Return of the Fallen Volume 11 Chapter 2
(SAVE US! WHY DID YOU NOT PROTECT US KAZUKI! WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HER FROM KILLING US!)
Voice echoed inside Kazuki’s head one after another. Asuna, Nunully, Danny, Sam. There was no end to them. Each one pleaded with Kazuki and screamed and shouted in horror as they were killed one after another. Kazuki stood atop a world of bones and blood as far as the eye could see.
He could hear his loved ones pleading and begging him to save them. Even though his child had not been born, he could have sworn he heard an infants cry as everyone and everything around him was suddenly reduced to ahs and blown away by the wind.
Hands covered in blood reached out from the ground and grabbed at him, pulling him beneath the surface of the world and into a plane of absolute darkness.
(NOOO!)
Kazuki’s eyes snapped open and he was covered in a cold sweat. Lin grabbed his shoulder and Kazuki jumped on reflex. When he saw it was his uncle, he calmed down for a few seconds before he recalled what had happened. His mind replayed the final scene again and again nonstop. One second his future wives were right in front of him. For the first time in his life, he finally knew what happiness was. He was going to start a family and live with them in peace and joy.
The very next second, all of that was ripped away from him in a flash. Asuna and Nunully were so close to him, that he could reach out and touch them, and then they were gone forever. No body, no soul, no existence whatsoever. Kazuki’s heart ached and raged simultaneously. If not for his soul reading ability, Kazuki might have destroyed his own soul in grief.
His soul reading ability though was constantly repairing the damage this grief and rage would inflict.
Kazuki balled his fist up. He had lost everything. He had felt a similar pain when his brother Kai was killed directly in front of him but the pain right now was far more intense. His guts twisted up in agony and he felt nauseous. He wanted to destroy everything. He wanted to take Sephra by the throat and squeeze until her very last agonizing breath.
As his thoughts ran cold, he could hear sobbing behind him.
Turning to look, little Mei was still in Alutra’s arms. She was now awake but she was crying so desperately that it broke one’s heart. Alutra continued to rock her but there was no consoling her. When Kazuki turned to look at her, she saw him through her tears and jumped into his arms.
(Big brother! Mama…Mama! Why did Mama die! Why did Mama die?)
Kazuki’s heart shook. He had no words for her. All he could do was hug her and gently stroke her back as she cried in his chest.
—————————————————————————-
After a while, Mei cried herself back to sleep and Alutra took her back.
Kazuki circulated his ki and calmed himself. Taking a look around they were all still in a barrier. Only now did he notice that the barrier was actually moving and they along with it.
(Uncle, where are we going?)
Lin could feel that some distance had grown between him and Kazuki and it hurt but he knew now was not the time to get into it. He pointed at a small light outside the barrier. If one wasn’t sharp, this tiny light would most likely go unnoticed. It was so small it looked more like a speck of dust in this empty void.
(We are headed toward that spot. After Sephra’s attack, she destroyed thousands of Lower Realms so we are currently heading toward an actual viable Realm. Everything else around us is gone.)
Kazuki looked around once more. There was darkness in every direction besides that tiny small speck.
(What is outside of this barrier. Why wouldn’t you let me out?)
(Kazuki, the moment that blast happened and everything around us was destroyed, I could feel my powers being sapped away and drained at an alarming rate. I myself have never felt anything like this before in my life. If the void could forcibly drain my powers, who knows what it could do to the soul. more importantly, I don’t know what it could do to you and the children. There’s no way you or them could survive the outside environment. Thankfully, my barrier is holding on though even that is losing its power. Do not worry though, after a few days, we should make it out of this place and enter whatever Lower Realm is up ahead.)
Kazuki was confused.
(Uncle, if we are that far from the ext Realm, why didn’t you just ask Arc to teleport us out of this place. With Arc’s power surely…)
Kazuki stopped there as Lin suddenly looked furious. That’s when it clicked.
(Arc, did my uncle ask you to teleport us?)
Arc responded simply.
(Yes.)
