At the end of the exchange, the shimmering soul was left out of reality. Being sucked away into the Diary once again, 36 was laying his eyes in the familiar room. Both glad and excited about his safe return.
He would never understand or uncover such secrets in his life that is this strange space. He had long forgotten about his childhood to a certain extent. After all, it was a blink of his life. A few years into what could be a dream at the moment.
While he ended up as a demonic cultivator, it wasn't as bad as it was. The name demonic was only a made-up word by certain righteous organizations. It held so little meaning to those called by that name. It made them laugh more than anything else.
In truth, it was a simple way to distinguish certain individuals from others. Perhaps they wanted to feel special in a way. The so-called righteous path was often met with stubbornness and unconventional ways of cultivation as well.
Opposite to the righteous were beings who disregarded all reputation and regard for anyone unrelated to them. Greed, selfishness, desire, and ego. Those were a small portion of the beliefs those individuals go by. Demons, monsters, and devils were redundant names of the smaller people who were victims of their actions.
36, was in the past, such a person. He had a free mind and hands across the world with ego and freedom. He held no ties with no organizations, and no organization could hold him back. That... until it wasn't the case.
It was the beginning of his downfall when he crossed paths at the wrong time. It led to a lot of deaths and in the end, he disappeared from the Immortal lands to never be seen again. No one would care, though. Since this demon ended u imprisoned by one of the most mysterious organizations. They would say, Serves him right!
Seeing the empty room, 36 glanced around in a calmness that was the past discussion in the reality. This recollection was soon over, as he noticed the open door, which led to the hallway once again.
“Bloody shit!” He cursed out loud with a twisted expression on his face.
Reluctant and with great hesitation, he floated closer to the door in his ghost form. There was no knowing if that woman was gone or not, and he did not want to endanger himself at all.
The previous mistake of meeting that woman made him aware that he was not as safe in this room. There could be some madman who would beat him to death.
As for the sight of this hallway, it was more of a letter of death. He was unaware of the ends outside of the hallway. There was a staircase, but he has never seen past it.
Even the moments where he came out of the void were not that recalled by him. His mind was dull and dumb back then, while he wasn't keen or remembering anything of this ship, that was his prison.
If he'd seen the empty void and ship which floated in this space, it was hard to say what he would curse about. There was no escape from this world that is the Diary of the body, and he accepted it with a great grimace of pain and tears.
Alas, he knew it would be no effortless task since he long ago noticed this Diary's purpose. He lived inside of it. That was a fact that was clearer than anything else. 36 extended his reasoning and come to a simple conclusion. There was no escape by himself, so he may as well charge past the obstacles that was his limited mind. All in order to accept working with the mortal.
It made him very uncomfortable to be held by someone else's fate, but it... was fine to some extent. It was against his very core of being, but so was the restraint put on his soul.
Freedom and independence were his everyday life in the past. Of course, he would not end up forcing himself on the foes he couldn't defeat or shouldn't anger. He knew what was best for him at times of fear and power. It was one of his qualities that became even more prevailed in today's situation.
Floating 1 meter before the door, he was hesitant more than ever. One moment, and he could be struck by someone. Since that woman noticed his unwanted presence, it was clear that his time was even more limited. Certain prisoners will go after his position, which is warranted by... whatever mistake he caused.
“FUCK... this...” He cursed and backed off into one of the walls. Not running away, to be precise, but... yea. His expression was fearful for sure. By the side of the wall, 36 was going to shut it up for good. Since it was open to his room, it was the easiest solution to be outside of the view of the hallway.
Thinking of his sudden excellent idea, he had a certain smug smirk on his face as if he outplayed his life's enemy.
Beng!
He slammed the door close and flew in the opposite direction all the way to face his back, against the wall.
“Hehehehehheheh.”
He laughed in madness as if he defeated his toughest foe to date. Unknown to him, the woman from earlier was still laying there on the ground. Not far away, so she heard the thud of the door. She couldn't move. It was her life now, to await the candle punishment.
