ѕoυlвoυɴd ᵖᵃʳᵗ ᵒⁿᵉ

Chapter 17D: Is This A Joke?

Author's Note:

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I sit once more on the chair I'd left a couple of hours ago. So much has changed since then. I thought what Noa said was a joke. This Soulbound enchantment that she was speaking of -- Anima Mea Vinctum -- sounded like something made up. Words mismatched and strung together without meaning or reason. But now, I know better. After what I endured, I know that those words hold power. They hold meaning. Because of those words, I'm now bound to this pathetic excuse of a man. This degenerate. This scum.

"The Soulbound enchantment manifests physically in the body of the master and the beast. And when the physical manifestation settles, the intrinsic effects come into play." Noa spouts off as soon as I sit back on the chair. Beside me, Sasuke listens intently to Noa while Grandma Ai continues to leaf through a thick book. "The bond that is formed is perpetual. So it's imperative for the master and the beast to stay together and get along. The more they get along, the further they can travel long distances away from each other. There must also be unity between the master and the beast or else they will feel soul-crushing pain for all their days."

Hmph.

I don't need to know this, nor do I want to know this. True, I'm suffering from this spell, but all I want to figure out now is how to get rid of it. Why the hell is she rambling on about useless things? Is it the attention she likes or does she merely like the sound of her voice? Either way, I have no time to indulge her. I don't want to be rude but I really should just interrupt her.

"That's why both of you fainted when Kaiya tried to leave," Noa adds, much to my dismay and torment. "The distance between you at the time was from the cottage to the dirt road -- about ten meters. Any further than that and you'll die. Entwined is the nature of the bond that master and beast cannot hurt each other without causing harm or death to themselves. The physical pain can be felt and shared by the other manifested by the sharing of bruises and injuries. Awareness of spirit consciousness, location, and health of the other is created to secure the life of the other bei-"

"How do we break the spell?" Sasuke cuts Noa off just when I'm about to. Somehow, it gives me relief that he did.

Noa sighs, a conflicted expression graces her face as she looks at Sasuke and then to me. "I've looked through the books. All of them only suggests one way to break it. It can only be undone by a Grand Spellcaster within the next full moon."

"Okay, so where do we find one of those Spellcasters?" I ask Noa who shakes her head at me.

"You can't." Noa grimaces. "The only way is by going to the Majin Realm in the Geva Dimension."

"How much would that cost? Name your price." I inquire as I pull on my satchel. Hopefully, it won't cost more than a million ryo. If they ask for more, I'd have to get to a bank and jeopardize my mission by exposing my location.

"You don't get it," Noa says and frowns as she places her elbows on the table while Grandma Ai stays silent, "There is no price to be paid because it cannot be done. Only pure-blooded Majins can access the Majin Realm and its dimensions. Our line has been diluted through generations. Only the writings of our ancestor, Aki the Mad, remains. Our clan is more human than Majin. There is no way for us to help you."

"Which dimension is it located?" Sasuke asks Noa who touches his hand. She closes her eyes for a while and then looks up at Sasuke.

"It is something that your Rinnegan cannot access," Noa calmly says as she peers into Sasuke's dark eyes. "You're a creature of the Eawa Realm and can only access Eawan dimensions, Handsome. It's a realm well beyond your capabilities."

What the hell?

Sasuke has the Rinnegan? How did he even get something like that? The Rinnegan is something that I've only seen in textbooks. Periwinkle in color with concentric circles covering the eyeball, the Rinnegan is the most exalted dōjutsu. I do remember how his eyes looked when we were inside that humanoid creature made out of his chakra. One of his eyes had a purple glow and had ripples with dark, symmetrical markings around it. But that would mean... that the lucky bastard has both, right? I never really thought of that when I saw it. Then again, I had more important concerns on my mind in that instance like staying alive.

Still, it's unfair that he has it. He has the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. Doesn't he have enough? That just makes it so much harder for average ninjas like me to compete.

Sasuke's mouth slightly opens after Noa's revelation. He seems surprised that Noa could read his thoughts through touch.

"What do we do now?" I ask Grandma Ai and Noa who look at each other. Grandma Ai shrugs her shoulders while Noa presses her lips together bitterly. The two old women refuse to speak. But from the look on their faces, it's clear what they want to tell me.

"I'm sorry that this happened to both of you. But the spell is immutable." Noa apologizes. I bite my lip, shaking my head vehemently.

"No," I reply and chuckle bitterly, "I reject your apology. This is downright unacceptable. No."

"There must be something that can be done," Sasuke tells them and the old women say nothing and cast their eyes down on the ground, bowing their head in regret.

Deafening silence surrounds us and inside I want to scream. I want to pull on my hair and laugh at the thought of it. Me. Stuck with Sasuke Uchiha for all my life and even beyond that. It feels like a joke. This must be a joke. This can't be happening to me.