This one note answered pissed Kazuki off. This was a dire situation and for thee to be left here when this place was a complete unknown was bullshit.
(Why did you not get us out of here?)
Kazuki tried to be as calm as possible but it was obvious that e was seething.
(I do not take orders from your uncle. As a matter of fact, I take orders from no one, or have you already forgotten that Kazuki?)
Kazuki stared at Arc as if it were crazy. He instantly removed Arc from his thumb before throwing him with everything he had in him. This strong throw was enough to destroy Lin’s barrier and so Lin was forced to open a small portion to allow Arc out before his whole barrier collapsed. The moment it opened there was a powerful suction force as if dozens of black holes had come together to pull everyone out of the barrier.
Kazuki’s eyes went wide and Lin and ALutra were both forced to expend more divine energy to seal the hole before things became disastrous.
Alutra grabbed Kazuki by his collar. Her eyes looked as if she had gone insane as she berated Kazuki.
(You may be my nephew but don’t you dare do something so stupid again. If you endanger the lives of these children again I will crush you!)
Kosaru twitched in pain and Alutra quickly released Kazuki to comfort Kosaru. She began rocking him right along with Mei while whispering to him.
(It’s ok it’s ok, mama’s here, mama won’t let anything hurt you ever again.)
Alutra glared at Kazuki hatefully before turning her attention back to the children.
Kazuki wasn’t the only one who lost someone. Mei had lost her mother and Alutra had lost Detra.
Kazuki was feeling guilty. Not just for endangering them all just now with his foolish action but also from Sephra. A dark thought arose within his mind and he wondered if it would have been best to just let her kill him. Maybe then everyone would still be alive. They would have never met Kazuki and could have had normal lives.
This thought lasted for half a second before he threw it away.
(It was her, it’s always been her!)
*Flash*
A small rift appeared in the middle of the barrier and Arc reappeared.
(Kazuki you bastard. Even if you have lost those close to you, it’s no reason to take it out on me!)
Kazuki snatched Arc out of the air and began to squeeze the ring between his hands with all of his strength. He knew it was pointless to throw Arc as Arc could travel anywhere in all of the Realms. Instead, he tried to crush Arc but that would not work either.
(You cruel nasty bastard. Are you really trying to destroy me right now!)
(Why wouldn’t I be. You could have helped my Uncle get us out of his place earlier but even more than that, you were saying something right before Sephra attacked. Why didn’t you warn me properly, why did you wait to say anything? If I would have known even a moment earlier, they might still be alive! Because of you…Because you hesitated!)
Arc activated the origin energy within itself and pulled out a massive force and attacked Kazuki’s soul directly. At the same time, Kazuki wasn’t helpless and he sent his own aura to attack Arc back.
(You really have no fucking sense! I did not know what was about to take place. I simply felt something was off. Do you really believe I knew what would happen and with that knowledge, I just sat there and did nothing? How in the fuck does that help me. How does you having your loved ones die, help me in the long run! what benefit could I possibly attain from this? You already know the answer, I gain nothing and instead am made to suffer like this here and now! OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES YOU ABSOLUTE MORON BEFORE I REMOVE THEM FROM YOUR FACE!)
As the two started to harm one another, Lin immediately jumped in and sent a wave of power into both of them.
(ENOUGH!)
Kazuki fell backward and Arc remained floating in the air.
The three stared one another down before Arc spoke.
(You didn’t even listen to the rest of what I was saying before you went nuts. I of course follow no one’s orders but if I thought the situation was that dire, I would have helped. The reason I did not is that I don’t have enough power to move everyone through this empty void and the other reason is that your uncle is doing just fine without my power. He will eventually get us out of here if we just wait but you had to go ape shit on me and now I’ve wasted loads of my Origin energy for this petty squabble.)
Kazuki sat there with a blank expression. he issued a weak laugh as he sat there with a dead look in his eyes.
(Why did this have to happen?)
Kazuki opened his storage ring and two rings fell out. It was the rings he would have given Asuna and Nunully.
(Why?)
Tears began to stream down his face as he cried in silence.
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