“Well, what now?” Ralph asked.

“Hm. Can’t say, I’m sure.” Urn replied, staring up at the wall of green that loomed before them with awe. They’d finally made it to the edge of the forest, surprisingly unbothered by magical beasts on their voyage, and just out of their reach was the field of grass beyond the forest; but first, they’d have to take care of the barrier. The barrier was made up of a green, slimy substance with several animal limbs and bits sticking out of the sludge like a nice bowl of monster soup.

How appetizing.

“We could try sticking our hands into it and flowing our energy into the barrier simultaneously.” Urn suggested, and Ralph made a face at the barrier, poking at the head of a wolf floating through the green slime.

“Look, Urn.” Ralph put a hand to his chin. “If you’re not absolutely sure about what happens, then maybe we shouldn’t poke our hands into a wall full of dead body bits, yeah?”

“That’s what makes it fun, right?” Urn said with a smile. “The possibilities are endless! And I’d say this is the best plan we have right now anyways.”

Ralph frowned and turned, staring at Urn lengthily. Urn shrugged his shoulders at Ralph, who opened his mouth…and then bit his lip and turned back to the barrier, grimacing. “I’m all for adventure, but I just don’t think we should risk it, kid.”

“Look-” Urn turned, irritation painted across his face- irritation that quickly turned to shock as the entire sky shifted from blue to red. The barrier turned red, the bits of animals floating within the barrier being swallowed up by it, and the forest’s eerie silence seemed even louder now. A great wind passed through the forest, and the trees started to lean to the side, as if they wanted to rip their roots out of the ground and flee.

Urn’s locket flared up, the eye within it widening as the necklace tightened around his neck. Before the monster even revealed itself, Urn had already felt it through his bones. A foot slid out from behind a crooked tree, and then the figure stepped into view, walking towards Urn and Ralph slowly, the frightened trees scrambling to bend out of its way.

Ralph’s eyes wide with horror, he noiselessly moved in front of Urn, sliding into a fighting stance. “Urn,” He whispered. “Make a break for it.”

Urn didn’t reply.

“Don’t make me say it again Urn- run!” He whispered, louder this time.

Urn once again failed to reply.

Damn it, I’ll throw you if I have too! Ralph spun around and was met with the sight of Urn hovering in the air, his feet just barely touching the ground. The locket was lifting him off the ground by his neck, its eye flailing around wildly as it tightened its grip on his neck. Ralph shot forward, his hands trembling as he fought to rip the locket off Urn’s neck; yet his attempts did not even shake it. This cursed thing!

“Move.” The figure said, suddenly right besides Ralph. Slamming its fist into the side of Ralph’s skull, the force of the blow sent the guardian rolling into the depths of the darkness. Raising its hands, it squeezed at the necklace of the locket, its unruly, long nails digging into the gaps between the chains. Yanking Urn down towards the ground violently, the locket began to bend to the will of its overwhelming force. The eye of the locket was wide, bulging out it was practically liable to falling out of the locket as the figure roughly pulled at the chains of the locket. And then…it snapped.

The locket fell to the ground before Urn harmlessly, its eye closing as the figure loomed before the breathless Urn coldly. “Rage is fleeting. Don’t make me waste it.”

Urn didn’t reply.

The figure swung its leg, barefoot smashing across Urn’s face and sending blood rising out of the boy’s nostrils like a fountain. Grabbing Urn by the scalp, it raised Urn to eye level, repeatedly jabbing a finger into his forehead. As Urn slowly began to come too, Ralph darted out of the depths of the forest, unsteadily but quickly. Bringing forth all the magic energy he could muster, he sent it straight through his knuckles and slammed a fist into the figure’s face, sending it skidding backwards.

Ralph quickly grabbed onto Urn’s limp body, throwing the boy over his shoulder and shooting towards the woods, yet the figure was in his way before he could even get past the shadows of the trees. It outstretched a hand, its cold palm covering Ralph’s face as its fingers dug into his skull.

“You aren’t needed.” It said, it’s breath foul like the stench of smoke and rotten flesh. Tossing Ralph into the air as if he weighed no more than a feather, the figure leapt into the air, snatching Urn off Ralph’s back, and slamming its leg into Ralph’s side simultaneously, the guardian sent rag dolling through the forest.

As the figure descended from the air, slamming its feet into the grass, it hurled Urn towards a tree. His eyes flying open just before his back slammed against the tree, he dug an arm into the ground, slowing himself just before he hit the tree. He could barely even process what was happening; his face was contorted in intense pain and his vision was shaky. Ralph. Where is he? Urn thought deliriously, stumbling around the forest with the grass of a baby deer.

The figure stared at Urn, and slowly raised its hands before clenching its head and letting out a groan, as if it were the one that had been kicked in the face. Its gleaming red eyes flashed from underneath its long, unruly black hair…they were teary. “Get up.” It mumbled.

“Wh- '' In a flash, it closed the distance in between them, slamming its fist into Urn’s stomach. Urn stumbled backwards, throwing a lazy punch at the stranger, who swiped it aside with ease, slamming its fist into his stomach yet again. Urn’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets with pain as he stumbled backwards, grasping at his stomach. The pain. It was unbearable, something Urn had never even dreamed was possible. Urn collapsed to his knees, and the figure immediately grabbed at Urn’s scalp, tossing Urn into a nearby tree.

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“I-” It started. “I don’t feel anything- but I feel everything. So-make me hate you.” It started to walk towards Urn slowly. As it dragged its feet across the grass, Ralph, in goldfish form, shot right past the figure, transforming back into a man and swiping Urn off the floor.

“I…” It dragged a hand across its face as it watched Ralph sprint farther and farther away from it, with Urn slung onto his back. “Can’t restrain it any longer. Sorry.”

