Chapter 44: He Who Remains

"Once, poets were magicians. Poets were strong, stronger than warriors or kings — stronger than old hapless gods. And they will be strong once again." —Greg Bear

"What is a poet? An unhappy man who hides deep anguish in his heart, but whose lips are so formed that when the sigh and cry pass through them, it sounds like lovely music... And people flock around the poet and say: 'Sing again soon' - that is, 'May new sufferings torment your soul but your lips be fashioned as before, for the cry would only frighten us, but the music, that is blissful." —Soren Kierkegaard, Either - Or

"in a world

full of

temporary things

you are

a perpetual

feeling." —Sanober Khan

***

Huffing, exhaustion begins to wear them out in the middle of the night as they tread on their path away from their enemies. The bright red sky and the moon suddenly lost its hue, then darkness befalls the whole island instantly.

Xenia thought that they were finally safe upon running away from where Grenoble and Baron would be coming from. However, the two were devastated to meet the two atrociously evil tribesmen. Who would have thought that they would catch up pretty fast after getting left behind?

"Kukuku," chuckled Baron, "both of you are foolish to think that you would outrun us in our own land! Us, tribesmen, know every nook and cranny of this Forested Island of Balmack!"

His condescending laugh echoed throughout the entire wrecked island.

"Submit your life to us, kids. Don't make this hard for both of you. I promise to painlessly finish you two."

Grenoble gently spoke, his words warm and convincing. However, none of them were ready to die.

"Two? Weren't there three of them?"

They just remembered that Xenia was with the siblings and that they were all running away from Grenoble and Baron.

"Cheap trickery won't work on us!"

Thaniel and Arlan's completely surprised looks on their faces were just deception for Xenia to sneak up behind the two. Xenia took advantage of the night, wherein different spots of the forest have no light whatsoever and are totally filled with darkness.

Upon realizing that Xenia was missing, Grenoble and Baron instantly raised their guards up, cautious of the kid that was missing.

Just when the two tribesmen were about to run up to the terrified siblings, clutching onto each other and refusing to leave each other's side, Xenia inflicted a slightly deep wound on Baron's leg. He cut through the tribesman to immobilize its movements by aiming at Baron behind both knees. He impaled both knees with his obsidian knife; making Baron uttered a cry whilst being down on both bleeding knees.

"Get him, Grenoble!" Exclaimed Baron, aching on both legs after being rendered immobile. "Tch! That fucking rat had disappeared!"

Grenoble did not bother following Xenia's trail after the kid vanished as soon as he hit and ran Baron's both legs. Unless they treat him with a gift that could heal, Baron would remain unable to use both legs. However, such an egoistic bastard like Baron would not be stopped by his injuries.

"Ahhh!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Baron forced himself— his feet to be of use, trying his very best to stand back up once again. " Watch out for the brat! He might attack you too!"

Being told not to pay attention to Baron, Grenoble warily waited for Xenia to sneakily and stealthily strike once again.

Seconds passed by and Baron willfully stood back up once again, yelling his heart out after achieving what he reckoned to be a great feat. However, his joy didn't last long when Xenia now chose to go after Baron's Achilles. You know that cutting through it was not easy, but Xenia did so effortlessly both of Baron's Achilles, thus permanently rendering Baron incapable of using his legs.

"URGHHHH!!! HE CUT MY TENDONS! CATCH HIM, GRENOBLE! I'M GONNA MURDER HIM!"

Hoarsely, each word was filled with extreme anger. Baron desperately urges Grenoble to capture Xenia for him. Such an irredeemable act of atrocity would not slide off Baron's radar. His boiling blood despairingly yearns for his hands to be wrapped around Xenia's neck.

"He has disappeared once again. He is so accustomed to using the darkness to his advantage there isn't much we can do. It's too dark for me to search for his tracks."

Then, Xenia appeared behind Arlan and Thaniel who were both sick worried that he would fail with his plan. It turns out that Xenia accomplished his mission flawlessly.

"I knew you were gonna rendezvous with your cowardly friends."

