False Gods

Book XI: Burning Sword

Chapter LXXXII
 
     When I had woken up the next morning, the house felt indescribably empty. Everyone had gone their separate ways for the time being, but we agreed to meet up in one month to finish what we started. In truth, it was possible we had more time, but I didn't want to chance it, especially considering Adamas could only give us approximate times. On top of that, we weren't sure if there were any other circumstances that could shorten our already tight timeline.
 
     In light of this, I got out of bed and got ready for the day. Pyra and I had a long way to go, but we'd go about it together.
 
     "Pyra, you up?!" I called out.
 
     "Yes, good morning!" she replied from the other room.
 
     We sat down together and ate breakfast, Acacia and T-Elos had already left to help out the townsfolk, so it was just us.
 
     We didn't have much to say to each other, so, after we finished eating, I decided to take her down to the beach just outside Fonsett for some relaxation.

     I had brought down some lounge chairs and towels from Granny's shed, and we sat down right next to the water, staring up at the sky.
 
     "The sky really is pretty, don't you think so?" I asked, trying to get her mind off of being worried all the time.
 
     She smiled, without looking at me, and nodded. "Yeah, and this breeze feels amazing."
 
     We sat in silence for a bit longer before she let out a sigh.
 
     "Pyra? Something wrong?" I asked, turning to her.
 
     "I... don't think I deserve this. I've taken so much from you, it's not fair!"
 
     I let out a sigh. "You have no reason to feel guilty, Pyra."
 
     She seemed confused, as she now finally looked at me. "What do you mean?"
 
     "Pyra, nothing you did was your fault. You were experimented on and manipulated for hundreds of years, this is your chance to live the way that you want to, not the way others demanded you to."
 
     She groaned, "I don't know, you seemed pretty demanding that I travel with you instead."
 
     I chuckled. "You're not wrong, but I didn't force you, did I? Your decision to be with us was yours and yours alone. Am I wrong?"
 
     She looked back up at the sky. "You are correct. I want to stay with you and everyone here, but I still don't think I deserve it. I can't offer you strength you don't already have, I can't cook any better than Mythra or Acacia, Sonata is a fire blade with plenty of power, so why do you care so much that I'm here? The only other thing I can think of that you could possibly want is my body...."
 
     "Let me stop you right there," I interrupted quickly before the conversation went any weirder. "You're overthinking it Pyra. I'm not Adonis, I don't care what you can offer me or what I can get out of you. I just want to see you happy, because I think you were cheated out of what you really wanted to do."
 
     "You have to want something though! You wanting nothing makes no sense," Pyra argued.
 
     I stopped to think for a second before I answered.
 
     "Do you really want to know what I want out of this?" I questioned.
 
     Pyra nodded. "Please tell me."
 
     "I want the satisfaction of knowing I helped you become the person you won't let yourself become. I want that because I selfishly believe that you want to be a kind, loving person and I won't stop until I think you're there. Does that work?"

     She stopped before giggling to herself.
 
     "What's so funny?!" I questioned.
 
     "I-It's nothing!" she said quickly as she sat up, but then she started laughing again.
 
     I sat up with her. "Oh come on! Stop laughing at me!"
 
     She had to stop herself. "Sorry! It's just... that was so corny! You should try being on the other end of your speeches some time, it's pretty hysterical!"

     I let out a sigh. "Fair point...."
 
     "Oh don't get bent out of shape!" she responded. "It... actually reminded me of him."
 
     "You mean Rex?" I questioned.
 
     She nodded. "Little by little, my memories of him are returning. I hope I didn't offend you."
 
     I stood up. "I'm fine, but you seem to all of a sudden be a lot better."
 
     She stood up. "I'm not, but I think I finally get what you're trying to accomplish, so I'm going to try to remember him and what I wanted for myself. Not for you, but for me. Is... that alright?"
 
     I nodded. "That's perfect, and I'll be here for you every step of the way."
 
     "Right," she responded happily. "That being said, do you want to spar?"
 
     "Right now?" I asked.
 
     "Well...," she started shyly. "I was a little jealous watching you and Mythra spar yesterday. She seemed to be having a lot of problems, but she worked it out just by venting her frustrations. I... was hoping to do the same."
 
