บท 67: Like a blade

The moment was silent, with nothing but the sounds of crackling embers and the struggling grunts of Asahi being heard. It was as if time slowed down with Asahi staring directly through Phthonus' eyes.

A flash of memories burst into Asahi.

He remembered him screaming at the others with no intention to do so, then the moment where he slammed Drimi on the ground, beat Phthonus to a pulp, spewed his blood in the air, and made everyone scream.

Waiting for a response, everyone watched Asahi stare at Phthonus. The sun glistened and peeled out from the thick clouds, beaming on the two like a spotlight. Phthonus released a deep sigh and slowly took off his scarf. What was behind that fabric was no other than a bright grin.

"I know that wasn't you, but I respect you for being honest. It was my fault that I didn't tell you I saved your sister earlier…."

Asahi clenched his fist, released an exaggerated sigh and interrupted.

"Yes… I know that. It wasn't my fault at all for exposing you in front of all these individuals. Even despite showing the worst of me, I…. can't believe that you still offered your hand."

Phthonus backed away and shook his head.

As the atmosphere of the situation remained silent, Phthonus tilted his head down to his gold bracelet wrapped around his wrist. Seeing the beautiful jewels scattered around the shimmering golden bracelet, Phthonus heard a voice. A familiar voice, one that hasn't been heard in a long time.

*"Please… dear Phthonus, no matter if it's a monster or a criminal, there is always a hint of love within each of their hearts. NO matter how evil they are, they always have a reason they are this way. Even if you are treated harshly, still persist in treating them with respect. And maybe someday, you might be treated the same as you did to them. Just have faith."*

It was his long-lost lover's voice; the one that helped him when he was in the sands of Zomrack. A shimmering tear formed in Phthonus' eye as he imagined his lover's smile. He remembered all of her words and how they made him continue life.

The moment continued; Phthonus stepped forward and touched the bracelet; saying calmly to Asahi about what it was.

"Long ago, I had a lover. She was such a nice, and caring individual that I simply couldn't let go. When I lost her, I grew envious and cold. If it wasn't for her words, I wouldn't be in this state right now."

Phthonus nodded his head and wiped off a tear from his face.

He felt a tight grasp within his hand followed by a gentle voice.

"I know what it is like to lose someone."

Phthonus slowly tilted upward and saw Asahi smiling and nodding to him.

He faintly whispered as he placed his hand over Phthonus' shoulder.

" 'Treat others how you want to be treated.' That's a quote that got passed down to me every world I visited. No matter where anyone is, they will always have the same rules. I'm glad you understand."

Asahi turned to The Kitsune and saw it whimper in pain, with flames over its head. He bit his lip, then tilted his head toward the rest of the group. Seeing all the colorful varieties of eyes stare at him, Asahi stepped forward and raised his voice with confidence.

"Everyone! I… apologize for what I did. I know it wasn't necessary. I know it was cruel and unjust to everyone. But now you know this, what you saw from me in the past was the worst I will ever be…

Asahi grabbed his blade and tightened his grip. His gray eyes reflected the glossy surface of the sword, as if it was a mirror. Asahi turned his head back to the group and stepped forward.

"Everyone has a worst-side, but that worst-side can be fixed if you learn from its mistakes. Like the edge of a sword, no matter how rusted and broken it is, it still has remaining pieces of its former self that makes itself whole…

He took a deep breath and swung the blade to the air. The three knights, Phthonus, Aletha, and the rest of the village, watched as he stepped up and stood up in front of everyone; with the sun beaming down on his gleaming white hair. His voice echoed over the forest.

"Think of human lives as a sword! Though it might be broken physically, there would always be pieces to make you, you!"

A silence formed around the village.

No one spoke; all were shocked by Asahi's words. As Asahi slowly lowered his blade and turned toward the injured Kitsune, a loud, deep voice sounded from behind the group.

"Yeah, I trust this boy!"

Then, another.

"Such kind and thoughtful words… he redeemed himself."

"Your personality is as beautiful as your looks!"

