~ Chapter 5 ~

[ Our Future ]

"…Rgh…"

Heavy. That was the single feeling that he got as the darkness continue to play upon his being, keeping him suspended in a helpless struggle for consciousness as his mind dreams of a little girl with hair the colour of gold and the eyes of the morning sky, gazing upon them with a smile so bright he'd promised to protect with his life…

And then, everything is ripped away.

The ground beneath him approaches him too quickly. Or rather, he's the one that's falling, unable to fight back against the forces clamping down on his body. He tries to move, if only to reach out to the girl in his dreams, but he keeps getting pulled further away from her. She grows further out of reach.

Desperate, breathing rapidly even in his own sleep, the boy struggles harder. He begins to grit his teeth, feels the muscles tense and stinging tears in his eyes. He tries to keep fighting against this horrible feeling, but Alice keeps getting further..!

Black eyes snap wide open, hand snapping upwards towards the ceiling at an unprecedented speed. "…A-Alice..!"

Nothing. Not a single soul to be seen. All that he could see, aided by the light of Lunaria, is the outline of his hand and the ceiling above him. The number of lines in the wood that he recalled counting at a time to help himself sleep could have changed, or perhaps it had not. But that was the least of his concerns.

Ever so slowly, Kirito pushes himself upwards into a seating position. His jaw feels sore from having been clenched so tightly, and he recognizes how sweaty he is. He ignores the discomfort, however, looking down upon his palms with regret.

Alice. To think she'd been in his reach, and he'd failed to reach her that day…

'Like I could have done shit,' his mind snarls in an instant, pessimistic and still in a whirl. He grips his head in both hands, trying desperately to calm his breathing before he grows even more lightheaded. 'Fight an Integrity Knight? That ain't bravado. That's fucking suicidal.'

It was only the goddesses' mercy that had him live to see another day. Perhaps, in a different world, he would been punished for that and be killed alongside Alice. Or be killed in her place.

If only.

Kirito dreams. Perhaps not to the extent that some people do… which he himself isn't so sure of, because he's never really talked to people or gone out of his way to make a survey on how often people dream in their sleep, so he's left with the assumption that he belongs to the ordinarily average count.

But it's only ever been these past few months, since her departure, that he'd ever started dreaming more frequently. And more painfully.

It hadn't ever been anything gut-wrenching or grotesque. Never a scene of his best friend decapitated or burnt right in front of his eyes. There had never been a waking moment when his first instinct was to find someplace to throw up in.

But that didn't make the dreams—or nightmares—any less painful; after all, reliving the same day in your own head at night, when that's supposed to be a moment of rest for most, can get very exhausting. Repetition is supposed to make something dull, but how was he supposed to get used to that?

He clicks his tongue, staring at his arms. They're rigid, painfully so, and his own grip over his head seems a little tight, forcing him to relax his hold. Kirito feels a faint sting around his tongue; had he bitten that too? His chest is just as exhausted from him having hyperventilated—all in all, everything hurt. He needed to calm down.

Before he could focus on doing just that, a small sound to his right catches his attention. It was almost negligible, but with the utter silence of the room at night, it sounded as clear as a sword swing. Blinking, he gazed to his side… only to find himself smiling at the sight.

Eugeo, his best friend, was asleep without a care. He never turns in his sleep and manages to pull off a log's impression every time. It's enough to make him seem dead, but with careful observation, Kirito could tell that he was breathing because of the constant up-and-down movements of his blanket. That and the small noises he often made which, again, would have gone ignored normally, but were audible in the silent room.

He couldn't help but laugh quietly. Leave it to Eugeo to somehow be the sleeping… handsome? He didn't doubt that he might just turn out well-endowed and good-looking once adolescence hits him (and that thought makes him self-conscious. Leaves him to wonder on his future), so he may as well just give him that.

Sighing, the boy is much calmer than he had been earlier. He would have never thought that seeing his best friend's face would have been enough, but… well, here he is.

"But still," he muttered quietly to the empty air. "If things had turned out differently… would we still be together like we used to? Would it still be the three of us in this village? Would we grow here until we die?"

He receives no answer. That was some comfort to him, and deciding that he could still catch up on the remaining hours of sleep if he gets back to it now, he pulls the sheets over himself and lies his head on his pillow, shifting his position to lie on his side this time.

He tries to imagine his friend's features once more—her sunlit hair. Her azure eyes. Her beautiful smile. Her melodious voice. Her exuberant personality. Her blue dress. Her straw hat—only to remind himself that she existed. That she'd been a part of his life, and not just a figment of his own imagination. And that alone comforted him deeply.

'Hey, Alice… Was Centoria just as beautiful as we dreamt it to be?'

She doesn't answer. Nobody does, and Kirito only feels cold in his sleep.

27th day of the 10th Month – HEC, 372

Rulid Village, in Eugeo's home

It was a brand new day. That was something he'd already expected, and yet… at the same time, he'd been genuinely surprised of its coming at all.

There wasn't an earth-shaking explosion. Not a dragon come to claim its rightful treasure or raze their village to the ground. No sudden lockdown, or mass execution, or an arrest warrant like last time—he woke up, groggy, looked outside the window… and saw nothing.

'That's good…' Kirito sighed to himself, scratching the back of his head. 'And I managed to fall asleep, too.'

