Capítulo 56: Beyond Beliefs
"Your everlasting belief is in your hands."
While the unfamiliar voice resounded over Phthonus' mind, the fabric of the page dissolved into yellow essence. He darted his eyes to the ground.
"My scarf."
Phthonus pulled his long black scarf, swung it into the air, and then wrapped it around his face. The warmth lingered over his mouth. Before his feet touched the ground, he hastily grabbed the blade and struck the kitsune with absolute force.
It clashed against the kitsune's tail, forming sparks in the air; the kitsune lunged herself up the treetops and crawled over the trunks. The eternal embers blazed around Phthonus.
He squinted his eyes to the moving silhouette, then cartwheeled himself toward the kitsune.
The air smothered in ash. As the kitsune stood on a pillar, she swept her tails and propelled thick clouds of smoke to Phthonus' path.
His vision then blurred from the thick black fumes. Phthonus' breathing thinned, his eyes water, and his skin coated in stains of ash. While he pierced his body through the fumes, the kitsune's motherly voice echoed over the area.
"All you are doing is washing your energy. Stop thinking about others and flee away from me. You will only achieve pain if you continue to battle."
All this did was make Phthonus more furious. At a glance, he jolted toward the kitsune, flung himself into the air, and released fifty swings at the span of one blink. He then pivoted the blade through the floor then pulled out a book.
"Muster the energy to grant your reward."
He tore another page from his book then swung it in front of him. The fabric dissolved into a crimson luminance. As his hands shrouded in a red glow, Phthonus shut his eyes. With each blink he made, a strike was forced toward the kitsune. His attacks were so swift that all their movements stained into the air. He felt sweat slide down his face.
"Come on..."
As the sight of smoke cleared, the kitsune revealed not a single scratch on her body. Phthonus' eyes shrunk in disbelief. He could not believe that it still wasn't close enough for him to form even a bruise on the kitsune with all the power he harnessed.
Phthonus gripped his heart and fell to his knees when he realized his failure. His voice trembled.
"H-How... w-with all of that power... it wasn't enough?!"
The kitsune shook her head and swung her cluster of tails in a circular motion. The fire diminished, the scorched trees healed, and the powerful gust of wind cleansed the air. Just as Phthonus was about to strike once more, the kitsune knocked him away from the area and peered her menacing golden eyes straight through his soul.
"Get out of here. Return once you are ready."
A circle of pure embers shriveled parts of the ground and tossed stones toward Phthonus. He realized that this was a warning. So, being the understanding man he is, Phthonus grabbed his blade and fled away through a tunnel of trees. As the kitsune heard the footsteps of Phthonus fade into silence, she lowered her body down to the massive circular slab on the area and returned to her slumber.
* * * * * * * *
Aletha's feet trampled on the dandelions. Her breathing grew unsteady, sweat slithered down her face, and the ash marks were scattered all over her skin. She never realized how long she had been separated from Asahi.
"Please, be safe."
Aletha hoped that she could find him within the mists despite what happened. Drimi was strangely quiet despite all the actions. Perhaps she was irritated from getting interrupted all the time?
. . .
Meanwhile, within the goblin village, Asahi and Kali quivered in a corner— dreading the hostility from Marina and Deniz. Never would they think that people with such an appearance; could be so rude.
Kali Leila pointed to Deniz and Marina's arguing, bit her lip, then whispered to Asahi.
"See that, Asahi? That's the reason why you should never judge an individual based on their appearance. You never know who they could be on the inside. I hope you think the same. I probably did it before I even realized."
Though Asahi was right next to her, Kali doesn't seem to break down in nervousness. Instead, she seemed more calm, serious, and respectful— as if she was a different girl than she was previously.
Despite the chaos, Asahi was thorough with the situation. He never noticed that all his food got scattered on the floor from Marina. However, despite both of them settling down— they were still closer than they realized. Their body warmth touched against another, sweltering both of them with a feeling of unease.
As they perceived the arguments, suddenly, they heard a holler from outside.
"Fight! There is a fight!"
Marina turned her head and gritted her teeth. Deep in those serene azure eyes was a burning rage that can't even be comprehended. As she stomped her feet on the ground, she roughly pushed Deniz out of the way and complained.
"Are you kidding? A fight already? Ugh, and it's morning as well. This white-haired boy and another trespasser are already stirring problems this early!"
She shook her head and raised her voice.
"NOW, I have to settle these two dunderheads fighting outside now! Stay put!"
Marina stepped out of the building with an aggravated tone and raised her voice.
