Kapitel 147: Flowing with Purpose (Asahi: Part 18)
. . .
During a dull, dark, and soundless night when the clouds hung oppressively low in the city of Destia, my eldest brother and I stood atop a circle of stone surrounded by towers and houses of the town. My young little eyes noticed a wall of gray and lavender clouds rushing westward unto the sea. It was an uncommon occurrence. My father said it only happened when The Queen of Destia was around.
All at once, the moon arose through a thin ghastly mist, shining down on a strange girl with long cyan hair standing on a peculiar circular podium. All eyes beneath her fell upon the girl's figure as she tottered left and right, swinging her strange purple wand into the air.
"Hmm, so sad. Super sad. One of my test monkeys didn't like what I was doing." Her expressions and how she moved were so outwardly and strange to me that I almost considered her to be a creature. But after she flailed her arms and staff into the air, hearing the cries of children echo before her ears, the strange girl leaned over and asked the audience.
"So… who should my next test monkey be?" She said as she watched the crowd around her quiver in terror.
Immediately, all cowered and hid behind each other, gulping down breaths of fear as they watched the girl drag her hawkish gaze. None wanted to ever serve as this girl's test monkey. The iciness, sinking feeling in their hearts produced an unredeemed dreariness of the thought that one would have to be picked among this crowd.
"No. Please, Queen of Destia. Stop this madness! You have killed… so many."
The cyan-haired girl immediately reeled back from the crowd and cocked a brow in surprise, trying to retrace her sight to the one who had spoken. Although I couldn't see his entire body, I knew the blonde-haired man was the girl's scarily strange eyes.
"Oh, a silly man dare to question my actions?" I've heard. "How so intrusive of you!"
Without thought, The Queen of Destia snapped her fingers and allowed a distinct lavender light to shine down on the trembling man.
"I must say. You surprised me, silly silly man. You should take that as a compliment! Ha ha! Those were just goofy, tiny accidents. They hadn't done any harm."
After a soundless reply was made from the audience, The Queen of Destia shrugged her shoulders and sighed gloomily. The moment was so quiet that I couldn't have even heard my brother breathe.
I almost flinched at her sudden, aggravated screams.
"Boring. Boring. BORING! ALL OF YOU ARE BORING!" She screamed remarkably as she made a ridiculous stunt of jumping backward. "I'm craving for action. Anything to satisfy me!"
Suddenly, her eyes crossed to the blonde-haired man with a deceiving smile. The lavender luminance glowed brighter as she pointed her staff at him.
"Hmm, la la la. Ummm, you! Yeah, you! Amuse me, trembling one. I'm bored and can't handle the boresome atmosphere any longer! Try and surprise me. After all, that IS what this nation stands for."
Immediately, all eyes, including mine, cruised the blonde-haired figure as the purple light consumed him.
Anxiously, they looked back and forth the area until finally, the same lavender beam shone on top of what… looked like a diving board that scaled even the clouds.
A faint silhouette stood there.
Not too tall, not too short, crouching and hanging onto the object for dear life. Though far, his screams could be heard echoing across the entire city and nation. I tried to cover my eyes with my tiny hands because it was terrifying.
And to The Queen of Destia's sick amusement, she applauded and complimented him.
"Yes. Now, THIS is interesting." She said with a strangely innocent-like smile. "A poor man guilty of his complaints to me, standing proudly at the nation's greatest diving board up in the smiling sky."
Then, I heard the people of Destia scream at their Queen with shocked complaints.
"YOU'RE INSANE!" A young woman fearfully screamed from the crowd with a piercing voice.
"THERE'S NO WATER THERE!" Screamed another with a tightened throat.
"HE'S ABOUT TO DIE!"
"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?"
"GET BACK DOWN HERE! YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE!"
It happened so quickly.
Without warning, the lavender light burst forth from the Queen of Destia and forced the man closer with its forced lightning bolts. The only thing visible to them was the figure clinging desperately to the diving board. There was nothing but solid brick below the diving board.
"Ha ha ha! This is fun, very fun indeed~."
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" The man screamed as The Queen of Destia laughed to herself and held out her arm with a malicious smile.
"Ooh, don't worry about dear silly you now. Amuse the audience!"
