Still shaken up by everything that's happened up to this point, It was hard for the girl to ignore Daichi's confusion. But she brushed it off, walking over to him, her flaming halo hummed softly in the light it provided.
Daichi flinched, still wary of her origins as he stepped aside, making way for her. Stopping right beneath the trapdoor, she looked up at it, and noticed water slowly dripping from the cracks.
"It's...raining"
She said softly, which surprised Daichi, who wasn't expecting her to be so.....composed, especially everything that's happened in that basement within the past couple of hours.
"Can you open it?"
"I'm...kinda running low on Vhis"
She said, looking at Daichi, as her flaming halo flickered softly.
"Uh...yeah I should be able to, unless more debris and rubble fell on it"
He said while walking over to her, as she stepped aside, just now noticing that weird weapon he pointed at her earlier, but only taking a mental note, not yet mentioning it. After Daichi was under the trapdoor, he looked up at it, then looked at the walls around it. There wasn't a proper way to enter, no ladders or stairs.
Only hollow holes that seem to have been specially dug out with the purpose to be used as anchor points to get in and out. Using the anchor points, he climbed up to meet the trapdoor, which was seven feet up from the ground.
Daichi pushed it a few times, but it hardly moved at first. So he tried to get a better position so he could use the force of his forearm and biceps instead of just his palm.
And after positioning himself, he pushed it again, struggling against the weight on top of it, a sliver of light slipped through the crack. And with added effort, he stopped his breath, and pushed even harder.
The piece of rubble he added on top of the trapdoor before descending, tumbled aside as it flew open. The rain sprinkled down on Daichi while he climbed out, and as he was out, he took a breath of the much cleaner air. He looked down into the basement, which was now filled with natural light.
He laid on his stomach above the debris and rubble, stretching his hand down to help her climb up. The little girl looked up at him, as the rain snuffed out the flickering halo of flame.
Wait...who is this guy.
She thought to herself, realizing that he's not just....weird, he's also ridiculously kind, and even though his clothes are torn and rigid, they're not....normal, and then there's the fact that he was oblivious to what Life-fog and Vhis is, which only added onto the idea that she couldn't sense his Vhis, which was why she was so alerted when he just popped up during the chaos. She had her suspicions, but she kept them quiet....for now.
She took his hand as she climbed out with his help, getting soaked by the rain as her hair stuck to her face.
"Thanks"
She said as she looked around at the village she once called home, flattened by one single being, her teeth gritted, and her fists balled up, it's clear how emotional this is making her, and Daichi noticed, but kept silent, not knowing how he could help, or what he could say to ease her stress and fatigue.
Before Daichi could say anything, she walked off, stumbling over the debris and rubble as she walked, looking around the village. Daichi follows her, and every step he takes, he's either stepping on a deformed carcass, or stepping on torn off limbs, which are also deformed.
Every sight vividly reminds him of the process of how they even got to that state. The horrific sound of bones cracking. The deformation that happened with each crack. The life-fog slowly extracted itself and then flew away, as if to find a new owner.
And as they walked, the girl suddenly stopped. Daichi noticed she stopped just in front of one of the destroyed homes, where rubble and debris is all there is, and 2 standing pillars.
The little girl's fists relaxed, but they were trembling. Standing behind her, Daichi could hear soft whimpers and shallow sobbing escaping her. and as he stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder, hoping to reassure her. Only to hear.
"R...Rhea."
In a strained tone, coming from further ahead of them. The little girl was immediately alerted, as she ran to the direction of the voice stumbling and falling over debris and rubble. Daichi, caught off guard by her sudden movement, he ran after her. And as he caught up to her, he saw her standing, her hands trembling even more than before.
"Elder..."
The girl said, looking down at the elder of the village. Losing control of her emotions, she started sobbing uncontrollably, and heaving as she fell on the ground next to him. Daichi got closer, and what he saw left him in horror.
The man laid on his back. Blood running from his mouth. His hair disheveled, and wet from the rain as it stuck to his face. Arrows lodged in his shoulder and chest. His left arm sliced clean off, and his blood was gushing. His right leg torn off from the thigh down, with the open wound scorched. His eyes were half lidded, exhausted, and slowly losing their light.
Daichi noticed the contrast between his left arm, the arrows, and his right leg, and realized the arrow wounds were fresh, and the gushing blood from his left arm.
"Please...no no no no no"
"Don't leave me too Elder..."
"please..."
The girl said in a low, shallow tone as she held him. On her knees and sobbing above him. Her tears fell down on his face. And with every bit of strength he has left, he strained out.
"Rhea...y-you need...to..ru..."
"CRACK"
He died. Before he could finish his message. Daichi, still looking, was reminded of this traumatic scene again. And then another!
"CRACK"
And crack after crack, the man started deforming, his body being drained of its life as Rhea held him.
"No no no no no no"
"Elder..."