And without a dream, too. Maybe his brain felt pity on him and decided to give him a break? Hardly likely, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not when the small amount of sleep he got was really helpful.

The cold hasn't changed, though. It's pretty early, but he knows it's right around six or so in the morning. The rising sun was beginning to cast a fair bit of light upon the landscape, ready to greet the world with another day. That kept Kirito going.

Glancing to his best friend, he certainly got a full night's sleep. At least one of them got the best out of tonight, and though he'd want to give him a little longer to sleep, they needed to be up already. "Yo, Eugeo," he called out. "Wake up already. It's already… ehh, I don't know what time it is, but we need to be up already. Shower and shiz."

The blond didn't rise immediately, instead mumbling in his state of slumber. "Mmgh… Just a few more minutes, please…"

That reaction drew out a snort from him. Eugeo has gotten a little used to sleeping in at times, which really does reverse their positions; he'd always assumed himself to be the lazy one! And here he is, being the one doing the work every day (to be fair, he is technically barred from working) and waking up early for the both of them.

Huh… Honestly, now that he thinks about it, extra minutes of sleep doesn't sound too bad—

"Nope, nope," without any mercy, he rips his friend's blanket off of him, eliciting a prolonged whining from his groggy roommate. It was more amusing than anything else. "Come on. If we sleep in, Sulinea will come in to wake us up. And do you want that to happen?"

Having lived here for almost a month, he'd had the opportunity to experience his best friend's household life. It was typically ordinary, but that didn't mean it was completely free of any sense of ridiculousness, which was usually contributed by sole girl in the family. The surprising amount of mayhem she brings about, which he and just about everyone else gets swept up in without any control, is genuinely amazing.

Every situation has some positives to it, though. In fact, Kirito got to learn very quickly that just Sulinea's name can be utilized to achieve all kinds of desired outcomes. Sure, it's only ever limited to just this household and never outside of its walls, but with how effective it is, he was prepared to make full use of it whenever.

In this very moment, it was enough to rouse Eugeo out of his sleep right away, green eyes wide and body automatically dragging himself out of the bed, all previous traces of sleep in his system practically non-existent. "Alright, I'm up!"

He grinned at the display. Sulinea's not bad, that was far from the truth (anyone who says otherwise will be having a long talk with him). But it was simply the concept of 'telling on him to an adult', and when it comes to Sulinea, she tends to be overly dramatic and excessive with things.

He will never forget, to this day, when Sulinea had practically walked into their room and carried both of them into the bathroom when neither of them refused to wake up on their own. The ensuing moments are better left unsaid.

As he's left on his own, he takes a moment to look out the window once more. It's getting brighter, and the day looks to be particularly ordinary. Whether it would stay that way or not, he can only hope for the best.

In any case, they go through their usual morning routines. Eugeo's already adapted to having one arm unavailable for use, but with the lack of complaints of it hurting, there's a good chance that he'll be able to take it off early next month. That's enough to fill both of them with excitement, though Kirito has to make sure to advise him from overexerting himself right away. Wouldn't be good to injure himself right off the bat.

"Morning, everybody."

"Hmm? Oh, good morning, Kirito! Eugeo!"

Orick was the first at the table, nodding with a hum at the two boys. He took his seat beside his best friend, the scent of cooking breakfast from the kitchen enough to whet his appetite like always. There was already a bowl of molten cheese, an assortment of fruits, and a hearty loaf of bread.

He looked to his friend's father. "Sulinea made all of this?"

Mirth shone in the father's eyes. "Like anyone else did."

Kirito grinned back. Yeah, that was rhetorical to ask. No one else in the house could cook as good as she does… and by that, it was both because no one is as good as she is, and because she technically bars everyone from setting foot in the kitchen. As if she was a dragoness protecting her own territory.

Sounds of footsteps emanate from the stairs, drawing his gaze to the youngest twins of the family. He raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, Euden, Eugene."

"Hey, Kirito," the former replied, his brother stifling a yawn with his hand.

"You boys already bathed, right?" Sulinea asked as she placed a large bowl of meat stew on the table. "It'd be a shame if you stank up the room while we're having breakfast."

"Who do you think we are? Of course we did!" Retorted Euden with a huff, his brother mumbling his agreement.

"Mmm… Well, I can tell that you didn't comb your hair properly, but I suppose that's fine," she clapped her hands together, smiling. "Well, let's get to eating!"

"Thanks for the meal," Kirito accepted the slices of bread that Sulinea helped to cut with a knife. "As always."

"As is with almost everything else," Orick added, getting everyone to nod in agreement. "The laundry, the cleaning, the sewing…"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about none of that," she flippantly waved him off. "I enjoy doing those things, 'kay? So just let me do my thing, and all of us will be fine!"

"I suppose. Kirito, Eugeo," the boys in question paused right as they were about to bite into their bread. "I know I don't have to repeat myself, but you boys need to be on your best behaviour today. After all, we have an Integrity Knight in the village now. Cause any trouble, and things will be bad for you and everyone else. So just lower your head and go about your day like always."

Having that reminder too early in the morning like this doused a bit of his good mood, but Kirito knew that he was just looking out for the both of them. "You got it, uncle."

In all fairness, though, he and Eugeo had done pretty good on steering clear from trouble (well, trouble that no one actually knows about—the goblin incident will go unsaid for as long as possible), so if he has his way with things, nothing will ever happen.

