Barren Cross Ch. 8
Disappear
I covered my face with my hand as Nunnally once again clung on to Anne's leg once she saw her. I couldn't help but ask her of all the stupid things that she could've done, why did she jump in the portal to Altera? Even if I was slightly bit angered, I found her answer to my question amusing. "My brother always wanted me to travel around and so I followed you for some adventure!" she said to me. I honestly didn't know for how long she prepared for the travel. She had a bag full of stuff from Earth. It was as if she was planning on going with us to Altera ever since the day that I first met her. I asked Maya if Anne coming over to Altera would cause an imbalance to the dimensions, and luckily she said no.
Seeing us emerge from the portal, Priestess Madeline ran to us and asked us if the portal didn't work (it did). Then she told us that it was only a second ago that we entered the portal. It was as if we never left! I looked at Maya as her herself was in a confused state. So she took out the dimension key along with the letter from the head doorman that contained the request. We read through the letter together but Maya didn't bother to read the bottom part labelled with a postscript. We didn't find any answer in the main letter so I got curious about the postscript note. Then she told me a story of how the head doorman always put something stupid on the bottom of the postscripts that he sends. Maya stopped reading it after she gave the head doorman a beating for sexually harassing her with the postscript. It made sense but I asked her if we could read it since the answer might be there. And even though she said that it was a slim chance of that happening, it did. "P.S. Give this letter and key to Tristitia. Since he's a guardian he needs to have it in case any monster or dragon escapes into another dimension. Please, I don't want the silver dragon to get on my case again! –Fluffles (Head Doorman)" After reading everything, Maya hesitated to give me the key. And to be honest, I didn't care if she gave it to me or not. But after clearing her doubts, Maya gave me the key. There was one problem though… how in the world do I use this.
Maya gave me a step by step instruction on using the key. I thought that it was going to be easy. I was wrong. First, the key bearer must have an expedient amount of mana. Second, the user can only go to places that have something that needs to be fixed or destroyed. Third, a dimension that has already been visited can be visited again. Fourth, the user must have something from the world he wants to revisit in order to do so. Fifth, TRY not to meet another self in other dimensions unless it is crucial or necessary that the user does. Otherwise calamity will befall the user's party and the purpose which they came in the dimension in the first place. So basically, all I have to do is force some mana into the key and it will take me to the dimension I need to be in or want to be in. This was more painful than what I initially thought.
I had the key dangling around my neck as Nunnally, Anne and I headed back home. And on our way there, we ran into Sun. Anne jumped in excitement being the earthling that she was. She took out her camera and took pictures of Sun. "Yay! It's a real elf!" she squealed happily. Sun being confused by everything that was happening, asked me what was going on? It took me a while to explain everything to her. However in all of that confusion, I think I forgot something really important.
I remembered that important thing after arriving home. Anne couldn't speak or understand our language. Anne zoomed in the house and tried to introduce herself to my mother, and of course my mother couldn't understand a word she spoke. After I've implanted our language in Anne's mind, she made everyone in the room laugh when she asked a question. "Say Blaze! Is she your wife?" I pinched the ridge of my nose to stop laughing and told her that she was mistaken. "Anne, this is our mother. She is currently 34 years of age." I had told her. She complimented my mother of how young she looked. Anne thought my mother was still in her early twenties.
We spent the entire afternoon trying to explain everything to mother. Supper was drawing near, so I took Anne to the guest room right next to mine. She amazed me of how prepared she was. She came with clothes and everything. And after I've helped her settle in, mother entered my room with a cheery look on her face. She sat down right next to me on my bed and said something confusing. "If you're always this exposed to women, I'm starting to wonder if poor Yuni has a chance against them." I never understood her words. I regretted not understanding her words within weeks.
While Anne was still in her room, I went down because there was one more question lying in my head. Why and how did Nunnally change into a sword back on Earth? Nunnally was sitting down beside mother, helping her knit a sweater for Sorrow. She turned around and gave me a bright smile. However no matter how bright her smile was, I could still see and sense the sorrow that's in her. As I began to approach them Nunnally's smile dimmed. "Why didn't you ask me to help?" I asked mother and Nunnally. They looked at me in confusion. "The sweater I mean."
"Oh! Well we started as soon as you came back since you were busy with your 'friend.'" My mother told me emphasizing the word "friend."
