I'm bringing you an update today which is a long chapter! And for CupcakeKamidere, thanks again for your first review here!
EDIT: Sorry, forgot the separators...
Wishes, Dreams, and Memories
Chapter 25 – Dreams of Flying
"Dodge!" Frey called out to Pico and Lest, who quickly moved out the way as the flying monster flew towards them.
Frey tried to restrict the monster's movement by using her earth magic to create rock pillars around it, but they were skillfully dodged as it dived down to strike her. Frey jumped out of the way and pulled out her spear, barely poking the monster's wings. The monster took off and headed away from her, heading towards Lest and Pico instead.
"Frey!" Lest called out as he and Pico dodged and incoming tackle from the monster, "I know this monster! I've fought it before! It's Ambrosia, Amber's monster form!"
"I knew it," Frey switched her spear with her hammer, "The corrupted rune energy has strengthened the monsters, including the ones which should've been sent to the forest. The monsters the Guardians were fused with are controlling their actions right now."
"So… what should we do to bring them back?" Lest asked before noticing the hammer Frey was holding as well as her battle stance, "Is fighting… our only choice?"
"I don't really want to fight Dolly's friends but…" Pico went to her position between Lest and Frey, "I want to save them, so Dolly won't be sad for losing someone else."
"Frey… Pico…" Lest looked at the two girls before nodding confidently and turned to the monster with his short sword in his right and a shield on his left, "Let's go!"
Ambrosia raised both of its arms above its head as the three charged at it, ready for the incoming attack. Butterflies of various colors flew from behind the monster, flying towards the three fighters. Frey side-stepped to her right and used her wind magic to try and blow away some of the butterflies, only to have a few of them aimed at Pico and Lest.
Pico spun around with her hands spread out, slapping away the butterflies into every direction while Lest kept on charging towards Ambrosia while blocking the butterflies with his shield. When he was only a few centimeters apart from the butterfly monster, Lest swung his sword to strike it, only to be dodged as Ambrosia had spun out of the way.
Little did it notice that it had spun towards Frey's hammer, landing a hard hit on the back before it was sent flying towards the wall. Lest took the chance to land a weak blow across the monster's chest with his sword, tearing a minor wound with some dark energy pouring out of the wound. A spot of light came after, swallowing the entire room as voices and images came into the three's heads.
"Wow… The sky is so pretty!" A green-haired girl was standing on top of a green hill as she looked at the clear sky while spreading her arms, "I want to fly… I want to fly in the pretty sky!"
"There you are, big sis!" A little girl with similar hair color ran towards the older girl, "My mama and papa are looking all over the town for you!"
The older girl turned with a smile, revealing herself to be Amber, "Okay, but can I stay here a little longer?"
"Big sis!" The little girl stomped her feet in annoyance, "Come on! Let's go back to my mama and papa so I can go out to play!"
"Okay, Erin," Amber took the girl's hand, "When we get back, let's play together."
The girl, Erin, was jumping for joy before she hugged Amber, "You're the best, big sis!"
"What… what was that…?" Lest looked around as the light faded, only to be knocked to the ground hard.
"Lest!" Frey and Pico called out before the monster flew towards both of them.
Ambrosia charged towards Frey and tried hitting her with its arms and legs, but Frey managed to block all the attacks single-handedly using her empty hands. The female Earthmate countered with a few punches before pushing it backwards with her rolling strike combination towards an expecting Pico. The ghost's own punches managed to send Ambrosia back to Frey, who delivered a hard blow to send it flying.
Lest, now completely aware of the resuming fight, switched his short sword and shield with his dual blades. He charged towards Ambrosia, which had taken off once more to spread some colored gas. Lest kept on charging to land a few slashes on it, but the gas had covered his sight completely that his attacks had missed.
"Lest, get out of there!" Frey yelled worriedly, "It's the sleeping gas!"
Lest quickly ran out of the area just in time, but the drowsiness he had from being there too long made him unable to withstand Ambrosia's incoming sonic wave. The attack had pushed him out of the way as well as making himself too dizzy to even stand, but Frey was quick enough to hold him before he fell on his back.
Frey carefully put Lest on a sitting position on the ground before she charged in with her hammer once more. Her hammer swings made contact with Ambrosia's arms and legs, which were ready to block the heavy weapon's incoming attacks. As the two were exchanging blows, a series of fireballs struck Ambrosia's side, knocking it out from the close combat.
Lest had supported himself by stabbing his long sword to the ground while he fired some fireballs towards Ambrosia. While its attention was turned towards Lest, Pico took the chance for a quick tackle while Frey threw her spear towards the monster. The ghost girl's attack could be dodged easily, but it led itself getting stabbed by the spear on the shoulder.
Lest pushed his long sword before taking it by the hilt and slowly dragged it as he charged towards the butterfly monster. The hazel-haired Earthmate ignored the stinging pain as a few colorful butterflies Ambrosia had sent him covered his arms and slowly raised his long sword for a giant swing. He put the weight of his body to his right foot as he swung his sword towards the butterfly monster while sending a few smaller butterflies off his arms.
