Descendant of a Hero

A natural golden sea glittered under the bright warm sun.

A distant field of wheat, saying along with the wind's path.

Each wind that breezed through the stalks ruffled it, creating rippling patterns that resembled the waves of the ocean.

A little far beyond it, surrounding the entire golden field were trees and flowers of many varieties bloomed, their leaves were as green as the fresh spring season.

Spring is the season meant to grow new life. From the ashes and the dead, new life grows from it.

Trees and flowers begin to bud.

Birds begin to sing, chirping and flapping their wings.

Caterpillars began to hatch from their eggs, laid weeks ago in the winter, and began feeding on the fresh green leaves.

Butterflies end their hibernation and begin flying about, spreading their wings under the warm sun.

That is what spring should be.

That is what spring should always be.

Today though, it was a dreary day, unlike the fresh spring season.

A kaleidoscope of butterflies should be fluttering its wings peacefully amongst the flowers.

Instead the sky was still gray, butterflies remained hidden underneath foliage of petals and leaves.

And yet, even when it was chilly and cold, one butterfly was fluttering about.

The one butterfly danced serenely amidst the flowers, landing gracefully upon each one.

As it continued fluttering, it fluttered past a still pair of children.

A black-haired young boy of about ten years old, and a younger, pinkish-haired girl two or so years younger watched the single butterfly fluttering through the flowers.

While it just landed, the boy began whispering to the girl.

"Rin, a butterfly's wings are fragile. They need constant sunlight to fly, and without the sun, they can't flap their wings. If a moment came where the sun was blocked, and the air was cold, then the butterflies could only hide, waiting for the sun to come back."

The little girl kept staring at the butterfly. The two entered a state of comfortable silence, and when the boy sincerely wished for it to last longer Rin looked back at the boy.

"...isn't that sad?" she whispered. "Do they have to wait, even when things that eat it will come?

The boy silently nodded before looking back at the butterfly, in which Rin simply pointed at that butterfly.

"Then why is that one flying?"

The boy kept watching the butterfly, not tearing his eyes off it for one moment.

It was not that he wanted the silence to come back, or that the silence was an answer, but…he just didn't know the answer.

Among beings of the same race, there are beings with mutations among them, and this specific butterfly was most likely one of them.

Why was this one, out of many, the only chosen example?

Was it the Lord God Almighty…?

'...what?' he suddenly thought. 'The Lord God Almighty? Who is that? I only heard of the Goddess…'

The boy felt his shirt being tugged, and he looked to his side. The little girl kept tugging it, and with her other hand silently pointed at the butterfly.

"It flies even on this cold day, because…it simply wanted to fly," he said.

The girl's eyes widened, as though in realization. The boy wishes he can read minds to find out what she had just realized.

Even while they talk quietly, despite being watched from afar, the butterfly flutters its wings towards another flower, seemingly ignorant and uncaring of the world around it.

The two watched the butterfly in companionable silence again.

"Tacitus?" she suddenly asked.

"...yes Rin?"

"I'm scared."

"...why?"

"I'm afraid this is all a dream."

"..."

The little girl's grip tightened on his clothes.

"Everyday is fulfilling, and I'm so happy with you. It's just too good to be true."

"..."

"...I'm scared…to see it all end…"

The boy looked up at the sky. The dreary gray sky, murky and large, vast and unreachable. A blanket that covers the beauty of the sun and its blue sky.

A blanket that blocks the eyes from seeing the untouchable moon and the stars in the sea of night.

"...I'm scared to," he said. "I'm also scared that the dream would end, and my nightmares might come true."

"Nightmares?" the little girl asked.

"Yes," the boy nodded.

Then, the butterfly moved again. Instead of flying amongst the flowers and leaves, hiding from the cold wind, it flew upwards.

"Did you know?" the boy suddenly said. "Although a butterfly's wings are incredibly fragile, they can travel up to 50-100 miles each day?"

The little girl looked at the butterfly again, her small eyes widening.

"Really?" she asked in wonder.

"Yes, and it could be even more. The farthest distance they can travel is up to 4000 miles. Even if their wings were torn in half, they will still be able to fly."

The little girl's eyes widened further.

"Even when they're hurt...they can still fly?"

"Yes, because all life simply wants to live."

"...what do you mean Tacitus?"

She shakes her head, her face scrunched in an almost pitiably sort of way.

"I…I don't get it."

The boy sighed, and he knelt down. Putting his two hands firmly onto each of her shoulders, he looked straight into her eyes.

"...even if you fall down into the abyss, no matter how sad or pathetic you feel, always walk forward."

The little girl looked as though she tried to ponder his words. She tilted her head here and there, rubbed her chin, scrunched her face, but she seemed to never understand.

She could only shake her head again.

"...I'm sorry, I still don't know. Why not run forward?"

The boy tried to stop his mouth from curving upwards by frowning.

It didn't work.

"Rin…life may be painful, and it may probably be useless to struggle until death, but...but what I believe, is that our innermost desire, what all life wants…is to simply live."

"Both me and you?" the little girl asked innocently.