The entire crowd cheered Asahi on, with Belial and Phthonus joining in as well. Aletha backed up and stared at her brother in awe, unable to believe what she heard.

"Those were the words from my brother?"

Suddenly, Drimi sprinted toward Asahi and slapped the back of his head with a loud chuckle. It was obvious that her 'masculine' personality returned to her. She yelled with a crooked voice.

"I knew you had a brain in ya'! Keep it up, and don't make those words go to waste!"

Sally clapped her hands, while the others bowed down in respect.

"That's what a god is…"

As Asahi blinked and cracked his knuckles, Phthonus walked up to Asahi, patted him on the back, and released a light chuckle. A genuine feeling of thought and respect was put inside that light chuckle from Phthonus; as if all of the bad thoughts were washed away.

"I accept your apology."

Asahi's eyes widened in shock; he believed that Phthonus did learn a lesson during the time they were in this forest.

"You… do?"

As Phthonus was about to finish his sentence, the beautiful aqua-haired woman walked over to Asahi and spoke to him in an elegant manner.

"I understand, and I forgive you for what you did in the basement. Your true self is different from what I saw. If you can keep this up, maybe one day you can relieve the citizens of Pladtioa from the corrupting rule of The Queen."

Though Asahi never knew what Marina meant, he nodded his head and kept that request in mind.

"Okay… I'll make sure to do--

Suddenly, Phthonus tapped Asahi's back and whispered while crossing his arms.

"Pretend that never happened. Ignore what was in the past and focus on the present. You are a better young man than I thought you were. A brave soul, a learning soul that can pass through his problems. I suppose…"

As a small silence formed in-between Asahi and Phthonus, he raised his voice and stepped up with a tone of confidence surging around him.

"…I suppose that gods do have feelings just like humans."

Both the wanderers' eyes widened in shock. Hearing those words coming from Phthonus' mouth deeply paralyzed them.

Despite remembering the situation so clearly, Asahi was delighted to listen to those words from Phthonus.

While he turned away and gave a thumbs up, Aletha rolled her thumbs, slightly smiled, and whispered to Phthonus with a forgiving tone.

"Thank you… Phthonus. For forgiving my big brother, Asahi. I knew he was a better person than that, and I knew he learned from his mistakes."

"No problem…"

Just as they were about to stand up, a tremor shook the entire area. Suddenly, a wall of flames scorched the entire plain of grass; revealing a solid ancient stone platform beneath the scorched vegetation. The villages' buildings were demolished, and tossed from the burning embers.

"What's that?"

All of them hastily turned to The Kitsune's position and saw that she wasn't there. Aletha shrieked.

"Where's The Kitsune?"

Then, from above, like raindrops falling from the sky, The Kitsune pounded the ground and forced a massive pillar to rise from the stone plate. Chunks of rock splattered into the air and pierced through the dirt. The density of the fog increased, embers and ice crackled around the area, and at the center of the pillar was a sparkling, glistening object hovering over a stone plate.

There were trees surrounding the rectangular plate of stone; as if it served as an arena. Asahi faintly mumbled as everyone backed away.

"What's… that?"

From out of the blue, a loud young voice pierced out from the mumbling crowd of goblin villagers.

"It's The Fruit!"

All Drimi, Belial, Sally, Phthonus, Marina, Asahi, and Aletha's eyes widened in surprise.

"HUH?!"

* * * * * * * *

All were surprised that the location on which the rumored Fruit was nowhere but beneath their feet. Even Asahi and Aletha were shocked that this platform was hidden beneath the village all this time.

Each step The Kitsune made was another tremble forest created. The form of this beast was nothing they would have imagined. It's fur was the color of mocha, with red stripes stretching from both the belly and the head. The perimeter of the 'arena' was engulfed in ablaze, leaving no way in and no way out for the group.

Asahi and Aletha realized that they were the only ones inside the borders of the arena.

Pivoting their footsteps, Asahi and Aletha slowly lift their blades up and quiveringly place eye contact with the approaching beast. Her eyes were engulfed in a bright crimson.

