Ruby and Safire finally faced one another again. They shared an unspoken connection of understanding. Safire slowly reached her gloved hand toward Ruby, who, in turn, flinched away. Safire's face softened in worry. "It's okay. I doubt it would work with my gloves on."
Genis nodded in agreement, cracking his neck. "It needs to be direct contact with skin. So if Safire has her gloves on, there's no concern in your connection. Ruby, what's causing the hesitation?"
Ruby shook her head, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "There's not much guarantee in this. I know nothing about what is happening now. Ever since I arrived here, I have been left in an utter state of disbelief and confusion. I never know anything anymore. What happens if we touch and we wither, like Nexus said?"
Genis sucked in a harsh breath, nodding his head weakly. "All of this is guesswork. It's never happened before. But I can say for sure that Nexus doesn't know, either. The wither warning was more of a disguised threat to ensure that you two wouldn't touch. The only way we'll know what will happen is if you two touch. For now, Safire doesn't have to remove her gloves, but if I sense anything, even a slight change in the breeze, I'll stop you both. Ruby, you can trust me. I am not with Nexus, and I do not follow Serina's word. I'll keep you both safe."
Ruby sighed in defeat, reaching her hand toward Safire. There was a sensation of raging apprehension within Safire as she extended her hand back toward Ruby's. Her gloved fingertips brushed against Ruby's palm delicately. Both girls flinched with fear, but once nothing occurred, there was a collective sigh of relief, even from Genis himself.
Odeen approached the group without warning; his expression hardened as he took Ruby's wrist. "She's not doing this. I refuse to accept that she will make it out of this alive. Dealing with gods is far out of my reach. We'll be returning to the castle now. Safire, you're free."
Ruby pulled back on Odeen's grasp, trying to break free. Genis scoffed, watching Odeen's display with a joyful glee. "Such a tank of a man. He'd be of use in this battle. Safire, would you mind if I borrowed your body for a moment?"
Safire seemed utterly stunned, stepping away from Genis. "You want to do what?! No, you can't have my body! I'm sorry, Genis, but I think that's asking for too much! You'll have to express your needs in another way."
Ruby's brows furrowed as she hit Odeen's arm. "Let me go, you meat head! Fuck it, if you refuse to listen to me, you might take some advice from a god who can speak your language!" Ruby reached her hand toward Genis. "Use mine!"
Genis had an awkward grin sprawled across his face as he let out a dull chuckle. "Not a god, cosmic being. Please don't bring religion into my existence. But I won't say no to talking with the big man over here."
Genis grasped hold of Ruby's hand and cut the connection of her soul from her body momentarily. Ruby's body slumped suddenly, taking Odeen aback as he caught her. Safire's breath hitched with fear as Jasher moved to hold her. "What happened?" Jasher muttered.
Safire covered her mouth as tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. "Genis asked to borrow my body. When I refused, Ruby offered hers. Is she okay? What happens to a human when a cosmic being takes over?"
Odeen frowned, holding Ruby securely in his arms. "I don't know. Why would she agree to something so stupid? Rhudy, are you alright? Speak to me, Rhudy. Open your eyes. Please." Odeen hissed, feeling helpless in that moment, having no idea how to help her.
Ruby's eyes snapped open suddenly as she wheezed in a ragged gasp, convulsing in Odeen's arms weakly. "Breathing... is not optional – in the human body." Ruby's body was sat against the ground as Odeen took to his knees before her.
"Are you insane, Rhudy? What gave you the idea to take a... being into your body? I don't see that as any different from inviting a dark spirit into your body willingly! You just performed dark magic in a land where that's illegal! Jasher, translate my scolding!"
Ruby held her hand up as she coughed and choked on the air that she tried to inhale. "That won't be necessary." Everyone fell into stunned silence when Ruby spoke perfect Oceranian. "If you can't tell, Ruby's not home right now. I have 5 minutes before her body begins to shut down, so spit out your concerns now. While you can see me."
Odeen's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, unable to organise his racing thoughts. Jasher clicked his tongue, stepping in impatiently. "How are you sure that we can defeat Nexus? I've met him before. He seems freaking powerful."
Genis nodded Ruby's head, humming weakly. "Well, honestly, I have no idea if we'll be able to win against Nexus or not." Genis grinned, slowly staggering to his feet. "The one thing that I can say is, if we spend the time we should be figuring out how this split soul situation works, on trying to escape, Nexus will win. Hands down."
Odeen furrowed his brows deeply as he returned to his feet, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "You're kidding, right? If I admitted to my men that I didn't think we could win, while leading a war meeting, they'd run for the hills. As a general, you should already know how to win this."
Genis scoffed, breaking out into hysterical laughter. "You're the one kidding, right? If I stood here and said, 'It's fine, guys! We're going to win this! We're only going up against a cosmic being that has far more experience on the mortal planes than I!' Then we'd have a higher chance of crashing and burning. I've spent my life watching; Nexus has spent years living. Well, more or less. What I'm trying to say is, if we don't try, Ruby and Safire will be merged and used as a battery to fuel Nexus's weakening body. You'll lose them both, and I will lose my head for going against Serina. How's that for motivation?"
Odeen stepped back, staring at Genis in shock. The face Genis wore showed an expression of fear and desperation. "I didn't realise that this Nexus beast wanted to use them in such a way."
Genis nodded grimly. "If he is successful, sure, the planets will keep living, but who knows how many humans will be split into both worlds, then used as batteries, magic amplifiers, or worse... humans will become experiments and toys." Genis hung his head. "Mortals were meant to be observed. Now we're studying the cosmic what-ifs. The Inbetween only exists because of Earth and Teralu. If they die or collide, the Inbetween dies, too. I want to live. But not like this."
Ruby's body began to sway as Genis's breathing weakened. "I cannot hold her form any longer. You need to make up your mind here and now. Are you going to help us? Or are you going to seal their fates? And ours." Ruby's body dropped suddenly, caught by Odeen the moment she went limp.
Safire watched as Genis was thrown from Ruby's form, sliding across the ground hard enough to leave a visible indent. He stood with a pained groan, cracking his stiff back. "That was dramatic. But there's no time to mince words right now."
Safire clenched her fists, turning to Genis with a hardened expression. "How long do we have left until the harmony period? If Ruby and I are in trouble, then we should at least know how long we have left to prepare for Nexus's attack."
Genis's eyes darkened as he shook his head weakly. "Two weeks." He turned his chilling gaze toward Safire with a look of warning. "And in that time, I guarantee Nexus will be showing his face. Especially when he realises I'm here."
Safire furrowed her brows in concern. "Two weeks isn't enough to fully prepare to fight him. Why would Nexus dislike that you're here? You could always lie and tell him that you're keeping an eye on the mortals."
Genis began to laugh hysterically, wiping away a feigned tear as he sighed in amusement. "Not gonna happen. Let's be real here, would you trust your mortal enemy with the lives that you need to ensure your body survives?" Genis snickered. "Nah, I was supposed to be the being trapped for an eternity, holding the worlds together and apart. But I will admit I'm a little scamp and went MIA. Now Nexus is forced to hold them. He was supposed to be relieved once they found me, but then he went and fucked with human souls and got himself banished. I am in hiding from Serina, but I don't really feel like a life sentence when I'm innocent. Would you?"
Safire scoffed coldly, nodding her head absentmindedly. "I understand that on a visceral level. Being forced to do something that was never your responsibility for the sake of others..." Her gaze shifted toward Odeen. "Feels like a prison sentence."
Odeen held Ruby in his arms, trying to wake her calmly. He entirely blocked out the seemingly one-sided conversation to ensure Ruby's safety. Jasher, however, was eagerly listening to Safire's words. He spoke up suddenly, directing his attention toward Genis, using Safire's gaze to find him. "Hey, call for me. I want to be in on this, too."
Genis snickered, watching the human's expression of seriousness with pure entertainment. "Gosh, you guys are fun! Way more amusing than empty nothingness forever. Alright, Jasper. Hear my call." Genis left the ground, hovering inches from Jasher's face. "If you can."
Safire giggled in amusement. "Don't give him a heart attack. If he were able to hear you while you're hovering like that, he might keel over and die. Jasher, Genis is-" Safire halted suddenly, frowning in confusion. "Wait – did he just call you... Jas-per?" She clearly struggled.
Jasher nodded his head weakly, listening intently for the call. "That's my name on Earth. I kind of got renamed here. I don't hear anything. Is he calling for me, or am I unable to hear it? Nexus never called for me. I got stuck inside the Inbetween by accident."
Safire's shoulders slumped. "I wasn't made aware of your real name. Y-yeah, Genis is calling for you. It can take some time to hear the call, apparently. Just keep focusing. You might be able to hear him soon..."
Ruby groaned suddenly, resting her head against Odeen's chest with a pained wince. When her eyes blinked open slowly, she was met with the concerned expression that the redhead wore so openly. Ruby smiled weakly, patting Odeen's arm as she sat up with a pained wince. "I'm fine. Just a little bit sore."
Odeen frowned in confusion, looking to Jasher to translate. When his eyes fell upon the preoccupied knight, Odeen growled under his breath in annoyance, merely rubbing Ruby's shoulder for support. "I'm sorry I yelled. I was merely concerned for your safety."
Ruby hoisted herself to her feet with shaking legs. Odeen was quick to wrap his arm around her waist supportively, assisting her over to Jasher and Safire. "I want to touch, Safire. We can't know what it is that Nexus is trying to avoid until we take the plunge. One second of contact. That's all that we need."
Safire stared at Ruby in shock, but her determination and curiosity took hold far stronger. "I won't say that I am brave. I am soft spoken, meek, and a coward. But one thing that I refuse to be is forced into a situation that I don't want to be in."
Ruby nodded as she slipped from Odeen's arm, holding her hand out toward Safire. There was a moment of hesitation before Safire slipped her glove off. Ruby pulled back from shock in that moment, the sight of Safire's decaying arm startling her. Safire held strong, reaching out toward Ruby. "It's not contagious. This is what black magic does to you."
Odeen's eyes darkened with betrayal, but Ruby merely nodded her head, taking a shuddered breath. "Well, there's no going back now. We're going to throw a wrench into Nexus's plan and figure this out." Ruby turned to look at Genis, who put on a brave face and nodded to them.
Ruby clenched her jaw, shoving her hand forward to lock hands with Safire in a handshake motion, holding on tightly. The air grew still as they waited patiently for something to happen. When nothing changed around them, Ruby frowned in confusion. "Well, that was anticlimactic."
"No. it worked..." Genis grinned from ear to ear. Between Ruby and Safire hovered a small black hole, rippling between them with violent, untapped potential. "I'll be damned. We can win this after all."
-End of chapter 15-