Opening up his eyes, Kim breathed a heavy breath. His heart's pounding as he clasp his right hand.
"That.. was no dream, it happen so much that it become an occurrence. Having said that," Kim looks at what was in his hand.
The brilliant white star hovered in his palm, it haven't moved an inch from when he first got it.
"That white light.. said that this could bring back someone from the dead."
His unfocused eyes reflected on shimmering bright star, his attention is back. Feeling something around him was wrong, he turned to see what's going on.
A colossus red hand rose down from the ceiling, the ground shaking and breaking, cracks forming as the realm was like an wavy ocean. There was no calm sea, just a simple turbulent sea that wrecked havoc on anything it have touched.
Kim looked to see Luc Mugen's corpse, laying next to his body was Uma Michael. He lifted his head, his face saddened, a sorrowful gaze then turn to Daima.
"… D-Daima, I'm sorry…"
Daima look at Kim, his eyes shaking. But he closed them til it was calm then he opens them back up.
"..it's okay Kim, she… my mother is.." not able to finish what he was going to say, Kim felt a sharp pain around his chest, it strain his hearts as it gotten it in a chokehold.
Kim breathing became heavier, he wants to tell Daima that he could bring back his mother but if he do so, Luc Mugen would stay in the state that he is but at the same time he don't want to tell Daima.
Nevertheless, he knew that he can't keep silent about it, Daima need to know, it would feel wrong for him to not know.
"Daima.." Kim called out his name, Daima caught some of the gist of the emotions that seep out of Kim.
Kim hold out the twinkling white star in his hand, the glistening white light radiates in Kim's palm as it floats there, waiting to fulfill its purpose, that is to bring back a deceased.
"With this star.. I could bring back someone from the dead…"
"Wait, you can bring them back-"
Kim cuts him off.
"Not them," he waited, his lips trembling as his nose started fluttering.
"But someone…"
Daima looked at Luc Mugen then at his mother—Mary. He stared back at Kim and asked:
"Someone huh.. then you're going to bring back my mother, right? I mean it's only fair because she did help you and your friend!"
Kim stares fall to the ground, his eyes waver a bit before coming back to it sense. His mouth tremble every time he speak.
"I don't think I… yes she did help me and Yuriel.. but.."
Daima's eyes widen as he knew what kind of choice Kim had already though of.
"No! There is no but, please save my mother, please, please, ignore this child and bring my mother back from the dead!"
Kim gritted his teeth, and when he do so, Daima charge at him, wanting to get the star out off his hand.
"Stop Daima, I-I'm sorry, but I can't bring her back- if I do then… Luc will-"
"Who care about him!!!" Daima says as he shoved Kim's face away, his hand almost touching the star.
Kim slightly shoved Daima away with his right leg, then he crawl toward Luc Mugen's body, so that he could bring him back to life. Daima wasn't just going to sit there and let him.
Lunging towards his back, he begins stabbing him with his jabs.
"Bring back my mother! It's only fair, she saved you… please! C'mon, return the favor!!!"
Daima tears drips down from his cheek, then to his chins, it hit the back of Kim's shirt and it leaves an tiny absorbent hole.
Kim turns around, punching Daima off of his backs. Daima falls to the floor with sorrow, then he looked at Kim's eyes, as they locked eyes, he saw that Kim was also crying.
"S-sorry but I can't."
Daima crawls towards Kim, his hand touching and gripping on Kim's left leg.
"What do you mean you can't..? You can, you just choose not to, AND WHY IS THAT, SO YOU COULD SAVE A CHILD??!! WHAT ABOUT MY MOTHER, WHAT ABOUT HER LIFE, DOES SHE NOT COUNT?!??!"
"YOU THINK I WANT TO MAKE A CHOICE LIKE THIS?! IF I COULD, ILL BRING BOTH OF THEM BACK TO LIFE BUT…" Kim's lips waver once more.
"I-I… can't bring your mother back to life, if I want to bring Luc back.."
Daima climbed on Kim's body, reaching for the stars that is in Kim's hand.
"No- I REFUSE..!!"
