“Damn you!!!”
Just as I turned to look at the source of that voice, I saw a fist flying into my face. With no time to defend myself or avoid the punch, I ended up falling to the snow-covered ground, a fresh pain blossoming right between my eyes.
After I regained my senses, I looked again in the direction of that voice. I saw that it was the girl I brought back from the forest the day before. Now, being a Magic Knight serving the emperor, I was expected to keep up a certain image around people, so I responded to this in the best way I could.
“What the hell is your problem!? What was that for!?”
Well, I tried.
“All this time,” she began, “all this time I've been wondering who took it from me. Who robbed me.” She pulled me off of the ground by the white gi I was wearing. “It was you! This is all your fault!”
Not stopping to think, I made a fist with my right hand and punched her with it. She hit me first, after all. That's what I thought to myself at the time.
“What are you going on about? Don't hit people and go spouting crazy shit only you understand! Tell me! Why the hell did you hit me!?”
“What is your birthday?” She asked as she wiped away the blood from her mouth.
“What does that have to do with--”
“Just say it!”
I held back my anger and told her. “The tenth of January! Why!?”
She put her hand on her forehead and started laughing. “It's the same...”
“Wait, you don't mean...”
“Yeah, I do. That power you're using, I had been training my whole life for it.”
I thought back. I thought back to when I first spoke to Emperor Ōtori. He did say there was a girl that was meant to become a Magic Knight, but since the Stargazer chose me...
“You call it WarMaster, right? That power was supposed to be mine...” She smirked, mocking me. “You must be feeling awful lucky right now, huh?”
“Tell me, who are you, really? You called yourself Láng, but I know that's not your real name.”
“Xuè Shísān. I was the youngest child of the Shísān family before another boy was born two years ago. Once word spread that a child under the same Birth Star was chosen, my mother threw me out like so much trash. No magical knighthood for me,” she said, shrugging, “but it's okay, right? It's not a big deal, you're a hero, right? You can solve my problem, can't you, Magic Knight?”
Because of that, even if only for a few moments, I hated myself. I suddenly regretted hitting her. The training she went through to be chosen must have been hellish, and then she wound up in that forest... While the pain I've caused her was indirect, what I had done was somehow worse than if I had hit her a hundred, no, a thousand times. Perhaps even worse than if I had killed her. I had no right to punch her back...
“No, I can't,” I said, trying not to make myself look more shameful than I already did. “I can't ever make something like that right, ever.” Unsure what else to do, I found myself kneeling. “I can never make it right, so do with me as you please. I've heard that Magic Knights that die can pass on their powers to those under the same Birth Star. Hit me until you're satisfied. Until the life leaves my body. Until these powers belong to you, as they should have in the first place.”
I couldn't bring myself to look up, but I could hear her sighing. “No. No, I won't do that.” She knelt down and touched my face. “This is kind of your fault, but it can't be helped, right? You're not the person I should be angry with.” She placed her hand on my chin, prompting me to lift my head up. “You don't deserve to die, so I won't kill you. Just... remember that I need you to do me a favor, got it?”
I was shocked. Was she really willing to let me go with just this? “Truly? Is that all you want?”
“Yes. You just have to do me this favor and it's alright.”
I was almost moved to tears... “Yes! Yes, I will do it, Xuè! Anything, no matter what it is, I'll do it! Just tell me what you want!”
“Nope, not telling you, yet.”
“Eh?” For a moment, I was confused. How could I do her a favor if she wouldn't tell me what it was?
“Don't worry, I'll tell you when the time is right. Until then... don't die, okay?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “I'll do it. I'll live. It's a promise!” I reached out for a handshake.
Instead of taking my hand, Láng wrapped herself around me, embracing me. Being a teenage boy, I couldn't help being excited, but I was more nervous than anything else. It didn't matter, though. What I was most concerned with was keeping my promise. What I wanted most was to make things right for her...
“Thank you, my Magic Knight. Thank you, Grey...”
Grey...
Grey...!
“Grey!”
All of the sudden, I find myself laying on the ground. Flèche's face is hanging above me, blocking the bright sun.
“Ah, you've finally woken up!” She smiles, then stands. I sit up and notice the bandages on my right knee.
“What happened?” I remember feeling terrible pain in my knee and falling over. Then I summoned swords for Láng so she could fight Ghostmask, and... everything is a blur after that.
“Láng fought them off by herself, Grey,” Flèche says.
