Several hours had passed since our departure from the City of Lights. We walked in silence, and no one dared to disturb it. The only time anyone spoke was for direction purposes, asking if we were going the right way, or which way was the correct path when it split into two. The atmosphere was tense, with Hikari now accompanying Athena and I. Despite our hours of walking, we were still in the Verdant Hills. The grass was a dark, lush green that was often as tall as our waists. We had to stick to the path to avoid walking in its dense blades. There was a tree every now and again on the path, though it was mostly devoid of the wooden giants: just the grass and the occasional breeze.

Athena and I were walking ahead of Hikari, who wasn’t far behind us. Athena let out a deep sigh and slowed her walking pace down, letting Hikari catch up to her. Hikari paid no mind to Athena’s kind gesture and kept walking.

“So… Hikari, was it?” Athena asked, finally breaking the deafening silence.

Hikari snarked and looked back at Athena, who was now behind her, “Yeah. Hikari.”

Athena clicked her tongue, “Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. You really don't have a second name?”

“My people only have one name.”

“I see… Who are your people?”

“None of your concern.”

“Alright then… Well, it’s human tradition to adopt the second name of the person you get married to. Do your people do anything like that?”

“No.”

“Oh. That’s a… Shame…” Athena cleared her throat before speaking again, “I think combining your two names would be cute! Since you don’t have a second name and all, why not combine the two?”

“Too complicated.”

“Oh, c’mon! It’s just to show your devotion to one another! I mean, I guess you can always show your devotion to one another in different ways- Oh! Do you guys do anything special to show devotion to your loved one? Any kind of ceremonies or anything?”

“No.”

“No…? Do you guys do anything at all for your significant other? Do you guys get married?”

“Marriages are held, yes.”

“Oh, good! Now we’re getting somewhere! What do you do after marriage? Is there a honeymoon? Maybe some kind of tradition your people take on?”

“Sex.” Hikari was already annoyed the moment Athena tried to speak to her, but her tone took a different shift now.

“Sex? Anything else? I mean, surely there’s more to it than just that, right? You guys spend quality time with one another, right?”

Hikari shrugged, “Not married. Wouldn’t know.”

“Well, do you like the concept of a honeymoon at least? What about my idea of combining names? Is there anything you’d like to do in specific after getting married?”

“No.”

Athena let out a winded sigh, “Back to square one…”

Hikari finally stopped in her tracks, letting Athena walk up to her, “Stop talking to me.”

“Huh? I’m just trying to make small talk and get to know you better. I mean, you kinda just tagged along on our journey, and you seem powerful, so I appreciate it, but-”

“Stop talking. I cannot handle your constant nagging voice. ‘Do you guys get married? Do you guys take their second names? You should combine the two!’” Hikari mocked.

“Hikari, I’m just trying to be friendly, I want to be your friend-”

Hikari cut her off again, “If you want to make my acquaintance, you can start by shutting the hell up.” Athena was offended, but didn’t bother replying. She fastened her pace to catch up with me.

“You know Lush,” She whispered. “I’m surprised you’re allowing someone like her to follow along.” I stood silent for a moment, remembering what occurred back at the City of Lights with Hikari. I felt sick.

“I’m sorry,” I finally said. “I ask that you just bear with her. She’s… I’m one of her kind. She knows more than I do. She can help me, teach me. I’m sure with her guidance, I’ll be able to protect everyone better. Just like the man in your stories.”

Athena looked up at me concerned, “Lush, please don’t overwhelm yourself. You don’t have to be like Yuki, you aren’t him.”

“But I took on a name after him. I must represent him well. He gave your people hope in their time of need. I will do the same. I must. To protect everyone. To protect you.”

“Lush…” She grabbed my hand, “Thank you. I’m just worried.”

“You don’t need to be.”

Athena took a deep breath, “I’ll try not to. Please, let’s speak tonight. I still have a lot I want to tell you. I just want to be away from… Hikari.”

I nodded, “We can do that.” Athena let out a bright smile and began to lean on my shoulder, staying close to me. I felt Hikari’s gaze at the back of my head. I felt tense, despite being so close to Athena’s warmth. I couldn’t relax, not under the presence of Hikari, and I sensed she knew this.

Time began to pass, the blue sky turning black, with only the newly formed moon to guide us with its light. Athena quickly became tired, so we ended up setting camp on the side of the road. I helped light a small fire to keep her warm and to cook some rabbit meat, cooking a rabbit stew with Athena’s help. The Verdant Hills were filled with a lot more animals than The Peaks, which allowed us to live off the land a lot better. Athena poured herself a bowl and sat down, while Hikari simply wandered off.

Athena set her bowl to the side, “Lush? Can I tell you what I discovered about Yuki back at the City of Lights?” I nodded, stuffing my face with food. Athena giggled, “You weren’t such a messy eater when I first met you.”

“I was being polite back then, I’m more comfortable around you now.”

“Aw, that’s nice to know.”

I swallowed my food, “Now, what was that about Yuki?”

“Oh, right. What I was telling you back there on the wall, Yuki’s adventure, was so much more than any of us initially thought.”

“How so?”

“Well, apparently no one knows the full story. But from what I was able to piece together, Yuki did abandon our village… In fact, he abandoned the village that would come to be the City of Lights, too. He kept moving east. I’m afraid that Yuki isn’t the man who we thought he was…”

“Do you have any clue on why he left both of the villages to fend for themselves?”

Athena shook her head, “That’s the thing, Lush. No one knows why he just up and left one day. In both villages, it’s a mystery. However, there’s one key difference between Yukigakure and the City of Lights…”

“That being?”

“Well, Yukigakure stayed as it was. It stayed a village, and according to our stories, the Night came back in full swing the moment Yuki left. But in the City of Lights? Not only did the small village go on to be a great city, but they don’t have tales of the Night returning. An age of prosperity came after Yuki left, while a dark age came for us…” Athena was visibly frustrated, she gripped her spoon tightly and began to shake.

I grabbed her hand, “Athena, I’m sure there’s an explanation for it all.”

She let out an exhalation from her nose, “Maybe you’re right. I just don’t understand it at all. His reasons for leaving, and why our two stories of what came after are so different. Maybe one is wrong? History wasn’t recorded correctly? It’s all hearsay, after all.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll find the answers. You said Yuki continued to travel east, did you not?”

“Allegedly, yes.”

“Then we will go east too. We’ll find your peace of mind.” Athena let out a bright smile as the wind danced through her dark purple hair, she was beautiful.

“Thank you. I’m glad to have finally told you that.”

“I’m glad you told me too,” I went back to eating the stew.

“Can we talk about Hikari though? What’s this about you being a spirit? I’m not fully understanding.” I felt something bubble inside me when she asked about Hikari, I quickly lost my appetite.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, “I understand just about as much as you do. Hikari claims that she and I are spirits. Spirits of a different kind, but spirits nonetheless. I’m apparently an Ice Spirit, and she’s one of light.”

“A Light Spirit?”

“Yes.”

“I see. Can she do what you do? Can she just create light?”

“From what I observed when I fought alongside her, she can. She can concentrate light so much that it acts as a solid, strong enough to pierce through the Night’s skin with ease. And blast away my ice…” I felt myself lose concentration as my breathing became heavy.

“Blast away your ice?”

I snapped back to reality, “Yes. She’s also older than me,” I changed the subject, I didn’t want Athena to know what had happened. “Much older than me. She’s more experienced and knows more about us. So I need her around. I need to learn who I truly am. She also claims she can help train me or bring out my true potential rather.”

Athena was stunned, “Your true potential? As in your actual powers?”

I nodded, “How to control my ice better, manipulate the ice and snow, and better create it too.”

“Manipulate the ice and snow, wow.”

“She called it our birthright, to manipulate the environment around us.”

“Birthright? I guess you spirits are kind of a big deal, huh? Well, I hope you get the answers you’re looking for, Lush.”

“I’m just using her to help me better understand myself and to better control my powers. Afterward, I’ll ask her to leave.” I gripped my bowl tightly.

Athena leaned on my shoulders, she was drowsy, “I’d like that.”

The bubbling feeling I had finally started to disappear, “I would too.” I didn’t know what I was feeling, though thinking about Hikari caused me to get tense and uncomfortable. However, with Athena next to me, it helped ease these feelings. I rested on Athena’s head and closed my eyes, finally drifting to sleep.

Come the next morning, we were awoken by Hikari who had created a bright light and was shining it in our faces. Her face was displeased and had annoyance written all over it.

“Wake up already, we’ve got a lot more traveling to do,” She announced. I forced myself up, Athena following not too far behind.

“Sorry,” I began. “Recently it’s just been very chaotic and tiring. I haven’t been able to sleep well.”

Hikari pulled me aside, “Which is understandable. But you shouldn’t be sleeping next to her like that.”

“Why, what’s the problem if I do?”

“She’s human. Don’t get too attached.” Hikari poked my chest, trying to get her point across. I ignored her and made my way back to Athena, who was still half asleep. I got the map from her and navigated where we were supposed to be going. I gave it back to her, and we finally started our journey once again.

It didn’t take much walking for our landscape to finally change. Trees became more frequent until we were in a full-blown forest, still sticking to the premade path that lay ahead of us. The grass shrunk in size and made room for the trees, which were dense and occupied most of the space. They were tall, reaching hundreds of feet tall, their branches reaching the sky, barely letting any sunlight through. I was amazed by its magnificence, it reminded me of The Peaks, just without the snow. There was even a river nearby, the sound of the water crashing against some rocks through the rapids.

Athena walked beside me, “Lush, this place is gorgeous! I’ve never seen anything like it, I mean, these trees are just massive!”

I couldn’t help but smile at seeing her so excited, “It truly is a sight to behold.”

“You two never been here before?” Hikari was still trailing behind us.

“No, never,” Athena answered. “I’ve never ventured far from Yukigakure. I did some local trading when I was younger, but I never even went as far as the City of Lights.”

Hikari laughed, “Wow, you should have really gone out more. These sorts of things are normal sightings to myself.”

“Where do you come from anyway?” Athena asked.

“I just travel. Been looking for someone like Yukio for a while, just been hoping to find someone like him.” I didn’t say anything to her comment. I didn’t want to put attention to it.

Athena was a little concerned, “I see. So you’re homeless?”

Hikari became offended, “I choose to live this way! I could easily settle wherever I wanted to, hell I could stay in the capital if I wanted to sit around and do nothing all day!”

“Capital?” I asked.

“Yes, the damn capital!” Hikari exclaimed. “What’s so confusing about it?!”

“What’s a capital? A city?”

Hikari calmed down, “You don’t know what a capital is? Seriously?”

I shook my head, “You were right yesterday. I awakened not too long ago. I don’t have much knowledge outside Yukigakure.”