The view of eleven burning tails waved back and forth, as if it was gargantuan cornstalks swaying with the breeze. The Kitsune's size was noticeably larger than she was before. Her footsteps trembled and shook the arena, forcing the people to be knocked back from the perimeter of the arena with massive, forced shockwave.

As Kitsune's nose leaned toward the wanderers, she raised her voice and lifted all of her tails up toward the scorching air.

"Flee, or face the wrath of the one who raises all."

Despite the warning, Asahi and Aletha stared directly at The Kitsune's eyes, with their blade pointing straight toward the beast's head. The Kitsune slowly backed away and heard a deep feminine voice scream from outside the wall of flames.

"Asahi, Aletha, we can't get through these walls! You have to use up all your strength and slay the beast yourselves! Just… follow what your hearts tell you! Think about what this beast caused that led it and us to this point!"

The flames strengthened, blistering and scorching into a tangible wall of fire. Tremors, shaking, and anxiousness filled Asahi and Aletha. They were confused, and shocked.

While staring directly at the scorching crimson eyes of The Kitsune, the wanderers tremblingly stepped forward and lifted their blades toward it. Heaps of sweat slithered down both the wanderers' faces, as crackling of the fire sputtered across the scorching area. Asahi raised his voice and stepped closer.

"We won't! The villagers, the people, and Dreamtoe Cliff never deserved your punishments! It's just a false assumption fabricated by the lies you were told by your creator!"

The Kitsune snarled its face and growled. Her flames brightened even stronger.

"How dare you mock my creator!? You two are the reason why my wrath is unleashed! As I said again, I have mercy to you two. LEAVE or face the consequences of my flames!"

Asahi and Aletha squinted their eyes and grappled their hands tightly on their swords. Both of them were seething with an uncontrollable rage, their minds suffocated under the toxic fumes and the burning fury tingled their hearts.

As The Kitsune turned toward the treetops, Aletha dragged her blade across the ground and remembered the poor man that lost his life to The Kitsune. She faintly mumbled.

"No, he never deserved that…."

The journalist, the one that wrote in his diary to find his lost children. It pushed Aletha to continue and stand.

As she approached closer, Asahi tilted his head down and remembered what he did to Aletha.

"What could possibly happen to others with that mind-tangling force from this forest? How many lives has she ruined with the enhancement of emotions?

Asahi stepped forward, clenched his fists, and yelled at The Kitsune.

"You have caused so much pain with your mind-tangling forces!"

The Kitsune looked both visibly frustrated and furious to the two.

It's as if she never wanted to kill them.

But, out of all odds, The Kitsune graciously swung her eleven burning tails into the air, opened her jaw. Her claws ignited with a white luminance and she springing out a loud roar. To a volume where even the entire forest echoed with her voice, The Kitsune screamed as it charged toward the wanderers.

"THEN FACE YOUR PUNISHMENTS!"

In one complete bolt, The Kitsune teleported to Asahi and swung her tails toward his head.

The burning aura within the arena screamed as if everyone was watching him. He closed his eyes, dodged the attack, pivoted his feet, and swung the blade straight at The Kitsune. A loud clang resounded over the walls. Asahi averted the fireballs and leaped over the burning ash puddles.

"Pay for what you did!"

As The Kitsune hastily swung its tail again, Aletha jolted from behind and struck the Kitsune with boiling fury. Her swing was so swift it formed a massive white streak of luminance in the air. She inhaled the fumes and fell to the floor.

"Not again…"

Asahi shook his head and dragged his blade across the floor. With all his might, breathless with anger, he encircled the arena and mustered up all the forced he had. He then charged toward The Kitsune, swung his dark blade and clashed it against one of the Kitsune's eleven tails.

Sparks trembled the edge, a cut slit through one of The Kitsune's eleven tails. White dust spewed out from the blistering wound. As she roared and shrieked, The Kitsune swung all her tails toward Asahi and knocked him into the air.

