Aethon, Kirkcour Woods.
11:35 pm, 14th Banem 1092.
Ruumble!
The earth trembled as over two hundred pairs of hooves thundered out of the surrounding forests into the deserted town. The moonlight shone on the small army and revealed them to be a force of 104 centaurs, of which 100 were composed of the Longma tribe. Darian, Larsial, and Shadow rode just behind Kashi, who led the centaur contingent.
As they approached the town, Kashi's brows furrowed. Thick, acrid smells of smoke and rot blew into his nose, and a terrible premonition overcame the daeben. Fearing the worst, Kashi spurred Drixlia into a hard gallop and raced to the town. The rest of the army picked up on the daeben's unease and subsequently increased their pace.
Within a matter of minutes, Kashi reached the town gates, or rather what was left of them, and the sight that greeted him caused something primal within him to awaken from its slumber. The daeben's lips were tightly pressed together as he looked at the 'scarecrows' that adorned the broken gates.
The scarecrows were fashioned by impaling branches through centaurs and raising them several feet above the ground. The branches, some big, some small, positioned the centaurs' limbs in humiliating positions like strings of abandoned puppets.
Judging by the open-eyed despair and anguish in most of the centaurs' eyes, they had died a slow, painful death, devoid of honor.
Kashi's eyes were grim as Darian, Shadow, Larsial, and Agamios joined his side. Without looking at any of them, the daeben asked in a dark tone, "Have any of you learned telekinesis?" The deafening silence that followed answered his question. "I see," Kashi muttered and dismounted.
The daeben took slow, purposeful steps to one of the scarecrows. Kashi looked up at the tear-soaked, anguished filled eyes of the female centaur and followed her gaze to see a little colt a few meters away in a similarly humiliating position.
The daeben could tell from the severity of the gashes around the punctured parts of her body that the mare had fought till her last breath to save her child. Unfortunately, not only had she failed, she'd been forced to watch her son slowly bleed out in front of her.
How the colt must have cried. How he must have wept. How did the mother feel seeing the despair take over her son's eyes?
Boom!
Larsial paled as Kashi smashed the branches that held up the centaur mother with a single punch. The corpse lost its support and dropped toward the daeben. Larsial, convinced Kashi was too overcome with rage to notice his surroundings, opened her mouth to warn Kashi to move out of the way.
Bam!
Larsial's mouth remained open as she watched a massive surge of ki gush out of the daeben in the shape of a dragon's clawed hand and catch the corpse. 'You can do that?' Larsial looked at the daeben in awe and shock as the ki hand gently placed the body on the earth.
Kashi, at the moment, did not care in the least what the others thought about him. The centaur mother's eyes arrested his gaze and dredged up old memories Suzuki had buried deep within. Those eyes. They were the same as that time in the fire. The desperation of a mother willing to do whatever it took to save her child no matter how futile it seemed.
The only difference was that this mother failed to save her child. She never got to experience the relief of seeing her child escape to safety.
Kashi sighed as he crouched next to the centaur and gently closed her eyes. "You can rest now. I promise I will find those responsible and make them pay," he promised as much to the centauress as it was to the monster raging within him. The fire in his soul seemed satisfied by this answer as the heat in his chest slowly calmed.
Kashi shook his head in resignation. Suzuki's relationship with his mother was a tricky sore spot that would not be healed for many years to come. Even Kashi, who shared the same brain as Suzuki, could not explain the psychological hold over the young man. Was it hate or love that bound them or more likely a complicated mixture of both? Only a psychologist could answer that question.
The sound of footsteps to his side drew Kashi out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see the grim-faced Darian and Agamios. The Longma tribe centaurs followed Kashi's lead and began to cut down their brethren and gently place them on the earth. Kashi looked at Darian and asked, "Why have their bodies been left like this for so long?"
Darian's jaw trembled with grief and guilt. "We did try sending parties out to give them a proper burial, but the monster army beset every party we sent. It would be lucky if one out ten survived the attack. We also could not afford to send the full army as that would leave our own homes vulnerable to the enemy."
Kashi frowned. "How many days has it been since this village was destroyed?"
"Four days," Darian replied.