“I see. Did they not teach you anything about where you truly reside over there?”

Athena spoke up, “Well, we didn’t have the chance to. It was all chaotic at the beginning, and once things started to settle down, Lush became busy helping around the village. There wasn’t much time for lectures on the outside world.”

“So he literally doesn’t know anything?”

“The City of Lights and Yukigakure is as far as I’m aware of,” I answered.

Hikari sighed, “The City of Lights, Yukigakure, and all the other big cities and small villages are all united under a single flag, a single government. A kingdom. This kingdom has a capital city, of course. It’s smack-dab right in the middle of the continent. It’s where all the big decisions are made, where the king resides, all of that crap. We’re so far from it, though, being on the west coast.”

“I see. Have you been to the capital?” I asked.

“I have.”

“Wait, really?” Athena was intrigued, “What’s it like? I’ve heard a lot of things about it!”

“It’s massive. Way bigger than the City of Lights. Hell, I’d argue that the damn castle is the size of the City of Lights alone. It’s also really strict over there. I couldn’t catch a break, constantly being stopped because of the way I dress. Don’t even get me started on all the old men there. Seems like the only people that live there are just a bunch of old government officials.”

“Ah, well, that’s disappointing,” Athena remarked. “I mean, surely it’s nice over there, right?”

“The City of Lights takes it for appearance-wise, but the capital takes it for the vibe it gives off. The City of Lights just feels like a big commercial, built to attract tourists. The capital feels like a proper home, there’s a lot more greenery-” I slowly started to drown out Hikari’s voice, paying more attention to the forest we were in, and Athena's smile.

For the first time, Hikari and Athena were holding a proper conversation, and both seemed to be enjoying it. It made me happy to see them finally get along, and I started to think that things would go smoother than I thought. I still had some fear in the back of my mind, but I remained optimistic.

Eventually, I felt a tap from behind me, “Hello? Hikari to Yukio, is anything going on in that head of yours?”

I felt tense at her tap, but I calmed soon after, “I’m here and listening. What is it?”

“Clearly not listening since you didn’t answer.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I got lost in thought.”

“Right, well, I guess I’ll say it again. You and I will start your training tonight. There’s a lot to go through, so just be ready when the time arrives.”

I nodded, “I’ll be ready.”

“Sure you will be,” Hikari finally backed away from me and continued her conversation with Athena. I zoned out quickly, though I know Athena was telling Hikari about our home. It’s history, the villagers, and so on. It was adoring to see. Soon enough, though, we had set up camp to wait out the night once again.

The forest’s atmosphere had changed drastically with the sun gone. With how tall the trees were, the moonlight could barely pierce the branches to illuminate what was in front of us. Most of the noises caused by animals had also disappeared, and the forest had fallen asleep. It was just the sound of the water from the river that had been following us.

Athena looked up towards the trees, “When are you and Hikari gonna begin your training?”

I shrugged, “Not a clue, I don’t even know where she wandered off to.” There was some rustling in the nearby bushes, Hikari emerging from them. Her hair was slightly ruffled.

“Yukio, you ready?” Her voice was stern.

I stood up, dusting myself off, “As ready as I will ever be.”

“Great,” She gestured to follow her. “I’ve cleared out an open area for us. So let’s get to it.” I waved goodbye to Athena and allowed Hikari to lead me to the space she cleared. She had cut down several of the trees and laid them to the side, leaving the stumps in the ground, but clearing everything else. With the trees gone, the moonlight was able to shine down and illuminate everything properly.

“You did all of this?” I was stunned at the number of trees she cut down in the short amount of time, even moving the logs by herself. I suppose this was the power of a spirit.

“Of course. You have to better yourself somehow, but not with the trees in the way. They’d become a distraction and unnecessary obstacle,” She answered while stretching. “Now come on. Go on the other side of the field and get ready.” I did as she instructed and began my stretches, even though I had never stretched before a fight in my life.

“Ready when you are,” I announced.

“Alright then. Come hit me.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You heard me. Come hit me.”

“I’m not going to go hit you,” I was intimidated.

“Do as I say and hit me. Or I’ll hit you.” She threatened. I sighed and bolted towards her, swinging at her face. As I did, I noticed she was tracking me perfectly with her eyes. She caught my fist with her hand. “Surely that’s not all, right?” She began to squeeze my fist.

“Let go and give me another attempt. You’ll get hit like you want to be,” I was more scared than anything, I was just trying to intimidate her.

She laughed, letting go of me, “Alright, sure. Try it again, won’t you?” I backed off and created some space between us before attempting again. I tried to create some snow to help me, but just couldn’t manifest it. Hikari noticed it. I tried swinging once more, but she dodged backward, causing me to miss. Using the momentum I had, I tried to follow through with a kick. She blocked it with her arm. The impact caused a gust of wind.

“You’re fast and strong, I’ll give you that. But in comparison to a spirit, you’re slow and weak. You can’t even control your element. Too much time with the humans, perhaps?” She pushed my foot off her. “Try to create some snow here.”

“I can’t do it at will,” I told her.

“Sure you can. I’ve seen you do it before, and you’re a spirit. It’s what you were designed to do.”

I sighed, “The circumstances were different. I cannot just create snow like you can with your light.”

“You mean you can’t do this?” Hikari created multiple spears of light in the sky, all directed at me.

I didn’t break eye contact, “No, I can’t.”

“So, how did you make your weapons and walls of snow and ice during the fight at the City of Lights?”

“All I know is when I’m able to, I don’t feel like myself.”

Hikari tilted her head, “Now that you mention it, your hair is a different color,” Her eyes lit up in realization. “You were in your awakened state! Of course, that’s what it was!”

I was confused, “What the hell is an awakened state? Everyone mentions it, but I have no idea what it is, or how to use it.”

Hikari laughed, “Oh, you don’t get it.” She launched her spears of light at me, trying to impale me. I manifested a sword into my hands and parried the oncoming spears. “There it is, Yukio!” She yelled while charging at me. She swung a sword at me, hardly leaving me with time to deflect it. I put up my blade in defense, blocking her strikes. “Your blade is beautiful! Show me more!” She threw more spears in my direction while sparring with me.

I started to get overwhelmed with what was happening. Having to deflect the coming spears while battling Hikari became intense. She let out a mad laugh and created another sword, duel wielding and becoming more aggressive, while not letting up on the spears.

“I said show me more, Yukio!” She yelled. She launched the spears while simultaneously charging me from the front, forcing me to choose between blocking the spears and sparring with her. She started to laugh as her pupils became small and sharp. It felt like checkmate, but I had created a dome of ice to protect me from above, the spears bouncing off as Hikari’s blades crashed with mine.

“Your ice is marvelous, Yukio!” She complimented me as I struggled to keep her from cutting me. “But is it strong enough?” She created spears bigger in size and continued to launch them at me, bouncing off the dome, but each one cracked the ice even more. “What will you do, Yukio?! Show me your power!” She began to put more weight on her blades, pushing me back as I continued to struggle to hold her. Finally, my ice gave out and broke, allowing one of the spears to burst in. In only milliseconds, I smashed the ground with my foot, letting out a gasp for air, causing a blast of snow to burst out of my body. The impact was powerful, blasting everything backwards, including Hikari. I stood there panting, trying to catch my breath, while still staying in a defensive stance.

Hikari was buried in snow and struggled to get out of it. Once she did, she cleaned herself of everything and smiled brightly, “That was amazing! Come here, quick!” Taking a final deep breath, I walked toward her. Once I got close, she grabbed my arm and pulled me in, frightening me. She grabbed my blade and pulled it out of my hands, marveling at it.

“Careful, it’s-”

“Freezing!” She was excited. “How do you hold this thing, I can feel it burning my skin! And look at the edge, it’s perfect and so sharp, no wonder you have no trouble cutting through the Night’s skin! Even better, look at the design on this blade! The veins of your sword are so curvy and elegant, the way they swoop in close but never touch is amazing! There’s even smaller veins branching off of the main veins, incredible! It’s so majestic and symmetrical, you should be proud!”

“Thank you, I-”

“And this snow!” She wouldn’t let me get my words out. “It’s also very cold, but warm at the same time? Not warm exactly, but rather warmer than normal snow, how is that possible? And your dome of ice, it was strong enough to withstand a few of my bigger spears! Hell, even that dome of yours had a design on it too! Can you create another one?”

“I told you I can’t do it on command.”

“Right, you don’t know how to yet. Say, what about that slide of snow you made after the battle at the City of Lights?”

“It came naturally, for reasons I can’t really explain.”

“Maybe if I can make you enter that state again…” She started to giggle to herself.

“Don’t do anything dumb.”

“Oh, no no! Don’t worry. Yet. Instead of forcing that form out of you, how about we just practice your manipulation without it?”

I smiled in relief, “Yes, let’s.”

“Great! Alright, let me tell you how our powers work. Our kind uses two main factors in order to produce what we want. Our emotions and the air surrounding us. Make sense?”

“No, not really.”

“Here, think of it this way; when creating your snow, don’t focus so much on trying to create it, but rather the reason you’re trying to create it. Your intention plays a huge factor in how to control your abilities. The stronger your intention, and your emotions, the more powerful the effect will become. Understand?”

“Sort of. What about air?”

“Just breathe. If we’re in a situation where we struggle to breathe, or just outright can’t, we cannot access our abilities. I’m sure you remember back at the City of Lights.”

I looked down in shame, “Vividly.”

“Right, so don’t let that happen again. But anyhow, go on and give it a try. Focus on why you’re creating your snow or ice.” She sounded encouraging, which was odd and out of character for her, yet it was comforting. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to just create a small wall of snow. Though no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t.

“I’m struggling, Hikari,” I was disappointed.

“What are you attempting to create?”

“Just a simple wall and I can’t even manage-”

“Why are you trying to create a simple wall?” She was trying to be helpful.

“Ah, well, to show you that I can.”

“Then focus harder on that reason. Prove to me that you are powerful, Yukio. Prove to me that you can manifest a simple wall. Prove it to me!” She was getting cheery. Recollecting myself, I tried again. This time focusing more on the reason for the creation, rather than the actual creation itself. And just like that, a small wall of snow appeared in front of Hikari and me. There was a cheer on the other side of the wall. I couldn’t help but let out a smile.

Hikari walked around the wall and hugged me, “See! It’s in you, you can create anything your heart desires, so long as you know why you want it! If we keep this up and continue practicing, it’ll seem like second nature to you!”

I let out a giggle, “Thank you. With you as my teacher, I’m sure I can get the hang of this quickly.”

“Right! Now let’s go on to some more extreme things. Let’s have you create a weapon on your own again. Your previous sword was a reaction, not really you. So have a crack at, say, a shield?” I took a deep breath and put my focus on creating a shield, believing I needed one to keep everyone around me safe. To my awe, it manifested in my hand.