"I have some idea on what we could embroider on Sorrow's sweater."
"Great! What do you want on his sweater?"
"A dragon… and a sword."
I saw Nunnally flinch by the corner of my eye. The fact that she was able to turn into a sword still bothered her. It irked me so I stopped stalling and went straight to the question.
"Why can Nunnally turn into a sword?" I asked mother in all seriousness. Then mother put down her knitting needles and looked at Nunnally with a very comforting smile.
"I took Nunnally in as my own child after the siege had ended. However, I already had her even before you were born Yahiro. She has a twin sister who was always stuck with your father. They were always in our quests." Mother had concluded.
"Wait, so does that mean that Nunnally is actually my bigger sister?" I had to ask.
"Let me finish… I'll give you 2 hints. First the first question you asked was wrong. Second, her twin is still in the room with us." As soon as mother said this, Nunnally and I began to look around the room as hard as we could, yet we couldn't. Mother sighed. "The question you asked earlier. 'Why can Nunnally turn into a sword?' was not the right question."
"Then what is the right question."
"'Why can Nunnally turn into a human?' is the right question" Mother told us to which confused me even more. "At the day of the siege five years ago… Nunnally's twin was with your father even till his final breath. I took Nunnally and her twin home and left her twin there. Then there was this ogre that was holding some glowing stone. And when I killed the ogre, the stone it held flew and fused in with Nunnally. Or maybe I should start calling you by your real name… Tilith…" I was in a state of shock as mother concluded the puzzle with a name that seemed so familiar. I looked at Nunnally who was gazing at mother with teary eyes.
"So, you're basically saying that—"
"Yes." Mother cut me off.
Now I finally grasped Nunnally's identity. Her and her twin stood side by side along with my parents. A sword used by my mother, and her twin was used by my father and now currently by my side. They were swords refined at the same time, swords with a silver edge and the strength of a thousand blades.
"So that means I'm not human at all… I'm just a tool for killing…" Nunnally told me as she looked at me with a distressful smile. I never imagined that a nine-year-old child would be as sensitive as her. The discovery affected her mental state too much, and I didn't want to erase her memory as well. So mother and I knelt down and wiped her tears away. "Do you feel sad?" I asked.
"Yes." She answered
"Do you love mother and me?"
"Yes."
"Then you're human."
She looked at me with a confused look
"Humans are characterized by being able to commune and express emotions, think for themselves, to breathe, to love, to smile, to cry. So I you can do these things, then you can consider yourself human." As I said these words, I began to realize that I was starting to lose all of those things.
"No matter what you are, your brother and I will love you as our own nonetheless." My mother said to her as she looked at me too.
Nunnally held us in her arms and thanked me for assuring her that she wasn't just a tool for murder, assuring her that she was one of them… human. I couldn't feel whether to be happy or sad. I was truly losing my ability to feel completely. My lips couldn't bear a smile or a frown. I was beginning to be a void vessel of a monster I didn't realize was there.
The next day, I asked Nunnally and Mother if they could show Anne around Saint's Haven for me since I was going on a commission with Sun in Liverwort Marina. We rested in a secluded place we found in the dungeon we were in, and I stood watch. All was calm and cooler than what it usually is in the marsh, and then I sensed someone following us. I took Lilith out of her sheathe and told the pursuer to step out of the tree she had been hiding behind. And to our surprise, it was Anne. Anne didn't want to stay in the city on her first day in Altera so she followed us in the dungeon, which was SO terribly stupid. I told her this and she asked why. I had to explain to her how the dungeons in Altera worked. And as soon as she heard the word monsters she became more excited rather than terrified. I was at a loss for words. This girl was crazy! As we sat down and rested, my mind was at ease. That was until Sun told me something that I didn't want to hear, and I couldn't understand why. "Sorrow is in your eyes and not a single smile has cracked from your lips today. Is there something wrong Blaze?" she asked me with a fretful expression. I wanted to smile for her but I couldn't. Anne asked me the same thing, and I became overwhelmed with grief. I really wanted to smile again.
At that time, I was pulled into a void. Tristitia was there already waiting for me. There was something different from him because he had an atrocious aura. "Child, I will release the final seal." Tristitia told me.
"But you'll disappear and y—!"
