< 93. A Night with Beautiful Stars (1) >
*
“Abel! I smell blood, blood!”
Kirhas frowned as she caught a faint whiff of blood in the air. The solid stone corridor showed no signs of disturbance, yet the scent of blood lingered in the distance.
Abel’s eyes sharpened. She glared down the corridor with her blue eyes.
“Let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”
Kirhas and Abel began to sprint down the corridor, no longer wary of traps. Abel bit her lip.
Why? Why does he always rush into such perilous places alone? Why doesn’t he ask for our help?
Like a lone sailboat crossing a vast ocean, the image flashed through her mind. She was a drifter, but Fernandez always walked forward, burning his soul for his purpose.
It made her anxious. She wanted to be a lighthouse, even if just for a moment, where he could rest. But Fernandez never stopped. He moved forward alone, toward a North Star hidden somewhere in his heart.
Was it the difference in years? Or the difference in eras? Her steps were too slow compared to his, and all she could do was watch his back.
“Abel, here!”
Kirhas pointed to a spot on the floor. There was a mark, not from battle, but from a sword being thrust into the ground.
“Wait.”
Abel bent down and touched the scar on the floor. The rough, cracked mark still had stone dust on it. It was a relatively recent wound, untouched by time.
Judging by the width, depth, and shape of the sword mark… it was the sword of Yanmingjian Dain, his sword.
“Why is there such a mark here?”
“It’s as if he used it to support himself…”
Kirhas traced the mark for a moment, then gasped. Her eyes turned to the end of the corridor.
There were numerous marks there, scattered and gradually narrowing in spacing. It was as if an old man had walked, barely supporting himself with a cane.
Had it reached a point where he had to thrust his sword into the ground to keep moving? Kirhas’s eyes shone with anxiety.
The path leading to Fernandez still stretched out, its direction unclear. Then, the sharp scent unique to the Beastmen caught her attention.
Flowers…?
A faint, fleeting scent, like a spring breeze that would soon disappear. Amid the growing smell of blood, that scent lingered.
-Whoosh!
“!!!”
At that moment, a blue flame erupted on the floor, connecting Fernandez and her once again. Kirhas perked up her ears and stared straight ahead.
-Thud, thud.
Heavy, solemn, and rhythmic footsteps.
In the distance, at the end of the shimmering blue path visible only to Kirhas’s eyes.
“Your Excellency…!!”
Fernandez was walking toward them.
*
-Serve me.
‘Shh.’
The whispers in my head are enough with just Faijashi. Fernandez grumbled as he shook the golden mask. Each time he shook it, the voice trembled.
-Serve me.
The voice of the Jackal from the mask was now almost desperate. It was quite different from the tone of the Jackal God’s voice heard during the trial of sin.
‘Well, that was just a shadow replaying the past.’
-The main body is even more pitiful.
‘He’s a soul that’s survived for over a thousand years. Of course, he’d be twisted somewhere.’
The voice of Kadán, occasionally heard during the trial, was merely an echo of the curse he carried in life. The true soul of Kadán lay dormant within this mask.
‘The Shield of the Great Wilderness, the relic Kirhas Hearttaker obtained in this place, is definitely this.’
He recalled the trajectory of life Kirhas Hearttaker had drawn in her past life. The Shield of the Western Great Wilderness, the human hero Kirhas who had stopped Karadskar.
Her life was marked by fierce struggle and survival, but the point where she truly began to rise as a hero was after reviving the faith of Kadán at the secret stronghold of the Kalani Clan.
Kadán of the Hunt was a legendary Beastman God among the Western Beastman Nobility. His symbolism was unparalleled.
“Your Excellency!!”
“Ah, Kirhas.”
Perfect timing. Fernandez chuckled as he approached them. Kirhas slowly wagged her long tail, while Abel stood with her arms crossed, wearing a subtle expression.
“…What’s wrong?”
“There’s a complicated smell.”
Abel slowly approached, eyeing the greatsword on Fernandez’s back and the mask he held.
“It smells of divinity. Not just one. Can you show me?”
“Ah, of course.”
Fernandez lifted the golden mask. The golden mask, adorned with a lavish depiction of a jackal, swayed in his hand.
It wasn’t made to fit a human skull, so wearing it would be impossible… but with some adjustments, it could be placed on the head. It wouldn’t offer much protection, but it could be used like a helmet.
“It’s a relic of Kadán.”
“Yes. And even more, it’s still…”
“It’s also a living relic.”
“Living? Kadán?”