The Queen of Destia clapped her hands, and the audience was suddenly thrown into silence. All eyes were directed at the man hanging upside down on the diving board. His eyes met with the people below the platform, and tears started to well up in his eyes.
"Please… please save me…"
The air became thick with tension; the crowd could feel something was going to happen. After I heard a loud clap across the city after the figure was struck and forced out of the diving board, the nation exploded with shrieks and screams.
"HE'S DEAD!"
"I... I can't believe my eyes!"
"You're a monster."
A sea of people surged forward and surrounded the platform. Everyone was talking to each other in fear.
"Did he jump, or was he pushed?"
The Queen was amused by their reactions, clapping along as she noticed all their stunned faces.
"Now... now... who else wants to amuse the nation? I love this!" She blurted with a laugh. "You're all such a delight~!"
Her laughter was infectious, and soon the crowd went crazy over it. She was like a child playing some sort of game to entertain themselves, except this game involved death. Even my innocent self would have never found this amusing.
When I thought it was over, The Queen of Destia turned around and faced the audience again. With a wave of her hand, a lavender beam shot and landed on my brother and me. I had never seen my brother so terrified in my life. It's as if his whole face was frozen. While the crowd watched, Jal leaned over to me and whispered as I felt the warmth of the purple light burn me.
"Sis, don't... move."
Although I hadn't known what had happened, I followed along. Not long after, I heard The Queen of Destia ask with a triangle pose.
"What do you wish to be entertained with, my people? What would make you scream with awe and fascination? This, perhaps? I adore the petrified faces of shock you made when you saw that." The Queen asked with a piercing laugh. "Come now..."
My brother never wanted to die. Even if we fought all the time when we were tiny, he would never allow me to leave his side.
"Please, do NOT include my little sister in this." He whispered to the cyan-haired girl as he tightly grasped me. Jal's voice escalated the more the raindrops hit me; I could remember it being so trembling it made me shiver.
"SHE'S TOO YOUNG, okay?! We have a family. Our mother and father are locked up in prison for a minor law you made. We just needed food! Please..." My brother tried not to tear up in front of the crowd, kneeling down on the ground as silence surrounded him. "Just take me. Not my sister. There's a life she has yet to have. The possibilities for her are endless."
"Which makes it EVEN more interesting!" Reacted The Queen of Destia with wide, soulless eyes. My brother froze, still in shock, unable to believe her response. When he tried to step back, the Queen of Destia grabbed him and me like a ball and asked the audience as if it were an auction. "Hmm, how should I save them? Should I bring them both to the diving board or... leave only one and make the other cry for their banishment?"
I could never believe her response. The previous Queen of Destia was so heartless, stealing my parents away after trying to steal just a loaf of bread for us to eat. She was deluded with her methods of surprise that her interest was directed to suffering rather than amusement. To this day, I could never forgive her for what she had done to my family. I hope to god she is dead now.
(Kendra tried not to tear up from remembering. But fortunately enough, Asahi stayed near her, trying to imagine Kendra's memories in his head with sorrowful eyes. With a trembling tone, Kendra continued...)
"What do you think, citizens of the kingdom?" The Queen asked the forced audience as she saw the frightened look of mothers in the crowd. "Who should ride the fun ride? The poor, young, blue-haired teenager," She hoisted my brother up as if he was some sort of ragdoll... "or the lovely, innocent young girl with a life ahead of her?" I could hear others crying and pleading for me to be released. Mothers, fathers, and even children begged her not to do this.
Although I was clueless before, now I understand. No one wants to see a child's life stolen, especially for no reason. Just when I had thought it couldn't get worse, I saw my mother and father screaming at the top of their lungs behind birdcages dangling from a pole.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY GIRL OR MY BOY!" My father screamed at The Queen, tears flowing down his eyes. In all those years, I would never think to see my sharp and fearless father well up a tear.
Then my mother, even more terrified and worried about me, shook the cage aggressively.
"SWEETIE! IT'S OKAY! MOMMY'S HERE! JUST..."
Suddenly, the cage filled up with shocks, stunning and paralyzing them in both states. The Queen of Destia snarled at them and swung my brother and me around, juggling our bodies like balls.