"SHUT UP!" He responded with a more hostile tone. I became wary, "I'm not going to disappear… because you're going to give me your body."
I was confused. I got on guard.
"This seal is going to release the core of my power! ALL OF IT! And I'm not just about to give it to you. YOU FILTHY SCUM OF A HUMAN! I controlled you from the shadows all this time and it's time for me to take the control!" He yelled as he began attacking me inside the void.
I was really confused. So I only continued to dodge his attacks as we had a chat.
"Why are you doing this!?" I asked him.
"You're really an imbecile aren't you? Now that 'he's' gone, I can finally carry out my plan to destroy this world!"
"I don't get why you're doing this, but if that's your plan then I'm going to stop you!"
A battle had begun in my sub-consciousness as I had no idea what had begun happening outside of my body.
[Anne's POV]
Blaze was silent… until a smile cracked on his face; A horrid malicious smile. He looked at Sun and approached her, but there was something wrong with him. Sun had her back to Blaze when he raised his sword. So I ran to grab Sun out of the way. When he swung his sword, the only thing that was luckily sliced was my bag strap. He started to walk toward us with that evil grin. I was scared. Then he stopped walking as his grin disappeared into a painful expression on his face. I wanted to help him until he started talking to himself. He dropped his sword and grasped his head in agony. "NO! I CAN'T LET YOU HURT THEM!"
"HA! I'm taking control of this vessel so just go die off in my shadows!"
"Don't do this Tristitia! You're a guardian!"
"That's what she did to your minds! SHE ALTERED HISTORY THINKING I WOULD CHANGE!"
"Wha—?"
"Now go disappear!"
The conversation he had with himself was in dreadful screams as he destroyed everything around him.
He was on a rampage with himself, throwing spells here and there. He casted a spell that was completely alike to the spell the person he fought on Earth casted. One of the blades scratched mine and Sun's arms. It stung so terribly that I began to cry. More chains came on a rampage. Sun was brave enough and took me running as she protected me. She took more wounds that made her cry even more, yet I think she was crying for a different reason. Even though I've only met Sun recently, I already consider her as a friend. And I couldn't stand seeing two of my friends in pain.
"He's having a fight with his inner self" Sun told me.
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"Inside of us there is our polar opposite. Now Blaze is currently fighting with his."
I looked at Blaze in agony. He sprouted wings from his back and flew around trying to hit the wall as hard as he could.
"It pains me to see a friend in agony…" Sun added as a tear slowly fell from her eye.
[Yahiro/Blaze's POV]
This battle has been raging on inside, and I've hurt two of my friends in the process. I was really confused as to why Tristitia was doing this, but one thing was for certain. He absolutely cannot be allowed to take control of my body. Even if it means that he will disappear into oblivion. This is MY duty as a Guardian.
Changing him wasn't an option anymore. He's wounded Sun and Anne in this battle, it was time I ended it. Tristitia was getting really exhausted as the battle raged on, and so did I. one thing was to my advantage. I noticed that he was beginning to fade. His legs were barely visible and his attacks in the void were getting weaker and weaker while mine got stronger and stronger. "This is the taboo or giving you more than half of my power." He said, "It's getting more accustomed and absorbed to you. Therefore killing me." The battle still raged on even after he had said those words.
The battle was almost to a close when he grinned and said that even if he disappears, that the world was bound to be doomed by destruction. I bound his body in chains as he gave me the most confusing statement he has ever made. "I may be gone, but you will never escape fate that your God set up for you! There will come a day when that woman's spell will fade and alter history once more! You will be hated and killed! Heed my words… I actually wanted to change… but I couldn't… I'll miss you my friend." Then he faded into oblivion with a confused mind and heart.
I came back to reality feeling immense pain. My body felt as if it was burning and I felt my fangs grow a bit. I felt a burst of power released from my body as I transformed into a dragon. I grew twice as big as the manticore we fought in the past. My hands turned into massive arms with claws of dark colour. I had scales black as coal and a tail that I couldn't control correctly. I was in despair. I couldn't concentrate and I panicked. I didn't know how to turn back into my human form. Anne and sun stood behind a cover of trees as they looked at me with terrified eyes. I let out a mournful roar to the sky and prayed to God… "Why?"