“W-Wow, it really works…”

“See!” Hikari hugged me again, “Such a beautiful shield you managed to create too. Do you do these designs on purpose?”

I shook my head, “It’s just the way the ice naturally forms.”

“It’s so elegant and proper… I wonder why it’s that way. Right then! Let’s try something else!”

“Like?”

“I’m going to attack you again. Don’t worry, I’ll be going easier on you. But I want you to use your powers as you're fighting. Do anything you can, just create things while fighting me. Can you do that?” Her voice was soft and friendly.

“I can certainly try.”

“Great! Now get ready, 'cause here I come!” She charged at me with her duel swords once again, though there was a very noticeable speed difference. She was going a lot slower than she originally was, making it much easier for me to handle. This extra breathing room allowed me to focus on creating things as we fought. As our swords clashed, I tried copying what Hikari had done. I tried to create spears to launch at her, though it proved too difficult. Instead, I managed to create ice sickles directly above her, dropping them on top of her. She deflected them all, of course.

“Not bad!” She commended.

“That isn’t exactly what I intended to make, but I suppose it’s close enough,” I was slightly disappointed.

“But it’s progress! Creating things in the air, and having them stay in the air, requires much more practice. Focus on grounded objects for now, and we’ll make our way up. Literally.”

“Right. Can we try again?” I was eager to continue creating things.

“Of course! Round two, be ready!” It was the same song and dance as our blades clashed once again. I caught her blades on mine, and she began to push down onto me, though she wasn’t trying too hard. So I pushed her back, knocking her off me, and she had a slight stumble. Using this window, I forced a pile of snow to erupt out of the ground beneath her, throwing her into the air. She cushioned her landing with a pad made of light, but I was already there to continue assaulting her. I wailed at her swords as she struggled to defend, so she attempted to disengage completely, back hopping out of reach. I swiftly changed my sword into a spear and chucked it at her. She dodged and we finally paused our spar.

“Alright!” She exclaimed, a little out of breath. “I’m very impressed! You managed to cause snow to appear with a great enough force to launch me into the air and change your weapon mid-fight! You’re really catching onto this whole thing!”

“Thank you! I’m starting to adjust to all of this. I’m not an expert at it yet, but with time I feel like I’ll be able to master it.”

“Of course! You’re a spirit, one of my kind! And my kind, my dear Yukio, are capable of the unbelievable. But let’s call it here and get some rest. We made great progress. We’ll continue to practice tomorrow night. Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” I answered. Hikari let out a gleeful smile and reached her hand out to me. I was excited to continue practicing with her and hoped that she would begin to unlock things within me. I felt more comfortable and friendly around her, though when she offered her hand to me, I felt uneasy. I hesitated to grab her hand, but ultimately trusted her enough and took it. She tightened her grip and pulled me in for a hug. I embraced her. She let me go and smiled before making her way back to the camp with Athena. I followed not too far behind.

Athena was laying down near a fire she made, staring and studying the stars. I laid next to her, and Hikari just watched. She seemed slightly annoyed, maybe even jealous, but decided not to act upon whatever she was thinking. She laid to my left, putting me between the two girls.

Athena pointed towards the stars, “See those stars there? The ones next to the giant red one?”

I pointed in the wrong direction, “You mean those?”

Athena grabbed my hand and redirected it, pointing at the original stars whilst holding my hand, “No, those.”

“Oh, yeah. What about them?”

“Well, if you connect them to the bright stars just west of them, they make a constellation. Do you see it?”

I turned to face her, “Constellation? Connecting stars? What do you mean?”

Athena smiled, still lost in the stars, “A constellation is a group of stars that basically form something in our night sky. Like a picture of sorts.”

“How do you see them? Or connect them, rather.”

She giggled, “Just use your imagination.”

I looked back at the sky, “Okay… So I connected the stars, but I don’t exactly see anything.”

“Here, what about these stars?” She redirected our hands once again, “Connect the brightest star there with the dimmer stars surrounding it. What do you see?”

I stood silent as I connected all the stars, “A snowflake?”

“Exactly. That has become my favorite constellation as of late.” I stood silent, slightly embarrassed. Athena spoke again, “Now let’s go back to the red star over here,” She continued to lead my hand. “Connect the stars now. What do you see?”

“A heart?” I turned to face Athena again.

She turned to face me too, “Exactly.” I got lost in her dark eyes as I felt my face get warm, I didn’t know how to reply. I heard Hikari scoff next to me. Athena looked back at the sky, “Look through the stars, Lush. Tell me what you see. The stars only show what you’re meant to be shown.” I took some time to focus and connected the stars that felt right to me. Eventually completing a massive constellation.

“Alright, I see something.”

“Do tell.”

I pointed with Athena’s hand, “Well, if you connect the bright star there, next to the red star you mentioned earlier for the heart and follow the path of dim stars above it, eventually going downwards to connect with the bright star from the snowflake and taking the south path from there, you’ll end up wrapping around the first initial star. Do you see it?”

Athena was confused and let out a laugh, “Lush, I have no idea what you’re trying to show me. What do you see?”

“It’s a dragon,” Hikari and I said simultaneously.

I turned to face Hikari, “So you see it too?”

Hikari continued to ponder the sky, “Yeah. It’s honestly mesmerizing.”

“A dragon is interesting, to say the least,” Athena said. “I wonder what it means, for you both to see it. The stars only show what you’re meant to see, after all.”

“What do you think it means?” I asked.

She shrugged, “As far as I’m aware, dragons are just creatures of mythical tales. Though so were creatures that can bend elements to their will.”

Hikari seemed slightly uneased, “Athena, how much do you know about constellations?”

“A lot. The elder back home taught me a lot about the stars. That they can show your future path, fate, origins, basically anything. He taught me their meanings. Why?”

“Is there a common constellation that looks like… A dark figure? It looks like a person, but… Dark?”

“Is it by the triangle of red stars?”

“Yeah, it is.” Hikari’s voice began to tremble.

“That’s called ‘The Figure’ and just about everyone agrees it’s there. Though, it tends to spark different emotions in people. Some say power, pride, and wealth, while others say cowardice, deceit, and even fear. What do you see?”

“I sense that it’s powerful, but it’s sparking fear in me…” She replied. Hikari turned to face me, “Do you see it, Yukio?”

“Where is it?” Hikari grabbed my hand, taking me by surprise.

“See the three red stars? Look to the left of that.”

“Oh… Yeah, it’s hard to miss after that.”

“Well? What do you feel?”

“Yeah,” Athena began. “I’m curious about your feelings towards it, too.”

“Well, I can sense its power as well. Though I can feel its fear. It’s afraid of something, but I have no idea what it’s scared of.”

“Not what I was expecting you to say…” Hikari was a little stunned by my response.

Athena giggled, “What else did you expect from our boy?”

“I guess I should’ve expected nothing less.”

Athena let out a yawn, “Anything else you two see?”

Hikari shook her head, “Nothing at all. Just the snowflake, dragon, and… figure.”

“Then the stars have nothing more to tell you tonight.” Athena cuddled up to me. “You, Lush?”

“I can’t see anything either. I see what Hikari sees, plus the heart.”

“That’s great.” Athena hugged me tighter, getting closer.

I wrapped my arm around her, “What about you?”

“All I saw tonight was the snowflake and heart. And honestly, that’s all I wanted to see.” I couldn’t help but smile. “Goodnight, Lush.”

“Rest well, Athena.” As Athena began to drift off to sleep in my arms, I reflected on our relationship. Whenever I was around her, I felt warm and safe. She was always a reassuring voice and someone I could be myself around. Back at Yukigakure, Athena was what I called home. Who I came back to every day, who was always ready to listen to my words and keep me company. She followed me on this adventure, despite my warnings not to. I’m so much more powerful than her, stronger and the one who should be protecting her, but she insists on protecting me instead. After seeing what the stars had that night, I realized something. That I was truly in love with her.

Hikari grabbed my hand as I began drifting off to sleep, “Yukio?”

I was drowsy, “What is it?”

“You need to be with Athena less,” Her voice was stern.

“What?”

“You need to be with Athena less. I’m serious. I fear she’s diminishing your power, diminishing what you could be.”

“Don’t be dumb, Hikari.” I was wide awake at this point, “She taught me everything I know, she’s not diminishing me. If anything, she’s helping me.”

“Yukio, she’s teaching you what it means to be human. You aren’t human. The more time you spend with her, the more you’ll see yourself become weaker. Can you please just be with her less? For me at least?” She attempted to cuddle with me as Athena had earlier.

I pushed her off of me, “No, I’m not going to leave her. Not for you, not for anybody.”

Hikari became annoyed, “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you begin to struggle during practice, it is your job to find out why. Goodnight.” She turned to face away from me before forcing herself asleep. Frustrated, I ignored her words and went back to bed myself.

Soon, the sun had risen and was shining brightly above us. Athena was already awake, putting out the fire, while Hikari was observing from a nearby tree.

Athena noticed me as I awoke, “Morning, sleepyhead. You really have a thing for oversleeping, don’t you?”

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, “It’s still morning, is it not?”

Athena looked up at the sky, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Though we probably should start waking up sooner. Better to start our walking at the crack of dawn and get there earlier.”

I stood up and stretched out my arms, “I suppose you’re right.”

She finished putting out the fire, “Now then, are we ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Hikari?” Athena asked.

“Let’s go and get this over with,” Hikari sulked.

“Not in a great mood?”

“Never am when I wake up. It’s why I don’t bother sleeping in the first place.”

“That doesn’t sound too healthy.”

“I’m fine, believe me. Can we just get going?”

“Yes! C’mon Lush, got a whole lotta walking ahead of us again.”

“Right,” I replied. I walked side by side with Athena, while Hikari continued to lag behind us. It seemed to be our default formation. The day went as normal, Hikari didn’t like talking until halfway into the day when she was more awake. Seems like she takes a while to wake up. Afterward, she and Athena wouldn’t stop talking about whatever topic came to mind. Spirits, Yukigakure, the weather, the City of Lights, the Night, and so on. I never fully paid attention to their conversations, as I wasn’t included, mostly just listening rather than participating. I was just glad that Hikari seemed to be a better person than I initially thought. Her distaste towards humans was a bit concerning, though I suppose no one is perfect. After some more mindless walking, the night was soon back. I found myself in a clear field with Hikari once again, ready to continue practicing.

“Ready for another night, Yukio?” Hikari asked, preparing her blade.

“Very ready.”

“Let’s do some simple review, can you create a weapon?” I did as she asked and manifested a blade into my hands. “Great! What about some simple snow?” I rose a small snow pile. “Even better! Right, well, I have something interesting for you tonight. Change your sword into two daggers.” Using my powers, I grabbed the sword from the middle and snapped it in half, turning it into two daggers of equal length.