"...both me and you," the boy hesitantly said. "We all want to have no regrets, to make beautiful memories-"

"I too believe in what you said, Tacitus. But…why not live for yourself?"

The older boy got onto his feet and spun around, pulling the little girl behind him with a tug.

As he stared into the shadows, from the edge of the woods, a figure emerged.

Walking to them with light steps, with her hair fluttering here and there with the wind, she spoke.

"Even when we're both the same age...how are you so wise?"

"You say it as though you aren't 'wise' yourself."

The figure shook her head. At his statement, or at something else, the boy doesn't know.

"No…even when we're both living in the same village, I had never noticed. You were always with your little sister…is this what you were doing? Teaching your little sister so many mystifying, wise things…how could I have possibly not noticed this entire time? How could any of us have not noticed?"

The boy frowned even more.

"Why are you here, Charmeine?"

The blonde girl shook her head, but still she stepped closer, and just like last time seemingly ignoring his question.

If the boy's frown couldn't have possibly curved further downward, then it did.

"I thought we were close friends," she said sadly.

"We never even spoke with each other for more than a sentence or two. And they're both because the adults wanted to force me to be 'social.'"

"Now it's more than seven."

The boy just sighed.

Said blonde girl continued walking closer to them, and the boy felt the urge to step backwards.

"Why do you hide yourself?" she asked. Even before the boy could think of an answer, she shook her head in a manner befitting someone who's second guessing themselves.

"No, you never tried to hide yourself. You never even bothered to care. You just don't care about the rest of us. You don't even care about your older brother and your parents. Why do you never care? Do you just simply want to be alone…with Rin?"

The boy simply looked at her.

He just did.

Like with all his fellow villagers, he just looked at them.

All the people were marionettes, dancing because fate wants them to. Tacitus was no exception, for he was one too. He moved because the strings of fate that wrapped around his joints wanted him to move.

Making them laugh and dance, cry and despair…he just lived like that.

People don't care about him, and he doesn't care about them.

His only reason to even try to live this life happily is-

The blonde girl smiled sadly. A sad, knowing smile.

And the boy hated that.

A senseless, irrational, illogical baseless hate; he knows this very well.

Was it jealousy? Envy?

He has felt the feeling before, and he had grown numb to it so long ago.

The girl walking towards them was the kindest, most generous person he knows, in both this life and his past life as a normal human from modern-day Earth.

If the boy were to think of the epitome of what a good person is, then the blonde girl would be the first to come to mind.

No, she would be the 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 person to come to mind.

How could he hate her?

And yet, alas…he simply hated her so.

The boy saw with his own two eyes that the blonde girl always seemed to know everything, to understand everything…

The answer to every problem, what her fellow friends and family want…

And even what the boy himself wants.

And he simply hated that so, so very much.

...perhaps it really was envy.

That's why he always stayed away from her. Alas, like gravity, they were both inevitably pulled towards each other, pulling against each other like the earth and the moon.

And it would possibly do so for many, many years to come.

Perhaps it was because of the oh so miserable cruel fate?

Perhaps it was the promise he made in that dream?

Perhaps it was because the Lord God Almighty wishes it so?

'Dream?' he thought. 'The Lord God Almighty? Who is that?'

There was something just on the tip of his tongue. A memory in which he was supposed to remember.

'What am I even thinking-'

The boy then felt a sudden cold breeze blow against his face. When he blinked, he found the blonde girl-no, Charmeine staring into Tacitus' eyes just a few feet away.

There was something in her eyes that spoke of something, and yet he cannot comprehend.

Yet, he wanted to look away.

"Oh Tacitus…" she whispered. "Oh my only true friend…you only live…just because Rin lives, don't you?"

The boy felt something drop in his heart as he abruptly looked around him. The feeling of his shirt being tugged was no longer there, evidently shown by the missing little girl that was nowhere in his sight.

"Rin?" he called out.

The harsh winds howled louder. He turned around, looking in an almost frantic manner.

"Rin?" he called again. "Rin? Rin-!"

No matter how many times the boy called out, the wind's howl only responded to him…no, that was not correct.

Other than the wind, the conveniently forgotten someone behind the boy made herself known.

"Tacitus," the blonde girl said sadly, and yet firmly. As though she was about to speak a hard truth that must be said.

And she did.

"Old friend…she…she won't come back. None of them won't come back-if you even care about them.

The girl shook her head, locks of her hair swaying left and right.

"So…so just let her go-"

"You don't think I know that?"

Spinning back around, the boy stared into her eyes.

"You think I don't know it is a fool's task? You know nothing, and you know nothing about me, so be quiet you stubborn ignorant fool-"

"No," the blonde girl said. "No you're the fool, you hopeless fool-"

"You-"

And so their meaningless squabbles and disputes continued, and the cold harsh wind raged more and more.

In just a small part of the world, where nothing could really change, where nothing could 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 change, they continued arguing on and on, as though it actually mattered.

Perhaps it did.

Even if it did, no one would really know for soon enough, any semblance of dialogue that is comprehensible died out as the wind's howls screamed louder.

