"Are you… there?" Sally whispered as the wanderers backed away in shock.
Aletha responded with a nervous smile. She was still unsure about what she had seen.
"Y-Yeah…"
Then, both she and Asahi heard the sound of chatter surrounding them all. They turned their heads around and saw the same batch of goblin villagers staring at them, confused. Now they understood what Phthonus meant by humility.
As they started to distance themselves from the group, Asahi whispered his thoughts to himself.
"I could have sworn that silhouette was Aiyana. Why is our memory getting clogged up?"
Then Asahi felt a sudden, heavy sensation pressing against his back—a surge of rage, so overwhelming he could barely describe it. His gray eyes grew cloudy, sweat gathered on his palms, and heat rose sharply inside him. He glanced and noticed Phthonus now standing close to Aletha.
Unlike his usual demeanor, Asahi was significantly more aggressive.
He swiftly flew to Phthonus and raised his voice.
"What do you think you're doing to my sister? Huh? Back off!"
Without hesitation, he pushed Phthonus away from Aletha.
"Get away from her!" He yelled.
Phthonus sneered at Asahi and then raised his voice.
"What was that for?"
Asahi crossed his arms and gritted his teeth. This anger inside his mind almost felt forced and uncontrollable. He stood and towered over Phthonus in a masculine tone; it was practically unidentifiable from who he had been previously.
"You KNOW exactly what you were doing. Degenerate."
Drimi and Sally's eyes widened in shock.
"Hey? Why are you two--
Suddenly, Asahi swung his fist toward Phthonus's jaw and spewed a few bits of crimson into the air. The crowd gasped in surprise as the scarf slowly descended to the grass. His eyes fogged up, blood stained on his thick white hair, and his face froze in confusion.
From outside the goblin crowd, someone yelled.
"ASAHI! Why are you doing this?!"
Asahi never dared to reply. All he did was continue to move his face toward Phthonus with unexplained hatred and rage. This feeling couldn't be controlled; it wouldn't be enough even if he were fighting a war with the forced sense.
Aletha tried to run to him, but Asahi quickly forced her to the ground. She called out as her brother's blank gray eyes stared straight through her.
"Big brother, why are you doing this?! What has gotten into you?"
Asahi's hair blocked his own gray eyes. He couldn't control himself; he felt a fury so intense that it almost burned his mind. Marina hollered as she tried to run to him.
"You know, Asahi! All the villagers are watching you!"
Asahi gritted his teeth and tightly clenched his fists. He swiftly stomped his feet against the ground and stepped closer to Phthonus. Aletha tried to settle him down, but all that did was make Asahi angrier. He was absolutely finished with everyone's 'apparent' lies.
As Asahi stepped closer to Phthonus, she whispered to herself.
"He's not acting like himself. My big brother… is acting like a psycho."
Drimi stepped in front of Asahi and grabbed him by the neck. Her long, silky dark hair brushed his face, the floral scent lingering as she pulled him back.
Asahi was so angry, he didn't even question how that scent got on her. He just assumed it was just some 'natural' smell of hers.
Phthonus squinted at Asahi and stomped his foot. An envy burned within him—so deep and unexplained, it had lingered since he lost his only love.
Despite blood drawn from his lip, Phthonus taunted Asahi in his own fury.
"What are you going to do, vanilla boy? Are you just going to take advantage of others because of your appearance? Will you use your personality or affiliation for your own gain? Are you gonna force your followers to do your work?"
His voice cracked, revealing the anger Phthonus felt towards Asahi.
"Y-You don't even listen to your own sister! You're… no god. In my eyes, you're an absolute phony."
Though all of Phthonus' words were true, Asahi refused to accept them, only fueling his fire further. He felt lost—his actions were so unlike himself, it was as if he wandered alone in a dark, misty forest.
Just as Phthonus could say another word, Asahi neared Phthonus and swung his fist straight at his jaw, splattering crimson into the air.
Everyone who surrounded them gasped in shock. Most were incapable of considering what Asahi did. Even Aletha, Asahi's sister, was inconceivably stunned. The surroundings couldn't have been more silent.
Asahi sneered at Phthonus and spat in his face, completely displaying disrespect toward everyone. Aletha pushed Asahi away from Phthonus and screamed at him.
"Asahi, what are you doing?!"
Despite her loud cries, Asahi ignored her and wiped crimson liquid from his skin. Drimi, Sally, and the rest of the village stood speechless. They all realized Asahi held more power than they thought. They backed off, watching as Phthonus bled on the floor.
Asahi placed his foot against Phthonus' face. There wasn't any hesitation in him, just pure heartlessness. As Marina watched from a distance, Asahi pushed his feet further on his face.
Asahi heard a loud grunt sound from beneath his feet. Despite the loud shrieks, Asahi continued to ignore him.
