Chapter 22: I am but the brain that dreamed and died.

A soft song played on the radio when I came to my senses. It was the 28th of December, the newspaper left behind on the table beside my hospital bed told me. I reached over to pick it up in my hands. My back hurt a little.

The front page was full with accounts of some huge hurricane that had supposedly struck Crater City. Renovations were now underway, and people were moving back in.

“Crater Daily huh…? What a disgrace to journalists! Aiding the spread of misinformation, absolutely despicable.” I heard William’s voice inside my head.

You’re still here?

“Till death do us part. Even then it’s a little doubtful. I told you, didn’t I?”

Will.. Just what are you?

“Well, I’m not exactly William Korspole. But I also am. So… It’s complicated!”

Huh?

“I’m the thing you fought and conquered. What’d you humans call me? Death’s Gate? I’m that, yeah.”

𑀢𑁆𑀬𑀼𑀁𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀤𑁆𑀯𑀸𑀭𑀫𑁆

“Wow. You remember my name! Impressive”

So William is dead?

“Kind of. But, not really. Like I said before. He lives through you.”

My internal dialogue was interrupted, when the door to my room slid open. Jamie walked in, casually. Then her eyes met mine. She freaked out.

She ran over to my bed.

“Jam…” I began, but a sharp slap landed on my cheek before I got to finish saying my beloved’s name.

“Hey fuck you!” she said, her eyes tearing up. She let out a soft gasp under her breath before she leapt over to hug me tightly. Not gonna lie, it kinda hurt.

“Oww! Easy there! I’m still injured.”

“Thank fuck, you’re alive… I don’t know what I would’ve done if you had… if you had…”

She began sobbing in the embrace.

I patted her back as I said, “Hey, hey. Look at me… I’m okay, aren’t I? I’m not going anywhere baby.”

She looked up at me, blinking to push back the tears, as she stood back up. Not before she had planted a quick kiss on my cheek, as she wiped her eyes. Sniffling her nose, she said. “Okay… You rest now. I’ll come back to see you in the evening. I have a lot of work to get done.”

“I know,” I said, as I smiled at her, “Have a good day, James.”

“Don’t call me that!” she said, with a soft chuckle as she turned to leave.

“My bad, Jamie. Have a great day. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said, as she left.

I sunk back against the not so comfortable mattress, as a deep exhale escaped my lips. James was safe. That’s all I needed to know.

“Must be nice to have someone like that…”

You bet, it is.

“Yeah man. I can see your memories. That is some crazy good sex–”

Okay. Stop looking through my memories you perverted deity. You really aren’t Will. He would never!

“And you love me for it. I know you do~”

I was stuck with a real menace inside my head…

“Hey I heard that!”

Yes, I know you do. Now shut up. I’m trying to write.

I looked down at my hands. It was only then that I noticed that my nails had been freshly painted… I snorted out in a soft laugh. Must’ve been Jamie.

“Holy shit, look at those nails. You really are a fucking homo!” I heard the voice of Elise as she barged her way into the room. “I heard from Jamie that you’re awake.”

“Since when do you keep in touch with my girlfriend…?” I asked her, as I looked up to face my sister.

“Since you ended up almost dead, asshole!” she said, as she sat on the chair beside me with a sigh. “Y’know she’s been visiting you every single day, staying by your side for hours at a time… She’s a fucking angel, you know. Never let her go. I mean it. She’s the best thing that could’ve ever happened to you. And I hope you better know it.”

“Oh yeah I know… She’s the best thing that happened to my nails too,” I said with a grin as I looked at my nails painted black. “They don’t look half bad, do they?”

“I mean, it makes you look like you suck dick in alleyways for a fiver. But then again, you look like that anyway. Yeah, they suit you,” she said.

“Blow me. You’re the kettle calling the pot stained.”

“Oh yeah?” she said, before she paused. After a few moments of silence, her tone got more serious as she asked, “Hey… You’re doing okay, right?”

“Yeah. I’m doing fine… Thanks for coming to visit,” I said.

“Don’t be fucking stupid, boy. If I don’t come to visit you, who will?”

Before I could say another word, she spoke again.

“Actually, nevermind. A lot of people do wish to visit you. Matter of fact, it’s practically the entire agency. The hospital staff had to restrict access to your room to only family members. Which would’ve been just me… Poor Jamie was so distraught. So I fought with the authorities until they made an exception for her. I mean she’s basically family too!”

“Y’know Elle. I don’t say this enough… I really appreciate you. Like a lot. Thank you,” I said.

“Man, shut your corny ass up. I know you do. We’re family. No need to thank me. It’s the bare minimum I can do for my brother,” she said. Then she jumped out of her seat, as she glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Fuck! I need to run. You’ll be able to take care of yourself, right?”

“Yep. I’m a big boy. Don’t worry about me,” I said with a thumbs up.

“Okay dork. See you later. Oh yeah, you’re gonna get a lot of visitors now that you’ve come to.” She then added with a snicker, “Have fun Han-lad.”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Elise got up, as she slid the door open, greeted the person on the other side as she left, waving me a quick bye-bye. Then entered my room, the person I was looking forward to facing the least.

It was Kyd.

Before he could open his mouth, I said, “Fine, Captain Kyd! I’ll join Intelligence. But not your squad.”

