One Month Later
It was the dead of winter, and Mobliz was cut off from the world by heavy snowfall that year. And yet…it was one of the happiest times the small family had ever had.
Duane, Katarin, and the children were overjoyed to see the two come back, but even more amazed when they showed off the multitude of items they were able to purchase. The children were able to throw out their oversized clothing and ragged blankets for genuinelyuseful items. The pasture area was filled with the new cow and chicken arrivals, and all of the kids wanted to be the first to milk her or collect the eggs. For the first time in over a year, the family was able to have a true "feast" for dinner, with meat, vegetables, milk, and bread all together and not mixed in a stew. Last but not least, everyone marveled at the lovely articles of jewelry that Terra was wearing. Terra blushed at this, and insisted that she would never have wasted any of the money on such things herself…and blamed Bahamut for it. But no one seemed to mind. The fact that they were able to have all this plus that was amazing enough.
However, Bahamut hid the presents from the kids for the moment. He wanted to make a grand event out of it, and have it be a surprise. Terra herself would have just as soon given them the presents, but Bahamut was feeling childish and crafty. He was at a bit of a loss as to when would be the best time, however… Yet that didn't take long to resolve. There was already a gift-giving holiday after the new year in the current human calendar, and Bahamut decided to present them with it that day. He only wished he would have known about it sooner. Then he would have waited until then to present Terra with her own gift. However, there was nothing for it for now.
Over the next few weeks, Bahamut couldn't remember having a happier winter. The kids broke in their new coats and boots in no time flat by begging Bahamut to come out and play in the snow with them. They were able to doctor any of the children's colds with the medicine they bought. They would play all day, rampaging with Bahamut through the snow in "wrestling matches", snowball forts, and all sorts of other games. When they came in, they would wrap up in their new blankets and Terra would make them all hot chocolate, which she had happened to buy as well for just such events. The kids didn't go to bed hungry anymore, and always looked forward to meals, now that they no longer had to eat the same thing every day. At night, Bahamut would build up the fire, and they would all curl up together in front of it in their nightclothes while Terra read from her new books. Bahamut would lean back too, with Athena resting her head on his lap and Ai and Yu against his sides. He would look at the fire as Terra read and just marvel at how happy he was with such a simple event…
After that trip, Bahamut was now 100 percent, without a doubt, a permanent member of the "family". Duane had gone ahead and built him his own bed at long last, although he continued to shack in the same room as Terra. No one was apprehensive or uneasy about him anymore. No one ever second guessed him or grew concerned about him. They greeted him just like anyone else, went to him for problems, asked him how he was doing, and said good night and good morning to him every day. It was hard to see how, after being so distrustful of him less than a year ago, they all now welcomed him with open arms. Athena eventually stopped calling Bahamut, "Tumahab". Now…she just called him "papa".
But most of all, Terra and Bahamut continued to grow closer together. Once the kids were asleep, but Bahamut and Terra still didn't want to go to bed…they would stay in front of the fire, but Terra would slip into Bahamut's arms and rest against him. They took turns surprising each other with breakfast in bed. They held hands often, smiled at each other even more so, and after returning, they always said good night to each other…with a kiss. Marcus asserted to his peers that he had been right all along. Duane and Katarin began to whisper to each other about the two of them. The children tried to listen in on this, but all they ever got were mysterious comments like, "but he's so old…" and "he's been like a dad to me too…".
Everything between them continued to escalate, reaching one inevitable conclusion that was becoming obvious to everyone except the two who were involved most closely of all. All it was now was a matter of time. And at last, after one month of this…something did come of it, right on the day where the kids were to get their things…
Bahamut had gotten up early, as always. However, for today, he got up even when it was still pitch black outside. After that, he gathered up all of the things that he had gotten for the children. He had them stashed away in his closet until now, inside his and Terra's house. It made it pretty easy to keep them from the kids. However, he also had taken up the old paper that the children's clothing had been wrapped in, and now wrapped it around the gifts and sealed them with melted wax. He had Terra write on each parcel who they were intended for. Now that this was done, he got up this early to carry the presents over to the children's building.
It was easy for him to sneak in, even carrying all of the stuff in his arms. Once he was there and inside the darkened room, he slowly and carefully went to the foot of the bed of each sleeping child, and gently set his gifts next to each one. After that was done, he pulled up the covers on some of them, and then turned and walked back out again.