The daeben's brows furrowed even more at his answer. "Four days? So they have the power to wipe out an entire village. Why haven't they wiped out the rest?" Kashi felt like he had begun to pull on the end of this mystery rope. "How long have your villages been under siege?"
"Just under six months now," Darian replied. "Initially, the attacks were limited to skirmishes between our hunting parties and a few loose blights. The situation only escalated to what you see now in the past few weeks. Tonight was the first time we'd experienced a push on this scale that seemed intent on wiping us all out."
Kashi thought about it and wondered aloud. "If the enemy decided to wipe you all out today, why did he split up his forces rather than attack each settlement with the full army?" He looked at Darian with curiosity, "Does it have something to do with why no army was sent to your village?"
Darian's pupils dilated as his heart skipped a beat. "Of course! Why did we not think of this!?" The agitated centaur cursed the high heavens for his foolishness.
Kashi, unable to follow, asked, "What are you talking about?"
Darian shook his head. "Kashi-dono, you must have noticed that the placement of our villages takes the formation of a spear if looked at from above."
Kashi nodded. He had indeed taken note of that very fact from the very first moment Darian mapped out the villages' location. It seemed just like he thought, it did play a vital role. The only question now was what?
"The formation was passed down to us by our god several centuries ago to protect us from external forces," Darian revealed. "It is capable of producing incomparable power on the level of gods in desperate situations. Naturally, there are several restrictions in its actual use, but the fact remains that the power exists if one knows how to use it." Darian gripped his spear as he watched the Longma tribe go about their work. "There are two vital points on the formation. The speartip, which is the topmost tribe, and the handle, which is the bottom tribe."
"For several centuries, the Longma tribe occupied the spear tip," Agamios stated. "We are the strongest tribe, so it made the most sense for us to hold this position."
Darian nodded. "The village located at the spear tip also got a natural boost to their strength, so it only made sense for the Longma tribe to reside there. Unfortunately, their numbers began to decline after centuries of defending the centaur tribe from external forces. Someone had to switch with them or risk the extinction of our strongest tribe."
"The tribe that was chosen was the Aethon tribe." Kashi clarified. "But how does this explain why the Lymar tribe has not been attacked?"
"Because the moment the Aethon tribe switched with the Longma tribe was the moment our enemies realized that the land itself was what made the Longma tribe so strong," Agamios replied. "I'm sure that a few centuries later, the Aethon tribe would have looked just like us. The land's strength is not just a blessing but also a curse."
"What!? Is this true!?" Darian shouted, stunned by the revelation. "Doesn't that mean you were like us? Why does no one know about this?"
Agamios shook his head. "The chiefs of your villages are aware of this truth. But think about it? What would happen if our enemies knew they could become like us by staying in that land?"
"Exactly what is happening right now," Kashi replied and looked at Darian. "You said the spear tip is for offense. Then what's your tribe's purpose?"
"Our place in the formation is the last bastion of defense," Darian replied. "In a situation where the spearhead has been shattered, we provide a place to hide out the storm until we can rebuild."
Kashi's brow rose. "How does that work?"
"You did not notice because you were with me, Kashi-dono, but our village is hidden in a mirage that is near impossible to penetrate unless you know the right process," Darian explained.
Kashi shook his head. "The greatest strength of an illusion lies in no one knowing it is an illusion. The moment an illusion is exposed as such, it's only a matter of time before it is exposed." Kashi gritted his teeth. "I remember your father did not want anyone leaving the village during this period?"
Darian nodded. "Yes, why?"
Kashi sighed. "Old ginger is truly the spiciest no matter the world." At Darian's confused expression, Kashi explained, "Your father saw the enemy's endgame long ago and was trying his best to prevent it from happening. The enemy has been searching for the last village to obtain the entire formation. Unfortunately, he/she could never find your village because your hunters always ensured they weren't followed on their way home. Furthermore, as you said, no one would realize where the illusion started and ended just by randomly walking into the forest."
Kashi shook his head as he looked in the direction of Lymar village. "But what happens when a mass exodus of centaurs are headed in the same direction?"
Darian's face turned white as a sheet as he whispered, "It will be too easy to track a large group back to our village."
