Return of the Fallen Volume 3 Chapter 28
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch28
Kazuki jolted in surprise and shouted.
“What! That doesn’t make sense. I’m here with you. This is either heaven or hell or maybe even purgatory, what else could it be?”
*Wham*
Kai punched Kazuki on top of his head.
“Don’t shout like that you nearly scared me half to death dumbass!”
Kazuki fell backward from the punch and hit the tree behind him. Both his head and back were aching.
Rubbing his head, Kazuki noticed.
(This, this is pain.)
“Big bro, why is it I can feel pain?”
“Do you finally get it now? If you were dead, would you be feeling pain or anything at all for that matter? No, your not dead, not yet anyway.”
Kai stuck out a hand and helped Kazuki up. The more Kai spoke the more lost Kazuki became.
“Your appearance, this place. I’m not dead but you are, right?”
A bit of regret filled Kai’s face and he smiled bitterly.
“Yep, I’m definitely dead. You saw it yourself…back then…what they did to me.”
As Kai spoke he clenched his fist so hard that the sound of his knuckles popping rang clear. At the same time, the brilliant blue sky up above started to fade blood red and a scene played out above the two.
—————————————————————————-
Kai laid sprawled out on a golden table. His entire body strapped tightly by chains laced with magical inscriptions. He was no longer a small child but a young man instead. Kazuki laid across from him, chained down on an identical table.
“Big brother, why is this happening, what did we do wrong?”
Kai grit his teeth until a line of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes filled with rage before.
“We did nothing wrong little brother. We were both betrayed. They never loved us or cared about us. It was all for this one moment, all for what lay inside of us. I’ll kill them, no matter what…I’ll fucking KILL THEM!”
The clouds above sped up and the memory skipped ahead a bit. The table Kai laid upon lit up and shined with a bright light. As soon as it did, Kai screamed in horror as something within was ripped from him.
A woman smiled fiendishly down upon him before whispering a few words.
“It’s working. Soon, soon I will be able to see you.”
As the table shined through, a purple and grey power collected above Kai’s thrashing body. Finally, a light of many different colors poured out from both his chest and eyes and began to collect above him. The colorful light began to condense until a physical object started to form.
After a while, the power hovering above Kai’s body stabilized and his body went limp and his eyes went blank.
A woman approached, a woman Kai remembers with every fiber of his being, a woman he could never forget.
The woman held out her hand and the fully formed object hovering above Kai’s body floated over and settled in her hand. The woman’s eyes lit up, holding this power in her hands.
“I’ve done it. I’ve actually done it. To make the intangible tangible. Something with no physical form, I brought it forth from the source and made it whole, made it materialize into the world. With this, the power that will be gained.”
The woman smiled like a demon at Kai’s limp body.
“Kai, thank you for this gift, I have received your Mage core with open arms, hahahahaha.”
A laugh exploded out from this woman. At the same time, Kazuki repeatedly screamed out.
“NO! No No No!… Brother! Wake up! Wake up!”
Kai’s eyelids fluttered for a moment. He no longer had the strength to turn and look at Kazuki. Instead, his voice quietly floated over.
“kill…them. kill…them…all.”
The woman sneered and a blade of rock formed in front of her. With two fingers she pointed it at Kai and snorted.
“Hmpf, you were only allowed to live up to this point because of my graciousness. Be thankful and die knowing you served your purpose as a tool. DIE!”
She waved her wrist casually and flicked her two fingers in Kai’s direction. The blade made from rock flew forward and pierced Kai’s chest with little resistance.
Kai had no strength already and was chained down. The blade entered his heart and killed him.
Tears flooded down from Kazuki’s face as he cried in anguish.
The woman didn’t waste words and activated the golden table under Kazuki next. A soul shredding pain entered his body and felt like a hundred thousand needles pierced every ounce of his flesh, burrowing bone-deep. It ripped and grinded everywhere, yet his body had no wounds. Kazuki felt something deep from within being torn away and a colorful light was ripped from both his eyes and chest. He could feel all the power within him leaving him.
In no time, a power condensed above him and a solid object formed.
(My Mage core?)
Kazuki had never physically seen it before but his instincts told him that’s what now hovered above the woman’s hand.
The woman formed another blade of rock and shot it forward.
*SHINE*
A golden light fell down in front of Kazuki and the blade was deflected away as though it were a toy.
The woman’s eyes widened in shock as an invisible pressure fell upon her shoulders forcing her kneel down. Before she could say another word, she looked up and Kazuki’s body was gone.
The woman’s heart trembled and the light in front of her faded away as though it never existed in the first place.
“Why…?”
—————————————————————————-
The clouds floating above slowed down to a crawl and the sky brightened once more. Kazuki slowly opened his eyes.
*Bam*
A kick was delivered to his side and an old woman spoke.
“Oy, who the hell said you could sleep on my mountain boy.”
The memories in the sky began to fade and Kai unclenched his fist and chuckled.
“Hehehe, so that old lady is your master. She has quite the temperament, I like her.”
The memories from over 10 years ago had played out and he saw things he didn’t wish to ever see again. Even though it was a memory it felt as though it had happened all over again, causing Kazuki to feel gut-wrenching disgust. Though it wasn’t all bad. Remembering his master a calm warm feeling filled him and a small smile spread across his face.
