Chapter 118: - Troubles in the Firelight
Forest winds have an odd way of making a camper fall asleep. These minds hear the wind blowing against the leaves, rustling in the air, as the temperature drops against your skin. The only thing that keeps you warm is the fire, burning bright in the night, basking the trunks of the surrounding trees in a warm and orange glow.
The fire that pops and shifts in the wind, refusing to blow out, yet burning everything it touches. Its warmth soothes your skin against the cool wind, yet it is this change that gives you a peaceful setting.
It is the wind's tactic. To have you warmed by the fire, causing you to settle into a wonderful sleep, free from any troubles against the cold.
But truthfully, it is the wind that watches, waits for the fire to die out, burning all the wood it has been fed. And with no one else awake to feed the flames stocking against the last remaining embers and ashes that blow through the air in the wind.
Now it is time for that cold chill to set in, as the wind begins to creep into your sleeping back, under your blanket, freezing you in the most uncomfortable dream. But tonight was different.
The wind howled and blew strong against the trees, angry that the fire had not yet died down as it should have. It had been hours since the last of the group had gone to sleep, their snores peaceful and welcoming.
Yet the fire did not die down once, nor did the wood it latched onto crumble into embers or ashes. It simply remained, burning like an endless flame.
But they did not leave the campsite with such a distasteful attitude. To the side, nearest to the forest edge, away from the warmth of the fire, one of the bodies moved, shifted, gasped and finally, like a burst of thunder that tore the night sky in a brilliant light, the body shot up. Up, the covers were thrown aside, as the body stood brushing his hair to the side.
The figure had woken from a nightmare, cold and alone in the shadows of Father Forest, who reached out with his cold hands to comfort his child, only to find that his cold touch was not what the child needed.
They needed warmth. He could not offer that.
So the figure stared silently at the firelight, contemplating whether to draw closer to the flames and stoke them with a stick sitting to the side.
'Strange…the fire hasten' gone out yet. I must not have been asleep for long.'
He rubbed his arms against the chill, his breath appearing like a misty fog before his eyes.
'It felt like hours. Hours…'
He shook his head, turning to the two sleeping bags of his friends, before he turned back to the forest, taking a deep breath as she looked out against the dark woods.
In he went, assuring himself that he just needed to get a breath of fresh air, air that was not clouded with the smoke and smell of charcoal.
He passed the looming trees, constantly looking back towards the warm fire, turning his head left and right, past the looming tree trunks covered in shadows. The Darkness around him felt like in his eyes looking behind its cloak, eyes that watched him as he made his way deeper into the woods.
He was so distracted, that as he looked over his shoulder once more to find the fire light at his back, he realized he hadn't walked more than a short way into the forest, his own mind fighting against him.
This was especially so, when the voice called out to him from his font.
"Lukali."
"Ah!"
Lukali jumped, his mind already crawling with the fears of demons lurking in the woods, only to realize that it wasn't a demon speaking to him.
His path had led him towards a small rock face, a large boulder that protruded from the ground, small tree sprouts growing off the moss covered top. Around him where he once saw red eyed demons lurking behind large trees, rocks, and the impassable darkness around him, he now only saw one.
A man, his arms crossed over his chest, his head turned to the ground, not bothering to look up at Lukali, who recognized him instantly.
"You…You scared me."
Cain didn't bother to look up, his eyes watching the ground, both empty and seemingly uninterested.
Lukali, who was encased in a sense of awkwardness, didn't think to bother him. So, as he made his way past, he waved to Cain, making his way deeper into the woods.
"Sorry to bother you. I'm just going for a little walk -"
"You had another nightmare didn't you?"
Cain looked over his shoulder towards Lukali, who stopped, his back turned to Cain as his lie washed off him, doused in the cold hard truth.
"I…"
Taking a deep sigh, he turned to face Cain, his eyes matching his own coldness to the frightening point.
"I often slept at night, ending in my dreams and in the daze if that night was real. If our little talk was real…Was it real?
Luakli asked, unsure even to himself if that night was in fact real, or if it had all been a dream. Gods knows he hadn't had any nightmares since that night, but now they suddenly returned, a new face showing its ugly side in his mind.
Cain pushed himself off the rock, his hands falling to his side as he closed the distance between the two of them, placing a hand on Lukali's shoulder.
"Walk with me."
"But, what about the fire? Shouldn't we stick close by?"
Cain looked over his shoulder, his body half cloaked by the moon's light, while the other half was painted in the warm glow of the lingering fire.
"You won't get lost. Trust me."
Though he was hesitant, Lukali saw the body of Cain trailing deeper and deeper into the forest, forcing his mind to follow him.
They walked through the heavy and dense woods, the grass brushing against their boots as they continued on, the fire growing increasingly distant the farther they walked. Finally, Cain stopped, his feet carrying him far enough.
"You've been having nightmares again, haven't you?"
"I think I deserve an answer first, if you don't mind?"
Though Lukali didn't mind in asking, for he was desperately afraid of Cain and his power, having seen it many times before. However, he knew there was no way for Cain to ease his way into what he wanted to say unless he answered him first.
Cain seemed to agree, his silence saying enough, coupled with his next words.
"It was real. As real as the breeze that fights to keep us cold. As real as the moon's glow tonight, shining a pale light over our faces and skin."
He turned, his eyes glowing a hazy red in the night sky, the forest at his back adding to the eerie sense that Lukali felt every time he looked at him.
"As real as the fear you feel every time you see me."
Lukali took in a deep breath, his eyes turned to the ground beneath him.
"I'm sorry…"
"There's nothing to be sorry for. Lia shares enough fear in her heart against me to fuel an army's retreat. Yet I am not ashamed of that, nor is she. So I see no reason you have to be."
"..."
"Answer my question Lukali."
"But you already know the answer…don't you."
Cain shook his head, his hands wrapped tightly together behind his back.
"I want to hear you say it. I have little need for my foresight when honesty is never or was never on the table to begin with."
"...I'm sorry-"
"Stop apologizing."
He waved off Lukali's apology like it was a fly, his eyes cold but with a new hint of reassurance.
"You need to learn to stop apologizing for everything you do, Lukali. There are things in this world we have to be take pride in."
"My father taught me that pride kills the man."
"Pride also makes the man better than who he was yesterday. You need only to learn to use it as fuel, rather than as a leash that binds you towards your own ill will."
Lukali scratched his head, a scowl forming on his face as he shook his head.
"Why do you always speak in riddles?"
Cain was calm we're Lukali looked frustrated, his head tilting to one side.
"I like riddles, they're complicated. I like the complex things in life, because they make everything seem less complicated."
"How?"
"Lukali, if I wrote a book on all the things I know about our worlds, I could fill the grandest of libraries ten times over. It comes as a matter of principle. I chose to be what I am, for who I am. Nothing different."
"Ugh…You're speaking in riddles again - It's hurting my head."
"Then let me speak in smaller terms so your mind can understand."
He took one solemn step forward, causing Lukali to flinch as his eyes locked with the scowling glare of Cain's red and angry eyes.
"I speak in these riddles to make it harder for people to lie to me. Now, answer my question; have you been experiencing any nightmares lately? Have they returned, and why are you so caught up in them?"
"They're nightmares, nothing more."
Lukali grumbled, turned his head away to avoid the gaze of Cain, whose brows raised a bit in surprise.
"It's the knight isn't it?"
Immediately, Lukali's eyes widened as his head snapped back towards Cain. Fear covered his gaze as he lifted his hand pointing one lone figure at the man before him.
"How did you…how-"
"You know how, Lukali."
"You said you wouldn't use your foresight on me."
Cain approached him, his hands still behind his back while his voice dropped to a harsh whisper.
"I never said I wouldn't use it against you, only that it would be pointless too if all you did was tell me the truth. I hate using my foresight as some half hearted truth seer. There are plenty of people for that."
"I haven't lied."
His voice was firm against Cain's harsh whisper, which made Lukali wonder why Cain was speaking so quietly. He had been doing it since they first entered the woods.
"No. You just kept asking me pointless questions, trying to avoid the topic of conversation."
"So what? I never wanted to talk about it in the first place."
Lukali threw up his arms, choosing to walk away from the red eyed man then to speak with him on common ground.
"So what? Lukali, your tenacity to care little about these things will be your downfall. These dreams, these demons in your mind - they'll tear you apart. They will affect your sleep, your fighting - your friends!"
He gestured to the empty woods where the faint light of the fire could be seen just twinkling between the trees.
"Ah, now I get it. This is all about Lia isn't it?"
"What?"
Lukali rolled his eyes, annoyed by the fact that Cain cared so little about him and more about Lia. But secretly, it was the knowledge deep down inside him that truly annoyed him.
This was the first time someone had bothered to care about his well being, so much so that they could see right through his lies when he told her he was alright. Lia had only been able to do so a few times, and it never helped where it mattered.
"Lukali, this is about you! For the love of - boy, there are demons eating your mind apart! And you have the audacity to stand here and tell me that your 'fine?'"
"That's what happens when you kill someone for the first time!"
His words were already out of his mouth before he could stop them, as Lukali turned around to face the empty woods, taking more comfort in Father Forest than in the company of his red eyed companion.
Suddenly, Cain grew very quiet, a frown decorating his face.
"Lukali…you've never killed before have you?"
Lukali didn't need to answer for the realization to dawn on Cain's face, his hand coming up from his side to rub the side of his head, soothing his headache.
'Good lords…that girl is ruining my foresight more and more each day that passes.'
Reaching out, Cain looked to Lukali with an understanding - an understanding that ran deeper than any realization could. But Cain only grabbed empty air as he held himself back.
"I'm sorry, Lukali. I had thought…"
"Better of me?"
"No - I…"
Cain sighed deeply, choosing to sit on a nearby log to steady himself, not trusting his own legs with his pounding headache.
"I had become blind to things even when they were in front of me the whole time."
"What does that mean?"
"Lukali, I've killed so many people in my lifetime, and I know I will only continue to kill more. I have far too much blood on my hands to look at my skin and think to myself, 'What can these two hands do?' I've learned what they could do many years ago. I've wielded every weapon you can think of and more. Death…death is an old friend."
When Lukali looked to Cain, for a moment he didn't see the awning and imposing figure of the man he had been afraid of just moments before. Instead, he looked at him and saw something different inside.
He saw himself.
Before he could fight the urge growing inside him, Lukali found himself sitting by his side on the log, both of them watching the forest at night.
"Does…does it get easier?"
"Does what?"
Lukali looked to Cain for answers, his sad eyes speaking to Cain, though the man kept his eyes focused ahead.
"Does it get any easier to sleep? To live with this - to live with what we've done."
"What you and I have done is much different, Lukali."
"But-"
"Lukali."
Cain's voice was firm, and finally, he met the boy's eyes, both cold and empty. But Lukali saw something else inside of them.
Loneliness.
"It's too late for me to walk away from the bodies that I've buried. You killed to protect, and there is no shame in that."
He turned his head towards the forest, taking great detail and interest in the looming darkness around them.
"I killed for desire - selfish and lonesome desire. No, we are not the same. You still have a future where you can live and protect. Start a family, be free, enjoy the world around you, and what little life you still have. That's what makes it so precious, the fact that you will die. So the world is so much more beautiful in your eyes."
Luakli could feel the sadness in Cain's voice, something so unlike him that it made Lukali a bit afraid.
"I have lived for eons. This world shows me no new side of itself. I am destined to live forever and ever, bringing death to all those I touch. I am not the Reaper, but I am the man who walks by his side."
Lukali silently listened, surprised that one man could hate himself as much as Cain did, overshadowing Lukali's own hatred for himself over the things he's done, as well as the things he could never do.
"Go back to the camp. You'll find your way through the woods, trust me. Though I doubt what little you do after what I've said."
Cain pointed toward a spot in the woods, a small path seemingly pulling itself from the bushes and trees.
Lukali didn't hesitate, he didn't stop to ask why or ask where it led. In some ways, he was proving to Cain that he still did trust him, a new found fire rising in his heart.
After speaking with Cain, Luakli realized how little this nightmare actually meant, and how easily he would come to accept it. And if he didn't? He would just have to live with it.
"Lukali."
Cain's voice called out to him, forcing Lukali to turn around to face Cain's figure, whose red crimson eyes watched him, glazing in the night's radiant darkness.
"...It gets easier with time."
Lukali stood there for several seconds, his mind refusing to tear his eyes away from such a beautiful glow of red, until finally, he found a smile forming on his face.
Nodding his head, Luklai said nothing and continued on toward the campsite, leaving Cain alone to his own demons.
Demons that could haunt even him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone