Chapter 21

It seemed like the hundredth time that Hoku had shaken off his emotionally charged stupor.

The tension in his face eased slightly, as blinked a few times.

He was only spared enough time to glimpse in the direction of Li before he suddenly sensed a sharp movement in the corner of his eye.

His heart raced as he looked up, barely registering the dark shape hurtling toward him.

A black moth, massive and dark, swept forward at a frightening speed, its comb-like antennas whipping through the air.

The creature leapt from the ground like a grasshopper, as it targeted him with direct, unnatural precision.

He was unable to position himself for defense. Thus, having nowhere to go.

With mere inches from impact, a streak of crimson blazed across the horizon.

A reddish arrow-like object appeared, pinning the moth mid-flight.

The creature froze in place, its wings suspended in motion.

A redbud at the tip of the arrow began to bloom, unfurling crimson petals that were white on the inside, in stark contrast to the blackness of the moth.

As the flower fully opened, the arrow's shaft glowed faintly, a dim red rising upward like molten metal.

Then, with a muffled 'crack,' the arrow exploded.

The moth's body erupted in a spray of black, tar-like guts and sinew, scattering in every direction.

A thick splatter of the viscous, dark sludge splashed across Hoku's left cheek.

He remained rooted to the spot, paralyzed by shock, his breath hitching as pieces of the destroyed creature fell around him.

The crimson petals fluttered gently to the ground amid the chaos.

As his sight refocused through the smoke and his disorientation slightly subsided, his eyes were drawn immediately to the rectangular quiver hanging from the loosely fastened belts on Fleur's forearm.

Three vibrant red flower buds emerged from the open end of the quiver, angled outward and slightly askew as if peeking shyly from their hiding place.

'Those must be the actual arrows… but I thought Juno said—'

"Fleur!" Li's anger was palpable, and Hoku was jolted by the unexpected change in his manner.

'Didn't he just call me an idiot? Why is he suddenly mad at her?' Hoku saw Fleur unwind, her hand lingering over the string of her bow.

She inclined her head with a serious demeanor as if she had been awaiting a parental reprimand.

As she turned her back to him and walked over Hoku could only stand speechless.

He struggled greatly to shake the worry he held for many of these strangers.

Even if he managed to convince himself that his minimal contribution was justifiable, this would help him view himself as less of a burden.

However, the crushing disappointment he felt each time he acted impulsively continually eroded that tiny bit of reassurance.

In his mind, Hoku wandered through an endless, uncharted desert of sand, where horizons blurred into a ceaseless expanse with no clear direction.

Instead of forging ahead like most would in hopes of finding an escape, he deliberately paced in a tight, repetitive circle, aligning his footsteps with the faint impressions he had left behind.

Again, and again, and again.

Like a recurring motif in a novel that stretches endlessly through countless chapters.

"Like being adrift in the now... I need to grasp my place. Who am I really? It feels as if everyone else possesses at least a fragment of that answer.'

Hoku frowned and began to absentmindedly pick at the rough skin on his thumb while it rested under Juno's leg.

"Hoku!" Hoku shifted his gaze to Mars after catching the sharp whisper of his name.

Now, it was just him propping up Yu-ze, whose knees were slightly bent to accommodate for Mars's height advantage of at least a foot.

Suddenly, he felt Juno's weight shift as she slumped lower on his back.

He adjusted her position with a steady lift and moved purposefully towards Mars.

Hoku hadn't even reached Mars before his soothing voice began to speak.

"If you were concerned for the cat you could've asked Abel or Li if he'd be fine, technically Cheshire should have already been ahead of us, there's no need for him to wait on us. He's only your guide in our absence."

"Sorry, I don't know why I did that," Hoku replied with a solemn bow.

Mars tilted his head and smiled, changing the subject,

"So what happened to yours?"

"Huh?" Hoku lifted his head, and Mars adjusted his chin to better view the person he carried on his back.

"Oh, she um—she opened her eyes I guess," Hoku confessed, his confusion lingering even though the rationale had come from his own words.

