2. Funeral Rites

Darkness.

'Huh?'

Jin's eyes suddenly came open, throwing off the pair of coins that were placed on them as he caught a sight of where he was.

A dark and closely packed space that limited his movement, making even breathing a bit uncomfortable. 

'Errr! What's this place…!' he wondered. 

Jin was utterly confused and disoriented.

A moment ago he was with Charlotte, both of them thinking of a way to escape death and now, he was lying down on a rough surface, unable to make out what this platform that was hurting his back was.

Jin tried to move around but the space was just too tight, permitting only flicker of movement.

'I can't breathe!'

Almost like his brain had snapped open, impulses fired and he blew out the wool that clogged his nostrils.

He took in a deep breath, seeking relief from it but instead finding a little discomfort from the air he breathed in.

Jin closed his eyes and tried to steady his mind. 

'Calm down, Jin. Calm down… you are just dreaming. You will wake up soon.'

In his pursuit for composure, a soft, gentle voice ushered itself into his ears. 

"Such a beautiful face for a handsome young man…"

Jin was startled.

"Aaahhh! Who's that! Who said that!" Jin's eyes twitched as fear gripped him on hearing the voice that permeated his ears. 

There was no way another person was inside this heap of wood with him. Not at all!

It was simply inconceivable!

"W-Who's that?' he whispered, his voice shaking with fear and discomfort.

"I'm hurt," the voice replied. "I'm deeply hurt that my beloved husband cannot recognise my voice anymore."

'Errr? Hus–what?' his eyes twitched again as confusion dumbfounded him. 

'Husband? When did I get a wife?'

The voice cleared its throat, interrupting Jin's thought. 

"Well, we have to get you out of here first before you are burned to crisps."

Jin's eyes moved to the left and then to the right. 

He had not noticed it earlier because he was too focused on figuring out where he was and why it was such a tight space that he didn't register the smell of smoke that was increasing by the second.

He sniffed. 

'That's true. Something is burning on the outside!'

Jin struggled and struggled to break loose but to no avail. 

"I need to get out of here! I don't want to die! Help!"

Crocodile tears started gushing out from his eyes as memories of his life flashed through his mind like movie clips.

"I can only help you if you bind yourself to me," the strange voice said to Jin.

Jin had just taken the statement on a surface level because he was desperate to save his life. 

He nodded repeatedly, agreeing to the terms of the voice.

"Do it! Do it quickly!"

The owner of the beautiful voice smiled, then licked her lips ever so lustfully before caressing Jin's chin with her fingers.

Jin was starting to feel her presence become more and more tangible with every second and soon, he felt a warm sensation on his lips that made him close his eyes and reflexively enjoy it.

A soothing calmness now existed in Jin's heart even in such a distressing situation.

Jin was locked in a sweet, loving kiss with a being whom he did not know but he had to save his life first and bother about that later.

Nonetheless, he enjoyed it.

As the kiss lasted, Jin's eyes then opened to the familiar voice, now speaking inside of his head and leaving his eyes gaping afterwards.

Ding~

[System binding complete!]

[You are now the System's Husband]

[May your new union be blessed]

[You have received a honeymoon token from your System Wife]

[Gift from your loving wife!]

Jin could only blink. 

His eyelids fluttered more times than his heart even beat.

No amount or kind of confusion Jin had experienced in the past could compare to the disarray he was in right now.

'System's… husband?' he wondered cluelessly and then swallowed emptily a few times. 'Wife…? Honeymoon gift… from my wife?!'

"Wait… am I in a game or something?!"

******

(Weiss Family Mansion)

Outside of a big mansion, a man and his lovely wife grieved for the death of their son. 

The woman's tears ran endlessly as she leaned into her husband for solace.

"Don't worry, darling. I'm sure the great gods will accept our son's kind soul," the man muttered to his wife, seeking to provide her some comfort with his words.

"But Arthur…" her voice trembled as she was about to speak. 

"Jin dabbled into the dar… he dabbled into the dark arts!"

Her voice grew even louder as another round of crying began when she realised that her son's spirit was not going to the bosom of the great gods because of his sins in the world.

Arthur caressed his wife's hair, trying his best to console her when suddenly a loud laughter and clapping drew his attention towards the gates of his mansion.

Turning in that direction, Arthur gritted his teeth in instant rage, his muscles tense with anger and his veins pulsed with fury at the sight of the eight men that had visited him.

"Elariz Clan… tch!" he sneered.

His wife turned around and immediately she set her eyes on the members of Clan Elariz who had entered their abode, she too was overcome with rage.

"You bastards!" she yelled as she moved to charge at them but Arthur wouldn't let her go despite all her struggles. 

"You've killed him, right?! You are happy now that my boy is dead, aren't you!"

The leader of the group, who had come to the home of the Weiss Family from Clan Elariz, walked farther than the rest of the group behind him.

With his palm to his chest and a smile on his face, he groaned, "Forgive us, Lady Margaret but we are only doing our jobs. Nevertheless, do accept our condolences too."

The man's words held no true sympathies for them nor did he feel any remorse. 

After all, he was part of the group that supported the motion to kill the son of Clan Weiss—Jin Weiss.

"What are you here for, Buma?" Arthur asked, not having it any longer with the intruders.

Buma spread his arms out and shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean no disrespect but—"

"Oh, you and I know that you, in fact, mean all the disrespect, Buma," Arthur pointed out, cutting him off. 

"...What the hell are you here for! Leave us alone, let us mourn our son in peace!"

"Sheesh! That's scary," Buma expressed, turning back to his group to see them laughing. 

"Unfortunately, we can't leave until we have seen the body with our own eyes."

Arthur and Margaret were suddenly dumbfounded by such absurdity. 

These people were responsible for the death of their son and now they are asking to see his body.

"It's been four days since he died. What do you mean by you want to see—"

"This is not a request, Lord Arthur," Buma reinforced his take on the matter. 

"Unless we see his body, these funeral rites will not ho—"

Suddenly…

Boom!

A loud bang cut Buma off.

An explosion rocked the entire mansion out of the blue, forcing many of the people around to seek shelter.

However, Buma, his group and the Weiss couple stood, only turning around to observe where the explosion had come from.

"J-Jin!" Margaret blurted out.