“Wasn’t Melisildur also alive? A soul that once held divinity doesn’t easily fade away.”
Fernandez shrugged his shoulders. Because it didn’t easily fade, it had preserved the madness of those long years intact. But anyway, that powerful soul was breathing beneath this mask.
-Serve me…
Ignoring the mask’s low whisper, Fernandez handed it to Kirhas. Kirhas took the mask and suddenly stiffened her tail.
“Huh?”
Her ears perked up, and she looked at the mask with a confused expression, turning it over. Soon, she shook her head and looked at Fernandez.
“Uh, Your Excellency. This thing is possessed! It’s talking to me!”
“What are you saying?”
Would it say something different if it returned to its previous owner? Fernandez looked at Kirhas with that expectation. Kirhas, with a flustered expression, shook the mask a few times.
“It keeps saying the same thing. Serve me… Ugh, it’s creepy.”
“Nothing’s changed? No surge of energy or power?”
“Nope. Just a bit scary…”
Is it the kind of relic that activates when worn? Well, Fernandez didn’t notice any special effects when holding it, except for the voice.
This is getting annoying. Fernandez looked at Kirhas, who was staring intently at the mask. Would she try it if I told her to…? And would her mind be okay if she did?
‘Can’t risk it.’
-Why not? It’d be good to test it out.
‘Kirhas is different from us. Her mind isn’t expendable.’
Faijashi looked at Fernandez with dissatisfaction and soon disappeared. Well, at least we’ve passed one hurdle. Fernandez shrugged and walked ahead.
“Let’s head out and prepare to camp for now.”
“Agreed. Are you really okay?”
“Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine.”
Abel looked at him as if she had something to say, then turned her head.
*
-Crackle, pop.
The campfire was burning. Kirhas had fallen asleep playing with the golden mask, and Abel was gazing at the night sky as usual.
Though it was an odd sight in the middle of the jungle, waterfall, and desert, it wasn’t bad. The jungle in the middle of the desert felt refreshing.
“You were right, Fernandez.”
Abel, who had been counting the stars, suddenly spoke. Fernandez, who had been analyzing the patterns on the Keyblade, looked at her.
“About what?”
“I would’ve regretted not seeing this view.”
That day, in the night sea of Infermur, Fernandez had told her as she was dying. The stars in the desert night shine red, blue, and yellow.
So please, hold onto this world. Abel looked at Fernandez’s face, glowing red in the campfire.
“Thank you.”
Her blue eyes flickered with the flames. The wind flowing through the jungle tousled her long golden hair, scattering it like a canopy.
Under the stars, wind, and moonlight. Abel shone like a goddess. Fernandez couldn’t breathe for a moment, lost in her soft, warm blue eyes.
‘Damn it, Dane…’
Was it because of King Dane’s soul? Or was it really? He couldn’t tell if this feeling was because of that or the youthful passion flowing through his young body.
This feeling wasn’t bad, but he didn’t deserve it. Fernandez shook his head. Then, Abel spoke.
“So, what’s that flower?”
“What flower?”
“The scent coming from you. The floral scent. You wouldn’t have sprayed perfume, and there’s no way flowers bloomed on that altar.”
“Ah, Freesia. I didn’t know the scent would linger so long.”
Fernandez sheathed his sword and poked the campfire with a stick. The flames roared higher. He stared blankly at the smoke rising straight into the night sky.
Freesia. Aria. My regret, my karma, my sin. That flower was a wreath of sin, symbolizing all of Fernandez’s past.
‘Faijashi.’
-Why?
‘If we save the world like this, and time passes, and Aria is born. What should we do then?’
-…
Faijashi silently watched the flames. Do we still have the right to stay by her side?
After a long while, Faijashi spoke in a low voice.
-Let’s think about that when the time comes.
Listening to Faijashi, Fernandez looked away from the campfire. It was time to steel his resolve. The favor she showed was clearly meant for someone else.
‘I should draw the line here.’
Before her feelings grow deeper, before King Dane’s soul digs deeper, before his young body craves warmth.
Turning away now would bring moments of happiness, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t sink into comfortable lust and desire.
He doesn’t settle for reality. That was the measure and principle of his life, established since childhood. It wasn’t ambition or asceticism. It was just a mindset.
“That flower belonged to my wife.”
After a moment of silence. Abel made an unexpected remark with a strange expression.
“Care for a drink?”
“…A drink? Where did you get that…?”
“Isn’t it uncool to check that first in this moment?”
Abel smiled seductively and pulled a bottle from her belongings. With a clear pop, the strong scent of alcohol filled the air.
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