The attack connected to its abdomen and the force had sent it back to the ground with more dark energy pouring out of the wound. The three kept their guards up as the monster was getting up, but the same spot of light came from the wound as well and covered the whole field once more.
"You are an orphan?" A big green dragon looked down at Amber, who was standing on the grassy land in front of the dragon, "I have assumed that Erin truly is your sister, and her parents are your actual parents. The two of you look so similar that I had assumed so and that was the reason I had Erin to take you back home when I found you."
"No, we're both orphans from different families," Amber looked at the dragon with a smile, "We just happened to have similar hair color."
"I see," The dragon slowly nodded, "My apologies for the wrong conclusion."
"That's okay, because they're really my family now," Amber replied in her usual cheerful tone, "How about you, Ven? Don't you have any friends and family?"
"H-Huh?" The dragon looked at her in confusion, "What did you just call me?!"
Amber let out a giggle, which confused the dragon even further, "I like the nickname 'Ven', you know. It's cute and it's much shorter than 'Ventuswill'."
"You can't just address a dragon god whatever you like!" The dragon, Ventuswill, protested as she ducked down to the girl's level, "I'll eat you, you hear me?"
A frown suddenly replaced Amber's smile, "I'm sorry if you don't like it…"
The sudden frown had earned the sympathy of the dragon god, "W-Wait! It's not that I don't like it! It's just…" Ventuswill let out a defeated sigh, "Okay, you can call me anything you want. Just not anything that sounds not majestic or silly for a god, okay?"
"Don't worry, Ven," The smile returned to Amber's face, "I think the name 'Ven' suits you well."
Amber's attention turned to Ventuswill's wings on the dragon's side. Amber was looking at them with expectant eyes before Erin had surprised her from behind.
"What's going on?" Frey looked around the field as the images had faded from her head, 'Was that… a memory?'
"Look out!" Frey was too occupied in her own thoughts that she didn't notice a group of small butterflies coming her way.
Lest pushed Frey out of the way before the butterflies pushed him against the wall. The attack didn't damage him much, but it was powerful enough for a group of butterflies against a grown man. The group of butterflies split into two groups heading to the sides before reuniting as a group once more. The butterflies lined up to form a fist-like shape to strike, but Lest had rolled himself away before he could get hit.
The impact was strong enough to cause a smokescreen to cover the area around Lest, which left him prone to attacks from the outside. Knowing the fact, Lest used his dual blade combo attack in order to protect himself from any possible attacks coming from any directions. A silhouette slowly became visible to the hazel-haired Earthmate, but not in the shape that was recognizable to him.
Frey was standing near the smokescreen area, blocking Ambrosia from attacking Lest in a barely blinded state. Just as the monster was slowly approaching her, Frey raised her hammer over her head before bringing it down to the ground. The hammer's impact was hard enough to create a small crater as Ambrosia had flown away to safety before charging back towards Frey.
Lest came out of the smoke and kicked the monster away from Frey, who was struggling to take out her hammer. Pico chipped some damage in while Lest was approaching the fallen Ambrosia, only to be knocked away by the monster. It was too late for the butterfly monster to react when Lest was only a few centimeters apart with his dual blades ready.
Lest landed several slashes with both of his swords as he spun around while leaving the monster barely able to dodge. The Earthmate ended his combo with a spinning slash and a kick to the side at the end of the spin to send it back to the ground. More dark energy poured out, followed by another spot of light.
"Yay! This is so much fun!" Amber yelled in excitement as she sat on Ventuswill's back while they were flying.
"I-I'm scared…" Erin was hiding her face in Amber's back while tightly hugging her from behind.
Ventuswill let out a laugh, "Come on, don't be afraid! Just enjoy the wind blowing on your face!"
"I don't wanna! I want to go home!" Erin cried in fear.
"It's okay, Erin," Amber slightly turned to her back, "Ven isn't going as fast as she used to be now. You don't need to worry about falling."
"H-Huh? What do you mean I'm not as fast as I used to be?" Ventuswill asked in panic, "I'm going with the usual speed!"
"We can get down now if you're easily tired, Ven," Amber told the dragon god, "We can fly faster when you're not that tired anymore."
There was a slight pause before Ventuswill gave her reply, "Alright… we're heading down now."
'Another memory…' Frey thought as she looked at the monster, which was slowly getting up, 'It turns out just as I feared…'
Ambrosia let out a loud roar before it quickly charged and tackled Frey off her feet and straight towards the wall. The monster's sonic wave became wider and stronger, easily pushing Pico and Lest towards the wall as well. Frey was barely conscious, but the monster didn't take the easy target and headed for the still-ready Lest instead.