I mourned and banged my head on a huge rock as I cried out. I didn't know what to do. Then finally I gave up trying. I lay on the mossy ground with nothing but despair and confusion. I began to think about Tristitia's final words, confused of why he tried to kill me of and destroy Altera as well as harm my friends. I sat there for three hours then Anne and Sun left my presence. And I don't blame them seeing as though I look like a monstrous ten ton flying lizard. I stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights. Every morning I woke up, I saw dead orcs and goblins on the ground where I lay my mouth. The smell was ecstatic so I took a bite out of the pile and was enticed by the taste. I didn't know if someone was giving this to me or if I killed them in my sleep. But either way, I was really thankful.
On the third night, I heard footsteps coming to my direction. I opened my eyes and saw some people bringing corpses of orcs and goblins. Then the person which appeared to be their leader laid his hand on my snout. "You poor thing. Your friends have left you because you've shown your colours." He was saying as he stroked my snout, "Yet one of your friends asked for our help to keep you safe and alive." Then he smiled at me. And as these people left, they stopped by a tree where a person with a hood over their head bowed and thanked them. After a few minutes of simply staring at me, that person had left as well. Once more I was alone in that dreary isolated place at the swamp. Cold, alone in the dark until that one bright light of sun shone on my face.
As the morning came and the sun was rising, I was still alone. For three days, I've only been eating orcs and goblins. Waiting, trying to figure out how I could turn myself back into human. Now a surprise came for me; it was Sun and Anne. They walked toward me from the trees, walking as their bodies were shaking in fear. Anne stopped halfway. "Why did you stop?" Sun asked her. Anne couldn't reply, so Sun just slowly continued to walk toward me as she was shaking more than when she was walking with Anne. I laid my head softly to the ground to calm them down but Sun was terrified and ran back to Anne. I let out a sorrowful groan. So Sun took another attempt, still shaking from fear. I closed my eyes pretending to fall asleep and both of their shaking eased a bit. After a few minutes of fearfully trying to approach me, Sun finally reached me.
Sun put her warm hand on my snout. Not only was her hand warm, her scent was magnificent as well. Sweet aroma of roses and freesias emitted from her. "I'm sorry…" she apologized, "Being taken over by some monster and disappearing must have been painful." I listened to her, "I lost my friend to a dragon, a harmless dragon at least." I was confused by her words. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "… And now he's gone, I don't know what happened to him. But, if Blaze was here I bet he would've gone on a quest with us again." I then took my left arm and wrote "I am Blaze" on the ground with my claws. Anne and sun smiled as a tear rolled down Anne's face. They apparently thought that I was consumed by a dragon, and they were relieved that I wasn't.
Then another person entered the scene, a familiar person. "Why are you a dragon in a place and time when it is so inappropriate?" Argenta asked me. I tried to talk but all I let out were groans. After a few seconds of silence, Argenta surprised me with a question. "So, you're trying to say that you don't know how you can turn back to your human form?" I nodded my head with a hopeful heart seeking a more complicated answer to all this. But then she asked me how stupid I was and told me something I didn't expect. "Concentrate, focus on what you want to do, I mean that is how you cast spells don't you?" I reached to the conclusion that I was indeed dumb… I was an idiot! An imbecile! How the heck did I not think of that!? After all those questions I remembered that I was a pessimistic thinker. When I turned into a dragon, I panicked and didn't rationalize and think. So I thought that I may never be able to turn back into a human. Then as soon as I transformed back, Argenta beat me to the ground. Anne and Sun couldn't do anything but watch as Argenta pulverized me to a pulp. She called it a "lesson" for me, that this is the consequence every time she finds me in a sorry state like I was in earlier. As she scolded me, she had a grin on her face while enjoyed beating me for half an hour.
When she was finally satisfied, she told me news that I was displeased of hearing. Geraint's dead. He got killed by Leviatha, the Sea Dragon which they sealed years ago. The seal was destroyed by a traitor in the royal court, Bishop Ignacio. Argenta went straight to the point and asked for the scroll Geraint had given me. When I gave her the scroll, she gave me another one. "This one is for you. Keep it safe no matter what." She told me, "I'm going to see Kasarana to find out where we can find the Green Dragon's lustre now that that idiot's gone. Anyway, I'll give your regards to Yuni." She then left us right then and there. I wanted to leave already. But even in all of that, my consciousness couldn't withhold itself.
I woke up at home. My whole body felt sore, even worse than when Argenta had just beaten the living ghost out of me. I tried to get up but I couldn't. There was a red liquid in a glass on the bedside table, and for some reason I was craving for it. I took a sip of it. Fortunately it wasn't poisonous. "How's the potion?" a person asked me as she came through my door and to my surprise, it was Sun. "By the way, you were sweating so much so Anne changed your clothes for you." She said to me as I tried to get up once again, only this time Sun stopped me. "Are you not afraid of me?" I asked her, yet all she did was smile in reply.
I found a note on my bedside table the eve of that day. Sun had already left, and everybody was downstairs eating supper. I finished the potion they gave me and went downstairs to join them. I sat next to Anne as mother looked at me with entertained eyes. She sighed as she stood up to serve me supper. Then I looked at Anne and noticed that her face was red, so I put my hand on her forehead to check her temperature yet she suddenly turned away. At that moment her face went redder. I guess she was still afraid of me.
I opened the note that was left on my bedside table and it said this: "Hi! I hope you already feel better in a couple of days. I'll be doing commissions with my friends Jay and Xam in your absence… forgive me for running away from you at that time. It was simply because I was frightened by the thought that I lost a friend. Or at least that's what I thought. Tell Anne sorry for me as well, for dragging her with me as I left. Oh and also tell her not to worry about what happened earlier. It was inevitable. When you're done recovering, meet us at Lotus Marsh. There's a girl named Kiwi in the town. She knows where I am most of the time I'm going to spend time in the marsh. Until we meet again. –Your dear friend, Sun." I followed Sun's instructions and told Anne exactly what Sun had written for me to say. However Anne simply just ran to her room with and even brighter red shade on her face. Mother sighed at me once and asked me if I knew what Anne did earlier and I said no. Then mother noted my clothing. "She changed your clothing for you." She inquired. It took me a while before I understood. My cheeks were warm with embarrassment.
I stayed home for a full two days. Each and every time I saw Anne, she always had a funny reaction whether it be hitting her head from being flustered or even plainly running to her room. I thought of it as somewhat adorable. That was until she accidentally punched me in the face when I ran into her in the halls. I invited Anne and Nunnally to go with me to Lotus Marsh. Though Anne was a wee bit hesitant, she still chose to come with us over staying in the city. Lotus Marsh was always a dreary place. It was humid and hot even if it was nearing winter, and it's always overcast. The town had very little human population. Only a few humans were there and most of them were Dromaji. Human-like creatures that have animal characteristics like their ears and tail, their sense of smell, their speed, and their instincts.
Anne couldn't help but take pictures of the people as well as the place, I found it gullible. I went around town and asked for a person named Kiwi just as Sun instructed me. I was directed to a small shop where a little Dromaji child stood in front of and sold the store's goods to travellers as well as the townspeople. We approached her to ask her about Kiwi and to our surprise, this girl was Kiwi. I was expecting more of a mature elven girl.
She welcomed us into the store after I asked her about Sun. Then she served us some tea out of red berries and a root from a tree while she told us to wait for her to come back to this place. So we waited. We waited seconds, minutes, and hours. I grew impatient and worried. I asked Kiwi where Sun could have gone, and told me that she went in the Ancient Archives from a commission she received from the archer trainer along with her two companions. And when I asked her where the Ancient Archives were, she had no clue. I wanted to look for Sun so I asked Anne and Nunnally if they wanted to come along. Naturally they said yes. Then to find out how to get to the Ancient Archives, I had to ask the archer trainer Ajari. She clicked her tongue when we introduced ourselves.
"Tch! Humans, what do you want?" she asked us.
"Greetings, I'm looking for an elf of the name Sun."
"What's her to you? Have you business with that adventurer?"
"Yes. I am a companion who wishes to join with her soon. Would you be so kind as to direct me to a place named Ancient Archives." I asked her kindly to which he refused.
"Why would I trust a humans like you?" she asked menacingly.
I leaned in close to her ear and whispered to her "Because I'm not human anymore."
She then pushed me away and looked me in the eye with the terror on her face. Then she told us the directions with a hesitant voice. Soon after, we thanked her properly by paying her gold and apologized for just asking her questions out of the blue. Then we left for the Ancient Archives.