Kashi frowned. "I had initially thought we would have a few days to prepare and stake out the enemy camp before we attacked, but if my hunch is correct, the enemy's main force is already on its way to Lymar village. As for the illusion, I'm certain they already have a way to break it." Kashi looked at both centaurs and said, "I still don't know what the enemy's overarching motive is, but for now, we can infer they are at the very least interested in your village's formation and derive joy in tormenting the weak."
Agamios folded his arms and frowned. He looked at the daeben and asked, "So, what do you propose we do now?"
"The plan hasn't changed," Kashi replied. "We lead a strike force against their headquarters and take out the entire army by destroying the source of the blight. The only difference is we'll be doing that tonight. We have to believe in our comrades to hold the fort while we complete the mission."
Agamios nodded. "I understand."
"That is indeed the best course of action right now," Darian concurred.
"But first," Kashi said as he looked at the corpses on the ground. "We must send these brave centaurs off to the circle." Kashi, Darian, and Agamios joined Shadow and Larsial to help the rest of the Longma tribe build several funeral pyres for the corpses.
Thirty minutes later, Kashi solemnly stood in front of dozens of funeral pyres with Ferulic's Bow in hand. He took out Rosario's brush and drew a flaming rune on the bow. The daeben notched an arrow, whose head burst into flames as soon as it was strung. He looked at the centaurs and his companions, then at the funeral pyres. "Aethir guide your paths. May Alure welcome you with open arms, and grant you happier lives in the next life."
Whoosh!
The centaurs present watched the arrow as it slowly flew in the air, a small light in the darkness of night and despair. There was always hope in the world, no matter how dark it may seem. And all that hope needed was a spark, a catalyst, and it would set the world aflame with bright light.
"Go, Suzu. Mother will be alright."
Kashi's jaw was tightly set as the flames and acrid smoke once again dredged up those desperate eyes. Only, this time, rather than relief, the eyes held hatred and blame. The final words she said. The words Suzuki never heard but could make out.
The words that would haunt him for life.
The words that destroyed Suzuki Mato.
"This is all your fault!"
"Agamios-sama!"
A scout's shout pulled Kashi away from the flames. The daeben turned to see a centaur gallop up to him, Darian and Agamios with urgent strides.
Agamios looked at the centaur, and sensing the situation's urgency, said, "Report."
The centaur took a moment to catch his breath and then reported, "We've spotted traces of a massive monster army headed this way."
"How many monsters?"
The scout swallowed hard as he looked at the daeben and said, "We couldn't make out their full numbers, but we're sure they're at least double the number that attacked us."
"How far?"
"About thirty minutes out?"
Agamios' eyes twitched, and he looked at Kashi with respect. "Looks like your predictions were right. The enemy has indeed launched a final offensive. What do you propose we do now?"
Kashi's eyes narrowed as he looked at the scout. "Were you discovered?"
"No," The scout refuted with a shake of his head. "We left before they could."
Kashi released a sigh of relief at the scout's response. "Good. The enemy cannot know about the Longma tribe's presence here. It might cause the headquarters to raise their guard." Kashi looked at Agamios. "You and Darian will take the tribe and my people and circle around the army. Take as wide a berth as reasonably possible. We can't risk you getting seen."
Darian's brows furrowed in concern. "What about you? How will you find us?"
"Do not worry about me," Kashi reassured with a heartening smile. "Shadow and I have prepared for moments like this. He'll leave marks on the trees for me to follow. It will not be difficult for me to find you."
"I understand, but why are you staying behind?" Darian asked. "Do you intend on wiping out the entire army by yourself? If so, why do we need the infiltration plan?"
Kashi shook his head with a wry smile. "I cannot possibly take on an army of that size by myself. It doesn't matter how fast I regenerate mana or ki. My stamina will bottom out eventually. Besides, there'll definitely be a few marilith class monsters in this final army. A battle of attrition is far too detrimental."
"Indeed," Darian nodded. "But if that's the case, what do you intend to do?"
"If I were to be altruistic, I would say, I wish to thin out the enemy's numbers and more serious threats before they reach the village," Kashi said with a wry smile. "But, if I were to be truthful, then the truth is, I need to vent."
