1.7

Take me home to the place I belong

This was the end, Hiro thought to himself as the monster charged at him. Blocking with his shield was useless. Dodging to the side? Nah, with its reach, the beast could easily grab him. At that moment, the young man felt someone yanking at his shirt. It was Suiren, who finally decided to show up. Grabbing his arm, the masked woman jumped out of the beast assault. They barely missed the grab thanked to her enhanced strength.

The monster roared out in pain as a sword drove into its neck. It was the knight, who was surprised by how easy it was to pierce the creature lion skin. Too easy in fact, was that the case with its alligator head the man wondered. This was no time to ponder though as the beast twisted around before the knight could pull his blade out. The weapon broke and flew out his hand.

Only the tip of came off, however, the sword was still very much useable. But the knight couldn’t retrieve it as the beast immediately clawed at him with its lion leg. The man jumped out of the way but not before taking the axe on his side to slash at the monster. There was no strength in the attack and yet it still managed to graze the creature’s leg.

So, this monstrous being was much more fragile than it looks. Was the thin skin served to lighten the thing, allowing it to fly? If that was the case then the creature’s bone would be brittle as well, too bad there wasn’t a catapult lying around.

The monster was still furious, it bit at the small creature only to miss by an inch. The close dodge was intentional, however, as it let the knight delivered a devastating blow to the monster head. The loud crack could be heard as the creature recoiled back in pain. The attack wasn’t fatal though as the thing managed to dodge back at the last moment out of instinct. It thrashed around erratically, lashing at every movement.

The knight was too close, he had expected the attack to be more potent. The creature’s head slammed at him, sending the man flying a short distant. While he still managed to land on his feet the damage was done. At least two of his rib were broken.

All of that happened in what seems like an instant as Hiro could do nothing but watch. He could see that the knight was injured but there was no way he could get there in time, not like he could make any meaningful different anyway. Next to him, Suiren was standing still in a defensive stance. The woman was unmoving, as if she was frozen.

“Suiren, go help him!”

Hiro yelled, his order was then carried out without any delay. The masked woman charged at the monster, with her enhanced strength, it took only an instant. The creature could only briefly saw something moving at the edge of its vision as it received another painful slash. Suiren weaved through the thrashing and delivered attacks with great precision. The monster retaliated but every of its blows could only whiff and get punished in return.

Finally, the monster flew back up to the skies, its legs in tatter. It didn’t understand, how could something that small moved so fast? Why did it so determined to inflict pain on him?

The moment it was born, the creature was already in pain. It couldn’t move properly, it couldn’t fly properly, it couldn’t even breath properly. With such uneven legs, the monster would fall down frequently. And it always hurt, its fragile body couldn’t bear such a weight.

So the creature liked to fly. He liked the feel of wind on his delicate skin. And the sky was always so beautiful, so blue, so bright. It was simply uplifting, especially for him who had only known misery. Even though its lungs and heart would feel like bursting every single time, the creature still loved to be along the cloud.

And now, after suffering so much by these tiny specks, by his supposed ‘preys’, the monster wanted to fly far away from this place. It wanted to run away but something hold the creature back. Was it instinct or something else even deeper, more ingrained than that?

It was the reason for the thing existent, a purpose it must fulfil.

The creature was overwhelmed, soon there was only one thing in its primitive brain. The sky faded away.

Kill.

The monster turned to the anomaly, the prey that stood out the most. Its mind filled with rage and hunger which were all directed at Hiro. Summoning what strength left in him, the creature dove at the young man at breakneck speed.

At this moment, Hiro knew, he was screwed. There was nowhere to dodge, nothing to hide under. Suiren was too far to be of help. This was truly a do or die moment.

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Hiro: {Momo-chan, I want to tell you something}

Momo-chan: [What is it?] The voice was surprisingly calm, he had accepted the inevitable.

Hiro: {The past two years I was buried, forced to slave my life away. Over time, I have forgotten how to even look at the world around me, who I am…}

Momo-chan: [What are you trying to say here?]

Hiro: {This sure has been a ride. I am glad to see you once again after six years, who I once was}

Momo-chan: [So this is the end, I kind of want of this ride to go on]

Hiro: {Oh me too, don’t ready, I will try my best till the very end. But if I fail and we both perish, at least I will die content that you will never have to go through those two years}

With a grin, Hiro charged forward directly at the beast which was right on top of him. In an instant, the young man was engulfed by the enormous being.

___

What a shame, the Legionnaire thought to himself as he observed what was unfolding.

