Return of the Fallen Volume 3 Chapter 37
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch37
Kazuki blinked and a new light now filled his vision. His eyes widen as he held Asuna in his arms. He was back in the Dining hall. An old man a few tables away was shoveling food into his mouth but with the sudden appearance of Kazuki and Asuna, the spoon in his hands fell loosely to the ground as the food in his mouth nearly spilled out from sheer stupefaction.
His face paled with fright and he fell backward from his seat. The old man scrambled to his feet and ran out of the Dining hall as though his ass were on fire.
Kazuki looked around in awe. One moment he was falling from the heavens, ready for Shin to catch him, the next, Asuna’s eyes glowed with a brilliant purple. As the fire burned a few wooden logs nearby and the tables laid out were still covered with plates and cups, Kazuki recognized that he and Asuna were back in the Dining hall.
(This is? How?)
As soon as he thought that he felt stupid. Obviously, Asuna had teleported them. What was surprising though was Asuna’s power.
(She wasn’t capable of teleporting others but now not only did she do it but the distance from the point we were at in the sky to the Dining hall is at least 200 feet.)
Kazuki’s mind reeled for a moment before he focused on Asuna’s body, he now noticed a change within her. Extending his ki within her, he discovered that Asuna had entered the Elemental stage. She had become a 2nd rank Mage. This wasn’t all too surprising as the 2nd stage was quite easy for anyone to enter and merely took time, this, however, wasn’t the only part though. Observing closer, Kazuki could feel an overabundance of energy. Asuna had not only entered the 2nd stage but she had nearly leapfrogged it and was on the precipice of entering the 3rd stage, the Body stage.
Something had occurred while Asuna was out. Kazuki hadn’t been able to detect it earlier because Asuna’s mind was disconnected from her body but the moment she heard Kazuki’s calling, her mind and body reconnected and the experience she had come forth along with her power.
Kazuki felt a hand on his cheek and tore his eyes away from Asuna’s body. Asuna gently stroked Kazuki’s face and whispered with a dry voice.
“Ryu…ta…is that you? Are…yo…u…really here?”
Kazuki held Asuna’s hand.
“Where else would I be?”
Those words that he said without any particular meaning, those fleeting words brought a storm of repressed emotions to the surface. Everything she threw away, everything she pushed deep deep down, everything she swore she got rid of and no longer needed, every single one of them came bubbling up to the surface and broke through like a bomb.
Asuna’s eyes filled with tears as she began to cry as though she would flood the world. She cried and cried as everything was released all at once. Her fear, her hate, love, joy, sadness, desperation, loneliness. As she buried her face in Kazuki’s chest, everything poured from her eyes all at once.
Kazuki didn’t know what to say.
*Haaa*
With a small sigh, his ring glowed with a dim purple light and a blanket appeared from his storage ring. Wrapping Asuna up, he held her as she let loose all of her emotions. Not even a moment later he heard several footsteps fastly approaching.
Little Mei was the first to arrive followed by Sam. Mei’s eyes went wide and she screamed in both joy and excitement.
“BIG SIS!!!”
Mei ran over but before she leapt into Kazuki or Asuna, Sam scooped her up. Mei looked up at him confused but Sam simply put a finger to his lips.
*Shhh*
Mei got the message and became as quiet as a little mouse. Soon more and more people flooded in. Uncle Geil along with many villagers came racing in after the old man pointed them here. As soon as they saw Asuna crying her heart out, many of the villager’s women could feel the awkwardness from the men and began to escort all of the villagers out. This was a scene they had no part in. Soon even Geil left and all that was left was Kazuki’s group.
Asuna continued to cry for several minutes. Only until her voice became hoarse and her eyes reddened, did she finally stop. Sam cleared a space on the floor for her and Kazuki attempted to lay Asuna down, so she could rest but as soon as he tried to let go of her, her arms coiled around his neck and tightened. Three barely audible words entered Kazuki’s ear.
“Please…hold me.”
