CHAPTER 35: STORIES

They had appeared as fast as the wanderers had moved.

A writhing mass of goopy beings oozed into view at the edge of Milmoor village, their forms glistening in the dim light.

The village lay in chaos, its buildings torn apart by purple, glowing creatures that left trails of eerie light in their wake.

Their roars and guttural croaks echoed through the air, each rippling footstep warping the atmosphere into something otherworldly.

Asahi and Aletha gripped their wooden blades, frozen at the edge of the chaos as they watched bodies dissolve into the goop. Disgust twisted their faces. Drimi snatched up four more canisters, while Sally looked on, wide-eyed.

"Over here!"

With a swift motion, she hurled the soil canisters toward them.

Asahi snatched up two canisters, Aletha three, their hands moving on instinct. Though the Enchanted Soil was a mystery to them, Drimi’s urgent shout cut through the chaos as the goopy creatures surged into the village.

"Asahi, Aletha," She said. "Shatter those canisters and aim them straight at that big guy in the middle of the well."

Eyes blazing with resolve, they braced themselves, every muscle tensed for the unknown that awaited.

They cast the canisters of soil at the goopy creature, causing it to shriek in a cascade of colors as purple luminance shredded them from the inside out. A brilliant magenta luminance coiled and choked them, forcing them to deform into small, slimy forms.

"If only you two knew how true magic works," Drimi said as Clover, Sally, Belial, and the others threw the canisters like splash potions. "This form of magic shall do. After all, it uses no mana."

(WOOSH)

Coming from behind, Belial shot an arrow at the eye of the creature, causing it to tremble and shake as if there was an earthquake.

"I hope that was enough." He said as he prepared another arrow from his quiver.

As the main threat fell, their focus shifted to the child-shaped horrors. With a fierce swing, they launched an orange canister, piercing one and sending it writhing and tumoring across the ground.

With the lesser foes and the main threat defeated, only a single humanoid coated in glistening goop remained, shrieking beneath the fading orange sun.

"The Ending shall conquer." It said as it got blown into smithereens. "The Princess shall be delighted." After those words, finally, he was left to dust, leaving Asahi and Aletha fairly bruised.

Though the battle was short, the lingering magic left Asahi and Aletha utterly spent, as if invisible hands had stolen every ounce of their strength.

"Fascinating. This is your first time actually using magic in the world." He retraced his words. "Well, condensed magic that is. You two shall know eventually."

Victory was just out of reach before exhaustion swept them under. They collapsed, the world dissolving into shadow.

As the final words faded, Asahi and Aletha collapsed onto the earth, darkness overtaking their senses as one moment melted into the next.

. . .

"Are you sure the two of them will be safe?" A deep feminine voice said as white filled their vision.

"The two...?" A deep masculine voice said, "Our Asahi and Aletha? Yes, I know they are out there.. In the cosmos." He quickly seized his trident and threw it into the castle, forming a hole straight through it. Then, holding onto a white-haired woman with one arm, he levitated and forced the Engulfing Light to back off.

Despite his strength, even carrying the woman in his arms, it was not enough. Their journey ended where it had begun: the castle. He led her through empty halls to a silent bedroom, hoping to find Asahi, Aletha, or Aiyana. Instead, only emptiness greeted them.

As they saw a hole appear in the wall, the man leaned over, and so did the woman. After the luminance had surrounded both of them fully, they whispered and kissed.

"I love you." The white-haired man said.

"I love you too." The woman replied.

After that, the luminance swallowed them...

. . .

When Asahi opened his eyes, the world had changed again: he was back in a familiar room, the dream fading like mist.

He looked around and saw Aletha sleeping on another bed on the other side of the warm oak room. A nurse, having brown hair and green eyes, gave Asahi a glass of water. She then asked.

"Please drink."

After a hesitant pause, Asahi took a sip and yawned. Instantly, the heaviness in his body melted away as the soothing liquid worked its magic.

"Huh? I feel better." Asahi said as he took another sip. "What did you do to my drink?"

As she grabbed the glass from Asahi’s hands, she lightly giggled and replied.

"Belial insisted on sharing his healing powers to help you today."

"Belial?" He said, questioning, "So he can heal? Got it."

Left alone after the nurse departed, Asahi’s thoughts drifted back to the dream that haunted his sleep. The image of a woman with flowing white hair and a black suit lingered in his mind. Could that memory truly belong to...

"Mother?"

Clarity washed over him. The scarf remained because their parents had been swallowed by the luminance, just after he, Aletha, and Aiyana awoke in the collapsing castle.

If they had been there a little earlier, they might have found out what truly happened to their parents.

But he forced the memories aside. Now was not the time for regret. He needed to focus on the present.

Getting up, he hastily shook Aletha, saying,

"Get up!"

However, just before he awakened her, a green-haired girl grabbed Asahi and threw him outside the building. The door gave way to welcoming rays, enveloping the scene fully. She then slammed the door and pushed the glass to the side.

"Finally, I have time to talk to you." She said as her eyes daggered to Asahi. "Face to face."

Clover, visibly agitated and impatient, seemed eager to share something with Asahi. But before she could speak, Asahi mumbled:

"What do you want?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Have you ever wanted to know how lesser magic works in this world? " Asahi fell silent. Though her request was abrupt, curiosity gnawed at him, refusing to let go. The strangeness of it all felt like a trick of fate.h him.

And so, after a minute of pondering, Asahi replied.

"Yes. I guess I’ll come with you."

"Good. I’ll even tell Drimi your efforts, too."

The promise was enough. Asahi agreed to join Clover, hoping to recover the scarf.

Soon after, Asahi and Clover wandered through the winding streets of Milmoor village.

Sunlight bathed the village, coaxing the plants to life and painting the world in gold.

Clover tied up her green hair and turned to Asahi, her voice bubbling with excitement.

"This is my hometown." She said, "Usually. , I would be the one to gather the crops and such, but since I am on vacation, I can do whatever I want."

As silence filled the area, Asahi tilted his head to Clover and asked her.

"It seems you’re really anxious."

Suddenly, a masculine voice shouted out.

"How’re you doing, Clover?"

Clover’s face lit up with delight. She waved back, her laughter ringing out, bright and infectious.

"I’m doing amazing, Logan!" After they walked around the many buildings in the area, Clover noticed that Asahi hadn’t spoken to the villagers. And so, as they passed through a tiny stream, Clover asked Asahi.

"Hey, why don’t you introduce yourself to the villagers? Are you shy?"

Asahi hurriedly shook his head.

"No, not at all." He said, breathing in and out. "It’s just... I need that scarf. It means a lot."

As the villagers gawked at Asahi’s striking white hair, Clover gave his back a reassuring pat and exclaimed:

"Forget about the scarf!" Clover said, lowering her voice. "Goodness, you find every excuse you can think of not to talk to anyone. You know, just because you look different does NOT mean that everyone is the same."

She clicked her tongue. "Matter in fact, every person in this world, monster or not, has their own story to tell."

In that moment, realization struck Asahi like a bolt of lightning.

(She’s right, everyone does contain a secret story inside themselves. It’s just that no one can afford to read every single story. If people can’t even comprehend their own stories, why should they have to care about others?)

Before his thoughts could spiral, Clover tugged him forward, sprinting over the cobblestone streets as villagers basked in the generous sunlight.

"So, you have two choices," Clover said, holding her two fingers in the air. "We can either go to the library or the forest."

At first, Asahi thought of libraries. But after the confrontation with Liora, he wanted to avoid Libraries as much as possible. This led him to resort to...

"The Forest."

And so, they set off toward the forest, leaving Aletha to recover in the Milmoor Village hospital.