That young man was tougher than what warrior had expected. Even when facing death, he could still show that defiant smile. To make a stand till the very end. The captain truly admired those kinds of people. He wondered, if the time ever come, could he be capable of such a thing. Out of his own volition of course, the mask would make sure that he will fight to the last moment if it wanted.

There was no need for him to finish of the monster, with that injury, it would die sooner or later. At least it managed to be quite informative.

The man in armour was definitely formidable, this was the first time for him to face a monster. And yet, he could perform like that, all of his spacings and timings were on point. Too bad he was bogged down by the limitations of a normal human. There was no way for a person to dodge all of the creature’s blows. He still managed to minimise the damage dealt however.

Then there was #2 who was truly a surprise. Normally she would just follow the captain, mindlessly carrying out order. But even if his life is in danger, the aide wouldn’t lift a finger unless ordered to. When the monster first attacked, she was stunned, not doing anything. But soon, something in her snap and the woman would rush to her companion aid. #2 also manages to incorporate her enhanced strength into combat properly, something a mindless aide and the old her was incapable of.

And now, she was rushing back to Hiro. The Legionnaire could see a hint of desperation in her movement. Was he imagining it? Or had something about that young man triggered her brainwashed mind? The captain wasn’t sure.

One thing he sure of was that her benefactor was dea…

The monster suddenly flew back up into the night sky. It let out a painful howl which interrupted his train of thought. The was a gaping in the creature’s stomach, its innards spewing out.

On the ground, Hiro was holding up the knight broken sword, full of gore but more importantly, alive. While Suiren was busy with the monster, the young man had tried to get to the weapon. He made it just when the creature targeted him once again. Since jumping out the way was not an option due to the thing’s reach, he decided to dodge straight into it instead.

A risky move but Hiro managed to avoid the monster’s front legs and grabbed his weapon at the same time. The creature then landed on him but its body was surprisingly soft. And so the young man survived and was even successful in delivering a fatal blow.

The monster had now lost too much blood and its killing intent. Now only pain remained, excruciating and unending pain. It wanted to get out of here, back to the embrace of its beloved sky. Even at night, was still so beautiful with so many sparkles. The monster wondered if it could reach them, to be among the stars, he felt like that was where he belonged.

It was going die anyway, might as well try once last time.

And so, enduring all the torment, the monster kept on flying higher and higher. Its body was screaming, falling apart but the creature continued onward. He could make it, to be forever part of the sky. He felt like all the stars were shinning brighter, welcoming his arrival, welcoming home. The monstrosity could feel something unfamiliar, he was… happy.

Then there was only darkness.

Unable to handle any more abuse, the creature’s lungs and heart exploded, it died instantly.

___

Hiro looked on as the monster fell from the sky, his heart was still racing. He had somehow survived and in the process, vanquishing the beast. That was certainly an experience, the young man was also happy and content with his performance.

Not just him, everyone was happy. They flocked to the heroes but were stop by Caron in the end. The monster might be carrying diseases so precautions are needed. The three strangers would need to be quarantined for a while, especially the one covered with blood. This was a downer but didn’t really dampen anyone mood that much. The people just cheered from afar.

The Legionnaire was also amused with all that just transpired. These new group of outsiders were certainly full of surprises unlike their predecessors. His mission was still to slay them, however, and this was the perfect time for it. #2 was still new to controlling her enhanced power and the man in armour was injured. Before, the captain would carry it out without hesitation. But now he was feeling charitable.

He wanted to see what will happen next, he was curious, what kind of surprise would they bring next. It was a shame that the next time he would show no mercy.

Still, the Legionnaire couldn’t help but ponder about #2. She seemed to be unravelling what the mask had done. Would the woman one day completely break free. If so, what did that mean for him, who was also corrupted. His halo was still here though, was there a chance for him to get rid of it even. And what did it even mean to be free…

The future certainly held many possibilities, the Legionnaire could feel a sliver of optimism.

In this festive atmosphere, everyone was certainly happy, all but one voice. Momo-chan, who was of course relived to be alive, but there was still a hint of sadness in him. Even when the monster first appeared, even in its first roar, the disembodied voice could already sense the pain.

The way it moved, the sound it made, he could see it, the creature was always in constant agony. Even though the thing was hellbent on ripping him, technically his host, apart, the voice couldn’t help but feel sorry for the it. Now the monster wouldn’t hurt anyone anymore, it was also freed from the suffering that was its own existent. Momo-chan muttered silently to himself.

Momo-chan: [Rest in peace]