by Milo Woods
Vishoni stopped sending out black orbs, instead content to launch fireballs at them. Seeko recovered and diverted the fireballs, but each deflection took more and more of Seeko’s rapidly fading energy. He noticed that he deflected one into a nearby snowdrift and he idly watched water trickle out of it.
That’s it!
“Mori!” he called out. “I have a plan!”
Mori came up to him, shielding herself from the fireballs with a thin film of water. He told her of the plan and she nodded. Seeko deflected a few more fireballs into the snowdrift, and soon the majority of it was melted.
“Is it enough, Mori?”
“Combined with what I already have, it should be good!” She moved to the puddle of water and watched Vishoni fly around sporadically.
He stopped shooting fireballs, instead drifting closer to them and taunting them. “It feels good to stretch my wings! And to have a playmate, after so long!” He lowered himself until he hovered about ten feet above Seeko, gesturing to the bones. “Most of my friends are not as fun.”
Seeko drew Vishoni’s attention away from Mori. “Tell me how to save you, Vishoni! I will cure your madness!”
This seemed to intrigue Vishoni, until his head twitched and he grinned. “No one can help me, hero.”
While they talked, Mori summoned all the water around her. She created a tower of water under her, raising her upward and behind Vishoni.
“I’m the Hero of Endetia!” Seeko continued. “If anyone could heal you, it would be me!”
Vishoni laughed. “I can cast every element and I can’t fix it!” Vishoni flapped his wings and the buffet became blades of air, which cut Seeko all over. He fell to his knees.
“Where did that girl go?” Vishoni said.
He spun around, and at that moment, Mori tagged him. Her tower of water collapsed and she fell to the ground as Vishoni took off.
Seeko smiled, but Vishoni continued to fly around. “Now tell us how you close it!” Seeko said.
Vishoni stopped and hovered again. “You didn’t touch me though, hero! Your girlfriend did!”
Not his girlfriend … “But you didn’t say I had to. You merely said to touch you, but you didn’t specify who had to touch you.”
Vishoni placed a palm to his face. Then a disquieting chorus of laughter emitted from him. He landed in front of them and painfully retracted his wings back into himself. “You’re right. I guess you win.” Vishoni placed a palm to the ground and muttered as the struggle began anew in his mind. “It said not to kill you … but it said nothing about the girl … and I haven’t killed anyone in some time … The Kikoeru demands sacrifice, but I’m better than this!” Vishoni shook his head violently, his neck cracking, then stared into Seeko’s brown eyes. “Hero, approach me! Do so quickly!”
Seeko hesitated. “Is this some sort of trap? You’re mad because we won?”
“No! Quickly! Do you want to seal the portal or not?” Vishoni said.
Seeko had no real choice since he had to seal the portal. He looked to Mori, who nodded. “If he tries something,” she said, “I’ll kill him.” She pulled energy from her spark and drew water all around herself.
Seeko took a step forward. Vishoni clutched his heart, or at least where his heart should be, and said, “Hurry! Before I do something drastic!” He twitched again like a rag doll.
Seeko picked up the pace, sword clenched firmly in hand. When he was a step from the demon, he stopped. “Tell me!” He raised his sword, trembling.
The demon tore into his chest and pulled out a small jewel. The bloody gem was framed with black metal and a chain was attached to one end. A necklace? Didn’t Physis mention something about the necklaces?
“All you have to … to do … is take this necklace away from the portal. Then I can’t keep the portal open with magic.”
“Why don’t I just destroy the necklace?” Seeko asked.
Vishoni looked instantly to one side. “You don’t think I’ve tried that?” His eyes swiveled to Seeko. “I’m stronger than this!” He threw the necklace at Seeko’s feet. “I didn’t want this … this curse! You … please … kill me! Before … I kill you!”
Seeko’s sword hand shuddered. Kill him?
“Do it! He’s a monster! He deserves nothing better!” Mori shouted behind him.