“Is she okay!?” Unable to contain my worry, I try to stand up and look for her, but pain shoots through my knee, immediately sending me tumbling back to the ground. Not quite as bad as before, but it still hurts.
“Don't try to stand! You still haven't fully recovered! Pain and suffering, be undone...” A light appears on her hands. She places that light on my wounded knee. “Normally, I'd let you regenerate, because you'll be okay after the little injuries you usually get, but this knee was completely blown open... This isn't going to heal itself.” After a couple more seconds of Flèche healing me, the pain starts to go away.
“So, how long was I out?”
“Not even a half-hour,” Flèche says, “I don't think. I did tend to Láng before coming to treat you, so don't worry about her.”
“Was it bad?” I don't know why I've bothered to ask, given that she just said Láng is fine, but I guess I just can't help myself.
“...she would have died if I wasn't here to heal her.” Flèche looks very sad when she says this, but then she smiles. “But I managed to save her, see?” She points to Láng, sitting on the ground to my left, with Shu sitting nearby and talking to her. “Healing is something I'm rather good at, so I won't let either of you die. You can count on it.” She stands again. “Come on, try standing, now.”
“Okay.” I push myself off the ground and take my feet under me. There's still a little pain, but it's nothing compared to what I felt earlier, and it should go away on its own. “It's good.” That makes Flèche smile. “Are we ready to go?”
“Láng?” Flèche calls. Láng stands up from where she's sitting and gives a quick nod.
“Alright,” I say, watching Láng help Shu off of the ground. “Into the forest we go.” I take a deep breath, and prepare myself to step inside, knowing everyone else is behind me. Feeling little fear, now, I enter the Lunar Forest...
...
Heading deeper into the forest, I've noticed... it's the middle of summer, isn't it? Why do the trees look so dead? Why do orange leaves cover the ground? Where are all the animals? Something is definitely wrong. Indeed, if a dragon is here...
“You missed it, Magic Knight Grey!" I suddenly realize that Shu has come up front with me, which snaps me out of my thoughts. "Láng fought them off all by herself! It was amazing!”
His enthusiasm gets me thinking back to the first time I saw Láng fight. Yeah, at the time, I truly was amazed. Walking through the forest still, I smile at Shu and nod.
“Is it true that she has no magic, though?” Shu asks.
“Hmm, what, Shu? Why?”
“I asked Láng what kind of magic she was using during the fight, but she said that she can't use any.” Shu laughs nervously. “I mean, she was joking, right? She seems like she messes around like that a lot, so I think she was pulling my leg. There's no way a normal human can fight like that, right?”
“Láng was telling you the truth,” I say, casually.
“What!?” Shu raises an eyebrow. I have to admit, it's always funny when people react like this. “Ah, you're in on the joke, too, aren't you? Come, now, Magic Knight, this has gone on long enough, don't you think? So, what magic is she using?”
Walking forward, I just say: “I said she doesn't use any. It's not a joke, Láng can't do magic.”
I look at Shu again, and he seems to have been taken completely aback. “You're serious, aren't you... You really mean to tell me that Láng isn't a Magic Knight?”
I look back at him and shake my head. “She isn't. All of her sword-fighting abilities come from talent, intense training, and skill. She's developed all of that power by herself. No Stargazer ever gave her any gift of Knighthood.”
For a moment, Shu is left speechless. He starts to speak about a minute later.
“...I can't believe it. It's so... ridiculous, but you're telling me the truth, aren't you? I guess there are some really crazy things in this world, huh?”
I nod. “Yes, indeed.”
“But yeah, it's amazing,” Shu says, smiling. “Even though she hasn't been Knighted, I hope that one day, the chance for that to happen comes her way. She'd make a great Magic Knight.”
I have a ton of thoughts on that... far too many, some too painful, but I choose to voice the simplest one. “Yes. Yes, she would.” I keep walking forward... “Yo, Shu, we are going the right way, aren't we?”
“Yeah,” Shu says. “The Tree of Luna is in the center of the forest. I can feel us getting closer to it... Just keep going.”
“Gotcha,” I say, smiling. Our walk through the forest continues...
...
“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
Out of the darkness of the forest, arrives the undead knight from before, approaching us with his large, black sword in hand. “The Lady of the Forest is just ahead,” he says. “I will not disappoint her. All four of you must turn back, or die here!”
Láng steps forward with no hesitation. However, for a moment, she just stands there, looking at him. I eventually notice what is bothering her. The armor that's been broken by Ghostmask has not been restored. I can see the otherworldly glow coming from inside of it.