"HOW CAN YOU REFUSE?! IF YOU WERE IN MY SHOE, YOU WOULD DO THE SAME AS.. me… you would ignore my pleas and begging just so you could revive your mother… then-"
Kim stops speaking due to Daima tugging on his shirts, the tugging brought Kim's face closer to Daima, then Daima throws a hook at Kim's right cheeks.
Clenching his fist, Kim retaliates by kicking Daima in the stomach. As the two wrestle for the star, Daima accidentally slaps it out of Kim hand, it scatter across the floor which make Kim and Daima looks at eachother for a bit.
Their heart pounding, breaths heavy—panting, close to the verge of breaking down, as their body's temperature rose due to adrenaline, their blood thicken and muscle tense… they stay frozen, locking eyes with one another.
Then a sudden twitch make their instincts moves again, they flocks towards the star as it was life or death, pulling and pushing onto each other.
Daima kicks Kim in his face but he didn't falter, he remain silent and go for the star, Daima on the other hand aimed for Kim's back head, hoping to knock him out but Kim shove him away then crawled towards the star.
Daima got up from his state and ran towards the glimmering star, it laid there, showing its beauty. Seeing Daima getting close and reaching for the star, Kim grabs his leg and tugged it hard, sending him backward.
His backs against the floor, head down on the pavement. Seeing the opportunity, Kim got up and ran for the star but Daima brush off his pain and leaped forward at Kim.
Kim falls down face-flat on the surface, Daima got up and grabs the stars.
"Give that back!!" Kim yelled but Daima ignore his pleas, he ran towards his mother as Kim once more, got ahold of his legs, this time he locked on to it so that Daima can't advance any farther.
"Y-you.. LET GO OF ME." Kicking Kim's arms with his other freely leg, Kim bend and twist it, not to the point where it break but where it would subdued anyone.
Daima tripped on Kim's arms, dropping the star in his palm. Without a moment to waste, Kim hastily grabbed the star and ran towards Kim.
As he run, he could hear Daima pleading, begging him to save his mother's life. Kim gritted his teeth, biting the inside of his cheeks, he choose to ignore Daima.
"I-I can't do that," he muttered, tears beads down his face as the water begins to blur his vision.
"I want to save someone I loved too, you know."
"How could you choose someone over my mother, who helped you and your friend. How could you..?" Kim stops in his tracks, he turned to look at Daima.
A young boy, on the ground, not as a demon or a hybrid but as a human boy. His cheeks swollen red, his lips trembling, his nose running, Kim felt a similar sensation in his heart, its straining but he knew that he had to ignore it if he want to save Luc Mugen's life.
"I'm sorry, Daima but this is my choice and mines only." Having say that, he ran up to Luc Mugen's corpse, then he place the star near his chest, hoping for some magically thing to happen but at first it hover in the air.
As it lingered, it emanated a warm gesture feeling, one that once hold brace of peace and life then a moment later, the star enters Luc Mugen's body.
"I guess that's all i need to do, now I think I have to wait… please work, I fought a kid over this, so please," his minds lost in thought, his body still. Daima look at Kim with resentment.
"It's crazy how I act… I trust a random's word and yet there's no guarantee between those. I given up my humanity and destiny to save my loved one… even if it possibly been a hoax."
Kim stood up and walked to Daima, extending an helping hand. Daima look at Kim with disgust, he slaps Kim's hand away and stood up on his own.
"I see, you were always a monkey, and monkey's greeds know no bounds. You're just like them, you make me sick."
"Excuse me..?" Kim unsure on how to react though it was only fair, he sacrificed Mary's life in order to save Luc Mugen.
"You heard what I said," Kim walked toward Daima which make him walk backward.
"Get away filthy monkey… I don't want to see you anymore."
Daima shift in his attitude has changed, but could you blame the boy? Kim felt an cold and intense glare piercing through him.
"I see, it only make sense he would hate me.. then his next course of action would be to-"
The red hand move closer to the ceiling, it was about to reach a portal that has recently opened.
Vas Allen and Yuriel seeing this release Eras of his mighty beating, Vas Allen punches him in the liver once more before going towards the red hand while Yuriel kicks Eras in the crouch and scoffs at him then she did the same as Vas Allen, she retreated to the red hand.
Daima back away towards the edge of the red hand.
"Daima, if you could.. then maybe we could-"
"Shut your mouth!" Without thinking, he jumped.
