Tyranny (The Key)✔

Chapter 48- First Arguments Made

"Claire!" Rin spots me at last and bounds over, gripping me in a tight hug, despairingly this causes me to inhale sharply with agony and collapse like a boulder in an avalanche. "Oh, you're hurt!" Rin babbles some more about how terrible my wounds and this whole situation is.

"Claire? Claire! CLAIRE!" A voice rings out hastily and frantic as a bird in a cage.

"I-I found them. Over here!" I squeeze out in a pained puff.

Phoenix crashes careless over to me and kneels down, eyes wide as they could possibly be and guilt in his face for making me do so much and travel too far. He lays me down once more with caressing hands of care. Once done, he faces Rin and the arrived Hester; who inspects me too suspiciously, this makes a growl rise steadily and ready in Genesis's throat.

+*+*+*+

"Oswald! I know your real name is Apollo, the name of a god!" My voice calls out, no pain from my now useless body burdening me longer.

"How dare you come to my domain and scream out such a wretched name!" Oswald comes forth. Never have I seen such a face of such darkened repulsiveness.

"Why is it so horrid to you?" I ask him bluntly, not in a mood for games and jokes.

"Because," he clears his throat to change expression more smoothly, "Because, I am no 'god', nor do I wish to be named or treated as such. I am a different person. I want to be who I am, not idolized or expected to be something I'm not! Do you understand!?" He half yells, more casual than I'd expect.

"Okay okay. On another topic, I've found a connection to the others and a way to get to them. But still I have found no answer to what I am to ask Rin!" My voice lowers in my anonymous frustration.

"I am fully aware of Hester, I'm always with you and my eyes gain not weariness with age, but quite the opposite I'm afraid." Oswald jokes in a wise way somehow.

"So, you said, 'come here', does that mean I did this on my own?" I question further, his eyes grin at me.

"Yes, yes indeed this is the case!" He is always so excited, perhaps even too much so...

"And, how, exactly did I do that?" Glancing around for what I would suspect to be a door.

"Oh, I don't know, never happened before!" He grins cheerfully at me.

"Well...if you've nothing more to say, then, can you, I don't know, make me leave, or something?" I wounder of the multitude for possibility.

"Why not, I've nothing to say, for now." He sighs and then fades away gently. "Oh! That's right! Phoenix can relate to you!" Oswald cries before he's whisked away in a tornado of black thick air.

Phoenix can relate to me? Relate to me how? What the fuck! Annoyance and more frustration build in my core once more. Oswald doesn't know a fucking thing, he doesn't understand, just can't, no one can nor will! My denial controls my mind and conceals all else.

"She's awake!" Phoenix forces himself high in the air, bouncing around as would a squirrel; throwing limbs in the air and informing all the Salem Forest it would seem.

Faces pop up in front of my vision, all grinning and happy. Aegis is the first, his pained wince is not something I miss, so I scowl at him in anger.

"Lay down you idiot!" I sit and ignore the piercing pain, knowing full well he's still in worse condition; I shove him down and collapse once more beside him. Until the next face that is.

"Heyo!" He waves gayly.

"Blaze!" Smashing him to the ground for rest, I am between them both, making sure they take it easy and heal for once.

"They refused to stay once I returned with the news, this was the cause for lengthly time wasted..." Phoenix glares cooly and hard at them both as scolding a dog.

"I knew they were both idiots..." I huff and send a sharp gaze at each.

Aegis blushes and scratches his head with embarrassment. Blaze fumes smugly, beginning a rant on loyalty and friendship.

"I don't need saving mouthbreathers!" I conk the now sitting Blaze on the head, tranquilizing him to a daze.

"We know it's just-" I interrupt Aegis.

"Nope, NO, I cannot believe you, you wouldn't come rescue me?" Pretending to be upset and sulk, Aegis scrambles to amend his sociable mistake. He's not the best with talking when it's not serious and just for a few giggles. "Relax, I'm just kidding. Whelp, you two stay here while I help with the injured." Standing, I'm drawn down to Earth by a hand.

"We refuse to remain here useless unless you are here too." Blaze gives me a stubborn yet loyal negotiation.

"Hmmmm, niether. I'm going, you two are staying here." Swiftly I leap up, Blaze's reflexes are apparently spectacular.

Do I want to feel useful and help being followed by these two wounded men, or, do I want to stay here and rest uselessly with two wounded men as they also mend...

"Fine. I'll stay." Annoyed enough, I give in.

However, Blaze snores soon and Aegis is looking away, so I slip away unseen, smiling slyly in my success. I'm just as stubborn as Blaze, but I use more mind to get my way.

Genesis meets me, as though having just known where and why I have risen.

Pain courses through my body and a hand in unable to cease clenching at it.

She leads me on, treading solemnly. The sight is upsetting and discouraging.

Bodies are lined side by side throughout, none would appear deceased but groan of pain and moans of agony rise to the fall winds above. Phoenix seemingly teleports to my side.

"None dead!" He releases his excitement upon me.

"There weren't this many people with us at the river..." I start in wonder, sensing the dreadful cloud of gloomy mist surrounding the bloody soil.

"Yeah, they came through here apparently..." He sighs and slumps slightly in exhaustion.

"You need some rest," I gaze at him, concerned and suspicious. "Why does no one treat you any different if you are in fact the leader of all the Luzumi?"