinding the viscets who had murdered his biological family had been an easy task for someone as determined and hate-driven as guiying. he had lived the past few years in a daze, taking time to recover and numb himself from his parents' deaths, as well as carefully cultivating his skills and magical power so that he would be strong enough to take on the killers of his family. rin and ren had been kind enough to care for him in the meantime, but at the bottom of his heart, guiying knew that he wouldn't be able to relax until he has had his fill of vengeance.
indenthe had closed his eyes and summoned several ferocious spirits who had the misfortune of experiencing a troubled passing, and with a few soft murmurs, guiying had sent the spirits after the viscets. he followed close behind, glassy eyes shining at the thought of finally being able to avenge his family's death and pass judgement on those who truly deserved such treatment.
indentguiying hadn't been expecting his legs to suddenly give out beneath the weight of his body, however. excruciating pain had shot up his arms and legs, and in a pained yet soundless scream, his paws flew towards his head, grabbing at his skull and tugging at his hair in an attempt to diminish the pain somewhat. it was futile; he felt blood trickling down from his paws, and when he raised his head, he screamed yet again as the spirits prepared to lunge towards the killers of his family.
indenthe gritted his teeth through the pain, and although his mind was starting to grow fuzzier, guiying didn't call back the spirits. "consume me if you must!" he yelled, clenching his paws into tight fists, "but they must die tonight, without a question!"
[ 300 / 300 ]
extra 3 - meddling interloper.indent"i should think not, dear spirits. leave these viscets alone at once; they have learned their lessons, no? if not, i believe i'd have to take some of their life energy."
indentthe pain that had been ever so prevalent within guiying's body slowly ebbed away as the spirits that he had managed to painstakingly summon vanished away, only to be replaced by the fearful expressions his family's murderers and a translucent body that didn't seem to touch the ground. guiying had been about to jump to his paws and shout out in frustration, but the spirit, sensing the younger viscet's frustration and grief, quickly spun around and smiled warmly at him. "please hold still. i'm not done yet."
indent"why did you cut in?" guiying asked softly, his voice hoarse from all the shouting. he winced slightly as he struggled to stand up, and with a short look from the viscet in front of him, the murderers quickly dispersed. "pathetic," guiying sneered to himself, as he tried to steady himself. "why did you cut in?"
indentthe spirit gave guiying an inquisitive look before smiling slightly at the living viscet. "are you upset? actually, no -- that's a stupid question, of course you'd be upset." the spirit paused as though he was thinking over what sorts of words he'd say next to the youth, before smiling mysteriously again. "it doesn't really matter if i've made you mad or not, however. you need to know that hunger for revenge will never be satiated unless you simply forgive and forget."
indent"forgive and forget? how can i do such a thing?" he echoed in disbelief, furiously blinking away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes. "you've ruined my chances, you outsider. i won't be satisfied until they die tonight -- they must die!"
[ 300 / 300 ]
extra 4 - acceptance.indentthe spirit stared at guiying quietly, as the youth gasped and heaved for breath, finally allowing himself to cry in frustration. the spirit hadn't felt emotion in so long, but something tugged at his non-existent heart. was it pity? most likely. "you're only so young, little one. trust me when i say that chasing after revenge will get you nowhere; i have had first hand experience. my revenge has led me to my death, instead."
indent"then you must've been a fool," guiying whispered brokenly, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists. he didn't bother being polite to the spirit. he wasn't in the right state of mind. "if i don't have revenge, then what do i have? i cultivated my necromancy for this specific reason. how else would i be able to function in a society like the way i currently am?"
indent"forgive and forget," the spirit said again, flicking the tip of his tail slightly. "who said that you can't live with your necromancy? it's a skill that's frowned upon, sure, but there are certainly viscets out there who wish to see their loved ones one last time before they are permanently lowered into the ground."
indent"are there really such viscets like that?" guiying asked softly, raising a paw and roughly wiped away the remainder of his tears with the back of his paw. "i... i may not have killed anyone before, but i've hurt viscets that i had been close with. do i even deserve to be alive?"
indent"of course," the spirit whispered reassuringly, smiling at guiying once more. "you can always apologize. if they love you as much as you love them, then they will come to understand your motives. trust them. have acceptance in your heart."
indenteven after the incident, guiying still holds those words close by.
[ 300 / 300 ]