It's just as his talk with Eugeo last night went; today will still be the same like any other day, and nothing noteworthy will happen. He'd still do his calling with Eugeo, they'd cause no ruckus, and they'll go home without any trouble—a shame that they can't stay out, else they'd accidentally meet the knight. He doubted he would really want to do that. And the next days then will be the same as today.

He sighed. Honestly, it wasn't like he hated Fanatio, or Integrity Knights for that matter. It's all about bad experiences with them, and the trouble that would come from the interaction is just something that he preferred going without.

'A shame that I can't use the Blue Rose Sword, too. I promised Charlotte I wouldn't. I know that, but it sure will suck a lot…'

He shook his head at that. Whatever. He'd done it for almost a whole year, and he'd been fine that way. No use complaining about it this early in the morning; he'd prefer holding onto this good mood for as long as he could.

Shrugging that thought aside, he decided that he may as well just enjoy the food for now. Goddesses know what could happen today. He'll leave that to the future-him to deal with afterwards.

As it turns out, there really would be nothing to worry about.

As always, it takes a little while to finish all the food that Sulinea makes (although, they're fortunate today because she hadn't made so much as she tends to do). Orick is the first to leave, followed by himself and Eugeo once Sulinea had convinced them not to worry about the dishes.

Inside the house, it was a little cool. Outside, the rush of crisp, fall air and the bustling sounds of the village greet them first thing.

And, as he is quick to notice, there really is nothing different with the village today.

He'd technically expected that, but it was still a sort of relief for him—it was literally too early for crazy things to be happening right about now, so if things are normal, it just means that it's peaceful. And peaceful is good! He'd take peaceful over anything any day. Everyone is the same as always, everything is at it always it, and there is a dragon.

"There's a dragon outside of Alice's house," he said as they passed her house. And then, it takes him a few moments to realize just what he said, pausing in place and turning towards the creature in question. "That's a dragon."

"Yes, you said that already," Eugeo chuckled a little, eyeing the beast as well. "It's Sir Fanatio's dragon. It's really pretty, don't you think?"

"Uh-huh, it sure is," if pretty translated to terrifying, he wouldn't be wrong. Still, he wasn't sure if this was a male or female; there was no solid way of confirming the gender of the dragon without trying to take a look at its behind, and he had no doubt that attempting to do that might just draw its ire towards him. He could certainly go without that. "So it stays outside of Alice's house… Sort of like a guardian."

He could have easily said 'like a dog', but if that thing had really sharp hearing and heard him say that, there was little doubt in his mind that it might just show him just how different it is from a typical dog—for the sake of his self-preservation, he would prefer going without that.

Suffice to say, though, it is massive. Much bigger than any humans here, and with it sitting on its belly as it is right now, it really seems close to be the house's size. Kirito couldn't see its rider anywhere, which indicated that the knight was either still in the house or already out and about. It seemed odd that it was still clad in its armour pieces, but he supposed it's part of its 'uniform'.

A rumbling sound snaps him out of his thoughts. It takes him a moment to realize it had been the dragon that made that sound, and it took another moment for him to realize that, in the time that they've been staring at the dragon for a while, it seemed to be staring back. Flinching, both Kirito and Eugeo looked to each other before looking back at the dragon, its amber gaze watching them attentively. Likely trying to determine whether they were good kids, rascals or food.

"I… think we should go."

"G-Good idea."

Waving a little at the dragon (if only out of courtesy than anything, really), the pair departed from the village and headed southwards. The air was relatively cool, and it was only going to get chillier at the end of the year. Kirito looked forward to wearing thicker clothing and eating warm food in the snow.

He did not, however, look forward to waking up early as always. Winter always seems like the perfect weather to sleep in, and he can imagine how difficult it'll be getting himself up from the bed when the moment comes.

It had always been that way back in the orphanage, so he'd always have to rely on someone else to wake him up in time for breakfast and early morning prayers. Here's hoping his ability to wake up early nowadays won't just magically disappear in the future.

'Dang. Sort of miss everyone back in the orphanage now,' without him realizing, he was looking in the church's direction. 'Once Eugeo's back on his feet, I'll get to go back. Excited, but also a little disappointed.'

Conflicted thoughts aside, they arrived at the shed close to the Gigas Cedar. Unlocking the door (Eugeo had told him before that no one would try to steal anything from inside here, but his own paranoia refused to let him be lax with this. Especially now that they're also storing a valuable item inside), he was presented with a dusty interior—it had nothing but a wooden floor, no shelves or other equipment, and no windows. The Dragon Bone Axe was propped against a wall.

As he grabbed the axe, he took a quick look down at the floorboards. "Huh… It's pretty well hidden. I can't see it even a little. Can you?"

Eugeo hummed beside him, crouching low to take a closer look. Eventually, he stood back with a smile of his own. "Nope. I think it'll be safe here. Even if anyone comes here, which I'm sure won't happen at all, no one would notice there was a sword underneath the shed."

"True that," his grin quickly faltered as he looked down at the axe he held in his hand. "And in the meantime, we'll go back to using you. Don't get me wrong, though. It's not like we hate you or anything, but you're pretty useless against the one tree we need to cut, but uhh… no offense."

