Return of the Fallen Volume 7 Chapter 65
“I…I’ve done it!”
As soon as these words escaped from Sid’s parched lips, the man fell over and collapsed face-first onto the hard floor.
Kazuki quickly turned him over and held him. His nose was cracked and blood flowed freely. His skin was sickly pale and his eyes red due to lack of moisture yet even in this pained state, Sid still wore a comforting smile.
“Old man, just breathe, you did it!”
Kazuki’s hand on the old man’s chest, he sent a bit of ki into Sid and a relaxing feeling spread through his old bones. A bit of color returned to his face and his expression brightened.
“Kazuki, help sit me up, I want to see the core.”
“First you need something to drink. You’re completely dehydrated and exhausted.”
Sid’s expression turned ugly and he spoke as if each word would curse Kazuki.
“Kazuki, forget the water, you sit me up right now and show me the core, or I’ll never forgive you!”
*Haa*
“Old man, your a stubborn bastard aren’t ya?”
“Kazuki help me up!!!”
Kazuki lifted Sid to the golden table and picked up the new Magic core. He could feel a vast amount of power circulating inside. Passing it to Sid, Sid basically snatched it before inspecting it like a greedy jeweler. The Sozo glove was already back on his hand and he was checking every curve, every groove. He dove deeper with the glove and observed every layer of the ancient language. Chains of inscriptions and circles linked together forming laws of magic that dictated how to control the Golem.
After a few moments, Sid was finally satisfied and he slowly handed the Magic core back.
“I did it. I actually did it Kazuki.”
“Does this mean its complete?”
Sid shook his head.
“No, my work is done but you still need to get a soul fragment that you can control inside of there and you still need to overcome the Golems lack of aura. Without aura, this thing will fall to any beast that can use it. Now, it’s up to you.”
Sid’s ring flashed and a flask appeared in his hand. Before he could drink the alcohol within, Kazuki promptly snatched it up before overturning it right there and then.
“Kazuki, what the fuck are you doing!?”
Kazuki dropped Sid on his ass.
“Really old man, you gonna down that shit when you’re dried out. Sorry but if you do that, you’ll most likely really drop dead.”
A cup appeared in Kazuki’s hand and with a wave, a large cool sphere of water fell perfectly into the cup. Kazuki shoved it in Sid’s face.
“Now drink this and relax you old mule!”
Sid grunted and muttered something under his breath but in the end he took the cup of water and downed it all in one go. The moment the cool water touched his parched lips, it was as if he had entered nirvana. A fraction of a second later the water passed his lips and brought spring to his mouth. Swallowing it down, Sid felt a pleasant chill run down his spine.
“Kazuki!!”
“What is it, old man?”
Sid held up his empty cup and shook it meaningfully with a pleading look.
Kazuki smirked slightly before creating a tub out of gordonia. The very next instant it was already halfway full of cool refreshing water.
Sid walked over and without another word, he dunked his entire head beneath the surface and basically began to inhale the water as he drank. A few times he choked but right after he would recover and continue to drink his fill. Pretty soon he couldn’t resist and jumped into the tub, submerging himself completely. Slowly he floated back to the surface and simply laid there floating.
“Kazuki, just how are you going to solve the problem of the soul?”
“I’m not going to. Instead, it will be my friend who solves it.”
Sid lifted his head out of the water in confusion but Kazuki didn’t go any further.
“Just wait, you’ll come to find out. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Kazuki held the Magic core in his hand before he sat down with his legs crossed. Slowly he shut his eyes and focused his mind.
The flow of time changed and Kazuki opened his eyes. A tall tree at his back and a beautiful sky above.
Kai and Danny were already waiting like always.
Kai smiled.
“I already know what your gonna say little dummy and I accept. I’ll gladly place myself inside that Magic core, hehehe.”
Kazuki was dumbfounded but not even a moment later Kai broke out into wild laughter.
*Bwahahaha*
“I told you he’d be stunned if I said that.”
Danny rubbed his chin.
“I didn’t think he’d fall for it but he did, strange.”
Kazuki blinked a few times.
“Damn it Kai!”
Kai shrugged.
“What’s wrong, I was just teasing you, little brother. I know my situation better than anyone. This form of mine, I could vanish at any given time. There’s no way this existence of mine would last if I was not tethered to your soul world and hers.”
“So you two already guessed what I came here for?”
“Kazuki, Kai, and I observe you all the time. The moment you said you wouldn’t be using the Magic core Tilly had stolen but instead declared you intended to make a new one, It was fairly simple for us to figure out what you wanted to do. Since you don’t have the power to split your soul yet, you are in need of one that won’t betray you or at least one that’s reliable. Last I checked, the only soul that fits that description is me and me alone.”
