What to do now?

He could not look at her.

And he could not hear her.

How to converse? How to take her away?

He pondered for a long time before he made up his mind. There were no other options, he would have to bear the weight of her words.

He spoke: “I will take you out of here”

She shook but did not speak. He took out the crystal bottle. He stated firmly: “I will give you a new life”

She spoke hurriedly: “Just let me die, I beg you”

The words crushed Jin mentally. He felt as if his soul was frozen. It was as if the mere thought of her death was killing him.

He fell to his knees as he retched.

He kept shaking.

Yet, he stilled his resolve. He needed to take her out. However, how could he? This cross was no joke. After all, it could hold her.

For eons.

He opened his eyes and looked at the nails. He tried his hardest to focus solely on them. Then, he walked towards them.

As he arrived on the altar, he also arrived close to her ethereal body. The sheer intensity of the desire to simply touch her was unbearable.

He was pushing himself, tensing every fiber of his body to try and resist. He moved his hand towards the first nail, trembling.

As he was close, she spoke: “A soul has to be stuck to this cross or everything will blow up”

She was close to him that he stumbled and fell backwards as he heard her. He remained motionless on the ground staring at the ceiling for hours before he regained control of himself.

Then, he pondered on her words.

And then, he understood why Cheng told him to bring Frey along.

Frey was a sacrifice.

The cross needed a soul to be pinned to it.

If he wanted to take her soul away, he needed to sacrifice another soul.

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Jin cried silently.

He was going to sin once more.

He looked at the unconscious Frey as he began to cry. He was going to pin this innocent soul there instead of her. And no one would ever come to free him.

He would condemn this innocent to an eternity of loneliness and stillness.

And he knew what it was like.

He cried.

For hours.

But it did not change what was going to happen.

Time waited for no one.

And what had to happen would happen.

He got up as the ‘soul’ character began to form within his palm. He brought it to Frey and separated his soul and body.

He grabbed Frey’s soul tighly within a hand.

“Stop this!” screamed the mermaid which forced him to his knees. He even spat out a mouthful of blood.

The thought of going against her wished was breaking him from within.

But he pushed forward.

He moved to the altar and she spoke once more: “Stop this you demon!”

He retched blood as he pulled out the first nail and freed one of her hands while he then pinned Frey’s.

The realm shook for a second.

Then, he moved to the next nail as she screamed: “Please! Don’t!”

He retched. Blood feel from his eyes and nose but still, he continued.

There was only one arm to free now. but she grabbed at his neck. He looked at her out of surprise and she opened her eyes.

He was stuck there.

Then, she began to speak: “You who are ready to sacrifice an innocent should simply die”

She closed her eyes and let go of Jin.

His body fell to the ground, limp.

She gazed at the soul of Frey. It was pinned to the cross as well now. It was too late. She wept silently and cursed the one who pinned her here eons ago and the one who tried to free her this time.

Sacrificing people…she could never agree to such things.

How could sentient beings be so cruel to each other? They were the ones who could communicate yet they were even worse than the beasts who could not.

Jin’s body shook.

Then, he reopened his eyes.

He breathed in deeply and exhaled just the same.

“Didn’t I die?”

He looked at the cross on which the two souls were now pinned. It was no dream. Then…How?

The answer was simply that she did not kill him. She only showed him death.

He sat up and looked back up again.

“I will bear the weight of my sins” he stated

She remained still.

As he finally unpinned her and grabbed her soul, he felt her resistance. She was trying to break free and return to the cycle of reincarnation.

He could not let that happen.

If he did, he would have sinned once more and this time for nothing.

More than that, he could not bear to lose her. Her influence from her mere existence was that strong.

He opened the crystal bottle and felt as her remnant soul began to be absorbed. Once she felt herself unable to resist any longer, she cursed him: “I will kill you one day”

He fell to his knees as blood seeped out from every orifice. He used the last of his strength to close the bottle.

And then he fell face first onto the ground.

He woke up to the screams of Frey.

He opened his eyes groggily and slightly pushed on his arms to get up. Bile and blood still hung to his face as he watched the struggling soul of Frey.

Frey looked at him with deep fear in his eyes: “Sir, help me! What’s going on?! Save me! I beg you!”

Jin grabbed the crystal bottle and got up.

Then, he turned around and left the room.

He stilled his heart as he shut his ears. He could not bear to listen to Frey’s begging.

As he left the well, he fell to his knees in the snow.

Tears and snow mixed on his face as he wept with all of his being.

“What have I done?!”