But he had never killed anyone before. Even those bandits lived. Even though Vishoni was a demon, he couldn’t push the blade forward.
“Do it!” Vishoni shouted. “Free me from this agony!” A shiver coursed through him, and his wings extended back out, bloody and grotesque. “Please …”
“I … I can’t! I won’t!” Seeko threw his sword down.
Mori’s voice was ice. “If you won’t, then I will.” She fired a torrent of water at the demon, but before it connected, Vishoni took flight.
“It is too late! I have to … have to kill!” Vishoni’s voice changed as he said it, becoming deeper and more menacing. Vishoni rose ever higher, and cackled again. “Finally! I fly again! Not shackled to the portal!” Vishoni forgot about Seeko and Mori as he flew off toward the forest, soaring just above the canopy.
Seeko wasn’t paying attention to him anyway. Kill or be killed. What gave him the right? A title? Hero? Why did he have the power to pass judgment? He fell to his knees, trembling. His hands fell onto the necklace and he picked it up. This was too much of a burden for anyone.
“Uh, Seeko …”
Why me?
“Seeko!” Mori’s voice snapped him from his fear. “We have to move away from the portal before more demons come through!”
Right … Seeko got up and retrieved his sword, thoughts still rushing through his mind. This is a weapon designed to take lives, he thought as he stared at his sword. But he couldn’t do that with it.
Mori came to his side and together they headed back down the mountain. They glanced back periodically, watching the portal close once Seeko took the necklace a certain distance away.
A little farther down the mountain, Mori chastised him. “You can’t freeze up like that, Seeko! You said yourself that you wouldn’t!”
“Sorry.”
“Remember how this is a dangerous world?”
“Yeah.”
“You are the hero!”
“I know!” he shouted. “But now that I know what that means, I don’t want to be your hero! Go find someone else!” Seeko walked faster, outpacing her.
Mori caught up with him and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop. He spun around to confront her. “Seeko? What’s wrong?”
He looked away from her. “You wouldn’t understand. It’s so easy for you. You can just kill anyone who gets in your way.”
“You think I like to kill things? It has to be done, Seeko! How could we live if I didn’t kill the fish we ate to get here?”
“That’s not what I mean! I mean people!”
“That demon was not a person! He’s a monster!”
“No! What defines a person? Is it because he has a different lifestyle then yourself? He was trying to change!”
“The demons are demons because they kill with no remorse, not to survive, but for enjoyment!”
“Vishoni didn’t try to kill us out of enjoyment! In fact, it seemed like he was struggling with himself not to kill us!”
Mori sighed. “Seeko … Did you expect to stop this entire war without taking a life?”
Seeko squinted at her. “If I can, I will.”
She paused, shook her head, and smiled. “You truly are a hero.”
“What the hell does that have to do—”
Mori interrupted him with a kiss. Seeko’s eyes went wide as their lips connected, but eventually passion replaced surprise and the kiss lengthened. The alluring scent of her seemed so sharp in his nostrils, and for a moment, or perhaps forever, he lost himself in her. Then it was over and she was staring into his eyes. Her rich sapphire eyes shone in the sunlight, and they shared smiles in the perfect moment.
“Yo
u’re blushing, Seeko.” She walked away from him, laughing her beautiful laugh as she did so.
She made him feel like he was capable of anything. Maybe with her around, he was. He stood for another moment, dumbfounded.
Then reality hit him.
Wait a second! Did she just win that argument? Ahhhhhh! She’ll pay for this!
/ / / / /
The day ended and the two made camp in the same place they did yesterday. Seeko placed a hand into a pocket and found the necklace Vishoni had thrown at him. He didn’t remember picking it up. What was this thing? What did it do? He examined the necklace in detail. Underneath the dry blood lay an orange gemstone set in a black metal diamond. It was about the size of a half-dollar, and the gemstone glowed faintly.
“Mori, look at this thing. Tell me what you think.” He tossed it to her.
She scratched some of the blood off it. “I think this jewel is a topaz. It’s glowing, so it must have a spark.”
“Items can have sparks?”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same as ours. It can’t actually attack us or anything. It more or less is just like another reservoir of magic. But it does make it hard to destroy.”
“So what does this thing have to do with the demon portals?”
“I think if we were to channel magic into it, it would open the portal again. Most magical items have a secondary purpose in addition to just being another pool of magic.”
“How do I use it? Do I wear it?”
She handed it back to him. “You could … but I think that you may want to hide this from curious eyes. Magic items are rare, and as long as it’s near you, it will strengthen your magic.”
“Maybe you should keep it if it makes you stronger.”
“I am not going to keep something that came out of the chest of a demon. Besides, you’re my hero. You should be stronger than us mortals.” She smiled.
“I am your hero. Remember that the next time you decide to mess with me.” He pointed at her, remembering the water that was dumped on his head not twelve hours ago.
She scooted closer to him, batting her eyelashes. “Whatever do you mean?” She leaned closer to him. When she got close enough to kiss, she laughed and pushed him down. She stood up. “You may be my hero, but you’re also a fool.” She offered him a hand. He took it after a moment. “But you’re my fool.” She pulled him into a hug.
What exactly was happening? She was so hard to read. Mori walked away from him and retrieved the blanket from the pack. “You have first watch again. Obviously.” She laughed and settled down into the blanket. He watched her until her breathing slowed.
I’m your hero, but what are you to me?
/ / / / /
The walk back to Irris was uneventful. The duo rounded the mountain and came across the Mediose River again, following it out of the forest and back to the lake. Then they followed the southern coast of the lake until it began its path back north, at which time the pair headed straight south. They entered another, smaller forest, but nothing strange assaulted the pair.
Seeko tried many times to access the pool of magic inside the necklace, but for some reason could not. What was going on? He could see the orange spark of the jewel, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not reach it. After a while, he gave up. Maybe it was passive, or it wasn’t the same element as him and so he couldn’t use it.
On the other side of the forest lay the lush grasslands that Seeko remembered seeing upon entering the world. About two miles separated them from Irris, and Seeko could see the town on the horizon. Wait a second …
Something was wrong with the city. It looked different … grayer. They approached closer, and Seeko could see that a fire had destroyed the town. Demons? Halcyon? He stopped and hung his head.
“We’ve got to help!” Mori said as she grabbed his hand.
“We’re too late. Look at it!”
“So you’re just going to sit here? You’re the hero! Do something heroic for once!”
Tears found their way onto his face, but it was surely just the ash stinging his eyes. He gritted his teeth. She was right. He was a coward.
Well, no more. Seeko clenched her hand tightly and, unsheathed his blade with his other hand. Without a word, he began running toward the city, almost jolting Mori’s arm from its socket. Alongside her, he rushed into the ruins of Irris, making sure she could not sense his tears.
14: Injury
28 Rynr, 112 AV: Day 97
The smell of smoldering wood engulfed Seeko and Mori. Glowing red embers still flew from the burnt timber, swirling with small eddies of ash. The smoking buildings were beyond repair, and rubble and rock lay strewn about.
Seeko moved around the debris that lined the streets. “What do you think happened?” he said. His earlier bravery drained from him as the wanton destruction became more apparent.
Mori followed behind him, watching where she stepped. “I don’t know. This is terrible.” Her voice cracked as more of the town became visible.
Seeko’s foot caught on what he thought was another log, but when he looked at it, he saw a charred arm. He jumped back, tripping over a fallen piece of wood. The half-burned corpse stared lifelessly at him from under a collapsed piece of building. Seeko scooted away from the dead body, breathing heavily.
Mori grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. “Don’t look at it. Stay strong.”
Seeko looked into the dull eyes of the fallen citizen as tears reformed in his own. He tore away and fell to his knees, Mori standing beside him. His gut churned. They didn’t deserve to die. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the dead body was still there and his gut turned again.