The crowd gasped in shock as they watched me slowly touching the floor. But just before I had fallen, The Queen of Destia made up her mind and placed me down.
My brother was sent to a catapult, being tied up hopelessly in shades of crimson and gray.
"Please... " I cried as I watched him stare helplessly at our parents and me. "Please..."
And yet, my pleas only made The Queen smile wider as her lavender light flashed toward Jal. After that, all I could remember was hearing loud, annoying instruments blare out, followed by seeing my brother fly high toward the moon, then descending downward into... the thick shadows of buildings.
I could remember feeling tears fly down my face as I heard the frightful and traumatized gasps of my other siblings behind me.
"JAL!"
"BRO!"
"NOOOO!"
At that moment, I felt as if all the hearts of my siblings and parents beat as one. A sense of insufferable gloom pervaded us all, urging us to enact upon this. Even if we were weaker than The Queen, we would not tolerate this no longer.
And so,
(Kendra sniffled.)
… we ran away. With all our hearts, the rest of my siblings and I ran away from the light-contaminated fields of our home nation, trying desperately to escape somewhere else.
When I looked around me, I felt ashamed of my abandonment. The cries of my mother and father were so haunting that it made my skin crawl. I could only imagine what would happen if we were to approach them.
But instead, my siblings and I were cowards. We fleet footed the flowery plains of Destia, into the crooked, sharp, and edged borders of Obrus. From just afar we noticed a drastic difference in comparison to the dreamy-like plains of Destia.
Active soil. Lush lands. Chaos.
But that didn't matter to us. All my siblings wanted was for our safety.
Although Jal had left us, and our parents abandoned us, three others of my family had accompanied me.
Sarah, Estrella, and Bourne.
Bourne was the second eldest of my family. He had the face of our mother, being chipped, and sharp, but the hair of my father… a dark cyan. Despite his appearance, he doesn't really have any exposure to popularity. Rather, he focused more on studying the history of this world. But whenever I or any of his other sisters were in danger, he would drop all of his plans, and protect us.
And just like the many times before, Bourne had led us out of Destia, keeping me, Sarah, and Estrella safe under his arms.
I remembered Sarah being a stubborn one. Instead of having the face of our mother, she had a more roundish one like her father's, with dark blue eyes and long, flowing blue hair from her mother. I remembered her always being focused on popularity and the study of socialism. But, I remembered that among every attempt she had made to gather attention, her anxiousness and weirdness would get the best of her. To be honest, she only acts confident when she is involved with either me or the other members of my family.
When we approached a cliffside gazing at the tropical shrubbery in the distance, Sarah turned over to me and whispered.
"Don't worry, little Kendra… You will be safe soon." She said as she sniffled. "You… Y-You…"
I just knew from the look on her eyes that she was about to explode into tears for Jal. But instead of carrying me and letting me witness her cry up in tears, she gave my little body to Estrella.
I remembered Estrella being the more calm one. A kind girl with dark blue hair just like me, but cut short, with dark cyan eyes from her father. There were moments where she baby-sitted me, and taught me subjects only the students of Destia's Academy would know. She would defend me in situations where I had done something wrong, or even submit herself just to protect me. But now, she felt terrified. Not just from the death of our brother, but from the group that was ahead of us.
It seemed that Obrus' borders were properly enforced, not allowing anyone in or out. That, or these five people wearing strange curvy crimson veils on their faces were just rude and hadn't wanted anyone to trespass upon their lands. Yet, we were desperate. We hadn't wanted to step foot in the nation of surprise's soil any longer. After we had set foot into the line of tropical streams, the five men quickly pulled up these strange wooden weapons from their backs and warned us.
"Trespassers! Don't you dare set a foot on this land any further."
"But… we have to go here." Bourne replied back as he tried to keep his calmness at bay. "Isn't The Queen of Obrus forgiving to outsiders?"
Suddenly, my sisters and I screamed in horror as we saw one of the veiled men stab my brother's sides with a sharp silver dagger. He immediately collapsed to the ground, breathless, and motionless. I could remember hearing Sarah scream at the top of her lungs.
"NO!"
Our burning glances drifted upon his blue face, his forehead high, and very pale. An icy chill ran through me, a sense of insufferable anxiety oppressed all of us. We sprinted over to him and just as we could reach our touch to Bourne,
"You foreigners are not welcome on these lands." The man fired at my brother's face, delivering a traumatic moment to all of us.