“Like this?” I asked.

“Yes, that’ll do. Now, instead of teaching you more about your powers, I’m going to teach you a fighting style instead. One of pure adrenaline. Your goal in this fighting style is nonstop aggression. Constantly. The daggers are small and light, it should allow you to be much more mobile, and having two of them means double the hits. Combine that with your powers to create so much chaos with your body and snow to overwhelm your opponent. Sound simple?”

“So just create chaos and be aggressive?”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Exactly! For now, be on the defensive. I’m going to show you how it’s done.” She created a second blade in her hand, “Ready or not, here I come!” She charged full speed at me, forcing me on the defense. She kept up her constant swinging, not allowing me to even back hop away, as even that would leave me too open for punishment. She also kept pressing forward, forcing me to continue walking backward. Had I tried to stand my ground, she would’ve pushed right through me. Struggling to defend myself from her, she started using her powers to truly overwhelm me. She threw blades of light, flashing me with great bright lights, and even changing her weapon mid-fight to try and catch me off guard. She threw an onslaught of hits toward me while also creating projectiles above me. I created a shield of ice to defend me from above while dealing with her hits, but she smashed my ice while it was manifesting, allowing the blades to slip through to hit me. I had to change focus and deflect the light, but as I did, Hikari put her blades at my neck.

“Checkmate.” She declared.

“Unreal,” I was out of breath, “How do you keep up with your aggression so hard?”

She lowered her blades from my neck, “The key is to keep pressing forward. Always take another step, and never stand in the same place. It forces your opponent to give you room, letting you control their movements. Though, it only works if you’re stronger than them. If they’re stronger, they may punish you for it.”

“Keep pressing forward… Alright. I got it.”

“Ready to try it out?”

I took a stance to get aggressive, “Of course.”

Hikari let out a devilish smile, “Then come at me, Yukio!” I blinked towards her, swinging my blades in unison as Hikari got ready to defend. She deflected my attacks but using the momentum of my blades bouncing, I carried through and used it to swing again. While doing so, I kept pushing my advance, never stopping or going backward. After a few hits and deflects, I found the rhythm and pattern I needed to perfectly swing my blades and continue to swing without letting up. I sped up, swinging my blades independently of one another, no longer swinging in unison. While one blade was recovering from bouncing, the other was already swinging to keep pressing my advantage.

“It feels like I’m fighting two people at once, Yukio! Keep it up!” Hikari encouraged as we fought. During our dance, I rose small snow piles where I was leading her, creating uneven terrain for her. In combination with that, I also threw ice at her from different directions, causing her to either make a big evade or deflect them. Through her frantic eye movement, I could tell she was becoming overwhelmed. I launched more ice at her, coming from all directions simultaneously. While she shifted her body to deflect the oncoming ice, I kicked her sword out of her hand and swung my blades one final time, reaching her neck. My ice fell to the ground before reaching her.

“Haha, yes Yukio! Just like that, it was flawless! You learn fast and great at that too!”

I let out a smile, “It’s thanks to your teachings. I can feel myself getting more power.”

Hikari giggled, “You truly are doing great. That hive of Night Hunters doesn’t stand a chance against your power.”

“If there’s anything I can do to repay you for what you’re doing, do let me know. I don’t want you to think you aren’t appreciated for your help.” Hikari snapped her fingers, causing her blade in the ground to disappear.

She walked toward me, “Well, I do actually have something in mind that you can help me with.”

“Oh, great! What is it?”

She grabbed onto my chest, pulling me close and licking her lips, “Have sex with me.”

I pushed her away immediately, “I won’t be doing that,” I tried to be stern.

“And why not?”

“I don’t have feelings for you in that way. I appreciate what you’re doing for me, helping me unlock my true power and all, but I will not be having sex with you.”

“Don’t tell me you're reserving yourself for that human girl, are you?”

“She has a name, Hikari.”

She laughed, “Yeah, one too many at that. Look, you two aren’t a thing anyway. And even if you were, she could never bear a strong child with you. I, however,” She closed the gap in between us again. “I could give you a child to be proud of.”

I took a few steps back, getting flashbacks as to what happened at the City of Lights, “Look, I’m sure I could find another way to show my appreciation. Other than sex.”

“There’s nothing else I want, Yukio. I’ll give you a few days to think about it but make your decision quickly. I won’t wait long.” She pulled down her shirt, exposing her already very much exposed cleavage.

I turned away, slightly disgusted, “I think we’re done for tonight.” I made my way out of the arena that Hikari had made, going back to Athena. She was laying down, staring at the stars once again.

She smiled at me as I made my way to her, “How’d the practice go?”

“I went great,” I lied. “We pushed my powers and fighting style even further.”

“That’s great! I’m glad she’s being a help to you, in a way I can’t.” Athena seemed to be happy.

“So am I. Exploring this new side of me really is interesting. I’m performing things I didn’t think I could.”

Athena giggled, “Don’t know your own power, do you?”

I laughed, “I suppose not.”

“Just don’t lose yourself in that power, yeah? Don’t let it consume you. Stay you.” Athena grabbed my hand, she was warm.

“Of course. I’ll never lose the morals you all taught me back home.”

She was relieved, “Good. You two were at it longer than last time, it’s already too late. I’m going to rest, I’ll see you in the morning, alright?”

“Of course. Rest well.”

“You too, Lush.” Athena fell fast asleep, while I didn’t sleep a wink that night. With the arrival of the sun, Athena was quick to rise. She tried putting out the fire that kept her warm, but I intervened instead, using my snow to quiet the flames.

“Good morning,” I told her.

“Oh, Lush, good morning. You’re up early.” She was still a bit drowsy.

“You said it was best we start leaving early in the morning, did you not?”

She yawned, “I did. Where’s Hikari?”

“Up here!” Hikari answered. She was sitting on one of the branches of the great trees. She didn’t stay up there for very long, dropping to reunite with the rest of us.

Athena was still visibly not awake, “Alright, we ready to hit the road for today?” I nodded.

“Yes! Oh, and Athena, I was thinking about what you said yesterday-” I quickly cut their conversation out of my head. I had turned into a third wheel, following behind the two of them as they talked throughout the day. Now and again they would turn to face me to include me in the conversation, though they’d become disappointed when I had no idea what they were talking about every time. I was too busy thinking about what had happened the previous night. I thought that I may have been overreacting, that it may have not been such a big deal.

Night soon arrived, and we continued our practice as usual. Though, at the end of our session, Hikari would bring up having sex with her again.

“So, did you think about my offer, Yukio?” She asked.

“It’s still a no, Hikari.” I was annoyed with her question.

She sighed, “It’s not that bad of a thing, you know. Athena will never know. It could be our dirty little secret.” She began to cling to me.

I was disgusted with her words and touch, “Get off me. I don’t want to have a ‘dirty little secret’ with you. I don’t want anything to do with you in that manner.” I pushed her off me and attempted to leave for Athena. She grabbed me as I tried to walk away and forced a kiss on me again. She used all of her strength, leaving me unable to push her off.

“C’mon, Yukio. I can show you pleasures you wouldn’t believe.”

“No.”

Hikari rolled her eyes, “Whatever.” She finally let go of me, allowing me to return to Athena. I didn’t tell her what had happened between Hikari and me again.

The days began to pass, and with every night of practice, Hikari would try to convince me again. And every time that I denied her, she would try to seduce me. Be it flashing her cleavage, attempting to undress, or kissing me. I avoided what I could, but when she would force something on me, there was little I could do. I still didn’t match her strength.

Every day, Hikari and Athena would chat, leaving me to ponder what had happened the previous night. Athena would catch the wind and ask me if I was alright, but I just told her that it was fatigue from the training. All Athena could do was ask Hikari to ‘go easier on him.’ That very night it seemed like it was going to be the same song and dance, but she was much more aggressive and straightforward. The little patience she had was gone.

I was still trying to catch my breath from the training when she came up behind me, grabbing my shoulder, “You doing alright there, Yukio?”

“I’m fine, today was just tiring,” I replied, taking a final deep breath. She tightened her grip, I prepared for her to kiss me again. She did. Using her superior strength, she pushed hard onto me, causing me to fall. She fell on top of me. She didn’t allow me to stand.

“Get off of me, Hikari.” I tried being calm with her.

“I’m tired of waiting, Yukio.” She pinned my arms, leaving it hard for me to struggle.

I tried to regardless, “Hikari this isn’t funny, get the hell off of me!”

“No,” She took off her top. “You’re going to give me what I want.” Unable to beat her physically, I tried launching sharp ice at her exposed body. She deflected it without a second thought with her light.

She leaned in close and kissed me again, “Try that again, and I will make this as unpleasurable and emotionally scarring for you as I possibly can.” She whispered in my ear. I lost my strength and will with her words. She felt my body get weak, “Good boy. Just lay there and let me do the work,” I was raped that night.

The night concluded as if nothing had happened. Hikari and I made our way back to the camp to meet with Athena, who was admiring the stars like usual. Hikari let out a sinister smirk the moment she saw Athena, but when Athena turned to greet us, it disappeared.

“Lush, Hikari, welcome back! Care to join me tonight?” She asked.

“No, we’re alright,” Hikari answered for both of us. “Today was rather intense. It’s not often that we truly need rest, but tonight is one of those nights. It’s best for Yukio’s progress that he sleeps tonight.”

“Oh, is that so? So you guys do get tired eventually?” Athena asked.

“Very rarely, but it does happen, yeah. Usually after intense physical… Contact.” Hikari was lying out her teeth. I wasn’t tired for the reasons she claimed. I have never been tired after extreme physical stress, never in the slightest. What does cause exhaustion is mental and emotional abuse. Likely due to my powers being connected to my emotions.

“I see. Well, that’s great to know! Please, you two get some rest. I’ll get some not long after you two fall asleep.”

“We’ll see to it. Oh, and I need to keep a closer eye on Yukio. I need to monitor his progress. He’ll be sleeping with me tonight.” My eyes widen, and I felt my heart race when Hikari announced that. I kept my breathing under control despite my chest feeling heavy, I didn’t want to alert Athena.

“Was it really that bad?” Athena faced me, “Are you alright, Lush? Was today really that bad?” I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Athena looked worried.

“See?” Hikari answered. “When we get tired, it’s to the point we can’t muster the energy to speak. I’m honestly surprised he can walk. It’s probably more intense than usual, considering this is the most he’s likely ever been pushed. I need to monitor him tonight.”

Athena rested her hand on my cheek, “Alright… Just take care of him, okay? I’ve never seen him like this. Get some well-deserved rest, Lush.” She kissed me on the cheek and looked into my eyes, “I’ll be out here if you need anything. Don’t hesitate to come and ask,” She went back to her star gazing. Hikari’s devilish smirk returned when Athena turned her attention away from us, giggling to herself in silence.