"Don't you dare try to tower over me! Respect your ruler!"
Deniz followed from behind. He sneered at Asahi then growled.
"When the goblins find out that you are here, pipsqueak, you will get kicked out of this village in a matter of moments."
Asahi gritted his teeth and backed himself to the wall.
"Huh? What was that for? That's rude."
Kali Leila shook her head and whispered back.
"I don't know, but I say we should go outside."
"You're right. Let's go. No one knows what could happen next."
He swiftly pulled Kali upwards then dashed through the exit.
While they stepped outside, they saw a small green-skinned individual with pointy ears and short green hair— getting mercilessly pinched from Marina in front of a crowd of individuals.
"Ouch! It hurts, it hurts!"
Marina neared her face toward the goblin child and growled at him.
"Don't you dare mock me behind my back again! Got it?! I was generous to all of you for feeding this repugnant town, and this is what I receive? Disrespectful. Absolutely disrespectful of you! I should kick you out!"
Loud cheers and shouts sound from outside, like an over-crowded coliseum. Asahi steered his vision and saw a massive crowd of green-skinned individuals— chanting and encouraging the fight. Adrenaline pumped inside Asahi's heart. He had trouble identifying what's going on.
As the blinding light from the piercing sun settles, they dash to Marina and ask her.
"What are you doing?!"
Marina pushed Asahi from her path and kicked him in the shin without resistance.
"Don't you DARE go near me! You ignored my orders as well. That's disgraceful."
That action slivered a piece of Asahi's patience. He gritted his teeth and pierced his eyes through Marina's face. He tried to kick his feet back up and injure Marina; however, Kali stood in front of him and pushed him away.
"What are you doing?!"
Asahi answered while he tried to shove her away.
"I'm trying to stop this— get out of my way!"
Suddenly, as the crowd cheered, a loud shout sounded out from the cluster of bushes outside the village's perimeter. It was a deep, stern, powerful voice. A voice that matched a mature woman.
"Stop what you're doing!"
Asahi and Kali slowly shifted their eyes toward the bushes and saw a tall woman with long thick dark hair, mysterious purple eyes of obsidian, and seemingly impenetrable attire step out of the bushes. Immediately, the cheers were silenced, Marina backed away from the child, and all froze in fear.
As they heard the sound of her heels touching the ground, a pretty adolescent girl with long white hair, crystal gray eyes, and ash-covered skin jumped out from the bushes and slid on the dirt. At one glance, Asahi knew precisely who she was. He gasped..
"Aletha?"
Then, Asahi pushed Kali away and sprinted to Aletha. Even if it has been only a few moments, Asahi still had this feeling of never being separated. When they were separated, he felt as if half his soul split from each other. That's how caring he was to her, or maybe that was imbued in their mind?
As Aletha panted in exhaustion, Asahi bent over and anxiously asked.
"Are you okay? What happened?!"
She slightly wiped dirt off her face then responded with a quivering smile.
"I…I…"
Sally jumped up in excitement, then raced to Drimi with all her stamina. Like a child, she leapt to Drimi and wrapped her arms over her. Even with her towering height, she still acted like a little girl. Sally pressed her face against Drimi's, then whispered to her with a cheerful tone.
"Drimi, I missed you!"
She can't deny it as well; Drimi missed Sally. Yet, she doesn't do anything about it. Even though Sally's height towered over Drimi herself, she simply couldn't deny her.
Sally's cheerful voice, towering strength, and powerful determination were what allured Drimi ever since they first met.
As she felt Sally's warmth clasp against herself, Drimi patted Sally's back and nervously chuckled.
"Sally, it's been a couple of hours. Calm down… there are people h-here…."
As they rejoiced, Asahi curiously asked.
"So, what happened back there? Why is Aletha covered in burns?"
Suddenly, out from the crowd— a brittle, elder, green-skinned man slowly walked up to Aletha then stared at her with silence. As the group fell silent and the birds' chirps started to strengthen , he turned his head to the right and swung his cane in the direction of where Aletha and Drimi ran from.
"It seems she encountered Abril! That merciless kitsune who guarded this village's boundaries for thousands of years. It seems this girl challenged her!"
The crowd shrieked in shock.
"HUH?!"
As Asahi confusingly turned his head to the crowd, he saw the massive group of goblins growing wild. Even Marina and Deniz look like they were shocked. Voices began to sound out from the panicked crowd of goblins. All are confused about how they survived.
Amidst the chaos, a gray-haired, green-skinned woman stepped out and hollered.
"Are you insane? Do you know how dangerous that creature is?!"
