A little grammatical errors here and there but hopefully you enjoy~ Any comments or opinions are greatly appreciated:)

Very trippy chapter... Reader's discretion is advised.

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Chapter 9: Delusional

He did not understand what hit him. Only that he knows that he's about to die again. There was a series of deep thwacks as fist sized holes blasted out of Keisuke's chest.

"Haaa...?"

Before his brain could even pinpoint the surge of pain, half of his head blasted apart, spraying Erin and the surrounding area with his gore. His body pitched forward, upending himself on the ground.

"Ehhh... Keisuke?"

Erin was dimly aware of what just transpired as the world seemed to constrict to a tiny focal point on her boots--which were covered in blood. Keisuke's quivering body lay at her feet. She stared at the interior of his skull, even now coursing with blood that pooled across the dirt. Blood was also oozing from several other holes in Keisuke's chest, turning his entire white shirt maroon.

"Aghhhhh!!!!"

Her ghastly scream was all he heard before he was cast into oblivion. He fell into an endless pit of darkness where nineteen years of his life flashed like a slot machine--randomly picking something to remove. And then, as if it won a lottery, it stopped and something played.

Wake up Kei! In the military, there's no such thing as sleeping in!

But Dad...

No buts kiddo! Let's move on! Move your body!

The memory that appeared was the one regarding his Father. He was a retired U.S military veteran that somehow ended up in Japan and marrying a young Japanese woman which conceived Keisuke. He thrashed Keisuke's childhood and taught him various things that he didn't want to know himself. But even if he didn't, there's not a single moment that he didn't enjoy his company. He's a boy after all.

Blistering memories ran through in his mind in a fast forward motion. Little by little, cracks appeared in his view that soon shattered everything around him. As everything else crumbled into thousand pieces of glass shards, his vision shook and his consciousness was escorted back to reality.

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"Troublesome idiot..."

He came back in time just right after he defeated his arch-nemesis and he found himself cradled by Erin's warmth. However, the pain in his chest that almost threatens to tear him apart can't seem to disappear. He's shaking, trying to cling to consciousness, to be aware of what's going on around him.

"Haa... Haa..."

Keisuke, who's mouth was dry with something unpleasant, breathed heavily. Tears blurred his vision and it would seem that Erin's sympathy would choke him. Racked by repeated agonizing pains, he felt as if a sword had thrust through his chest.

"It's over now," Erin whispered as she cradled his shaking head. "You did well."

"Weapon," he murmured. "Give me a weapon."

Keisuke swallowed bitterly. For a moment, it seemed that he was a child, that Erin held him and comforted him in some childish sickness. No matter how hard he tries, he could not remember a certain person in his life that greatly influenced his daily lifestyle.

Keisuke was finally able to comprehend the cruel price he had to give up for his mysterious ability; to rewind time through his death. Memories. A fraction of his memories were deleted upon waking up from death. He did not realize before simply because the previous deleted memories were regarding with people he did not know much or even care about.

In our life, short it may be, we meet tens to hundreds to thousands of people every single day. Then why does he have to forget those who are important to him? In Keisuke's mind, this being called dad is faceless. With only his voice floating on top of his head.

They did say that no matter how much you forget, your body remembers. And the bond he created with Keisuke remains yet he could not trace the importance of this person. Even the meaning of the words dad or father were forgotten.

Keisuke's heart sank into unknown chaos. In an attempt to remember, it just felt even more distant and lonely. Keisuke felt malice surged through him. The numerous questions deep inside his mind  hurtled him from out of nowhere, like a bolt of lightning. The shock of it hinged his thoughts and left a burned taste on his tongue.

"Stop crying idiot. Why are you even crying?"

He ignored her question and shoved her aside. Keisuke hurriedly grabbed Volius that's lying unattended on the ground. There's noticeable damage on the blade and the gem lost it's shine. It's vibrant red color has now turned gray. Like the life previously sustaining it before has died out. Now, the dagger in his hand is no different from that of a regular one.

"Keisuke, answer me! What is going on?!"

"......."

Keisuke's heart and mind was immediately thrown into chaos. He could not hear anything, nothing at all. The only thought circling in his mind is to kill the person that will soon appear in front of him.

"Come out!!" He roared. "Dammit, whoever you are, I'll kill you."

Just what he wished for, a man, no, a child donned into adult clothes appeared in front of him. He is a man of short stature and grayish wavy hair, with similar pointed ears like Erin. His face contains a mischievous grin and the huge scar carved on his face did not make him look tiny. The oppressive air coming from the little man was making it hard for him to breathe.