It hadn't taken nearly as long as he had thought it would. The sky wasn't even lit up yet. He stretched a bit, limbering up his body, before turning and walking back over to his and Terra's house. He couldn't believe it. He had never been in a human body for this long. He was getting used to it by now. He supposed he'd spend the rest of his days in this body… That was an interesting thought. How would he explain this to future generations? Well…he'd think of something. Maybe he'd become a bit of a mythical character himself, some sort of caretaker of Mobliz. He wouldn't mind. After all…he thought it was nice for people to believe in something that wasn't mundane and ordinary.
Bahamut made it back over to the house soon, and walked up on the porch. He and Duane had put up a small awning so that people could go out during winter and rainstorms. It seemed to come in handy now. It was cold again that morning. There was already about a foot of snow on the ground, but it looked like it was going to start snowing again fairly soon. He made his way under the awning, and over to a long, swinging chair that was set there. He sat down and looked out at the dark town before him. He could never go to sleep again after getting up this early, or even bear to lie down and pretend to sleep. He would just wait here for a little while.
It stayed dark for another half hour, but then the world began to turn visibly lighter around the esper. Pretty soon, it would be time to go and milk the cow for that morning. But for now, he could afford to just sit here and watch the sun rise a little. He thought again now that he was alone…and as he did a recurring topic once again came to mind. It wasn't his decision to stay. Oh no…he was past that. It was the other thing… And now that he sat here, he began to wonder if today would be the day. He thought about it again and again as he sat there…wondering why he was holding back. In the end, it appeared even Great Bahamut was intimidated by some things… He was actually nervous. And that nervousness continued to strike him for a while, making him hesitate and doubt himself. If it would have continued, he might have called the whole thing off for another day…
But that was when he heard the door creak. He turned his head, and saw Terra walking out onto the porch as well. She was still in her nightclothes, but she also had the uppermost quilt pulled around her body from her bed. She stared out at the falling snow for a few moments, silent and expressionless. But then, she turned to Bahamut and gave a smile. The great esper smiled back, although his mind was still faraway. She slowly made her way over to him, and then sat down alongside. She stretched out the quilt so that it enveloped them both, and pulled it tightly around them as she curled up next to Bahamut and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like this a lot now, ever since that night coming back from Tzen. They enjoyed the feeling of one another.
On seeing her here, with him, this morning…Bahamut knew that he couldn't delay again. Today was the day.
"Did you do it already?"
"About an hour ago, now." Bahamut simply answered, still looking out at the snow-covered town. "You know I can't go back to sleep once I get up."
"I know…"
The two of them sat silently for a moment. Normally, Bahamut could withstand cold well…but he always felt better when Terra was next to him. It unsettled him and made him pause again. He inhaled once and slowly exhaled. Then, he reached into his pockets a moment. A second later, he pulled out something, and held it in front of Terra for her to see. The woman looked down at it in puzzlement a moment, and then back to him.
"What is this?"
"The future." Bahamut simply answered. "The future of Mobliz. Remember what I was telling you the other day?"
Terra blinked a moment, but then gave a nod. "You said how…the landforms were still changing post Collapse, how in about twenty years this peninsula would become an island…"
"More like its own continent, but yes." Bahamut responded. "That wasn't all. It should drift until it hits the other tectonic plate rim. When it does that, this flat peninsula is going to get very rough and mountainous…"
Terra hesitated and grew nervous at that. "Does that mean…?"
Bahamut smiled and chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. I've seen enough major plate changes throughout history to know something about how the face of Gaia changes with time. Your town is located in a valley safely to the north of all this, although the region will grow a bit volcanic south of us. Luckily, by then, this town will be self-sufficient, and your grandchildren should have made boats to continue trade. At any rate…the landscape and surroundings will be different…so I thought I'd bring a crop that would do better in that changing biome. This is a seed I managed to get from Tzen on our visit. It's just one, and so I got it pretty cheap, as you can imagine."
Terra looked again to the object. "…What is it?"
"Cherry tree." Bahamut answered. "In the spring…they're beautiful. It's like it's snowing petals. Maybe, in a few hundred years, the people here will see it."
Terra smiled a bit at that. "That would be nice… You'll live to see it all, at least."
Bahamut held for a moment at that, but his smile faltered a little. Both he and Terra turned and looked back out again. They held for a few moments, watching the snow continued to gently fall around their town. After a bit longer, Terra turned back over to Bahamut again.