     I chuckled nervously. "Well, as long as it doesn't get that heated, I don't see a problem with it."

     She passed me her sword and then drew another as we walked away from the lounge chairs and got ready.
 
     Without warning, we clashed into each other.
 
     She jumped back and slid back in quickly, swiping her sword upwards and trying to knock me off-balance.
 
     I spun to the right, using her own momentum against her. As she began falling, I was able to push myself into her, knocking her to the ground.
 
     "Nice try, but you came on strong, don't forget to read your opponent," I said while offering to help her up.
 
     "Take your own advice!" she retorted as she quickly kicked my feet out from under me.
 
     She jumped up and attempted to strike me while I was on the ground. I quickly blocked it with the flat end of her blade and used all my strength to turn left, causing her to fall to the ground to the left of me.
 
     We both stood up and hit our blades against each other, clashing once again.
 
     "Flame Nova!" she roared as she absorbed ether in the air to power her attacks.
 
     "Rolling Smash!" I shouted as I attempted to knock her off balance.
 
     She parried it and we stopped using arts entirely as we engaged in pure swordplay.
 
     In the end, neither one of us could gain the upper-hand, and we both started tiring. Pyra realized this, so she, in one decisive move, slammed against my sword with all she had, shattering both of our blades.
 
     Thinking that was the end of the battle, I tossed the handle aside. She did the same, however she immediately pounced, and tackled me to the ground.
 
     "So does that mean I win?" she questioned as she lay on top of me.
 
     "I don't know, both of our blades broke, I'm more inclined to call it a dra-"
 
     Before I could finish, she flipped me over, grabbed my arm, and forced it behind my back.
 
     "What about now?"
 
     "Ah! Ok, Ok! You win!" I said quickly before she applied any pressure.
 
     She giggled, let go and slid off of me, I then sat up right next to her.
 
     "I'm gonna remember that," I pointed out.
 
     She laughed a bit. "Same, I won and got you to squeal. I'll do it again too!"
 
     "I didn't squeal!" I responded defensively, before taking a deep breath. "But you did win, fair and square. Good job."
 
     "Thank you! Should I make dinner?"
 
     "Yeah, I'll help out, let's go!"

...................................

     Adonis trudged through Morytha, just as he had done for months.... Weeks? Years? Centuries? Time had no meaning in this wretched place. This place was so depressing, the world left over after the Architect selfishly destroyed it when he messed with the conduit. It was during this time that core crystal experiments were being done on humans, although no one really knew why. Those humans that had core crystals within them were the only things that roamed down here... and they were anything but human.
 
     Purple humanoid fingers that could only shriek and sometimes cry, they were closer to failed blade eater experiments than anything else, the last remnants along with these broken-down buildings of a place once called Earth. They made for a less-than-palatable food source, but they did the job. He wondered if eating them made him a cannibal, but Adonis didn't think so, after all, they were just shrieking beasts in need of a merciful death. Although sometimes, Adonis swore he could hear them... whispering. "Kill me. Please... kill me. I don't want to be here anymore." Although, admittedly, Adonis couldn't tell if it was these pitiful creatures or his own head telling him to find that bitch. This was all Galea's fault, and he'd find her, and he'd kill her.
 
     But first, he had to get out of here. Back to Alrest, where he'd get his blade back, his country, the power he'd worked so hard to gather. He was far from done, and he finally neared the end of Morytha, but, unfortunately, it was just as he feared.
 
     Morytha and Alrest now existed on different planes, the Architect made sure of that. The only way Adonis could travel back and forth was through the Aegis, or that titan he had lost.
 
     "YOU BITCH!" Adonis shrieked out. "LET ME BACK! QUIT TORMENTING ME!"
 
     But Galea ignored him, it's not that she didn't hear him, or that she didn't know where he was. It was that she wasn't done with him yet.
 
     "You'll have your chance, Adonis," she said to herself as she gazed upon the Conduit. "But only when it suits me. After all, I still have a little over a month left to get the ball rolling on this."

Readability Level: 9-10th Grade
Time Taken: 4 Hours