Before Ralph could make it into the trees, the figure had appeared before Ralph. Once again swiping Urn out of Ralph’s grip, it thrusted a finger into Ralph’s head coldly. Ralph lifted a hand, grabbing its finger with one hand, and its shoulder with the other, before turning and barking, “PLEASE, GET UP AND RUN, URN!”

“You’re just an obstacle.” It whispered to Ralph, pushing its finger towards Ralph’s forehead; it stabbed through his skin and pushed into his flesh with the precision of a knife. As Ralph tightened his grip on the boy, trying to keep it from chasing after Urn, all he could think of was how useless he was. Repo was right. I’m not fit to be his guardian.

“Repo! Abrax!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, starting to lose his strength as the finger pushed deeper and deeper into his forehead. “Hurry up and come out! We give up- we should have listened to you! If you’re not going to save me, then hurry up and save Urn!

“Obstacle.” It said, a red aura bursting from its body like flames, and with horrifying strength, it knocked Ralph's grip, and dug its finger into his forehead with a crack. Pulling its finger out of the hole in Ralph’s forehead, it kicked Ralph’s limp body towards Urn.

…Fuck. Urn thought, slowly stumbling to his feet and his vision finally began to clear; more than anything he wanted to fall to the ground and stay there. Ralph…where are you? He took a step forward, and promptly tripped; finding himself face to face with Ralph’s blank, lightless eyes.

“Ralph.” Urn breathed, grabbing at Ralph’s head. “Ralph. No. No.” He shook Ralph’s head from side to side, pinching him all over his face in a desperate attempt to get his guardian to wake up. No. No. No. Wake up. Please. He felt the sinking feeling in his stomach grow worse and worse as Ralph’s blank eyes stared into nothing.

“Now do you get it?” It said, breathing down Urn’s neck. “You are a vile, ugly monster. It’s time you stopped playing with me and realized that. Give us the catharsis we deserve.”

Urn said nothing, staring at Ralph’s face blankly; and was promptly called to action by another gut punch, and then a crude knee to the face. As he rolled across the forest floor, the figure shot towards Urn, trying to slam its foot into Urn’s stomach, but missed as he rolled to the side. Slowly pulling himself off the ground, Urn tried to concentrate.

I need to focus. Urn thought, trying to cease his trembling as he closed his eyes. Magic energy shrouding his body, his locket lifted itself off the ground and shot towards his neck, wrapping itself around it.

“Yes.” The figure said, seemingly to itself, and tendrils of red energy shot towards Urn, who weaved between trees and bushes to avoid the tendrils, grabbing onto a branch and swinging into the air above the figure. Concentrating onto the figure, he saw with surprise that despite looking just like a human did, it was completely made up of magical energy.

I can scan it. He thought desperately as he landed, bearing the brunt of several vicious blows from the figure, and sending him skidding back…yet he stood his ground. His eyes flashing purple, using his newly awakened magic skill, Urn could analyze the magic skill powering the figure with ease. In seconds, he’d completely grasped the source of his enemy’s overwhelming power, and its vital points.

So, his power is fueled by the utter hate of the Epe Tribe for me; but it’s not just that. It’s also fueled by his own personal losses as well; his energy is feeding off his grief from the loss of his friend! Urn thought. If I can find out who he lost, I can use that to break him free from this state of rage!

“You...” Urn started, slowly finding the right words. “Are so pathetic. Not only do you blame me for something out of my control, but you also want to blame me for the death of a friend? Maybe if you were a bit more competent, you would have been able to help them.” Urn shrugged his shoulders at the figure. “But you’re about as competent as the rest of your savage buddies. And because of that…. wait, what was your friend’s name again? Something lik-”

Tendrils of energy burst from the air around Urn, wrapping around his body and tightening him with even more force than his locket could muster. As the tendrils twisted and squeezed him like a towel, the aura shrouding the figure grew more intense with every moment.

“So, you finally show your true self.” The figure’s eyes gleamed with rage, and it clenched its hands, causing the tendrils to squeeze Urn even tighter. “But say another word about Baba, and I’ll kill you before we can enact our true revenge.”

The figure relaxed its hands, and Urn fell to the ground, limp. The pain was so intense that even thinking sent ripples of pain bouncing through his body. He needed to end this; and he needed to do it quickly. Raising his head slowly, he stared at the figure in the eye’s; and thought as hard as he could.

Baba. He thought towards the figure, who just as he planned, instinctively thought back an image of Baba; a large wolf, curled up next to a pond, panting heavily. Urn grit his teeth, and with the last of his energy, conjured the perfect image and sent it to the figure’s mind.

Before the figure could take another step forwards, the image of Baba appeared to him, cutting off any and all other thoughts. Baba, curling up within the empty space that was the figure’s mind, licked its snout and spoke. “It’s all your fault, Alci.”

Alci’s eyes widened at Baba, and as the image faded from his mind, he desperately tried to grasp at it; but Baba was gone before he could do anything about it. No. I could of done something. Alci thought with horror. Since I was the one that killed Baba.

Alci blinked; even though his eyes were open before, it felt like they had just truly opened. The horror of what he’d done flew in all at once; the battered and wrecked trees, Urn’s wounded body, and Ralph, lying on the grass, dead. He took a step back.

I’m a murderer. Alci raised his blood drenched hands and whimpered in horror. His hands were covered in the blood of other people. Images of the battle that’d taken place came flooding into his mind, as every blow he delivered to the two played in high detail within his brain. I tortured them. And then I killed one.

….

…

Alci felt the strength leave his legs as he collapsed to the floor beside Ralph.

This rage and I.

We should both just disappear.