image [https://i.imgur.com/XIZL0SH.png]

“Fuck!” Victor grit his teeth. “Why is this happening?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face in his thick palms, unable to contain the surge of emotion.

“Fuck, fuck fuck fuck!” He threw the cupboard next to him on the floor in a fit of rage. “What the hell did I do?”

He sat down on his bed, his heart was racing, and adrenaline burned through his veins.

Goddamn it, he thought bitterly. Is this because I didn’t help that stupid old codger plough the fields?

I’m going to be alone again, he thought.

Victor’s whole body felt heavy. He collapsed sideways onto his pillow, not bothering to take off his shoes.

If I had my previous strength, he thought. I’d have defeated him right there and shown him I deserve to stay.

Victor closed his eyes. And tears slid down his face.

I don’t want to be alone again.

----------------------------------------

“Vic…torrr….”

Victor opened his eyes. Darkness surrounded him again. He felt cold, like all the clothes on his body were missing.

“Victorrrrrr,”

That voice, he thought. I know that voice.

Victor walked forwards, stepping through the darkness.

The sound of a woman giggling could be heard

“My Victorrr…”

The figure of a woman stared at him. She had blonde hair pushed back with a baby blue hairband, pale white skin, wore platinum armour with gold trim, and carried a silver rapier at her waist.

She would have been extremely beautiful had there not been two bleeding holes where her eyes should have been.

“Hahahaha…” she said. “My Victorrr… I found you…”

She stepped towards him. Victor took a step back.

The woman’s smile turned to a scowl.

“Victorrr… why are you running from me?”

“Delsie…” Victor’s facial muscles contorted while looking at her. “What happened to you…”

“You left mee… You left me to die…”

“That’s not true, I–”

“You couldn’t protect mee!”

“I couldn’t do anything…” Victor could feel the sting of tears at the corner of his eyes.

“Hahaha,” she said. “Weakling.”

“...”

Victor tried to turn around, but the woman’s neck elongated and wrapped around him. Her head came uncomfortably close to his face, and he stared into the two bloody holes where her eyes should have been.

“Victorrr… you’ve always been a weakling…”

“Stop it,”

“You can’t protect anything.”

“I–” Victor could feel the words catch in his throat.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

She was right. He couldn’t protect a thing.

A shrill laugh came out of her voice. It stung his ears.

Victor opened his eyes to see the skin on her face melt away. Until a purple skull made of smoke remained.

Victor tried to move, but his hands and feet were paralysed

“Since you’re so weak.” The skull said in Delsie’s voice. “I might as well kill you here.”

The Skull’s jaw opened, and it grew in size until it was bigger than Victor.

"No!" Victor screamed as the teeth of the skull crushed his body.

Victor awoke in his bed covered in sweat.

“Damn.” He panted. “I don’t want to sleep again.”

Victor sat up in his bed. The sunlight had turned crimson, and villagers passed by his hut while chatting.

Is it time for the set feast? he thought.

Victor pushed himself out of bed. His large body had left an imprint where he lay. Kicking aside the contents of the cupboard he just turned over, he walked out the door.

Victor felt the scars on his abdomen burning.

The smell of sun grain wafted into his nose, and the red sun painted everything crimson. Victor glanced over the fields, the people, the houses.

He clenched his fist, and every breath he took weighed a thousand tonnes.

Bah, he thought. Why am I so attached to this damn place, anyway?

He shut the door and followed the villagers towards the town square. But for every step they took, he took half. His movements were slow. Unlike the excited and happy villagers going for their deserved meal, he was a prisoner on death row, getting his last wish.

If this is my last meal here, he thought. I’m going to forget about everything.

By the time he reached the square, the sky had turned black and was twinkling with stars.

“Great Yiho!” Taiyo and Garyu stood on stage. “Bless this land with your light!”

A magic sun flew into the air, not even half the size of Pawan’s. The town square felt dim compared to its usual liveliness.

“Let the feast begin!” Garyu stood in front of the stage and clapped his hands.

Does he think he’s the high priest or something? Victor thought.

As he was looking at Garyu, Taiyo’s eyes fell on him. Those golden eyes widened as they saw him. Victor quickly averted his gaze.

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I won’t see her again anyway, he thought.

Victor made a beeline to the alcohol stand before the other villagers.

Conveniently, or inconveniently. Bronx was standing in front of it.

“Bronx,” Victor said.

“Victor!” he said. “We’ve been looking all over–”

“Just,” Victor said ed. “Just give me your strongest bottle of sun whiskey.”

Bronx frowned.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea–”

“Please,” Victor said. “Man. I need it.”

Bronx looked Victor up and down.

Victor gulped.

“Fine.” He sighed and pulled out a crimson bottle like the one he had drank with Taiyo. “I’m not responsible for what happens after.”

“Cheers,” Victor said. He tried to make his voice cheerful, but it came out monotone.

“Are you going to be okay?” Bronx asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Oi, what’s the holdup?” Villagers behind the pair complained.

Victor hid the bottle in his coat and spun around, making sure not to look at Bronx’s face.

What kind of face was Bronx making right now? He thought. Probably one of contempt, or disgust.

Victor walked. He didn’t know where he was going, he just let his legs carry him to somewhere far away from the set feast. His feet touched prickly grass, smooth stones, sharp rocks. Victor paid little attention to the various sensations, only continuing to walk.

The burning in his abdomen intensified, urging him on. Victor felt like someone was putting a hot knife in his gut.

The ground beneath his feet gradually turned from dirt and grass to smooth cobblestones. He looked up.

“Isn’t that Ironic?”

He smiled in self mirth.

He had somehow arrived before the temple

“I guess nobody will be here right now,” he said.

Victor pushed open the door. The main temple room smelt of strong incense, the faint burnt smell from earlier still lingered. A porcelain statue depicting the Sun God stood on the wooden stage, looking down at the rest of the room.

“What?” he said to the statue.

The Statue had four arms, and a circular sun behind the head. On the stage, the statue towered over him, making him feel small in comparison. Various garlands and rosaries adorned the neck and arms, each arm being in a unique position. Faint light emitted from the sun behind the statue.

Victor felt naked in front of the statue.

That’s unpleasant, he thought. Images from his dream flashed through his mind, and he clutched his stomach.

He shook his head.

“I don’t have time for you,” he said.

Victor sat down, turning his back to the statue. He pulled out the bottle of Sun Whiskey.

“Now,” he said. “How do I get this cork out?”

“Victor?” a familiar voice called out from the door.

Victor looked to see Taiyo standing in the doorway. He saw himself reflected in those golden eyes and looked down.

“There you are,” she said. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you!”

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“Eh? I live here.” Taiyo replied,

“...”

“What?” Taiyo walked towards him, eyes locked on the bottle in his hands.

“You live in the temple?” he asked.

“The high priest and his family live here,” she said. “There're rooms–Anyway, just where have you been?”

Victor turned his face away from her.

“Give me that.” Taiyo grabbed the bottle in Victor’s palm.

“Huh?”

“Eh, were you always this strong?”

Taiyo was tugging on the bottle in his hand with all her strength. Her cheeks were puffed, making her look rather cute. It wasn’t moving.

“That’s mine,” he said.

“I’m not here to steal your whiskey!” She pouted. “I was going to open it for you.”

“Oh,” he said. “Here you go–”

Victor let go, and Taiyo fell backwards onto her bottom.

“Arghh, you have no tact!” She winced. “Nobody is this crass with me except you.”

Victor couldn’t help but chuckle, but his burning scars were a void that sucked that little of happiness as soon as it came.

“Let’s see here.” She put her hands on the neck of the bottle. “I’ll warm the alcohol with Sun Magic, and the cork should—”

*Pop!* The Cork flew out of the bottle, smacking the statue of Yiho right on the nose.

The blood drained from Taiyo’s face, and she prostrated herself before the statue.

“Forgive me forgive me forgive me forgive me forgive me…”

“Relax,” Victor said. “Nobody saw it.”

“God is always watching!” Taiyo said from the floor.

“I’m going to start then,” he said.

Victor took a sip of the whiskey. The strong, burning sensation hit him.

The sky had turned black. The only light came from the statue of Yiho, the moon and stars.

Taiyo got up and sat in front of him. A subtle, sweet, spicy scent entered his nose.

“...Cinnamon,”

“What?” she asked.

“You smell like cinnamon,” Victor said.

“O–oh.” Taiyo averted her gaze slightly. “It’s a new soap I got.”

“I don’t like the taste of cinnamon,” Victor said.

“You don’t?” Her tone faltered.

“No, it’s too spicy,” he said. “So it’s strange that it smells so good on you.”

“Really?” Taiyo asked.

“Yeah.” Victor took another sip.

“Hey don’t hog it all by yourself!” Taiyo said. “Give me some.”

Victor handed her the bottle, and she tipped her head back, taking a swig.

“What?” she wiped her mouth with her arm.

“You have this side to you as well,”

“Shut up,” she said.

“Victor,”

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t fate weird?” she asked. “It was by chance that I ran into you on that mountain, and by chance that we met again and are talking here now.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” he said. “What were you doing up there, anyway?”

“I had run away,”

Victor nearly choked on the Sun Whiskey he was drinking.

“You did what?” he asked.

“I left the village. I was travelling to the adventurer’s guild when I encountered you.”

“I see,” Victor said. “Weren’t your parents worried?”

“My mother is dead.” She clenched her dress in her fists, and Victor had to strain his ears to hear what she said next. “I don’t know what my father would think.”

“I’m sure he would be worried,” Victor said. “He seems to care about you.”

“How can you speak so highly of someone who treated you like that?” Taiyo asked.

Victor shrugged.

“You can’t expect a free meal in this world,” he said. “I was stupid to get attached to this place…”

“Victor,” Taiyo pushed a curly lock of hair behind her ear, revealing a golden earring. “You can talk to me.”

Victor gulped as her golden eyes fixed on his. He immediately looked down.

“Your eyes are doing that thing again,”

“Yeah,” she said. “We’re drinking Sun Whiskey, though I haven’t charged it this time.”

Victor continued to look down.

“Look at me,” she said.

Victor felt two palms hold his face. They were soft, and they gently raised his head to look at hers.

“What’s wrong?” she tilted her head to the side.

Victor felt the sting of something creep into the corner of his eyes.

“I–” Victor’s voice choked as he spoke. “I can’t say it.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“It’s pathetic,” he said.

“So is drinking sun whiskey to escape your problems,” Taiyo said.

“Hey–”

“I meant me.” She let go of his head. “I don’t want you to leave, Victor.”

Taiyo turned her body to look outside the door.

“You don’t?” he asked.

“Obviously?” she snapped her head to look at him. Those golden eyes were piercing, but soft. “Why would I want you to leave?”

“Right,” he said.

She actually wanted him here?

“You’re just saying that,” he said.

“I’m not, Victor,” Taiyo said. “Do you not trust me?”

“I–” Victor couldn’t bear to look at her. “I don’t trust anyone.”

“Liar,” she said. "If you truly didn't trust anyone, you would never have consumed a bottle I had opened, fearing it might be poisoned."

“That’s not what I meant–”

“So,” she said. “You at least trust me enough not to kill you.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe.”

Taiyo smiled, and that smile was enough to make him forget about everything else.

“For now,” she said, “That’s enough for me.”

“Alright,” he said.