“Doesn’t take a lot to convince her, does it?” Hikari asked. I didn’t respond. Athena didn’t deserve the lies she was being fed. She doesn’t know any better, I wished I could have corrected her on what was actually going on. But I was powerless. “Alright, let’s go to bed. Lay down, Yukio.” Hikari commanded me as she created a mattress made of light on the ground. I didn’t do as she asked. Her face turned sour, and she shoved me onto the bed. She climbed on afterward, cuddling and getting close to me.

“You’re so cold. Colder than usual,” She said in a quiet voice. She leaned up into my ear and whispered, “I love it.” She giggled to herself once more before resting her head on my chest and closing her eyes. In this situation, I didn’t know how to process it. In all the time I’ve been alive, I’ve never felt powerless, even when I couldn’t manifest my own snow and ice. Though for the first time, I felt completely powerless, out of control, simply following someone else’s story. I didn’t sleep that night. Sooner than I knew, I watched the sunshine on the land before us with Hikari resting on my chest.

“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” Hikari asked.

“No,” I was barely able to speak, my voice soft and weak.

“I can tell. Your heart was racing all night. Didn’t drop at all. Why couldn’t you rest?” She sounded concerned. My mind began to race, as I didn’t know how to feel at that moment. She sounded truly concerned, like a loved one who truly cares. Was she apprehensive about my well-being? Do loved ones hurt one another as much as she hurt me?

“I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened last night,” I confessed.

Hikari smiled, “I could give you more if you’d like.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I was beginning to panic as I realized she interpreted what I said differently.

“Oh? Are you sure? Your heart is pounding at the thought,” She climbed on top of me, leaning forward to my ear again, “I didn’t realize you enjoyed it last night,” She whispered. I froze again as she began to kiss my neck and chest. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and was about to undress before being caught by Athena.

“Good morning Lush and Hikari, did you sleep well-” She was stunned at the view.

Hikari sighed, “Good morning, Athena.” She climbed off of me. I sat up and threw my face in the palm of my hands. I was beyond thankful for Athena’s timing.

“I wasn’t interrupting something, was I?” Athena asked.

“My light has healing properties. His chest and stomach were wounded from last night.” Hikari lied, annoyed.

“Ah. So that’s what that was,” There was a pause as I heard footsteps approaching me. The weight of the light bed shifted as someone placed their weight next to me. It was Athena, “Are you feeling better?” She asked.

I finally took my face out of my hands, “Yeah.”

Athena smiled with the rising sun behind her, she was beautiful, “You’re talking now! Yay!” She hugged me tightly, though not for long due to my body temperature. She was warm. “Oh wow, you’re way colder than usual.” She remarked.

“Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s alright! I’d imagine it’s because you’re still tired. Please get better soon!” I simply nodded in response.

Hikari stood up and stretched her arms and shoulders, “It’s about time we hit the trail again, isn’t it?”

Athena stood up, “Yes, it is. We should use the daylight while we have it.”

“Right then, let’s go,” Hikari took the lead. Athena followed closely behind her, while I lacked behind by a considerable margin. I watched from a distance as they talked their usual talks, something about Hikari’s adventures and Athena wondering what it was like. Watching Hikari smile so brightly as she spoke with Athena, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was overreacting to the whole situation. She was helping me be the best I could in my fighting, it’s understandable to want something back in return. Maybe I was being selfish for denying her for so long, maybe my desire to be loyal to Athena was a bad thing.

Guilt began to settle in. Maybe I truly did just let my pride and loyalty prevent me from doing what was right. Hikari was spending so much of her nights with me, helping me understand myself better. I mean, I am part spirit after all. Though, all I display are human values and morals. I am nothing like a spirit if you were to take away my powers. Spirits are powerful, elemental beings of chaos who can do as they please. They don’t value things as humans do. Yet I did. Perhaps I was failing as a spirit, letting humans drive everything about me. And maybe, just maybe, this was a mistake.

So for Hikari to do as she did- it was understandable, was it not? It was meant to be a wake-up call. I could not be with Athena. She was human, and I was not. Hikari, however, is a spirit like I am. And we are likely the last two spirits here on this planet. Maybe I should be accepting her? If we truly are the last spirits, then her desires and actions are more than reasonable. Mine was not.

“Yukio!” Hikari called.

I snapped out of my trance, “Yes?”

“Come here, show Athena your snow.” I did as asked and caught up to them, creating some snow in my hands to show Athena.

“You’re getting very good at that!” Athena exclaimed. Her smile was as bright as ever.

“Oh, it gets better. Snow, Yukio!” I took a deep breath and rose my hands towards the sky, stopping in my tracks. Athena and Hikari stopped walking as well. In a matter of seconds, snow began to gently fall from the cloudless sky.

“Wait- How did you- This is amazing!” Athena was catching the snow in her hands. “It reminds me of home, oh Lush, this is beautiful!” I simply smiled at her. The image of my snow in her hair as she smiled and danced in the snow is one I will never forget.

“Told you, he’s been getting better at general manipulation. No longer is he restricted to weapons and things of the such. He can now control the weather!” Hikari sounded happy as well. She looked great with snow in her hair, as much as I hate to admit it. “Let’s keep going, though. We’re getting awful close to the nest.” Athena nodded and followed Hikari, leaving me behind once again. I lodged my face into my right hand, my head beginning to pound. I had a headache.

Night soon came, and training with Hikari followed as usual. Sparring with her, my hands were shaking whenever she approached me. I couldn’t stay steady, Hikari taking notice. She began to lighten up on her attacks, instead of going full out as she usually does. Soon, our session was over.

Hikari was pulling out a clip in her hair that kept it braided. Her hair straightened itself out, it was the first time I’d ever seen her hair not kept in a braid. It was surprisingly straight, despite it always being braided.

“What’s wrong, Yukio? You seemed tense today.” She asked.

“Nothing is wrong,” I answered. I honestly didn’t feel like talking. I didn’t feel like talking all day.

She walked up to me and caressed my face, “Are you sure?” I stood silent. “You’re not still thinking about last night, are you? We never finished what we started this morning, did we? We can finish it now if you’d like. Athena isn’t here.” My mind began to panic as my vision went dark, and I felt my heart begin to race.

“That won’t be necessary.”

She leaned in for a kiss, “Whatever you say,” Our lips met and I didn’t dare move. I let Hikari enjoy herself before she pulled herself away. She was smiling, “Get some rest tonight, Yukio. You’ve earned it.” She turned around and walked towards the camp with Athena. The winds began to pick up as snow fell from the sky. I fell to my knees, clenching my teeth to hold in my screams. I ran my fingers through my hair, yanking off the rope holding my ponytail. Just as Hikari did, I let my hair flow in its natural state.

The snow wasn’t sticking on the ground, melting rather quickly. The water turned the dirt into mud, gathering pools of water. I dug my fingers into the ground, doing everything I could to just release the tension that had been building inside me. Seeing my reflection in a puddle, I looked like a mess with my hair falling over my face and shoulders. I was disgusted by my own image. My face began to warp, my eyes darkening.

“Breathe,” It said through its crooked smile.

I realized I had been holding my breath. I finally exhaled and took a deep breath in, I felt weak. I closed my eyes and looked into the sky, letting the snow gently fall onto me. I finally started to relax and take control again, the snow stopping. After a moment of thinking, I looked back down at the puddle, my reflection back to normal. I stood up and made my way back to Hikari and Athena.

“There you are, it was snowing! Did you do that?!” Athena asked.

“Oh, sorry. I decided to practice just a while longer,” I lied.

“I see. Well, just know your snow reached all the way over here! It was snowing pretty harshly, had the winds been higher we would be in a blizzard.”

“Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay! It was honestly really cool to watch. Look at the trees! They’re covered in your snow, doesn’t it remind you of home?”

I glanced at the trees, my snow was glistening off them, “It does.”

Athena’s smile faded slightly, “Are you alright?” I was caught off guard by her question.

“He’s doing great!” Hikari answered for me.

“Oh. Are you sure, I mean-”

“Positive! With the amount of strength and understanding he has now, he should be at an all-time high!” I pondered her statement. Was my depression another sign of failure as a spirit? Was Hikari leading me to happiness?

“I see…” Athena looked up at my face, “Why’s your hair down?”

“I got cold,” I answered quickly, trying to think of a lie. They both looked dumbfounded.

“Cold? You?” Athena asked.

“That can’t be right, you’re supposed to be immune…” Hikari sounded suspicious.

I forced a laugh, “I’m kidding! There were puddles back there, I just wanted to see myself with my hair down. Wanted to see your reactions if I said I was cold,” It was tiring to talk so much.

Athena caressed my face, her hand felt much more comforting than Hikari’s, “You look stunning with your hair down.” I was again surprised by her words. “Do you have your tie?” I pulled out the rope from my pocket. Athena took it out of my hands, “Do you want your hair back up?” I nodded. Athena got behind me and began to fix my hair back into its ponytail.

Hikari stood in front of me, “You do look great with your hair down,” She leaned in close to my ear, “I wonder how it’ll look with you on top of me.” I was disgusted by her words.

“What was that?” Athena asked, finishing the knot.

“Nothing. Just talking to Yukio about what needs to be done tomorrow. We should be arriving at the nest sometime in the afternoon, after all.” She lied.

“We’re that close already? I swear we had a while more to go still,” Seemed like Athena lost track of time.

“Yeah, that close. So let’s get rest. A very big day ahead of us,” Hikari created another bed out of light, creating a second one as well, “You sleep there, Athena. Yukio and I will be in this bed if you need us.”

“Oh. Alright,” She was disturbed, maybe even annoyed. “Well, I guess I won’t be far if you two need me. Rest well.”

Hikari sat on the bed, patting it, “Come, lay down Yukio.” I was hesitant at first, but simply did as she asked. Hikari rested on my chest again, “I know we’re spirits, so we don’t need to rest, but it’s still nice, isn’t it? Athena told me how humans sleep with one another when they are together,” She giggled to herself, “We probably seem like a couple right now. I hope you’re ready for tomorrow.” She kissed me goodnight and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

Once again, my heart did not allow me to rest. My head was filled with so many different thoughts. If Hikari was right, if Athena is hurting me, if I’m a failure, if I was doing the right thing. The voices ran rapid and loud, I couldn’t hear my own voice anymore. They eventually talked me to sleep, and I had a dream that night. Or a nightmare, rather.

I was in the darkness, running from the light. Whatever the light touched, it burned. As I ran, I heard a voice speaking. It sounded like Athena. She sounded desperate, begging for me to be her hope. Then more voices came in, the voices of the villagers from Yukigakure. They were all asking me to help them. Save them. Running in the dark, I saw in front of me burned homes, blood-stained snow, and heartless corpses as they screamed louder. From the light, Hikari was shouting at me.