"Well, well. For you to notice me in this darkness.."

Fwish! With a sand of cloud left behind, he disappeared! Oppressed by a feeling that a deadly threat loomed behind, Keisuke followed his crying instinct to thrust his knife at that direction.

Thwack!!

The stench of freshly drawn blood wafted in the air...

Drip... Drip...

Erin could do nothing but cover her mouth in shock by the sudden turn of events. Keisuke's mouth watered down with blood. A fist sized hole was opened on his chest and a small hand thrust in between.

"And here I expected a whole lot more... Is that it human? If you have nothing else to show me, then you can die!"

Erin reached out to him with misty eyes before the other half of his head blasted to pieces. Keisuke's brains and gore pigmented the surrounding leeway, and he was plunged into eternal darkness. Memories with his love ones flashed in his eyes. Picking. Selecting. Choosing which existence to be remove.

Kei, if you want to do CPR to the person in front of you, you have to think if you want to marry that person first , or else don't save their life!!

Mom, you're watching too much drama again...

He heard a faint cracking noise. Slowly, those tiny cracks multiplied. One by one. And at the fifth crack, everything else shattered and his mother's existence was deleted in his memory. Keisuke had completely forgotten who his parents are. Once fate was done mocking him, the very fabric of time trembled, and Keisuke returned to reality.

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" Troublesome idiot... "

Keisuke collapsed towards a familiar figure. Just to reassure himself, he put his arms around her; he felt it solid and real. Warm and cuddly. The sweetness of her breath was like a honey and her golden hair that brushed on his cheeks has the smoothness of a fine silk.

Mom?

Keisuke could not quite steady the trembling of his fingers. He unconsciously mentioned a word in his mind he did not know the meaning of, unable to understand the sudden surge of sentimental feelings that cascaded from his eyes. For a long moment, he calmed himself by breathing into her hair.

While he was down and stupefied, an angelic being wraps his spirit in it's warm and comfortable light. He was wrapped in a familiar light that healed his wounds and refreshed his exhausted being.

Damn, what am I getting scared for?

I've already resolved myself to do this.

Keisuke leaned her away from him slightly, causing him to notice her lovable features. Her golden hair. Her sharp and pointed ears that he would want to caress. Her green pupils that shines brightly like an emerald. Her tender shoulders and slender arms. Everything about her is beautiful.

"Erin, I'm fine now... Sorry to have worried you."

"I-I'll allow it j-just this once."

Erin--slowly, compelled--put out her hand to touch his face, to wipe away his tears; but she jerked her hand back in sudden embarrassment. Keisuke bent his head and it struck Erin that what he really wanted was to lay that head down on her chest not now as a man to a woman, but as someone who could quiet his fear and despair.

"Alright, let's do this..."

"Eh.. What do you mean?"

"Nothing, just stay there for now."

Keisuke twisted his joints, cracked his fingers, and picked up the damaged dagger lying on the ground. Remembering what this mysterious person in his memory taught him, Keisuke clenched the handle tightly, placing his thumb on the side of the blade. Even though he could not remember who this person is, the knowledge he passed on to him would not be wasted.

"Come out!"

Keisuke shouted, and stood before him is a calm and confident man. And that confidence speaks for himself. He is not someone to be taken lightly.

There is no such thing as a fair fight, Keisuke remembered. And this guy is good at sneak attacks. A single chance is all I have.

"Well, well. For you to notice me in this darkness.."

Keisuke took a stance and carefully watched the man's movements. His eyes are squinted sharply and his concentration at it's peak.

Four, five, six steps... Keisuke quickly measured the distance between the two of them. The man's speed was indeed too fast for his eyes to follow but it's also because of that that he will win. He will use that speed and his enemy's cocky attitude to his advantage.

Steadily, the little man moved closer and closer... until a cloud of smoke was left behind as he disappears into thin air!

Swoosh!

In an instant, the distance between them was removed and what seemed like compressed air filled the man's hand. Just like a sharp spear, it was brandished forward as he lunge! The man's attack graced Keisuke's left shoulder at the same time he tilted his body to heed his natural battle instincts.

Seven... Eight steps... Yes...

Keisuke slightly shuddered, but he held his breath and turned that fear into concentration, focusing all of his senses like a stilled water. After stepping a couple of steps behind, he resumed his stance while attentively watching the man's movement. Again, the man disappears before his very eyes! The subtle sound was a kind of singing, and a sense of danger welled up inside him.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Klang!!