Yet, the boy can still see the girl, and the girl can still see the boy.

And since they could see each other, they kept trying to talk to the other.

Their mouths constantly move, even as their ears become deaf; their voices mute; their eyes blazing with truth.

As the world was suddenly engulfed in a white-gray fog, the boy kept staring into the blonde girl's eyes, her eyes that glittered like beautiful gleaming amethysts.

Even as everything faded into darkness, just like a dream, the boy felt as though the two purple eyes gleamed in the dark, watching over him.

…

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱.

The world before him expanded before Amor's eyes as he opened them. With his eyes, he saw his world moving up and down.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱.

At a consistent, slow pace, each 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱 sent little vibrations throughout the entirety of the blue butterfly's body.

Not a 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱 that is heard from a heartbeat, but the thump from muted footsteps that softly tramples across the somewhat firm dirt floor littered with dead branches and leaves. Every so often he can hear the sounds of cracking branches and leaves.

The manner of vehicle in which he was being transported was a light gray-haired woman. Sitting on the band that held the light-gray long ponytail, he watched the trees go past him.

'A nightmare within a sudden daydream…of all places…'

Had Amor fallen so low, as to have a good dream, and halfway through it becoming a horrendous nightmare within a dream?

With 𝘩𝘦𝘳 of all things in it?

Then he had a thought.

…no.

No. No no no.

Could it be…even if there was a silver of a chance…

No matter how much Amor thought, he couldn't help but think…think and ponder that-

'Is it possible…that somehow, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴…here?'

How is it possible for her to intrude in such a sacred place, where it bars those who are not close to the Lord God Almighty?

…could it be-

He halted his thoughts then and there. Now he's thinking too much again, for the curse of thinking too much has arisen, like a geyser that has been trapped for too long underground.

…he should get back to absorbing the plentiful pure mana that spreads throughout this realm.

So Amor did.

Invisible strands of energy that are all around them: in the air, the trees, and the ground-they all flowed into him.

Cool like the cold ocean's water, in which they actually came from it and somehow flowed into the world and its realms, they gradually filled his body, renewing and fulfilling.

Alas, even as he was doing so, Amor continued to ponder.

No matter how much he tried to 'not' think, his thoughts would eventually trail off.

Perhaps it was the Lord God Almighty who had arranged such a thing. That at a minute or so ago, at that exact moment, he fell into a dream unconsciously.

'...just like all those other dreams. Just like all those somehow sentient whispers.'

Yes, that was the only possibility.

It must be.

So Amor settled into the comforts of settling on the hairband of a moving gray haired woman wearing a strange, yet elegant dress. With a staff in one hand, she slowly moved forward, each movement seamless and graceful.

It would've seemed as though she was floating above the ground if not for having the perspective of a small creature looking at the moving world.

With a dark-gray veil covering the woman's face, she never looked away.

To alway look forward.

To never look back.

But it's impossible to not look back, for a certain watchful girl tried to get her attention.

"Um, excuse-me...um…madam? Miss?"

…

Feeling the blue butterfly twitching ever so slightly, making her long ponytail sway, Anna 'sent' her thoughts to it.

Amor didn't respond back.

Perhaps it was still sleeping?

Leaving it as an afterthought, Anna turned back to reviewing the new path called 'emblems' inside her head.

Even now, she cannot comprehend its majesty, the miracle that exists literally on the top of her left hand.

No, she could, it is that she couldn't believe it to be true.

In her memories-no, in 𝘩𝘦𝘳 memories, no such thing has come to be.

Not one, not two, nor even three thousand years ago in the main world, it had always been the status screen that was the prominent pathway for one to grow stronger and stronger.

In the seven thousand years she spent in the 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, she could never think of such a possibility.

'Seven thousand?' Anna thought. 'Ah, yes, the one to seven day time dilation.'

Even now she was still bewildered.

Seven thousand years…in the enormous amount of time she could've done so much, and yet how did she still not know-

At the thought, a small ache made itself known, along with a ringing sound in her ears.

Anna ignored it all.

Such little pain could not deter her from thinking.

From imagining.

This new path, this branch of power, is the imagination; the dream; the possibility to reach rank 6, and the chance to perhaps even reach the unattainable rank 7.

Rank 7 is a dream that's as unreachable as the far moon in the past, only known from various ancient fables from the Age of God.

Then there were stories-old tales that told of the seven feared destroyers, including her Lord, that were the 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 a thousands years ago.

For something like this to exist-

Anna resisted the urge to place her palm onto her forehead. Even now the headache, although endurable, never seemed to leave.

She shook her head ever so slightly, her hair swaying.

The pain was of lesser importance than what she was thinking.

Perhaps, if somehow combined with the branch of power that is the status screen, and this new branch of power that is the emblem of grace…then maybe…

She placed her hand over her chest.

Although the headache was still there, and the terrible annoying ringing sound kept bothering her, they all seemed to fade away, muted.

Faint as though it was in the background, dilute by the more powerful colors. Colors like the feeling Anna's feeling in her chest.

Her hands were shaking, her heart was beating slightly faster-

It was all in an upheaval, and it clearly caught her attention.

'Is this…excitement?' she thought.

How long has it been since she felt such excitement? Excitement after seven thousand years of pure mundaneness and torture?

Excitement at the thought that just maybe…just maybe…

Maybe rank 7 isn't-

"...?"

The pain in Anna's head suddenly intensified, and this time she nearly stumbled and groaned.

'No…seven thousand years?' she thought. 'That's impossible. I've never lived that long, so why am I thinking of such things-'

"Um, madam? Miss? 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮?"

"!?"

Anna abruptly stopped her footsteps and pivoted around. The little girl immediately stepped back with a small "eep."

"Eep! I'm-I'm sorry-!"

She bowed to the point where her hair was hanging down, covering her face.

For many moments the girl remained in the position of bowing in a ninety degree angle. Then, very slowly, she peeked through the small space between the strands of her hair.

However, the black-veiled woman appeared to simply…not move.

"Uh…um...hello, miss? Madam?"

Then, as though the sound of her words had broken a spell, the 'unmoving statue' slowly shook her head.

The little girl recklessly mustered up the courage to call her once more.

"Miss? Are you o-okay?"

Alas, the tall ash gray-haired veiled woman didn't seem to notice. Instead, she kept looking at her.

No, looking past her.

'...Abi?'

Then the long wheat-colored hair, in her eyes, faded like a mirage and seamlessly became brown and shortened.

Anna shook her head again.

Then, her eyes laid upon a certain little girl, who was unfortunately unprepared for the person herself to listen and turned her head towards her.

"Eep-!"

As the little girl immediately was about to take a step back, she suddenly stopped.

Then, with a shuddering breath and a gulp, she slowly put her feet down onto the ground.

Looking up, Abilene saw the unknown woman in front of her 'paid' attention to her. She took a deep breath…

𝘏𝘶𝘧𝘧...

And then she took another breath...

𝘏𝘶𝘧𝘧...

And then another...

𝘏𝘶𝘧𝘧...

Subsequently after at least maybe seven breaths-Anna didn't really pay attention-the girl firmly looked up at her black veil that hid her face.

At where Anna's eyes should be.

"...my…my village!"

"...?"

"My v-village-where my home is-is nearby! D-do you w-want to...come...with…me?"

Each word grew softer and softer; quieter and quieter, until the very last word ended up being small and squeaky as a quiet mouse.

But Anna heard it clearly, and she was particularly astounded.

'A village? In such a place as this?'

"..."

As she was pondering, the little girl watched her attentively.

Attentively became nervousness, and nervousness became sheer anxiety.

Abilene wished more and more for the cricket's chirps to accompany the silence. The silence reinforced the acknowledgment of the increasingly lack of bugs chirping and the birds that flap their wings and cry.

The longer the silence went the more nervous she became, evident in the expression of kicking her feet, saying left and right, clasping and unclasping her hands-

As the sweat began to form on her forehead; her back; her hands, before she had a nervous breakdown, a voice saved her.

"...I shall permit you the privilege to lead me to your home."

"H-huh?" the girl managed to utter. Then she panicked, waving her two hands in front of her quickly. "Oh-oh, I mean, okay-no I mean, yes miss!"

Abilene's face lightened up like a decorated lit christmas tree while she ran ahead of Anna, skipping in sheer joy.

The veiled woman looked behind the jumpy girl's back. She shook her head,

For a moment, she thought she saw-

No, she was just like-

The woman shook her head again and began trailing after her, even as cracks rang out in her ears like sharp chimes in the windy, yet quiet night.

…

'Remember Jonah, this is all for Chaya. Don't stop and keep moving forward.'

That was what the white-haired boy thought.

That was what he told himself as he walked on yet another dead fallen branch.

𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬!

With each step, he felt himself becoming more and more tired. With each second that passed he forced himself to look around him with wariness at its maximum capacity.

Especially at someone walking ahead of him.

A certain someone who's walking carefreely with both hands behind his head.

Black leather gloved hands.

'Don't do it Jonah. Do not curse. Just…keep walking forward.'

Of course Jonah had already failed at that, for he had already cursed countless times.

The curse jar was already shattered through the amount of bullshi-oops, he did it again.

What Jonah really meant to think was…the amount of times this 'comrade' of his kept ticking him off.

It has been ten minutes since they started trekking through this forest, and so far there seemed to be no danger that will arrive upon him soon whatsoever.

Except for the unknown, the shadows hidden behind the shrubs and trees, probably a couple monsters, and this 'comrade' of his.

Did Jonah mention 'comrade?'

He did.

He did indeed.

This 'comrade' is the epitome of what to be wary against.

Jumping on a very poor boy who had just woken up, not intruding himself or saying his name, having remarkably strange gear-which Jonah doesn't know where they are at.

Seriously, like where's the strange flattish metal plate? The stilts? Where did they go?

No matter how many times Jonah looked at the 'comrade' ahead of him, he just couldn't see it anywhere.

Was it hidden under that dumb dark cloak or something?

'No,' Jonah thought. 'You have to focus. To get back to Chaya. Everything is just a dream…'

"..."

As he looked around him once more, he saw what he always saw.

The endless dark forest, dead branches and leaves he walked across, shrubs, and just about anything in a forest.

Nice.

"..."

…lately, Jonah had another feeling he had moments back. A feeling where he's sarcastically talking and thinking to himself more often than not. It was most likely due to substitute the curses he has been withholding and what he's been through the past week.

'A week, huh?' he suddenly thought, and he felt a strange sense of drowsiness. A tiredness deep within his bones intensified, and he sighed rather deeply.

Deeply to the point where his flashback of his family stormed through his mind and ripped all the other memories.

In a matter of a week, his mother died, his father was missing, and now only Chaya…

Only he can truly protect his beloved little sister. As long as he tread onwards, endure and ignore certain things, and all that jazz, he will grow stronger.

Oh, right, Anna was there too, of course, and Avalow was an alright sort…but still…

Jonah shook his head.

'Focus Jonah. Focus for Chaya's sake. Now then, it's not everyday you can see a forest without snow.'

Well, it's only been a week since he can only see snow, but it felt like a lifetime since he actually saw green. Although it was abnormally dark with no moon or sun-the numerous leaves and branches cover the sky above him-he could still appreciate the fact that it was a forest not drowned in snow.

…snow...

Snow...white...

Snow-white hair...like Chaya's…

Heh…heheheh…heheheh-ugh-!

'Too much Chaya-!'

An aching pain suddenly appeared inside his chest, and Jonah grimaced.

Damn, it's growing stronger.

There must be a balance between being annoyed with a certain person and Chaya…that has to be-!

As his relapse for his little sister came back with a sudden passion, Jonah shook his head rapidly along with a healthy dose of pure desperation.

If he wanted to distract himself, now was the chance, and it was served to him on a silver platter.

Jonah looked in front of him. A few steps away was the same boy. The boy who he met a few minutes earlier was still walking ahead of him.

Nothing had absolutely changed within a minute when the white-haired boy had continued to be in turmoil with himself.

What a surprise.

"..."

Still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable when he saw the boy's laidback attitude.

Humming and whistling, the guy didn't seem to have a care in the world.

All Jonah could say was that this boy that was close to his own age is a rather...interesting guy.

If Jonah puts aside the stilts, metal plate hat, and closed eyes that never seemed to open, and strangely unique yet practical camouflage clothing in the dark, then the guy would still be interesting.

If Jonah would attempt to explain it, it would be that he was the funny guy who keeps the mood light while never taking things seriously, even when they're in a place filled with unknown possibilities and dangers.

And the 'funny' guy is a guy that absolutely reeks of shadiness.

Not only that, but Jonah felt as though he had met him before. Not face to face, of course, but he felt as though he heard the boy's voice from somewhere…

As he continued thinking, he didn't know when it happened, but as he was walking, he suddenly noticed he didn't hear anything. Not of his own footsteps, but of another.

Jonah immediately stopped.

The echoes from stepping on firm ground, the sound of cracks ringing from the dry branches and leaves…

It was the footsteps in front of him that disappeared.

He looked up.

Rubbing his own chin, the guy was 'looking' at Jonah with a rather 'serious' face.

With his eyes still shut closed.

Jonah thought he was 'looking' at him because his face was literally just a few inches away from his own face.

This rather 'tense faceoff' continued for a few seconds before the guy smiled….with embarrassment?

"Y'know, I just realized something."

"...what is it?" Jonah asked, and he made sure to hide his grip tightening on his makeshift spear. He shrugged and 'conveniently' fell into a pose to be 'comfortable.' He prepared his legs to lunge forward like an unreleased tensed spring.

Jonah watched the guy's every movement carefully, even when the guy rubbed the back of his head in an awkward manner.

"Did we ever introduce ourselves?"

"...uh?"

Jonah blinked.

He opened his mouth, and then eventually closed it.

'We never really introduced ourselves, did we?' Jonah thought, and he sighed.

"...no, we didn't…did we?"

"...did we?" the boy asked, looking to be deep in thought. As though thinking of something that could change almost everything.

Jonah was trying to figure out if it was a joke when the boy shrugged.

"Well I don't remember," the boy said, and he shook his head and shrugged. "Oh well, it's never too late for introductions, right?"

"Yeah…I guess…"

Jonah can predict right now that the other boy would be the first to be introducing himself without there being an awkward moment of silence. He didn't have any real, physical evidence, but his gut told him it was about to happen.

And it did.

"Alright, now then...𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘮..."

The dark brown-haired boy turned sideways, his right shoulder facing Jonah. He slowly unsheathed his sword-now that Jonah saw it, he thought it was actually really long-and rested the blade of his sword onto his left shoulder.

Then, solemn air surrounded him.

"While people were doing drugs, I studied the blade," he whispered…and he smirked.

At that moment Jonah knew he was trolling.

"While they were engaging in premarital sexual intercourse, I have practiced with the blade."

