LEON'S POV:~
The moon, a sliver of silver in an inky sky, cast long, skeletal shadows that danced and writhed amongst the ancient trees of the forest. I stumbled through the undergrowth, branches whipping at my face, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and fear. By the time I reached the clearing, it was too late.
Kaz, his face pale and gaunt in the moonlight, knelt on the blood-soaked ground, one hand severed at the wrist, a gruesome gash marring his left eye, blood trickling down his temple. His clothes were a patchwork of crimson slashes, testament to a fierce struggle.
"So, Kaz," Seraphine drawled, her voice a chilling melody as she raised her sword, the moonlight glinting off the cold steel, "it seems your story ends here."
"Stop!" I cried, interposing myself between them.
"Idiot!" Kaz roared, his voice hoarse with rage. "I told you to leave!"
"We won't need to do that," I countered, my gaze fixed on Seraphine. "Seraphine, are you truly Akari?"
A smile spread across her lips. "I told her not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you."
The blood drained from my face, leaving it ashen in the pale moonlight. Akari? My heart plummeted. Tears welled up in my eyes, hot and uncontrollable. I wrapped my arms around her, sobs wracking my body. Why couldn't I stop crying?
"Leon!" Akari cried, pushing me away with unexpected force
My gaze snapped back to the scene unfolding before me. Kaz, with a swift, brutal movement, had plunged his sword into Akari's chest.
"Kaz!" I roared, a primal scream tearing from my throat. I lunged forward, aiming a desperate punch, but he was too quick, too agile. He sidestepped with a mocking grace, his dagger flashing out, slicing across Akari's cheek with a sickening sound. Blood gushed forth, staining her face crimson, mirroring the crimson hues of the moon.
Akari raised her sword, but she had become too weak after Kaz pierced her heart. his blade a blur as he parried her attack and inflicted a deep gash on her hand.
"I said, stop!" I yelled, my voice hoarse with desperation.
Shame washed over me, cold and suffocating. Had I done something wrong?
"Very well," Kaz conceded, a chilling calm settling over him. "Now the situation is under control. perhaps you can enlighten me on what you wished to say." He tossed Akari to the ground and looked at me, his eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger in the eerie moonlight.
Defeat, cold and absolute, gripped me. I couldn't defeat him. Not now. And the betrayal, the crushing weight of it, threatened to shatter my world. The whispers of the forest seemed to mock me, a chilling chorus of doom.
"Did you betray me?" I asked, my voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and fear.
Kaz scoffed, a humorless sound that grated on my nerves. "Are you an imbecile? Do you think I would risk my own life just to betray you later? One of my hands is gone, my mana reserves depleted. Healing myself is a distant dream. Listen carefully," he hissed, his voice dropping to a menacing growl, "Also, if that actress attempts to heal Seraphine, I will shatter her jaw. Silence her. Permanently."
The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Not all of them, but enough to paint a picture.
"She won't need to," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor running through me. "You're the one who will heal Akari. Come on, heal her. I don't know how, but you must."
Kaz stared at me, his eyes narrowed. "You truly think I would do it?"
"Right now, it might seem that I'm in the wrong person here," he said, " But soon you'll know what I'm doing is the right thing. This world… it's unforgiving."
"Hey! What in the blazes are you doing?!" He shouted
I had placed the edge of my sword against my throat, the cold steel a stark contrast against the warm, pulsing life beneath it. "Five seconds," I announced, my voice calm but deadly. "Five seconds, and I slit my throat."
Kaz stared at me, disbelief warring with a flicker of… fear? "You're joking, right?"
"You know about the nature of a Key," I said, my voice unwavering. "Then you must know whether I'm joking or not."
I gently pressed the sword deeper, a thin trickle of blood tracing a path down my neck.
"One-"
"Stop!" Kaz roared, his voice cracking. "Alright, alright, I concede! You win! Ask your friend to heal her. And for your information," he added, a grudging respect creeping into his voice, "she'll be fine for at least two hours, even without immediate treatment."
"Really?" I asked, disbelief battling with a flicker of hope in my eyes.
"Yes, yes, truly," Kaz confirmed. "Now, please, remove that… sword from your throat. I confess, the sight of it… it unnerves me." He paused. "Besides, even if I wanted to stop you, I doubt I could."
Slowly, I sheathed my sword, the relief washing over me like a warm wave. "Sarah," I commanded, my voice firm, "heal Akari."
Sarah, still trembling, seemed to snap out of her daze. "L-Leon," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper, "I… I don't remember the spell."
"What?" I roared.
Kaz sighed, a weary sound that seemed to drain the life from him. "Wait a moment." He lowered himself to the ground, his remaining hand tracing intricate symbols in the dirt with the tip of his sword. "Both of you, stand close to Seraphine. Touch her, and chant these words."
He recited the incantation, his voice a low, guttural hum. We followed his instructions, our hands gently resting on Seraphine's body. A soft, emerald light enveloped her, swirling around her wounds like a protective cocoon.
Slowly, miraculously, the wounds began to mend, the flesh knitting itself back together.
Akari, her breath coming in ragged gasps, finally succumbed to the healing magic. "Akari, are you okay now?" I asked, my voice trembling.
She punched me playfully, a mischievous glint in her emerald eyes. "How many times have I told you to call me Onee-san?" she chided, her voice laced with a playful annoyance.
"You two should discuss your personal matters later," Kaz interjected, his voice gruff. "Hey, Seraphine, answer one of my questions, and I'll leave."
Seraphine, her gaze fixed on the fading crimson, spoke softly, "You could stay, you know. If you hadn't killed me after all that… it means we don't need to fear you."
A bitter laugh escaped Kaz's lips. "Oh yes, and if fear was a factor, or if I was a little stronger, you would have killed me. That's been the pattern with my kind for generations."
"I don't understand," Seraphine confessed, her confusion evident.
"Are you messing with me?" Kaz growled, his voice laced with anger.
"I'm sorry," Seraphine apologized, "I don't understand why you're so angry."
He closed his eyes, a wave of pain washing over him. "Whenever we enter this world," he began, his voice low and dangerous, "you fall upon us, ruin our lives, take everything from us… You kill us, take everything we have. Again and again. Why? Because you fear we might surpass you one day?"
Akari, her voice sharp, interrupted, "Listen, we don't kill you simply because you might become stronger—"
"Enough!" he roared, cutting her off. "Just answer my question first. How did you find us?"
"I used tracking magic on Leon," she replied, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Alright, I'm going," he declared, turning to leave.
Akari, however, moved swiftly, pinning him against a nearby tree. "Now what?" he asked, his eyes bloodshot.
"You're heavily wounded," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Let me heal you."
With a sigh, he resigned himself to her ministrations. "Leon," she instructed, "Bring me Kaz's hand."
I retrieved the severed limb, my stomach churning, and brought it to Onee-san. With a delicate touch, she reattached it, the magic swirling around the wound.
A heavy silence descended upon the clearing. The only sound was the rustling of leaves and the distant call of a nightingale, I don't know whether it was a nightingale or not.
Finally, he pulled away from Akari. "I'm alright now. Let me go."
"If you want, you can stay with us," she offered, her voice surprisingly sincere.
"There's no need," he declined, his gaze turning towards me. "Leon, have you decided which side you'll join?"
A slow smile spread across my face. "Not yet," I admitted, "but the chances are… I might join yours."
The man chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "I'll wait for you," he said, then vanished into the deepening shadows of the forest, leaving behind only the lingering scent of blood and the echo of his laughter.
"Where will we meet next time?" I asked, my voice trembling.
He didn't answer, disappearing into the wilderness as silently as he had appeared.