Drimi clenched her fists and tore off her mask. Unable to tolerate Asahi's actions any longer, she moved to restrain him, but Asahi immediately flung her into the air and slammed her to the ground, like an ant being buried. Sally stepped back and tripped over a pebble.
Asahi squinted his eyes toward Sally and shouted at her.
"Get your hands off of me! You know nothing about who I--
For a moment, he paused and looked around. Terror twisted his face. There was no fog in his eyes. But soon, it returned, along with his sociopathic personality. Drimi lifted herself from the ground and stepped in front of Asahi. Even with her patience, Asahi's pathetic move was unacceptable.
"You're doing this all for that?! Do you have any idea what Phthonus did for your sister?!"
Asahi, without hesitation, kicked Drimi to the air and screamed. His face couldn't have been more demonic and selfish.
"Stay out of this conversation, INSECT! You're just a dirty tool that wears a mask. What are you? Some sort of coward?!"
When she turned her head up to Asahi, Drimi trembled in fear. It felt as if she were an insect, almost getting stepped on by Asahi. She never wanted to present herself to others as weak, yet still, she couldn't keep her confidence. While she tried to get up, she got slapped back to the ground by Asahi.
"Stay there! I didn't tell you to move." He said to Drimi with a deep, fierce tone.
Aletha shut her eyes and released a deep sigh. She knew that this was Asahi's worst side. Something was exploiting his personality to force him to be this way.
"No…"
Aletha knew that this was the truest form of Asahi's worst.
As she saw the entire crowd stare at Asahi, Aletha whispered to herself.
"There is no way… that my big brother could all of a sudden become this way. Still, it doesn't mean I should allow him to harm others."
Sally pulled her long platinum hair from the ground and transformed toward her smaller self. It seemed to her that she never wanted to be in this situation.
Yet despite her attempts to flee, she was still affected by the anger. Something sounded from outside the bushes, yet no one paid any attention to it.
Sally slowly lifted her face up from the ground and whispered.
"... that's so disheartening. I can't believe it. After all, I, Drimi, Belial, Akwan, and Phthonus are all humans…."
As each drop of blood spilled out from Phthonus' wound, Asahi grew more aggressive. He swiftly forced his foot against Phthonus's head and screamed at him while his teeth clenched together.
"Know your place!"
His whole soul seemed separated from his true self. Phthonus struggled to push Asahi away. Instead, the force slowly crushed his face into the cold dirt. He nearly suffocated from the pressure.
Phthonus then closed his eyes and burned Asahi's fingers with fragments of his magic. Then, he pushed Asahi away and sprinted toward a straw house.
As Asahi lifted his face off the debris, Phthonus screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Know your place? KNOW YOUR PLACE?! You bastard! You know nothing about me!"
Immediately, Phthonus ran to Asahi and swung his fist at full force. Instead of crimson, it was Dust that spilled out from Asahi. He toppled and tripped over himself to the floor. Unlike Asahi, Phthonus felt his wounds slowly closing.
"Huh?"
He turned to his wound and saw a faint green luminance floating. He wiped the blood off and tilted his head back, and he saw a boy with long, dark hair, who wore a dark brown cloak, stealthily standing behind a thick patch of bushes. Just by his attire, Phthonus recognized the boy.
"Belial?"
Despite their distance, Belial could still hear him from meters away. Phthonus had a special power: the ability to hear from a great distance. Perhaps it was an attribute melded from a particular animal trait.
However, Belial knew that something wasn't right; he never wanted anyone to lose their lives. He was afraid that someone could be hurt by his actions. So, instead of walking in, he smiled and whispered to Belial.
"Yes, it's me. Pretend I wasn't here. For the greater good."
"Thank you, Belial. It's been a long time." Phthonus replied.
Belial ran back toward the bushes and hid from the scene. He never wanted to interfere with the situation, knowing someone else could be stalking the area.
Meanwhile, at the epicenter of the village, Asahi stood back up and tossed a wooden plank toward Phthonus. Despite the current situation, nature continued to 'speak.' The birds continued to chirp, the winds continued to howl, and the insects continued to hum.
As the others stared at Asahi, Aletha sprinted up to him and blocked his way. He tried to step forward, but was thwarted by Aletha.
Even Aletha's body trembled in fear when she saw that cold gaze from her brother. Lifeless… gray eyes. No glimmer, no emotion, nothing.
Then, as silence filled the area, Asahi faintly whispered with his eyes blocked by his hair.
"Get out of my way."
When he tried to walk in another direction, Aletha shook her head and blocked Asahi.
"Don't hurt Phthonus! You don't know what he did to save me!"
Despite hearing Aletha, Asahi doesn't bear to care. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and asked her with a slightly louder, more aggressive tone.
"Get… out… of… my… way."
Aletha still doesn't listen, shocking the others. It appears that she exhibits more assertive behavior in certain situations. It's as if she were revealing the best of herself, and Asahi revealing the worst.