"You're talking to the Dragon Bone Axe."

"I mean, I'm sure the dragon's spirit would be peeved from what I said. I've got manners. I can apologize for things."

"I'm pretty sure it'd be unnecessary to apologize to inanimate objects, but I'll let you have it just this once."

The difference in the weight and feel of the tool is foreign to him all over again, and Kirito can't help but feel a little uncomfortable from it. Guess he'd gotten too used to using the Blue Rose Sword that it just feels weird to use something else. Even so, he fixes his grip around its shaft and readies himself to begin cutting once more.

Once more, he has to get used to the difference in… well, just about everything, he supposed. The fact that it isn't doing a very good job at cutting the tree, its difference in the speed of its swing and how he feels like an actual tree cutter.

It doesn't take too long before everything eventually feels the same like before, however, and Kirito swings away at the Gigas Cedar as he always does. Eugeo sits against the tree somewhere, close enough for him to see his body. Better that way than completely out of his sight.

None of them said a word for the first twenty swings before Eugeo, having swept his boot across the sand after drawing figures in it earlier, broke the silence. "I know we've technically talked about this, but do you think it's safe for us to be out here?"

"Worried we'll encounter the monster?" He asked back, getting a hum. "Hmm… Well, it's not impossible, but we haven't seen it at all for these many weeks. There's no way it'd just show up before us now."

"But it's not guaranteed to not appear at all, right?"

That's certainly true. Probability's a damned pain, and there was just no absolute certainties when it comes to real life. Even if there was a nine out of ten chance for something to not happen, that one-ninth chance could somehow beat the odds and still make the unlikely happen. If only that involved winning a million Cor or something. Usually, bad things seem more likely than the other.

It's enough to fill him with some annoyance. He swore, if whatever this thing is decides to show up here while they're minding their own business, he was going to throw a fit. And maybe throw this axe at it for good measure.

"Nothing we can do about it for now. Here's hoping Sir Fanatio and Charlotte catch that thing before that happens."

"For sure."

Kah-tak. Kah-tak. Kah-tak.

Kirito and Eugeo, assigned as the seventh generation of the Gigas Cedar's feller, were ten when they began their «Sacred Task».

There was a saying, once, that described how every person has a role to play. And in a village, comprised of varying individuals with differing skill sets and weaknesses, the ability to contribute to the village in their own ways was a key factor of growth and advancement.

As children, it was hard to properly grasp that concept, but it was easy to see it in the case of the adults; Chief Gasupht leads the people of Rulid, overseeing the important decisions and making sure everything ran smoothly. The three hunters of Rulid protect the people, watching over the flora and fauna to maintain order. Ivenda, the pharmacist, is invaluable for his knowledge in traditional medicine and ability to treat all kinds of wounds and ailments. And everyone else played their own particular roles.

For some time, now, Kirito wasn't sure if his role is this. Cutting a tree that isn't meant to be cut seemed like a complete waste of his and Eugeo's life.

While everyone could give back to the village, they were stuck here doing something that could be described as plain useless.

These days, he doesn't think of that as much as he did before. Perhaps he had taken his peaceful life for granted, and with a friend taken away, he wanted to keep this for as long as possible. He was content with just this.

But then again, he had a promise to keep, and he can't stay here forever. And that means that he has to complete his calling. He has to finish what generations of tree cutters before him started. He has to cut down this Gigas Cedar.

'But that's going to be impossible with this thing,' he regarded the Dragon Bone Axe with small amounts of annoyance.

He didn't particularly hate the axe. It felt special to him; a hand-me-down given across the generations of tree-cutters. On the other hand, his subconscious likened the action to hating on the dragon from which the bones forged into this axe, and a part of him disapproved of that. The dragon had no hand (or talon? Claw?) in becoming a tool for their village.

Even so, he would complain about how he really wanted to go back to using the Blue Rose Sword, if only they could be finishing this a lot quicker than they are now. Really missing the satisfying sword swings right about now.

"Then again, if you want a really authentic tree-cutting feel, this is it."

"True that," Eugeo nodded, staring up at the sky. "Nobody would use a sword of all things to cut a tree down. This is the 'real' way it's done."

"Real and exhausting," swinging quickly into the tree's side, he grunted before pulling it out before swinging once more. Each blow carved the barest of a milli- Mel into the gash. Suffice to say, it was pretty negligible. "You know what we should do? We should totally study up on «Sacred Arts», and then make a technique that could easily cut trees."

Eugeo was giving him the kind of look that he only gives him when he says or does something particularly stupid. "Neither of us are proficient in «Sacred Arts», and it takes a long time to raise them. I doubt we'd be able to invent something that great in the foreseeable future."

"Oh, you don't know that!" Letting out a cry, he put his back into his next swing, burying the axe deep into the Gigas Cedar's trunk. He backed away, rubbing his hands together. "I mean, sure, we probably won't get anywhere close as Alice did, but we could certainly try, don't you think?"

That look he was getting became even more profound. Eugeo's lips became a thin line. "I don't know…"

"I mean, it's not like using «Sacred Arts» during our calling is considered illegal, and as long as we don't injure ourselves or each other, or wreck the environment, then everything's fine! Come on, just consider this a moment of experimentation."

"The last time we experimented, you drank tasteless water. You sure you want to try this again?"