His brother’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“So did that remind you of anything?”
Kazuki blinked momentarily.
(Remind me of anything?)
For a moment Kazuki was left blank but then like a bolt of lightning.
“That feeling! That pain I felt from the depths of my very being. When She ripped my Mage core from my body, the pain I felt was the exact same thing I felt when the insect hit me with that weird light.”
Kazuki’s mind trembled when he thought about that light and he exclaimed in realization.
“That light from that insect was the same as the one torn from me and you, that light was…”
(Soul power.)
Kai interrupted him as though he were listening in on Kazuki’s thoughts.
“Soul power, a soul attack, the very soul itself. What you think it is and what you think it isn’t either way, you’re on the right path. Looks like you’re finally using your head.”
Kazuki shook his head.
“But even if it is a soul attack what does that mean, where does that leave me? You say I’m not in heaven or hell, does that not mean I’m still on the field of battle back in Burashi village? That means I’m unconscious and will soon die. Why am I stuck in my head, why are all these thoughts here to remind me of this? My dead brother speaks to me, the revenge I seek, this whole place makes no sense.”
Kai swung his fist but this time Kazuki was ready and he avoided it but then Kai appeared behind him like a ghost and punched him in the back of the head.
*Bam*
“Stop overthinking this!”
Kazuki rubbed the back of his head in pain. He completely missed his big brother’s movements.
“Do I really have to put the pieces together for you to see. The point is not this place or why I’m here. Instead think, find the answer.”
Kazuki grumbled under his breath before he sat down depressed.
(Why does any of it matter if I’m on the verge of death? I mean my life basically has flashed in front of my eyes what is there to do when that creature is about to crush my body at any moment.)
That’s when it hit him. Kazuki slowly lifted his head and stared up at his big brother.
“The time, how long has it been and yet I’m still here. That monster should have crushed me long ago, right?”
Kai smiled.
“Hmm, I wonder. How much time do you think has passed?”
(Has it been hours or days maybe? But my memories, I watched them play out as though it was real-time, it feels like it’s been hours. Could it be…? That creature’s attack.)
The pieces began to fall into place.
“Time in here is clearly different from out there. So I’m really just in my mind.”
Kai clapped his hands.
“So the little dummy is starting to understand.”
Kazuki became panicked.
“I have to get out of here then! If I really am still alive and this is all in my mind then I’m still about to die. I have to wake up before it’s too late.”
“Ah, so you get it.”
Kazuki now realizing what he had to do, his first thought was to reconnect with his body so he could wake up. The first thing he tried to do was to use the ancient hand signs but before he even completed one sign he shook his head.
(Idiot, how would that work if my actual body outside isn’t moving. I have to use my ki if I’m to awaken.)
…
……
Kazuki couldn’t feel his ki, no, he couldn’t feel any power at all. Whether it be ki or sensing his natural elements, none of it could be felt.
(No fire, no darkness, nor earth, even my ki, none of it…I can’t feel any of them.)
Kazuki was feeling the urgency and had no clue what to do. All he could do was look at his brother.
“Kai, I…I can’t wake up.”
Kai sighed loudly.
*HAAAA*
Walking over he grabbed Kazuki by the shoulder.
“Even now I’ve got to look after my baby bro. Look, how does one awaken from a dream? You know this, everyone has experienced an awakening and it is one of the most common ways.”
Kazuki didn’t have a clue what Kai was talking about.
Kai sighed once more before stomping on the ground. As soon as he did the ground underneath them separated from their feet as Kai ascended upward with Kazuki in tow. The speed was so great and the leap so high, that the feeling of butterflies fluttering about in his stomach was felt.
*Tap*
Kai landed gently on a branch high up in the tree. Kazuki gripped his brother tightly as his eyesight aligned with the clouds. Down below the ground appeared distant as though he were really thousands of feet up. He looked at his brother with a bit of fear But Kai simply smiled at him.
“Relax, you’re fine. Look.”
Kai pointed into the distance at the sky. Kazuki once again saw his brother being killed and his own Mage core being stolen. Kazuki loosened his grip at the sight as his chest began to burn with rage.
Kai wrapped his arms around him and hugged Kazuki.
“Little dummy, I’m sorry that I went ahead so soon.”
Kazuki felt sorrow in his heart.
“Big brother, I missed…”
“I know…I know but it’s not time for you to die yet. You still have something to do first right?”
Kazuki looked up at his brother in confusion.
“You know that feeling you get when your falling in a dream. What happens before you hit the ground?”
*Push*
Kazuki’s eyes went wide. A small tap on his shoulder and he was pushed from the top of the tree.
(Big brother!?)
Kazuki fell from thousands of feet up. There was no power he could call upon. No fire, no ki, nothing. He fell fast and as time went on he only descended even faster. The ground was approaching at a terrifying rate. Just before he was about to hit the ground, his brother spoke and his voice appeared as though it were right next to Kazuki’s ear.
“Kazuki…KILL THEM ALL!!”
—————————————————————————-
Darkness…
“RYUTA!! ASUNA!! WAKE UP!!”
Kazuki could hear a familiar shout boom against his eardrums.
Kazuki’s eyes rolled forward and light returned. His brother’s words echoing inside his mind.
(KILL THEM ALL!!)
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