Then, another person stepped out and screamed. They sound more like a child rather than an adult.
"Wooow! Did you beat her up?!"
The mother hastily jumped up, covered her child's mouth, and apologized.
"I'm so sorry for that. My child is being reckless right now. However, I am concerned about why anyone would decide to challenge Abril. There have been many attempts and—"
A tall, goblin man raised his hand, leapt up from the very back of the crowd, and commented.
"She simply can't be defeated!"
That comment alone quickly stirred intense chatter from the crowd. Drimi, Marina, and the others can't hear each other because of how loud the yammering is. Though the entire group was known as goblins, they look awfully similar to humans. While Aletha brushed the ash off from her fair face, Asahi whispered..
"Are you sure these are goblins?"
Kali Leila lightly giggled.
"Of course. What… What kind of question is that?!"
While the crowd's chaos continued, Aletha turned to Kali and added.
"We have encountered goblins before, but they never acted like this. These goblins are closer to being humans than monsters."
"So, you're saying that you encountered goblins who are not like this?"
Aletha faintly smiled, then nodded.
"Yes."
Asahi deeply sighed and shook his head. Though he missed Aletha, he didn't want her to blurt out the truth all the time. He knew that always telling the truth is a unique trait of Aletha— but sometimes, he realized that trait can lead to dangers; like the events that happened in their past journeys in other worlds.
Just like every other truth Aletha blurts out, it's always correct.
As the crowd continued to scream, from the same cluster of bushes— a dark-skinned man who wore a black scarf leapt out from it and raced to Asahi and the others. Aletha's eyes widened— instantly recognizing who the man was. She lightly tapped Asahi.
"Phthonus?!"
Immediately the intensity of the crowd decreased. As the wanderers, Drimi, Sally, and Kali dashed to Phthonus, someone screamed out from the center of the mass.
"Another one?!"
An elderly woman stepped toward Phthonus and whined.
"You can't be serious. These poor souls challenged Abril?! Do you know how dangerous that beast is?! No one has defeated Abril for decades."
Both the wanderers screamed in confusion.
"Decades?!"
As the stillness of the forest grew, Phthonus wiped dirt from his hair and added with an endorsed tone.
"That isn't the only surprise. The kitsune told me that you and Asahi have some sort of connection to her. Right now, she's waiting for another challenge. But I suggest you prepare for the fight before you dare to rechallenge her. I just realized fighting her isn't an easy task, even with Drimi's assistance."
Asahi's eyes widened in shock. His memory of the kitsune grew blurry. He can't vividly recollect who she is, but he did have a feeling about what Phthonus was speaking about.
The goblins cheered in relief, knowing that there is at least some hope lying at the end of the tunnel.
Despite Marina's aggressive attitude, she grew curious about Aletha and Asahi. She had no knowledge of the Ancient Times in Gincad. All Marina had was the knowledge of her home nation, Obrus.
After the crowd finally settled down, Marina tidied her glossy black hair, then coughed out of anxiousness. While she walks through the crowd, towards Asahi, she questions her mind.
(Perhaps there is more to them than meets the eye?)
Deniz yelled at Marina with a rough tone.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Marina doesn't answer. She was too focused on who Asahi and Aletha are. As she tilted her head up to Asahi, she questioned.
"You… have connections with Abril? J-Just, who are you?!"
Asahi gave her a sneer and refused to reply. It's pretty understandable since she treated him like dirt a few moments ago. However, Aletha never had knowledge of the situation. So, she answered Marina.
"We are—
Just as Aletha was about to reveal, a tall wrinkly goblin woman stepped forward.
She looked vastly old compared to the other elders in the village, yet her eyes look young. The woman wore an old brown cloak, with symbols of squares, circles, and an S scatter over the thick fabric. She dragged her wooden cane over the ground, turned her head up to both Asahi and Aletha, then glared at them.
As the birds chirped , the wind blew, and the crowd stood in silence, the old woman's green eyes broadened in shock, her face warmed up, and she raised her frail voice.
"Y-You're… the… Adtraic gods! Asahi and Aletha!"
After that, the wanderers backed away, and their gray eyes widened in shock.
Never in Millenia would the wanderers have thought that someone would recognize them as powerful beings, after the calamity. They thought everyone had lost their lives.
As the wanderers stood in silence, everyone jumped up in shock and screamed.
"GODS?!"
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Sunny_Shad0w
Sunny_Shad0w This is only just the beginning of the mass publishing. Look for more chapters that are releasing in the next two weeks. December 31st will conclude this Arc.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder