The snakes continued to rattle in an invisible struggle at Lance's face, the silent night filled with nothing but a slight clattering of metal. Soon, lowering the tension, the silver blue snakes crashed to the floor at Lance's feet, as if they had been glued to the floor. They seemed as if they would spring back to life any second, which rattled Lance's nerves as he swallowed a constantly growing lump in his throat. The night's coolness was ignored by everyone, and as time seemed to be close to running out, the struggles seemed to grow.
The faint glowing of Rick's palms never stopped. They were like a holy light come to remind Lance that nothing would end without a fight. Otoshiana's threatening red eyes revealed something deep as he gave a hard, secretive stare at Rick and his efforts to help his comrade.
"Why…?" Otoshiana muttered solemnly. "Why do you try so hard to assist your friend?" he asked in a bit of sadness. Resistant memories are coming back, Otoshiana realized.
"Because…" Rick's voice rattled. His arms and body seemed to rattle in unison with the blue snakes in restraint. His teeth tightly grit, Rick gave a hard stare at Otoshiana and his leering eyes. "They mean something to me… no matter how close a friend might be, they'll always mean something to me. It's my purpose," Rick explained. "Just like you have your own to come after us, I have my own to defend those I care about."
"Your purpose?" Otoshiana repeated dimly. He seemed to scoff on the inside. "Don't screw with me!" he accused loudly through the piercing night. His red, demonic pupils seemed to widen in a growing anger, like a brushfire that wouldn't stop spreading, no matter what. "My purpose is much more serious than yours!" he shouted loudly, a deep meaning in his eyes glimmering in the cool moonlight. Behind the wildfire anger embedded in his eyes was the sadness he didn't realize he had.
Suddenly, the snakes from behind Otoshiana that weren't held by the magnetic field raced to his assistance, soaring through the night cold with a threatening hiss that rang in Rick's ears. As they neared the Lightning Minor, he reacted quickly to the army of cold-metal serpents. Doing various swift and expert flips and turns, he dodged each diving snake as they crashed into the ground with a loud clatter. He was beginning to be forced back into the faraway forest that hadn't been melted away as the rain of serpents continued. Crashing of dirt and metal filled his head as he found no time to breathe. Rick soon flipped away into the trees, the snakes hot on his trail.
Surrounded by the pillaring wood and bushes, he ran past uncared for weeds and solid, packed dirt. His hands still glowing with the ominous hum, the snakes hissed as they zoomed and ducked under branch after branch. Rick could almost feel the poison on his skin as he rushed past the late night's cold and the dampened wood of the small portion of the forest left.
Turning, Rick rushed to the side, the snakes pausing to stop their continuous rush, then racing after him. The numbers seemed to increase mysteriously as the snakes followed the blonde through the forest, and Rick didn't even sweat a drop. He wouldn't give up just yet, just like he had promised. Not only to help Lance, but…
"It's okay, I promise, everything's going to be all right," Rick had held Marissa so closely to him, comforting her as he filtered her brunette-blonde hair through his fingers. Her wet tears soaked his new, old style clothes, but he didn't care. Her body shook in his hold, and she so desperately tried to answer, but he knew that she knew he would keep his promise.
Returning to the rushing forest that seemed to run past him as he jumped expertly from branch to branch, feeling the cold wood for assurance as he passed by each one, Rick held a confident look on his face. Hearing the rustling of bushes behind him, he knew the snakes would soon come. He looked back to find the distant, curvy shafts zoom toward him from far away. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes slightly at their appearance.
Returning his eyes to the front, he found the unthawing night awaiting him through an opening the trees had so naturally made. I'm almost at the end of the forest, Rick realized. I'm going to have to get them off my trail. I can't have anything interfere with my "purpose". Feeling the leafy trees wave hi and goodbye, Rick stopped by a tree branch and brushed his hand against the cool, damp trunk of the tall tree. The glowing of his palm was distributed to the panel on the tree's bark. The glowing soon faded, and Rick pulled back his hand, taking one lasting good look at the wood. That should do it, Rick promised himself in assurance. Seconds later, he found himself back to heading towards the end of the everlasting trees.
The snakes soared through the air expertly, varying their motions as they passed tree after tree after tree, rocketing by with amazing speed and agility. The agile serpents rushed as they neared the end of the forest and lost sight of the Minor that they held in their eyes for so long through the wild chase. Suddenly, something began pulling them back. Something powerful and attracting, something they couldn't resist. The force beckoned them, and they hesitantly followed. They were pulled to the left altogether and crashed into a glowing, circular panel on a random tree. Their heads couldn't move an inch, and they were locked together in a binding prison. They hissed a string of their own curses at Rick as they realized what had happened.
Coming out of the forest, Rick ran with bravery and undying courage. He soon found himself at Lance's side, sending back the millions of snakes in front of him back to Otoshiana who found it troublesome to take on two Minors at once. "Rick…!" Lance muttered weakly.
"Don't try to talk," Rick said, stepping up in a defensive way in front of Lance. He shifted his weight and readied his body for another attack. "Your body's completely worn out, and you can't even use your own Half Spirit to defend yourself," Rick pointed out. "Please, let me be your arms and legs for now until we can figure out a way to get rid of your poison."
"Impossible," Otoshiana interrupted, the wavering snakes in the air sewing themselves back into their readied position in front of their owner. "My poison's so intense that not even my weakest level can be cured. Each and every one of them is completely unique in their own way, and there is no known cure for a wound that has been infected by one."
"Shut up!" Rick shouted angrily, feeling the confidence levels in his body rise and tense up. "So, how about it?" he said calmer this time, turning back to Lance.
Lance shook his head in agreement, hesitating at first. "Thank you," he wished silently, his voice still weak and his breath still thin. Rick smiled in assurance and turned back. Lance kept his eyes on Rick's back as he wondered what would happen next. He knew even Rick didn't know. This guy… Lance thought, watching the readied back of his comrade. He was so quick to defend me even though he barely knew me. If it had been anyone else, I would be dead right now, he realized, feeling a tiny sense of weakness in him. And also, he seems to all ready have a close bond with that girl… he thought as he peered to his side and saw the Sound Minor tightly wrapped in that metal fist against the tree.
Lance remembered the times she had fought with him so angrily and comically, their voices so loud they could awake polar bears from a winter's worth of hibernation. He remembered how snobby she was when she yelled and complained, and how whiny her voice sounded. Now, he looked at her weakened state, her solemn, closed eyes and her motionless face. He must spoil her, Lance thought, a tiny smile growing on his face.
Still angry, Otoshiana awaited for what would come next, his leering gaze locked tight on the two Minors before him. His deviant stare was heavy on the two boys. For kids, these two aren't too bad, Otoshiana thought. The undying coldness of the night seemed to begin to seep into Otoshiana's armor. But what are kids like them doing in a place such as this anyway? They look much too young and different from the rest of us to be two people locked up in here by force. Also, they're in a team and none of the diabolical creations that live here ever work together. Our purpose is to kill each other, before we get killed, and nothing more than that. No matter, Otoshiana thought, quickly getting over it. It just means that they'll die even quicker, no matter what their efforts may be.
"This guy's not too bad, huh?" Rick said quietly and friendlily, waking Lance from his deep thoughts. The Metal Minor stammered as he was awoken from his purposeful trance.
He scoffed and smirked as he replied, "Yeah. All his attacks seem perfect."
"I don't need pointless beings like you to tell me what I am," Otoshiana muttered demonically, his booming voice short enough so the Minors couldn't hear him speak. "Perfect is something he promised me a long time ago…" Otoshiana said, feeling himself being slowly sucked back into his memories from far, far away.
"Father, what are you doing?" Otoshiana walked up to his father who sat comfortably in the inexpensive chair. It was a humid, boring day, and the air was filled with nothing but dullness. It seemed to linger everywhere, even indoors. You could even smell its thick aroma hung around the living room. The wooden paved walls and ceiling gave an old style look to the room. Not much furniture took their place in the room, which filled the room with even more stuffy boredom.
Otoshiana's footsteps light and heavy, he slowly paced to his father, feeling the hot mixed with cold brush against his soft skin. His brown, long hair wavered slightly as he took careful steps creaking across the room. The wooden floor seemed to moan in despair. His stealth never failed to amaze people. Otoshiana peered over his father's arm as his hands worked on a metal cylinder. There were seven columns of the alphabet ringed around the cylinder, and he took time and consideration before he moved one ring to reveal a letter, but only to change his mind later. It seemed to glimmer in the strong light that gleamed through the room, the dust swept back into all the corners.
His father took acknowledgement of his son as he smiled and peered down to find the blank, pondering eyes of his child. His fingers stopped moving around the puzzle and they both looked at each other for a minute. His old, wise eyes were creased in wisdom and his long face was wrinkled with age. His smile never failed to comfort you, though. He was an old man, but he was one of the nicest and good-hearted ones Otoshiana knew.
Awaiting his answer, Otoshiana moved toward his father and took the metallic cylinder in his hands, feeling the encrypted rings of letters. They were bumpy and cragged, and the cool metal seemed to amuse Otoshiana's hot, dulled skin. "What is this?" Otoshiana asked in a high, innocent voice. He rotated the heavy cylinder in his hands, making sure not to drop it, even thought he had no idea what it was.
"It's a new toy I've got recently. Would you like to play with it?" his father insisted kindly. He watched his young child as he closely examined the metal and braid-like rings of the cylinder once more. It seemed to amaze him completely, taking away his breath. "It's called a cryptex."
"How do you play?" Otoshiana asked, his voice childish and naïve. The small child found that the golden metal cylinder with the many arsenals of letters piqued his interest immediately from the moment he saw it from across the room. He was eager to find out how to play.
"Each ring on the cylinder's shaft contains the full version of the alphabet on it. There is a right letter for each ring, and once you've got each one, it will spell out a message to you. Also, when the message is said, the cryptex will also open up and give you a special toy that it keeps inside," his father explained carefully, smiling as his son took the consideration to examine it even longer.
"A toy? Really?" Otoshiana asked. His interest had now been taken even further in the heavy little cylinder. He couldn't help but grow a smile on his face. "But…" Otoshiana began sadly. At his sudden change of tone, his father showed a bit of sadness as well. "This is father's… right?" he asked, looking up to meet eyes with the old man.
"It was," his father smiled. "Now it is yours to keep. It was actually for you in the first place."
"No way!" Otoshiana said excitedly, his small body practically jumping up and down on the wooden floor. "Thank you, father!" he said, coming towards him and giving the old man a tight hug, locking a painful yet affectionate lock around his body. The childish arms were soft and felt good to be in.
His father laughed and smiled. "Anything for you, Oto-chan," he said softly, wrapping his large arms around his son. They came closer and their arms were wrapped so tight, Otoshiana didn't want to let go. He couldn't believe how great his father was. They soon found their heads at each other's shoulders. "Just one more thing," the father said quietly and softly.
"What is it?" Otoshiana spoke with a smile, pulling away to meet cheerful eyes with wise, amused eyes. His tiny little arms were gripped affectionately around his father's large shoulders.
His father leaned closer to Otoshiana, his mouth now at his child's left ear. "A hint for the message is the same thing as what you are," he whispered lightly, pulling back to find Otoshiana's loving reaction on his face.
His son climbed off of his father and gave him a big smile once more. "Thanks once again, father! I'll get started on it right away!" he promised as he ran off to the other room, his footsteps loud against the wood paved floor. How great. His father had just turned one of the most boring days of the child's life into one of the most exciting.
As the child's footsteps thumped away against the flat wood, the father stared as he watched his son run off, his mouth curved in an amused smile, his eyes crinkled in a binding happiness.
Moments later, the young child found himself baffled by the complicated cylinder that once amused him. It used to be a sight for joy, and now it became a sight of disgust. Otoshiana sprawled himself on the disheveled sheets of his bed as he stared up to find the glimmering puzzle not the least bit solved. Hours had passed, and the young child brought a hand to scratch his head, which became a puzzle of its own. He whined a quiet whine of consistent annoyance, and he didn't know why the puzzle just wouldn't be solved. It was like it resisted being opened.
"I want that toy," Otoshiana muttered as he laid out his tongue against the side of his chin, staring hard at the golden cylinder as he turned one of the seven rings around, the white letters clicking and rattling as they turned.
The young boy remembered what his father had told him. "A hint for the message is what you are," he had told him, making it sound so simple. Now, Otoshiana realized that this puzzle was nothing but simple.
The air still dull, Otoshiana ignored it all and focused completely on the puzzle. Something I am… he repeated in his mind. What am I? I don't know… he told himself. He whined again in his mind. I'll never get this thing done! How annoying this task has become. A seven-letter word for what I am… what could it be? Otoshiana thought, peering up with wondrous eyes.
The next morning, Otoshiana found himself running through the wooden hallways to try and find his father. He couldn't help but let a wide smile grow on his face as his cheerful eyes peered down the hall, his footsteps heavy and excited.
As he ran into the next room, he found his mother standing straight up, yawning as the sand and morning tears kept at her eyes, refusing to let go. She held a hand to her mouth as the yawn passed, and she soon acknowledged her son at the doorway. She was a tall confident woman, and her aging eyes could never be so beautiful. Her long, purple hair was formal and respectful, and she always seemed to strike a model's over exaggerating pose. "Oto-chan?" she muttered quietly as the yawn sunk away from her, her hand still at the front of her face. Her beautiful dark brown eyes welcomed Otoshiana to the early morning. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I just need to see father badly, and I can't seem to find him anywhere," Otoshiana spoke excitedly with a wide smile still spreading across his face, if such a smile could ever exist.
"Oh? Is that so?" her mother said happily. "You can find him in the next room. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you," she said with a smile that showed her bright white teeth, her happiness mixing in with her son's. Otoshiana immediately ran off with the widest smile ever seen to the next room, his thumping footsteps soundless to his rushing ears.
"Father?" he cried out in his high-pitched voice as he entered the next room. His pounding footsteps stopped.
"Hm? Oto? What is it?" his father asked, just having awoken himself.
"I stayed up all night for it, but I finally got it! I got it open!" he cried happily. "Cam you believe it?" the child sang in an innocent, melodic tune, taking out the metal cylinder from his pocket and showing his father. "I knew I won when it had suddenly clicked open. You see? I'm the master at puzzles like that," Otoshiana said proudly as his father took the puzzle in his hands and a smile grew on his face.
"Looks like you've really gotten it," he said happily. "Good job. I'm proud of you, son," he said as he pat the child's head with his own hand. He carefully gave it back to him, and the child stared at it with gleaming eyes.
Otoshiana read the words in his mind carefully. Perfect, he read the large, capitalized letters that were portrayed across the seven rings. I'm perfect is what father is saying, Otoshiana thought with a smile. "Thank you again, father," he cried out, giving the man a big hug that seemed to consume his body completely.
The wrapping arms were full of energy and took the aging man by surprise, until suddenly the energy sunk away, as if it had been immediately sucked out. His father looked down to find Otoshiana with his eyes closed, and his mouth wide open, letting out some saliva out in a childish drool. His arms were tightly locked around his father, yet completely without energy. His eyes were closed in some kind of a trance faraway, the innocence of his small, brown eyes locked up for now in a silent doze. "Wow," his father muttered. "He really did it for all night, huh?" he smiled.
Moments later, as the light poured in from the child's window, the father began to put him to bed, taking the disheveled sheets and putting them up to Otoshiana's small shoulders. His eyes were still closed angelically, and his mouth had finally closed. The father couldn't help but smile once more as he watched his son sleep quietly, and walked carefully to the nightstand to place the cryptex on the wooden furniture so the child would see it when he had awoke. "What's this?" the father noticed suddenly. He stared hard at the cryptex, and noticed that it hadn't even been opened. "I see," he smirked. "So he was so excited over what the cryptex spelt out as the message that he completely forgot about the toy inside," the father muttered to himself in amusement. With that same old, undying smile painted on his face, the father slowly walked out, taking one last look at his solemn-looking child as he slept quietly, then finally walked out, closing the door behind him with a silent, innocent click, as innocent as young Otoshiana was.
As the man left the cryptex lay on the table silently, it seemed to wait for the child to wake up, holding the large letters across the shaft of its body, eerily spelling out "perfect" like a scar that would never was away. Never, ever…
Returning from the sudden memory, Otoshiana quietly thought to himself. What a pointless mask he had put on, the older Otoshiana now thought grudgingly. How could I not have noticed what he truly was? Putting that stupid smile, promising that it would never wash away like the fool he was… how pointless! As I said before, things without a point should die! Now, it's time to get rid of two more pointless things… But why? Why did you have to go, father? Was it because I didn't make you proud enough? Was it because I wasn't good enough as a son for you? Don't worry. I'll make you proud now. I'll make you proud by following your footsteps!
As Otoshiana finished his thought, the Senchi began rattling wildly, threatening the two Minors before them suddenly. Lance, still breathing thinly watched as Rick stood protectively in front of him. "Let's go, Lance," Rick muttered without turning back.
"Yes, Rick," Lance said back, forcing his voice strong.