I instructed Anne and Nunnally to stick as close to me as possible while I was emitting an ominous aura to keep the monsters away from attacking us as we passed through the Archive. Then we suddenly reached a dead end. However, there were voices and a battle going on the other side so I broke through the wall. That's when we found them. Ancient weapons were attacking them in the room where a trap triggers every fifteen seconds. Xam was beaten down by the trap while Sun and Jay strive to dodge both the trap and the attacks coming from the monsters and the machines. I casted chains and destroyed the weapons and the hostile machines. I advised Sun and Jay to retreat back with Xam and the others as I held the enemy there. They quickly grabbed Xam and ran for the previous room. Even though I emitted a great amount of mana, these monsters paid no heed to it. In the end, I had to destroy them all.
We camped outside the gates of the archives. Their wounds were not fatal so Jay and I were quickly able to heal them. I told Jay to stand guard at the encampment while I took Anne and Nunnally back to Lotus Marsh. I had Nunnally get on my back while I carried Anne in my arms and flew to Lotus Marsh. I paid Kiwi 20 pieces of gold to have them lodge at her shop until my return. As I flew back to the camp, monsters already raided. Jay and Sun defended the encampment while Xam lay unconscious. I summoned chains from the void and impaled most of the monsters out of their way. These fights have been bearable for me, but for Sun and the others these battles are too much. I healed them both and told them to rest as I stood guard. I emitted an ominous aura once more around us so that monsters wouldn't near us in the night.
I stayed up until morn. The sun had risen and the first one to awake from their slumber was Sun. "Did you sleep well?" I had asked her. She then smiled at me and said yes. Her smile enchanted me. I asked her what her commission was about and apparently the chief of a Dromaji tribe had gone missing. Not just any Dromaji tribe chief, it was the tribe chief that Sun asked to watch over me in the days that I was stupidly stuck as a dragon. I told her that I was going to help her out because I was indebted to both the chief and her. Then she enticed me with her smile once more.
As soon as Xam woke up and recovered, we went back to the archives to finish the job. The enemy weren't as hostile as yesterday, so we went through the dungeon without any problems except for the traps. With the aid of an entity guiding us through the archives, we reached the final chamber of the archives. There was an eerie presence in the chamber. As soon as we stepped into the chamber, the teleportation device deactivated and we were sealed inside. We were lured to an even more devastating trap, a trap set by the same entity. We were betrayed.
A giant mechanical cat fell from the ceiling and began to attack us. It spat fire and ice as well as a missile that could freeze a person's entirety. We had a hard time destroying the deleterious machine. Jay could barely block its attacks, Xam couldn't land a crucial blow on it, Sun's arrows kept on being deflected, and I was the centre of its attention. Its attacks were continuously beating us down. I took a serious blow and it threw me to a wall, knocking the breath out of me. In those moments I was about to get slashed by its claws, Sun pushed me back and the tip of a claw slashed her back. Her blood was seeping through my garments as I caught her while Jay finally caught the machine's centre of attention. I was in shock of what I had just witnessed. My friend was dying.
While Jay had the machine's attention, I focused on healing Sun. Her wound started closing, yet blood still flowed from the tip of her lips. I continued healing her as hard and as fast as I could while Xam and Jay fought the machine. She then looked at me and whispered words that broke me. "I don't want to disappear yet…" She closed her eyes and fell unconscious. "TAKE HER OUT OF HERE!" Jay shouted to me as he continued to fight the machine. I condemned the machine and wanted to destroy it. I took a health potion into my mouth and administered it to Sun. I laid her down as I drew my sword. My mind was clear with nothing but destruction.
I told Jay and Xam to get out of the way and take care of Sun. I was enraged by this monstrosity. I casted chains and impaled its limbs, pulled them each one of them apart bit by bit. It launched a missile for me but it didn't hinder me from tearing it apart piece by piece. I cut of its tail, its ears, eyes and lastly its neck. I was missing something… The presence was still there. I closed my eyes and looked for the presence and found it on a pedestal. I took my sword and walked toward it. When it had noticed that I knew where it was, it begged for forgiveness and to spare its life. I was unshaken. I had only one thing in mind. I raised my sword as I said one spiteful word. "Disappear."
