Chapter 20

Hoku flinches suddenly remembering what Juno had described would happen if the vessel were destroyed,

"If anyone during this phase were to slice into it, they'd be tearing its shell and releasing twice the amount that synthesized from the swarm."

He could hardly avoid affirming Abel about his plan—especially now since he had acknowledged how crucial his performance was.

"Are you sure two puny fish entities can glean the insides within that twenty-foot creature?"

Abel swung the pendulum with force, and it briefly settled into Hoku's vision before the chain twisted around Abel's index finger.

A small ring embraced right above his knuckle, revealing a lustrous strand of platinum.

Although the object had mostly remained discrete from his eyes, Hoku had managed to capture a general idea of its design from the few flashes he was offered.

At one end of this gleaming chain, a tiny, perfectly polished ball sways.

This small sphere, smooth and unblemished, seems to hum with subtle energy—much similar to Juno's fan, however, greatly distinctive from Li's seemingly normal sword.

Instead of a simple weight or ornament, the pendulum concludes with a miniature, sculpted shape reminiscent of a bird in mid-flight.

This avian form, though small, is exquisitely detailed, with feathers rendered in fine relief that catch and play with the light.

The bird's round body is charmingly compact, giving it an aura of both old class and whimsy.

"Yes, I am beyond certain. You can trust me."

Abel swings it again as he speaks, and Hoku discovers the last detail.

From the bottom of this bird-shaped pendant, a unique feature emerges; a tiny, translucent crystal, its surface flickering with a faint, internal glow.

As the weight pulls it back to the center below Abel's finger, the gentle ring from before returns.

However, it had drawn much closer to their ears than the first time.

"You should probably close your eyes unless you want to be put to sleep. My pendulum is an enemy to humans as well," Abel says, smiling from the other side of the monster's body.

Hoku peered toward Juno and saw that her eyelids were dropped peacefully over her eyes.

"Ah, okay…" Hoku replied, following his suggestion.

Although he was slightly skeptical upon falling asleep by keeping his eyes open, he would rather elude the risk of neglecting a simple task.

"How come I didn't have to do this before? Is it because you're closer to us?"

…

Abel momentarily kept quiet, making Hoku anxious.

"Yes," he answered after a few seconds.

"Then why not you?" Hoku added, curling his bottom lip into his mouth.

"How am I gonna know when to run for my life if my vision is inhibited?" There was an implicitly higher pitch in his response.

Hoku had nearly fallen speechless, managing to mutter just a single word,

"What—"

Before they sheathed their sight, the monster had collapsed onto its knees.

The process that had initially been labored deterioration, was now reacting in an immediate transformation from its wings having been stretched to shreds.

The frail ends of its follicle-like span had started to wilt and drop onto the ground, like heavy stems of a dying flower.

The only noises that could be reverberated from the vessel were the splashes as pieces of itself had trickled into the bottomless 'cage'.

Rrrriiiipppp!

Hoku felt his stomach plummet, and his eyelids twitched with the desperation to be opened.

He held up his guard, keeping his eyelids firmly closed.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light bursts through, momentarily turning the darkness behind his lids into an intense, white glare.

It's like a searing, brilliant streak that fades quickly into a dull, persistent glow.

The fading light transitions into a softer, deeper illumination, almost like a subdued twilight filtering through a dense canopy.

As it wanes, and his nerves spike, Hoku becomes hyper-aware of the heavy wind's presence.

He hears it picking up a deep, resonant whoosh that rustles through the trees.

The sound swells and recedes in waves, like a symphony that gently caresses his senses with an enveloping presence.

"W-what's going on?" Hoku's voice trembles as he attempts to speak to Abel.

However, the answer he receives is far surpassing the reassurance he had desired.

With a resounding and overwhelmed bellow, Abel erupts a peculiar phrase,

"Oh la vacche! Here she comes!"

Hoku surrenders to fright, his jaw lowering as his eyelids flick open and he gazes ahead with widened eyes.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

One of the fish had disappeared, whilst the other remaining had gotten much larger.

It loomed like an enchanted seal with narrow light crimson eyes.

The tail had been separated from the puddle and curled and its body was like a cloud that arched around its entire shape.

All of the solid blue that filled the circle before Hoku shut his eyes, has subsided into an almost clear base, with only the ripples making it visible.

Though the azure had not entirely dissipated.

Instead, it flushed into the center, nearly seeming like the substance was draining from a hole below it, in the dirt.

Hoku clenched his teeth together, suppressing the impulse to let them chatter upon witnessing the horrific sight that had unfolded from above Abel's trap.

There was no visible barrier withholding them inside the spherical hole, but because of how tightly compacted the thousands of moths stayed, and how they all aligned in the shape of a cambered ring—Hoku knew there was nowhere they could go.

Their color had altered again, their body, limbs, and even wings were coated in black.

Hoku shuddered out of disgust, as he observed them twitching against one another, barely able to move in the confines of an enclosure that was scarcely tall enough to hold them.

Hoku held onto Abel's remark about running for his life in the back of his mind, tensing his limbs in preparation for the moment he was given the cue.

He saw through the haze breaches of the moth's slighter condensed movement near the level they stood.

Li had still kept his eyes closed.

Hoku gazed at him, tilting his head to the right in confusion.

'I don't feel drowsy…?"

He peered in Juno's direction.

'Her too? Is it just me, or is it Abel's presumption of that thing's abilities?'

As she redirected his attention ahead, Hoku was taken aback to meet Abel's gaze, glimpsed through the flurry of movement that intermittently revealed and concealed him.

Hoku pressed Cheshire in his arms, having already realized he had also been awake the whole time.

He opened his mouth without an idea of what he could say, or by some means make heard.

From the distance, he stood frozen on the edge amidst a torrent of emotions.

When Abel appeared for a brief moment, he formed silent words with his lips.

Hoku narrowed his eyes, but it was futile; as his face was soon obscured once more.

'He must be tricking them…' Hoku discerned based on the lack of concern in Abel's attitude.

'But wouldn't they know?' He doubtfully pondered.

Hoku made persistent efforts to peer through the disarray and locate Abel while minimizing his movements.

Unexpectedly, as he looked farther afield, and saw a small group of people approaching from the distance.

"Yu-ze?" He murmured to himself.

Unfortunately, he failed to gauge the effect of his volume, disrupting Juno from her focused trance.

Her pupils shrink from the light flooding into her iris.

Hoku hears the ground shift next to him.

He angles his head and scans the area to trace the source of the rustling.

As he adjusts his direction, Juno's weight causes him to be thrown off balance.

She collides with him, her chin draping onto his shoulder, and with no other choice, he lets Cheshire fall from his arms to steady her.

He works to maneuver his hand between them to gain some space, then he seizes her shoulder and murmurs quietly as he nudges her back, struggling to hold her up by the collar of her flowing cloak.

"Juno urgh! What the hell-"

He feels a sharp pang in his chest when he notices she has gone completely slack.

"Juno…?" he calls.

His gaze widens and a deep sense of discomfort engulfs him.

"This is not looking too hopeful!"

Hoku recovers from his daze when Abel's worried voice penetrates the turbulent current of wind.

He anxiously squints and tightens his mouth, swiftly throwing Juno's arms over his shoulder, allowing her to rest on his figure.

His back leans into a slant from the strain of pressure.

'Not possible…'

He was holding out hope that Abel wasn't insinuating that the moths had broken free.

However, when he recognized that wasn't the issue, he wasn't particularly relieved about what Abel was most likely referring to.

His face reflected concern as he observed Fleur and Mars transporting an unconscious Yu-ze, each grasping him by the arms slung over their shoulders, their heads downcast to avoid gazing above themselves.

Dark droplets seeped from the corners of Luis's mouth, gradually trailing down to his chin.

A fleeting flash of black darted through the space between Yu-ze's boots.

Hoku immediately recognized it as the cat, and his momentary disorientation melted away.

Hoku knelt on one knee, his heart racing as cradling his unconscious companion with tender urgency.

He briskly maneuvered her onto his back, her hair cascading down in a tangled waterfall, veiling her face and falling over his shoulders.

Her arms hung lifelessly at her sides, adding to the fragile image of her slumped form.

With a deep breath, he hoisted her up.

To his surprise, her weight felt lighter than expected, easing his burden.

Hoku stood up, adjusting her position on his back as he locked his gaze on the hasty-moving cat ahead.

Hoku burst into motion, and a rush of adrenaline ensued pushing him into high gear.

As Cheshire scurried past the three people, Mars was the first to glance up in startled confusion.

Ignoring their surprised faces, he focused intently on the agile feline, his feet pounding the ground with each stride.

He hadn't spared himself even a second to consider his own safety, executing his actions with methodical precision. It was as if his instincts were hardwired to ignore rational thought and safeguard those he had only encountered hours earlier.

Every muscle in his body worked in unison as he chased after the elusive, fast-moving cat.

"Hoku! Stop!" Mars desperately shouted behind him.

"I can't. I won't do this again… I told Zhou Fang I would—"

Hoku abruptly skids to a halt.

His momentum falters as his feet slip and slide through the loose dirt and crinkled dead leaves, sending a shower of soil and foliage into the air.

He stumbles awkwardly, struggling to regain his balance as his legs flail beneath him.

The cat, once within reach, continues its rapid escape, growing smaller and more distant before vanishing completely into the thicket.

Hoku stands immobilized, his eyes wide and unseeing as he stares straight ahead in puzzlement.

His breath comes in ragged gasps, his mind struggling to catch up with the sudden befuddlement.

"The name I have spoken…why him of all people?"

Hoku directs his eyes to the ground, and his fingers tremble beneath Juno's legs.

A glimmer of rage clouds his eyes, as a strange sensation invades his previously sheer demeanor.

"Out of all times and things my memory chooses to retain that damn bastard?"

Despite being unable to conjure a face for the name in his thoughts, Hoku clung to the hatred that filled the many empty spaces in his memory.

Whoosh! Whoosh! …Snap!

A sharp, loud crack sounded from behind Hoku, directly provoking him to jerk his head around to locate its source.

Before he could react further, Li's enraged voice cut through the ambiance, barraging him with its intensity, "You idiotic fool!"

The Memoir Chapter 15

Objective 9

-The Memoir Chapter 15 End-