Keisuke deflected an attack by a hair's breadth and at the same time, counterattacked by stomping on the ground, forcefully whirling his body and delivering a powerful kick on the man's gut. The little man slid backwards. A white glare lit behind Keisuke's eyes . He let out a low growl, balanced the knife in his hand, and thrust his stump forward with exacting position, directly to the man's chest.

Fwang!!

The knife flew somewhere. The little man kicked it away and shot his left fist into Keisuke's jaw. But with a single motion, Keisuke thrust his right elbow downward into the man's wrist. A faint crunch, and he howled with pain.

"HUMAN!!"

"Bitch."

The little man lurched up, but Keisuke had already sent a fist. The man's head snapped backward; he toppled backward like a felled tree. And with another fist sent downward to his jaw, the man went still on the dirt accompanied by a loud bam!

"Don't underestimate me. I'm American."

Keisuke knew he only won because the man underestimated him. He was clearly aware that he was far weaker, but battles are not just decided by plain specs. There are no rules, no restrictions, and no limitations to ones method on how he/she will fight. The moment he thought of Keisuke as a mere rabbit to hunt, he's already dug his grave.

While catching his breath, Keisuke picked up the dagger once more. He took the man about the chest and laid the knife against his throat. There is no hesitation in his eyes. He will kill him, just like how he did with that girl.

"Keisuke, wait!!"

Erin interrupted him before he could even end the man's life. That slight delay however, caused Keisuke a grave mistake. The little man's eyes snapped open and moved his fingers, as if he was writing something in the wind. All of sudden, Keisuke was thrown into the air, his body flips, and spins before falling onto the ground.

"Kaaaaghhh!!"

The results of his attacks is Keisuke being a bloody mess. The man quickly collected himself and stomped on Keisuke's face, making him grimace.

"As naive as ever milady. Because of you, this human will die." Regarding it with amusement, the man's eyes narrowed, saying that he is serious with his words.

"Galvin..."

Eryn stared at the man with a frightened expression. Staring fixedly without blinking for a surprisingly long duration of time, carefully watching the man's movements. But the man didn't move, didn't do anything but keep his distance. It seemed that questions filled the air between them as if they had been written in invisible ink. All was quiet, until Erin caught her voice to speak.

"Galvin, are you the one after my life?" Erin felt her heart stop as she wait for the man's reply.

"Surely you jest milady, I'm a mere servant following orders."

The man replied in a joking manner, lifting his shoulders in a shrug and his mouth twisted sardonically. After hearing the man's reply, a sigh slid upward from her lungs.

"Then release him. He has nothing to do with this."

"Alright. Relinquish the spirit weapons to my care, and I shall do as you like."

"How can I do such a thing?" Erin's hands fisted on her sides. She stood silently, her pulse snapping in a quick rhythm.

" So they haven't told you, huh? A spirit weapon can't just merely switch owners. Unless the current owner dies or somehow gave up ownership, it won't activate on other people's hand. So now I'm giving you a choice. Either you both die or you relinquish ownership of those spirit weapons to myself and I let you both go, your choice. "

It was an offer that Erin could not refuse. But then, how can Keisuke activate Volius if he wasn't the owner? She thought. Nevertheless, for Erin, these daggers are not just regular weapons. They're both part of her family and something she could not relinquish so easily.

She gazed at Keisuke's state and noticed that he needed treatment immediately, or he will really die. Because of her own foolishness, she endangered both of their lives.

"So, what will it be? I don't have much time."

Galvin pushed Erin further with his threatening words. Hearing this, Erin turned and searched for Levasti; which she quickly found near the ground where Keisuke defeated the monster. She couldn't breathe. The pain in her chest was too great. Her foot seemed to sink forever into the dirt as she thought about the endless possibilities.

Keisuke or the spirit weapons?

She shook her head and knelt, gently grabbing the dagger that had always guided her for as long as she could remember.

[Later...]

Levasti immediately understood her master's current predicament. She severed the link herself and with a simple word of goodbye, Erin could no longer communicate with her. Erin stood ablaze with emotions, her eyes welling up in sadness, but she held her tears inside. She hurled backwards and walked to Galvin.

"Here," with her shaking hands, she handed the dagger to him.

"Magnificent."

Erin did the same with Volius, but the loud spirit didn't utter any word. She could not communicate with him at all.

Was he mad at my decision? Erin quietly thought. Nevertheless, she needed to do what needed to be done. Doubling over to Galvin, she handed him the luxurious dagger.

Galvin adjusted his gaze at the weapon and found his mouth breaking open in a genuine smile as he took it from her hands.

"Thank you for cooperating," Galvin said. "Now, you can both rest in peace."

"But you said..."

"And what will you do after this? You knew nothing of the life outside our jurisdictions!! Killing you here would be mercy."

Naive thinking, Galvin said to himself.

"Bull...shit.."

Keisuke, who's silently listening to the man talk nonsense couldn't contain the anger swelling in his chest. He knew nothing about Erin and the problems surrounding her, that's a fact. Nevertheless, who is he to decide her life? Blasphemy! Maybe there's a deep reason behind all of these, yet none of those matters to Keisuke. He's but an outsider in this world. They can only blame the person who brought him here for the disasters that he's about to bring.

"Ah... I forgot. Who might you be?"

Although the question was asked in a light vein, the man's gray eyes were alert. Clenching his hands into fist, Keisuke replied in a serious tone.

"I'm nobody. I knew nothing about your problems.. But who are you to decide her fate?!"

"Fancy words coming from someone who killed Elena. Hahaha... You're one twisted human, aren't you?"

Erin froze after hearing Elena's demise. It was a temptation to sugarcoat the truth, but Erin still cared for Elena's well being.

"Wait... Elena's dead?" Erin asked in a tone that almost ruined her heart.

"Yes, killed by this very human."

Hearing Galvin's words, Erin shot Keisuke a sharp look, her emerald eyes narrowing. Her stern expression is waiting for him to clear her doubts. She really wanted to trust him this time. A heavy silence fell between them, and Erin prayed that it was not the truth.

Seeing Erin's reactions, Galvin cast healing magic to Keisuke. Why? He's amusing himself. Keisuke quickly sprang to his feet after recovering and approached Erin with an apologetic face. His feet wobbling and he stood unstable.

"It was sudden... I did it to..." He tried to reached her, but his hand was shoved away.

"Get away from me!"

Erin shouted her lungs, her voice packed with anger unforeseen. Keisuke could do nothing but backed away from the the girl brimming with hatred. Putrid hatred against him. Erin could scarcely think above the blood rushing in her ears and the pain of losing a mom.

"I understand..."

Keisuke clenched his fist harder, exacting a sensation that was neither pleasure or pain. A smile curved the man's mouth. He felt remarkable happiness watching Keisuke's reaction.

"Well then... I've changed my mind. If Lady Eririn disguised herself as a human, then I'll pretend I never saw you today."

Galvin's words lightened Erin up, but her burning hatred for Keisuke still remains.

"...You'll help me that far?"

"Of course milady. Just wear this ring and you'll see the difference."

As the man familiarly handed Erin a ring, he gave Keisuke a mischievous grin, his eyes were bright with amusement. That glow of humor imparted Keisuke of warmth and right away, he rushed to grasp Erin. However, she already inserted the ring on her left index finger before Keisuke could even take a couple of steps. Afterwards, blinding light took their sights away, causing him to cover his eyes instinctively. When the flash of light ended, there was a remarkable change in Erin's appearance.

Her shimmering golden hair was reduced to a chestnut brown, and her mystic pointed ears shrank and rounded like Keisuke's. The man chuckled, with a genuine amusement that didn't often occur.

"Hahaha... Marvelous. You look magnificent milady."

"Screw it!! What else did that ring do to her?!"

Straining for details, Keisuke hurried towards the chuckling man, his inexpressive face contorted in fury, white teeth gleaming as he gritted his teeth. Clutching the man's expensive clothes, Keisuke released punch after punch. The man didn't even try to evade and just conceitedly accepted all of his attacks head on.

"Hahaha..."

"Damn you!!"

Meanwhile Erin, who's still bewildered at her sudden change finally snaps back to her senses. The first thing she saw was Keisuke one-sidedly beating up Galvin. Stepping in between the frenzied Keisuke and the man, Erin gazed at Keisuke in scorn.

"Stop already!"

"But... I only..."

"Begone from my sight!!"

Erin's words were harsh and struck Keisuke deep, but he stood his ground.

"Hate me all you want but I'm not leaving you alone in this dreadful place."

"Dreadful---" Keisuke swept her off the ground, ignoring her kicking and fighting. "Let go!!"

"Bear with me."

Keisuke's heart begun to hammer in alarm. He wanted to get out of that place before that mysterious man changes his playful demeanor.

"What an interesting human."

The man observed in a snob tone, as he watched Keisuke's back disappear in the darkness. Are elves really possible of such evil or is there really a deeper reason behind all of these?

[Why did you lie?]