"You think maybe we should change the name?"
The esper turned down to her at that. "Pardon?"
"The name of the town. Mobliz was what it used to be, but you…you've built it up into a totally new town. This is going to be where we build new lives for each other. In a few centuries, like you said, it will be its own island…its own country. What do you think?"
"Oh…I don't know." Bahamut answered after a moment, turning back out to the snowfields. It didn't seem that big of a deal to him. Just more things for him to remember. Humans were always changing the names of places, and that made it a pain for him to keep track of anything. However…he looked down to his hand again. He thought once more of the small seed inside it. Until now, he had never seen any place in the world that had cherry trees covering it or surrounding it. Cherries weren't that favored among humans, although Leviathan had used to raise them. He had told that to the children in one of their stories. Leviathan had given it his own name from the esper language. The name meant, "heart of the world", based on the shape that the cherries took.
Bahamut smiled at this, and leaned back a bit more. "Maybe…someday…if this place will really be covered by cherry trees…they can call it the old esper name for them…Wutai."
Terra raised her head to this for a moment, but then leaned back down. "…It's unusual, but it's a nice name… It would be nice to have some things unusual…like you said."
Bahamut smiled again, and gave a nod. "Yes, it would."
Again, the two of them were silent. Terra shifted against Bahamut, and the two of them continued to watch the snow slowly fall. The sun grew higher, but it was beautiful right now. The glow illuminated each white flake, and they slowly drifted to the ground. Everything looked so quiet and peaceful in town. Everything seemed white and perfect…like there wasn't a stain on anything.
"It's so beautiful…" Terra slowly whispered.
The esper didn't answer. But yes…it was beautiful. He had never noticed it before, but it truly was. As an esper, he had always just seen winter as a season of death. Nothing lovely or nice about it. It was a time to struggle and freeze and huddle away until spring came. But with Terra…he saw it beautifully. Everything seemed nicer with her. Everything seemed warm and lovely in her presence. Everything seemed perfect. Nothing could go wrong as long as he was with her. He could have sat on that bench forever and he wouldn't have cared so long as she was with him. Even if they just lied there and rested on each other it would be alright. He had never felt this before…not even remotely. Not about anyone in the world. Espers so beautiful that they would ensnare men and women alike held no appeal to him. People who were immortal and powerful meant nothing. Only this woman…and her simple lifestyle…
He had to say it at last. Say it now, as he agreed. This was the time.
"Terra…"
The woman blinked once, but she too had slowed in this strange time before dawn. She slowly turned back up to Bahamut. He was slow too, and he looked out at the snowfields before him with an expressionless face. His voice was distant.
"…From the moment I heard you existed I knew you were special. When I found you…I knew it without a shadow of a doubt. I saw it in your face and your manners. I saw the love in your eyes and the care in your touch. I didn't have to be an esper to see it. I didn't have to be intelligent either. I saw it in my heart. I felt it as clear as you are feeling me right now."
Terra said nothing, and continued to look to him.
"I stayed, Terra… I wanted to help those children. I wanted to come here. I wanted to serve as your servant. I wanted to do all of this for you. For the longest time…I thought it was because I wanted to help my race…that I wanted you to come with me. But I was wrong. I know what I truly felt inside me…"
Slowly, the esper turned and looked down to her. Their eyes locked, large and shimmering and beautiful.
"…I came here…for you, Terra. I signed away the rest of my eternal life…for you. I cast away my esper half for you."
Terra continued to stare, her mouth slightly loose. But she showed nothing. She just continued to blink and look at him, hanging on his every word.
"…I love you, Terra." Bahamut slowly continued. "I loved you ever since I first saw you. I have nothing else in my life now…and I want nothing else, save for one thing. I never want to be away from you again. I want to take care of you every time you're sick. I want to provide for you and your children forever. I want to feel you rest against my chest every single night." He hesitated, and swallowed one more time as Terra looked on in captivated awe.
"…Will you marry me?"
Terra exhaled once, and was taken back for a moment. She blinked as she stared at him. However…her sound was very mild, and she didn't go far. She looked on at Bahamut once more, and held against him for a moment. Then…very slowly, she began to smile again. Her eyes became softer and less captivated, and she came back. Slowly, she leaned back over to him and rested her head against him once more. As she did, she replied gently.
"…Yes."
