Return of the Fallen Volume 4 Chapter 21
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch21
Kazuki held his compass before him and observed it thoughtfully. He had been gifted this from his adoptive father. A confusing rush of emotions filled his heart. His father was always kind and gentle. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body and he only showed love and care towards Kazuki and his older brother Kai. Even now after everything that’s happened, Kazuki didn’t blame his father for the past events, how could he. His father disappeared one day out of nowhere.
Whenever Kazuki or Kai brought it up with their adoptive mother, she simply changed the subject in a hurry and would sometimes get angry.
(Thinking back on it, after father vanished, that’s when that bitch started acting differently. Her personality seemed to do a complete 180 in no time and things began to become increasingly difficult for Kai and me.)
Kazuki’s heart felt heavy. His mother used to e the sweetest woman in the world. He truly felt love from her or at least he thought he did. Now it was obvious that she was putting on an act in front of Kazuki and Kai. Once Their father was gone, that act no longer needed to be put on.
(This compass has many memories. Plenty of good but just as many bad…no, maybe even more. It also helped guide me. Using the power from it, it pointed me toward my goals. It led me to the ancient ruin where I learned how to use magic once more when all hope was lost. It led me to Ryuta who would be summoned. Even now I can’t understand how it new but the moment I saw Ryuta I knew what I needed to do. I knew I’d need to hide my identity and Ryuta was the perfect person to impersonate. Our heights and build were quite similar and his personality and mannerisms could be said to be random. To act like him would be easy and at the same time I could act how I like and Asuna and Sam would simply chalk it up to Ryuta’s normal/weird behavior. The compass led me back to Gordonia. Now, here I am.)
To abandon or not to abandon? This question was not so simple. This item that was gifted to Kazuk9i by his father was obviously a godly treasure. Not just from the fact that it led him to things that helped him when he desperately needed them but also from what Retsu had told him. This compass has a god aura coming from it and is connected to a god.
Up until recently, Kazuki didn’t even know that gods were real but after speaking with Retsu and seeing him open a portal to a higher realm and seeing Retsu’s father. Kazuki had felt a pressure coming from Retsu’s patriarch. At first, he didn’t recognize what it was but after sensing the aura coming from the compass multiple times, Kazuki realized the feeling he got from the two was the same.
If Retsu’s words were to be believed then Retsu’s father is a god and whoever left the aura on the compass is a god as well. Kazuki wondered if said god would not be angered if he were to through away this item that was gifted to him. Would that not be like spitting in the face of that being. Kazuki had to think about the consequences as well. There was absolutely no way he could face Reya at his current strength. Even with his body increasing in strength at every moment, he still would be no match for Reya and she had something that could track this aura.
(No doubt Fera gave her something that tracks this aura. How else could she have found me?)
If he doesn’t throw it away, Reya would no doubt track him down and kill him before taking the compass. After running away from her, there was no doubt she would be pissed and there would be no way she’d let him live. At the same time, if he throws away the compass, there was a high probability hed be pissing off a god.
Kazuki sighed deeply and was prepared to throw the compass away.
(No doubt it’s better to get rid of this. From what Retsu said, a god can’t come to this so-called lower realm unless they inhabit a mortal body. To travel all the way to this lower realm to kill me over something I’ve thrown away, most likely won’t happen. Besides if this compass is really that important to that god then even if I throw it away, wouldn’t it come after Reya or even Fera to retrieve it? It might even deal with them. I wonder what type of torture a god would perform on a mortal.)
Kazuki’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light as he thought about Fera being tortured and he couldn’t help but smile. These thoughts only made Kazuki’s decision more firm. As Kazuki was thinking about this, the sentimental feelings he felt for the compass were pushed aside by his feelings of revenge.
Kazuki looked down at the golden compass in his hand and he slowly overturned his hand.
*Clak*
The compass fell on the ground and Kazuki turned and walked away.
Kazuki had only taken two steps when he felt a slight pull in his chest. He thought he was simply imagining things and kept walking but after only a few more steps the pull in his chest resounded out within him. This time it was like a firm grip grabbing him. Kazuki looked down at himself in confusion when he felt it.
The god aura within his Mage core expanded outward and surrounded his body. The snow on the ground was slowly pushed back and some of it even began to melt.
(What!)
Kazuki was more than confused by this sudden happening but the god aura around him felt clear as day now. It used to be fuzzy and hard to sense but now it was almost like Kazuki could see it.
A thin layer of something surrounded his body entirely. Kazuki knew it was the god aura. Except it wasn’t coming from the compass but instead from him, from the depths of his Mage core.
(Did…did the god aura fuse with my Mage core.)
This thought hit him like a bolt of lightning and his mind quickly sank into his Mage core. Now that he knew how to access his soul world and there was a connection to his Mage core, it was now simple enough to enter his Mage core and observe it.
Inside there was a sea of darkness but in the center, three elements floated around one another. His Fire element was the biggest and took up the most space seeing as how it was his main element. His dark element could barely be separated from the ever-expanding darkness within his Mage core but Kazuki could tell it was still there. It circled around his other two elements and his other two elements did the same. The dark element like his emerald green earth element was only about a third the size of his fire element and all three continuously swirled about.
Kazuki was about to look around for the god-like aura but he didn’t have to. Covering each one of his elements in a thin layer, there it was. Kazuki couldn’t quite make out what it looked like, it just seemed like there was a clouded thing wrapped around his elements. Kazuki extended a piece of himself and felt his elements. As soon as he touched them he felt that same pressure from before.
(The god aura!)
Kazuki wondered if he could separate the aura from his elements but in here he had absolutely no clue how or where to start. Thinking for a while, he tried to move the aura but to no avail and fell back into contemplation.
(If I can’t move it directly, maybe I can move it indirectly.)
Kazuki thought for a moment before giving it a try, after all, it couldn’t hurt, right?
Kazuki felt his elements and with a thought he directed them. All three elements, under his influence, moved in one direction. At the same time, since they were covered in the god aura, the god aura went with them.
(It worked. I can use this.)
Kazuki opened his eyes and he was back in the real world. He still couldn’t quite see the aura around him but he could still feel a slight pressure and he could see where the snow was still being pushed back and had melted a bit.
(There seems to be a radius of about 2 feet or so around me.)
Kazuki controlled the elements inside of him and moved them around according to his will. The aura around him as though being pulled about followed his elements. At first, the aura was pulled to his left side. The snow on his left melted about 2 feet away from him and the snow on the right stopped melting entirely.
(Maybe if I pull it all to my center?)
Kazuki pondered for a moment and did just that. He focused on a single point in the very center of his body and focused his elements there. The aura was pulled up and in and eventually…Nothing. Kazuki could no longer feel the pressure around him but he could still feel the aura inside his Mage core.
Kazuki took a few steps into the snow and it was no longer being pushed back nor melting.
(I’ve done it.)
Kazuki couldn’t help but feel some pride as well as a little smug. Walking over to the compass still lying in the snow, Kazuki picked it up. He could feel a bit of aura leaking from it and wondered how he would move this aura. Before he even tried anything though, the aura moved on its own. It pulled away from the compass and sunk into Kazuki’s Mage core.
Kazuki didn’t even have time to react and dropped the compass back onto the ground and stumbled backward. He felt his chest in a panic but nothing happened. Closing his eyes he examined his Mage core but found no problems but the aura around his elements seemed to have grown slightly. Kazuki watched it for a while and moved his elements around to see if there was anything new or a different reaction but he felt nothing.
Opening his eyes once more, the god aura attached to him stayed within his Mage core and didn’t spread outwards. Kazuki sighed in relief before cautiously picked up his compass. Kazuki held it in front of his face and watched it like a cat watching a mouse but nothing happened. Actually, nothing happened. There was no longer a god aura seeping out of the compass at all. It had vanished.
(Is it broken? No, how could a godly item break so easily? There’s definitely no aura leaking from it though. Was there a certain amount or something?)
Kazuki didn’t know nor could he understand all the mystery’s in one day but without that aura seeping out from it, it no longer held risk. Kazuki slowly put the golden compass around his neck before turning around and racing off toward Nunully and the others.
(I don’t understand what’s going on but if there’s no danger then everything should be fine now.)
Kazuki felt a warmth in his heart. In the end, he really didn’t want to throw this compass away.
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