edelweiss - &team

42

"Maki, I'm pretty sure we've been here before."

"Oh yeah? You've mapped out this place in your head already?"

"I can literally see a mini trench created by my scimitar being dragged over the ground repeatedly. We have been here before."

It was easy enough to say that Maki and Yixiang were lost. Perhaps due to their poor sense of direction, perhaps Kyungmin decided to be extra cruel to Yixiang due to his tampering of the labyrinth. But they were utterly, embarrassingly lost.

"By the time we make our way around here, we'll have no energy to fight Death," Yixiang lamented, crumpling down to the ground to take a break from the fruitless search.

"Let's try again," Maki half-heartedly urged, "Maybe we'll take two right turns this time."

"We took two right turns last time. And two left. And one right and one left. And one l-"

"Wow this motherfucker is counting but can't find his way around this-"

"Woah woah watch the language! I'm older than you!"

Maki provided a simpering smile and two fingers on each hand in response to Yixiang, before huffing softly, "Seriously, though. We have to get moving. We should try to get rid of..." He trailed off, doing a quick count in his head. "Who do we have left?"

"To kill?" Yixiang asked, wrinkling his nose as he got to his feet, dusting himself off, "Definitely Kyungmin. Gaku, Yejun and Hikaru, depending if the three dealt with them already. Junwon if Yuma hasn't sneezed and broke his spine. Oh, and of course, Death."

"That's cool," Maki nodded, trying to soothe his jittery nerves, "That's...something to work with."

Yixiang did a cat-like stretch, arching his back impossibly long before exhaling, "Alrighty, let's keep going. Why don't we take two rights and then a left?"

"Deal."

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, this new combination revealed a new pathway. At the end of the pathway, was an oddly curved wall of stone. Maki, ever adventurous, ran his hands across the cool, smooth stone pieces, scouring for something specific. Before Yixiang could suggest his own methods, Maki felt one stone sink beneath his touch, stepping back as the wall shuddered, then shifted to reveal a narrow staircase winding up.

"Where the hell does this go?" Yixiang asked, rhetorically.

"Only one way to find out," Maki sighed, taking the lead.

"If we meet one of them up there, do we have a plan?" Yixiang asked after quite a few moments of silence, unusually hushed.

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there."

"Didn't expect you to know that phrase."

"I'll throw you down the flight of stairs."

Yixiang kept his lips sealed as they ascended the last couple of stairs, which led them to a wide, circular arena, encased in tall stone walls.

"I hate stone now," Yixiang announced, his knuckles bleached white as his fist clenched his scimitar.

From above, some black smoke pooled at the centre of the arena, gathering together until the figure of a familiar, loathsome person could be identified.

The terror they felt in their bones was chilling. It was one thing to curse at a man they detested in private. It was another to see the very person who tormented them years ago standing right there, in the flesh, after so long.

Death took in a slow, deep breath, savouring the feeling of taking a physical form, before he set his haunting, soulless gaze on them.

Maki's eyes widened, slightly terrified, as though realising that this may be the end. His eyes flitted to Yixiang, who didn't turn to look at him, only focused on the figure before them. But out of the corner of his mouth, ever so soft that Maki barely caught it, Yixiang whispered, "Until the end." Before Maki could even register what he was trying to say, Yixiang had shot forward, brandishing his scimitar. Death stood there, eerily still.

Death blocked Yixiang's blade calmly, though it did sink through his flesh, he barely flinched. Yixiang pried his scimitar from Death's arm before Death made a move to swat him away, which Yixiang avoided, willing his body to morph.

"Bold, aren't you?" Death whistled as Yixiang rolled out of the way. He turned his head in time to see Maki's astral projections filling his vision, but those, too, were easily deflected with a lazy wave of his hand, already completely healed.

Despite their best efforts, attacking on opposite sides and aiming for any momentary blind spots Death may have, every attempt was easily countered, the damage they dealt mere pinpricks compared to the retribution Death gave.

After a particularly daring try with Maki's fist going directly at Death's face, Death seemed to be done entertaining the young one, lifting him up from the scruff of his neck and a look of disdain, before Maki was sent hurtling into a distance. Yixiang's instincts tugged him towards the younger one but he stood his ground as he stared Death down. "Fucker," Yixiang spat out, his eyes sharp and murderous.

"You still have such a foul tongue, Yixiang."

"I wonder who gave it to me?" Yixiang scoffed as his scimitar gleamed.

Death clicked his tongue, mockingly, considering what heavy blow to lay on him. "Come to think of it, I've never told any of you how I killed her, didn't I?"

Yixiang froze, then he gripped his scimitar tighter and scowled, "Shut your mouth."

Death smirked, "I must tell this to Euijoo too. Did you know? She tried to reason with me first. Then she tried to trap me. She was so weak, so much weaker than me, and I-"

"Enough!" Yixiang shouted, slashing his scimitar but only hit air.

"And you, Riki," Death drawled. Yixiang whipped his head around, relief flooding his chest as he noticed Maki stumbling back towards them, with only a small scratch on his face but still alive and well.

"I have never seen you as second to anyone. You have always been a strong individual to me." Yixiang realised Death was trying to hit them where it hurt, but Maki responded way quicker, managing a smirk, though his fingers trembled, "Liar."

"Yudai has always picked the other Riki over you, hasn't he?" Death crooned.

Maki raised a brow, a surge of courage and determination flooding through him, "Of course. But I don't need to be picked over Riki."

Death actually stared Maki down for a second, his expression complicated, mild disbelief, maybe even slightly impressed. His split second of distraction gave them the opening to attack. Maki launched himself towards Death, projections pummeling directly into Death's face, followed by Yixiang landing a slice directly at Death's neck, his eyes glinting victoriously but what should have severed his head cleanly, didn't stop him from grinning cunningly. Yixiang caught the slight flickering of Death's image, as though he were a mere projection.

"Hang on," Yixiang's upper lip curled in distaste, "This isn't even the real you. You're a puppet, aren't you?"

"Ah, this was no fun," Death's head remarked mockingly, slowly sliding to reattach to the neck, "Well, that's alright. There's still more to come."

Even though they'd already confirmed he was a puppet, Maki still tried dismembering Death's lanky body, which began to dissipate into the black smoke it previously was.

"I'll see you later, my children," Death promised, before the entirety of his body vanished in a puff of air.

Yixiang was half sprawled out on the floor, reeling from the shock and frustration. Maki stood shakily, a few new scrapes adorning his scarred skin and Death's words still running through his mind, but he still choked out breathlessly, "If that was merely a puppet, how will we even tackle the real one?"

And for once, Yixiang actually looked frightened, "I'm not sure, Maki."