Laying there, she breathed slow and steady. Her heart beats in a slow rhythm while her lungs are also visible. She lives fine for now, as her body was not mortal any longer... After all, she was of the duo cultivator pathway. Her body was tough, so she will survive even the loss of arms, loss of organs, and even the majority of her blood.
Decreasing her life's sources, her eyes turned numb. She entered the frozen expression of a dull state of meditation. The pain still seared her insides, but the numbness would lessen the pain. Like this, she would sleep it off, until she would not... since the end would come sooner than later.
Inside the room, 36 was cheering himself up. Laughing in the weirdness of joy and amusement.
Stopping, he floated down to his table and laid down on the scrolls and books on it.
Not one bit of care on his face.
“Phew. What a day.” He sighed after who knows how long.
“Hey! Wisher. How about talking!” 36 shouted all of a sudden.
No answer came.
“Hmph. Nothing? What sort of bloody problem do they have? If I am a so-called mistake, they should leave me be or imprison me once again.”
“Wisher. I wish to become aware of certain rules.” 36 asked after some time of contemplation of the matter. Voicing a question or a wish was an idea that he assumed to be better. He did not know what sort of stuff he could ask or wish for, but that did not matter. Since such methods were unknown to him, even after reading through the documents. The ones which talked about general rules, and position as a prisoner and a teacher.
It consisted of a base of things he needed to care about. Like the time and a few resources for the student, and even less for the teacher. It did not explain the wisher, while further things were not included at all. The Cultivators were weird ones. Not telling the further path from the earliest once, so there would be more of an incentive to continue forward. Though, 36 knew it and was not one bit worried about it. Unlike Allan, or Sarey.
In what felt like a few minutes. A monotone voice spread from the ceiling. Like a call, scream, and laugh, the wind appeared from the ceiling and fell to the floor. There, it formed into an indistinct figure of a humanoid. Around 1 meter tall with a body made of unstoppable dark wind. It had its head and torso with libs with small fingers. It almost resembled a child.
“Artifact soul? Not that surprising to me.” 36 assumed with an unbothered expression as he floated up to see this figure. It took a while before the small storm subsided.
36 felt no visible or distinct call of the fear for his own life. He figured this must be the Wisher's true descent.
“Wisher at your service.” Small being said.
“Huh? Are you the Wisher?” he asked in a try to figure out this being.
“Precisely.”
36 fell speechless as he saw this being. It was not something he expected from being that was in charge of this space.
“What rules are being asked?” Wisher asked.
“Nothing much. How to get my freedom?” 36 figured his question as this being seemed unbothered by his gaze.
“Freedom... Considering your circumstances. Time and try is the best way.”
“Circumstances? What are they? Am I not in the right to be here?”
“This... This... and that? Hmmm. You? You! Are you that mistake? Huh... Wonderful. I never thought it would go this way.” Voice turned weird and more alive. As if pondering the questions of the universe itself.
“W-wisher?” 36 felt a small dose of worry coming to his very soul. It seemed this artifact's soul was nothing like he thought. As he knew them, they were a dying soul put into a machinery object or natural resource. It would cause the soul to keep some senses, or make them disappear instead. It was a play with the souls. A thing that only a few could do, and 36 wasn't one of them.
Souls are an incredible marvel of the universe, so playing with them could only do a madman or someone who could play with the universe itself. It would most often end in a kind of retarded or a slight sentient being. They would follow orders without a question. It was a perfect way to have a slave, follower, or simple protector who would guard something in your stead. Wisher was such an artifact soul what 36 assumed.
However, this one felt different. Its intellect seemed nothing extraordinary at first, but now it sounded alive as if he was in front of an Elder.
Forming in the head of this being was a line between the moving wind. It acted as a mouth, although there was no need for one. Above it was the pair of white vortexes that were the eyes.