(Just before she could say anymore, Kendra trembled in fear at the thought of it. Sweat slid all over her pores as she kept her eyes at Asahi's, trying to comfort herself with his existence. At first, her eyes riveted over to the contour of his fair face, and then, the radiance of his soft white hair. Without thought, she fondled the bristles of Asahi's head, smiling remorsefully. Asahi quickly raised a brow at the sudden action. But even more at the spring scent that had been omitted from her body; it reminded him of the fresh aroma of clear waterfalls falling upon a still lake. Pushing that thought aside, Asahi questioned with a soft face.
"Why are you touching my hair?"
For a moment, only silence had answered his question. It looked like Kendra was about to continue the memory, but couldn't just because of how traumatizing it could be. But when her eyes focused onto Asahi's body, she felt comfort lift up in her for some reason. With thin and shrunken lips, Kendra replied as her heart paced in frequent bursts.
"B… Because… it reminds me of someone." Not long after, Kendra's recollection continued.)
Seconds before, I felt a glowing and jarring feeling resonate inside my body. The feeling you would feel if your body was submerged under crystal clear water.
It was a liquid and fluid feeling. Estrella looked so confused with her pale face. I could remember her glance shifting back and forth the magical blue essence that streamed from a luminance in all our chests. At first, our eyes were lifeless, and lusterless at the hopeless sight of our brother's demise. But then, I remembered something. A voice I heard in that house the other day.
"Kendra, your powers are more connected than you think." I never knew how that person got my name, but I knew that this… feeling was connected to that power in some way.
We watched as the five veiled men got relentlessly pushed back by the glittering, liquid blue essence. It swirled in circular motions, slapping, and tossing the men and their weapons upward. Hope started to press on me as we watched them fly over. But to my surprise, even after all of that, the men stood still as if it were nothing.
"Fools!"
One by one, after that word was screamed out from one of the veiled men, I saw all my siblings get involuntarily s… slaughtered from those five men.
I shuddered at the presence of their three bodies flying high with the glowing bullets, scattering into dust the moment I tried to reach them. All those love, all those memories, torn from me in an instant.
Tears began to stream down my cheeks, and the sensation of my heart being ripped off my chest. The blue magic faded and flickered into nothingness, followed by my body lying there in the open of a gigantic crater left afterward their attack, covered in streams of dust. Like the child I was, I cried desperately, mourning for the loss of my siblings. Even if I were so young, defenseless, and exposed, I could still understand the situation that had transpired before me. So I cried, almost endlessly.
The five men questioned whether or not they should take my life as well. But one of those men stopped the others. Judging from the tone he had spoken in, it seemed that he felt pity at a little girl like me.
"No. Don't hurt the child."
"Why not?" Said one as he lowered his weapon.
"Because… Because I know what it was like to lose someone I love." The man trembled as he stared at me with his pink eyes. "To lose everything so young, and be forced to build up your life on your own."
Despite some stopping to think of their actions, there was one man… a man with a considerably large belly, who had approached me with a shotgun clenched from his fists, giving me an inconsiderable stare at me.
"Don't matter. Baby or not. Trespassers must be executed."
Without resistance, the five men nodded and held up their weapons at me, aiming their sights directly at my face. I knew that man was heartless, I could see it from his shady, smug smile. All he had wanted was wealth and nothing more; I could see it from the golden chains and jewelry he wore. It seemed that he was the leader of this group.
I could smell something that smelled so vile, so rotten. I tried so desperately to hold down the urge to throw up. The wide man raised his arm, and as he did, I could hear the sound of a gun getting fired next to me. I could see the blinding flash of light before me, and then I felt a warm feeling inside my chest.
It wasn't the warmth of my blood spilling, but a feeling that matched an embrace. A warm… caring embrace.
In the middle of my surprised thoughts, I heard a deep and rumbling voice. A voice so powerful that it made all the veiled men and the wide leader stand there motionless.
"Dare take a foot off the ground and you will be pulverized without mercy."
(Kendra paused for a moment and redirected her gaze at Asahi's arms.)
