edelweiss - &team

30

One thing to note is, never ask "What could go wrong?". You'd think that Maki knew that, having lived so long. But you should never taunt the universe, especially if the creator of said universe hated your guts.

-

"And what are we gathered here to do on this lovely day?" Fuma asked cheerfully to the twenty or so people, ranging from young adults to mere children.

"I'm not too sure but it must be something big," Yudai replied as he tossed his head.

The weather was surprisingly pleasant today, the heat was usually rather unbearable in the late afternoon but today the winds were cool and the sky was slightly cloudy.

"And where the hell are the two of them? They literally asked us to be here yesterday," Kyungmin sighed.

"We haven't seen them the whole day," Jo remarked.

"All of you are so impatient." A familiar, soothing voice chided, and all of them turned in unison to greet their guardians, Life and Death. With her flowy white gown fluttering in the breeze, Life looked like an angel. The same couldn't really be said for Death. But they complimented each other, in a sense.

Maki, Riki and Minhyung, some of the youngest, had run over to greet the two guardians. As Life stroked their heads lovingly, Death addressed the whole group.

"Today we will be doing what we promised to some of you. We will grant you everlasting life and longevity."

Those were some big words, many of the young ones brows and noses wrinkled in confusion.

"We want to consider the future as well," Life continued, "So for today, we will start with the older ones." Her eyes went to Yudai, Fuma, Hayate, Junwon and Yuma.

"We've been planning this for quite some time, so we hope you enjoy it," Death said warmly, a rare, sweet smile on his face. Then he gestured to Yudai, "The oldest first."

Steeling himself to appear confident and relaxed, Yudai approached Death. Death pressed a hand against Yudai's head, a rather amusing sight to see but Yudai's irises gleamed momentarily, a brilliant silver, then Death removed his hand and Yudai took a single step back.

Silently, the whole group waited and watched, as Yudai raised his hands outwards. With the children shrieking in amazement in the background, Yudai stared, mesmerised, as small, bright green and blue feathers rippled across his arm as he willed it, then glittery fish scales dotted his skin.

Satisfied, Death pat Yudai on the shoulder before the newly turned immortal stepped to a side. Life then extended her hands to Fuma, who obediently stood before her. Doing the same as Death, she placed her hand on his forehead and exhaled. And Fuma's eyes glowed too, a bright gold.

The children observed as Hayate, Junwon and Yuma received the same treatment from Death, Fuma spread his hands as an arch of strange liquids appeared in the air before he vanished them, Hayate triumphantly let flames dance across his skin, Junwon was elated to realise his steps were now lightning fast.

Then everyone's eyes went to Yuma, who was standing still and unsure. Death looked the most expectant, nodding encouragingly as Yuma hesitated. Unlike the others, Yuma didn't move his body the slightest. He raised his eyes to the group, where all his friends looked hopeful and excited.

Yuma's eyes became a milky white, almost glowing. All of a sudden, Yejun screamed and fell to the floor, thrashing. While the other children scrambled to him in an attempt to help him or offer him comfort, Life and Death stood still.

There was a hint of disappointment on Life's face, as though an experiment she had high hopes for had gone poorly. Death, on the other hand, while slightly miffed, looked intrigued at the outcome.

Yudai whipped his head to the two still standing adults, "Help him, aren't you going to save him?" It wasn't sure who he was referring to, but Death chuckled with mild amusement and casually strolled up to Yuma, who was frozen in place with his eyes still glossy and pale.

After a light tap on his forehead, Yuma crumpled down with Death catching him just in time. "Well, we'll have to work on that. "

As he carried Yuma back to the hut, everyone's initial thrill of seeing the older members earn something new faded.

"So what now?" Fumas asked Life. She smiled brightly, "You will now do what you were brought here to do." With that she too retreated back inside to check on Yuma's condition.

"Well that was vague," Euijoo commented, but he looked rather unbothered and more interested to see how the others were doing.

"So you'll live forever now?" Yixiang asked, an edge of envy in his voice. "I'm sure we'll all get that," Yudai replied, still getting used to his new situation and powers.

There were a range of emotions, some looked thrilled, eager to experience what the older members were graced by. Others looked unwilling, uncertain and unhappy.

"I'm not sure this is really...a good idea," Hikaru said softly, nervous.

"This is infinitely better than where we were last time," Junwon pointed out.

Kyungmin stayed silent, hugging himself tightly. The worst was yet to come.