Chapter Text
The door opened, and the feeling of death approached. Not to claim, but to witness the antithesis of its direction.
"Fräulein Lorentz. Herr X." Charon greeted. The Awakened's face was obscured, yet it was obvious what his attention was upon. "How fares...?"
X, who took a moment to pause, turned around with a smile. "Doing well; wonderfully, in fact!" his writing had yet to cease even from down the hall where Charon walked from, his hands a busy mess.
Lorentz Butterfly, by comparison, was calmer, as she was in charge of carefully managing the package. "The testing concluded this morning. The result should, hopefully, be what was asked of both you and of the Timekeeper."
"Merel..." Charon answered, his grip on his book faltering. "...How?"
"A long process. By definition, Rhiannon is Merel, but at the same time is not, by how their souls are composed." Lorentz had swapped placed with X, who was now placing the crystalline 'orb' on what seemed to be a podium. "So, we separated the two."
"She makes it sound so easy..." X sighed. "Let me tell you, it took so much time, we ran out of tea at one point, and had to resort to coffee!" another sigh, "Though I'm not an addict like Mesmer, I can see why she enjoys it so."
"The things I do..." Charon heard Eagle mutter behind him.
Charon continued regardless. "What of her body? It was Reversed by the "Storm"."
"Correct; all that remained of Ms. Merel were her clothing. Of course, as Mr. Enigma would say, 'Arcanists are anything but 'normal''. I believe he intended it as an insult to Ulrich, but you'd be surprised to know how correct it is."
"Meaning...?"
Lorentz gestured to what was behind her at last; it looked, visually, like a sarcophagus; the difference being, however, is this rendition was translucent, revealing inside a girl who's face was known by few, yet her reputation was known by many.
Merel van der Weil, 'Blackbird'.
She looked as if she were merely sleeping, her body... breathing?
"She is breathing?" Charon asked aloud. His tone was one of curiosity and confusion; one that was answered by X.
"Well, we don't want her to feel like an alien in a body designed for her, no? We'll be 'reactivating' parts of her body as we go."
"...I see." Charon muttered.
"You seem conflicted, my friend. Is it because of this defiance of death?"
"...'Life is delicate, and easily lost'. Yet, despite these words... one lost, is now returning. How will she react, seeing her name upon a tombstone? That her last moments was her being too slow?"
"Only time can tell." Lorentz replied. Her own tone was measured. "She will be under midazolam when she awakes, to ensure she doesn't harm anyone. Now, X."
Turning to face the shorter boy, he was holding in his hands the orb, it now shining a faint sheen of white and purple.
"The soul of a living person..." the 'boatman' whispered. "I never expected it to be so... small."
"The biggest of hearts are often in the smallest of packages, no?" X smiled.
He approached Merel's body. "Stage one; moving and releasing."
The sarcophagus slowly descended from its upright position, now on the ground. Like this, all assembled could see the neutral expression the girl had.
Then, with a hiss, the glass slowly removed, Merel's breathing now more audible in the near-silent room.
"Stage two; implementation..."
Much like a worshiper, X lowered himself to his knees, and slowly moved his hands over where Merel's body was. Then, his hands turned upwards, and gently did he push the orb into her chest, it doing so with ease.
"The final step?" Charon questioned.
"Step three; resuscitation." Lorentz replied. "X, if you would."
X nodded, getting up, and returning soon on the floor with a defibrillator.
"Here goes..." X breathed in, and then out...
And then: "Clear!"
A zap was administered to Merel, and her eyes shot open with a gasp, her hand extending forwards. "I DON'T WANT... to..."
Her scream of panic soon slowed, and she blinked in confusion. "...Go...? W-Where...?"
"Merel." Charon could not smile, but if he could, it would be enough to lighten even the Underworld itself. "Welcome back."