Who had cradled me tightly was a man. A handsome, confident-looking, and wise man with beautiful multi-colored eyes. I can't remember much about his face, but… I can remember the agile, graceful, and honorable feelings overflowing with his slightly-torn black armor. His arms were so large and bulky, it was as if it could crush a boulder or even lift an entire building. His stance, the way he kept his form, was so respectfully executed that I almost thought he was a hallucination.
Despite having looked like a dark knight, a shadow among other things, I convinced myself that this man… would save me. And rightfully so, with his low voice, he kept me tightly against his arms while directing his loud and powerful shouts at the five veiled-men.
"How unsculpurous of all of you to injure such a little one." He said as he casted a glowing white luminance against his palms, his body-language almost expressing rage. "I will say for certain that even thinking about ending such a young life is discourteous of you all."
The way that tall man spoke was so formal, that even his words itself were enough to cut through the weak mumbles of the veiled men.
"This little one has a life ahead of her. One that is far more expansive to that of your mistake-filled, worthless lives." The man said as the luminance on his hand got brighter. "Every child deserves a chance. Whether that be of good or not, the only true and free gift one receives… is their birth."
As the veiled-men reeled back, all cowering in fear, the wide leader dared to take a step forward and reply.
"Oh quiet. Some of us don't want to be b--
I could still imagine what happened to him as clear as day.
Overhead was a countless group of strands. Glowing luminescent strands that emerged all from the Orb from my hero's palm. They quickly and restlessly wrapped around the wide man, forcing his other rattling limb to dangle and twirl from the strands. With each footstep the tall man took, another of his henchmen endured. Until nothing was left of them, but particles.
I could remember just how much power had emanated from his presence; it was almost as if he was a god.
(Kendra paused once more and stared at Asahi's torso, seeing his pores move up and down.)
I couldn't see that man as anything other than a hero. He was so genuine, so humble, so calm, that it had almost comforted me… from what happened before.
Without thinking, after he took those five men's lives without remorse, that tall man took me to his little wooden shelter in the jungle, surrounded by waterfalls and great scenery. At first… he thought my parents were around, asking…
"Where are your guardians, little one?"
But I couldn't respond. I was too traumatized to even utter a word out of my tight mouth. Instead of leaving me be, the man took the initiative to hospitalize me.
"Come, little one. If none refuse to help you, then I sure as well do."
After he spoke that to me, the man took care of me for days on end, fed me fruit from the trees he had picked, and even built a separate room for me with his bare arms. The man was so nurturing and caring of me, that I saw him as a father-figure.
He had always read books. Not those ones with pages, but home-made books made of leaves and twine. The smile he had on his face made my heart warm.
But on days where the weather had taken a turn, when I grew older, the man would take me outside during storming conditions to his home-made training targets he made. He would say…
"If you want to build up your life from scratch, you must start somewhere, little one."
I, of course, took the challenge, and followed his every lesson. He would continuously push me to learn his combat techniques, showing me ways I never thought I would do.
It's as if… my entire life was changed after he found me.
Although I refused to wake up sometimes, the man would take me out of bed and force me to train until I fainted. But in reward, he would always give me these sweet berries that he claimed were from the deepest parts of the jungle.
"Now, little one. Don't you dare run by my side!"
"Na na na, you can't catch me." Replied me as the man chased me with a smile.
"Ha, I got ya!"
I loved when he would toss me high. It almost made me feel as if I was on top of the world.
(After smiling widely, Kendra looked up to Asahi's face and continued.)
Throughout all those cheerful and progressive moments over those years being raised by that man, throughout those times of thought when I would be stubborn and ignorant like a child would, there was one moment that had stuck onto me, even presently.
In my tenth year, when I was aware, healthy, and strong, after a long day of training and learning, the man decided to give me a break.
We sat on a comfy chair made of the fur that the man hunted from the thousands of animals he had slain, next to a warm fireplace that cracked and chipped in-between the stone. I was positioned atop the man's lap, my eyes slowly shutting as I heard the peaceful chirps of the crickets outside. It was a cool night that evening. But even so, that man who hospitalized me and took care of me as if I was his own child, decided to have a quiet discussion with me.
"Peaceful, isn't it, little one? The serenity of the jungle among a cool night is the best remedy to cure your bouncing attitude."