"Haha, Abel is quite the hypnotist. Fortunately, this phase is nearing its conclusion."

Hoku's eyes widened, "...What?"

He quickly redirected his gaze to the faint, flickering light at the edge of his vision, where it danced like a fragile ember trapped in a web of cracks that had strangely appeared on the wings of moths.

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As his eyes fell to the ground, he noticed Abel advancing steadily, his hands clasped in a reverent prayer position at his chest.

"Mars, what is he—" Hoku's voice trailed off, swallowed by the air as an unseen force lifted Abel's long scarf, causing it to billow like a spectral wisp.

The scarf, a cascade of blues that ranged from the deepest midnight near his shoulder to the palest azure brushing just above his boot, seemed to flow without regard to the stillness surrounding him.

Abel's presence took on an almost surreal quality as if he were a figure out of a dream.

The ghostly apparition, resembling a fish drifting through the air, began to tremble before breaking free from its position and descending in an undulating motion.

It left behind a path that trailed like a ribbon as it approached Abel.

As it reached the ground, it plunged into the dirt.

Before Hoku could fully grasp the scene before him, his attention was snagged by a smaller blue puddle, its size modest compared to the expansive one surrounding the moths.

This pool expanded into translucent ripples, forming a circular wave that framed Abel in a halo of shifting blue light.

"Is he trapping himself now?" Hoku asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Mars took a moment before answering, "No, he's demonstrating."

Suddenly, the spectral fish shot out from the center, spiraling outward from Abel and creating a blue spiral that ascended to the same height as the moths.

Abel took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on his hands as he slowly and deliberately wove his fingers together.

Almost methodically, the circle beneath both him and the moths shrank, contracting the base and the transparent enclosure around the moths.

Hoku winced at the sound of what resembled glass cracking.

'It's unfortunate, Juno hasn't woken up—she'll think I've lost my sanity.' If Hoku could chuckle, he would do so against the irony of this thought.

Soon, the puddles had diminished to such a degree that Hoku could scarcely fathom how so many moths still fit within the shrinking space.

Everything seemed as baffling as ever. Yet, it didn't take long for him to realize the cause. His eyebrows shot up in astonishment, and he had to resist the urge to step closer.

Perplexed, he asked aloud, "Are the puddles actually shrinking, or is my vision playing tricks on me?"

Mars laughed again, "He's pulling them into the ground, the 'sea' is shrinking in order to squeeze them into his astrapie. His elixir is a pathway that can open up his soul dwelling by absorbing the spell of another being. I believe it's an artisan grade?" His final remark carried a questioning tone, revealing his own uncertainty about the true nature of Abel's ability.

So many unfamiliar terms had been tossed into the brief explanation, yet Hoku's confusion fixated on a topic that hadn't even been mentioned.

He glanced briefly at Mars, observing him against the backdrop of the unfolding mystical display.

"Forgive me if I sound inconsistent, but why haven't you demonstrated any abilities like the others?" Hoku inquired.

Mars offered a wry smile, his gaze veering sideways toward Hoku without fully turning his body. "There's been no need for my intervention in this conflict. Thankfully, with a range of powers on display, my role is merely to provide support as a last measure."

Hoku nodded his head, not quite receiving the image he had hoped for in Mars' answer.

The events unfolded so rapidly that Hoku barely registered how the vast 'sea' had diminished to the size of the central glowing core.

In a seamless, almost imperceptible gesture, Abel released his fingers into the open air, silent and calculated.

His hands seemed to command the pendulum of his power, much like Juno's were guided by her words and Yu-ze's by his breath.

Abel clenched his teeth tightly, bracing himself as if for a grand revelation.

He then turned his back toward the sky, as though poised to catch a delicate falling leaf.

With a gesture wielding the opposite nature, he flipped his palm toward the ground and slammed it down onto an invisible force, causing the remaining moths to plunge through the blue substance that coated the debris-strewn forest.

As the circle briskly sealed, faint blue orbs erupted from it, reminiscent of droplets splashing from water.