Neither of them said anything else for the next hour as they watched the snow fall. They didn't loosen from each other until the kids woke up crying for joy, and running out to get them to come in and see the presents that had been left for them.
Now, Bahamut's joy was truly complete.
Neither he nor Terra seemed to say anything else to each other that morning. They only continued to smile and look to each other, and kept kissing whenever they passed by one another. The children didn't notice. They were too engrossed in their own amusements and presents. Bahamut decided to leave the mysterious benefactor anonymous, although he tipped off to the kids that perhaps "old Bahamut" had liked how they loved his stories so much, that perhaps he left them. Everyone came over to the home for the children and had a large breakfast, and everyone was in a great mood.
It began to snow harder out, so the group stayed inside for that day. They played games with each other, discouraged Marcus from shooting his bow in the house, read a few more stories, did some craft work with pinecones that Terra had been saving, and listened to Marcus' records. When they did, Bahamut gracefully walked over to Terra, kissed her hand, and asked to dance. The other kids watched in puzzlement, and Duane and Katarin with some stunned surprise, as the two of them turned the fireplace living room into a ballroom hall. They noticed also that Terra would dive in while Bahamut was napping in a chair and tickle him in the sides, and how Bahamut would sneak up behind Terra, practically throw her up in the air, catch her, and then both would share a deep, long kiss.
Still, they held off saying anything through lunch and midday. The kids were allowed leave of their in home studies for once to play more with their new things. They also were allowed to play somewhat quietly indoors, and they played another game where they were great espers from Bahamut's stories. Bahamut stared on this and just smiled more. When dinner came, Bahamut himself decided to sit down and enjoy it. Everyone was together at the same table for once, and they ate like a real family. Terra practiced her baking skills at the end of it by presenting them all with a chocolate cake, the first she had ever made. Luckily, the recipe was straightforward, and she hadn't tried putting her own touches in it this time. It was a bit on the sweet side, but the children loved it, especially chasing it down their throats with warm milk.
At last, knowing that they would have to know sooner or later, Bahamut and Terra both rose. For the first time, they sat together instead of on opposite sides of the table. That was where the two pulled each other close, and then made the announcement of what had happened that morning. Duane and Katarin were a bit surprised by it, but the other kids were excited when they heard it.
"Marcus was right!" Athena blurted out loud.
"So, we're going to have a mommy and daddy?" Ai asked eagerly.
Bahamut still blushed a little at being called this, and rubbed the back of his head.
"I don't believe it…" Duane spoke in stunned surprise.
"Are you guys sure?" Katarin asked. Her face wasn't distrusting, and was actually a bit encouraging, but she still wanted to be certain. "You two are really going to tie the knot?"
Terra beamed back and nodded. "I don't know how long we'll wait, but we're definitely engaged now."
"Can I be the flower girl?" Ai asked.
"I want to be the flower girl!" Athena pouted.
Bahamut laughed a bit out loud, and held up his hands to quiet down the kids. "They'll be plenty of time to decide who's going to do what in the wedding. It won't be some grand event, though. It'll just be us, for the most part. I, for one, don't have many relatives to bring along, although I consider all of you my relatives now."
"Then there's no problem." Terra answered with a smile, turning around to give Bahamut another peck on the cheek.
With that said, everyone had an extra reason to celebrate that night. After dinner, when they all got around the fire again to listen to more of Essner's records and read a few more stories, Bahamut took the opportunity to supplement it with another one of his tales. Terra made more hot chocolate for everyone, and everyone, Bahamut included, had a good drink. Some of the kids began to ask Bahamut if they would all start calling him, "papa". It was yet another good night in the esper's life. It seemed as if all the tragedy and concern he had been weighed down with until now was finally being counterbalanced by the amount of joy and happiness he was now experiencing. His life had turned perfect. He had no cares or concerns anymore…just the happiness of living with this family…his family. Now he would get to watch the children grow and become mature people. He would watch the small seeds he had planted here, both figuratively and literally, grow and produce a wonderful crop. And now…he would spend life with the first woman he ever truly loved.
He had thought he had to go out somewhere else to find a new place to call home…but as it was, it turned out he was home all along.