“The Lady of the Forest has not restored you to full power,” Láng says, then, to the surprise of Shu and Flèche, she walks into the shade of a nearby tree and sits there, swords sheathed. “I will not fight you. Not like this. Return to your Lady and come back, completely prepared.”
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“But Láng--” Shu starts.
“Calm down, I got it...” I cut him off and walk over to Láng. “Láng, this is no time to be selfish. Let's just stomp this guy, since you seem to know how to beat him, and move on.”
“No.”
“Come on, now, just sacrifice your pride for a few minutes, so--”
“Shut up! It's not about pride!” It couldn't be more obvious that she's lying.
“You know, I can usually count on you to be honest,” I say, kneeling down so I can see her face. “Fine, then. What's the problem?”
Láng averts my gaze, looking toward the undead knight. “It's not about my pride, it's about his.” I look at the knight, myself. “He's arrogant enough to come out here and face us, despite being not being at full strength because of the last fight. It's like he means to mock me...”
Hearing that, the knight laughs. “You pompous mortal girl! You're still saying ridiculous things like that... It makes no difference if my armor is complete or not! The end result will be the same!”
“Yeah, of course,” Láng says, “the end result of me killing you.” She stands up and starts to draw one of the swords I had given her. “At least, the way I wanted to do it, you would have been able to keep a little dignity.” Sword drawn, she now holds it in front of her. “Grey.”
“What is it?” I ask, standing next to her.
“I'm assuming you'll want to help, although either way, this will be over quickly.” Instead of complaining about what she just said, I simply nod. “Use something heavy, like a great axe. You have one, right?”
I go digging through my sack of scrolls, find the one I'm looking for, and open it. I touch the “钺” and send my mana flowing into it. The handle of the axe comes through the scroll. I grab it and pull the whole axe out. Normally, these would be awful heavy, but...
“WarMaster!” Thanks to this spell's ability, and my heightened strength, I can barely feel the weight at all. I now hold the great axe with both hands.
“Strike his chest,” Láng says to me. “We need to expose whatever's glowing inside his armor so we can strike it and defeat him.” She seems to smile as she says this: “Though you might protest, I'll distract him, this time. When you see an opening, hit him with the axe.”
I don't bother raising a complaint, knowing she won't back down even if I do. I just smile and nod.
“Alright...” Láng dashes forward. “Here I come!” As she runs toward him, the undead swings at her feet. Láng hops, and, in midair, slashes diagonally at the knight's face. Would now be a good time to strike...
Just as I think to move in, the undead knight tries to swat Láng away with his free hand. She quickly steps back, and then counterattacks, stabbing at the joint in his armor's left arm. The strange black blood spills out of the joint where Láng stabbed him. Suddenly, I feel it... I need to move, now!
As I dash toward them, I see the knight raise his sword overhead, then bring it down. However, Láng easily deflects it with her sword. While he stands there, stunned, she moves out of the way, and I come from right behind her...
“RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” I lift the axe above my head, then swing diagonally, bringing the axe down with a loud crash. I can now see what he was hiding behind this armor...
I see what looks like a gem of some sort. A gem, attached to his flesh where his heart should be. The “skin” surrounding the gem is pitch black, veins are spreading out from the gem, seemingly all over his body. I have never seen anything like this... I don't believe I have, at least...
Suddenly, an arrow goes flying into the gem, breaking it. I look at it and see that it's just an ordinary arrow. For it to have broken the gem... it must have been enhanced by magic.
“Flèche?”
“Well, I couldn't just sit back and let you two have all the fun, now, could I?” Flèche says, holding her magic bow in her right hand. I gotta say, I almost forgot that she had that thing... This is the first time she's pulled it out on this quest, as far as I know. She approaches, walking past us and kneeling down to look at the undead knight.
“...Is this is end...? Will I pass away, being of no use to my Lady? Even this time... even this time... I have failed her.”
“What do you mean?” Flèche asks, calmly.
“Do you know of the Thirteen Houses War, foreign girl? I was of the House of Yī. It was my duty, no, my purpose in life, to guard Lady Yī. However, I was arrogant. I was no match for the Phoenix Emperor and his men. I failed her... but it wasn't over! By some miracle, Lady Yī came back from beyond the grave and breathed new life into me! I thought to myself, the gods have given me another chance! The Lady told me that she needed the prayers from the Lunar Forest to stay alive, so I brought her here, and told myself I would guard her with my life, but even this time... I have failed her...”
Láng, Flèche, and I all share a knowing look. We've all come to the conclusion that this Lady of the Forest can't possibly be his Lady Yī.
“The prayers of the forest...” Shu says, to himself. “That means...”
“Yeah,” I say, “the Lady is the one causing the corruption. The undead we've been seeing, here, have been raised by her.”
“This is correct,” the knight says. “If you... purify the spirit of Lady Yī... the corruption will stop and the prayers will reach the goddess again...”
Flèche asks: “Shu, would you be able to prepare a Holy Blessing? This Lady is likely something my Inmortuorum Vertunt will not work on.”
“I will try.”
Flèche turns to the knight again. “Knight of Yī, worry not. This shall all be over, soon. You've endured a great pain. However, despair not. You shall pass on to the next life, and hopefully find peace.” Her hands glow, and she touches the broken gem. “Inmortuorum Vertunt.”
With that, the undead knight begins to fade away... “Ah, perhaps... for it to end like this...” He sheds a single tear. “For it to end like this... perhaps it isn't bad after all...” He smiles. It was the first real smile I've seen on him, and, of course, it will be the last. In that moment, I find myself hoping that he finds peace... and then he is gone.
“May you rest in peace.” Flèche stands up, now. “Well, are we all ready? Let's go and cleanse the forest. Our quest is almost over.” She smiles, saying this. “Grey, lead the way.”
Nodding, I walk forward. “Alright, Let's go, everybody.” We head onward. Deeper into the forest...
...
We finally reach the center of Luna's Forest. We stand at the tree, larger than any other tree in this forest. At the base of the tree, the Lady of the Forest is waiting for us.
“I see. So he died...” She looks at us with hellish, purple eyes. The instant I see them, I know something... just isn't right. How I am unnerved by her grey hair and unnaturally pale skin is beyond me. Somehow, it feels very familiar... yet this feeling isn't as strong as the one in my memory.
“Shu,” I whisper, “what do you need to prepare a blessing?”
“Time,” he says. “I just need time.”
“Alright. You will get plenty of it.” I walk towards the Lady of the Forest. Láng and Flèche follow me. I hear Shu speak, preparing to purify the Lady. Standing here, I say to the Lady...
“You're a dragon, aren't you?” Láng and Flèche look at me after I ask this question, but remain silent and keep listening.
“That's correct, mortal,” She says, smiling. “You've encountered a dragon before, haven't you?”
“I have to say, you don't seem as strong as the other dragon I have seen. You're not at your full strength, are you?”
“You're smarter than you look,” she says, giggling. “That's right, I've lost a lot of power on my trip to this plain, the world of the humans...” A twisted grin... “I happened to be near this forest, so I decided to twist the prayers to that goddess Luna and use them for my power. Of course, I wouldn't be able to do this if a bunch of brave adventurers on a quest of glory or whatever else came and thought of slaying me. So I sacrificed some of the little power I had to reanimate that guy and keep people from disturbing me. Manipulating him was easy, all I had to do was search through his memories and make myself appear to him as his Lady Yī.”
“So you just used his emotions for your own benefit...” I see... that knight was a victim, too... “That's... that's terrible! Why did you have to toy with him like that!?”
“Because it's funny.” She grins again, showing her sharp dragon teeth. “Humans are funny things, so sometimes, us dragons come and play with them, like this!” She stands. A horrible aura exudes from her... “Sometimes they break, and that sucks, but I can always find a new toy, right?”
“DAMN YOU!!!” I can't listen to this anymore! Messing with people like that... Messing with the dead like that... Unforgivable! I'll kill--
“Get down!” Suddenly, I'm knocked over. Before I realize what is going on, I feel strong heat just above me. Once the heat is gone, Flèche gets off of me and stands up. “Are you okay?”
She reaches out her hand, and I take it. “Yeah.”
Shu shouts out: “Magic Knights! I just need a little more time! Distract her just a moment longer, please!”
“Got it.” Let's see... I have to think rationally. I do not think I can take a dragon in a straight up fight. Even with Láng and Flèche here, we won't be able to beat her. We would need to be stronger than we are... Our only option is fight defensively and wait for Shu to finish... “Alright, let's do it! Flèche, cast a spell that will protect us! Láng, for now, watch the dragon carefully.”
“Alright.”
“Gotcha!”