Crrrack!
A flash of lightning pealed through the night sky, accompanied shortly by a sharp clap of thunder. The light illuminated the daeben's features. His gruesome smile and blood-red eyes shone against the backdrop of his dark skin and sent shivers like none other down Darian and Agamios' spine.
Suddenly, Darian and Agamios felt like they no longer spoke to a daeben but the personification of death itself. They could feel the deathly cold touch of the grim reaper upon their necks when they looked into Kashi's eyes.
Luckily, the phenomenon only lasted for a brief moment, before Kashi's aura returned to normal. "I've got a monster inside me, you see," Kashi explained. "Very few things in existence can trigger that monster, but once it has been awakened, it can only truly be sated with blood and pain."
"Blood and Pain," Agamios murmured with a hollow expression. This was something he was all too familiar with. The Longma tribe's powerful bloodlust would often consume them during battle, and they would not regain their faculties until they had shed enough blood or suffered enough damage to pull them out of the trance.
"Yes," Kashi concurred with a light smile. "The monster is awake but simmering right now. I do not want to go into the enemy's HQ like this. There's a good chance he'll disrupt my thoughts, and I do not want to risk that. I do not want to die, after all. So, I'm going to vent. I will offer up our enemies' blood to sate the monster and put him back to sleep. Then I will escape and join up with you."
Darian swallowed hard and nodded. "Alright, I understand." He turned to Agmios and prompted the centaur chief, "We should start moving if we want to dodge the army."
Agamios grimly nodded, then regarded Kashi with a solemn look.
"Thank you. I shall keep those words to heart," Kashi said, then watched as Agamios and Darian left to organize the rest of the punitive force. A few moments later, the daeben let out a wry smile and said, "How long do you plan on standing there? Not going to scare me?"
"Not this time," Shadow muttered in a low voice as he walked out from behind the daeben to his side. "Not in the mood."
Kashi, even though he had a good inkling what the answer would be, asked, "What's wrong?"
Shadow's eyes narrowed as he looked at the daeben. "Your eyes. I don't like them. They scare me."
"I didn't know you could get scared."
"Neither did I," Shadow replied. 'There's always only been one thing in this world that scares me, and that's losing my sister. But right now, it seems I'm scared of losing you too."
Kashi could feel the assassin's intense gaze on the side of his face. He sighed as he looked to the night sky and promised, "I'm not going anywhere, Shadow."
"You'd better not," Shadow said and finally took his eyes off the daeben. "Or else I'll find you wherever you are, even if it's hell itself, and drag you back to apologize to Lunette."
Kashi burst out in laughter and ruffled Shadow's hair. A serene smile played on his face as he said, "I can't have you haunting me now, can I? I'll be sure to stay put."
"Don't die," Shadow said with a snort, then walked away towards his horse.
Kashi looked at his palm, then clenched it into a fist as he muttered under his breath, "I don't know how long I'll be here, but I swear I will never die."
"Looks like your friends really love you," Larsial called as she walked over to Kashi with a teasing smile on her face.
Kashi shook his head with mirth in his eyes. "Who would have thought, right? I must've been a saintly doctor in my past life to have this much going for me." Kashi said as Shadow, Darian, and Agamios approached him.
"We are ready, Kashi-dono," Darian reported with a stern look in his eyes. "We will be leaving now."
Kashi nodded his acknowledgment. "Ride safe, and may Aethir guide your path."
Agamios raised his arm to his chest in a salute. "May your spear strike true."
"Well, I'm an archer so I'm not sure how well that applies," Kashi joked, then raised his arm to his chest and added in a solemn tone, "but thank you. I will find you safe in two hours."
Kashi shared a look with Shadow, who sat atop his stallion. The assassin gave Kashi a curt nod then galloped alongside Darian and Agamios as they escaped into the surrounding forests.
"You are not leaving with them?" Kashi asked as he turned to look at Larsial, who was stroking Drixlia's body.
"I am here to watch you and decide the fate of those under my command," Larsial stated with a sultry smile. "What better time to find out what you are about than when you are about to confront your inner demons?"
"It won't be safe," Kashi stated, though he made no effort to convince her otherwise.