After his stomach settled itself, he rose to his feet. Mori’s hand fell on his shoulder. They rounded a corner and arrived at what used to be the market. More charred bodies lay scattered across the streets. The stench of burnt flesh hung in the air, threatening Seeko’s stomach again with the putrid scent. Seeko bent over, placing his hands on his knees. His gut heaved but he held it back.
“It’s not your fault, Seeko,” Mori said, patting him on the back. “I don’t like seeing dead people, either, but you have to get used to it.”
He looked back up, viewing the smoldering buildings surrounding him. “I’ll never get used to this.” His eyes trained on the dead once more. Tears welled again, but he forced down the lump in his throat. His weak legs shuffled through the town while his mind tried to keep his emotions together.
The familiar building where Kazuma had introduced him to the general came into sight before long. “What happened to the army?” Seeko asked, thinking of Kazuma. Wasn’t he coming back to Irris? He jogged up to the building and walked into its remains. The inside held only collapsed wood. He saw no remains of soldiers or of the supplies they would have had with them. Seeko tried remembering what was inside the building. At the time, Seeko was more interested in other things, but he knew it wasn’t empty.
“They must have escaped in time,” he said, turning to Mori, had who just entered the building. With all their supplies? he wondered.
She walked up beside him, examining the building’s collapsed interior. “I can’t figure out why anyone would burn down an entire town. There doesn’t seem to be any soldiers from either side dead, so I can’t figure out what it was for.”
“Maybe it was a wildfire,” Seeko suggested, not really believing it. He looked to her, thinking about what the town was like before. The Irenic Empire had recently recaptured the city, so it was either the Halcyon or the demons who had done this. Demons could have walked in as humans and burned it without warning. Seeko scratched his head and shrugged. “Demons, maybe?”
Mori nodded at his comment, distant in thought. Movement caught Seeko’s attention and he looked up to the rubble of the building. Something moved behind a fallen wall but Mori hadn’t noticed the disturbance.
Seeko’s hand tightened on his sword. Mori looked up, surprised. He stood still, watching for movement from the shadows.
<
br /> “What’s wrong? Is something there?” She pulled out her rapier and looked for the disturbance. Both stared into the unseen shade behind the debris, but nothing moved.
A sudden force, like a gust of wind, pushed Seeko back. His eyes darted around the collapsed room for the source. Another rush of wind hit him, shoving him backward. Seeko regained his footing and saw a man charging toward him, swinging a large, two-handed claymore way too fast. Seeko barely dodged the quick-moving blade and jumped away, calling on his spark. The man’s heavy frame moved and attacked faster than Seeko thought possible.
An emerald flame shot toward the attacker, but he easily dodged it and ran at Seeko. Mori stabbed at the man, but he pushed her rapier away with his blade and jumped back. His angry blue eyes stared back from above a yellow scarf, analyzing the fight. Seeko took this chance to launch another emerald blaze. The man jumped back, giving the two a chance to counterattack.
Mori fired a jolt of water at the man, and Seeko swung at his open side. His blade struck true, leaving a cut along the man’s arm. Seeko had only a second to watch the blood seep into the pale yellow cloth of his shirt before their opponent retaliated.
Seeko clumsily blocked the incoming attack, losing his footing in the rubble. He fell to one knee, but the attacker moved past him and knocked Mori into a wall with a violent swing. The attacker turned around and blasted Seeko into a corner with another gust of wind before he could recover. Seeko staggered to his feet, using the wall as support. Mori regained the attacker’s attention, desperately parrying his attacks, but eventually she failed and was cut deeply on her arm. She fell to the ground, crying in pain.
“Hey!” Seeko yelled at the man in an attempt to save Mori.
The warrior turned and charged toward Seeko. He tried to reach his spark, but the man attacked before he grabbed the magic. Seeko stepped aside as the rushing blade slammed into the wall. Before Seeko could respond, he was kicked into the wall, which crumbled under his weight. Seeko burst into the street, rolling on the ground.