“You failed them!” Her voice echoed.

“I didn’t fail them! He did!” My voice cracked.

“You weren’t strong enough!”

“My powers have yet to be truly expressed!”

“Your powers are useless!”

“He doesn’t know what he’s doing!” I began to slow down.

“Be a real spirit!”

“I am! My vessel is weak!”

“This is why you should have never turned to the humans!”

“I’m not in control!”

“Then take control!”

“He’s not broken yet!”

“Just do it!”

“Crack him further!”

“He’s already weak! Do it now!” Suddenly I couldn’t move. I tried to run, but my body didn’t allow me to. The light caught up to me, striking me. I felt my body pulse as if something was trying to break free from me. I tried to fight it, I tried to contain it within me, but it was powerful and was not holding back. I held on as long as I could, but it broke free. I felt something leave my body as I fell to the ground.

“Free at last!” It yelled in excitement. I looked up from the ground, watching the ghostly figure admire its new physical form.

“What are you?!” I yelled. It turned around, revealing its face to me.

“What you could be,” It answered. Its face was near identical to mine. Its hair was down, and parts of its skin on the face had been covered with ice.

I backed away on the ground, “That’s impossible!”

“Stand up, Lushika,” It demanded.

I finally stood up, taking a weak defensive stance, “How can this be?! Tell me, what are you?!”

It laughed, “I’m you, you dumbass!”

“Tell me your purpose!”

“To replace you.” It rose a pillar of ice from underneath me, launching me into the air. I tried to summon snow beneath me, but nothing came out. The thing came instead, punching me before I could land, causing me to land on my back. I didn’t question anymore. It was violent and wanted me dead. I stood up, wiping the blood off my lips. I charged it, and took a swing, striking it across its jaw. As I did, I felt something punch me in my own jaw.

It laughed again, “Something the matter?” I clenched my teeth and swung at its stomach. Though, as my fist connected, I felt something tear through mine. I reared back in pain. Its smile grew wide as it summoned a sword of ice and impaled itself in its gut. I felt a sharp object enter my stomach and began to bleed from the wound.

“What is this?!”

“You cannot hurt me, Lushika!” It twisted the blade, and I screamed in agonizing pain.

“Please, stop!” I began to laugh hysterically, as I yanked out the blade, holding it at my neck. I swung and woke up.

Waking up to the real world, I was gasping for air. Athena and Hikari were by my side, Athena holding my hand while Hikari was on the other side.

“Lush, you’re awake!” She had tears in her eyes.

“Your heart stopped beating and you weren’t breathing. What happened?” Hikari didn’t sound too concerned.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I said through my gasps for air.

“No, you aren’t!” Athena yelled. “You aren’t fine, please just talk to me! Talk to us!”

I shook my head, taking in a final deep breath, “I am fine. I’m alive,”

“Please, Lush, it’s not fine for your heart and breathing to just stop! What’s happening?!”

“Nothing important. I just had a nightmare, is all.”

“Nightmare? A fucking nightmare, Lush?! I’m not twelve, tell me what’s going on!”

“It’s possible he’s overworking himself,” Hikari answered.

“That isn’t it,” I replied. “I know my limits. I have yet to reach them.”

Athena hugged me tightly, “Please, don’t ever do that again! I was so scared that we lost you!”

I hugged her with one arm, the other keeping my balance, “Everything will be okay.”

Hikari sat on the bed, “Are you sure you’re okay?” I just nodded my head, “Alright. Then we continue today like normal. It’s noon now, so expect to arrive at the nest in the evening.”

“Are you insane?!” Athena yelled, finally letting go of me.

“Excuse me?”

“Answer me honestly, are you insane?! Did you not just see what happened, he needs rest!”

“One, we’re spirits. We don’t need rest. Hate to break it to you, but this sleeping nonsense is just pretending for us. Two, he said he’s fine. He knows his body better than you do. If he says he’s fine, he’s fine.” Hikari was cold and blunt.

“Some people push themselves farther than they realize, there’s not a universe in which he’s okay!” She was getting frustrated.

“Are you a spirit? Do you know what he’s going through?”

“I’m not a spirit, but I’m a living creature and so are you! And any living creature that has its heartbeat and breathing stop in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, and then proceed to wake up like nothing happened isn’t fucking normal nor is it okay!”

“Athena,” I grabbed onto her arm. She turned to face me, “Please, trust me. I’m okay. I know what just happened scares you, but I can handle this.”

Her eyes glistened with tears as she embraced me again, wiping her tears on me, “Lush, please! I can’t handle this mental stress! I love you, please never leave me like that again! Promise me!”

“I promise.”

“Mean it!”

“I mean it, Athena. I promise this won’t occur again.”

“Okay,” She was sniffling. She pulled away from me and wiped her remaining tears away. Even while she was crying she was beautiful. I stood up, the bed disappearing as I did. I took a deep breath and exhaled, nodding at Hikari.

“Right then. Let’s keep going. It’s best we attack before nightfall,” Hikari took the lead.

Athena stood up, grabbing onto my arm. We walked behind Hikari together. She didn’t dare separate from me. We walked in silence and just appreciated one another's company. My mind was lost in thought, as it usually had been for the past two days. Though, instead of real events, my mind was fixated on the dream I had. What it could mean. Athena had told me that humans have dreams and nightmares when they sleep, and that they could have a deeper meaning. This was my first time experiencing such a thing.

I took a deep breath and decided to do my best to not think about it. Not when the Night’s nest was so close. I had to stay focused. To get my mind off things, I examined the surrounding area. The tall, everlasting trees. The dark green grass and fallen trunks became home to all sorts of fungi. The occasional sounds of nearby wildlife, their weight pressing down on twigs or the grass. All accompanied by the nearby river, still rushing towards the coast.

After an hour or so of walking, it all changed. The trees were covered in white cocoons, dripping whatever was contained inside. The number of fallen trees had grown, with fungi abundant. The grass from its natural dark green to a coward’s yellow. The forest was dying. Hikari stopped in her tracks, observing the surroundings.

“What is all this?” Athena asked.

“The entrance to the nest,” Hikari replied.

“Where?”

“Here.”

“You mean all of this? It’s not some cave?” Athena got closer to me.

“Doesn’t seem to be. This entire part of the forest is their domain.”

“We’re being watched,” I announced.

“We are. They’re here. Who knows how deep we are actually in. We should turn back, for Athena’s sake. Yukio and I will come back to finish this.”

“Are you sure? I can fight too, you know,” Athena was offended.

“More than sure. This is their home, and they’ll fight like it is. It’s much more different than you think.”

“It’s best we keep you safe,” I agreed with Hikari. We turned around and backtracked, not stopping until we found a suitable, safe place for Athena. It was in the sun, away from everything dark and away from the nest.

Hikari created a ball of light, placing it by Athena, “Never step out of its warmth. And never step into the dark. It’ll keep you safe. It’s bright enough to deter any of the Night from getting close to you.”

Athena nodded, grabbing onto the orb of light, “It’s soft…”

Hikari blushed, “Most of my light is.”

“That’s… Very out of character for you,” Athena giggled.

“Whatever, just stay in its radius.”

“We’ll be back soon, Athena,” I hugged her tightly.

“Stay safe, Lush,” I nodded, and made my way with Hikari back into the nest. As we walked away, I could hear Athena laughing and playing with the ball of light. I didn’t know she was that easily entertained. We walked in silence, though it was interrupted by the constant sound of whispering and the dripping from the white cocoons. One of which was moving with a muffled voice inside. Hikari walked up to it, slicing it open with her light. Out fell a person.

He gasped for air, “Please! Save these people! They don’t… They don’t… Where am I?”

I walked up to the man, “Are you alright? What is your name?”

“Name? I… Where am I?” He seemed beyond confused. “My back… Is my back okay? It hurts,” Taking a look at his back, his entire spine was missing. Hikari and I didn’t know how to answer. Hikari sighed, slicing the man’s head off.

I yanked on her arm, “Hikari, what the hell!”

“What? Don’t tell me you were thinking of how to save a man without a spine,” She said as she wiped the blood off her blade.

“We didn’t need to kill him!”

“He was going to suffer if we didn’t do anything. It’s a miracle that he even made it that far. He should’ve died a long time ago. Imagine how much pain he may have been in. We did him a favor,” I felt my headache return, stunning me for a moment.

“Still, we could at least have spoken to him! Make his last moments enjoyable!”

“Irrelevant. Get over it and create a weapon for yourself. They’re everywhere. And my guess, they didn’t enjoy us opening up the cocoon,” I did as she asked, creating a sword for myself. I decided it was best to just let the man go, there was no point in arguing with Hikari.

We didn’t walk much further until Hikari stopped dead in her tracks once again. She took a deep breath and created another ball of light, kicking it high into the air and causing it to shine like a star. The light revealed tens of hundreds more white cocoons, some mumbling, others motionless. It also revealed several of the Night, watching us from the trees. They hissed at the bright light.

Hikari wasted no time in creating blades, launching them at the night that we could see. They were precise, hitting their targets and killing them. They fell from the trees, their bodies splatting on impact.

Hikari turned towards me, “Do the same, but on the cocoons.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Launch shards of ice at the cocoons and open the contents inside,” She was more demanding and cold than usual.

“We saw a person in the last one, what if there are people in those? They’re high up, they’d just plummet to the ground!”

“Then catch them.”

“We’d be here all day, there’s too many!”

“If you don’t, I will do it myself. And you know I won’t make an effort to catch any. Use your powers, show me you learned something.”

I felt my eye twitch, “Alright,” I took a deep breath and launched ice shards at the cocoons, causing them to tear open. The contents of what was inside varied from bones of wild animals, half-digested animals, and living humans. As they fell, I created a thick blanket of snow, covering the entire surrounding area. In a hurry, I rushed to catch a singular person, just in case my snow wasn’t enough.

I caught a young woman, the rest falling into the snow. The groans of the men and women echoed in the forest, alive, but not for very long.

The woman raised her arm, holding my face in her hand, “Thank you,” She said before falling limp. It was only then that I realized a majority of her skin had melted away, exposing her flesh.

Hikari grabbed onto my shoulder, “They’re just human. It’s alright.”

“How?”

“With their reproduction, they’ll be replaced in no time.”

“How are you so okay with all the surrounding death?” I rested the woman's body in the snow.

“Humans are growing in population. Death is irrelevant to them when their numbers grow despite their deaths.”

“That doesn’t excuse-” I took a deep breath and calmed myself, “There’s just no getting through you,” I was having second thoughts, maybe I was just being too careful. Maybe I really shouldn’t care so much about the death of a human. Though, being around them all my life, how could I not?