As Asahi intimidatingly stood in front of Aletha, Phthonus mumbled with absolute disbelief.
"No, not his sister…."
While Phthonus stood back up and dashed as fast as he could to Asahi, without a single smidge of hesitation, Asahi forcefully pushed Aletha to the ground and stomped his foot against her leg.
"I told you to get out of my way…." He yelled.
Even at his worst, he displayed some empathy for his sister. Aletha was not left with bruises or injuries.
Never in her lifetime had she ever been treated like that by her brother. Aletha tremblingly muttered while tears started to fall down her pale cheek.
"Asahi…"
Marina swiftly fled the area. She never wanted to be a part of any of this. However, when she tried to run, she accidentally dropped a book next to the trunk of a pine tree.
Marina was still confused about Deniz's whereabouts. This made the encounter all too unavoidable.
As activity stirred, Phthonus swung his leg back to Asahi and screamed.
"Do you know what I did? I'll tell you…."
He swung his fist back at Asahi.
"I saved your sister's life from Abril. That's why she was covered in charcoal. If I were not there, your sister would have died! Listen to me, and we can--
While Phthonus tries to scream his lungs out, Asahi swings his fists so hard at Phthonus that it forces his opponent to be unconscious.
Despite explaining to Asahi that Phthonus had saved Aletha, Asahi didn't listen. It truly angered Aletha to the pinnacle degree. As sparks of hatred flung inside Aletha's mind, she whispered to herself.
"Asahi."
No one did anything for Phthonus. All they did was watch. Mainly because most of the magic in the village was not present for some reason.
The goblins never bear to attack, nor do the others. Only Phthonus could pass the magic barrier because of some sort of necessity hidden deep in him.
. . .
With every punch Asahi threw, his strength increased. Belial attempted to heal Phthonus anew, but could not overpower Asahi's assault.
He tumbled to the floor and screamed at Asahi.
"Please... stop. This is... unnecessary. You don't even realize what's in this villa--"
Then, his face gets pummeled back toward the floor. One attack after another, the forest grew silent. Not even the sound of a bird is heard; only the sound of hits echoes over the forest.
Aletha's patience had finally reached its limit. She shut her eyes and stood up. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and pressed her hand against her heart.
"I know that you're my brother, but I can't allow you to harm others. This is against the rules of our parents..."
As each step resounded over the ground, her gray eyes turned entirely black. So did her attire. Her face transformed—no longer friendly, but brutal, lifeless, furious.
Those black eyes instilled fear in everyone, including her brother. Even Aletha never truly understood that power. When her eyes turned this way, fear set in for anyone who stared.
Asahi trembled in fear and dropped the stick. It's as if a void was in Aletha's eyes. As she slowly took a step forward, he turned his head toward Phthonus and jumped up in shock.
"Huh?!"
Then, the fog returned. Asahi gave her a sick grin and taunted.
"Go ahead! Try me... sister. You would lose."
Everything went silent after that.
The only thing they could hear was their own heartbeats. One beat after another; it symbolized how close they were to falling apart. Dreamtoe's forced emotion seemed to have ruined lives; this forest was all just a discrepancy from the start.
Asahi turned to Aletha's hands and saw a black void hovering at her fingertips, white particles surrounding it—matching patterns on their attire.
Asahi didn't hesitate to kick Phthonus's face once more. As soon as he was about to slay Phthonus, as soon as he took his last breath, suddenly, a massive beam of darkness blasted out of Aletha's hands.
Then the shade swiftly transformed to a bright white, completely knocking Asahi into the air. Everyone gasped in shock.
"NO!"
The darkness that shrouded Aletha's eyes vanished. Her gray pupils trembled in pure disbelief. She closed her eyes and formed a tear on her face. As others tried to comfort her, she swiftly ran away toward the bushes, sobbing roughly.
Kali swiftly ran to Asahi and stared.
She knew that something was wrong with him. He would never suddenly act like that.
Just as things could get any worse, a man who wore mechanical armor stepped from the bushes, with Belial's neck caressed by his gloves. His purple visor glowed with luminance, shimmering on his attire.
He never said a word, but instead, he instantly strafed toward Aletha's path and blasted a laser toward one of the houses.
Asahi, Drimi, and the rest knew who that was.
"Tear..." Mumbled Sally.
Belial was thrown to the floor near Phthonus, his face covered in ash. Despite seeming to be harmed, Belial still had the energy to heal Phthonus from Asahi's mistake.
"I sincerely thank you..."
As Phthonus tried to swing to Asahi, Kali stopped them and screamed.
"Aletha could be in danger! We need to follow them, now!"
"So... we're just going to disregard what Asahi did?"
Just before Phthonus could swing at Asahi again, the goblin elder whispered.
"It's not him; It's... Dreamtoe..."