Lest switched into his short sword and shield combination once more before raising his shield to block Ambrosia's swift arms and legs from hitting him. A powerful push managed to knock his shield's position to the side before a single kick knocked him back a few meters. The Earthmate switched his short sword for a longer one as the monster was quickly approaching him.
Lest put all his might into a single powerful swing, only to be dodged easily due to the poor aim. The sword landed on Lest's other side, leaving his back exposed for an easy attack. Just as Ambrosia was about to punch him, the monster was knocked by a series of dark balls coming from Frey. As the monster was recovering, Lest created a few light balls around him to protect him while he fought in close distance.
Frey showered Ambrosia with a series of magic attacks while Lest and Pico were heading towards the monster. A rock pillar pushed it from behind and towards two water lasers followed by a series of wind cutters and a big fire ball to knock it off balance. Just as it was about to hit the ground, another rock pillar pushed the helpless monster back up.
Pico followed the attack with a combination of slaps and kicks before throwing it towards Lest. Lest swung his sword with both hands, landing a few strikes at the front before putting all the weight into his left foot and dealt the last blow with a powerful spinning slash. The impact from the sword's swing had sent the monster flying towards the wall.
The monster's limp body glowed in white light as it fell from the crumbling wall before the butterfly monster's form changed back into human form.
"Big sis, is this really what you want to do?" Erin asked Amber as they stood in the middle of a forest.
Amber gave her a firm nod, "If this is to save Ven, I'll do it. I'll become the next Guardian."
"But we're so close!" Erin protested, "You don't have to do this! I can find another way to help Ven!"
Amber shook her head before approaching the younger girl and gave her a hug, "I'm sorry, but it's just as you told me before. There isn't much time left."
"But…"
"Aren't you happy, Erin?" Amber asked with her usual smile, "Aren't you happy to finally see your birth parents? To know that you're truly needed in this world?"
"I need you too, big sis… Aren't we a family?" Erin was looking at Amber with tears in her eyes.
"We are," Amber nodded, "Ven is our family too and I'm the only one who can do this."
"What about me? I can be a Guardian too!" Erin gave her protests, but Amber shook her head.
"No, because you're the only one who can turn someone into a Guardian," Amber gave her one last smile, "Please, Earthmate. I want to help Ven in my own way, and you to help her with your knowledge."
"I…" Erin wiped her tears as she stretched her arms in front of her, "I will never forget you, Big Sis Amber. I promise, I will help Ven so you can wake up from your sleep soon."
"Um…" Amber let out a quiet groan as she slowly opened her eyes, seeing the three familiar faces above her.
"Are you okay now?" Pico asked as Amber slowly sat up.
Amber looked around in confusion, "Where am I?"
"Don't worry, you're safe now. That monster isn't going to haunt you anymore," Frey answered, but Amber was still confused about one thing.
"What… monster?" Amber asked in confusion.
"Um… it's-"
"We'll explain later," Frey cut off Lest's answer before turning to him, "We don't have much time left."
"Okay but…" Lest turned back to the confused Amber, "What about her? Can we send her back somehow?"
"No, things should be fine here," Frey looked around the area, "The corrupted runes are at a safe level here, but we can't get her out with escape magic as long as the runes are still corrupted."
"If I should stay here, then I'll stay," Amber went back to her feet and smiled, "I don't know what's going on and what you're all doing, but good luck!"
Lest nodded and smiled back, "Don't worry, we will."
The three left the room, leaving Amber alone in the room. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, trying to enjoy herself on her own in the room. It was until a voice was heard in her head once more. It was the same voice she had heard previously.
"Amber," A butterfly-like monster spoke up in front of Amber.
"Huh? Who are you?" Amber asked in confusion.
"I… have no name…" The monster answered, "I am only a monster who stayed in a human body just because that human requested me to do so."
"You…" Amber was confused at first, until she remembered something, "Oh! You're the monster who was fused with me, right?"
"Correct," The monster replied shortly, "I have to apologize for taking over your body, after I was consumed by the corrupted runes myself. For that, I do not deserve to stay with you anymore. It is best so that I will not harm any more of your friends."
"Okay…" Amber gave the monster a nod, "But… isn't it sad to have no name at all?"
The monster went silent for a moment, "I appreciate your concern, but it is how it should turn out to be."
"I want to give you a name," Amber's words had surprised the monster, "You're also my friend for a long time, so I want to give you a name."
"I have no need for a name, but I will allow you to give me one," The monster replied.
"From now on, your name will be 'Bless'," Amber replied with a smile.
"My name is… Bless?" The monster asked.
Amber gave the monster a nod, "I miss my old friends and life, but I like my current one. If I didn't meet you then, I won't be able to meet new friends. That's why you're blessing me a new life and new friends."
"I see…" The monster, Bless, responded, "Then I, Bless, shall be leaving you to your new life and friends," Bless slowly disappeared from Amber's sight, leaving her on her own.
"Goodbye Bless, my old friend…"