"AGH!" He screamed with his dust spilling from his leg.

Aletha was still on the floor, panting heavily and sweating. It felt as if all the energy on her arm was worn and drained out from the constant heat pushing inside her. She trembled.

"I can't…"

She dropped her blade, and felt her hair chip away from the swallowing flames.

Asahi shook his head and continued fighting The Kitsune, with his wounds and cuts blistering against the burning embers. He struck her five times, then kicked her in the leg, and dodged her perilous scratches.

The fumes lifted, Asahi remembered Aletha's crying face. With the memory of that, he strengthened his attacks and powerfully swung to The Kitsune's legs with sweat and blood staining his face and hair.

The Kitsune leaped up and swung her tails back toward Asahi. Fortunately, he dodged it, slid on the ground, then turned back to her and struck The Kitsune again. As he lunged and clanged on the beast, Asahi quiveringly whispered to himself.

"You made me show my worst, you made many children disappear… you even…."

The scent of ash and charcoal drowned his lungs, making him cough and slouch down while attacking. As he screamed and repeatedly followed the pattern of his attacks, Aletha slowly lifted her face off from the molten floor and squinted her eyes to the fight.

Though Asahi was trying his hardest, his exhaustion reached the best of him. He was flung into the air with the same brown cyclones Aletha saw before, and his attire flung in continuous directions. The twinkles of his sparkling dust spilled onto the floor and evaporated with the flames.

"ASAHI!"

Aletha slowly turned her head upward, and saw a blurry sight of Asahi striking, jumping, and leaping against The Kitsune with the trail of his Dust following his every movement.

"Huh?"

Behind the beast, nearest to the corner filled with wobbling trees, was the sight of a luminescent tall brown-haired man with a beard; holding the same exact book against his hand. Aletha's eyes widened, her heart jumped. Aletha faintly muttered with a cold tone.

"The… journalist?"

Suddenly, what appeared behind the phantom spirit of the man was the sight of two children, having round wide eyes and brown tunics; the same clothing the Journalist described before he died.

Aletha, most definitely knew who the ghosts were.

"The… children…?"

She heard Asahi yelling in the air. Aletha swiftly turned her head back and saw Asahi slide on the ground, with his wounds opening and staining with ash. The Kitsune struck him with her burning tails, again and again; tossing and flinging him into the wall of flames until his heart stopped. His long white hair was parched and stained with black charcoal.

Yet despite his current state, he continued to push himself up and fight. As she continued to see her brother fighting, Aletha remembered the last words and drawings written in the Journalist's diary.

"I could see the sky flicker from night to day…."

She tilted her head up and saw the sky was flashing from blistering bright daylight to a calm, shallow moonlight. Aletha tempered the last words written on the book.

"I hope everyone's safe; I hope the villagers are okay… I hope…"

The sentence was missing within the page and memory of Aletha.

Aletha gritted her teeth, pushed herself, and grabbed her blade. While she saw the spirits of the Journalist wave to her, the same voice she imagined when she read that book; echoed over the forest.

"... that my children are at peace and smiling on their faces. Those were the last words on that page. They were torn…"

All the memories and motivation surged back to Aletha.

The violent, childish act, the unreasonable anger of Asahi, Phthonus, and Drimi saving her, and last but not least, the two little drawings from the previous pages of the journal.

With the constant flash of memories, Aletha slowly approached The Kitsune, grasped tightly onto her sharp blade as tightly, and screamed.

"Stop!"

Just before The Kitsune tackled her, a transparent shield hastily formed around both Aletha and Asahi. An elderly, cranky voice screamed from the wall of flames..

"Set us free!"

Asahi turned to the Journalist and saw him using his spiritual energy to defend Asahi and Aletha. As he tremblingly stared at them, Asahi faintly asked Aletha.

"Who are they…?"

While she pushed herself up and wiped the ash and blood off her lip, Aletha pulled Asahi up, gripped her blade, and whispered to him with a tone of bravery.

"They are the spirits of Dreamtoe."