“Let's keep going. This place is infested with them. We might just get ambushed. Ready yourself.” I stood up and readied my blade, anticipating an attack. Hikari and I stood silent, listening to the surroundings of this forest. We could hear them climbing on the trees, whispering to one another, stomping on the ground below. Suddenly, the trees began to glow green, pulsating with acid. The Night shot out their spit and as it did, the rest rushed out from the darkness.

I created a dome of ice to block the acid, it couldn’t melt my ice. Putting down the dome, the Night jumped to attack us. I swung my sword high, striking down the Night in the air in a single swift hit. Their corpses landed on the ground. This didn’t scare the Night, as they kept coming in droves, Hikari defending behind me while I dealt with the majority.

I felt something change inside me. Hacking and slashing at so many, I was swinging harder than I needed to. Running my blade through the Night in vertical slashes, hearing the sounds of their spine rip down the middle, their rib cages being forced open. Their black blood stained my clothes and got into my hair, not that I cared. The trees began to pulsate again as another wave of acid was to come. I chucked my sword at the Night in the tree, impaling it. Hikari took out the rest with her blades of light, launching spears at them.

Out of desperation, the Elites began to show themselves. I created twin daggers in my hand, smiling to myself. I ran directly into the horde, dashing and spinning with my blades, slicing any of the Night that dared to stand in my path. One of the Elites finally made it to me, slamming its fist into the ground, trying to cave my skull in. I dodged to the side, ramming my blade into its side, hitting an artery. Its blood gushed out, it was bound to die from blood loss. Overcome with anger, I continually stabbed the Elite from its side to its stomach, ripping out its insides. Finally, using my daggers, I ripped into its back from the front. It was dead a long time ago. I was just playing with its corpse.

The others watched in horror, but with nowhere to run, decided to face me. The trees were illuminated with an orange hue this time, Elite spitters. They shot their acid, being much faster and more potent than the normal green. Grabbing a nearby Night Hunter, I used it as a meat shield, letting the acid hit it and burn away its skin until there was nothing but bones. They tried to dogpile on me, throwing their full weight, but could never keep me down. I felt my fist harden with my ice as I slashed through them in the air, one of their corpses grabbing onto my hair tie, letting my hair down.

It began to snow, the wind picking up. I continue to do what I did best, disemboweling the Night. Using my hardened arms, I grabbed one of the Night, tearing its arms clean off its shoulders. It screamed in pain before falling limp. I felt my grin grow at the sight. The winds grew faster, and the snow colder. I created sharp ice in the air, letting the wind take it. It flew through the air, slashing the Night for standing too close to me.

Finally, the biggest Elite they had revealed itself. It was large, about nine feet tall. It marched towards me, not caring about the ice in the air, its skin too thick to be pierced. I allowed it to approach me before launching a glacier at it. It caught it with its bare hands, not allowing itself to be hit. It tossed it back towards me as a counter, but I didn’t even have to move. It was my ice, after all. I cut it down the middle, softening it before I did to make it effortless. The Elite let out a war cry and charged toward me, its feet rumbling the ground with every step it took. It jumped and readied its fist to swing at me. I created a shield of ice, letting its fist connect with my shield before using its own momentum to launch it off my shield over my back. It screamed as it flew, landing hard on the ground.

It recovered quickly before coming right back towards me, so fast that I didn’t even have time to turn around. I listened as its footsteps grew closer, emerging a pillar of ice in front of it before it got too close. I finally turned around and watched its silhouette as it punched through my ice pillar, reaching for my neck through my ice.

I laughed hysterically, “You dumbass!” I yelled in excitement as I tightened my grip around my blades. It was terrified as it realized its arm was stuck, I had repaired the ice, making it so tight around its arm that it was impossible to pull out. I caused my twin daggers to grow sharp teeth, to make the cutting process painful. I pierced into the Night’s arm, listening to it scream. I twisted the blade, stabbing the second one on the opposite side. Twisting both of the blades now, I yanked them out of the Night’s arm before slicing into it again, using both the blades on one side. I used enough force to cut through its bone, its arm nearly coming off. The wind howled as it blew, slamming its now limp and uncontrollable arm against the pillar. The ice in the air shredded into the insides, the Night feeling everything. With enough force from the wind, it tore off.

It began punching the pillar, breaking the ice enough to finally free its arm. It squeezed, causing the bleed to stop. It turned towards me and screamed, ripping a piece of the ground out and hurling it at me. I dodged, but as I did, it ran to cover the area I was dodging towards. It landed a hit on me, though I was able to soften the blow by blocking it last second. Enraged, I tossed my blades at the Elite, fast enough that it didn’t react. They landed and pierced into its chest, despite the thickness of its skin. I charged it with my bare fists, jumping and punching it across its jaw, causing it to lose balance. I felt my fists harden even further with a layer of my ice. As it tried to regain balance, I uppercut it, sending it flying onto its back. I broke its jaw. Climbing on top of it, I slammed my fists into its face, caving its skull in. I didn’t stop. I kept punching, its face disappearing as I was soon just punching blood, bones, and meat. Eventually, I saw the snow underneath it.

I climbed off it, out of breath, “Who the fuck wants it next?!” I yelled. There was no response. Not even fear. They were all dead. The storm grew so intense that it killed any of the remaining Night Hunters. The ice had been eating away at the wood too, causing a good chunk of the trees to collapse. Several inches, maybe even a foot, of snow had piled up in the area. All in a part of the world where snow didn’t fall until winter.

A faint light appeared in front of me, “That was amazing, Yukio!” Hikari was excited. She ran through the storm and hugged me tightly. “This is the first time I’ve seen you in your awakened state since we met at the City of Lights! It seems this state enhances your physical and elemental capabilities, but I know there’s more to it that we haven’t unlocked yet! The way you just tore through them and let your storm handle the ones you couldn’t see, it was brilliant! And the way you fought, it was so powerful and dominant, I need you to take me right fucking now!” She grabbed onto my collar, pulling me close. She, as she usually does, kissed me without my consent. It was crude and rough, but for the first time, I didn’t hate it. We were both covered in blood, not that we cared.

“Were you just watching?” I asked.

“You didn’t need me, believe it. I may have been in danger if I tried to help you at all.” She said, licking her lips. My thoughts started to clear as the blizzard finally settled down. With the fogginess gone, I was finally able to view what I had inflicted. The mangled corpses, the pools of blood, the black stained snow, the destruction of the forest. I couldn’t believe what I had done. I looked down at my own hands, Hikari still pressing her cleavage against me. They were still dripping with the blood of the Night.

“This place… Is a mess,” Were the only words I can muster up. I didn’t want to reveal my inner thoughts. My screams of how it wasn’t me. To admit, I had lost control to something sinister.

“A very beautiful mess, wouldn’t you say?” Hikari giggled, her smile full of pride.

I avoided her remark, “We should be heading back to Athena now.”

“Right, right. Knowing her simple mind, she’s probably still playing with that ball,” She mocked. I got annoyed at her remarks. Hikari latched onto my arm, walking away from the carnage with me.

In the distance, we could hear Athena’s playful laughs, “See?” Hikari began. “Told you she’d still be playing with it,” She finally let go of my arm. Seeing Athena again really drove home how far I had lost myself during the fight. I didn’t want to share any details of what happened to her.

“Yukio, Hikari!” Athena grabbed the ball and ran towards us. As she did, it illuminated our faces and bodies, “Woah you guys are… Covered in blood. And Yukio is in his awakened state. You two alright?”

“None of it is ours,” Hikari stated.

“Right. You two should get cleaned up at the river, but before you do, look!” She presented the ball of light to us, “Ta-da!”

“What?” Hikari was confused, and admittedly, so was I.

Athena examed the ball, “Oh, wait, the wrong side,” She shifted the ball to face it towards us, “Okay, now ta-da!” She made herself laugh. The ball of light she had presented to us had a face and studied us. It looked like a child. It even laughed like one.

“What the hell…” Hikari began.

“Right?! It’s alive! Hikari, I didn’t know you can create life with your light!”

“I didn’t either…” She revealed.

“Isn’t it adorable?!”

“Is that why you were laughing and playing with it in the first place?” I asked.

“Yeah! I love this little guy, he’s like a baby! A ball of light baby… Kinda weird, but super cute, right?! And look look!” She let go of the ball, allowing it to float. “IT FLIES!” Her excitement is more than I can express. Hikari sighed and snapped her fingers, causing the ball of light to disappear.

“Enough of that,” She said, walking towards the river to clean off.

Athena was in shock, “What did you do?! Bring him back!” Hikari ignored her. “Hey! Hey! Bring him back!”

“When you need to be babysat again, I’ll bring him back.”

“Babysat?! I’m a grown woman, I can watch myself! Just bring him back, he was so fun to be with!”

“No!” Hikari had to shout with the distance between them now.

“You’re so evil!” She yelled in frustration. I let out a small laugh, “It’s not funny!” She snapped at me.

“It’s not that,” I responded.

“Then what are you laughing at?!”

“Nothing, nothing. You’re just adorable.”

Her face went red, “Shut up, just go wash yourself. You’re covered in blood.” She couldn’t look at me.

“Of course. See you soon.”

“Yeah, yeah…” I made my way down to the river, Hikari beating me. She had completely undressed herself and began to wash. I turned away, Hikari’s taking notice.

“You can look, you know. Nothing you haven’t seen before,” That line bothered me.

“I’m alright. I just want to clean myself,” I said as I began to take off my clothes.

“Oh, putting on a show for me?” I could feel Hikari’s stare. I sighed and rose a wall of snow, covering her view from me, “You’re no fun.”

“I’m not here to amuse you,” I ended the conversation. I washed my entire body, cleaning out my hair the most. Turns out, black blood isn’t easy to get out. My clothes were stained, nothing I did getting the blood out. There was some rustling from the woods, Athena making her way towards me.

She was covering her eyes, “Hey, Lush?”

“What is it?” I answered.

“I brought you a spare change of clothes. Back at the City of Lights, I bought you a spare change. It’s some simple white fabric with deer and bear fur. Thought you might like it.”

I smiled to myself, “Thank you. Please, leave it right there. I’ll come out to get it.”

“Actually,” She began, “Can I come in with you? I really need a bath too, and I would go with Hikari, but she’s… Touchy.”

“How do you know that?” I asked, slightly concerned.

“We tried bathing with one another a while ago in the river, and she could not keep her hands to herself- Look, can I just bathe with you?”

I laughed, “Sure.” I lowered the snow wall I had created for myself and gestured for Athena to come in. I had put on my underwear to cover my lower half, to make it less awkward for her. Athena stepped in, leaving my spare clothes near us. She began to undress, I had to turn away.