Kazuki didn’t quite know what to do but he knew he didn’t want to continue simply standing there. In the end, he sat down on the ground, Asuna cradled in his lap. Everyone else followed suit and they all sat in one circle. Nunully sat right by Kazuki’s side, this in turn for some reason caused Kazuki to turn and look at Nunully at this moment. As soon as Nunully and Kazuki made eye contact, Nunully quickly looked away, her heart fluttered. Then, she remembered her determination and after a few seconds she looked back at Kazuki and the two stared at one another for a bit before Shin interrupted the two.
“Does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on? I mean I’m glad your awake Asuna don’t get me wrong but If I were to say I wasn’t confused right now, I’d be lying.”
The room went silent. Asuna tried to clear her throat and explain but her crying had left her mouth dry and made it difficult to swallow, causing her to have a short coughing fit.
Sam grew worried and jumped to his feet. There was a cup of water sitting on a table not too far away. Sam ran over to grab it but before he could, A bright purple light lit up behind his back and the wooden cup in front of him vanished into thin air. Sam’s eyes darted around the room before he turned back to the others. As soon as he saw Asuna, he became flabbergasted. Everyone’s eyes were locked on the same spot. In between Asuna’s two hands, was that same wooden cup. Asuna tilted it up and began to drain the cup entirely.
Everyone watched on with astonishment then Mei shouted out and waved her hands about animatedly.
“Big sis that was amazing! How did you do that? Do it again again, pretty please.”
Asuna’s eyes returned to their normal sapphire blue and glowed no more but there was a clear perplexity on her face.
“Hmm, do what?”
Mei scooted right in front of Kazuki and Asuna and held open both of her eyes as she stared hard at Asuna.
“Your eyes! They went all bright and purply and then and then the cup was all like schwoom and it was in your hands. Do that again!”
Asuna looked at the odd expressions on everyone’s face before she looked down at the cup within her own hands.
(When did I?)
As soon as she thought that, the experiences and memories she had within that dark space flashed inside her mind. After a moment she pinched her own thigh and winced in pain.
(So that was real but now I’m out of that place.)
She could see that everyone was filled with questions and Mei was filled with something else entirely but Asuna was as well. They all knew her abilities. Up to this point, she could teleport a few feet away, that was about it. This was established long ago back in Tresta but now something was different, Asuna could feel it.
Before she could even begin to answer anyone, first, she had to find out if she really could do what she did. Even though she held the cup in her hands, Asuna was in a dazed state when it happened. Now that her mind was slightly more clear, she needed to be her own witness.
Asuna looked over at another nearby table. Remembering the tiny purple like stars in that space, her eyes began to glow a bright purple as she focused on a small pitcher sitting next to several plates of food and other things. A single word came bubbling to the surface of her mind.
(Blink.)
The pitcher, like the cup before it, vanished into thin air before reappearing directly into her hand.
(It…it actually worked.)
With this line of thought came another.
(If this works then shouldn’t…)
Everyone marveled at Asuna as another object was teleported over but the next thing she did left them awed.
Asuna held the pitcher full of water over her cup and began to pour it. Nothing was out of the ordinary at first but in the next moment when the cup was halfway filled, Asuna’s eyes glowed once again and a word came to the surface of her mind once more.
(Lock.)
Asuna’s power spread outward and reached the pitcher. Releasing her grip from it, the Pitcher remained suspended in the air. It didn’t hover nor float about but was actually locked in that space.
Everyone’s vision went round and their thoughts were all over the place. Only when the cup overflowed with water did their thoughts snap back into place.
Kazuki as well, he grabbed the pitcher and attempted to stop it from pouring the water but when he tried to pull it away, he felt something holding it in place.
(This is…?)
Kazuki’s curiosity got the best of him and he covered the pitcher with a layer of ki, as soon as he did that, Asuna’s power was blocked and her connection was severed. Kazuki felt the weight of the pitcher and moved it naturally.
(Her powers have grown this much.)
At this point, a thought occurred to Kazuki.
(This should have taken her months, possibly years to learn on her own. When I was attacked by that soul attack, I was in there for what felt like weeks but Asuna was in there for who knows how long. This girl, how much must she have suffered not knowing when it would all end?)
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