Both Bahamut and Terra kissed the children goodnight now. They picked them up when they collapsed in front of the fire, still playing with their things, and gently put them to bed. They tended the fire to make sure it would burn for a while, and slowly dressed the children in their clothes before lying them down and covering them up. They all stirred a bit, but mostly just rested their heads on the shoulders of their matron and patron as they were carried over to their beds. Duane and Katarin left and took Seras to bed in their own place, bidding them both congratulations silently as they did so. The only child who woke up while they put them down was Athena. She moaned and said she wanted to sleep on her giant stuffed cactuar, who was about the size of her. Bahamut and Terra were so happy they let her. They brought her blankets off the bed, piled them up on top of the cactuar's belly, moved it in front of the fire, and let Athena lie there. With that done, the newly engaged couple turned and began to walk back to their own house.
Once they had crossed the door, Terra turned around to leap into Bahamut's arms, and the two of them made out for a few short minutes. Bahamut still felt light and wonderful every time he locked lips with Terra, and the young woman felt like she was kissing a dream. Neither of them could believe this was happening. Terra felt she would never love another man in this sense. Bahamut thought he would be a loner forever, especially in regard to humans. But not anymore. Both of them felt like they were teenagers again, and the whole world was theirs for the taking. They saw long lives ahead of them and saw nothing but their joys increasing. Now, both of them felt truly complete.
At last, they retired to the bedroom. Once there, Bahamut pushed their beds together with one arm. Terra, while undressing into her nightclothes during this, smiled a bit and snickered.
"You are getting more playful, aren't you?"
Bahamut raised an eyebrow to that. "Me? What's with this 'playful'? You used to be so reserved when I met you, I thought you bathed with your clothes on."
Terra laughed a bit, and then gave Bahamut a playful punch in the shoulder. "You did not! Take that back!"
"I'm serious!"
Terra smiled and mock pouted a moment, but then shook her head at him. "Well…I guess we're even then. Because I thought you planned to make me some sort of concubine, and I thought you had at least two hundred by now."
Bahamut turned around in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"What else was I supposed to think when you came to me, demanded I joined you, and talked about restarting our race?"
Bahamut snickered at that and shook his head. Terra giggled a bit too at his reaction, especially at how red he was turning. He leaned on his own mattress and held his head to the sky, rolling his eyes but smiling as he did so.
"I'll have you know that, unbelievable as it may seem, I am a totally single virgin."
Terra gaped at that a moment, actually stunned into not laughing. "Oh…you are not."
Bahamut merely turned to her and gave her a nod and a slight smile.
Terra always knew that Bahamut never lied. He could bend the truth, but at times like this he was as serious as death. She glared at him a bit longer and let out another small laugh. "…You're joking."
Bahamut gave a shrug. "When the espers first came around, we saw sex simply as a way of making offspring. We were totally detached from the erotic elements of it. I've been glazing over those parts in the stories I've told the kids. It wasn't until Starlet and Odin got together, the first of our race to actually have sex, that we realized that it was also a very emotive and personal bond. At any rate, espers never have sex for pure pleasure. Ones who are married do it only with each other as a special bond. Ones that are unmarried only are interested in reproducing. And we only allow that once every hundred years."
Terra's eyes expanded again as she gaped at the esper. She hesitated a moment. "…We aren't going to observe that, are we?"
Bahamut, still in a playful mood, felt like cracking a smile.
"What do you think?"
An hour later, Bahamut was back in the best position he enjoyed…lying with Terra resting against him. It didn't matter that both were now much warmer than they had been out that morning. Every touch he had with her was special. Their hair was spread out long and fierce in the area, and the bed was a bit wrecked. At long last, he fully understood why Starlet and Odin had been so distant after the first time, and why she and Leviathan became totally monogamous with regards to it. They were right…it was a special feeling. It was a feeling he only wanted to share with this wonderful woman. The fact that he had never done it until now…it made him feel like he and Terra now had something sacred and beautiful between each other. Even now, he felt so light-headed and relaxed, feeling Terra's naked body against his for the first time. It was such a strange feeling… It made him feel apart from the world, in some special place just with her.