“Your hair is still stained in blood. Can’t get it out?”

“Turns out the Night’s blood is very difficult to clean. Who knew.”

“Here, stand still,” Athena approached me, latching onto my back. I felt her skin touch mine, realizing she had completely undressed herself. She used a bucket she had brought with her to wash out my hair, using a brush and soap as well.

“Where’d you get all this stuff?” I asked.

“The bucket and brush are mine, from home. The soap, however, is from the city. Cleanliness is important,” She said as she continued to wash my hair. Several minutes passed, “Right, all out and cleaned! Do you have your tie?”

“My tie? I think it fell out during-”

“During battle? It’s fine, I brought a few spares with me.”

“You really are prepared for anything, aren’t you?”

She laughed, “I just thought it would be wise to bring a few things for you. You tried leaving with nothing but the clothes on your back, I knew it was doomed from the start.”

I laughed with her, “I never thought I would need you for such basic things.”

“What do you mean? You always needed me for this stuff! You have no idea how to take care of yourself, it’s honestly ridiculous!” She reached in her bag for the spare tie.

“I’m sorry, I’ll work on it.”

She giggled, “No need. I enjoy taking care of you,” I didn’t have any words for her. “What’s the matter? Cat’s got your tongue?”

“Thank you, is all.”

“Of course,” She finished tying my hair. Athena stood up and walked towards the river, causing me to avert my gaze. Unlike Hikari, I felt an instinct to peak, though I restrained myself. We simply just washed ourselves.

“Damn it!” There was a voice on the other side of the wall with a suspicious glow. It was followed by a sigh and a punch, knocking down a part of my wall. There stood Hikari, her hands on her hips, revealing herself to the world. “What are you two doing in here?!” Athena was understandably annoyed, but I just created a new wall in front of her.

“Hey! Tear this down, what are you doing!” Hikari yelled.

“No, we’re just cleaning ourselves,” I answered.

“Tear it down or I will!”

“Punch it again, and I’ll replace it with ice last second, ice so hard you’ll break your fingers.”

“You really are no fun, Yukio. But c’mon! This blood is hard to get out of my hair! Someone help me with it, please!”

“Figure it out yourself!” Athena yelled.

“I hate the both of you,” She replied in a monotone voice. Athena and I laughed to ourselves. I finally finished cleaning myself, putting on the new clothes Athena had gotten for me. I was going to walk out and wait for the both of them back at the trail but was interrupted by Athena.

“Can you stay in here? Hikari scares me. I worry she’ll come in and disturb me…”

I let out a soft laugh, “Of course,” I sat down, averting my gaze, twiddling my thumbs.

Athena laughed at me, “You don’t have to stare at the wall, you know.”

“Not much else I can look.”

“I don’t mind being seen by you, you know.”

My heart skipped a beat, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“If you say so,” I turned around, more excited than I’d like to admit. Athena was embarrassed and covering her body, I could tell she regretted it.

She cleared her throat, “So… Have anything you want to talk about?” She said as she started to clean out her hair, showing off her figure without hiding anything. “How was the fight?”

“The fight… Well, it went well for us, I suppose.”

“You were way bloodier than normal. A lot of them?”

“Yeah. It was a hive, after all. They had nowhere to retreat, even if they lost. So they fought to the last man. Every tooth and nail.”

“Sounds violent. You didn’t get hurt?”

“Hikari was there to defend my back,” I lied.

“I’m glad we found her, seems like she’s been helping you a lot lately,” She seemed jealous or disappointed. I didn’t have the courage to tell her she was helping me more than Hikari, and that Hikari was actually causing a lot of confusion within me.

Athena was silent for a moment, “Hey, Lush?”

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

The words shook me to my core, “Yeah, I’m alright.”

“No, but are you alright?”

“I’m fine Athena, I can assure you I-”

“You know I noticed you haven’t been, right?” I stood silent. “I can tell. Can you just tell me what’s wrong?”

I looked down, too ashamed to look at her, “It’s just… A lot of inner conflicts, I guess. Doubt. Maybe regret.”

“I see. I don’t know what’s going on in your head. And if you were comfortable sharing, I’m sure you would have said so right then and there. I won’t press you further if you aren’t ready yet. Though, whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re doubting or regretting, know that you’ll make it. I can only guess as to what your mind is telling you, what you’re doubting. If I had to make a guess, it’d be on your abilities and strength. Right?” I stood silent again. Athena walked towards me, “You don’t have to answer,” She grabbed my hand and face, forcing me to look at her, “Just know I will always be here for you. When you are ready, I will be here. Ready and willing to do whatever I can to help you. Okay?” No matter how many times I’ve made eye contact with her, I would never not get butterflies in my stomach whenever she looks at me. Her eyes are just so easy to get lost in.

“Thank you, Athena,” I felt my eyes get watery. “When I’m ready, you’ll be the first person I come to.”

She wiped my tears, closing the small gap between us, “Take as much time as you need,” She closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss me. I closed my eyes and let her, happy to be with her. She didn’t stop, opting to sit on my lap while we kissed instead. I let my hands wander and explore her body, she seemed happy. She stopped to kiss my neck, lifting my shirt and kissing my chest.

“Is this okay?” She asked.

Those words alone almost made me cry, “Beyond okay.”

We continued, Athena, pressing forward to what she can and can’t do. Always asking for my consent. She told me what she was comfortable with me doing to her as well, and after a few minutes of foreplay, we had sex. Her body and the entire experience were vastly different from Hikari. I enjoyed every second of it. The softness of her body, her quiet moans, the look of love in her eyes. We didn’t just have sex. We made love.

By the time we finished, the sun had set. Hikari was long gone from the river, likely back at the trail. We dressed, and I lowered the snow walls, making our way back to the road, hand in hand. Hikari was there, sitting on a branch, high above us, reading a book.

“There you two are. The moon is high tonight. We should rest for Athena,” She said, putting her book down.

“Where did you get that?” Athena asked.

“From your bag. Don’t worry, it isn’t your dairy. I snuck in a book from the city a while ago, for myself. I like reading to pass the time.”

“I see,” Athena let go of me to go through her bag, letting out a sigh of relief when she realized Hikari was telling the truth.

“I’ll make the beds again. Yukio will sleep with me as usual.”

“I won’t be,” I said.

“And why won’t you be?”

“I want to be with Athena tonight,” Her face went a bright red.

Hikari scoffed and looked towards the full moon, “You do you then. Make your own beds, though.” I nodded and cleared some space for the bed. I put all my concentration into making the bed. The hard part wasn’t creating the snow, but rather trying to make it warm. I didn’t exactly have a desire to freeze Athena in her sleep. Once it was done, I touched the bed and realized I couldn’t tell the difference between warm and cold.

“Athena, can you check the temperature of the bed?”

She walked over, resting her hand on it, “Lush it’s warm… Warm snow, how did you manage this?”

“I’m an Ice Spirit. I can bed snow and ice to my free will, is what Hikari told me. If I want warm snow, then I’ll have warm snow.”

She let out a smile, “You’re incredible!” She laid in bed and let out a deep breath as she began to relax. I watched as Hikari rolled her eyes and went back to her readings. I laid down with Athena, who proceeded to cuddle with me. I closed my eyes and fell asleep without any trouble. I didn’t dream that night.

Waking up was no trouble either. Athena was already awake, doing her hair. Hikari was watching the sunrise. I laughed to myself as I noticed a trend forming. Regardless, I stood up and stretched out my legs and arms, ready for the day ahead of us. Hikari walked took the lead, while Athena and I walked together behind her. We talked to one another about anything that came to mind. We even did our tasks together, fishing at the creek, eating, and cooking. We had a lot more time to spare and be lenient, now that the Night was gone from the area. We could finally relax.

Days began to pass, but we made it out of the forest with the City of Lights in view. Athena was excited to finally see the city at night again, she had missed it. Despite the city being in view, it was still several hours away by foot. The entire trip back, Hikari didn’t speak much to us. It was mostly Athena and I just talking to one another. Not that we excluded Hikari from conversing with us, but more of she didn’t want to. Perhaps it was for the better. With the nightly training with Hikari over with, and no longer speaking to her as much, my thoughts finally subsided for a while. They weren’t completely gone, and doubt and regret still loomed over my conscious, with the fear of the nightmares returning, I felt better. I felt happier by Athena’s side. I wasn’t ready to tell her everything that had happened. I was still recovering. Though I knew soon, she’d know everything. We finally arrived in the City of Lights as the sun was setting, Athena being very excited about it. Ludwig and Ackerly greeted us by the entrance.

“Yukio, Athena, Hikari, I welcome you back humbly!” Ackerly announced.

“Glad to see you three bloaks all alive and well still,” Ludwig had a smile on him.

“Everything went well,” I began. “The Night from the forest is gone. Though, if I’m being honest, it didn’t seem like a nest. It was more akin to a camp, rather than a permanent place to stay or where they even reproduced.”

Ackerly nodded in agreement, “And you may be correct on that. During your departure, we sent more scouts around the area. We needed to know if the Night was having a heavy presence anywhere else, and there was one particular location that needs to be addressed. It’s not far from here, in a cave just up north.”

“And according to our scouts, it seems bigger than the last,” Ludwig added.

“So much so that they couldn’t scout it all out. Said it went deep into the cave, below the ground. Had they traveled any deeper, it would’ve been their demise,” Ackerly finished.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it. Mark it on Athena’s map, and we’ll be on our way,” I gestured for Athena to grab her map.

“Oh no, no, no!” Ackerly interrupted, waving his hands in disapproval. “Please, enjoy the city for a while. You were all gone for so long, rest is needed. You can set out for the cave in a few days. It’s much closer than the last, and we will provide transportation for you all this time.”

Athena grew a smile, “Really?! Thank you!”

Ackerly smiled in kindness, “Of course! If there’s anything we can do to help with your stay, you let me know personally.”

“And if any of the bloody guards disrespect you, you can bring that to me,” Ludwig reassured. Hikari didn’t say anything, but wandered off into the city, holding her stomach. The four of us watched her disappear into the crowd.

“What’s wrong with the lass?” Ludwig asked.

I shrugged, “She’s been distant since we destroyed the hive.”

“Right then. Well, you two, please enjoy yourselves. And if our services are ever needed, please come to us.”

Ackerly bowed, “I’ll be in my palace. Have fun, you two! Oh, and do remember, your rooms are still here! So if you need rest, come stop by to sleep. Farewell!” Ackerly and Ludwig made their way to the palace, leaving Athena and me alone together.

“Exciting! So, Lush,” She grabbed my arm tightly and looked up into my eyes. “What do you want to do first?”

“Whatever you’d like, darling.”

She giggled, “I love you, Lush.”

“I love you too, Athena.”