In someone's head a bittersweet memory emerged,

A boy was getting beat up by a bunch of bullies of the same age range. He was lying on the ground shielding his vital organs with his limbs as he was constantly getting kicked. He was sobbing the entire time and was desperately awaiting someone to save him. They were in a small alleyway where no adult was around to reprimand them.

"Tamura?" An older boy noticed the oppression as he was walking past the alleyway.

He came running towards the bullies and punched one in the face, throwing him back. The others diverted their attention towards the new boy and all lashed out on him at the same time. Despite sustaining an abundance of injuries, the boy's persistence and undying spirit made him win the fight to drive the bullies away.

The older boy smiled as he forwarded his hand towards young Tamura.

"Good thing I was nearby, let's go home now."

"Brother. They seriously hurt you. Why did you jump in knowing you would end up like this?" young Tamura asked, looking at his brother's fresh abrasions and bruises.

"Huh? What kind of question is that dummy? I am your big brother! And I can't let my favourite little brother get bullied like that," the older boy replied as his eyes brightly shined.

"But I am your only little brother." Young Tamura pouted.

"That's right." The older boy chuckled but the sudden pain from his bruises made him stop a moment later.

"If only I wasn't so weak and worthless. You would laugh as much as you wanted," said Tamura as he stood up.

"You are not weak. You love all types of life and have a good heart. That's something even the meanest looking people don't have. I will save you from every danger forever because you are the only one who makes me laugh and forget my pain every time." The older boy hugged the younger one.

"(Big brother.. All this time you were the one who always saved me. Even when I killed all those warriors and was sentenced to death you went out of your way and tried to give me a new life. Just let me save you this time.)"

Tamura constantly coughed up blood and found it difficult to breathe for some time as his hands shook.

"You. Why did you?" Erashi was still perplexed.

After a few seconds of silence, Tamura took a deep breath once he stopped coughing and spoke, "I couldn't let him kill my favourite big brother."

"What are you saying? Let who? Don't tell me...," Erashi stuttered.

"I am glad I got to talk to you one last time." Tamura looked up to reveal his soft smile to Erashi.

A few tears escaped Erashi's eyes as he slowly moved towards Tamura.

"What is going on here? Why have they all frozen like that?" Hirishima unsettled.

"Hirishima! Look." Subaru pointed at a guard who began turning into ashes.

"Are they all..." Hirishima looked around and noticed more guards sharing the same fate.

"Save me, I don't want to die!"

"Please, I never asked for this."

"I am going to die? Why? My life can't be that short."

"Please! Save me!"

Barely Audible voices originated from the fading guards.

"Are they asking for our help?" Kieri mused.

"They really were being controlled beyond their will, poor bastards." Xiang got up to his feet.

"Please, let me see my son once."

"Sir Tamura why did you do this to us?"

"Please sir! Save my life!"

Before fully fading away a few guards crawled up to the two elite warriors' feet.

"Subaru, is this?" Hirishima queried.

"Some sick son of a bitch was controlling them," cursed Subaru.

"Hey you two," Kieri came rushing towards her colleagues.

"Kieri, do you have any idea what's going on?" asked Hirishima.

"How would I? But it may be related to him," Kieri pointed towards Tamura.

"Erashi was in a pinch just moments ago and now Tamura's on his knees?" Puzzled Hirishima.

"We should probably hear what they are talking about," suggested Subaru.

"Nice idea," Kieri said before loudly ordering the remaining warriors. "Warriors! Keep on guard! This may not be over!"

"Many of us succumbed to that attack."

"Is it worth fighting anymore?"

"Can't we just take our lives as well?"

The Warriors' minds suffered from a deep aftermath.

"Listen all! Those who have lost their lives here wouldn't want you to lay down your weapons and accept death while mourning them. They want you, the fortunate living, to continue fighting and give their loved ones a better future! Don't worry, each and every one of them will be given a proper send off so that their souls can finally enter a serene paradise. I promise you that!" Kieri raised her voice to the maximum and delivered the wake up call The Warriors needed.

Hirishima and Subaru took admiration on her before they joined her towards Erashi's side. Xiang decided to sit on the ground and watch how things played out from afar.