She said softly. her tears spilling over, mixing with the rain. Every crack made her cry even more. And Daichi stood there, being reminded of the visceral scene, Daichi started to vomit uncontrollably again.
The process finished shortly after, and as soon as the cracking ended, the blue-purple life-fog gathered above the elder, and flew off, in one direction. Rhea was still sobbing, she looked at it as it flew, and followed the direction with her eyes.
Dashing past Daichi, as he looked up at Rhea. and noticed, she had that look again....the same look she had when she first saw him. Fear was plastered on her face, trembling again as her eyes dilated, and her tears kept flowing.
Daichi noticed her reaction, and before he could turn around, he heard footsteps behind him under the sound of the rain.
"Crunch, Crunch, Crunch"
Daichi turned around quickly, and saw a hooded figure, who had the frame of an adult male, holding a bloody dagger, as the life-fog flew directly to him, mixing with his blue-purple mist-like aura, adding to what he already had.
His life-fog becomes purple after absorbing the elders. His face under the hood showed contentment, and a blissful smile to the feeling of life-fog absorption.
"Ahh, so that's where the old geezer ran off to."
"A location with more prey and satisfaction for me."
"I suppose he wasn't completely useless outside of the Vhis he had"
The hooded man said, more to himself than to the others. His tone was low as he took note of Daichi and Rhea, but kept his eyes fixed on Rhea.
"Ohh, interestingg..."
"So you're alive ehh?"
"Thought that arrow finished you off for suree"
"However...that little stupid runt who protected you is a goner for suree"
"His life-fog was to die for..."
The hooded man said with a satisfied grin. Rhea was still trembling, fearful and sobbing, remembering vividly how her little brother tried to protect her, but got severely hurt because of it.
"And who's this idiot you have with yah."
The hooded man said, looking at Daichi, who stood in front of Rhea as a protective shield.
"Is he supposed to be protecting you?"
"this idiot doesn't even have Vhis"
He said with a maniacal laugh. Throwing his dagger aside as he began walking over to Daichi, staring him down as he approached.
"And what are you going to do?"
"huh?!"
He said as he threw a right hook at Daichi, which landed effortlessly. And Daichi, not expecting the punch. He staggered. His left ear rang, with the soft sound of the rain pouring down on the ruined village around him.
Did he just...
Daichi thought to himself, wiping the blood from his mouth with his teeth gritted. He looked up at the hooded man, then reached into his pocket, and pulled out the flip knife.
"And what's that supposed to do?"
"Jab me to death?"
The hooded man said in mockery and sarcasm as he looked at the unfamiliar weapon, and chuckled.
Daichi sighed softly, relaxing his body, and crouching slightly. Embracing a fighting stance for shorter weapons.
"You'll find out."
Daichi said, and without a beat later, he attacked, stabbing and slashing at the hooded man, who seemed to be dodging effortlessly.
How is he dodging like that...
Daichi thought to himself, but continued nonetheless, and just when he thought he got close. The hooded man dodged at the last second on purpose, and swiped both of Daichi's feet off the ground. Causing him to crash into the ground face first.
"Is this really the best you have to offer?"
"'You'll find out' he said"
The hooded man said with another outburst of laughter as he kicked Daichi in his gut while he's trying to get up, causing him to cough and gasp for air, while on the ground. He tries to get up, but slides on the wet debris beneath him.
Daichi rolls over onto his back, finally getting a proper breath of air, but no rest. The hooded man straddles him, and grabs him by the collar. Raising his fist.
"look at you now 'hero'"
He said as he punched Daichi in the face once. Daichi's head flew back into the ground, as his nose bled. He covered his face with his forearms, as the hooded man started punching relentlessly. Eventually breaking through Daichi's defense, but kept punching. Daichi's blood painted his fists.
Punch after punch, Daichi was slowly losing consciousness. One hand trying weakly to protect himself, and the other desperately trying to grab the flip knife next to him. And as soon as his hand grasped it, he used all the force he had to stab the hooded man in the side. Daichi was hyper aware of the warm blood running on his hands, and the feeling of flesh against his knife's blade.
"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!"
The hooded man said, raising his hand and manifesting a spiky ice shard. But Daichi pulled his knife back regardless, and stabbed again, and again and again.
Rhea notices the escalating violence, and knows Daichi won't survive the ice shard. Still in fear, and shock. She decides to get up. Her hands tremble, slipping and falling as she runs toward them. She grabs a wet, heavy slab from the rubble.
The hooded man took a stab at Daichi's neck. Still stabbing the hooded man's side....Daichi's thoughts slowed down. His adrenaline seemed to stop, and he became even more aware of his situation. The rain poured down on him. The striking pain in his face from the punches. The weight of the hooded man above him. The ice shard, only inches away from his neck. His knife ripping through flesh. The gruesome feeling of warm blood on his hand. And Daichi thought to himself...
Am I...about to die?.
Mori. I'm sorry...