"Wah…" I replied as I stretched my arms to the ceiling. "What…?"
The man gave a thick and gruff chuckle at me moving around, almost about to fall asleep.
"Ha, it's nothing my dear." He rubbed my head gently. As I slowly fell asleep on his lap, the breeze from outside passed the door and pushed the warmth of the fireplace on my body, slightly startling me.
Again, the man chuckled once more, keeping me close to his arms.
"It's okay, little one." He said lovingly. "Throughout these years raising you, you have gone through many troubles… but in the long run, I sacrificed my time to give you a chance for a better life. After all, life is the most precious gift anyone could receive."
Just like a father would do to his daughter, he lightly tapped his lips against my forehead, giving a warm embrace as well. Just before I had fallen asleep, and as the wooden door closed by itself, the man stared up at the ceiling dreamily and whispered to me.
"You know… little one. You remind me of a daughter I once had." He said as he rubbed my head. "She was stubborn, nosy, and quite curious too, just like you."
"She always loved to draw, and imagine. She had always smiled at me whenever I gave her her favorite cookies, just like you with your berries. And she always had this… urge to explore the outdoors. So, just like I did to you, I trained her so that she could defend herself. You NEVER know what dangers there are in the outdoors."
It almost sounded like the man's deep voice was shifting to a more reminiscent tone, as if he was about to shed a tear as he closed his eyes.
"Now… I have… I have no idea where my daughter and son are now. They… vanished. They didn't even say goodbye to me, nor had they stood by my side during that…" Though I couldn't tell what was going on in his mind, I knew it wasn't good. "... that… event."
After a silence passed by, he shook his head and turned to me, giving a small smile as he patted my head. "But the time with you, little one… had balanced all of that. You… and the way you have acted, truly reminded me what my daughter I had once did."
With one shedding tear, he closed his eyes and hummed a sweet and angelic tune to my ears.
"Sweet… little angels. So beautiful and so gainful. You loved to see me smile. The memory of your eyes… has numbed my cries, for this kind, little child."
After he had sung that lullaby, my eyes lowered, and slowly, I fell asleep.
The next day, the man and I waited for someone else to come by. He had told me that…
"I'm sorry, little one. But…" He tried to keep himself from falling apart. "... I'm afraid I have to say goodbye."
"But… why…?" I replied with a trembling groan.
"Because… I have something… or someone else I have to search for. And I want you to become strong and find your purpose in life."
While seeing me cry in his arms, the man leaned over and whispered to my ear.
"I have given you a head start, little one. All you have to do now is pursue a chance, and make yourself happy by exploring the wonders of this world… just like my daughter."
"And what… about you?" I asked quietly, trying to fight back the tears streaming down my face.
"I will be searching for my purpose as well, little one" He replied with a smile.
Just as the man held me tight, I heard a knock on the door.
The man let go and stepped out of the house. Once he opened the door, I saw another man, with a tightly unkempt blue beard look down at my head, smiling at me.
"Is this the girl, sir?"
"Indeed." The man said. "Toivo, correct?"
The slightly younger-looking blue-haired man nodded his head and straightened his posture, replying.
"Absolutely. Look, I promise to you, sir, that I will take good care of this child. I have a good experience teaching and raising others her age in my mansion."
The man took a respectful bow and replied.
"Well, I appreciate that. Though I must warn you. There is one condition."
"What's that, sir?" Toivo replied with focused eyes.
The man pointed his finger towards me and spoke.
"This child lost a lot. A family if you can understand. If you may so please, Toivo, I need you to keep a keen eye especially on her, understand?"
"Understood." Toivo replied as he nodded. "I will be keeping tabs on her as best as I can."
After he said that, as he walked out of the hut, holding out a hand for me, the man who had raised me led me sprinted to the door and opened his arms out for me.
With one last embrace, he neared closer to my ear, and whispered to me with a trembling smile as we parted away
"Thank you, little one. Thank you… for everything."
* * * * * * *
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
Sunny_Shad0w
Sunny_Shad0w One of the longest chapters I have ever written related to this novel. There have been many twists and turns I had trying to write this, but alas, it is published, and there is a possiblity that this may be edited.
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Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein