…now playing: god needs the devil by jonah kagen

…warnings: gore ; violence ; homophobia.

“Love,

How lovely

The warm embrace

Of your arms

In my burning body.”

 Rowan & Yongsun

Rowan blinks slowly, staring at the transparent pink screen, even the spirit laying on his head is silent. From the start the ‘Soul Link' skill was weird, just like his ‘Overthinker’ skill, the skill itself was powerful, but the description was… As if something or someone was mocking him. And maybe that was it, the gods of the Tower of Life, mocking his existence itself. But why me? 

That's the thing. Rowan wasn't understanding why he was the target of those skills, but the moment that blinding light faded, he realized. The skill wasn't targeted at him, it was the other half of the skill the true target.

Bright red permed hair, that's the first thing he notices, then the two moles under the man's left eye, his single-eyelid black eyes shining like jewels as he looks at Rowan, the body of a model and the face of a heartbreaker. He looks like a celebrity, and of course he's right. Yoon Yong-sun, a 22 year old K-pop idol, is indeed, a celebrity, the most popular member of his group, TEMPEST, and not only that but also the youngest child of an influential and filthy rich family. When Yongsun found himself at the Tower’s theatre he felt a thrill he never experienced before, even performing in a stadium didn't make his heart beat that fast. Without hesitation he chose the hybrids class, hoping to bring change in his gray days. Well, it did bring change, not the kind he was hoping for, though.

“Nice to meet you!” Yongsun’s tone is energetic and he seems excited to meet Rowan, his smile is bright and his eyes show no animosity. He extends his hand and Rowan takes it. “I'm Yoon Yongsun, and I'm 22!”

“Rowan Lewis, 20”, he answers shortly, trying not to share too much with the stranger. But the Tower has other plans as another pink screen appears in front of the two men.

Congratulations for touching your Soul Link for the first time!

Soul Link registered: Yoon Yong-sun 

Soul Link (Lvl. 0 → 1 / 0% → 50%) ↑UP

Rewards:

Link Ring

Luck 7 → 10 ↑UP

Temporary buff due to contact: +20 in all stats, +30% Spirit Gauge

He gasps loudly as he reads the rewards, for someone in the single digits of stats, a 20 points increase is insane and not only that but 30% on his spirit gauge? But that's only when we're together, he notes. He's dangerous, the spirit comments, too powerful, it completes, taking flight and going away to scout the ballroom. Rowan takes the spirit's words at face value, after all it's a being way smarter than him. Still, if they're linked by a skill that interferes even in the floors they partake in, then avoiding the man isn't the answer.

“I guess this is basically a couple’s ring”, Yongsun's comment brings Rowan back to reality, he stares at the man for a moment, slowly realizing what he said, opening his own inventory to look at the new item.

Link Ring (Unique)

The shape of your connection that transcends time and space. While wearing the item you'll be able to “feel” and “understand” your other half even when you're apart! 

Effects: +6 CONS +10 MANA

You'll be able to teleport to your Link’s location upon activation. Required Mana: 30 Cooldown: 3 weeks

Penalty: If one of the users of the Ring comes in close proximity to someone that threatens the Links relationship, the Ring will issue a penalty, halving the user's mana and constitution.

Basically, don't cheat and you'll have awesome perks. Rowan scoffs while reading the item's description, it's basically a marriage ring, he can't use that, not only he'll be trapped to someone he doesn't know but also he'll be punished by others feelings towards him. And it's not like I can read people's minds to find out their intentions towards me.

Yongsun on the other hand has already put the ring on and is smiling brightly. He doesn't even know who I am, how can it be that he's this excited? Rowan doesn't want to put the ring on, but the stats are tempting and right now he isn't in a position to be picky. I can just take it off later, right? He wonders, staring at the ring, the design is simple, a gold ring with a small red gem in the middle of it. What if I put it on and can't take it off later? 

“Are you worried about the penalty?” Yongsun asks, he approaches Rowan, their shoulders touching slightly, the 20 year-old feeling a small electric current traveling through his body because of the man's touch, his cheeks turning a faint tone of pink as he feels warmer. Is this because of the skill? “Don't worry you can take it off”, the man demonstrates as he takes off his own ring. Rowan nods, putting his own, receiving a message about his stats going up.

At first he didn't understand what the ring meant about understanding how the other feels, but once he put it on he understood. His own feelings of worry, doubt and suspicion are still there, but there's also a faint feeling of excitement he only can assume is Yongsun's, as the feeling doesn't feel real, as if it's being relayed to him artificially.

“Does this mean we're dating?” Yongsun's question is accompanied by a feeling of happiness and anxiety, Rowan stares at the man, noticing their differences, in stature, demeanor and style. While he's wearing an old hoodie, jeans and incredibly uncomfortable old shoes, Yongsun is wearing a white shirt, leather pants and shoes that look even more uncomfortable than Rowan's, and he's also wearing a jeans jacket with a drawing on its back, showing horns surrounded by red fire. He must be some sort of rockstar, Rowan thinks, incredibly wrong. But it isn't Yongsun's fault that those were the clothes the system gave him in pity of his ripped ones, his shoes being the only things he managed to save.

In Rowan's eyes, the K-Pop star is some sort of rockstar celebrity with bad taste for clothes, and in Yongsun's eyes, the blonde, slightly tanned and casual Rowan seems like those stereotypical surfers he saw in western movies. Not that he was completely wrong.

Wait.

How can I understand him?

I don't speak Korean and he's not speaking English.

Due to your Soul Link skill, you're able to understand each other even without the knowledge of each other's language.

The system pops up, as if reading Rowan's mind. So I don't exactly know how to speak Korean, I just can understand him in specific. “Do you speak English?” Rowan asks, backing off from Yongsun, keeping a small distance.

“A little” The man answers in English, tumbling a little in his pronunciation. “I made a few shows in America and England”, his vocabulary isn't bad, his pronunciation could have some improvement. “Funny enough I can understand you perfectly, though”, he goes back to speaking Korean, Rowan nods.

“It's because of our skill, I don't speak Korean but I can understand you”. Rowan wants to test more things, to fully understand the extent of the ‘Soul Link’ skill, it clearly is something in the play of soulmates, the system pushing them towards a romantic relationship.

The thing is, Rowan never had one before, not because he wasn't interested, but because human relationships are hard for him. One would expect traveling the world and experiencing different cultures would make him an extrovert or a person with a big friendship pool. They couldn't be more wrong, he didn't go out on vacations, he went to warzones, he spent his childhood in rundown airplanes, isolated forests and dangerous deserts. He accompanied his mother to situations where no one sane would take a child. Suffice to say that his mother wasn't sane.

His first memory of his mother was when he was 5 years old, and she showed him an animal cruelty documentary she partook on. He threw up for hours afterwards and didn't eat meat for three years, until they went to an African tribe that ate animals they hunt. He learned how to skin an animal there and also saw violence in person for the first time, during a civil war when some child was shot meters away from him.

At eight years old.

If his mother wasn't dead, Rowan would say that she's the worst mother one could have. But as the woman died pursuing her ambitious work, all he can say is that she was unusual and that his childhood was different from most.

After long, he still can't shake the nightmares, even if his brain became dull to the atrocities he experienced.

His moment of reminisce is interrupted by the start of the floor 2 challenge.

Floor 2

Objective: Prevent the poisoning of the Crown Prince.

Side Objective: Don’t be exposed as an outsider.

Floor rating: Hard

Participants: 2

Reward: +3 random stat points, 1 rare equipment, 3 food items, 1 bottle of lukewarm water and 70 gold.

Time until the end of challenge: 12:00:00

There's more description this time, it also shows the rewards beforehand. Rowan notices, the ballroom becomes colder, as if the time starts ticking around them, a small light surrounds the two men, and when it fades, they're wearing completely different clothes.

Rowan is wearing a full black suit set without a tie and the vest is of a dark green tone, matching the emerald cufflinks. His slightly long blonde hair is slicked back with the help of a mousse and he can smell the faint musk perfume in him. I also feel refreshed, as if I just took a shower. He turns to see Yongsun, his breath becoming slightly unstable, he can not only feel his own surprise and mesmerizing, but also the man's attraction as his dark black eyes stare at him intensely.

Yongsun's clothes are more what Rowan would imagine a high-ranking general would wear, a fully button up tight white shirt with golden buttons, a black coat with similar gold adornments and buttons, a red scarf bringing elegance to his appearance, and white pants, his black boots also match the overall vibe. The man's permed red hair is styled back, just like Rowan's, but instead of making him look like a stuck-up noble, he looks like a cold general. Proving Rowan's thoughts, on the left side of Yongsun's coat there is something he assumes to be a star shaped medal.

To ensure your immersion on the challenge, you were assigned a role:

Name: Rowan Cooper

Role: Count and Wine Merchant 

Partner: Charles Fletcher

Status: Engaged

Family: None

My name is the same, but who the fuck is Charles Fletcher? Rowan looks at Yongsun, who's staring into the air with a puzzled expression, he assumes that the man just received his role as well.

And he would be correct, but Yongsun's expression isn't due to his role, but the fact that he isn't sure if he can portray it well. I'm glad I'm his partner, but why did the system make me a swordmaster? I never used a sword before…

To ensure your immersion on the challenge, you were assigned a role:

Name: Charles Fletcher 

Role: Royal General, Sixth Prince and Swordmaster 

Partner: Rowan Cooper

Status: Engaged

Family: Five older brothers, a father and two stepmothers.

Surely being a royal makes the goal of the floor easier to achieve, but what's bothering him isn't only his role of swordmaster but also the floor's classification, it wouldn't be hard if him being a prince would help their goal.

Maybe my relationship with the Crown Prince is the challenge, he figures it out, he sighs and then looks at his partner, Rowan is staring at him with a curious expression. I'm glad my soulmate is totally my type. Not only by appearance, but also the way Rowan acts aloof and detached, Yongsun never cared much about gender or sexuality, but he always liked the clueless characters the most, and in his eyes, Rowan is exactly like that. 

Him being a westerner will probably anger my fans and my family, but I guess once I decided to follow my other dream from now on, I let go of those relationships. He's being hasty, but incorrigible romantics tend to be like that, especially the naive ones.

“I guess I have a western name now”, Yongsun comments jokingly. “But I don't think Charles matches me”, Rowan smiles softly with the comment.

“I think your name matches you well enough, this is just a fictional situation”, his comment sounds as if Rowan likes Yongsun's name, but the man knows that it's just his delusion talking. Not that he minds feeding his own delusions. “What's your role? I'm a count and merchant”, he continues, trying to figure out their situation.

Yongsun finds Rowan's resolve cute. Even if they’re almost the same height, the 22 year-old is definitely bulkier, he has the perfect appearance for a general, and Rowan with his more lean muscles fairs well as a merchant. Not that Yongsun was originally this muscular, all due to his class characteristics, not that he's willing to tell the others about that. He likes that he can wrap his arms around Rowan, he likes that he's slightly taller and bulkier, it feeds into his fantasies. He still hasn't made a move on the man, but the idea of touching him is exhilarating.

A characteristic of his class that Yongsun hasn't yet realized is that demons tend to be naturally possessive towards what they see as theirs, and as the Demon King, his is maximized, so his delusions of embracing Rowan and enveloping the man's existence with his own, isn't just his romantic side speaking, but also his demonic one starting to flourish.

Both Rowan and Yongsun truly wish they could talk more and see through it all, especially what their joined skill entails, however the Tower doesn’t stop for them, and the timer of the second floor starts, the cold ballroom soon is filled with maids running around and other employees of the Castle. They greet the two men as they pass by, not seeing them as outsiders, for now. Rowan notes that he must try to be careful to play his part to perfection, while Yongsun pays attention to the awkward gazes towards him, as if he is an outsider from inside his own home. They have a little less than 12 hours to identify the poisoning of the Crown Prince and stop it. And the two of them see the challenge as a trick, something made for them to fail, why would they fail? Only time will reveal the true intentions of this floor.