However, these orbs defied gravity, ascending gracefully like weightless bubbles in a surreal, synchronized dance.

Abel exhales.

"They—they're gone?" Hoku was on the verge of losing his ability to speak.

But, he quickly regained his bearings when Li's characteristic remark flooded into his reverie,

"What does it look like? Four eyes."

Hoku rolled his eyes, ignoring his natural tendency to acknowledge who spoke to him.

"I don't wear glasses," Hoku clarified.

"You should consider."

Hoku quickly lost the inclination to argue with Li, setting aside his lingering irritation at the mere sight of him to find Fleur.

When his gaze landed on her, he noticed that her posture had straightened, but instead of appearing resolute, she looked...ashamed.

"What did you say to her?" Hoku asked, concern threading his voice.

"None of your business," Li replied curtly.

"Hear me out, Fleur. What did he say to you?"

Fleur met his gaze, her ordinary brown eyes shimmering with an unexpected depth that made Hoku shiver.

"That arrow I used to protect you was an evening primrose arrow," she began. "I have only a few of them, and they're difficult to obtain since only one person we despise makes them. They're meant strictly for emergencies."

'For emergencies, huh? Then why is Li angry if it served that purpose?' Hoku wondered.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Were our lives not an emergency?"

Li responded immediately, "That moth was smaller than the one I killed in front of you, and the monster they transformed into. At most, it could have caused some minor injuries before I would have stepped in to help, considering how clearly weak you are. It may not seem like it, but right now, apart from Yu-ze, those arrows are our strongest defense, and she squandered one on an insect."

"Abel is drawing near," Mars interjects, inserting himself between the charged silence of their hostile stares.

"We should resume our path before the commotion we've caused attracts more of the dangerous creatures in this area."

The prospect of enduring more battles weighed heavily on Hoku, filling him with deep foreboding.

The mere idea of moving forward made him hesitant, as his arms, weary from supporting Juno, felt as though they were pleading for respite.

Hoku peeked past Fleur, noting that Abel was far enough away for him to speak at a normal volume.

'If the elixir hasn't drained him too much, perhaps I could ask him to carry her for a while,' he reflected, hoping for the best.

'But someone will need to tend to Yu-ze; he requires medical attention right away,' He closed his eyes to manage his overwhelming concern. 'I hope that cat is alright…'

"Crack Crack Pop, mother burns her baby's cradle."

Hoku's eyelids flew open, and he was momentarily struck with a familiar sensation of paralyzing fear.

He grapples with the stark reality of what he had just heard, finally voicing his concern when he sees that everyone else's expressions mirror his own panic.

"...What the hell was that?" he asks, and abruptly, the hair on his arms bristled.

A voice slithered through the air, echoing from every direction as if invisible walls were whispering.

It was dry and raspy, scraping against Hoku's ears like brittle leaves in the wind.

"Drip Drip Drop the blood she pours into a ladle"

Each word felt hollow and unnatural, the sound of a long-dead throat forced to speak—a tone that carried the chill of a graveyard and the weight of something both ancient and unsettling.

"Gaia. We need to get out of here, now." The strain in Mar's own voice woke a feeling of heavy dread in his Chest.

"Sip Sip Sop goes every last bitter drop."

"Guys! The moths were a distraction!" Abel bellowed, his scarf following in a graceful arc over his shoulder until he reached them.

"Seems I spoke too soon, Hoku…" Mars remarked, his hand moving to something near his collarbone.

The Memoir Chapter 16

Objective 10

Death point III

Choose who stays behind.

Rule 21

Mechanisms stand apart from monsters, despite their resemblance to grotesque, twisted creatures. Essentially, mechanisms fall into one of two categories: switches or spawns.

Switches control a specific type of monster, wielding authority over their designated category. On the other hand, spawns are the originators, responsible for generating these creatures. Although many were conceived in laboratories, the notion of natural breeding was rendered unfeasible. These entities were designed to be dependable for the Sequal, yet they transformed into ruthless predators instead.

-The Memoir Chapter 16 End-