"Well, this time, none of it is going in my mouth, right?"

The next part of one's exasperation comes in the form of a sigh, which Eugeo did right away. That only got him to grin, however, sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of his best friend.

"Okay, so, let's use both of our brains to think this through. When you think of something to cut something, what is the best element to use in this case?"

Now, there was something to be said about the two of them; if they were to liken themselves to the 'brains and brawn' stereotype, then he would confidently say that he fits the brawn while Eugeo satisfied the brains department.

And that wasn't just him trying to butter Eugeo up. Since he'd known him, he's always been better at understanding and thinking things through. It made him reliable when it came to these sorts of things, where he knew he'd have a difficult time trying to figure out on his own.

Still, Eugeo kept giving him the look before he sighed one more time, and he inwardly pumped a mental fist. It takes time, but he never lets him down!

"Well… If we're being realistic, the elements best suited for actually severing something would be… 'Crystalline' and 'Metallic', since they actually form solid objects. Although, 'Crystalline' products can be rather fragile."

Hmm. That is true. "What about the others?"

"Others? I mean… 'Aerial' and 'Aqueous' seem to be the next best bet, but those would have to be discharged at such high pressures to actually be able to cut something. The others wouldn't really work."

"That so, eh..? Ah," he snapped his fingers. "Okay, so this is a pretty dangerous idea, but hear me out."

"…I don't like this already, but continue."

"We use the 'Cryogenic' element to freeze the trunk of the tree, and then shatter it with one strong blow," he raised a finger. "After all, freezing a body naturally weakens it to physical forces, so it would be much easier to shatter than to sever, right?"

Eugeo opened his mouth to object to that, but no words came out as he considered the possibility. "That… might actually work. But that means you'd have to continuously feed resources into the incantation to freeze the body for as long as possible. After all, you need to take into account the Gigas Cedar's regenerative ability, what with it being able to absorb resources from the soil."

"Ah, true," that is how the tree manages to restore its «Life». That, alongside its natural toughness, makes it such a difficult tree to cut down. It's why it has survived so long thus far. "Hmm… There's another method, but I heard that it's extremely dangerous."

"See, when you say things like that, it makes it really difficult for me to not worry. Still, it's better I hear it from you than you go off and do it without me noticing."

"Hey now, I have good self-restraint," most of the time, anyways. "In any case, the method I was talking is something I picked up from listening to a traveling trader. He mentioned how, in his travels, he enjoyed looking into natural, geological phenomena. Something about how he enjoyed visiting caverns and hiking mountains—"

"—In any case, he mentioned a natural process that involves water. When water seeps through cracks in a rock and it freezes, it supposedly expands and breaks up the rock from inside. Once it melts, it travels even deeper, and the process repeats once it freezes and thaws all over again."

Curiosity reaches his eyes. "Oh? I've never heard of that before. And that's pretty interesting… How could that be applied practically?"

"Probably for excavation," he shrugged back. "I mean, if there's something you need to harvest the earth and you need to crack the earth real quickly, that would probably be the way."

"Certainly seems so… Though, I don't see what you're trying to—Ah. Never mind, I see it."

Heh. Even with Eugeo sounding deadpanning, he's got to give it to him for figuring it out so quickly. "Precisely. The Gigas Cedar technically has cracks in its trunk, so if we let water flow in them and then freeze them up, we could repeat that technique a couple of times to break it apart."

And it could be made possible, what with them having access to both a freezing spell and a water-producing spell through the 'Cryogenic' and 'Aqueous' element. That certainly makes things a lot simpler for them, in that case.

"In fact, why don't we—"

" No," his quick refusal was also expected. "I mean, if there's a chance of it shattering outwards and it strikes us, we'll be in so much big trouble. I do not want to deal with that."

"Ahh, fine," he blew a raspberry. "Well, there's another way that I read on in a book. Something about stripping off bark from the tree in a full, circular pattern."

"Cuts off the tree's nutrient supply, right?" Kirito nodded back. "Huh… That would be much safer. If I'm not wrong, it'll take around one to two days for a mature tree to completely wilt after removal of the bark," his gaze shifts towards the Gigas Cedar. "But this one is pretty big, so it'll probably take a lot longer for it to die if we do that…"

" One to two days?"

Nodding, Eugeo cupped his chin in thought, the gears in his head turning. "Typically, that sort of method is used for apple trees if they don't produce a lot of fruit. The people do that with the orchard in our village. An average apple tree would be around 10 Mel, and seeing that the Gigas Cedar is seven times the height of an apple tree… Well, it would be illogical to just compare the length of post-girdling death like that."

"But just try it. How long would it take?"

"Well… after girdling, an apple tree dies after two days. If we'll just multiply that by seven, based on the size, maaaaybe two weeks?"

"Two weeks, huh… How likely do you think it'll be able to regrow its bark?"

"Pretty good, I'd say," he sighed back. "I mean, it's still somehow able to regrow the part where we've all cut into all these years. But if we cut off the food supply, it might be possible. Then again, it's such a large tree, so it might have a large storage of resources and nutrients in its body…"

"Well, let's just give it a shot!" Shooting to his feet, Kirito placed both hands on his hips, smiling down on his blond friend. "It'll be a pretty safe, interesting experiment, don't you think? There's no rules forbidding us from approaching a «Sacred Task» in more ways than one. I'm positive it's acceptable. What do you say?"