"I'll be with Drix-kun at a safe enough distance," Larsial assured. "You'll probably be exhausted when it's time to escape anyway. With me here, you'll have ample time to rest both mentally and physically."
Kashi looked at her for a brief moment, then shrugged. "Do what you want. It's a free world, or at least we're trying to make it one."
"As you wish," Larsial said and then led Drixlia into the forest to hide.
Kashi watched her leave, then walked north of the burning pyres and sat on the floor.
As he felt the flames' heat warm his back, Kashi thought back to Agamios' advice. "We of the Longma tribe know what it feels like to have a monster of rage and bloodlust in our hearts. You must learn to overcome it, or it will consume you."
"You're wrong, Agamios-san," Kashi muttered as he looked toward the still forest. "What plagues me is not as simple as rage and bloodlust. It is not a sickness or abnormality that can be removed or trained away in time. It is a part of me. A critical part of me that I cannot tamper with. It is a force that can consume and destroy me any day it wants at will. I am nothing but a Resident in this body. I can be deleted the moment I break the established rules."
Kashi's body trembled as he looked up toward the night sky. "Do you know what the worst thing is? The man who controls this body, the man who controls my fate is also not in control of this monster. It has warped his mind on numerous occasions. Made him do and say things he should never have. That night, in the fire, he saw what the monster could do. He saw what it was capable of. That was the day he learned the truth. The truth each of us has to contend with. This is not a monster that can be controlled or overcome. This monster can only be sated temporarily. We can only put it at bay and try our best to ensure our lives and personalities forever run Parallel to it. For should we clash, we will always lose. Every single time. And it will end in our destruction..."
Whoooo...
A gentle breeze blew past, rustling the leaves upon which the daeben sat. As if influenced by the wind, a voice echoed in the depth of Kashi's heart. '...I'm sorry.'
Kashi blinked, stunned by the apology, then burst out laughing. "Well, how's that for character development!?" the daeben joked. "You never once apologized to Razznik, did you?"
'No, I didn't.'
"Well then, I must be doing something right," Kashi remarked with a wry smile. "Wonder how much longer I have left if that's the case."
'I won't—'
"No, you will," Kashi interrupted. "Even if you don't, one day, when my purpose is complete, I will ask you to. That is our fate and your curse. It is your punishment for what you did. You must create and watch us die, one by one, until you are complete. Only then can you finally destroy the monster and truly live."
'...'
"Hey, don't go quiet on me now. It's not like I blame you or anything," Kashi said with a bright smile. "You are as much a victim as the rest of us."
Dudududu...
Kashi's ears perked up at the low rumbling sounds of thousands of feet striking the earth. "But you know, I do not intend to live my life like a victim," Kashi said as he rose to his feet and dusted his backside. "I will not repeat the mistakes you and Razznik made. I will not give in to the fear, the anger, the hatred." The daeben flashed a toothy grin as he slowly walked toward the direction of the rumbling. "I will live my life to the fullest. I will learn happiness. I will learn friendship. I will learn what it means to love. I will learn to put my trust in others. I will learn what it means to build something great with companions."
DUDUDUDUDUDU!
The earth trembled as what was once a low rumbling transformed to the sound of a thousand thunderclaps echoing through the night sky.
Kashi grinned as the first batch of the monster army began to spill through the trees. "I will leave my name in this world. Even when I pass on, my name will live on in the hearts of my friends." Electricity and lightning sparked in Kashi's eyes as scales began to grow along his body. "So, sit back and relax, Suzu. I'll put that monster to bed real soon."
By the time the entire monster army rolled out, they were met with a lightning infused Draconian glaring at them with a bright, toothy grin.
"But I'll do it MY way!" Lightning flashed in the night sky, and the earth trembled from the booming thunder that announced the daeben's presence. "Because I am not you, nor am I Razznik. I am me..."
The monsters froze in place, petrified by fear, and Larsial's eyes opened wide in shock as they gazed upon the personification of 'Lightning Tribulation.'
The daeben's form disappeared amongst the lightning as a voice boomed over the entire forest, "My name is Kashi. Kashi of the Hopeful Maggots. Better Remember It!"