"Erashi, how did you turn this around?" questioned Hirishima.

"Are you alright commander?" concerned Kieri.

"See that you bastard. Our commander is unbeatable!" boasted Subaru.

"Hirishima, Subaru and Kieri. I see you three are still on top of your game, my most beloved friends," greeted Tamura.

"Huh? How did he get so polite?" questioned Hirishima.

"He is back, the real Tamura," responded Erashi.

"The real one? You mean he was possessed as well?" Kieri inquired.

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"Wait, this could be an act to throw our guards down." Subaru kept his weapon at the ready.

"I understand why you would feel that way, I know I don't deserve forgiveness for my sins. That's why I have bought some time to do the right thing before my demise," said Tamura as he lowered his face.

"I don't understand, how did all of this happen?" Erashi queried.

"I guess I have enough time to explain it all. Tell me, did Erashi tell you three the first half of the story?" Tamura raised his face once again and asked.

"He did," all three elite warriors replied.

"That's grand, now here is what happened next," Tamura began.

"When Erashi gave me another chance at life he told me to walk away and never look back. That's why I had to leave this side of Pandara and find my place in the forest of Fukai Kiri. As the books described, that place was an absolute hell. Nothing was visible ahead of 20 meters and the availability of food was very scarce. On top of that, abhorrent sounds of horrid predators lurked every inch of the forest. My only choice to survive on the first day was to climb a nearby tree and spend the night on its top. I thought maybe if I got lucky I would find a few fruits to eat growing on its branches, but as you know luck has never been on my side."

Tamura took a brief pause and continued,

"Early in the morning, I was attacked by a pack of black wolves despite me being high up on the tree. They were of 'Yori Takai' kind as they evolved to climb and hunt from the trees. I hurried my way down and started running as fast as I could to lose the hungry beasts on my tail. After a few minutes it seemed that I lost them so I sat down on a nearby protruding root to take a breather. My throat withered while I pressed my hands against my stomach to suppress the hunger pangs."

Quick coughs interrupted Tamura before he resumed, "Suddenly, the strongest of the black wolves, the Alpha kemono lunged at me from behind. It was considerably bigger than the others and even had sharp blades integrated on its multiple tails. It landed a deep blow on my back with it's sharp claws which made me fall up front. It proceeded to land on my back and lowered it's jaws to bite my head off. I used my old standard issue warrior knife that I still had with me and slashed at the wolf's eye. It backed off for just a moment before it began lashing out on me with his claws and tail blades. I endured a ton of shallow to deep cuts while using my knife to drive the wolf around and avoid getting fatal injuries."

Tamura coughed once again and this time threw up blood.

"You should stop for now, we can continue this after your wounds heal," suggested Erashi.

"I agree, your story can wait. First let me treat your wounds," Kieri added.

"What do you say Subaru?" asked Hirishima.

"He will be no use for us dead, I suppose." Subaru looked away.

"Why? Why do you all still show concern for my health after all that I have done?" lamented Tamura.

"We know now that wasn't you, in reality you are a kind person," Erashi replied.

"Brother... forgive me but I can't stop because I don't have much time left," Tamura stated.

"What do you mean? If you're talking about that wound don't worry, we will get you fixed up right away," told Erashi.

"That's not it. Just trust me, let me finish," stressed Tamura.

"Very well," Erashi agreed.

"Commander, he is in a terrible state, I am not sure he should," Kieri interjected.

"We all know that but I have chosen to trust him. It's something I failed to do previously," reasoned Erashi.

Tamura continued, "Thank you. Alright so before I was about to faint from losing too much blood, I sacrificed the bottled medicine Erashi gave me to startle the wolf. That gave me an opportunity to grab it from it's neck and throw it on the ground. There, I had a clear shot at stabbing it in the throat and put it down for good. But I hesitated, it was breathing heavily as it whimpered for mercy and I couldn't just take the life of a living creature just like that. My grip loosened and the wolf broke free to leap on me as my knife was forced away. I was locked at a certain position of death as it was about to deliver the killing blow. Fortunately, I was saved by a couple arrows that struck the beast in its vital spots. The wolf fled the area while the archer who was an old bald man with a long beard came to me and forwarded his hand."