Terra had fallen asleep with a smile on her face, resting against Bahamut's chest. He slowly stroked her hair and felt her heart beat against his own flesh. He watched her as her body slowly rose and fell…and just smiled. They were together. They'd be together forever. It made him feel so warm inside…so full of happiness and joy. He couldn't help but feel happy all the time. It seemed wrong that everything could be so right. Things were never this perfect…and yet he felt that they were. Things were just going to get better. Thinking of everything that was to come…holding her hand as she gave birth to their first child…going out eating and dancing every anniversary…resting with each other on the porch every evening just to watch the sun set…
Bahamut watched it get dark out, and saw the snow continue to fall outside. But he didn't close his eyes or sleep. How could he sleep? Feeling Terra rise and fall against him was such a wonderful feeling, he felt too happy to ever sleep again. Everything in his life until now seemed like a gray shadow to what was going on right now. There was nothing better in the whole wide world. As hours went by, he just continued to fill with excitement of what their lives would be like from now on. Nothing else mattered. Here was heaven. Here was paradise. Everything he could ever want or need was right here. He felt so complete and content… He had to stay awake and just think of it. After all…maybe it was just another dream in the Lifestream. Maybe, when he awoke, he would be dead again. But if he was asleep…he never wanted to wake up ever again.
Gradually, they both cooled down. They had neglected to build a fire in their earnest to begin, and it grew cold in the room again after a few hours. Bahamut didn't let Terra go. He continued to hold her against him. Instead, he used his telekinesis to pull up the blankets and covers around them as it grew chillier, and covered the both of them. The esper pulled her closer so that he could lower his face over her head, and inhale her wonderful smell. He kissed her on the top of her scalp, and then rested his own head on top of hers. He closed his eyes and at last tried to sleep. The sooner he slept…the sooner he would awaken to the next day of their lives together…
Bahamut wasn't sure if he went to sleep that night. But he did hover into a state of half sleep, in which the thoughts of the day just begin to morph into dreams. Everything seemed sharper here and more detailed, as he played one great account of him and Terra together after another. He even saw her back in Terratopolis with him…on their wedding day. Thousands of espers cheered below as the courtyard was filled with white and silver flowers. Bells rang and beautiful songs were sung as the two of them were joined. Terra looked like a queen…she was a queen. She was now Queen of All Espers. She was clothed in radiant white, in a beautiful grand dress. Bahamut slowly rested a seven spired tiara on her own head as he drew back her veil and kissed her deeply. Yet as he kissed her…he sensed danger in the crowd. He sensed dark intentions and wickedness…people thinking bloodthirsty thoughts from within the espers. It grew so bad that Bahamut was forced to look away from his glorious bride and turn his attention to the gathering. But he couldn't see them. He knew they were there…but he couldn't see them. They were sneaking throughout it…so clear that he could taste their energies. They seemed to stand out more than anything else. And they kept maneuvering through, just dodging Bahamut's gaze…hiding in the crowd of smiling, applauding faces. Then…he heard them strike. He didn't see them exactly, but he heard a high-pitched scream…
A little girl's scream…followed by dogs barking…
Slowly, Bahamut opened his eyes and shook off his slumber. But as the image of his wedding day vanished…the evil remained. The dark intentions stayed in front of him, stretched out before his view. He felt Terra beginning to stir as well at his side. He looked and saw out the window in front of him. Through the fogged glass…he saw torchlight…and heard movement. But most of all, he still heard the screams and the dogs barking. It was that which was waking Terra up now. At once, he realized what was happening.
We're being attacked…
Athena…
Terra pulled herself off Bahamut in a panic…and just in time. Before she could turn to him and ask what was going on, the esper, not caring that he was nude, leapt out of the bed, and lunged right for Athena's scream. It didn't matter that a wall was in his way…he smashed right through the wall, ripping out mortar, logs, paneling, and everything else as he seemed to explode out of the house. Half of it was destroyed in a tremendous cacophony of noise and debris, as Bahamut charged out of his room and plunged into the cold night.
The attackers, wielding torches and draped in shadow, could only turn and look to this in shock and fear as the man erupted from his dwelling. They all felt dark and evil…but Bahamut ignored them all. He was already looking ahead…his gaze turning to fury and rage and his eyes burning with his own bloodlust. He scanned five forms ahead of him…in the children's house. They were surrounding one of the children's signatures, while the dogs and other kids were drawing back, and beginning to cry and scream as well. However…Athena's screaming abruptly stopped…and Bahamut sensed her energy take a nosedive. On seeing that, Bahamut's body seemed to turn as cold as the snow he now plowed through…
No…
Then…his anger suddenly exploded…and he gave a bestial roar as he charged forward and punched right through the children's house's wall. Again, debris smashed down on him from all sides, and logs and mortar were thrown everywhere as a blast of hot air hit his face. Covered with grime and building matter, he plunged into the home through his own hole and stood there, glaring at the situation.