Kim runs as fast as he could, he caught Daima by the wrist but Daima just scoffed, then extending his claws, he bite it down deep into Kim's hand, forcing him to let go.
Vas Allen got on the red hand without realizing that Daima was gone but Yuriel, as she glide through the air, she spots Daima in a distant, falling, she tried to catch Daima but he refuse, he avoid her help and because she was moving too fast, she couldn't stop.
As her feet land on the red hand, she turned around to see Daima crippled on the ground but then the red hand crossed the portal which—
Daima eyes flicker, barely open half way, he saw that the red hand was gone, it had gone through the portal along with his mother's corpse. His cold stare narrow toward a certain man.
"Let say you and I, make a deal…"
And silence, silence was all there is, Daima just nods, catching what Eras meant, they walked in obscurity of the darkness, ready to start the event all over again.
—-
"We made it out..?" Surprised, Yuriel looked at her hand and rolled it up to a fist then she let go of it. She looked to see that they had returned to the town.
"But Kim, about Daima what was all that ab-"
"Please, no. I don't want to answer…" Kim brushed his back against the building wall. He scrunched his hair tightly.
"Ahh- I can't do it. Seeing all that, what I have just witnessed, what I- we have to go through… it's draining."
Vas Allen didn't say anything for the time being, he just walked over to Kim and pat him in the back.
Kim seeing this tear up even more.
"I failed to protect Mary and Luc.." Kim cried out.
But Yuriel put her hand over his shoulder.
"No, I will take the blame… it was because of me, if only I been faster."
Vas Allen stays quiet, didn't know what he should say so he kept his mouth shut.
…
They bury Mary's body, given her a good grave and as well as a funeral, when Kim tell them that Luc Mugen was still alive, they didn't believe him at first but when they check his pulse, there was a faint one.
The town is a ghost-town, the ex-resident seeks out a place to find help or hide in but now it look about abandon, moss started to grow on one of the building wall, so who knows how long they were in that hell-hole.
Barbella appears out of nowhere.
"A horse..?" Yuriel asked in dazed as he look at Kim.
"That's Barbella, our living companion of a horse.."
"I see." She went up to the horse and pat her then she turned to Kim and Vas Allen.
"I'm coming with yall.
Kim not knowing what she is talking about, turns his head slightly.
"What do you mean?" he ask.
"Where ever you guys are going, I'm joining in. After what have recently happen, I don't think..," she froze, she look at Uma Michael who was resting.
"Seeing as you guys consist of mostly boys and one girl, it safe to say that you guys don't know the requirements for looking after a young girl, thus why I'm going with yall.
Vas Allen baffled by this, she not wrong he thought but pushing herself in the group was bad timing.
"What?! You want to join us? After you beat us up, you don't even know where we going!"
"Vas, please drop that-"
"No Kim, I won't, she beat us. That's not someone who we can trust!!!"
Just then in the corner of both their eyes, they sees Yuriel bending down, her knees and arms on the floor, she was bowing.
"I'm sorry, out first reaction is a misunderstanding but that don't matter, it was a mistake I did and I promise, if you give me a chance, I won't do it again."
Vas Allen taken aback, he look at Kim.
"Vas, she is right, we can't take care of a young girl by ourselves, we don't know her wants and needs also it seem like they got history, a sort of chemistry between the two."
Vas Allen let a out a heavy sigh, not in ignorance nor arrogance but just a heavy sigh, unsure of whether he could trust her or not.
"Anyways, since you're a part of us now, let me tell you this. We're searching for someone who know where [The Fortress That Lies on the Cloud.]."
Kim expects Yuriel to look at him with shock or surprise but she remain calm and poker like.
"Oh you're searching for me?"
"Hmm?" Shock by Yuriel respond.
"Yeah, I know where that place is, it's tricky to find but I can pinpoint it exact location."
Kim stares at Yuriel then at Vas Allen who didn't give out a needy reaction as much as Kim then he turned to look back at Yuriel.
"How?" Kim ask.
Yuriel just smile and tells Kim and Vas Allen to bring the kid to the cabin, with that, they venture out to the plains, the sun dancing in the sky as it emit bright and warm light through the land.