The entire area was engulfed in a swarm of slashes and punches. Asahi carried his sword's hilt and struck each of the cloaked individuals with anger and aggression, determined to prove his strength and redeem his past actions.
Yet beneath his fierce exterior, a torrent of conflicting emotions churned within him. He was haunted by vivid memories of his past failures, which had resulted from his indecisions leading to catastrophic outcomes.
A vision of his sister's anguished face during their last moment together fueled his rage, pushing him to fight harder.
Asahi felt confidence radiate from himself, noticing his followers watching him with awe. Still, the only attention he craved was from Kendra, whose opinion he desperately sought as she was frozen in place, witnessing chaos.
Her presence was a painful reminder of the people he had abandoned, and he feared her disappointment more than anything.
"For you see before us, this is the result of your abandonment, you pathetic child. Look at what you have caused." The cloaked man wearing eyeshadow said as he deflected one of Asahi's attacks with his hardened wooden shield. "The leader of our faction has foretold it that Asahi and Aletha… are no match for their beautiful superiors. And we…"
Several of the cloaked individuals lifted themselves and looked up at the rock ceiling.
"...despise some Adtraic for abandoning us—including you, Asahi!"
As the skirmish paused, the man stepped forward and spat on Asahi's shoe, gripping his daggers with hatred.
"For five thousand years, your family abandoned us," he said, voice trembling with old resentment. "Do you know what it's like to live without light? We were left to suffer because of you. That's why some despise you now!"
To counter this claim, one of Asahi's followers with sleek gray hair tipped in blonde stepped forward and proclaimed.
"We know our god had abandoned us for thousands of years, and that they haven't interacted with us for so long. Many among us struggled to remain loyal, but as a matter of fact… they returned early."
He pointed to the first inscription glowing on the cavern's walls.
"For reasons which remain unknown, Lord Asahi and perhaps, Lady Aletha… returned to this world earlier than the prophecies' mention. Some of us believe there was a good reason for their absence, perhaps related to forces beyond our understanding.
So please don't blame it on their abandonment. Perhaps there was a reason why they left—isn't that right? Lord Asahi?"
At this, all the Ancients grew silent, swayed by the man's wisdom. Kendra's round blue eyes widened, disbelieving what she heard.
"Wait a moment. A-Asahi's a… Ruler?!"
"Kendra… there's so much you don't know. Just stay put. I'll find a way to save you."
"Why are you talking like that?" she murmured, eyes fixed on the thick bars of the birdcage.
Despite caring deeply for the young woman, Asahi forced himself to ignore her, focusing wholly on the conflict ahead. His motive was to protect her through action rather than words, believing victory was the only way to make up for his absence.
Asahi dodged a narrowing hallway of swords and daggers, lunging to stab through four assailants, ending them instantly.
Sweat drenched his face. His hands trembled under the immense weight of his guilt.
Refusing to submit to weakness, he forced all his energy into fending off The Ancients.
Amid the battle, the followers sprinted and invaded the act, stopping and fending off other invaders.
The cavern reverberated with the metallic clash of swords, echoing like an ancient, mournful song.
The air was thick with the acrid smell of sweat and fear, a suffocating reminder of the life-and-death struggle.
An emotion of desperation surged through Asahi's head restlessly as he noticed his followers backing away in shock and awe at his ruthless actions, fearing they might lose faith in him because of his brutality.
He was torn between winning the fight to restore their confidence and the need to keep his humanity, haunted by the possibility of driving them away for good.
Each of them, once vibrant and whole, was reduced to spectral wisps, sliced and disintegrated into dust beneath Asahi's relentless assault.
The sharp tang of stone dust mingled with the musty damp of the cavern. It was a testament to the devastation that had been unleashed upon them. He wanted nothing more than to set Kendra free.
His emotions churned into a maelstrom of guilt and fear. He was terrified of abandoning yet another person.
His heartbeat was a frenetic drum, a poignant contrast to the eerie silence that followed each defeated foe. He couldn't fathom the thought of abandoning more individuals when he had already abandoned billions beforehand.
The more fiercely he fought, the more visions invaded his mind.
Visions of a collapsing nation flashed in Asahi's mind: dust, fire, and anguished cries—including those of his sister—the memory of calamity.
As the flashing and flickering visions faded away, Asahi was swiftly caught off-guard by them, and was forced onto the floor by a bulky-shaped man.
Followers of his own screamed at him shortly afterward, rushing at them despite being caught in the storm of attacks from The Ancients.
"Lord Asahi!"
"Get up!"
"We know you are strong!"
Just as his followers reached out, they were struck down by a single sweep of a sword, erased before Asahi. Silence fell as their attacker dropped his blade and addressed the crowd, watching the dust of Asahi's followers drift in the cavern's wind.
"Us, the followers of our loving dame, Achlys, dares not to impede any more transgressions. Fourth, with our sights toward you, they are nothing but traitors and abandoners to us."
A woman with silk brown hair, braided in a jagged, curly zigzag, approached from behind and drove her sword into the ground, sending a faint white light cracking through the stone.
Asahi, caught off guard, stumbled and fell near the birdcage, just centimeters from Kendra.
Their eyes met before they shifted to the woman, halting as she spoke with indignation.
"We don't see you as her child, Asahi," she said coldly. "Achlys surpasses you. We want you to regret abandoning us and feel our pain."
She paused, locking eyes with Asahi.
"You'll be left alone if you obey. Leave again, and we'll show no mercy. Remember this—it will haunt you."
Her words echoed across the area, sending shivers throughout the cavern as she turned around and walked back towards the cage.
"Now stay away from the cage, or we will approach you with mercilessness."
Asahi rose, dusted himself off, and gazed again at the birdcage where Kendra remained confined.
His heart ached, his thoughts dulled, and his body weakened. He threatened to collapse at any moment.
Still, he recognized he must keep fighting, driven by guilt and the urgent need to redeem himself.
He quickly scanned his remaining band—only two hundred followers survived, along with Kendra, huddled behind the cage.
Asahi understood his position within this conflict. Though he never intended to stumble upon this place or engage with its people, his sense of responsibility for the consequences of his past absence now compelled him to act.
Guilt and the desire to heal past wounds drove every move he made.
In times of uncertainty, it had reached this point.
To move forward, he had to set his thoughts aside entirely and focus solely on his goals to make amends.
His gaze was locked on the brazen and haughty woman who stood before him, wielding a blade as she charged toward her next victim.
In times of need, Asahi raced over to her and delivered eight powerful strikes at her with great force.
He slashed her clothing and skin from her legs to her knees, up to her shoulders and face. And soon but surely,
"Huff… puff…"
Those attacks were enough to force the woman and the ancients to cease fire and retreat.
The Ancients retreated, fleeing from Asahi and his remaining followers. Some, terrified, stumbled and fell from the cliffs, disappearing into the mist below.
But with all of that pushed aside, Asahi hurriedly caught notice of a gleaming, strangely curved-edged silver key lying atop a shallow pool of crystal clear water.
He turned over and noticed rays of sunlight filtering down from holes, with a thin, slender waterfall cascading into several miniature streams that squirmed forth from the cavern.
As the followers gathered around Asahi, rejoicing in their victory, Asahi picked up the key and shoved it into the lock attached to the bird cage. The see-through door pried and creaked open, freeing the blue-haired girl.