Some might say that he'd gotten too bored. Others would consider him a madman. Kirito knew himself better than anyone else, however; he was just about everything and really excitable by the thought of doing all kinds of things.

Perhaps it has to do with this adventurous spirit that he possesses. Alice had once called him the kind of person who'd enjoy doing all kinds of things and travelling places, and he felt like she wasn't wrong. This certainly seems the sort of hands-on thing that he would certainly enjoy, and just the thought of doing it is getting his blood pumping.

Eugeo, on the other hand, is the one who usually keeps the cooler head of the two. But even he isn't completely immune to Kirito's energy, succumbing to it with time as he lets out one deep sigh. "Fiiine… How do we do this?"

Yosh! "Alright. Well, we need to scrape off the bark from the tree trunk in a circle, right? And I'm thinking that this will be a pretty easy job, so you can probably help out as well," he doesn't miss the way Eugeo perks up from that. Of course he's excited. Finally being able to do something has probably gotten him more excited than he thought he'd be. "We'll need to make yourself a tool using 'Metallic' element. Something like a knife or a wedge to scrape off the bark. I'll use the Dragon Bone Axe. And we'll girdle the tree right above the cut."

"I… suppose that wouldn't be a bad idea, yeah. Okay then. Guess we've got a plan."

"Alright, let's give it a shot!"

The worst that might come out of this is literally nothing happening, at which case he supposed there wouldn't be anything that they could do but go on as normal afterwards. On the other hand, it could work out well. That would be a whole lot exciting.

Grinning now, Kirito pulls back his sleeves and readies his hands. "Okay, so we'll just make a simple knife that's sharp enough to cut through the bark, alright? You'll just use this with one hand, so it won't be too large."

"Sure," he nodded back.

Returning the gesture, Kirito focused on the image in his head. Sharp. Sharper than anything that could cut through the Gigas Cedar's thick exterior. "« System Call. Generate 'Metallic' element. Form knife»."

Spatial resources were drawn towards his fingertips, slowly orbiting a centre and forming a curved outline. Eventually, it manifested as a physical, metallic body. Focusing harder, he allowed the metal to extend backwards and thin out to form the handle.

Eventually, he ceased the incantation and let the knife drop into his hand. Examining its shape and weight, he lightly scratched it across the bark of the tree to test its sharpness. It dealt a faint scratch in the side, appropriately chipping off some wood.

"Ooh. That's pretty good."

"Right? Although, it looks pretty flimsy, so it might just snap after some time," he handed the knife to his friend, who carefully accepted it. Then, he helped him stand up. "So, we'll scrape off the bark in a circle, right? And we'll do it right above the cut that's already there."

"Well, now that we've got a plan, might as well commit to it," grinned Eugeo. "Let's get started then."

It wasn't as bad as he'd initially expected. Perhaps because it didn't involve striking into the tree trunk like he technically should (and he's still at a thousand swings more before reaching his daily quota). Involving just the outer bark, it was a relatively simple process, and Kirito and Eugeo were able to get it done in two hours or so.

The large diameter of the tree requires some time on their part to fully cover the entire circumference, and they'd needed to forge a few extra knives since they keep breaking after just a few uses. But eventually, they finished the job.

Kirito set down his axe with a sigh, grinning at their handiwork. "Well, it sort of looks like vandalism now that we take a good look at it, huh?"

"Don't call it that," Eugeo lightly smacked him in the shoulder with a pout. "Now I'm starting to feel bad."

"Ah, whatever. We'll still end up cutting it down, so it wouldn't even matter."

They'd eyeballed the process, so they'd end up cutting out a ring with a diameter of twenty centi- Mel of bark from the entire circumference. It's probably overkill, but Kirito felt like it was appropriate enough that it might prevent the nutrients from moving to and fro in the tree.

Sighing, he rolled his shoulder and picked up his axe once more. "Well, that's good and all, but we still haven't finished our original job. Can't let that be or else we'll get in trouble, won't we?"

"Eh? Oh, right…" Eugeo sweat-dropped. "But we'd just… You should take a break first, though."

"Nah, it's fine. The sooner I get started on this, the faster we'll be done. Then we get to go back home early. Sulinea's already warned us about staying outside for too long, so let's get this over with."

Fixing his stance before the familiar gash, momentarily taking in the sight of the girdle wound, he swings his first swing of a thousand.

" Kiritooo!"

The boy in question blinked, turning his head around to stare at the incoming voice. "Huh? Who's—" He was caught wholly unprepared as a child-sized projectile tackled straight into his ribs, forcing all the air out of his system. "Ough..! Liz..?"

"Mmhm!" Her pigtails bobbed as she nodded her head, staring up at him with a beaming smile. "It's been so long! We've been trying to see you for a long time now, but we never got the chance!"

"That's true," he looked to the other kids. Raiza, Marie and Anna were quick to surround him in his moment of surprise, Eugeo standing to the side and watching them curiously. "You're back early today, though. You and Eugeo usually come back around the evening or something, don't you?"

"Ah… Sorry. Usually, we'd be hanging around the Gigas Cedar after our work is done, so I guess that's why you usually miss us."

"Ahh, don't worry about it," Raiza waved away his concerns with a grin. "At least we finally caught up with you today, so it's worth it."