“So does that mean you’re willing to be put inside the Golem?”
Danny nodded.
“Really, just like that?”
“It’s not just like that. Have you forgotten the flow of time in this place. Since my death, over two years have passed in the outside world while in here more than two hundred have gone by. After my death, I was at first angry and in denial but after a while, I slowly came to accept it. It wasn’t too bad either. Since I was in this place, Kai was here for me to interact with and I could still swing a blade. I must admit though, seeing my friend in danger all the time, whilst being trapped in here, only being able to help with words of encouragement, I have grown frustrated. This Golem though, is a new beginning, a new chapter. I will leave this prison and once more step into the real world. Why on earth would I not accept it is the real question? The only sad thing is that I won’t be able to see or talk with Kai anymore.”
Kai slapped Danny on the back.
“Hehehe, are you saying your gonna miss this handsome face?”
Danny’s brows furrowed.
“Maybe not, Kazuki let’s hurry along.”
“Eh, Danny come on, I was only joking with you. No need to leave immediately right?”
This time it was Danny who smiled and teased.
“Kai, it seems it will be you who misses me the most.”
The two laughed.
“Heh, you got me.”
After a while, the three all agreed, Danny would become unfused from Kazuki’s soul world and would fuse with the new Magic core. Kazuki though had no clue how this process would work but Kai and Danny already had it worked out. First things first though.
Danny placed a hand on the soul tree.
“In order to survive against creatures with aura, you’ll need to awaken your own aura. Normally this would be incredibly difficult and would be something dangerous and time-consuming but Oren’s teachings and Kai’s go a long way.”
The same way Danny was able to pass his experiences and memories of learning the sword forms and how they use the element of wind, this time it would be Kazuki passing memories and experience to Danny.
Kazuki as well placed a hand on his soul tree and his eyes began to glow. Focusing on the time he was stuck in the abyssal trench, his mind focused on the moment he had manifested aura.
The memory of him being crushed repeatedly outside of Zetrazz’s cave by the Titan’s aura/breath, Kazuki shared all of this knowledge and memories to Danny.
All of the pain of having his body squeezed and crushed by the aura. His blood flowing to the opposite side of his body and pooling beneath him. His organs being flattened and mushed. Nerves snapping, muscles tearing. Air being firmly pressed completely out of his lungs. The suffocation, the pain. The fear of death and the absolute desperation to survive, to live no matter what.
This sharing of life, of death, Danny felt as if his mind was being torn apart.
He had witnessed all of this inside Kazuki’s soul world the moment it happened but now he was feeling it as if he was the one there in Kazuki’s place. Except instead of experiencing it over time, all of it came to Danny at once. All of this pain was stacked and multiplied, causing Danny to grip his head in pain.
“ARHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Kai rushed to Danny’s side.
“Kazuki, cut it, Danny can’t handle it. Any more and he may fade into nothingness!”
Kazuki was shocked and was about to take his hand away from his soul tree when Danny called out to him.
“NO!”
…
“I…I CAN TAKE IT!”
Kai and Kazuki shared a look but Danny even now still held his hand firmly against the tree. The two could see how determined he was and gave in. Kazuki continued to share this moment in time from the depths of his soul. More and more pain, desperation, and fear came pouring out and into Danny’s soul.
At the same time, the feeling of an overbearing will to live came over to Danny as well. This will to live was like a blazing fire that refused to be doused by doubt and fear. With it, it fueled Danny’s own will and his will grew and grew.
(I will live once more! I will not miss this chance…Tsuraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!)
A small wisp of energy started to form in the center of Danny’s form. Danny’s will burned brighter and brighter and so to did this small wisp of energy. At first, it was the size of a small seed but quickly became as big as a grape, and then a fist-sized rock and so on.
It didn’t stop there. Once his aura formed, the memories and experiences continued. It showed every time Kazuki used his aura, how he trained, and the hardships that followed. Everything Kazuki had done with his aura, it was like Danny had done the exact same. Danny learned all of this as if it were firsthand. In response, his aura only grew stronger, more defined, and bigger. All the way until it reached the same size as Kazuki’s.
Danny was thrown away from the tree as if a bomb went off. The connection was severed.
Kazuki and Kai looked at Danny with worry.
Danny on the other hand felt strange and yet at the same time, things were familiar.
His aura was swirling around him like a whirlpool. Curiously, he stretched some of it outward and his eyes widened in shock.
“This is…”
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