Everyone in that room had froze. The children were huddled in the back with the two dogs barking their heads off at the people ahead. On their part, they turned around and glared in terror at the new monster that had come down on them. Bahamut saw them…and realized they all were monsters. They were dressed and armed like men, but they were all various creatures. A gargoyle like being…a bizarre blob-shaped beast…an insect-like creature… All of them were bearing the same insignia on their armor. And on seeing it…Bahamut's brain, so blinded by his happiness until now…began to register what he had seen and almost forgotten. What he had saw when he first awakened… But for now, that was forgotten again…as he saw the gargoyle holding an unconscious Athena in one arm…her head gushing blood from the back…and poised to eat her.
Bahamut's boiling anger made his muscles bulge. Within a heartbeat, he was in the midst of the creatures. His hand now grasped the head of the gargoyle in a fist, and he crushed inward until he heard the gargoyle begin to bellow in pain. Then…he tightened it. He wanted to hear it scream in agony. The monster dropped Athena to the ground, who fell lifelessly.
Bahamut seethed and glared at the creature with a look that would kill a coward.
"You…filthy maggot…" He bellowed in his full esper voice. "You dare…to come into my house…violate my children!"
The thing couldn't respond, being in such mind-numbing agony. Bahamut snarled again, and then tightened his fist. The skull was crushed in his hand, and the brains gushed through the cracks of his fist as he totally closed it around the monster's head.
Somehow, the fools around him snapped out of it. One of them hesitated, but then swung a crude blade at Bahamut. The esper swung around and snapped the blade with one swing of his backhand. After that…he plunged his fist into the creature's chest, puncturing the sternum, seizing its heart, and then ripping it out from its chest. He then proceeded to drive the thing's own heart through its skull. The blob tried to do something next, but its odd shaped appendage, barbed with poisonous claws, swung against Bahamut's back and failed to even chaff him. Bahamut turned around at it when it did this, bloodlust still blazing. The thing was only able to give a mild cry before Bahamut drove his nails into the thing and ripped it cleanly in half.
The other two creatures, by now, screamed in terror and turned to run. Bahamut was on one before he could take more than a single step away from him. He sank his teeth into his neck and ripped out half of the veins, arteries, tendons, and spine with one mighty tear. He dropped the thing to fountain its blood over the floor, and caught up to the other before it got more than two steps. He seized it by the back, driving his nails in, making sure to snap the spine in its lower back as he dug his bloody hands in to get a good grip, and then threw the creature so hard he punctured another massive hole through the building in the direction he wanted to go. After the quite dead creature landed, and was half buried by the resulting rubble, Bahamut leapt out of the opening and back into the snowy night.
The whole span of events, from Bahamut's yell to his evacuation of the house,had taken less thanfive seconds. Now, Bahamut was out in the cold snow, his body steaming from the fresh blood that now covered it. His muscles were still bulging with bloodlust and rage, and his anger was fully awakened. Only because he was so used to being a human did he not revert into Neo Bahamut. The remaining creatures, still petrified from what had happened, gaped at him in shock. They quivered with terror at the monster they now saw, fresh from killing their brethren. Terra finally managed to look out the hole in her own house, and gaped in astonishment at how Bahamut looked. His full glory and passion had returned. He was now the great esper again.
One of the creatures finally risked attacking. It spit its horrible poison at Bahamut, hoping to burn him with its acid. Bahamut let the foul substance land on him and burn his tender flesh…and didn't even cry. Instead, he was on this creature immediately. It only had time to gape a moment before Bahamut wiped a gob of the poison off of his chest with two fingers, and then drive both of the fingers through the creature's eye sockets, blinding it and piercing its own brain with the acidic venom. He let the creature live long enough to scream in agony, before seizing both halves of its reptilian jaw and yanking back, turning the thing inside out.
A torch bearing one came up next, brandishing a spear, and attempted to jab the esper. Bahamut easily sidestepped it, reached out, and broke both arms of the thing. As it faltered and cried out in pain, he seized the torch and spear from him. He flung the torch onto the nearby woodpile for the children's house.After doing so, he turned back to the creature, and yanked it off the ground with one hand. He then took up the spear and drove it through the monster. But he made sure not to puncture anything vital…just drive it into more agony. After that, he turned and threw the creature, on the end of the spear, into the woodpile and pin it there, against the burning wood. He then turned asit screamed, leaving it to slowly roast alive.
Now, the last three of the attackers were terrified. They turned and began to run, headed for the break in the barrier. Evidently, they had the intelligence to smash it down while the others were sleeping. But they didn't get far. Bahamut lunged forward, and in a single bound reached the first. He swung his hand once, and roughly cut the creature in half, throwing its blood everywhere. He caught up to the next one with another bound. He picked it up by the head, put his other hand beneath the divide in its legs, and then crushed the creature together like a paper bag. He tossed the bloody mess to one side, and then glared at the last one. This one…he hesitated on. As Terra threw on her shoes and coat, he glared at him and watched him escape through the break in the barrier, and then charge into the trees surrounding them. Soon, he had vanished beyond them, and had left the area silent.
Only then did Bahamut key in on his terrified heartbeat, and shot into the air with his auto-aero technique. Soon, he rocketed after him far faster than the creature could run, outstripping it within a matter of seconds. He left his own home far behind for the moment, descending into the dark cold night. However, he kept his gaze on the creature. Once they were both far enough, and close to a small lake nearby that was made by the spring where he and Terra got their fresh water, he halted. Immediately, he dove down to the ground after him.
A moment later, and Bahamut landed right in the path of the terrified beast. It screamed out in terror and froze in its tracks. Its eyes went wide, and it gaped at the terrible esper as it soiled itself. Bahamut glared at it with unmerciful hate. After letting it be paralyzed with fear for a moment, he reached out and seized the thing by the neck. He closed it to cut off the thing's air, but didn't snap the neck or kill it. He merely hoisted it off the ground, and let it dangle in mid-air for a moment.
Then, the esper, look dark and unforgiving, turned and marched over to the nearby lake. It was dark and quiet out here, and the lake itself was covered with thick ice as well as several inches of snow from the recent storm. The esper, not caring about the freezing snow clinging to his skin, marched right out onto the ice without thought of anything, still holding the creature in his grip. He waited until he walked right out into the center of it. Once there, he finally halted. The esper turned and glared at the creature in his grasp one more time. Then…with tremendous force, he swung him around and down and smashed his body through the snow and ice, and flung the creature into the freezing lake.
Huge fragments of snow and ice flew up everywhere as the beast was flung into the body of water. Bahamut glared down at him mercilessly as he did so. The lake was only about fifteen feet deep, but the creature, despite the resistant medium, was thrown all the way to the bottom. He held there a moment, but then pushed off and began to come for the surface again. However, as he made to bring his already oxygen starved lungs over the top, he ran into a surprise. The top had already frozen over again, and it was already too thick for him to punch through with his lack of reinforcement. Gaping in terror from beneath the ice, the suffocating, freezing creature began to pound desperately against it.
Bahamut glared at him calmly in response. He let him struggle for about ten seconds. Then, he slowly and calmly bent down next to him. When he did, he spoke very slowly and controlled to the struggling beast. And he made sure that he projected a mental message with it, so that the creature got him.
"Alright…you have three choices. One, you can keep flinging yourself against that sheet of ice uselessly until you use up all your air and suffocate. Two, you can hang out down there until your body shuts down due to hypothermia and freezes. Three…you can answer my question, and I might just bother to yank you out of there. Nireevyou sent you, didn't he?"
The thing was panicking at this point, and was on the point of going into spasms. However, somehow, he managed a frantic nod from under the ice.
Bahamut gave a slow nod in response, and then punched through the ice and seized the creature by the shoulder. With one mighty pull, he yanked him back up and out of the frozen lake and onto the surface again. The thing gasped for air the moment it did, hungrily drawing in breaths. Yet it could only catch its breath for a few moments. It was soaked to the bone, and soon its began to turn pale. Its lips turned blue, and it began to shake uncontrollably. It was obviously slipping into severe hypothermia in the icy air…but that was no longer Bahamut's concern. He merely stood up and glared down on it as it shivered violently in the foot of snow around it.
"Assuming you live another three minutes…much less the rest of the night…" Bahamut darkly answered. "And assuming you don't lose both of your legs and arms to frostbite…you go back to your master. You tell him that I turned his attackers into blood and splinters…and that he's next."
With that, Bahamut darkly turned around and began to march back to his home. He left the creature there to curl into a ball and struggle to warm itself.
To be continued...
