Return of the Fallen Volume 13 Chapter 10
“Delicious!”
One bite led to another and another. Kazuki’s appetite was beyond reason, and he just kept shoveling food into his mouth. The toughness of the meat did not bother him for long as his strength continued to grow. This growth wasn’t rapid by any means but noticeable to the naked eye. Soon his teeth cut through the meat with only a bit more force than usual.
If before the meat was like trying to bite through metal, now it was similar to rough leather. Not the greatest but completely manageable.
Kazuki’s back began to straighten. The weight of the suppressive power was mighty and held him down without remorse. Taking a simple step had to be dealt with with mindful focus and every ounce of strength. Now though, he could move slightly faster than a tortoise. Laughable but a good deal of progress considering the circumstances.
Kazuki’s bones cracked and popped as the pressure continued to lessen bit by bit. A small sense of relief spread through him.
(So much strength and power in this beast. At the rate I’m going, I may just be able to fly off of this damn rock by my own ability.)
Monsuta saw Kazuki eating up the food with an obsession and joined in on the action. Very soon the corpses of the pterodactyls were no more. Whether it be the strange-colored blood, bones, or speck of flesh, all of it was gone. Kazuki had eaten one entirely by himself while Monsuta had consumed around 7. The rest of the bodies had been dropped and abandoned while running to the cave.
Monsuta sat with a satisfied toothy grin.
“Little creature, how can you eat so much with such a tiny body?”
Kazuki didn’t even realize he had eaten so much. Shrugging his shoulders he just excused it away.
“I’m still growing. I need as much as I can get, heh. By the way, you can call me Kazuki. Little creature is a bit off-putting.”
Monsuta tilted its head slightly in confusion.
“Off-putting, why’s that? I call you a little creature because you’re so small. It’s the truth.”
Kazuki sighed.
“Maybe so but I think it would be comfortable if you called me by my name. Wouldn’t you get upset if I kept calling you big creature all the time…Well, maybe you actually wouldn’t mind that.”
Monsuta nodded happily.
“Yep yep yep. I am a big creature, hehe. I guess I understand though. So you are called Kazuki. Since we know each other’s names and we even slept together in the same nest, that means we’re friends right?”
Kazuki thought the way that was stated was a little off but it was innocent enough so he just nodded along.
“Yeah, sure.”
Monsuta’s tail began to wag back and forth.
(Is he a puppy?)
Monsuta went quiet and just sat there basking in the word friend. Kauzki on the other hand wished to understand this newfound power. He slowly shut his eyes and entered his soul world. The surface of his soul tree was dark in color with threads of gold deep within. These threads of golden light surrounded a tiny red flame in the center.
(The Primordial Flame. This power is now a part of my soul but it does not fully belong to me. A powerful being controls it or at least this flame is a fragment of a whole. Who or whatever owns this power, they should be able to spy on me through this flame. Whatever I do from this moment forward I must bare that in mind. Every action I make, every move I make, the true owner of this flame, the one Monsuta calls God will know it all. At least my thoughts remain my own and it cannot see them. Even though it’s in my soul, it’s not making a move, so it probably cannot act on its own. It can watch and listen but beyond that, maybe it is too weak to do anything else.)
Although he thought this way, the flame had in fact grown ever so slightly. After he consumed that meat, he also consumed the primordial flame that was left within the food. Kazuki needed to up his strength. This meant that going forward, he would have to eat more of the creatures of this world which also meant that the primordial flame would only continue to grow inside of him.
(This could be both good and bad. The more my strength grows, the more the flame grows right along with it. A day could come when this flame or rather the real owner of it decides to make a move against me.)
Kazuki realized this all sounded a bit paranoid. After all, even if the owner of the primordial flame did spy on him that did not necessarily make the two enemies.
(More than that, would there even be a reason or a point for some powerful being to watch someone so insignificant as myself in the first place? I cannot see the scope of this world with my aura and my entire being is suppressed far more than what Belux had me under. This leads me to believe the being who owns the primordial flame is someone that completely outclasses me. There would be absolutely no reason for this being to do something to me. That is unless I make a reason for it to act. I should be sure to keep a low profile and not create any waves.)
Kazuki tried to observe the flame inside his soul tree but could gleam not a single new insight. It was as if the flame was there but not. Intangible yet also tangible.
(How bizarre. It’s like it both exists and does not. I can sense it because it is a part of me but only what is on the surface. I’m afraid the depths of this flame are far greater than that of any ocean.)
“Kazuki…Hey Kazuki.”
Kazuki opened one eye.
“What is it Monsuta?”
“We’re friends right?”
“Didn’t we already establish that? Yes Monsuta, you and I are now friends.”
Monsuta nodded with determination before he stood up.
“Right, friends. Friends help each other.”
“Where are you going with this? Wait does this mean you won’t try and stop me from finding those creatures that use tools?”
“What you said last night, did you mean it?”
Monsuta did not answer Kazuki right away and instead asked about last night. Kazuki thought he meant about his family being proud of him and nodded along.
“Yes of course.”
“Good, I won’t stop you from going to find those bad people but what you said keeps bouncing around in my skull. You said I was too weak and that’s why the shirkers were able to do what they did. I feel the same about you Kazuki. You are far too weak to go and meet those bad guys. They kill their own and even enslave them. Someone weak like you will get killed or have one of those collar things put on your neck in no time. Since I’m your friend and your mine. I won’t stop you from going but I won’t let you go until your strong enough.”
Kazuki raised a brow.
(Won’t stop me but also won’t let me go until I’m stronger. Heh, Monsuta who would have thought a creature like you would have such a good heart?)
“Monsuta, are you saying you’re going to make me stronger?”
Monsuta nodded once more.
“Well…Yes. As your friend, I’ll help you get much stronger but in return, you have to promise me something.”
Kazuki was amused at this point.
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“Well, since we’re friends I want you to stay with me. You know it’s dangerous out there without someone watching your back. There are weird times when the heat goes crazy and other times when a sudden ambush comes out of nowhere. Not to mention the Shriekers coming when the green and yellow fires burn brightest. If you stick with me and get stronger then we can help each other and and and protect each other.”
“Are you talking about a partnership Monsuta?”
Monsuta’s tail began to wag again in excitement.
“Yes exactly, a partnership thing. So what do you think?”
Kazuki rubbed his chin.
“Before that I’m curious, why do you want a partner or rather why do you want help? You seem to be doing fine on your own, right?”
Monsuta’s head lowered in sadness.
“Do you know why I didn’t kill you Kazuki? Yesterday when you attacked me with your aura, I could have ripped you to shreds but I didn’t. Do you want to know why?”
Kauzki of course had been curious about that.
“I’ve been wondering that myself. At first, I thought it was on a whim but by your reaction, it seems there was a real reason. I would like to know if you don’t mind.”
“When I first smelled you, the smell reminded me of my brother. When I found you hiding scared and tiny behind the rocks, and you attacked me, it was only to protect yourself. Around here things are different. They don’t protect, they simply hunt and kill. Seeing something so small, weak, and alone. I felt sorry for you. Being alone with big scary things all around constantly trying to kill you for no reason. It was like I was looking at myself from back then. After the shirkers killed my family. I’ve had no one to talk to, no one who cared. I’ve just been so alone. My family died because I was too weak. I don’t want something like that to happen ever again. I’m tired of being scared and weak. I’m tired of not being able to talk with anyone. I’m just sick and tired of being alone.”
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