I watch as the “Lady of the Forest” begins to change. Her pale skin becomes black scales, looking similar to those the undead knight was wearing. From her head grows two ram-like horns, and her grey hair becomes like porcupine spines... she continues to grow in size. She begins to inhale, and her throat starts to glow... not good.
“Vento Scutum!” Just before the flame hits us, a powerful wind surrounds us all, protecting us, like a shield. The dragon quickly sees that her attack isn't working, however, and stops breathing fire.
“Oh, twisted creature who fills their cup with rage at the divine arrangement...” I hear Shu start to chant.
The dragon stands on its hind legs, somehow extends its front claws, and swipes them at us. The wind shield will not be able to protect us from this...
“Everyone get out of the way!” With the split second we have, we all jump into the sky. The attack barely misses, but tears up the ground where the dragon struck. She's barely missed Shu, who hasn't moved...
We fall back to the ground, and form a “wall” around Shu. The dragon makes a fist...
“!!!” Thinking as fast as I can, I go through my scrolls and pull out as many as I can with “盾”, about twenty, and I throw them up into the air. I have to charge a lot of mana for this to work... Flame within my soul, burn ever hotter, that I may overcome any challenge! Burn... Burn...! BURN!
“SHIELD!” All the mana that I've built up goes out... It touches every scroll, and out from each of them comes a shield. I'm not done, yet, though. I reach out my hand to the shields, and continue to manipulate my mana...
“Be bound!” With that, all twenty shields connect to each other, forming one large shield.
“...behold the price for opposing the order of the gods!” Shu continues to prepare the blessing...
The dragon's fist finally comes down! The sound of impact... The shield was able to withstand it, but the dragon pounds the shield again... again... again...
I hear the shield crack. Damn, I can't do anything! Come on, a little longer! Just a little longer!
CRASH
The shield shatters... The dragon's fist comes right toward us, Immediately, I think to dive and pull Shu out the way...!
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The ground breaks under the power of the dragon's fist. It almost looks as if there was an earthquake of sorts... “Shu, you alright?”
“Yes...” He presents to me a small piece of paper, which I assume holds the Holy Blessing. “Touch her with this. It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as it reaches her...”
“...we win,” I say, taking it from him.
The dragon seems to notice what's going on, and the wings on its back spread. It flies... higher... higher... higher, still.
“Here I go.” I pull out another “剣” scroll, and shout “Sword!” putting my mana into it. I pull the sword from the scroll, and then I pull out another scroll. One last “盾” scroll. “Shield!” I pull the shield from the scroll, and charge mana into my feet.
I jump. I jump higher than any human possibly could. Into the sky. With the birds, and even higher. The dragon's throat lights up, and it shoots one more blast of fire at me. I hold the shield up before it's too late. The fire blocks my view of the dragon, burns my skin...
Come on, Grey... it's not so bad. You've been through worse...! You have to keep going! You have to endure! Endure it! I know you can! Go! Keep going!
I discard the shield, burned beyond use, and keep going...
“RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”
I appear out of the flames like a demon out of Hell. I affix the Blessed charm to my sword and stab at the dragon. I tear through its underbelly like a hot knife through butter. I now slash, opening it up vertically!
“RAAAAWWWWWWRR!!!” Gallons upon gallons of black blood spill out. Both me and the dragon go falling to the ground. It's no question that the dragon is dead. I did it... I did it...
…
……
.........
“Grey, wake up!”
I find myself lying on the ground again, this time, next to the great tree of Luna's Forest. This time, it's Láng who I see watching over me. When she sees me open my eyes, a smile comes to her face.
“You're alright!” She embraces me. “You did an awesome job, Grey. You did great.” Unable to think of a better reaction, I just smile.
“Shu,” Flèche says, “are you ready to pray to the goddess, now?”
“Yes.” I see Shu approach the tree, kneel down, and start to pray quietly...
It's just a little at first, but I can feel it. Life is being restored to this forest... grass grows, green returns to the trees... That horrible aura brought on by the dragon is gone. I needn't see it all, but I know its divine beauty has returned...
“Grey, look,” Láng says to me. Flèche is looking upwards, as well. I look up and see it...
A beautiful woman... white hair... gentle blue eyes... a warm smile... a crescent mark on her forehead...
“Luna...”
Ah, yes, it is her... Looking down, smiling at us, perhaps even thanking us... I can see her...
What an amazing moment... I really am in the presence of a goddess...