Well, damn. Kirito knew for a fact that he missed all the church kids. In spite of how much he enjoyed staying over at Eugeo's place, that didn't mean he'd completely forgotten his first, true home, as well as everyone that lived under that same roof as he did.

He especially needs to talk to Eriana and Yuka. See how they're doing. He'd never gotten the chance to see them since he'd moved into Eugeo's place to watch over him.

Although, if these four are any indication, looks like they're doing just as well. Kirito grinned, unsurprised by how happy he is too see them again. "Ah, jeez… Well, if it's worth anything, I miss you guys too."

"Us too!" Anna beamed. "And everyone else too. Especially Yuka and Eri. They'd wanted to see you since you guys came back from the forests."

'Wait, seriously? Aww…' Just that alone filled his heart with joy once more. Dang, is he a sucker for the feels. "Well, don't you worry, 'kay? I'm staying with Eugeo just a little longer. Once he's good to go, I'll come back."

" Whaaat?" All eyes immediately snap towards his best friend, who tensed from suddenly having all attention on him. "How much longer, Eugeo?!" Liz cried out.

"Ah… W-Well, I'll probably be taking this off early next month."

"And then we get to have our big brother back!" Cheered Marie, Anna and Liz joining her.

Kirito, on the other hand, raised a brow at them. "Oh yeah? Never knew you guys loved me that much," he snickered. "Couldn't live for a few days without me or something?"

His attempt at flippancy was meant simply to lighten the mood. Perhaps draw some laughter or shouts of embarrassed denial from the kids—he would have expected that. It seemed like a pretty reasonable response for something so embarrassing as what he'd said.

"Of course we can't."

"Eh?"

It was an immediate backfire as Anna quickly stood in front of him, red eyes staring up at him as she puffed out her cheeks. "You're like our big brother since we've known you. Of course we'd miss you, Kirito…"

Marie, the shy one of the four, nodded with a blush of her own. "M-Mmhm… It's not the same without you…"

"True. You're the one who usually looks after us alongside Sister Azalia, so it's a little weird without you around," Raiza chuckled a little, crossing his arms. "All the girls are always complaining about how boring it is without their big brother. That sure says a lot, doesn't it?"

"O-Oh?" Crap, now he's the one on the back burner. Was he flushing? And—Damn it! Eugeo's looking so smug! He was having too much fun seeing him this flustered! "I-I see. Sorry, sorry. I get it. But I'll be back soon! Once Eugeo can take off his cast, I'll return home!" He crouched, raising his pinky. "Promise," it didn't take long before the redhead locked her finger over his.

"Promise promise?"

"Promise promise."

That was the right response, as Anna smiled so widely that he couldn't have possibly mistaken her genuine happiness. "Mm! We'll hold you to it, then!"

"Yep! Just a few more days," he patted her on the head. And then, noticing the staring looks from the other two girls, he reached out to pat them as well, getting them to glow with joy. "Raiza, hold down the fortress for a little longer, 'kay?"

The boy in question laughed. "You and your weird sayings… Alright, alright. I will," afterwards, he turned towards the girls. "Now then, we should be on our way too. Sister Azalia would be cross with us if we stay out any longer."

" Whaaat?!"

"Don't try to argue your way out of this one. You know how she can be," he rolled his eyes at their collective whining. Kirito, in the meantime, was so taken aback by how clingy they were towards him. He didn't remember them being this clingy before! "Come on, now. Say your goodbye's to Kirito and Eugeo," he met the ravenette's eyes, nodding. "We'll see you another time, then, Kirito."

"You got it," looking once more at the girls, he gave them a big smile of his own. "Take care and be good for me, everyone! I'll be home soon enough!"

Clearly, it took some amount of convincing for a little longer, but eventually the girls relented and followed Raiza back to the church. Kirito and Eugeo stayed to wave them away, watching them as they headed back to the orphanage.

It was only when they were properly far and away did Kirito finally regard his best friend with the dirtiest, most unamused look he could muster. "You sure had a lot of fun watching me squirm, didn't you?"

"I couldn't help it," darn. He's at least being honest about it, though that somehow makes it just the tiniest bit more aggravating. "I don't often see you getting embarrassed like that. It was a rare moment, so of course I had to enjoy it!"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Sure. Enjoy that little memory for as long as possible, then."

"Oh, you don't even have to tell me. I will."

Dinnertime is a time for the family to come together and perhaps talk about the day with one another. Some see it as stressful, others see it as therapeutic, and a few usually just go through the motions and focus on the meals without taking into account the conversational part.

For Kirito, it's a reminder that he gets to eat with his best friend's family, who have treated him so well during his stay here and even long before, which is enough to give him a nice, homely feel that he always gets back when he lived in the church.

"How was today?"

"Oh, it was actually pretty interesting. See, we actually…" Pausing for a bit, he eventually let out a sigh. "Actually, nothing happened. Sorry, uncle. I really tried. We did get to see some of the church kids, but that's it."

What he didn't expect was to get a chuckle out of the man, stroking his chin. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's always quiet out here. We are at the border of the empire, after all. If anything does happen, though, be sure to get back home and report them to anyone, alright? You can even tell me if the hunters and Gasupht aren't around."

Kirito nodded back. "You got it. I'll even carry Eugeo on my back when we run back."

