Jax inhaled a sweet breath of precious air, carried by the thin strand of light to artificially fill his lungs. It had weaved itself into an intricate spider web at the back of his throat, trapping the soft breeze in mysterious bends as if it were unwilling prey.
The Peddler stood over Jax, watching with a smirk filled with avarice and self-satisfaction. The sharp tinkling of glass fracturing drew his attention. Reaching out, he picked up the vial containing the golden strand of the Unifier to examine it.
“Oh, how deliciously frightening. My dear boy, the Unifier really wants you… But I won’t be having them spoiling my fruit. Not without an adequate exchange, at least. You were marked as a sacrifice to them and that debt has become a shackles around your neck, one to be collected upon your death. So, I guess I must simply make the inevitable, evitable then,” the Peddler said, holding up and presenting the vial to Jax.
A hairline crack had already formed on the surface. As Jax watched, the crack split longer and the golden strand started to become increasingly erratic. Finally, the glass gave way and the strand shot forth like a pouncing parasite in search of its host, only to be caught in midair between two shadowy fingers by the Peddler.
“Na uh-uh, not so eager. I’m not finished with this mortal yet. Await your turn. Sigh, it appears I must get creative,” the Peddler complained, switching his focus back to Jax. “All transactions must benefit both parties. The weight of the Lopsided Scales can favour one side more than the other. But I will not do this task for free. You must offer me something, anything, a small trinket.” The Peddler urged. There was an edge of desperation to the his voice, as if his very being depended on this trade.
“Sigh, then I offer you this cherry blossom plucked from a tree that flowered in the heart of winter when snow blanketed the ground. I stole my first kiss beneath the branch it bloomed upon,” Jax replied, pulling a loosely wrapped rough linen handkerchief from his pocket
The story and sentiment attached to an object gives it more weight with the Old Ones than the object itself when making a trade with them. My Gran told me I must collect such keepsakes when I become a Quirk.
The Peddler’s eyes opened wide with interest, leaning in close to watch Jax fold down the overlapping edges. The Peddler’s unnaturally wide grin changed into an ‘O’ of wonder and his gaze never shifted away from Jax unveiling his prize. The Peddler’s expression suddenly froze and his ominous red eyes suspiciously narrowed and snapped back to Jax.
“Wait, you say you stole your first kiss? Perhaps the lady you stole it from will come seeking me out and demand it back. I could only comply and give it back to restore her honour. Let none claim that the Peddler deals in stolen goods!” The Peddler declared, puffing his chest in heroic indignation.
“I, Uh, it was only a turn of phrase. Mazelda was perfectly willing, I can assure you!” Jax spluttered, stowing away the flower and holding up his palms, quickly trying to remedy the situation by placating the Hex.
“Hmm, I’m not sure that I believe you. What else do you have to offer instead?” The Peddler replied, calming down and striking a pose indicating his willingness to barter.
“Um, how about a bruised knuckle from punching an inappropriate rival in the jaw when defending my lover’s honour?” Jax offered. After a moment of consideration, he quietly added more, barely more than a whisper. “My death. This one is the action that led to me being here.”
The Peddler’s gaze turned sharp and his grin widened to extreme proportions, passing the limits of his face.
“Yes, that will do. This, I will eagerly accept. A bargain made, a deal struck. Your death for one more breath of life. Neither of the Unifier’s mirrored faces has the audacity to claim that which is already mine. Our trade supersedes their follower’s flimsy essense of sacrifice. If they want you, they must come to collect in person,” The Peddler gleefully said, his otherworldly voice unmistakably laced with unconcealed delight.
Stretching out the golden strand, his hands began to move at an incomprehensible speed, afterimages seemed to form new pairs of hands until he appeared to have five sets of arms. His hands operated a series of ritual positions as he touched fingers together, twisted, and rotated to expertly fold and kind the golden strand of essence until it became a complex sphere formed of nodes and lines. Originating from a single point, it eventually converged back to end beside where it began without touching.
The intricate product was larger than it began, with it being similar in size to Jax’s chest. The Peddler extra hands all converged back into one as he shrunk the zigzag formation of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines to a size able to fit in his palm. For the final touch, he stretched a thin membrane of his own essence to attach to the sphere. With a flourish, he hurriedly manipulated it into an iridescent membrane over the panels before tossing the ball into the air. It hovered in midair for a moment as disjointed triangles separated from the surface in a routine pattern, replaying the message before sending it. Satisfied, the Peddler waved a dismissive gesture causing the alien written letter to immediately transform into an arc of light and hurtle off into the distance.
“I just returned the Unifier’s essence to them along with a message and proof of our transaction. He’s likely to be very sour once he receives it, kekekek,” The Peddler informed Jax, clapping his hands and rubbing them together greedily. “Alright, now back to our first order of business. You have something that interests me, mortal. It’s been a very long time since I’ve encountered someone with a Quirk that shines as bright as yours. The Many practically converge themselves around you in their excitement for a spectacle. I wish to purchase that potential from you.”
With great effort, Jax twisted his neck and suddenly became aware of all the specks of light dancing around him. The illusory tree he leaned against in the Nether was not truly there, it was actually an image formed of all the mana in the area clustering close to him.
“What did you mean by calling me a spectacle?” Jax tentatively asked, turning his eyes back to the Peddler. From stories, he knew the Nether was not usually a void this bereft of detail. “Now that I know what you truly want, I do not wish to barter using the Lopsided Scales. I’m willing to gamble for a new life on the Wheel of Fate.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. You get to return to the mortal realm and I get your special Quirk. We both win,” The Peddler agreed with a devilish grin that frightened the Many into dispersing into the surrounding area. They attached themselves to the cliff face and rocks in the mortal realm, creating the expected scene of a wondrous place filled with ethereal light and otherworldly beauty. “As for your question, you magnetically attract all of the Many in the surroundings to you...”