"While many spent months in the gym for the sake of vanity, I used the blade, cutting down foes twice their size."

"Now that the demons are here, and here you are, all unprepared…with the exception of me."

Then, the increasingly strange boy looked up at the canopy that blankets the sky. A look of melancholy came over the boy-and Jonah for some reason-and he sighed.

"For I studied the blade."

A sudden cool wind breezed by, ruffling the 'stoic,' smirking boy's clothes and cloak-cape thing again.

'I felt like I read something about this before,' Jonah thought as he looked at the boy up and down.

The wind still hasn't died down, and the ruffling cape still flutters, creating flapping-like noises.

Was something in this world helping the boy look cooler or something?

Then suddenly, he blinked, and he looked back at the still posing boy.

"…wait, you were prepared for the apocalypse?" Jonah slowly asked.

The dark brown-black-whatever-colored-haired boy nodded his head confidently.

"Yeah, I got a whole bunker filled with canned food and stuff I need. Since I knew it was coming, I also practiced with the blade-"

"Sword."

"-same thing," he waved his hand offhandedly. "No, wait, maybe it's a katana…? Anyway, I've known about it since I was young. Let's skip past how I know this stuff-"

"I think that's the important part."

"-and to the actual experience of fighting those things. Even if I was prepared, the demons were nigh unkillable-"

"Monsters."

"-also the same thing. I only figured out much later that they would die if they're cut into many pieces. The amount of times I had to cut just one down was because they're almost twice my size if I don't transform into my battle form-"

"You mean wearing the stilts, the mask, and that metal circle-plate hat-thing?"

"It's a helmet."

"It's a very strange "helmet," that's for sure."

"Well, it works fine, and it's also practical."

"How?"

"Like…you can, ya' know…throw it like a frisbee."

The white-haired boy just raised an eyebrow. The other boy coughed into his gloved hand.

"𝘒𝘶𝘩𝘶𝘮...oh, that's right! You can also use it as a shield to block projectile attacks to, and, and-"

"..."

"-yeah, the stilts-yes the stilts-help me jump higher, move faster, and appear more intimidating to my enemies."

"...the monsters can feel intimidated?" Jonah asked, interested,

"No, but I wasn't really talking about the monsters."

The boy squinted at the other boy.

"...oh."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Why don't you just admit it looks cool?" Jonah finally said after a while.

"Isn't it self-explanatory?" the boy raised an eyebrow, then both. "Wait…wait a minute…"

The boy's smirk grew even wider, and Jonah almost frowned. He felt something irritating was about to happen.

"What?"

"So…you also think it's cool?"

Yep, he called it.

"No, I didn't say that," Jonah said dryly. "I just said that 𝘺𝘰𝘶 think it's cool, not me."

"Bro…" the boy sighed and waved a finger at Jonah. "You asked me if it looks cool. That means you also think it looks cool."

"Saying it outright is different from implying it, and I did not 'imply' it," Jonah said, deadpanned.

'Maybe.'

He shook his head.

"Anyways, that's nice and all, but where's your source?"

"Source? It's "trust me bro.""

The white-haired boy's mouth almost curved up.

Almost.

"I don't, but sure," Jonah finally said as he crushed the laughter that was rising in him. "Let's say I think your…'battle suit' looked incredibly cool, stellar, and all that…but…"

"But?"

Suddenly the boy opposite of him looked nervous. The white-haired boy didn't notice it, but he continued on.

"Has everyone ever told you…that you look like a ninja because of those dark clothes? Wait…"

Jonah's eyes suddenly widened in horror. If what he thought was true, then maybe that's why he's doing these things…

"Are you some kind of…chuunibyou?" he asked hesitantly.

He wouldn't admit that he derived pleasure from the look on Erebus' aghast face. The boy himself choked, stumbled backwards, and placed his hand over his chest as though he had taken a hit right in the stomach.

"What the-hell no! It's just…"

He trailed off and looked away.

"...it looks cool," he whispered. "That's all."

"...cool? Just cool?" Jonah slowly asked.

"Yeah, cool. Also, if I was trying to be a ninja, why would I be wearing this dank-I mean dang long cloak?"

"...because it looks cool?"

"No," he shook his head. "It's not just it being simply cool-that is only merely one of its most positive traits. It's also good against rain-oh so you do know? See? I knew you would understand. Now, watch this-"

The boy then swept his cape to the side, and it waved and made sounds of what one would expect from something like a flag rippling in the harsh wind.

"See?" he said, almost a bit too proud.

Jonah also wouldn't admit it looked pretty dang cool.

No, he already did.

…wait, did he admit it already?

Apparently, Jonah's eyes couldn't hide his thought, or something else betrayed his thought as the boy-that-shouldn't-be-similar-to-his-age-but-regrettably-is nodded with more enthusiasm.

Then…there was silence.

It was the awkward silence Jonah tried to avoid, but it was inevitable in almost all conversations with two strangers who've met in under an hour.

The two just stood there...in silence.

Although both didn't show nor say anything, they both knew something must be done.

As one of the two, Jonah furiously tried to think of something-anything to dispel the fearsome awkwardness…and he found it.

"Wait," he suddenly said. "You didn't even say your own name."

Now it was the dark brown-haired boy's turn to open and close his mouth without saying anything for a few seconds.

"...oh crap, I actually didn't," he eventually whispered.

Then, he simply shrugged.

"Okay, my name is Erebus."

The wind breezed by, ruffling his clothes and cloak.

"…you could've tried harder to make a fake name," Jonah said.

"Yeah well, I always wanted to use that name."

'You're not even trying to hide it,' he thought, deadpanned.

"Since I told you my name, it is proper etiquette to introduce yourself back, yeah?"

"...my name is Jonah."

"Hmmm. Jonah, huh?"

"Yeah?"

"No, nothing, nothing…"

The white-haired boy almost made a frown again, but he managed to hold himself back. In fact, he even managed to not think of a curse nor a sarcastic remark either.

Truly, this is something worth celebrating for.

'...that was sarcasm, wasn't it?'

Before he can even try to stop thinking of it, his heart dropped at Erebus's next words.

"Hey, by the way…you actually have a little sister right?"

Like electricity running from his spine to his brain, Jonah immediately became even more wary. He attempted to not show it, but he felt as though he didn't hide it all.

"...yes?" Jonah tentatively said.

Erebus only nodded thoughtfully. The white-haired boy tried to see where he was going with this, trying to understand why he'd asked.

"...is she…safe?"

In a very dim light, under the shadows of the dark forest, Jonah really hoped the darkness hid whatever that was shown on his face.

'...was it really just curiosity?' he thought.

"...yes. Why would you ask?"

"Oh…that's…that's good…"

Nodding his head thoughtfully, the boy then turned around and began walking forward without warning, murmuring things like "I see," or "that's good."

…Jonah really doesn't know how to communicate successfully with this 'mysterious' stranger.

The white-haired boy took a deep breath.

'This is all to get back to Chaya. Remember, Jonah. It's all for her...'

Keeping the image of his little sister in his heart, he gradually calmed down and steeled his will.

It was all for his little sister.

As he finally calmed down, Erebus abruptly stopped a few seconds right after.

"By the way, can I ask you something else again?"

'You mother f-'

Immediately, like the model older brother of a delicate, fragile, yet beloved younger sister he is, he soothed the flames of anger.

And yet Jonah couldn't help but unconsciously grip his gloved hands even tighter.

"...what...do you want to ask?"

"Who was the girl you were talking about? The one that was…'breaking your limits,' was it? Or something along those lines?"

Saying that, Erebus awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

Jonah felt the tone of his voice was a bit off, but he moved that aside and answered his question as best he can.

"Her? Her name is…Aga…Agash something."

"...Agash?"

"No, wait, let me try to remember…"

The white-haired boy pressed his free hand against his forehead. After a bit of humming here and there, gritting his teeth a few times and all that jazz, it clicked.

"Ah, yes, it was 'Agash'usha.'"

Erebus tilted his head, his right hand stroking his chin.

"Agash...usha? That's a weird name. So, what makes her, ya' know…'super duper strong?'"

"Well," Jonah began. "She shoots magical beams of weird dull orange light at me."

"Hmmm…" the boy '𝘩𝘮𝘮'ed', clearly in thought and pondering.

"I see, I see, that does sound rather scary," he said a bit 𝘵𝘰𝘰 offhandedly. "By the way, does she have any titles?"

"What do you mean by titles?"

"Like, did this 'Agash'usha' person ever say anything before or after her name when she introduced herself?"

"What do you mean?"

"She sounds like the kind of person who would list her achievements or something before actually introducing herself? Like noble or royal people do? For example-"

Erebus coughed in his head.

"𝘒𝘶𝘩𝘶𝘮, maybe a guy would say: "I am the bringer of storms, the ashen king, the devourer of worlds, King Ben Dover-!""

While he was saying that, he stood tall, squaring his shoulders and spoke in an exaggerated tone, which soon deflated after.

"-or something to that effect? You get what I'm saying, right? No, wait, hmm…maybe it's just a human thing…this 'Agash'usha' girl doesn't seem to be a human…"

As Erebus trailed off, Jonah blinked a few times.

"That's...kind of specific. Let's see..."

'I think she did, but what was it...?'

Jonah began pondering, back to that day...which was maybe a few hours ago? Even now he still didn't know what the place he was previously at was a dream, or rather if this is still a dream.

"Ah that's right," Jonah suddenly said. "She's the Fifth Apostle of the...what was it now?"

"...Apostle?"

At that moment, then and there, Jonah felt it.

It came back.

The fear. The horror. The terror.

The silent field of awkwardness and anxiety.

If there were crickets to make up for the silence, then the white-haired boy wished to summon them as of now.

He really demands it.

But they didn't answer his call, and so he suffered in the endless torment that is awkwardness. The dark brown-haired boy in front of him was uncharacteristically quiet, seemingly pondering as he stared blankly at something that was apparently at the far distant horizon.