“You and me, there seems to be a connection. What sort of situation did you cause? Do you have any idea?”
“W-who are you? You are not a wisher?” 36 asked as this humanoid figure changed to the unfamiliar voice of someone alive.
“I am. You are just not a wish I wanted to meet, or I did? I am wondering...” The Wisher told in a curious tone, as the face of this being changed to a rather awkward smile that was the line around the energy matter he was made of.
“Who are you!?” 36 asked once more in agitation.
“I am Wisher, an artifact soul of the Diary of the Body. You, prisoner number 36. I know your causes. What do you want to talk about? Considering the thing which happened last time, I must apologize. The minor officer acted outside of the rules. My descent is a form of reward if you wish to call it like that.”
“What? Am I outside of the rules? Do you even know what I went through? What in the bloody sky is wrong with this Diary and the so-called mistake my ASS!” 36 shouted out load to the face of the Wisher, who is unbothered by being a few dozen centimeters away from his face.
Wisher's face frowned after listening to his words. Not expecting 36 to ask something about the rules like that in a such straightforward manner.
“Perhaps? I don't know.”
“Can't tell it directly, huh? Are you an artifact soul, or someone pretending to be one? N-not... t-that's not right?! Right?” 36 floated back towards the wall, as he was unsure of what to believe in right now.
“Artifact soul? Are they called like that now? I forgot, but me in the past... there was only emptiness, or I was a human as well?” Wisher talked in a questionable tone as if he was unaware of the answer, or it held no meaning to him whatsoever.
“Forget it. What about me now? What sort of things happened you want me dead?”
“Me? Dead? You are already dead, so why bother? The Ones will be held accountable for your sins, while mine responsibilities are none of your business.”
“Fuck them. Answer me seriously.” 36 barked at the Wisher.
“Heh! You are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Simple as that.” The Wisher sneers, while caring little of this madman.
“Oh... So it is the real book which is in the wrong hands?” 36 asked, as his answer led to a surprising result.
“Clever boy indeed. You already knew the answer yourself.”
“Your tone pisses me off.” 36 changed his tone once again. Now, floating a few steps from the small figure of the Wisher with folded arms. He was staring at the wisher with unhappy eyes.
“Why so serious? You have no one to blame but your fate. Accept it.”
“Fuck off. Who do you think you are?” 36 shouted.
“No one, but a certain something or someone who can help you,” Wisher said in an unexpected manner while offering something with a calm voice.
“Help? What sort of advantage it can cause for The Ones?”
“It does not need to be an advantage for them. You and I are not that different. How long do you think it has been since I talked with someone else?”
“Me and you!? Hilarious that you talk like this. Were you also a mistake by your owner's hands or what?”
Wisher once again frowned with unhappiness at his words. “I don't remember the time myself... This prison... no one is safe from this madness. You... I can help you if you help me. How about that? I don't care about The Ones!” The Wisher's tone turned much clearer, with an increased movement of the strange matter of energy wind which made its body.
“I refuse.” 36 said with no hesitation.
“Why? This is the only opportunity I had since I came here!”
“How can I help you if I can't help myself? ” 36 answered in a mocking tone.
“Then let this be a two-way thing. You help me and I help you.”
“No.”
Wisher audibly sighed. “I forgot you are that lunatic who trusts no one. How miserable... ”
“That comes from a plaything of The Ones. Do you think I am that naïve? I will never trust your actions, but I can trust your words or information. If you can give me some, there could be a place for considerations.” 36 played with his words as he seemed fit. A little acting as Allan did in the past to him.
Playing with his mood and acting in a way to get what he wants was very easy for him. That was something that 36 knew very well indeed.
“Hmmm. Agreed. I can tell you more than you think. It is even within the rules at the moment since that woman's action caused some restrains to be lifted for a temporal time period.”
“Great. So, this conversation was not within the rules... so far? Am I right? You are a prisoner as well?!” 36 straight up asked after faking the previous patterns of his personality.