Muddy as it looked, Grenoble strode on that same slippery path easily; closing the gap instantaneously that it caught the three kids off guard.

"So fast!"

"Xenia!"

"Ugh! This is bad!"

It is not so uncommon that a breakthrough happens when someone capable of unleashing an unknown power displays their gift after being cornered. But not every time it occurs.

And in this instance, none of that transpires and Grenoble's swift crisp arm that was holding a crafted knife flew towards the kid. It was aimed directly at Xenia, targeting the problem among the naive.

"Xenia ain't dying! Not on my watch—!"

Arlan choked on his own blood when he used his body to block the knife, which stabbed through his liver.

Terror washed over Xenia's and Thaniel's faces upon witnessing their close friend and sibling chose to use himself as their shield from imminent danger.

"ARLAN!"

"You idiot! Why did you...?"

What they thought to be a one-time thing turned out to be a massacre. Painfully, Grenoble pulled out the knife, causing Arlan to groan aloud. Grenoble intended on not stopping right there, so Xenia made his move to attract Grenoble's attention but the tribesman knew he needed to run after Xenia to catch him. Just by threatening his friend, Xenia voluntarily surrendered himself to the inescapable predicament.

"Good! Attachment really brought each other down!"

"Hahahaha! Bring that fucking fool to me, Grenoble! I'll slaughter him and turn him into mincemeat!"

Cheerfully although he was in great pain, Baron gleefully waited for Grenoble to bring Xenia to him, unaware of the impending danger on his way.

"I can't wait to carve my knife on that brat's body! I'll make sure he will feel every pain I will inflict upon him!"

From behind Baron's ears whispered a few words before everything he was hearing stopped and his vision blurred.

"Unfortunately, none of that would be happening."

Blood splattered and Baron's body was mercilessly harrowed, eventually mangled by two seemingly sharp claws. And from the darkness emerged a hairy silhouette, eyes bloodshot, and breathing heavy. On both hands were the ripped torso of Baron and in his mouth, blood dripped as he chewed on Baron's flesh.

"And who might you be?" Grenoble asked as his knife threatened Xenia.

Behind him were the siblings wherein Thaniel was doing his very best to stop the bleeding of Arlan's injury, pressing on the wound with his wet clothes.

Mortified, Thaniel refused to listen to his brother's words. He kept hushing Arlan down, reminding him of his current deadly situation.

"Speaking will only make things worse for you, Arlan! J-Just press on your wound, so it will prevent excessive bleeding!"

And seeing Arlan cough blood further worries Thaniel to eternity. Being pessimistic about everything, all sorts of negative ideas were traveling through his mind as he caresses and cares for his brother.

"Listen to me, Thaniel, big brother!"

Not so often Arlan addresses Thaniel as his older brother, and hearing him now does put so much pain in Thaniel's heart. It felt like Arlan's last words.

"I-I am a hopeless case now, waiting for my d-death... But you can still save Xenia! As your brother, asking for a favor, please save Xenia for me."

No, no, no, Thaniel just could not do it nor could not leave his brother's side. Tears were flowing down his cheeks while wailing like never before. His cry was something Arlan had never seen before.

"I refuse! Just this once, I'm clinging to the positive side... That a miracle will happen where all of us will live!"

"But... what if that miracle you are waiting for only Xenia can bring to all of us?"

"Stop, Arlan! I'm saving you no matter what!"

"How? There is just nothing you can do but save Xenia, Thaniel."

"Arlan... Please..."

Thaniel just needed one last convincing push for him to take action while Grenoble was still preoccupied with the appearance of Xenia's father.

Preying on the opportunity at hand, the faint dying look on Arlan's face forced him to finally succumb to his brother's desire, thus standing up with a rock being held in his hand.

"For my brother, for Arlan, and everyone that I lost on my way here!"

Unlike most common typical individuals who scream whenever they are about to attack or do something outrageous, Thaniel erased as much presence as he could walk up behind Grenoble while Xenia's father intentionally provoked the tribesman.

"Until a gift so powerful emerges, I will remain the strongest of us all on this island."

~