He leaned his head as he said, “Eh? I didn’t even say anything yet…”

“I failed to protect William Korspole. I was responsible for the Deity wreaking havoc on the city. And I’ve made a transgression by forming a contract with it. Though I doubt that I’ll be killed off now. You people would’ve done it while I was still out. So I think it’s safe to presume that I get to live. In which case, I need to accept my punishment. I’ll do a desk job at Intelligence.”

Kyd had his eyebrows raised with amusement in his eyes, he said, “I was here to congratulate you on your promotion, you dumbass.”

“Promotion…?” I echoed, in confusion.

“Congratulations, Liahan Beiker. You’re now the Lieutenant of PRECIPICE Division Two.”

I coughed out a laugh, “So it was intelligence!”

“Well, duh. Your brain’s too good to let it waste away in a combat squad.”

I shook my head, “Whatever… Sure. I’ll accept it. As long as I don’t have to take orders from you. What about Lily though?”

“She’s now the Captain of Division Four. You know, given what happened with Kristen…” his voice trailed off, as a sudden pain appeared in his eyes shielded by the flare on his glasses that reflected the sunlight coming through the window behind me.

I did in fact, not know what had happened with Kristen. But given the look on his face, I could make a conjecture. Rest in peace, Kristen Marl.

“Oh yeah,” Kyd spoke up, “There’s someone who’ll come in to take an interview with you later. I hope that’s okay?”

“Sure…” I said, as I looked down at my hand.

His eyes followed mine, as they landed at my nails. He let out a soft huh, before he said, “The nails look good on you.”

My eyes flew open at the sudden compliment. I had to do a double take. I turned to him, “Uhh thanks…?”

“No, no. I mean it,” he said.

“Okay…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t intend for it to make you feel awkward…” he began.

“No, no. It’s fine,” I said.

“Okay, then. I should leave,” he said.

“Yeah,” I replied almost instinctively.

“Alright. See you at Jacob’s party then.”

“What party? Wasn’t the part on the 26th?” I asked.

“And without you? Nonsense. It got rescheduled to New Year’s Eve. You better be out of bed by then.”

“Huh… Right. I’ll try to.”

“Later then, Beiker.”

“Later, Kyd.”

I sat in silence, as the door slid close. The footsteps on the other side grew softer and softer as he walked away until I didn’t hear it anymore.

“What the hell was up with the insane sexual tension between you two just now?”

…Will you please shut up?

“Aww someone’s blushinggg”

No, I’m not?? Ew. I’d rather drink that entire bottle of bleach over there.

“Weird kink but okay.”

OH MY GOD– GET OUT OF MY HEAD. PLEASE.

“Having trouble with him inside your head, Han?”

I jumped a little at the sudden voice that woke me back up to the world around me.

It was Master Yang.

“Yes, please!” I said.

He chuckled, as he sat down at the foot of my bed, facing me.

“Alright. Close your eyes, and try to concentrate all your Vitalis in the hypothalamus of your brain.”

I did as he said.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Difficult to speak…” I mumbled.

“Don’t use words. You communicate with just energy right?”

Yes.

“Good. Now, I want you to visualise the inside of your conscious mind like a huge hallway with doors. Can you do it?”

It took me a minute. Yes.

“Now try to find the door behind which the Deity is housed.”

I felt the endless hallway stretching in front of me, doors on either side — various shapes and sizes. I walked down the corridor, until I found the one. A familiar door. The door to William’s apartment.

The door was left ajar, and I could see Will waving at me from his desk. I raised my head and smiled at him, before I closed the door. Turning the key around the lock.

I pocketed the key back. It all faded back into black.

“What do you hear inside your head now?”

Nothing… Well, except you. And now me, as I’m speaking.

“Do you hear the Deity’s voice?”

Not anymore.

“Good. Open your eyes now. You can relax.”

I opened my eyes.

“This whole thing is so… surreal,” I said.

“Tell me about it,” he said with a chuckle.

“You are a Deity contractee too, aren’t you Master?”

“Took you long enough to realise, kid.”

“So...” I said, “Care to explain to me how these things work?”

“Right, so…” he was about to begin, but I interjected him.

“Actually, before that. Did you talk with Elle yet?” I asked.

“I did,” he nodded.

“How’d it go?” I asked.

“A roundhouse kick to my head.”

“Yeah, you totally deserved that though.”

“Yes, I did,” he admitted.

“Okay, now about the contract.”

“Right. Contracts with Deities work a certain way. They are binding till life and beyond. Normally, you only really form a contract with a Deity to lend part of its power to you, in exchange for something. However, your case is kind of an extreme, like mine. The Deity has taken you as its vessel. Now, that is not only just taboo. It’s sacrilege. On paper, the agency is supposed to have people like you be contained for life. But that would be a waste. So, the big man and I came up with a plan about a decade ago. Forming a group of Deity hosts, like you and I, secretly allied with the agency. That’s what I did. I have spent a long time travelling all across the continent collecting others.”

I nodded, “About the contract, Master. What does being the Deity’s host entail?”

“You pretty much hold control over all its power. ‘Course you gotta be careful with how you use it. Bite more than you can chew, and you’ll end up frying your body and lose all control. And then we’ll have a reprise of what happened this Christmas.”

“That sounds overpowered…”

“You have no idea, son.”

“Alright. Tell me more” I said, beyond intrigued.

> To be continued

Author's Note:
Gasp! The chapter takes place TODAY! But 28 years ago. I wasn't even born back then. 

Part of me really wished to include the conversation between Elise and Yang, but I didn't know where to fit it in the story. So I decided to have it just be mentioned. I'll keep thinking to see if I can insert it somewhere else in a later edit.