"Hey you. Don't faint on me. I am too old to carry a grown man around," the old man spoke.

"Sorry," Tamura said before passing out.

"The next day I woke up in a small house and found myself lying on a hay bed in its only bedroom. Next to me was a pretty girl with short blonde hair, glistening blue eyes and a gentle face which showed pity for me."

"Please forgive my intrusion, I will leave this place this instant." Tamura tried to get up but his wounds under the freshly applied bandages placed his body under severe pain.

"You shouldn't exert yourself, your injuries have just started healing," the girl stressed.

"But I don't want to bother anyone anymore," Tamura mumbled.

"You are bothering me alright by talking like that! Now lay back down, I will bring some food and medicine for you," the girl loudly ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Tamura promptly replied.

The girl smiled as she walked out of the room and began pouring out some hearty soup from a pot kept over a fireplace in a clay bowl.

"He's awake?" The old man asked while sitting on a rocking chair, reading a book about wildlife.

"He is, but he was trying to leave. I forcefully stopped him because he is badly hurt," the girl answered.

"If he wants to go, let him go. It will only hurt our savings and supplies by keeping him around," said the old man.

"Come on Father. We should help the injured and besides, once he gets better he can help you with the hunting work," the girl insisted.

"Someone has developed an instant affection," the old man joked.

"It's not like that! I was just trying to be nice." the girl pouted.

"You may be right about the hunting thing. Check this out." the old man handed the book over to the girl.

"Is this?" The girl placed the bowl down on the dining table and read the description of a special species of wolf.

"It is the wolf he encountered, it is said they are one of the most vicious beasts to ever have roamed the forest of Fukai Kiri. The fact that he held his own against it and was almost about to finish it off makes him quite skilled," the old man explained.

"About to finish off?"

"Yes, I was watching him for quite some time. He did overpower the wolf at one point but for some reason he hesitated to land the killing blow," the old man responded.

"But why?" the girl wondered.

"Beats me, but I am getting old as much as I hate to admit it. He might just help us hunt more beasts and make our condition better. So, try to keep him around." The old man smiled.

"Leave it to me!" The girl determined.

"Here, drink this." The girl entered the bedroom and presented the bowl in front of Tamura who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You drink it, I am not hungry," Tamura said before his stomach rumbled.

"Really? Your belly tells a different story." The girl laughed while Tamura flustered with embarrassment.

"Alright give it to me." Tamura quickly snatched the bowl and drank the soup without using a spoon.

"This is really good," he commented.

"You really think so? I made it myself," the girl asked.

"Yeah, it reminds me of my mothers.. nevermind." Tamura stopped for a moment.

"What's wrong?" the girl inquired.

"Nothing! It's just that this is so good I am lost for words!" Laughed Tamura.

"(I don't know why this makes me so happy. I have to make him taste my other dishes.)" The girl blushed.

"Can I ask you one thing?" Tamura finished his soup and asked.

"Sure, ask me anything."

"What's your name?" questioned Tamura.

"Oh sorry we didn't even exchange names yet. My name is Hoshiko, it means star but I don't think it fits," Hoshiko disclosed.

"I think it does because of how much your face and eyes shine," Tamura complimented.

"Umm, what's yours?" Hoshiko blushed once again.

"It's Tamura. I Don't know what it means though," stated Tamura.

"Oh that's." Hoshiko suddenly bursted into laughter.

"What is it? What's so funny?" Perplexed Tamura.

"That name is usually given to girls and it means rice paddies," said Hoshiko.

"Huh? (Damn it mother why did you give me this name?)" Tamura was shocked to hear this.

"But I think it's cute especially because rice only grows after showing much care. I think it translates to you caring for every living species out there," spoke Hoshiko.

"How did you?"

"I heard from my father, the old man who saved you, that you hesitated to kill the wolf that attacked you because you felt sorry for it," answered Hoshiko.

"I.... better go to sleep." Tamura abruptly laid back down on the bed.

"Alright, here is the medicine. Eat one before you sleep. Goodnight," Hoshiko smiled and left the room.

"At that very moment, something triggered in me. Just for a second, it felt like I was at home. Even though I knew I couldn't stay, my heart wasn't ready to listen to me."

End of chapter eighteen.