Jonah hesitated before reaching out his hand.

"Hey, what's wrong Erebus-?"

As soon as he placed his hand onto the boy's shoulder, the boy's body shook and he immediately jumped backwards.

As he landed on his feet, Erebus looked straight at Jonah with the most blankest of stares imaginable.

A rather uncomfortable blank stare.

Before Jonah actually had the thought to strike him down here and now, Erebus suddenly showed an apologetic smile.

"Oh, sorry about that, and yeah, I'm fine. So what was she again? The Fifth Apostle of-the-what-now?"

"I think it was the...the Descent?"

Erebus's face became even more pale while Jonah murmured under his breath and rubbed his chin.

"There was something else, right? What was it again...Eyes of the…the First? Was it the First? Hmm…"

As Jonah was muttering, he didn't notice Erebus marching right up to him.

Before he could react, he felt someone grabbing the collar on his shirt, and all of a sudden, his head was shaking back and forth.

"Are you crazy man, man!?" he yelled right at his face. Maybe a few specks of spit fell onto his face to

'We're yelling now?' Jonah thought. So he also yelled.

"We're all crazy!" he yelled back.

Then, as if someone flicked a switch, Erebus's face immediately changed. Letting go, he awkwardly patted Jonah's shoulders before taking a step back and bowed slightly.

"Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me. I guess in a way…you're right. We're all madmen."

Erebus rubbed his forehead with a chuckle. That was probably the only apology he could get, so Jonah just breathed out a long-held sigh of tiredness.

"...anyways," the white-haired boy said. "What about these…Apostles?"

As was warned by a certain blonde girl after Agash'usha-if it really was her-flew off into the gray sky with her black onyx throne, Jonah knew what these 'Apostles' were.

He wasn't living under a rock to not know that it was common sense that these 'Apostles' were dangerous.

The floating magical throne says it all.

Like…come on.

As Jonah was thinking that, he also conveniently remembered that after he had some information on what the Apostles are, this certain blonde girl just stopped.

No matter how many times he asked, she would just give him a perfect blank look and a perfect blank smile.

That look cannot fool the once naive boy any longer.

She definitely knew something.

The white-haired boy shook his head.

He digressed.

Jonah just…he simply wanted to see these 'Apostles' with his own eyes, not judging them based on word of mouth from another. Of course as far away from Chaya as possible, just in case if there were any…mishaps.

So far Jonah has yet to see one that proved Avalow truly right nor right.

Besides the Apostle in the dream he just had.

What kind of person would send beams of light that disintegrates flesh at a thirteen-year old boy for an hour?

Was that person really her? Or a figment of his imagination?

He still cannot get over the thought of whether it was actually real or not.

"What do you mean, 'what about them?' They answer directly 𝘵𝘰 a 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆. One of the seven destroyers! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀!"

Jonah just looked at the boy with a look of his own.

These Apostles have a boss?

Huh.

Jonah thought they were an organization of a cult or something. It was so obvious, how come he didn't know nor think of that?

Wait, why didn't he ask Avalow again?

'Ah, yes,' he remembered. 'She wouldn't say anything else. One of these days, I'll-'

Oops, he digressed again.

"...the-who-now?" Jonah eventually asked. "You mean the First? The First is one of these…𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀?"

Erebus looked at the white-haired boy with an incredibly incredulous look.

"Wait…wait wait wait. It's one thing to not really understand the Apostles, but not the seven destroyers who ended the Age of Magic a millenia or so ago!? How could you not-no...nevermind…"

"Well that's news to me."

"No," Erebus suddenly said.

"...what?" Jonah asked.

"No no no. Sorry, sorry, I…hahahahah…I apologize…"

"Uh…"

"I forgot you're a madman-sorry, I meant 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 madmen."

As his chuckle died down under Jonah's most blankest of stares, Erebus just stared thoughtfully into the distance of a place Jonah cannot see no matter how many times he looked.

But soon thereafter, he then began once again chuckling shadily, to Jonah's immense discomfort.

"Hehehe, well, I guess it was wrong of me to criticize you when I had never met an Apostle. So sorry again. Also, I'm also actually sorry for calling you a madman when I too am a madman. Heh, pot calling the kettle black..."

Erebus sighed, shrugging and shaking his head.

"...you admit you're a madman?" Jonah asked in surprise.

Seeing the white-haired boy's shock, Erebus gave him a deadpanned 'look.'

'How could he give such a look when his eyes are still closed? Maybe it's the tilt of the head…?'

While Jonah was observing the boy opposite of him, so too was Erebus observing him by still giving him 'the look.'

"What do you mean 'huh?' Are you trolling me or something? You have that title too, right?"

"What title?"

Erebus looked at Jonah with 'the look.'

'The look' as if he knew Jonah was lying, and that he was playing around.

Which the white-haired boy isn't, by the way, but he didn't have time to correct the confident and righteous boy as Erebus continued talking.

"My dear fellow companion, that's the entire reason why I'm traveling with you. Look at your status-you have the title [𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼], yeah?"