"Wha—I have legs! I can run on my own, you know!"

"But I'm the faster of the two of us! If you get on my back, I can get us back to the village so much faster!"

"But I'd just be weighing you down! That would be counterproductive!"

Welp, this is their basic routine. People often called arguing with one another a good way to get closer. Seemed silly to him at first, but these days, he realizes that it's a sort of comfort that he'd get to have these silly quarrels. Goes to show that they're close enough to be doing something as ridiculous as this from time to time.

Orick seems amused as he watches them. Euden and Eugene interject from time to time to add their own two cents on the matter, sometimes trying to support Kirito's claim of his strength while at times standing on their brother's side. And Sulinea…

"You two are being silly. You're already eleven. You're not kids anymore…"

"Ah, but we're not teenagers yet either," it seemed ridiculous to be arguing about this with Sulinea, but any opportunity to just talk is nice. "The way I see it, we've got six stages. Freshly born? You're a baby. Then you're a toddler when you're one to three. Childhood is four to twelve."

" Twelve?" She repeated. "You can't be serious. That's so old already!"

"It makes sense, because after your childhood, you're a teenager. And the numbers thirteen up to nineteen have the word 'teen' in them, so that's not too weird," he parried smoothly, the two youngest brothers muttering their agreement. Eugeo looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. "Afterwards, you're an adult. And you become an elderly when you're…"

"Sixty-five?"

"Fifty?"

"Fifty is far too young," Orick replied to Euden's suggestion. "Eugene is correct. Sixty-five seems to be the appropriate age because, remember, some of those in the age of fifty are still able to carry out work. Look at Garitta, even. The old fool may have retired, but he certainly deserves the title of 'healthiest elderly' here in the village."

"Whoa," everyone turned to Kirito, whose eyes were as wide as platters. Slowly, he raised both hands. "Chill, uncle."

"Hah. Don't mind me. Just being difficult for the fun of it. I don't hold anything against him."

"Faaather," Sulinea didn't take too kindly to that, though, poking him in the sides with a pout. "Don't ever do that! You're setting a poor example for the kids!"

"Yes, yes. I'll be more careful next time, sorry."

Just that small interaction had him stifling a chuckle. For how gruff the man can be, he's still so close to his children that Kirito is glad to know that he isn't mean towards his children. Tough love, he recalled, and it certainly seems that way; he doubted he's the kind of man who'd be comfortable outwardly speaking and displaying his affection.

Dinner lasts a little longer as everyone were pulled into the chatter. With topics of all kinds to keep the session livelier than he ever remembered it ever being, Kirito went to bed fresh from his bath and smiling happily. Even Eugeo, who had gone to sleep right off the bat, couldn't hide his own joy on his features.

Today has been so ordinarily mundane. Nothing drastic had occurred. It truly felt like nothing had changed whatsoever since Alice's departure.

It really has been a day like any other, and damn if Kirito didn't enjoy it.

'I know most people would dream of seeing something bigger than them, but even this is nice.'

The dim glow of Lunaria's light into the room was soothing in a way that he couldn't put into words, but he knows for a fact that it's slowly lulling him to sleep. He'd never given it much thought before, honestly. Probably because he'd been used to falling asleep right off the bat without actually taking it in.

Right now, though, he was still a little awake, and that gave him the opportunity to bask in this quaint little moment. It's a kind of peaceful that makes him feel as if he's the only one in the world, and he simultaneously enjoyed and disliked that.

Probably enjoys the peace, but not much of a fan of being lonely. Maybe that's why he'd interacted so much with the church kids back then?

'Man… I can't wait to go back. I want to see everyone again,' he hummed, comfortably pulling the sheets over him. 'I can't wait to see Yuki and Eriana too… After everything they'd gone through, they deserve so many hugs. And all the tastiest meals they could get.'

Well, Sister Azalia's probably made them all the delicious food they could ever have. That just means he'd have to give them everything else that he could manage to give. Perhaps he could do anything for them for a full week or something.

One by one, the faces of all the children in the church pop up in his mind, and Kirito can't help but fall asleep in comfort.

The boy with black hair was an enigma in this world, that which is crafted by beings that exist beyond the realm of the inhabitants.

Some wonder as to whom he is. Some wonder if he had a family. Some wonder if he has a role to play in the world. Some wonder if he was always meant for the road he walked. Some wonder what happened to turn him into the person he is at the end of his story.

At the end of the story, a boy has become something far greater than the world had expected. He had faced every challenge with his companions by his side, rewriting history and the world itself in a way some would have never expected.

He, with his unfaltering spirit—

He, with his undying will—

He, with his strength—

He, with the people who have sworn their fates in his hands, who took up arms to determine their future, who chose to walk alongside the one who has chosen to give his life for his people and his world—

The Underworld tastes change, unlike any other.

~ Excerpt taken from «Underworld: From The Ground Up», written by Eolyne d'Lucia

Author's Notes:

Girdle can be three things; a garment worn around the lower torso, the pectoral girdle (collarbone and shoulder bone) and the pelvic girdle (ilium, ischium and pubis), or the technique to strip the bark off a tree to cut off its nutrient supply and kill it.

Also, just so you know, I've only ever read the War of Underworld novels. I know nothing about the Unital Arc, but for those who've noticed, well. That's for a very distant future.